The General...

Filecard Information: Hawk was the original field commander of the Joe Team before he got his General's star and was booted upstairs to honcho the entire G. I. Joe Operation. He's a West Point graduate and has a list of special education credits as long as his arm, but he still managed to get the main body of his experience out there where it counts—on the battle field.

He's the top dog on the G.I. Joe team, a true leader of men, one that leads his team into battle. Hawk's character started in the original release of the G.I. Joe toys in 1982 as the Colonel in charge of the team. The second release of the character was in 1986 and he had been promoted to General. That's the best interpretation of Hawk through the years.

I definitely wanted to recreate him in the 12" scale. There's been several other versions of Hawk to follow the original General Hawk, but this version has always been my favorite. There was a version with a jet pack and flight suit, the talking Battlefield Commander version with the hideous tan and other versions based on the 1986 version or the flight suit version.

I decided to stick with the 1986 version. He's wearing a relatively basic uniform that should be fairly easy to recreate in 12" form.

I actually used the jacket that came with the Anniversary General that was released at Target way back around the time the 30th Anniversary Joes were released. Remember those guys? With those hideously bulky non-articulated bodies? That's okay, they were a necessary step in reviving the 12" G.I. Joe!

The next step in the evolution of this version of General Hawk came during the 25th Anniversary of the Real American Hero line. Hawk was first released in a two-pack with Scarlett, but he was more in line with the original style uniform. I anxiously awaited the version that I knew had to be made.

When I saw the first pictures, I knew I had to get this figure! An excellent job at capturing this iconic look of General Hawk. Excellent detailing and accessories. Hasbro did a great job!

Here's a look at the General in 3 different versions, my 12" version, the original General and the 25th General.