Hasbro G.I. JOE Classified Series 6-Inch Retro Duke Action Figure
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00:00The head of the Joes is fighting for freedom to escape from his cardboard packaging.
00:04Here's a look at new Hasbro G.I. Joe Retro, 1st Sgt. Duke.
00:08🎵
00:15🎵
00:28He graduated top of his class at Airborne School.
00:31After running four different special forces schools,
00:33he turned down a commission to instead serve as acting 1st Sgt. of G.I. Joe.
00:38So let me just see if I can wrap my brain around the math here.
00:40So you're twice the size of a normal G.I. Joe.
00:42So what then knowing is half the battle now be a full battle,
00:45because you're multiplying it by 2.
00:47Don't be stupid. I'm sure it's still only half the battle.
00:50To confuse you even further with some additional numbers,
00:52the tape measure is going to tell us that the leader of the Joes stands at 6 inches in height.
00:56Where Duke's going to be about 15.5 centimeters tall.
00:58As for some other Dukes, first here's what the figure looks like with the original classified Duke.
01:02Never really liked this Duke. First his head was way too long,
01:05and even though they tried to keep the colors as best they could to the original Duke,
01:08there was just something about adding all this unnecessary things to the figure.
01:12Keep it simple. That's what I always feel like when it comes to designing the G.I. Joes.
01:15Adding knee pads, shin guards are fine and good, but it never really beats the original.
01:20Speaking of the original as well, I mean quite the size difference here as well.
01:23Here's what the figures also look like with the Super 7 G.I. Joe Ultimates version of Duke.
01:28Don't be so quick to throw the packaging away.
01:30Located on the back of it, there's actually a file card that you can cut out and store if you want.
01:34Unfortunately though, it's not going to be the same size as the original 80s toy line file cards,
01:38because now they have to add additional languages.
01:40Collecting G.I. Joes in the 80s for at least this Canadian collector,
01:43I would have only had English and I would have had Francais just below that.
01:47Now with adding all these extra ones, which is fine,
01:50it does mean though now the file card is not going to be the same size as the original file cards from the 80s,
01:54which is fine.
01:55I will be cutting this out and when we will be looking at the other upcoming Joes like Scarlet and Mercando,
02:00I will be also cutting those out as well.
02:02Quickly showing you guys what that card looks like.
02:05Moving that to the side though, let's look at the accessories that come included with Duke.
02:08Now first, the figure does come included with a display stand.
02:10The stand itself only has a star, doesn't have G.I. Joe or anything like that,
02:13but at least the star has been cut into the plastic.
02:16There are not just one, but two pegs that you can plug onto the bombs of Duke's feet.
02:20I think one would have just been more than enough, but they decided instead to give me two.
02:24I'm sure we will be getting more of these, of course, when we look at other G.I. Joes.
02:27I'm wondering though if Cobra is going to have an indentation of the Cobra symbol.
02:31Time will only tell.
02:32Move that off to the side.
02:33The figure does also come included with things that are...
02:35I kind of did my best to group these.
02:37On one side are all the things that would have kind of really been with Duke with the original 80s release of him
02:42and then off to the other side are all the extra things.
02:45First looking at this category though, Duke comes included with that same pair of awkward binoculars
02:49that the original toy line would have had.
02:51Why I say it's awkward, at least these ones are a little bit using more of a softer plastic,
02:56but the ones back in the 80s though were so hard and rigid in plastic
02:59that whenever you put them on your toy, half the time they would just be sticking out.
03:02In fact, they'd be sticking out usually like this.
03:05When I was a kid, I usually just would heat the straps and I would just bend it down to the character's body.
03:10I'd have help obviously from my parents, so it wouldn't burn my tiny little digits.
03:15But I might just do something similar to that.
03:17I don't even know if really I'm going to have the figure displayed with the binoculars,
03:20but again, nice little reference to the original 80s toy line.
03:23The figure also comes included with his retro blaster.
03:26The rifle, if I can just put the figure down here for a second, looks very much like...
