Sgto. Slaughter - Argentine Exclusive

It seems Sgt. Slaughter really clicked either with Hasbro executives of the time or with buyers of G.I. Joe toys in the late '80's.  For a celebrity endorser, Slaughter had 4 versions of his figure released in 3 years.  Not even Snake Eyes could boast that many releases in so short a period in the vintage line.  In modern times, Slaughter has retained his notoriety.  His appearance at G.I. Joe Conventions and his inclusion in the modern line shows that his popularity among Joe collectors remains very high.  Lost in Sarge's promotion of the property, though, is the fact that his figure also saw release in 3 foreign countries: Brazil, Argentina and India.  That either speaks to the global popularity of the man and his character or to the fact that Hasbro's foreign licensees didn't worry as much about character as they did about molds to release to their native customer bases.  Of these three foreign releases, the Plastirama Sgto. Slaughter is the easiest to find, but a very nice figure in its own right.

As a kid, I didn't have much knowledge of Sgt. Slaughter as a wrestler.  When he first appeared in the G.I. Joe materials at the time, I didn't even know who he was.  But, a few hours with my cousin and his pile of wresting magazines in the spring of 1986 quickly changed that.  By then, though, Sgt. Slaughter had already been part of my collection for so long that I had was ingrained with my own characterization of him rather than his wresting persona.  This helped make Slaughter's figures (first his mail away version and later the Triple T version) more vital parts of my collection than they would have been had I been more aware of the existing character.

My use of Sgt. Slaughter was almost solely based upon his appearance in the Marvel comics.  There, Slaughter was a kick ass combatant with no reference to his real world occupation.  I thought that Larry Hama did an excellent job integrating a character like this (likely at Hasbro's insistence) into his Joe world without sacrificing the quality of the stories.  While the V1 Sgt. Slaughter had been in my collection first, it was the second version (Available in the U.S. only with his TTT vehicle.) that found the greatest use in my childhood Joe world.  Here, armed with Rock and Roll's M-60, Slaughter ruled from the gunner's station of the Havoc.  He lead various convoys and was often in the thick of fighting.  But, like many toys in my childhood collection, Slaughter's relevance soon faded.  As the 1987 figures entered my world, older figures like Slaughter found themselves replaced.  After about a 6 month run, Slaughter became just another piece of cannon fodder who manned my Joe HQ.

Today, though, I really can't see the figure as anything other than a celebrity endorser of the line.  My adult brain simply can't get past the fact that this is a real person (albeit playing a character) who was injected into the mythos.  That does not, though, take away from the quality of the figures.  Really, the likeness of Slaughter captured in 1986 era sculpting technology is very well done.  Beyond that, the tank top is a bit much.  But, the extra muscles sculpted into the arms helps give the figure more realism that was missing from the line just 3 years earlier when Gung Ho was released.  The Slaughter figure seems taller than most of his contemporaries and that helps make the character larger than life.  It helps the figure stand out, even if that extra height also makes him harder to use in vehicles.

This Plastirama Sgto. Slaughter is based on the V2 Slaughter figure from the Hasbro line.  The colors are very similar, though not the same.  The skin tone is much more pink (as is common for many Plastirama figures).  But, the overall figure is nicely painted with different shades of greens, the black shirt, silver sunglasses and a golden Sargent's Insignia on his hat.  (As this is a Plastirama figure, though, there will tend to be some factory paint overspray on the details.  But, it's not as pronounced as that which was seen on figures produced by Funskool in the early 2000's.)  The green cammo is gone from Slaughter's pants and replaced with a solid green.  The wristbands on the Argentine figure are unpainted and it is likely that the paint masks used to create this figure are actually from the Slaughter's Marauders version that had been released by Estrela in Brazil.  But, the result is a figure that is very militaristic in color and feel.  You can actually put this figure into a forest of jungle diorama and he will fit right in with other Joes of that specialty.

