Road Pig (2004)
The Dreadnoks always seemed to me like they had a Road Warrior vibe, although the first three members also hit some American biker gang notes as well. When Thrasher hit the scene, his look was 100% post-apocalyptic madman. After all, who else fashion-wise chooses to wear football pads on the outside of their clothing? Big thanks to crazy old Wez for inspiring ‘Noks as well as 80s Italian action film costume designers. Road Pig certainly fits the mold of characters kitted out with “found” weaponry and gear popularized in the Mad Max sequel.
Road Pig’s repaint for the 2004 convention set is one of my favorites of the group. It’s certainly an improvement over the unearthly skin tone of the Sonic Fighters version. He maintains most of his original look, and also gets a nice upgraded two-tone paint job on his cinderblock mace. All of his gear is present and accounted for, which is always a welcome sight, especially when a figure is so uniquely accessorized. The icing on the cake would I would have been the inclusion of the Sonic Fighters version’s excellent double barrelled flamethrower, but such is life.
””Danger !-Red Alert!-Watch Out Gijoe!-Here Comes The Dreadnoks!-They’re Gunning For You!”
He may have had all his gear, but not all of his figure mold–they replaced his waist with that of Big Boa’s.
I never minded the orange version of Road Pig. Maybe he got the tan to try to make himself more attractive to Zarana. That’s not easy when your stiffest competition is older guys with excellent computer skills. I can’t see Road Pig sitting through a class, trying to learn Windows basics to impress his dream girl.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Road Pig and I feel he’s probably the most underrated of the Dreadnoks.
As I was leaving Joe in late ’87/early ’88, I remember Larry Hama saying in an interview that this new character of Road Pig was one of his favorites. When he showed up in the comic, though, I quickly grew to dislike him. I found the dual personality very annoying.
Didn’t get the figures until years later. But, that early impression still colors the character and I have never considered Road Pig anything other than filler.
This is a decent version, but nothing the cheaer V1 or Funskool versions’s don’t already offer.