Sky Havoc Box Art

This stuff has got me seriously hooked. I love seeing the clean art versions of the package paintings. They made even the less interesting vehicles shine (ha!).
This painting has me wondering if the collectors club will pull out the Snow Cat mold again and vac-matalize it as a Sky Havoc II for this year’s con set. Sky hope not.

Sky-HAVOC

16 comments

  • ”1986 Original G.I.Joe H.A.V.O.C.,still the all-time classic.-Yo Joe!”

  • I do wonder what Sky Force Vehicles will be done for the convention. Could do Sky Havoc II as you mentioned, but of course there’s always the updated Sky Hawk molds and the Sharc molds for the Sky (Sky) Hawk and Sky Sharc. But would they possibly use the movie Night Raven to make an updated Sky Raven?

    • James From Miami

      I can definitely see the Sky Raven 2, been made from that awful, and terrible, 2009 mold with the wheels that don’t roll. But using the Snow Cat mold for a Sky Havoc 2, just doesn’t make any sense. The reason why the original H.A.V.O.C. vehicle was chosen to be used for the Sky Patrol back in those days, was because it had that little flying hovering thing, that would go in the back of the vehicle. That was the only reason why it was chosen for the Sky Patrol. But using the Snow Cat doesn’t make any sense at all for the Sky Patrol, unless the Hasbro design team retools the back of the Snow Cat, to have some little flying hovering thing, that can be placed in the back of it. See what I mean? But anyway, whatever happened to all of the molds to make all of the parts for the original H.A.V.O.C.? Something tells me, that those molds still exist somewhere.

    • I hope they don’t go the Snow Cat route since I’ll actually be there so could buy souvenirs this year. Though as I was reading your comment I started to wonder if maybe the GIJCC will turn the R.H.I.N.O. into the Sky Havoc Mark II. It’s a troop carrier like the Havoc and it’s got a built-in helicopter. That would be a pretty awesome Sky Havok Mark II in my opinion.

      • James From Miami

        Well, that would be a perfect vehicle for the Sky Patrol. But I would prefer that they, who ever they are, just name the vehicle something close to it’s original name, instead of giving it the name of another vehicle. I’m not sure if the name Sky R.H.I.N.O. would work , but I’m sure something can be done. And yes, I know that in the past the Hasbro folks have given newer vehicles, the names of older vehicles. Or given the repaints of older vehicles, new names, or names from older vehicles. But, even though I am tired of so many of these inconsistencies in G.I. Joe, that can create confusion, in this case, I would be o.k. with a different name, as long as it is close to the original vehicle’s name. I don’t see why it could not be done that way.

  • This version of the art looks nice! I ran into a Sky Havoc in a comic shop, and though I’m not a huge Havoc fan, the shine got me and I picked it up. But I keep hearing that Hasbro & the Club won’t vac-metalize anything these days due to environmental concerns. Wonder if it’s really cost.

  • The Havoc is based loosely on a British and Scandinavian tracked vehicle made by Haglunds. It is specialised for all terrain and cold weather troop transport with light armor.

  • James From Miami

    I would like it very much if somebody would make a G.I. Joe book that shows all of these classic illustration artworks, of both the vehicles, and the figures, from 1982 through 2006. That would be great. As for the Snow Cat been called the H.A.V.O.C. MK-II, and been molded in army green, that was just way too wrong, and it should have been illegal. Now, if they had just instead named that army green Snow Cat, the Jungle Cat, I would have been fine with that. And I’m sure every single G.I. Joe fan, and collector, would have also been fine with that. And in the future, the Hasbro folks, or the convention folks, or whomever, could have made a desert version called the Desert Cat. Just like when the Tiger Force stuff came out, and the repaint of that vehicle was given the name, Tiger Cat. Same exact thing. Maybe they are just running out of creativity. If that’s the case, then that would be a real shame.

  • James, you may want to check out this Kickstarter project re the art from the GI Joe packaging:

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3djoes/collecting-the-art-of-gi-joe-volume-3-1986-1987?ref=nav_search

  • I like to compare the redone vehicle box art to the original. Here Lifeline became Drop Zone. Hawk V2 became Airborne II, Skydive was Dialtone and Cross Country becomes a blond (!) Altitude.
    They altered the missiles to make them more accurate to the toy and moved the hover pod down a bit.

    • James From Miami

      And also, the covers that go on the threads are drawn differently on each of the illustrations on the covers of the boxes. And on the back of each of the boxes, it shows those covers put in differently also. And if you look at the main photo on the back of the box of the 86 H.A.V.O.C., you can see that those prototype missiles there, were originally designed looking more like torpedoes. And isn’t it strange that Cross-Country, the figure that came with that vehicle, is not the one on the cover that is shown manning those twin cannon things, but instead they got General Hawk doing that.

  • Unless there is some radical new feature, weapon and or paint job they need to stop re using good molds until they’re old and stale!! Like how many awe strikers do you need or want?! Seriously it was a great vehicle that now seems so old and stale.

    • James From Miami

      Yes, I agree one hundred percent. We don’t need that many A.W.E. Strikers. The only thing that interests me, are repaints that are either done in white for arctic vehicles, green for jungle vehicles, or beige, or light brown for desert vehicles. And if they have camouflage in the paint, I’m cool with that too. And there are plenty of classic, and newer vehicles, that can be repainted in any, or all of those colors. And that’s all I’m saying.

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