03:30Now I had the original Duke growing up.
03:32All my G.I. Joes, unfortunately over the years, I've just sold all off.
03:35I kind of wish I still had them, but the blaster looks very much...
03:38The rifle looks very much like the original rifle that came included with the character.
03:41The figure also comes included with his backpack.
03:44Now, if you had already collected the classified series G.I. Joe Duke,
03:48you'll notice that the backpacks are exactly the same.
03:50They're molded obviously in a different color of plastic,
03:52so we've got more kind of a tan beige color for this backpack.
03:55The original one would have been in green.
03:57Because the placement of the pegs and the size of the pegs are exactly the same,
04:01if you wanted to use the green backpack just to break up a little bit of the khaki color, you could do that.
04:06They have also gone in there and painted the tops of the bottles, the water bottles there.
04:10So while the original one would have only just been molded here in green,
04:13they at least have capped the tops here in black.
04:15Shovel's a little bit different of a color as well.
04:17They've also added now a little printing there on the front.
04:20It's a little harder to make that out.
04:21I'm sure you might be able to even see it better in the camera than I'm seeing with my own eyes.
04:25Exactly the same backpacks.
04:27By the way though, Duke, the original classified series release,
04:30also came included with this blaster.
04:31This rifle doesn't come included with this figure.
04:33I don't think it really needed it either.
04:35Why again are we upping the ante when it comes to sculpting of these?
04:38I just think the unnecessary gold is a bit of an eyesore.
04:42Duke though does come also included with this helmet.
04:44The original toy would have also had this as well,
04:46though the original Duke would have also had the helmet molded to the top of his head.
04:49You wouldn't be able to remove it.
04:51The only thing I have an issue though with is when you're taking the helmet and you're putting it over top of his head.
04:55You can probably already see where this is going.
04:56It's a good looking head.
04:58Unfortunately though, with the helmet being so close in quarters to the sides of his face,
05:03I would worry that over time that would start to scrape the paint.
05:06It does have a visor, so you can drop the visor down as well.
05:09It looks really less like Duke now, and it looks like Captain Power.
05:12Anybody remember Captain Power?
05:14Oh man, that was just an idea that just popped into my head now.
05:17Somebody needs to go back and bring out articulated versions of Captain Power.
05:21Anyways though, the visor does flip up like this.
05:24So the original toy would have had something very much similar to this look,
05:26and of course you would just add your backpack.
05:28If you look on the back, the bandolier strap,
05:30there's a hole through this, and then there's a hole through his torso.
05:33You have to line up the two shapes, and then you take the peg from the back,
05:36the backpack, and just plug it in place.
05:39Yes, admittingly, there is a lot of beige on beige,
05:42but again, the original toy would have had that as well,
05:44and of course you can get yourself the rifle, fit that into his hand as well.
05:48He has somewhat of a serviceable trigger-firing finger.
05:51So again, you just kind of line everything up.
05:55I say line everything up, and now I'm failing at it,
05:57but it kind of at least gives you the idea.
06:00Just get the finger, get in there finger, get in there.
06:06So much work, so much work just to get this in.
06:08There we go, there we go.
06:10You can see he holds the rifle very well.
06:13One of the other things that also comes included with Duke too,
06:15let's just take the backpack off for right now.
06:18Let's also remove the helmet, put that off to the side.
06:21Now entering into the territory of new things with Duke,
06:23the figure also comes included with a knife.
06:26I did notice though that the knife and actually the pistol
06:29were very hard to remove from the packaging.
06:31You may have even saw the struggle of that at the beginning of this review.
06:33It's a fairly soft plastic.
06:35The blade is more of a dark gunmetal gray.
06:37Then the guard and the hilt are kind of more of a chestnut brown.
06:40A little bit of gold on the end of that.
06:42That's fine if you want to start adding gold here.
06:44Don't feel the need to add unnecessary things to the look of Duke.
06:47One thing though is that you can sheath the knife.
06:49He has a little holster there on the side of his boot.
