While most of us stumbled upon it last week, Hasbro officially unveiled GIJoe.com yesterday along with Official G.I. Joe accounts across three social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Their Instagram account has already been busy, posting several awesome pieces of new artwork geared around their G.I. Joe: Classified line, and other accounts have emphasized a week full of reveals and news, culminating in a Fan Friday event at 12:30pm on Hasbro Pulse.
While my own schedule is unpredictable, I strongly suggest you closely follow both GeneralsJoes.com and The Full Force for the latest up-to-the-minute news and intel from Hasbro and G.I. Joe!
A normal Monday was interrupted today thanks to IGN revealing a first look at the next G.I. Joe: Classified figure, COBRA Commander himself!
IGN revealed an awesome looking rendition of the COBRA leader, complete with blue uniform and black trim. However, they also announced that sales app NTWRK would offer the figure up on June 18th.
What was interesting was that NTWRK showed a different version of COBRA Commander than was revealed on IGN.
What’s up with that?
Well, there are no answers yet, but it should be noted that last year, the San Diego ComicCon exclusive Ghostbusters Optimus Prime was offered in limited capacity through this same NTWRK app. So it seems possible (if not likely) that the brighter deco seen on NTWRK is in fact an SDCC Exclusive that may be available through their virtual convention as well as through NTWRK, or may just perhaps be offered through NTWRK and some other exclusive venue. It would be nice if Hasbro themselves would share some of that information rather than cause confusion about their products, but that seems to be their standard operating procedure for the Classified line thus far.
Meanwhile the darker blue is likely reserved for a standard retail release in September (according to the IGN article).
This is all hypothesis, but seems to make some sense. Big thanks to notpicard for the heads up about the Ghostbusters Prime figure last year.
And with this review, the first full wave of G.I. Joe: Classified reviews comes to a close. I know I haven’t posted reviews very often lately, mostly because there wasn’t really much to review from the G.I. Joe side, but also, to be honest, because I was getting a little burned out with the modern era format and the mindset behind most of the figures.
Here, for the first time in a long time, Hasbro seems to be trying something new, and anyone who’s been following me for any length of time knows that I LOVE new. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an old school G.I. Joe fan, too. A Real American Hero captured my heart nearly forty years ago and never really let go.
That being said, I’m all for new interpretations and in this case, Hasbro has really come out swinging. I truly hope this is a sign of great things to come, I’m excited to see what they have in store.
Oh, and Duke’s pretty neat, too. Check out his review right here and hit the link below to view all the other reviews as well.
Remember a few years ago, in the aftermath of G.I. Joe: Retaliation when the Joe fandom wondered if the time had really come for Hasbro to move away from Duke as a focal character of the G.I. Joe mythology?
Never really happened. One look at G.I. Joe: Classified certainly indicates that Duke is still the man in charge, and he’s also the cream of the crop for figures in the inaugural wave of this new scale.
I think it’s safe to say that Hasbro was trying to accomplish several different things with G.I. Joe: Classified.
They’re taking inspiration and influence from the Real American Hero mythology
They’re adding a few modern touches to try and bring G.I. Joe forward into the future
They’re steering clear from the hyper-real military weaponry in an attempt to appeal to mass retail
With each of the first few figures in this line, they’ve had mixed results combining all of these goals. With Duke they’ve managed them all to near perfection.
Duke really does encompass the best of what this line can be at a six inch scale, and manages to take a character that we’ve all gotten inundated with over the years and make him a very cool, highly desirable six inch figure that brings some great things to the table.
DESIGN
Design-wise, Duke is just about perfect. He clearly takes inspiration from his first appearance in 1983 with the tan button-up shirt and green pants, but this figure adds some great darker colors on the shirt in the way of stitched padding throughout the sleeves and shoulders as well as silver elbow pads.
The green is darker than the original inspiration and looks a bit richer in tone and I really love the “cloth” texture of his pants. His head sculpt is terrific, with a ton of character, and the scar above his right eye looks really great.
There’s a surprising amount of variation in the colors as well. His pants are a different color than his bandolier and his bandolier matches the pouches on his belt and holster, all of which ties several of these different hues together into one really nicely cohesive package.
Duke’s got kneepads and a holster for his pistol, with a hole on the rear of his belt to hold his binoculars. He is crammed full of character, is immediately recognizable, yet brings a lot of modernization to the design.