The inclusion of Sgt. Slaughter in the Plastirama line doesn't make much sense.  The figures released in Argentina are almost exclusively molds from 1982 through 1985.  The only figures from after that time are this Sgt. Slaughter and Crazylegs.  How these two molds ended up in Argentina is very much speculative.  But, Slaughter and Crazylegs stand out for that reason.  The rest of the Plastirama line is strictly 1982 through 1985.  But, the Argentine vehicles did use many more molds that ranged from 1982 all the way through 1988.  It could be that Slaughter's character and the WWF were popular enough in Argentina at the time to make his inclusion worthwhile.  But, we'll likely never know the full reasoning behind what was and what was not released in Argentina.

The Sgt. Slaughter mold was the quite the world traveler.  After the 2 initial releases in the U.S., the mold was sent to South America.  It is likely that it went first to Estrela who produced Slaughter in his Slaughter's Marauders colors.  Estrela also produced the same figure for release in the U.S. for the Slaughter's Marauders subteam in 1989.  It is likely that Plastirama acquired the mold after Estrela and produced this Sgt. Slaughter.  But, it is possible that the timeline was reversed.  Regardless, the mold left South America and ultimately ended up in India where Funskool produced a figure named Sgt. Smasher that was very similar to the Plastirama and V2 Hasbro figure.  Also, during the mold's time in India, Funskool used the head for the remarkable Supercop figure.  After this, the mold went MIA.  Based on the timeline of the figure's release in India, it is plausible that Hasbro re-acquired the mold in the late 1990's.  But, it was either damaged beyond use upon arrival or was subsequently lost.  In total, the mold produced 6 figures, but they were basically in 3 similar color schemes.  But, since this look is solid for Slaughter and there's not much else to do with the mold, that is enough for most collectors.

Time was, this Sgto. Slaughter figure was the most common and least expensive foreign Joe available.  For years, carded versions of Slaughter would sit unsold for $3 each.  Slowly, though, the supply has dried up.  While hardly expensive today, the Slaughter figure is a bit harder to find a bit more expensive.  You can acquire a carded version of the figure for $15-$20, but may be able to get one for $10 from time to time.  If you can find a loose version, though, those typically run 1/2 the carded price.  If you are a Slaughter fan, this is a price well worth paying to get an exclusive version of the character.  If you aren't a Slaughter fan, it's still a pretty good price at which to acquire a foreign exclusive.  So, either way is a win.  I do enjoy this figure for the novelty of having an American "celebrity" released in a foreign land.  It's a fun, and inexpensive way, to enjoy something a little different in the Joe world.

1991 Crimson Guard Immortal

It's been 15 years since I began following the Joe collecting world online.  In that time, the sites of influence have changed greatly.  Originally, it was small, fan run sites that were the backbone of the community.  Then, message boards sprung up on licensed Joe properties and the world changed.  Then, the anniversary and the movie brought enough money into the Joe world that for profit sites have become the community du jour in the Joe world.  In the early days, though, the collecting world was rather quaint.  Digital cameras weren't really around for affordable prices, so pictures of action figures were in short supply.  As such, sites that did host diorama pictures of figures tended to have a great deal of influence.  One such site was Evilface's domain.  Here, Evilface's immortal customs served as the main attraction.  But, buried deep within the site were random diorama pictures taken with a camera.  Among these was a Cobra convoy that featured the first real online display of Cobra army building (be it ever so modest by today's standards).  Riding on the back of the HISS Tanks were Crimson Guard Immortals.  For most collectors of the time, this was their first exposure to a great figure that was actually fairly hard to find during that era.

In the late 1990's, it was easy to find all Joe figures from 1982 through 1987 online or at toy shops or shows.  1988 was fairly available, but some of the more obscure figures didn't show up all that often.  1989's were mostly only available in lots as kids from that time started to sell their childhood collections.  1990 fell into this category as well.  1991 figures, though, were extremely hard to find.  This was a combination of the fact that most of the 1991 series of figures were only produced for that one year and not carried over into 1992.  But also, those who had played with Joes during this time weren't quite old enough to have started selling their collections.  In the early days of Ebay, it was not uncommon to go two or three weeks without seeing a Crimson Guard Immortal offered for sale.  Usually, when they did appear, they were only included in large lots with other 1990, 1991 and 1992 figures.

