There are few GI Joe characters as polarizing among fans as Duke. I do not know too many people that will openly admit they are a fan of the character despite him being prominently featured in the cartoon series, the new movie and both Marvel and Devil’s Due comic book runs.
Personally speaking I have always been fond of Duke as a character though I didn’t use him much early on because the original figure is one of my least favorite figures from the line. Despite having some decent accessories, the figure was given a terrible grin (that didn’t fit with the characterization), and he was much smaller in stature than the ARAH (A Real American Hero) figures released just a few years later.
The first Duke figure I received was the Tiger Force version, which used the original mold, but was even more garishly colored. In my own little GI Joe Universe (or referred to as
Joeverse going forward) the Tiger Force figures were used as a special Forces subset of the Joe team and saw little action, which consequently meant that Duke saw little action.
It wasn’t until 1992 that Duke received a new figure with a new mold (according to Yojoe.com Duke now has over 35 variations as a figure). With the ’92 figure I thought he would finally become the Joe team’s premier field commander. The ’92 figure included a rifle, and a bizarre missile launcher he could carry on his back or sit on. The missile launcher never saw any play, but the figure did. The only draw back to this ’92 version was the color scheme on his uniform relegated him to desert combat as opposed to other settings. This was shortly after Operation Desert Storm and the majority of my battles took place in a desert region anyway, so I didn’t realize this as a shortcoming u
ntil a year or two later when I acquired the ’93 version.
With a new Duke figure in 1992 I was really surprised to see another Duke figure just a year later, and with a totally new mold! The ’93 mold was colored very similarly for desert warfare, and it was when comparing the two figures side by side I realized the geographical limitations to these figures. I would never use them in an arctic, jungle or urban setting. The ’93 version had the appearance of a separate character and that’s how it ended up being used. He was a rookie member of the Joe team fresh out of a stint with the Army Rangers.
Now please don’t get me wrong, I love characters with mission specific spe
cialties such as arctic troopers, jungle troopers, and even SWAT specialists. One of my favorite aspects of the GI Joe line was the immense and diverse line of characters, but I wanted a Duke figure that could lead the Joe’s into battle on any mission in any environment. I received this version in 2000 when Hasbro released the ’92 mold colored in camouflage pants and a dark gray shirt under a dark brownish-green vest. This figure maintained the characters essence that the ’92 version perfectly captured, but the colors allowed me to use him in a variety of settings. I now had a figure to use in desert campaigns as well as one for other missions.
There was one aspect of the ’00 version that I still found lacking, and that was with weapons and accessories. This version of Duke was packaged with a new character called Side Track who was simply a repainted Ambush figure. The weapons included in the package were originally Ambush’s and though the packaging did not indicate which weapons were intended for which ch
aracter, I felt they were meant for Side Track. This means that the ’00 version of Duke did not include any weapons.
Throughout the years I have armed the ’00 version of Duke with a number of various weapons depending on the mission’s parameters. It was not until this year that I decided to make the ’00 Duke, my “Ultimate” Duke.
“Ultimate” Duke is my take on the Army’s tag line of “An Army of One”. Though the GI Joe team is closely knit combat unit that ideally functions as a team; there are frequent occasions for members to work individually carrying out solo missions. As the Joe’s field leader he would never give an order for something he wouldn’t be willing to do himself. When General Hawk calls for
a volunteer on a dangerous solo mission Duke is one of the first to step up to the plate. With his linguistic skills and combat experience Duke is an ideal soldier for dangerous, top secret missions behind enemy lines.
This Duke isn’t just for solo missions, he is still a great figure to showcase leading other Joe’s into battle whether it is storming a Cobra temple in the middle of a dense jungle, parachuting over Cobra Island, or blazing a path through a Cobra occupied village in driver’s seat of an Armadillo.
The Joe team is comprised of a large number of specialists in one particular field. Those individuals while excelled in their specialty may be otherwise average in other fields. Such is not the case with Duke. As field commander, Duke is licensed to operate nearly every vehicle in the Joe m
otor pool and is a qualified fixed-wing pilot as well. As opposed to being a jack of all trades, master of none type character. Duke is truly a master of all trades, which is why he was chosen as field leader for this unit.
“Ultimate” Duke is equipped with a wide variety weapons and accessories ensuring he is prepared for any mission. He is equipped with his combat helmet originally packaged with the ’00 figure as well as a specially designed Steel Brigade Helmet complete with American flag painted on the back and his code name on the front. Steel Brigade is a term I use for special R&D division of the Joe team. They specialize in designing new weapons and technology for the team to field test and implement. The Steel Brigade helmet designated SBH-1 is equipped with an oxygen re-breather, heads up display of mission objectives, and map coordinates via GPS. It also allows both infrared and night-vision. This Duke
is also equipped with a parachute/field pack
Duke is armed to the teeth with weapons. He is equipped with a pistol w/ silencer, a silenced sub-machine gun, grenade launcher and an M-4 rifle with interchangeable parts including additional grips, scope, silencer, an M203 grenade launcher and two types of magazines. The rifle came from Marauderinc.com, which is a wonderful site where I purchase weapons and accessories for 3 ¾ inch figures.
With “Ultimate” Duke, I almost don’t feel like there is need for any other version of this character. I sold off the original and Tiger Force versions, but still have the ’92 version for Desert m
issions, and the ’93 version that as mentioned previously is
used as a new character.
So I ask you, which figure is your Ultimate Duke?
