Heavy Artillery Laser (HAL)
The HAL is a monster! I’d venture to say it’s the most intimidating bit of stand-alone artillery the Joes have in their arsenal. I know the Rolling Thunder as a portable missile platform is more impressive for long range capability, but this thing just looks mean on the battlefield. Cobra was seriously outgunned in the early days of the toy line, although a case could be made that the Missile Command HQ is more inherently dangerous. Then again, how much damage could a cardboard missile really do? Not to worry though if you were a Cobra fan and a Marvel comic reader. The pages were filled with plenty more Cobra craft than were available on toy shelves.
Where the FLAK is the main stationary weapon of the ’82 team, the HAL can be towed about, a perfect complement to add anti-air support to a mobile strike force. Hook it up to the VAMP or MOBAT and you’re good to go, blasting Cobras out of the sky. If you’d like to get crazy, and who didn’t as a kid, you could even have Grand Slam man this thing on the go, firing away in the middle of a convoy. What else could you do in the days before the Wolverine and Slugger?
Like the FLAK, this weapon is chock full of detail; so much that between all the greebling on the toy and the informative blueprint, you might think this cannon could really function in the real world.
”With the H.A.L.1982/83, you could imagine seeing hords, of Cobra Air vehicles getting blasted from the skies, …And see Cobra armoured units, such as the H.I.SS,1983 being torn to shreds by this impressive G.I.Joe towed weapon.”
This is a cool toy. Its ugly and boxy but it looks almost real world practical. It has a ton of cool play features. I wonder what an update to this would look like if Hasbro took a crack and redoing the line again.