I know a lot of people have had issues with some of the brighter gold colors, not to mention the heavier armor sprinkled throughout these figures, especially in the case of Roadblock (and in some cases Scarlett). I think the armor is done really well for Duke, the gold on his lower legs toned down, while his elbow and kneepads are sculpted very close to the body and don’t detract from the overall design.
Personally, I’m fine with adding some of these pseudo-sci-fi elements, G.I. Joe has always had them, and Duke is as close to perfect as it gets with these combined aesthetics.
ARTICULATION
Like Snake Eyes, Duke is absolutely loaded with functional articulation which enables a plethora of great poses. The multi-jointed neck, the butterfly shoulders, ab crunch, ball joint waist, drop down hips, double joints at the knees and elbows, not to mention the rocker ankles– Duke can get in pretty much any pose you come up with and I couldn’t be happier.
Especially for G.I. Joe, articulation is key. It’s always been a hallmark of the Joes, ever since the 12″ figure’s debut in the 1960’s. With few exceptions, Hasbro has made sure to maintain state of the art articulation all the way through, and the G.I. Joe: Classified line has that in spades.
ACCESSORIES
A sore spot throughout many of the G.I. Joe: Classified figures, the accessory compliment is another thing that Duke does right. While it’s very clear that his weapons are not traditional military, they still have that sort of aesthetic, which is a big bonus over other figures in this first wave.
One look at the neon blue elements of the rifle tells you that it doesn’t fire bullets, but it’s still a very cool looking weapon, which should be all that matters.
He’s got his trusty backpack with embedded shovel, pistol with holster, and binoculars, a really awesome call back to the vintage figure, who came with all of these same accessories. He looks fntastic all geared up and has a place to store everything (as long as he holds his rifle in his hands), which is very cool indeed.
Great job covering all bases with this one.
PRESENTATION
More unique art that separates Duke from the rest, but looks really good on its own. You have to wonder if at some point they’ll shoot for more unification across the different figures, but for now, I’m really enjoying the more artistic look by leveraging different style artists for the different figures. Gives them a bit of a more “high end” collector feel.
CONCLUSION
It’s been a long time since I was really fired up about a Duke figure, but this version of the character is a highlight in the first wave of G.I. Joe: Classified figures. Just getting my hands on this guy has made me long to see some other stalwart characters like Major Bludd, Zartan, or Flint. After all, if this is even close to what Hasbro is capable of, we could be in for a lot of fun over the next couple of years (and hopefully longer!)
General Gallery
Group Shots
The Capture of Destro
G.I. Joe Classified Duke
Sculpting
Paint Applications
Articulation
Accessories
5
Summary
Duke really hits this scale right out of the park. Hasbro manages to take a pretty dated look and crank it to modernization thanks to some added textures, pads, and yes shin armor (that looks much better than it does on Roadblock!) The end result is a Duke that looks like a modern day sci-fi soldier while still looking immediately familiar to us old school fans. He’s got all the right colors, fantastic articulation and his accessories are a nearly perfect bridge between fantasy and military realism.
Pros
– Nice modern update with some vintage flair
– Incredibly effective articulation
– Just the right modernization in all the right places
– Perfect way to do sci-fi oriented weapons without going overboard
Cons
– Would love this look in the 4″ scale
– Gold shin pads do impact ankle articulation just a little
While the reactions to most of the G.I. Joe: Classified reveals were positive, far and away Destro garnered the most enthusiasm. Whether that was because he was so close to his vintage roots or the figure just looked amazing, I’m not sure, but regardless, he was the highlight based on fan opinion.
He comes close to the cream of the crop for me. Very close.
When images of these new G.I. Joe: Classified figures were first getting released, the prevailing opinion among the G.I. Joe community seemed to be that they liked them, but also wondered why we weren’t just getting upscaled versions of our vintage favorites.
Personally, I’m thrilled that Hasbro decided not to do that, and I’ve been relatively pleased with the changes they’ve made thus far. However, one figure that appears to have leaned very close to their vintage appearance is Destro.
The question is, was that a good or bad thing? As I said above, I much prefer a more modern reinterpretation, and some of my favorite figures throughout the line are ones that went a different direction than the familiar appearance everyone is accustomed to.
So what about Destro? In some ways I’m almost disappointed that they leaned so heavy into his vintage look. Destro is a character rife with possibilities and as I said, some of my favorite versions of the character are ones that didn’t align with popular appearance. City Strike Destro, Resolute Destro, Sigma 6, and Spy Troops were all versions of the character that brought really new things to the table in exciting ways.