At the time, I was heavily interested in all figures from the 1990's and was actively acquiring all the lots of figures from those years I could find.  Though that effort, I acquired 2 Crimson Guard Immortals.  The fact that I had a pair of the figures, along with the fact that others were difficult to find at the time gave the figure a mystique that has lived with me in the decade and a half since.  Of course, Crimson Guard Immortals are much easier to find these days and are actually cheaper than they were in 2002 - 2005.  But, that hasn't changed the way I feel about the figure nor has it sated my desire to always have a nice cadre of Immortals in my collection.  The armored uniform makes for a perfect Crimson Guard gunner for the ASP, Hiss Tank or SMS.  The colors being true to the original CG also tie this figure into Cobra's roots and help it rise above the other army builders of the time.

As far as accessories go, the Immortal isn't great.  His weapons are interesting, but not special.  The backpack is nice as it does feature three removable missiles that fit into the guns.  The launchers are designed to be action activated by a flick of the finger.  Hitting the exposed rear of the missile will "shoot" it out of the weapon.  This type of thing is common in 1990 and 1991 and was the precursor to spring loaded weapons.  The launchers aren't great and are awkward for the figure to hold.  The ammo belt that connects to the figure's leg is neater in idea than execution and really only come across as a hindrance when you try to display the figure.  They are distinct accessories, but nothing good enough to enhance the figure.  Again, though, I go back in time to the early days of Joedom and reference Cobra Command Online.  This site was the first to really take army building to the heights that defined 2001 through 2005.  But here, amidst the dioramas of hundreds upon hundreds of 1998 TRU Vipers were random groups of Crimson Guard Immortals.  Not equipped with their standard accessories, but the gun and pack from the 1985 Crimson Guard.  This look completely changed my viewpoint on the CGI.  With these accessories from 1985, the figure became even more useful.  Now, the infantry look of the CG's original accessories were matched with a combat uniform.  The result is a great enhancement to both the weapons and the figure.

As a character, the Crimson Guard Immortal is nothing more than a Crimson Guardsman.  The filecard makes no reference to the "Immortal" in the name and adds nothing new to the character that was not introduced in 1985.  That isn't a bad thing as it leaves a lot of interpretation open for kids and collectors.  The CGI's can be just an alternate uniform for Crimson Guardsman.  Or, they could be a more militaristic branch of the elite force.  The CGI gives collectors a way to grow the CG ranks without having tons of conflicting divisions developed by different generations of Joe designers.

The Crimson Guard Immortal mold has an interesting history.  After its release in the US in 1991, the figure was also produced by Hasbro for release in Europe.  At some point, though, Hasbro co-opted the CGI head for use on the mail away 1993 Create a Cobra.  At this time, the European Crimson Guard Immortals saw a very truncated run of figures that used the Rock Viper head in lieu of the traditional CGI head.  (These are among the rarest figures in the world.  But, before you spend $400 on one, be sure to get the provenance.  The Euro CGI's with Rock Viper heads are also heavily faked out of Asia.  So, be careful when you are in the market for one.)  At some point, the figure was slated for release by Estrela in Brazil.  A figure named Flagelo appeared on Brazilian cardbacks and in the catalogs.  But, this figure was never actually released.  In 2001, the mold resurfaced in India as the highly anticipated Funskool Crimson Guard Immortal.  This figure was imported en masse to the U.S. by dealers at the time and collectors bought them by the dozens and even hundreds.  Again, though, this figure was very similar to the American version with just some minor color variances in the figure and accessories.

