Road Pig (2011)
While the original Road Pig was impressively buff for Real American Hero line, I found it lacking the imposing face portrayed on the card art. The head sculpt was based on a Hasbro employee of the period, who had an entirely too friendly face for a roughhousing Dreadnok. The remainder of the original figure was well done and effectively accessorized for the day, most notably in its inclusion of new and interesting weapons. The arm shield, wrist mounted crossbow and of course the legendary cinder block on a stick were some of the coolest Dreadnok weapons since Buzzer’s chainsaw.
Road Pig is most definitely my favorite figure of the BigBadToyStore exclusive Dreadnok battle pack. Ever since the Night Adder and Resolute Roadblock, I’ve found the body upon which the figure is based to be the best “big man” sculpt in the modern era. Previous larger scale bucks like the DTC Major Barrage and 25th Gung Ho and Roadblock made valiant attempts but just missed the mark. This time however the sculpt is impressively bulkier than smaller figures yet remains in scale with other modern figures.
Like his Real American Hero predecessor, Road Pig impresses with his accessory complement. The trusty cinder block is back, along with a shield that creatively uses a bent street sign. A wicked scimitar is new to Road Pig, and even stores in his shoulder armor, the kind of detail that always gets big points with me. Speaking of the shoulder armor, it’s one of the most effective elements of the newly created parts. It really looks like he borrowed it from the Road Warrior’s Wez.
Finally, the head sculpt improves on the original with a very nasty expression and a totally 80’s Billy Idol flat top and sneer. Small paint details like the classic anarchy symbol and Dreadnok logo on the belt buckle also contribute to bringing the whole figure together in a way that transcends its reused parts. Road Pig is available along with six other figures in the Dreadnok battle pack at BigBadToyStore. A GI Joe set, Slaughter’s Marauders, is also available.
A huge improvement on the original. I always thought the original was fat rather than muscular. No bones about it, this version is all muscle. While I miss the mini-crossbow, I totally dig the road sign shield.
Probably the biggest improvement in the set. I never understood how Road Pig ended up with two personalities in the comic. Needless to say, neither one was reflected in the original figure. He just looked too goofy to be taken seriously. This updated version looks menacing and imposing, more like the Mad Max characters that the Dreadnoks resemble so much. The head sculpt is one of Hasbro’s best yet. This Road Pig is almost like an entirely new character due to his new-found awesomeness.
The best of the set.