This figure chooses the familiar, but manages to work in enough modern touches to still make it feel new.
One look at this figure and you know exactly who it is, he has all the hallmarks and familiar colors and design elements. But as you dig deeper into the figure you can start to see some of the interesting new textures that a larger scale lends itself to.
DESIGN
As I mentioned on the surface, this figure looks very much like the one we got in 1983. However, when you take a closer look, Hasbro took a lot of those cues, but added some great flair. The textured padding on his chest and shoulders, the lined seams on his leather jacket, as well as the intricate sculpting on his boots. It all adds up to a great update (if a minor one).
The sculpting is impressive to say the least. He’s got a great mask and collar, very reminiscent of the old toy and the comic appearance. He’s got nicely broad shoulders and a larger stature, but retains the level of excellent articulation.
Speaking of the sculpt work, one of the amazing things about seeing these figures at a larger scale is the amount of detail they’re able to work in. Just look at the base texture of the figure, all the small lines and wrinkles that immediately make him look as though he’s wearing a leather suit. I am really amazed at just how much texture they’re able to work into the sculpt here. Spectacular stuff.
His primary colors are black, red and silver, as with the vintage version, though the use of the gold pistol is a nice call back to his 1988 Iron Grenadier roots. His red holster and silver belt are great additions as well and I love how many pistols and holsters these larger scaled figures come with.
He’s got great gauntlets and his trusty rockets on his right wrist, and the basic color scheme is accented nicely by a dark gray that adds some breaks in color, but still stays relatively dark.
The finer textures throughout the figure are excellent as well, the leather uniform actually looking like leather thanks to all of the fine sculpting detail throughout.
ARTICULATION
Destro’s articulation is flawless, like the other figures in this first wave. He’s got all of the range of motion of the other male figures in the line, which gives him the ability to maintain a bunch of dramatic positions. Whether he’s standing still, firing either of his weapons or his wrist rockets, he’s got perfect balance and great poseability.
I can’t say enough good things about the poseability of this figure. Almost any pose you can think of, he can match. Such a joy to pose and play with.
ACCESSORIES
Taking some inspiration from City Strike Destro (though I have to give credit where it’s due — Sigma 6 was the first Destro to carry a briefcase), this G.I. Joe: Classified Destro has a fantastic opening briefcase with money and a mini-computer. I’ll admit – I’m not wild about the soft looking detail within the briefcase. It seems to me that if City Strike Destro can use nicely sculpted cash at a 1:18 scale, the six inch version should be able to as well.
Still, a minor complaint.
Destro also comes with a larger black laser pistol, somewhat reminiscent of a Star Wars weapon, then a smaller gold pistol which slides neatly into his thigh holster. Neither of the weapon is particularly exciting, though they’re not terrible either. I probably prefer the smaller pistol for pseudo-realism, but the larger pistol looks as though it packs a bigger punch.
His accessory compliment isn’t amazing, but it’s fine, which is a step in the right direction compared to a figure like Roadblock.
PRESENTATION
Another great figure contained within another great box, and I find the design aesthetics of Destro’s artwork particularly striking. The side of the box with the close up of his head is amazing, and while the art is unique on each figure, it’s also uniquely cool.
CONCLUSION
Destro is one of my all time favorite characters in G.I. Joe lore and Hasbro does a very good job translating him to the six inch scale while maintaining his character and influence. In some ways I almost wish they went a different, more modern direction, but I can understand why they based this so strongly on the ’83 version and the end result is a definite hit with the fans.
Great design, amazing articulation and quality accessories. There is literally nothing to really complain about here.
General Gallery
Group Shots
The Capture of Destro
G.I. Joe Classified Destro
Sculpting
Paint Applications
Articulation
Accessories
4.6
Summary
Destro is a great looking six inch scale figure based strongly on his vintage look, which is a bit of a different approach than some of the other Classified figures. In Destro’s case I think it works well and they add just enough variety to make the figure pop. His articulation is fantastic, and while I might have preferred a bit of a different take, it’s tough to argue with perfection in execution here.
Pros
– Slight modern touches accent heavy vintage influence
– A six inch Destro that fans have been clamoring for
– Simple, straight forward, but effective accessories
Cons
– Perhaps a little too slavishly influenced by the vintage version
