Packaging: A carded 12" G.I. Joe with a File Card and photos and more information on the back of the card. It looks good. The File Cards are a great step forward! Not only are they nostalgic for those who collect the Real American Hero series, but also for those who really liked the Hall of Fame revival series. Additionally, the File Cards give the character a history and a personality. Hasbro should do the File Cards for all of their figures like the Navy Gunner, etc.
Headsculpt: The new Duke looks like a real wise guy. Duke has a cool smirk on his face, great headsculpt. At this point Hasbro has issued five versions of the 12" Dukes: 1. The Target Exclusive; 2. The general market Duke; 3. Camouflage Duke; and 4. Battle Command Duke. The Battle Command and general market Duke both used the same fuzzy head. This Duke is the 4th different Duke head. While Duke is one of the main characters in the Real American Hero series, I wish that Hasbro would branch out and start doing Sgt. Slaughter and the many other characters that were also popular.
Figure: This is where Hasbro went for the kiddies. As a Kiddie toy, Duke is great. The molded-on green shirt is nice. The Action Man bulky body looks good on this Duke. However, the negative for me is the "Missile Launching Arm." This stiff, non-bendable arm can only be used to launch a nice looking missile from Duke's arm. As a safety precaution, the spring allows the missile to travel about six inches in the air in what looked like slow-motion the few times I tried it. The funniest feature of this Missile Launching Arm is what looks like a frying pan that slides on to the back of the arm, so DUKE won't get burned from the fuel exhaust. Talk about cheesy! Duke is cool for little kids, but every time I look at it I have to laugh. Imagine the Iraqi Army or Al-Quaida terrorists trying to launch Scud nissiles from their arms. An arm-launched missile would easily burn off an arm, if not kill them. This figure should be re-issued as the Al-Quaida Mobile Missile Soldier and include an extra scorched arm-nub. Good thing Hasbro is not working on defense contracts.
Overall: A good toy for kids, a great headsculpt for the collectors.
Grade: C
