Here we have Hawkman in-hand, with a fairly dark color scheme that almost makes me think of a Gargoyle instead of the usual Hawkman. This stems from being an amalgamation of all versions of Hawkeye prior to his comic relaunch, also stemming from the aesthetics tone comics had at the time; that shade of blue for the pants fits well with someone like Batman, while the hair on the chest as well as the darker colors of the wings almost make him much less "classic" and more mythical and gritty in comparison. Some superhero redesigns and new faces had this at the time, and while it was edgy, it beats turning characters into himbos or girlbosses. The blue grey fade on top of the wings makes him feel slightly gothic, while the chest hair makes him feel more barberic with the harness and nothing else covering the upper body, a contrast to the fresh, clean look associated with someone like He-Man. Other than that, this almost makes me think of the kind of "Mythic Warriors" toyline Todd McFarlane would have done, only trading a heavy level of weathering and deco for articulation.
His head sculpt is meant to fit with the tweaks Hawkman had in his 90s relaunch, between the bird-like eyes to go with the organic wings and the black mullet that further pushes to the edge of that era. I wish the fins of the helmet weren't that flexible, but at least the paint looks nice. I like thay the beak is more vibrant gold than the rest of the helmet. Articulation is the same as usual, but the wings are not only removable, but they can flap as well as hinge up and down. They are stuck in this look, but at least they're not collapsed like with the 2014 Angel from the All New X-Men boxset. Other than that, the collector card, and the stand, he comes with his mace with some color separation at least.
The newest Hawkgirl is a straight recolor of the original, almost appearing like it got a suntan, yet it fits with Kendra Saunders being of Latin descent. I love that the wings are silver and caramel colored, and while the costume may seem similar to Kendra, it is actually painted differently in some areas, mostly the helmet and and the aforementioned wings. Being a suntan version of Shiera, though, she retails the painted skin for the upper body above her breasts, which could have been prevented if McFarlane wasn't using the same tooling.
The Platinum releases of these two go for more classic looks, with Hawkman being closer to the Silver Age, whereas Hawkgirl is closer to the Golden Age. I say Silver Age because that is the closest HM looks in spite of the mullet in his head. I believe Hawkgirl should have normal eyes, too. Then again, McFarlane is as confused as us thanks to DC continuity.
And here they are together as a flock, I guess you could say! With both Hawkgirls using the same tooling as Wonder Woman, they end up being as tall as Hawkman. Now that I have a version of Hawkman in my collection, I have to admit he looks cool but is far too undeserving of being overpriced in the aftermarket. Especially when the only accessories he'll have are wings that are almost always stuck on him and a single weapon. At least Hawkgirl has more hands and better wing articulation, but I would have preferred if these two Hawkgirls were released together while the classic ones were their own regular and Platinum duo. I can only guess McFarlane didn't do that because people wouldn't be as invested in getting the Platinums if they were slightly different versions of what the regular retail releases are. So I recommend the new Hawkgirl as much as I do the original, whereas you better prey Hawkman is easy to get at a good price.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Hawkgirl)
⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Hawkman)
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