Review & pics by: Fred Meyer

Master Sergeant - Code name: Duke


  Review & pics by Fred Meyer
 

 

Duke in his element

I’ve always found the general animosity toward the GIJoe team’s “first shirt” to be rather amusing. Cartoon fans love the character of Conrad S. Hauser as the John Wayne-esque stalwart leader of the team in the first Sunbow animation seasons. Comic fans hate the “perfect soldier” character who dominated their television screens back in the early 80’s. Yet, in the comic Duke was a tough as nails, hard-nosed team leader who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Larry Hama portrayed him as the “blunt object” that carried out the orders of his commanding officer General Hawk to a “T”. It was this portrayal of Duke that first made the character truly interesting to me. Seemingly at odds with the “Guy Smiley” version that debuted in 1983, it took a decade for Conrad S. Hauser to be given proper action figure treatment. (This is opposed to the modern relaunch where every fourth figure is a new Duke repaint.) So, was the intervening decade good to this much-maligned field commander of the GIJoe team? Read on, Joe fans… read on!

Duke frontDuke back

It’s not often that I want to open a paragraph describing the design of a particular character with the word “WOW” but in this case it is complete applicable. Like many young Joe fans, my introduction to the character of Duke was in the form of his 1983 version—complete with goofy grin and classic tan shirt and olive drab pants. As such, this was how I saw the character of Conrad S. Hauser and all subsequent versions were subject to such a comparison. In fact, I had pretty much resigned myself to that version—goofy grin and all—serving as my definitive version of the character. To do so, however, would be to completely overlook the absolutely stunning aspects of this figure design. First off, this is a character design that I can absolutely picture in the real world. Duke is essentially clad in a pair of desert BDU pants, and a red (?) t-shirt. Over the top of the shirt is worn a padded vest with a pair of tan suspenders serving as a combat harness. The cuffs of the pants and the tops of what I presume to be combat boots have been wrapped in a red material that matches both the t-shirt and the camouflage pattern on the pants—presumably to keep sand out of the tops of the boots. The figure’s belt is painted in a matching red while the gloves and harness and brown—with the molded pistol, grenades, and flashlight all highlighted with an application of gold paint. In the real world, such an abundance of the red would stand out like an NBA player on the streets of Hong Kong but in the toy world the color makes the figure dynamic without being gaudy while the overall use of tan reinforces this figure’s desert theme. (Gee—a desert figure in 1992? It would seem that “Operation: Desert Storm” managed to work its way into the toy world, doesn’t it?) This is a character design that is completely practical without being complete over-the-top. Duke returns to his roots as a combat-capable “first shirt” with a holstered pistol on his chest, sheathed knife in at his right ankle, and variety of grenades across his harness. All of this gear conveys the impression of someone who is much happier in the field leading an operation than of someone who would rather spend his days behind a desk reviewing paperwork. This is the uniform of a field soldier rather than an administrator—a description that suits my vision of Duke to a “T”.

Duke closeup

Duke profile

If the uniform design makes this a “good figure” then the head sculpt makes this a “great” figure. One of the biggest problems I’ve always had with the original Duke action figure is the “Guy Smiley” head sculpt. The lopsided “game show host” grin never seemed applicable to the character so poignantly described by Larry Hama in the file card. Even the Marvel Comics series portrayed Duke more as a hardened “tough as nails” soldier rather than the affable front man of the Sunbow series. This Duke is much more in line with the former than with the latter. The head sculpt reflects an older soldier with a decidedly stern expression. The mouth is set in a stern line and the eyebrows are molded (and painted) in a set of concentration. The hair is cropped high and short—again conveying the impression not of a youthful “Ken doll” clone but of a seasoned warrior. Only the figure’s nose which, when viewed in profile, seems to contrast with the character’s previous appearances. Duke is definitely a candidate for a nose job as he has been blessed with one that only WC Fields would find unnoticeable. I’m not quite certain why the sculptors in question took the First Sergeant’s nose to such an extreme when compared to previously versions of the character but it is really the only detail of this figure that bothers me. Otherwise, this is version of Duke that is most in line with my vision of the character. He’s not some “perfect soldier boy scout” that many fans have accused the character of being. Instead he’s the “get the job done” hard-nosed (no pun intended) team leader that a general like Hawk can entrust to not only take his men into the fire but to also bring them home safely. It may have taken a few tries but Hasbro finally succeeded in absolutely nailing the character of Duke and I’ve yet to see a version that surpasses this.

Duke rifle

Duke's over-sized launcher

Duke's knife stores in the launcher

When it comes to a figure’s accessories in the early 90’s, Hasbro seems to have subscribed to the theory that kids need “action features”. As such, many of the figures from this era are equipped with spring-loaded missile launchers to further “enhance” play and Duke is no exception to that rule. The First Sergeant’s kit is relatively simple: an over-sized brown machine gun with a banana clip, a tan helmet, and a large presumably anti-armor launcher with a tiny tripod mount and a firing red missile. Of these three pieces the only one that I actually use with the figure is the helmet. I find the brown rifle to be completely over-sized and the tan spring-loaded weapon just doesn’t fit in with my collection. It’s not a bad piece of gear and is features some nice molded details—more than I would expect for what is essentially a “gimmick” piece of equipment. However, the tripod is extremely under-sized and a bit fragile and I’ve never been a fan of missile-firing accessories for my figures. (Oddly enough I’ve always enjoyed them on the vehicles—just not with the action figures themselves.) Closer examination of the “weapon” reveals a small folding red seat on the backside which allows the figure to “ride” this over-sized and under-balanced piece of portable artillery. The end result is that Duke looks more like a kid riding one of those “quarter rides” out front of the grocery store than the Master Sergeant of America’s premiere counter-terrorist unit. For all intents and purposes, I usually rearm Duke with one of the many AR-15’s that I’ve got in my “spare parts bin” and use that to give him a more “modern military” feel.

Duke's backpack?

I know that many Joe fans actively dislike the character of Duke. I’m not certain if this animosity is due the character’s heavy use in the Sunbow cartoon series, or if it comes from an abundance of versions of the character (especially since the GvC relaunch). Regardless, there seems to be a contingent of fans who simply dislike any and all versions of Conrad S. Hauser simply because of who he is. To do so, however, is to ultimately pass over a truly fantastic desert-theatre figure that is completely unworthy of such scorn. This is hands-down my favorite version of the GIJoe team’s “first shirt”. The removable helmet offers a terrific variability to the character, while the uniform is both believable and practical. The head sculpt reflects the both the character’s description on his file card and his depiction in the Marvel Comics series resulting in a figure that completely captures the essence of the character—at least in my opinion. My advice on this figure is really quite simple: buy it. It’s not one of the more expensive RAH-era figures out there and yet is showcases just how well Hasbro could still produce “modern military” in the early 90’s. This is not a gimmick-laden “Battle Eco Force” figure; instead this is a near-perfect version of the man who answers only to General Abernathy. So, to reiterate, buy this figure and add him in to your collection. If you’re industrious, buy two and swap out this head for the 1983 head and you’ve got pretty much the best RAH-era Duke ever conceived. Sure, you’ll have to modify the post a bit, but if it were easy it wouldn’t be fun, right? Snag this figure—you won’t regret it!

Duke's helmet

Duke & Spearhead - clad for desert work

Duke's torso closeup

Duke "riding the pony"

Duke & Flint in the desert.

Desert versions of Duke

Duke & Stalker discuss the scenario.

Duke: "Let's ride!"

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2003 JoeBattlelines.com