06:51Because I know I'm only going to be ultimately losing the knife,
06:54I'm going to store away it here on the side of his boot
06:56to ensure that it's not going to be going anywhere.
06:58Also something I will be storing there as well.
07:00Not over here, but over here.
07:02The figure also comes included with a black molded pistol.
07:05The original Duke, which is going to bring back him right now,
07:08did also come included with a pistol.
07:09But again, like, so busy.
07:11So unnecessarily busy.
07:13The black molded pistol works a little bit more,
07:15a little more to my liking at least.
07:17But we can go ahead and take that.
07:19Let's move the Duke over here.
07:21We'll just holster that on the side of his leg.
07:23So if you want all storage space for all of,
07:25really technically all of his accessories.
07:27The only thing he doesn't have storage place for is
07:29if you already have the plans to maybe use this rifle,
07:32that the character is not going to have a place to then.
07:34I guess he could really have dual weapons in his grips,
07:36but there isn't any storage space.
07:38Not that the original toy would have had that either,
07:40but there's no real place to attach the gun.
07:42So you're kind of left behind with extra pieces.
07:45Of course he does also come with one that looks a little bit more
07:47like the original cartoon.
07:48Though in the cartoon it would have been more of a beige,
07:50but I know there's so much going on with that color anyways.
07:53Molding it here in green I think is a nicer touch.
07:55The back stock though, as you can see, is molded and painted here in brown.
07:58Of course as well, if I can succeed a little bit better doing this,
08:01just fit that into his hands.
08:03And because he does also have a double bend in his elbow,
08:07you can also have him holding the bottom of the gun.
08:10So just going to fit that in underneath.
08:12Yeah, that's going to be the way I'm going to be displaying this guy on the shelf.
08:16Now this is fine and good with all the gripping hands that he has.
08:18If you happen to just want to be punching gokobers instead,
08:21the figure does also come included with some closed fisted hands.
08:24So if that's the case of popping off, obviously the ones on the ends of his forearms,
08:27swapping out with these hands and then you're good to go.
08:30With that all being said, let's go ahead and just remove his accessories.
08:33Put that all off to the side.
08:35Getting to go now a closer look at Duke.
08:38Now it's really been a while since we've looked at larger scale G.I. Joes here on this channel.
08:42I want to kind of change that, rectify that,
08:44by going and now having a look at some of these retro figures.
08:46Duke was a good place to start, of course, being the leader of the Joes.
08:50I did want to bring in obviously the original classified G.I. Joe Duke.
08:53I just never really liked the head sculpt.
08:55Feeling the need to modernize the look of these characters.
08:58I mean there still is a modern look to the retro looking Duke,
09:01but I like the fact he looks a little bit more like the cartoon in the toy line.
09:04Adding all again these green panels on the shoulders,
09:07adding more of a futuristic bandolier that again just flops around.
09:10All this unnecessary stuff.
09:12I feel it's just unnecessary design for the sake of adding design.
09:16No, Duke needs to keep things a little bit more simpler.
09:19So of course he does have his khaki shirt.
09:21There's a little gold that they've added there to the side.
09:23Some green for his collar.
09:25He's got of course the American flag there on the other side.
09:27Now back in Canada, back in the 80s at least,
09:29all G.I. Joes would have then replaced the American flag for the Canadian flag.
09:33Did you know that?
09:34The thing about it though is that you'll notice that the American flag is flipped around the wrong way.
09:39It's almost like it was the right way,
09:41and then when they printed it onto the arm,
09:43it unfortunately just mirror flipped it.
09:45So the stars and stripes.
09:47The stars are actually I believe should be over here.
09:49It's obviously a backwards flag,
09:51which is a little unfortunate.
09:53Of course the bandolier is still a loose piece, a loose appliance.
09:56A nice coloring though for the lower ends of his legs.
09:58Kind of a more of a dark olive green.
10:00That the holster at least is a darker green is a nice touch.
10:03Of course you've got the painted belt there as well.
10:05All in all, it's a nice looking figure.