Hasbro reacquired the mold from Funskool in 2003.  But, in their great wisdom, never really utilized it effectively.  A Crimson Guard Immortal was released in late 2003 in a KB Toys exclusive remake of the CAT Tank.  This blue and red figure never really caught on in the collecting world.  The Tanks were eventually clearanced for below wholesale prices and large quantities of 2003 CGI's were available cheaply from Asia.  In 2005, Hasbro released a Toys R Us exclusive Crimson Guard 6 figure set.  This set featured 4 Crimson Guards, either Tomax or Xamot and...Firefly.  So, they split up Tomax ans Xamot, but left collectors to buy 2 Firefly's with their duplicate sets required to complete the Twins.  The box art, though, was suspicious and Firefly used the exact paint masks as the 2004 Urban Assault Firefly.  The implication was that Firefly was a last minute addition to the set.  A CGI would have been a perfect command figure to include.  But, the reason for that molds absence was made apparent when the 2005 Convention set was released.  The entire CGI body was used for the under appreciated Convention Destro.  After that, the mold never appeared again.  Really, there is much that could be done with the mold and released in blue, black, silver with reverse red highlights, etc. would have been gobbled up by collectors.  But, that never came to be.

The result is that the Crimson Guard Immortal retains some of his mystique.  Since the figure wasn't overused and the mold only really appeared in 2 really different varieties, the original CGI remains somewhat unspoiled.  I would have enjoyed seeing the figure redone in black with the silver highlights.  Or, in Cobra blue.  A companion figure to the Crimson Shadow Guard would have at least given us something different with the mold.  But, it was not to be.  That's OK, though, since this figure hasn't suffered from the same character degradation that occurred when Hasbro repainted the Viper and Alley Viper to death.

Today, Crimson Guard Immortal figures still command a premium.  Mint and complete with filecard, the figures run as high as $23.  Lose the filecard and you can get them for around $18, though.  Still, in this post army-building world, that's pretty steep for a later edition army builder with some limitations.  But, it is a testament to the figure's quality, its relative scarcity and its propensity for breakage that the price remains high.  (In relation to the breakage, I had crotch snap right off of the figure you see in the photo below as I was posing him for additional pictures.  So, it can happen to the best of us.)

Personally, I find the Crimson Guard Immortal to be one of my favorite army building figures.  He has the look of a commanding soldier while retaining the regalia of the Crimson Guard.  The armor is well designed and the colors are a near perfect blend of crimson and silver.  With the elite status of the Crimson Guard already established, the CGI fits perfectly into the existing Cobra hierarchy without introducing new colors or ideas.  Really, that is a great way for Hasbro to handle a new aspect of an existing faction.  As such, the Crimson Guard Immortal is one of the few figures who still exists in numbers in my collection.  For the price they fetch these days, I still feel this is a worthwhile addition to a collection.  And, going forward, it is a figure that I will continue to acquire as the opportunities to add them to my collection appear.

Fumaca - Brazilian Exclusive Ripcord

Through the years, I've profiled hundreds of G.I. Joe figures.  In that time, I've hit on both major characters and minor bit players.  One niche I have found to be particularly enjoyable, though, is finding an obscure version of a major character, especially if that obscure version is from a country outside of the U.S.  Such is the case with Fumaca.  At his core, this is just Ripcord from Brazil.  But, the reality is that the figure is distinctly different from the American and Argentine releases of the mold.  The result is a figure that is extremely cool, even if he's something that, on the surface, appears to be commonplace.

Fumaca is a much deeper green and blue than the American Ripcord figure.  Really, that's his most notable difference.  But, visually, it is major as the figure is very distinct from the Hasbro released figure.  Brazilian figures have a distinct shade of green that is mostly seen on their accessories.  But, Fumaca uses that color as his base.  The darker green gives Fumaca a more visually attractive look and really draws the eye to him when displayed among his contemporaries.

