G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Duke v.2

Okay, it's been a while since I've seen a Duke that everyone can be proud of. I loved the '92 version, many people did not. I liked the '93 version as well, but he looked a little too generic. The '97 version I've blocked out due to the painful memories...the '01 version was a nice one as well, but he had that dark hair and the large nose that so many people griped about with the '92 version. Now...now we have this version. My friends, Duke is back!

Immediately, as soon as I see his head, this is just Duke, plain and simple. The trademark blonde hair and crewcut. The boyish good looks...(I can't believe I just said that)...and the absolutely kicking new mold and overall figure! This is the G.I. Joe Field Commander as he should be...a man of action!

Immediately the colors are striking. A cool, light, but muted gray. The black vest and brown twin holsters/shoulder pads. The golden guns add an awesome flair of color as do the silver grenades. Adding even more color are the great green pants, which aren't your basic green color, they have a little more spark to them, if you will. Even though there are so many different colors, they all come together terrifically, and this figure really shows what Hasbro can do when everything comes together.

But the colors wouldn't be anything without some cool detailing behind them. This Duke figure has that in spades. The webbing on the vest...the twin holsters and grenades. The kneepads, pouches and fingerless gloves all kick butt as well. This figure just has it all.

But Hasbro came close to shooting themselves in the foot. Duke's got those awkwardly shaped arms...had he not had swivel wrists, that would significantly affect how much I use this figure. Thankfully, they included them, and I only hope it becomes regular practice so we can avoid Mindbender and Blowtorch syndrome in the future...heck Neo-Viper syndrome at that...

Of course, not only does Hasbro make a terrific version of Duke here, they give him some stellar weapons as well! His machine gun is a great M4 machine gun with a scope and second handle...it's one of the coolest machine guns that I've seen in a while! And the helmet, though it looked a little odd at first, really is cool, and works well as a combat helmet. I figured I'd never use it, but in all honesty, Duke looks really great in it! Duke also has some pivoting ankles as well, which adds an even cooler touch to an already terrific figure. Hasbro really went above and beyond with this one, and it shows!