10:07I wasn't sure really how I was going to like the head sculpt,
10:09but now getting this guy out of the packaging,
10:11yeah, I'm really happy with how this one turned out.
10:13It's just enough of a younger looking Duke,
10:15but it still looks like Duke.
10:16It's certainly a far cry from what we got with the original Classified,
10:19which I think even when we looked at the original Classified Duke,
10:22I may have not even had any problems with the character initially,
10:24but I think over the years he has started to show his age.
10:27The newer retro one I think is a lot better.
10:29Now for the figure's articulation,
10:31starting first with his head sculpt, it rotates all the way around.
10:33Not only does he have a ball joint here for the head,
10:35but if you look a little further down,
10:37the figure does also have a ball joint at the base of his neck.
10:39Let me get my finger out of the way.
10:41So he's got a bend there as also as well.
10:43Arms come out at 90 degrees.
10:45He also does have that crunch there in his shoulders too.
10:48You take the arms and rotate them all the way around.
10:50He has a bicep swivel, double hinge on the elbow.
10:52Yeah, that's good.
10:53Hands rotate all the way around.
10:54There's also a hinge there as well.
10:56He has an upper torso ball joint.
10:58The thing I also really like though is that it's a cleaner looking torso.
11:01Looking at the original Classified Duke,
11:03they went with a crunch.
11:04The crunch is fine for certain figures,
11:06but I don't think it works really well for G.I. Joe's.
11:08It just makes for a very ugly looking mid abdomen area.
11:11I think using a ball joint works a lot cleaner.
11:13It just looks more seamless.
11:15So yes, he's got the upper torso ball joint,
11:17a lower abdomen ball joint,
11:19legs split out.
11:20And again, like the original Joe's,
11:21you can also drop these legs down too.
11:23So if you want to have them more in a seated position,
11:25you can do that.
11:26And it's just a case of popping the legs back in place.
11:28The figure does have a swivel there,
11:30about three quarts of the way up the thigh,
11:32a double hinge on his knees,
11:33no articulation.
11:34Oh, I should say,
11:35there is articulation there for the top of his boots.
11:37Articulated ankles back and forth,
11:39and ankle rocker there as well.
11:40And had I not already mentioned it,
11:42I would have been mentioning it now,
11:44but I'll say it again.
11:45The figure does, of course,
11:46have peggles on the bottoms of the seat.
11:48So if you want to get this guy in a dynamic pose,
11:50man, it's just a shame the characters don't include,
11:52come included with display stands.
11:53But yes, they do.
11:54They do.
11:55You can use the display stand to get this guy
11:56in a much cooler running pose
11:58than just having him standing straight like this.
12:00Closing out the rest of this review, of course,
12:01bringing back in the original classified Duke.
12:03I even had a hard time even finding where I put this guy.
12:06He was stored away in totes,
12:08just under like miscellaneous.
12:09In fact, like the front of the tote just said miscellaneous.
12:12That kind of just tells me
12:13I don't really have a place for that in my collection.
12:15I certainly don't have a place for it on the shelf.
12:17And then that Duke was just sort of relegated away for years
12:20until finally dusting him off.
12:22By far, it's a better looking Duke
12:23that we get this time around.
12:24I know for a while, like,
12:25I was really kind of on the fence
12:27as to whether I really wanted to get into
12:28collecting the seventh scale GI Joes,
12:30but seeing how well they're coming across now
12:32with the retro line,
12:33and even like the classified line,
12:35I hate to be like one of those.
12:36We have with Transformers, G1 snobs,
12:39those that really like the look of the characters,
12:41like the way they look in the cartoons,
12:42and won't settle for any modern takes to them.
12:45I kind of feel like I'm also the same way
12:46when it comes to GI Joes.
12:47It's fine and good to update the look of the characters,
12:50but with the original Duke,
12:51it was always one of the bigger issues for me.
12:53And really, even when we look at Scarlet too,
12:55the unnecessary need to add like knee guards,
12:57like shin guards,
12:58I know it protects the Joes,
13:00but let's face facts.
