Air Raiders: Hawkwind

I decided to take a short break from Transformers and take a look at another 80's property from Hasbro...Air Raiders!

This is the second Air Raiders toy I've reviewed, but my first packaged specimen. I don't know about you but the packaging of toys in the 80's just seemed so much cooler when compared to today's toys. The artwork is gorgeous and the purple the Tyrants of Wind used really pops on the predominately orange box. I've always loved the overall design of this aircraft. If it weren't for the two large wings on the top rear of the vehicle then I'd say the Hawkwind looks a lot like the G.I. Joe Conquest X-30. However the Hawkwind was released first so perhaps the Conquest X-30 took some design liberties from this Air Raiders craft?

I was impressed with the front of the box, but blown away by the artwork on the back of the box. Being the huge Transformers fan that I am, I am used to seeing epic battle scenes on toy packaging. This scene however is a sight to behold. I can only imagine seeing this on the back of one of the larger pieces from the series. If I could get a poster of this (and I had room to hang it) I'd be all over it.

This box has seen better days, but it is intact enough to still look nice. The Hawkwind's file card as you can see is still attached to the box.

Figures: 2 posable action figures - Tyrants of Wind Pilot and Soldier. 
Features: 2 air powered missiles! 
Includes: upper fuselage, lower fuselage, lower wing, 2 covers, rear gun, front canopy, rear canopy, 4 missiles, launch system, Tyrants of Wind Pilot, soldier, label sheet and instructions. 

Crew: Two man crew - Commodore Kronax and Mace. Ruthless, conceited men. Enjoy shooting at wind farms for target practice. Infamous for their severe hatred of Air Raiders.

Vehicle Type: Subsonic attack jet - long range strategic fighter plane.

Powerplant: Air blaster activated, rocket racer engines.

Performance: The fastest and deadliest thing in the air. Reaches Mach 3 in 50.07 seconds. Possesses exceptional maneuverability.

Armament: Rear-mounted rocket launcher fires bluster bombs that produce screeching gail force winds and temporarily disorientate the enemy. Front-mounted, light-sensitive, air-launch whistler missiles fire in tandem and explode on impact.

Onboard Specifications: Capable of leveling an entire grid on the map in 5 minutes. Four-spread wing design enables plane to fly upside down or sideways. No known weaknesses. 

Hawkwind comes with two poseable figures. The figure on the left is the pilot while the figure on the right is the soldier. If you aren't familiar with these figures they are small. Smaller than M.A.S.K. figures. When the box lists them as poseable they are being generous. The arms can go up and down and the legs can be put in a seated position. That's it. It looks as if the heads would turn, the soldier's shoulder pads prevent any range of motion. The pilot's head does turn a little bit.

The thing about non-window toy packaging is sometimes the artwork used for the toy is better than the actual toy itself. However Hawkwind doesn't disappoint. The upper half of the vehicle is purple while the bottom half is a blue-ish gray. The missiles are black with soft yellow tips. The air tubes are also cast of a soft yellow plastic. The canopy is a translucent blue-ish gray. It opens to reveal two seats for the included figures.

Located behind the cockpit is the large square shaped air bellow that launches the missiles. There is a black switch on the back of the aircraft that directs the air to either the right or left sides. I feel like the air bellow is integrated into the design of the Hawkwind quite well. The Twin Lightning's bellow is large and orange and sticks out like a sore thumb.

On the underside is a compartment to store two additional missiles. Other than some molded details there isn't much else going on.

Over all this is a very nice toy. The also pink stickers look a little out of place, but there are only a few included so they don't detract too much from the awesomeness of this aircraft. Because of the angle of the wings the jet doesn't display too well on a shelf. There isn't any landing gear, which is surprising, so the nose just leans forward and rests on the ground unless propped up somehow. I have two of this toy and I'm planning on letting one go. I want to try my hand at using some fishing line to hang the other from my ceiling.

I don't have many pieces from the Air Raiders line, but this one has impressed me enough to give a few other vehicles in the line a chance.