Fumaca includes the full complement of Ripcord's accessories.  The helmet and mask are cast in the standard black.  The plastic is of Brazilian quality, though, and the mask tends to be a bit more fragile than the American version.  The parachute and gun, though, different shades of green.  I wrote before of a "Brazilian Green" and these accessories fall into that description.  Estrela used a specific shade of green for their figure accessories.  It is darker and deeper than the green used on 1984 American accessories.  Estrela used this color, though, on all their green accessories produced in the line.  It is the same color used for Spirit, Recondo, Hawk, Footloose and many other figures in the Estrela line.  I find this green to be much more interesting than the Hasbro green used in 1984 and it really helps to make the figures pop even beyond the slight differences in figure color.

For me, Ripcord has always been a figure whose gear made him vital to a collection.  Without the parachute and mask, Ripcord would be relatively unused as the mold, sans accessories, is somewhat bland.  But, that's the genius of the figure.  With the accessories, Ripcord is a must have.  Without them, it's a bland figure, but still good enough to keep around.  As a kid, I always had Ripcord in his full gear.  Even when part of a patrol who had miles of ground to cover, Ripcord wore his parachute and mask.  I liked the look and always felt the mask gave him an edge if Cobra dropped a gas grenade on the Joes.

The Ripcord mold got a lot of use throughout the world.  After his release in the U.S. in 1984, he was shipped of South America.  There, he was released as Fuego by Plastirama in Argentina and Fumaca in Brazil.  In Argentina, Plastirama also used the mold in tan for some versions of their Sokerk figure.  In Brazil, Estrela painted Ripcord in Python Patrol colors and released him as a Cobra named Relampago.  In 1988, Ripcord was slated to be a charter member of Tiger Force in the U.S.  Painted mock ups of the figure even appeared in advertisements for Tiger Force.  But, due to the mold's continued use in South America, Hasbro did not have the actual figure available to them.  So, Ripcord fans are treated to mostly foreign releases of the mold to sate their desires for differently painted Ripcord variants.

Fumaca's aren't terribly hard to find.  They were very common in Brazil and many survived to this day.  Getting one mint and complete, though, is a bit of a challenge.  The paint wears easily and Fumaca's thumbs are notoriously brittle.  As such, it can take some time to find a mint specimen.  But, even mint and complete with filecard Fumaca's sell for under $20.  Now, you may pay an additional $15 to ship one from Brazil.  But, the overall price isn't terrible when you consider that the figure has enough differences from the American version to be noticeable by eye alone.  Personally, I enjoy the foreign figures that are similar to their American counterparts.  They give me an opportunity to appreciate a classic mold in a slightly different way.  As the vastness of any collection grows, that is something of value.

2006 Major Bludd - Convention Exclusive

There are many great characters in the Joe line's history.  Few, though, resonate with me as much as Major Bludd.  From the moment I first read his filecard in 1983, the character has stayed with me.  The combination of my Australian heritage, the terrible poetry and the fact that he was a mercenary with a ruthless past all added up to a character that made quite an impression on my 9 year old mind.

As such, this had lead Major Bludd to always be a major player in my collection.  The original figure always holds a place of prominence in my Joe world and is often showcased with the other major Cobras from those early years.  The subsequent U.S. released versions of Bludd aren't as iconic, but the Chinese Major Bludd has found itself a great niche in my collection as the more updated look for the Major.  This version of Major Bludd, though, isn't really in that vein.  I don't see it as an updated look for the classic character.  Instead, it is something new that denotes a new role for Major Bludd.

The mold for this figure is an interesting mix of figure parts that actually kind of works.  The head is from the 1994 Major Bludd figure.  It is a solid head that it true to the Major's roots.  Had it not been used in 2003 on the Python Patrol Major Bludd figure, it would likely have more impact on this convention version.  The rest of the figure is made of the mold from the 1989 Long Range figure.  Here, the mold choice could not be more obscure.  Long Range had not been seen for 17 years when it was dredged up for this Major Bludd version.  So, it's appearance is odd enough that the figure isn't stale.  The problem, though, is that the Long Range mold isn't the greatest.  The bizarre leggings really attract attention and often cause more questions as to their purpose than Bludd's right arm.

