G.I. Joe: Resolute - Siberian Attack Duke

Wait, what? Another Duke? Hasbro produces these amazing new seven packs just for collectors, and we get another damn Duke?!

Well, it helps that this particular version of Duke saw some serious screen time in the Resolute animated feature. And it also helps that this particular Duke is freaking awesome.

Of course the most notable thing about this version of Duke is the new head sculpt...the amazing new head sculpt. He retains the familiar grimace of Resolute Duke, but with the wrap-around face mask and integrated headset of the Resolute design. It captures the spirit of the Arctic Assault Duke perfectly, and considering the character saw the most action during that extended winter themed battle, I think his inclusion in this set makes perfect sense. If I have any arguments is that we're not likely to get a Scarlett, which is a damn shame.

Duke's torso is the same one as Arctic Snake Eyes/Snow Serpent/Ice Storm, and it works amazingly well. Sure, it's probably not 100% accurate to the show, but it's close enough to work for my tastes, especially with the new head. Duke's got the arms and legs of his past Resolute version, and the combination of all the parts is remarkably functional, and looks really great to boot. Of course, it's the head sculpt that totally sells it. The Hasbro designers behind the scenes of these seven packs had some very tough choices to make by all appearences, but I strongly believe that everything they chose to invest tooling money into were very important changes, and were worth spending money on.

Nothing especially elaborate or mind blowing here, just the standard Resolute submachine gun and pistol, but really what else does Duke need. These are his primary weapons that he uses to gun down Alley-Vipers (or shoot Zartan in the back) and I don't see a need to deviate too far from that particular formula. It is somewhat interesting to note that the Resolute boxed set in general comes with a large number of pistols to give out however you see fit...however the unfortunate thing is that they don't provide any holsters for any of them to be kept in. That's probably my one main complaint with these Resolute figures. Sure, there are a smattering of awesome knife holsters, but no gun holsters to be found, which is unfortunate, especially with all of these pistols.

Is this another Duke figure? Yes. Are most of his parts reused parts from other figures? Yes. Does he have a place in a Resolute boxed set? Hell yes. This version of Duke was more prevelant throughout the animated feature than the other one, so in my opinion, the inclusion of this figure was absolutely okay with me, and it helps that a kick ass head sculpt sets him apart as well. In the end, yes it is another Duke, so that does subtract a tiny bit, but it's still a very cool and accurate version of the character, which is something I'm all for.

I know many folks will find reason to complain...I'm thrilled that this figure is here, and my only regrets are that I don't have more Alley-Vipers for him to kill, or a Scarlett to cover his back.

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