by Lennon “LJ The Toy Addict” George
I'm here with another installment of Satur'toons! Last week I covered Marshall BraveStarr and boy did that bring back memories for me. After writing that piece it got me to thinking about another epic cartoon series. Who I am talking about? None other than the highflying, space rangers the SilverHawks.
The SilverHawks TV series was created by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass and was distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1986 (purchased by Warner Bros. in 1989, whom currently own the rights to SilverHawks). It said that the series was started to try and ride the coat tails of Thundercats in fact many of the voice actors from the Thundercats voiced the SilverHawks characters.
The show took place in the fictional Limbo galaxy where bionic cop Commander Stargazer the head of the SilverHawks protects various planets in the galaxy. Stargazer recruits the half man, half metal heroes the SilverHawks to help fight the evil, quintillionaire villain Mon*Star, an alien mob boss who can transform into a huge armor-plated creature by using the Moonstar crystals of Limbo. In this state he is able to shoot a “Light Star” beam from his left eye. He also rode a giant “space squid” named Sky-Runner, had his own weapon-bird named Sky Shadow, and even had a really cool catch phrase “Moonstar of Limbo, give me the might, the muscle, the menace, of Mon*Star!” After breaking out from Penal Planet 10 Mon*Star helps other criminals escape to aid him in his quest to rule Limbo. The mob included snakelike Yes-Man, blade-armored Buzz-Saw, “bull” headed Mumbo Jumbo, Windhammer the weather controller, shapeshifting Mo-Lec-U-Lar, robotic card shark Poker-Face, weapon heavy Hardware, and Keytar playing, musical note shooting, Melodia.
Quicksilver formally known as Jonathan Quick, with his metal bird sidekick TallyHawk (originally owned by Stargazer) leads the SilverHawks team. Twins Emily and Will the technician and strongman become Steelheart and Steelwill. Country-singing Lt. Colonel Bluegrass is second in command he plays a sonic guitar and is the pilot of the team's ship, the Miraj (pronounced mirage). The youngest of the group the Copper Kidd or Kidd for short is a mathematical genius from “the planet of mimes” that spoke in whistles and digitized tones. The SilverHawks suits covered their bionic bodies with tight-fitting metal armor exposing the face and arms. The armor is equipped with retractable wings and protective mask, (except Bluegrass) elbow thrusters, and laser weapons on their body.
New SilverHawks were introduced to the series as it gained popularity Hotwing-an African American magician that wore a gold suit. Flashback is a green time traveling SilverHawk from the future. Moonstryker can propel himself through space by using a super strong cyclone created from propellers the come out of his waist and Condor an old ally of Stargazer. There were more villains also added who made regular appearances on the show. Timestopper is a young, cocky delinquent with a device on his chest, which granted him the ability to stop time. Zero the Memory Thief, a long nosed character that used a cattle prod like weapon to steal memories and record them on cassettes. Smiley is a mummified robotic boxer brought back to life by Poker Face. He is known as the Heavyweight Champ of Limbo. Bounty Hunter is a bulldog-faced character with high pointed ears and a laser on his head. Also the dimwitted characters The Space Bandit, Rhino and Cyclops whom always seemed to get played by Melodia and Poker Face.
Each SilverHawk has a bird companion or “Weapon-Bird” that fights alongside them, but they don’t appear in every episode unlike TallyHawk who appeared in almost every episode. Below you will find a list of them with their owner.
SilverHawk/WeaponBird
Stargazer/Sly-Bird
Lt. Bluegrass/Sideman
Steelheart/Rayzor
Steelwill/Stronghold
Copper Kidd/Mayday
Hotwing/Gyro
Flashback/Backlash
Moonstryker-/Tailspin
Condor/Jet Stream
Just like He-Man, Thundercats, and G.I. Joe there was a morality lesson to be learned at the end of every episode. Not only did the SilverHawks have a cartoon series, but they also has a popular toy line and comic book series as well produced by Star Comics an imprint of Marvel Comics. The comics and toys can still be found at Flea Markets and places like eBay and Amazon. I remember having quite a few of these toys as a kid my favorites was Copper Kid, Quick Silver, Moonstryker, the twins and Hotwing. I never had any of the comic books, but now I’m tempted to go find them so I can read the storylines.
I would love to see a remake of the SilverHawks just like they have remade G.I.Joe, Transformers, and Thundercats. Well I’m about to go do a little bit of toy hunting and maybe hit the Flea Market to see if I can find some forgotten treasures. Please take a minute to show us some love on our social media sites. Until next time Go Hard, Go Fast, Go Figure!