13:01I mean, obviously if you're collecting GI Joes,
13:02you're familiar with the line from the eighties.
13:04I think this look to GI Joes Duke
13:06looks a little bit nicer and pleasing on the shelf
13:08than the original one we got from the classified series.
13:10I did say that the original Duke was released
13:12with a helmet molded onto his head, didn't I?
13:14Yeah, didn't jive with me either.
13:16Looked online in between takes,
13:18and sure enough, the original eighties Duke,
13:19in fact, had to remove the helmet
13:21because it also reminded me of when I was a kid,
13:24it always seems strange to me
13:25that Duke took the time to comb his hair back.
13:27It didn't look at all like the cartoon.
13:30One thing I will say though,
13:31about the retro release here of Duke,
13:32it looks a lot more like the cartoon
13:34than the original classified series.
13:36I know I sound like that generation one snob
13:38that it has to stick to the original conformed ideas
13:41of what the Joes design should look like.
13:43Apparently though, Hasbro also agrees
13:45because when you really look
13:46at the original classified release of these figures
13:48and then look at what they're doing now,
13:50all they're doing really now with the classified figures
13:52is just scaled up versions of the original
13:54quote generation one GI Joes, which I'm fine for.
13:57I don't think you have to really take the idea
13:59of that and modernize it.
14:01Adding unnecessary knee guards, shin guards,
14:04adding gold where gold was never needed
14:06to be there in the first place.
14:07Keep it simple.
14:08Duke was always a simple man
14:10with a khaki shirt and green pants.
14:11And I liked that this newer release
14:13does that job nicely.
14:15This guy's going to look a little more appealing
14:16to my shelf.
14:17The fact that I had to find the original classified Duke
14:19in a tote that was called miscellaneous.
14:21Miscellaneous was my way of saying,
14:23this is where the toys go to die.
14:25Their final legs of the run before they get donated.
14:28I think ultimately though,
14:29that classified Duke may very well be donated
14:32in favor of a much better looking Duke
14:34that we get now from the release of Hasbro's.
14:36Of course, the accessories that come included
14:38with this character are all ones.
14:39If you prefer to have the original toy line idea,
14:41comes with the backpack, comes with the rifle,
14:43comes with the awkward binoculars and the helmet.
14:46The binoculars usually as a kid,
14:47I either had them just clipped.
14:49I usually just clip the straps off
14:50completely with scissors.
14:51And I a lot of times just had the Joes
14:53holding them in their hands.
14:54Occasionally though, I would try to heat
14:56and mold them to their bodies,
14:57but they would then just stick back out.
15:00Cutting the straps was just the easiest fix for me.
15:02I'm not going to do that necessarily with this Duke
15:04because ultimately though,
15:05I think those binoculars are just going to go in a bag
15:07with all the accessories that aren't going to be displayed
15:09with the character.
15:10Of this release and the original classified Duke,
15:12which one do you actually like more?
15:14I will say though,
15:15that I don't think I can look at this one and say,
15:17there's anything on the classified that did things better.
15:20It has a better looking head,
15:21smaller and better proportion of the rest of his body.
15:23The colors are more accurate to the original toy line.
15:26And again, he doesn't have unnecessary armor.
15:29Don't feel the need, toy line,
15:30to add any additional armor that wasn't on the character
15:32in the first place.
15:33I'm a generation one GI Joe snob.
15:35What do you guys think of this character?
15:37Let me know down below in the comments section.
15:38Do you prefer this one over the classified?
15:40Are you still digging the look of the classified series?
15:42Let me know what you think.
15:43Also again, if you guys enjoyed this video,
15:45do it a solid, throw it a like.
15:46You guys want to stick around for more so?
15:47I hope so.
15:48Even though we are wrapping up the review right now for Duke,
15:50the review of Scarlet's will be right around the corner.
15:53So as always, thanks for watching.
15:54See you guys next time.
15:59Thanks for watching.