Of course, though, Master Collector chose to follow the lead of all Major Bludd figures other than the original by giving him 2 normal arms.  But, considering the date at which this figure was designed, that was really the only choice.  The original Bludd's armored arm is a perfect individualizing trait for the vintage figure.  But, it limited play and display options and was rightfully excluded from this incarnation of Bludd.  Overall, the look is definitely new for Bludd.  The overall figure seems somewhat skinny and tall.  (Though, with vintage molds, that's very relative.)  But, it does work for Bludd and isn't as awkward as some of the other figures released in the 2006 Convention set.

The figure's accessories are neither great nor terrible.  Cast in the now standard Convention Grey, Bludd includes 2 weapons and a figure stand.  The weapons are both molds from the JvC era of the Joe line, but are actually OK.  The Uzi is a decent pairing with Bludd and the movable stock gives the gun some character.  The other weapon isn't as great as it was designed earlier than the Uzi, but is still in scale with Bludd and does include a bi-pod that helps provide depth to the displayed figure.  A backpack would have been nice.  But, these accessories are more than adequate for the figure.

The figure is cast in Major Bludd's signature brown color.  It has black and grey highlights with convention level paint details that tie this version to the previous versions of the character that collectors consider to be iconic.  It does add, though, some red highlights.  On the surface, these aren't bad.  One of the traits of Major Bludd is that his color scheme doesn't really integrate with other Cobra factions.  As an independent mercenary, though, this actually works.  But, if you want to make Bludd the leader of a Cobra platoon, you end up with some contrasting colors.  In this case, though, the red coloring closely matches that of the 2005 Convention Iron Grenadiers.  (That is likely a byproduct of the same group producing both figures and having reusing unique paint colors.)  So, this figure can be matched with figures from the 2005 Iron Grenadier set without too much trouble.  The main problem with this is that Destro was hardly a Major Bludd fan.  So, teaming Bludd with Destro's personal troops doesn't really fit into the Joe mythos.

Fortunately, Master Collector included a small subset of troopers for Major Bludd to command in this convention set.  Major Bludd's Skull Squad Troopers are actually a very nice complement to this figure.  Cast in brown and using parts from Avalanche and the Crimson Guard figures, the Skull Squad Troopers appear to be a decent force for Bludd to command.  Bludd even features a new logo emblazoned on his arm to denote this new faction to the Cobra hierarchy.  Personally, I'm not too high on the addition of new subsets to Cobra or Joe as there are already plenty.  But, when the figures are good and make sense, then they can be decent additions to a collection.  And, in this instance of Bludd and his troopers, that is very much the case.

In my collection, this version of Bludd is solely the leader of the Skull Squad Troopers.  He isn't Major Bludd from issue #17 of the comic.  Nor is the Major Bludd who freed the Flying Scorpion in an effort to gain influence in the new Cobra.  This Bludd is the evolution of a mercenary for hire. Now, instead of doing all the dirty work himself, he has a team of like minded individuals at his beck and call.  These troopers allow Bludd to take on more complex missions while retaining a level of trust in his work companions that was rarely found inside the confines of the politically complicated Cobra.  It is a more niche role for Bludd.  But, this is very much a niche figure.  (Convention figures by their nature tend to be.)  It is a nice thing to have around for some diversity.  But this is not an essential figure to the Cobra hierarchy as there are better Bludd figures for that purpose.

There was a time when the named characters from Convention sets commanded premium prices.  But, those days appear to be past.  Now, figures like this Major Bludd can be had for next to nothing.  Often, mint and complete versions don't break $15.  Considering they cost about that to acquire new, it's not a bad time to add one to your collection.  Personally, I don't consider this the best version of Major Bludd.  But, it is something different for the characters that offers a little more color that can be integrated into more Cobra factions.  Taken with his Skull Squad Troopers, this figure is something that really works since the vintage Bludd figures aren't as good of a match.  Considering how cheap this figure and his subordinates are now, they are something that I would recommend to any collector.

