Action Figure Overview: Eagle Force - Goldie Hawk (Mego, 1981)
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| Eagle Force: Goldie Hawk (Mego, 1981) |
I don't remember the exact year when I first heard of the Eagle Force figures (it was either 1981 or 1982), but I do remember that my introduction to the line came in the form of a TV commercial that I thought was absolutely awesome! The commercial worked and I wanted these figures. Unfortunately, when I saw them for the first time at the store, I was surprised and disappointed that they were so much smaller than all of my other action figures. At 2.75 inches, the Eagle Force didn't really fit in with any of my other toy lines. They were made of die-cast metal, so I always assumed that they must have cost more to make and Mego made them smaller to save money, but years later, I found out the reason for their scale was more likely because Mego had recently acquired the molds for a bunch of old Marx vehicles and playsets that were originally sold with little plastic army men. They were too small for the 3 3/4" figures that had become the standard size ever since Kenner's Star Wars figures, so the Eagle Force figures were made smaller to fit along with these vehicles.
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| Goldie Hawk out in the field |
Even though I was disappointed by their size, I still wanted the Eagle Force toys. They didn't cross over with any of my other toy lines, so I really only played with them a lot for the first year. Plus, GI Joe came out later in 1982 and pretty much became my go-to toy line for the rest of the time that I played with toys. I've had numerous people tell me that Eagle Force was Mego's attempt at a money-grab based on the popularity of G.I. Joe, but my memory is that the Eagle Force hit the stores before G.I. Joe. Even if they hit at the same time, the work leading up to the release of Eagle Force definitely started in early 1981, so it's not realistic that the Real American Hero line would have been an influence on the Eagle Force line.
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| Goldie Hawk with Captain Eagle and Stryker! |
The Eagle Force was led by Captain Eagle (click HERE for my Captain Eagle blog): a eye-patch wearing military man with a steel fist and a pet eagle named Talon! Even though though I don't think it was ever stated anywhere in the official Eagle Force information, the second in command of my Eagle Force team back in the 80s was Goldie Hawk, the only female figure in the line. According to her package information, Goldie Hawk was known as "The Blond Bombardier!" The comic story on her cardback says that she is one of America's top test pilots and that she can fly anything from a Hang-Glider to the Space Shuttle! I'm not sure why I thought she was supposed to be the second in command, but for whatever reason, I thought she had a higher rank than any of the other characters besides Captain Eagle himself.
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| Goldie Hawk in front of the V.O.T.L. Jet! |
Ironically, according to an interview at the Mego Museum with Eagle Force artist Paul Kirchner; Mego's VP of Research and Development, Bill Baron, thought that kids would mostly just use Goldie Hawk as a hostage! It never occurred to me that she was supposed to be any less capable than the other members of the team. I think if I had ever wanted one of the characters to be a hostage, I would have used the hippy electronics expert, Zapper. Although I always thought he was one of the smarter characters, he seemed like the last one on the team that I'd want backing me up in a fight.
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| Goldie Hawk from all sides |
Aside from ideas about the characters that came from our imaginations, everything kids knew about the Eagle Force and R.I.O.T. came from the packaging. The Mego design team definitely did an excellent job creating packaging that helped sell the figures! It may be kind of over-the-top, but even as an adult, I think the artwork looks sharp! The comic strip on the back was an excellent touch too. Keep in mind, these figures predate Secret Wars (which had a short comic on the back of the package), as well as Super Powers, Masters of the Universe, Sectaurs, and all of the other series that included a mini-comic with each figure. Since kids didn't have any idea who these characters were, I think the comic was a nice touch. Plus, the comics were actually pretty good both in terms of artwork and story.
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| Mego Goldie Hawk package / cardback |
Several of the figures in the Eagle Force line had some small variations and Goldie Hawk had one of the more noticeable variations. She was released with both red lips and unpainted lips. At first I thought that maybe the unpainted lips were just a result of the red paint coming off with childhood play, but after picking up a carded figure with unpainted lips, I'm now convinced that it's an actual variation and not just worn-off paint.
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| Goldie Hawk with both unpainted and painted lips |
Aside from my initial disappointment that the figures weren't 3 3/4" tall, I really did like the Eagle Force line. I was never able to find some of the figures as a kid, but I did have most of them. I also picked up the Ocean Patrol Adventure Pack new in the store and a V.O.T.L. jet that I think I bought from the kid across the street (which was broken when I got it). Before GI Joe became my new favorite toy line, I had a lot of adventures with my Eagle Force figures. Even later on, I would still occasionally get out my Eagle Force figures for a few more adventures, but as my GI Joe collection grew, I thought less and less about these little golden, metal soldiers. In the late 90s, I discovered Ebay and jumped back into collecting Eagle Force. I still love the concept and packaging and I still think they're neat, little figures!
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| Goldie Hawk on patrol! |
Did you have Kenner Eagle Force figures as a kid? Do you collect them now? Which character is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
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