Little by little the G.I. Joe Classified collection is growing. I waited a bit longer than I wanted to for this particular addition, but thanks to Cash Back incentives and points, I got a heck of a deal on General Hawk. I really dig this figure, especially based on his appearance in his combat gear. The only real issue I have is that Hawk was always depicted with blonde hair, while this figure has brown hair, with a blaze of white running through it. I'm excited though to bring you my thoughts on the G.I. Joe Classified Series #103 General Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy action figure.
Real Name: Clayton M. Abernathy
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado
Military Specialties:
Primary: Strategic command operations
Secondary: Ranger, artillery, intelligence, and radar
Rank Progression:
Colonel (original rank)
Brigadier General
Major General
Hawk served as the original field commander of the G.I. Joe Team, recruiting many of its early members. After General Flagg’s death and General Austin’s retirement, Hawk assumed full command of the team. He led the assault on the Cobra controlled town of Springfield, taking full responsibility for the team's failure to expose the terrorist organization. He was also instrumental in reinstating the G.I. Joe team after it was temporarily decommissioned.
Hawk appeared in his battle gear for the first time in G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #45 after having been promoted to Brigadier General, following General Austin's heart attack in a previous issue. With that... let's discuss the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified #103 General Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy action figure.
Accessories: 7/10
Hawk comes with an assortment of weapons: two pistols, one which looks to be a Walther PPK, and the other which appears to be an extended barrel either Remington or Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol. He also carries what looks to be a Mossberg styled pump action shotgun and a grenade launcher. Try as I might, I couldn't figure out what this might be based on. He also comes with his helmet and two pairs of goggles... one that he can wear and the other that will fit around his helmet. While I am pleased with the accessories, Hasbro typically puts a bit more with their G.I. Joe line and I'm wondering if Hawk wouldn't have been better served with some extra hands and/or additional equipment.
Appearance: 9/10
As I mentioned earlier, I'm used to Hawk having blonde hair. That is my only real "gripe" with the figure... if you can even call it such. I'm very impressed with the design of Hawk in his battle gear. The leather bomber jacket has a significant amount of detail, from the collar to the patches and insignia. The sculpting of the jacket is done exceptionally nicely, with attention paid to the zipper, seams, and pocket details. The legs and boots appear to be re-used from other Joe figures, which is fine, because they are painted very well and convey an accurate representation of fatigues and combat boots. The more closely I examined the figure, the more I appreciate the paint apps, especially the detail in the hair. They are very cleanly applied, the eyes are symmetrical, which is always good. The hair looks, genuinely, nice. I like the sculpted wave to the hair and the white streak is very eye catching. Even with the helmet on, his facial features stand out very well. The goggles do take some work to put on his face, but in place, are snug and look terrific. If you prefer him with the goggles on his helmet, I'd recommend a tiny drop of glue to keep them in place. Mine have the annoying tendency to slip off. The strap is big enough around, but there's a pliability to it that makes it contract just a bit and slide up toward the top of the helmet. In place, though, the goggles look very cool atop that olive green helmet and the gold star on the front stands out very nicely. In all, this is a great looking figure which stands tall amongst the rest of the Joes on my display.
Articulation: 6.5/10
Let me start out by saying that I had a LOT of stuck joints on this figure. It took a while to get them loosened up and working. In fact, I'm still having some issues with his knees, so I'm thinking that even heat or shock oil isn't necessarily the solution. Hawk features the normal G.I. Joe engineering, but the range does seem to be somewhat limited. Starting at the top... his head can turn side to side easily enough, even with the helmet on. Looking up is limited and there isn't much downward tilt. I think the neck is on a joint, but mine is so tight I'm afraid to mess with it too much. There is some side tilt, but it's also limited. The shoulders will rotate 360 degrees without hindrance, but the butterfly joints are very minimal. To be frank, I'm not even sure why there are butterfly joints on this figure since they offer very little in terms of range. The bicep cut is fine, and the elbows are double-jointed and can bend in nicely. The wrists turn easily and can hinge, but the sleeves do limit them a tad. The torso articulation is terrible. There are upper and lower pivot points, which allow you to turn/twist the torso, but the amount of crunch is basically non-existent. There is little to know side tilt as well. Now, this may be a case of stuck joints, but I'm really surprised at how poorly the upper body moves. Generally, G.I. Joe figures have great hip articulation, allowing the figures to get into deep splits. Not so with Hawk. Even with the drop-down feature, the splits aren't nearly as good as other figures in the line. He can kick upward very well though, which helps somewhat. As with the biceps, there is a thigh cut which is fine and a boot cut, if you like those. The knees gave me a lot of trouble, but finally are loosened enough to bend without too much stress. The range is solid too, with the heel of his boot nearly touching his lower back. The ankles were probably the best joints on the figure with great hinge and pivot range.
Affordability: 7.5/10
General Hawk retails at the standard $24.99 price range. Thanks to points though, I was able to land mine on Amazon for about half price. Of all the G.I. Joe figures I have, Hawk probably comes with the fewest number of accessories, so the value may not necessarily be there. On the plus side, Hasbro has found a pricing consistency point, it seems, so that's a plus. Is Hawk worth the price? Well, the figure does look great and if yours doesn't have the same articulation issues that mine does, sure, he's worth the price of admission. I feel like the problems mine has lowers the overall value though.
Overall, the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series #103 General Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy action figure is a decent addition to any Joe collection. The articulation concerns on mine do tend to drop the grade a bit, but if you can find one without the significant joint problems like mine, you'll likely enjoy having him. With that, from my perspective this figure earns:
7.5 out of 10 ToyBoxes
Hawk is good, but not necessarily great. He is a solid addition to any G.I. Joe display and earns a decent rating. Thank you for checking out Dan's ToyBox, until next time... GEEK OUT!!!