Duke - Chinese Exclusive

Duke is an iconic Joe figure.  There is no denying his presence in either the comic or the cartoon.  He became a major player from his first introduction and has remained a mainstay in Joe lore ever since.  He can be a polarizing figure, though much of that has subsided in recent years.  But, he remains popular.  By far, though, his iconic look is the khaki and green V1 figure originally released in 1983.  It is Duke's most popular look and the one that instantly recalls the character.  The V1 figure, though, was largely an American character.  Internationally, Duke was less important.  He appeared in Action Force, Japan and, later, in Tiger Force colors in Brazil.  But, that was about the extent of his international excursions.  However, in the '90's, an Easter egg showed up in a small carded series of figures meant for the Chinese market.  Among this small subset of figures was a newly created version of V1 Duke.  The mold changes were not nearly as significant as those to other figures in the set.  But, they are enough to warrant a profile of the Chinese Exclusive Duke figure.

The V1 Duke mold is a combination of early Hasbro coupled with the peak years of Joe design.  At his core, Duke's genius is the simplicity.  Unlike many of the 1983 figures, Duke follows the basic design of the original 13 Joes.  He has a basic military uniform in colors that befit the purpose.  He is not outlandish like Gung Ho nor environmentally themed like Snow Job.  He is just basic.  But, Duke goes to another level beyond the original Joes.  He features more detail on his shirt, down to the golden eagle on his chest.  The bandolier is better sculpted and his leg holster is better defined.  In short, Duke is the logical evolution of the original Joes.  By 1984, he was somewhat basic as opposed to his contemporaries.  But, he fit so well with the collection that you still could not dismiss him.

For accessories, both the original Duke and this Chinese version are well equipped.  However, Duke had the distinction of reusing most of his accouterments from earlier figures.  His machine gun is a version of the V1 Stalker's classic M-32, only cast in the standard 1984 green.  His helmet is a rehash of the original from 1982.  His backpack is a hybrid.  The design is the same as that from Airborne.  But, Duke's version was lacking the cross design in the back.  From the outside, it appeared the same mold.  But, it was new.  (It is also a different color, so don't get fooled on that.)  Duke's only original accessory is the binoculars.  This is a great example of how Hasbro could repackage some earlier parts from time to time to save money.  But, they used items like the different coloring and including something new enough that it kept the figure exciting.

The Chinese Duke really has two major differences from the American figure.  First, he uses the waist from the 1983 Cobra Officer rather than the original Duke waist.  The more noticeable deviance, though, are the arms.  The original Duke arms feature rolled up sleeves.  Near the end of the run, Hasbro lost the mold and switched the sleeves to a full length cuffed mold.  (This is the most that was used on the Japanese Duke from Takara.  But, some were also released in the US.)  This Chinese figure, though, features a third arm construct: this time using the arm molds from Hit and Run.  Really, the result is mostly the same figure as the American version.  But, with enough differences to make it worthy of an international variant distinction.

The Chinese figures are very odd.  Released around 1993 or 1994, they featured a great assortment of classic Joe molds, newer versions of classic characters and two completely newly amalgamated figures.  They were made by Hasbro in the same factories as U.S. Joes.  So, the quality of the figures, accessories and cardbacks are the same.  Some Chinese figures are harder to find than others, but all are basically available.  The real question is why were 2 unique figures made by Hasbro for this market?  It has always seemed odd to me that Hasbro would have gone to the lengths they did to make Flint and Major Bludd.  Were these 2 figures that were planned for either a late 1994 or early 1995 release and were far enough along in the process that Hasbro just released them into whatever distribution method they had available?  Were they just anomalies where Hasbro designers got to quickly match up figure parts to fill an order?  At this point, we don't know.  But, the 2 figures are an insight into the oddities that surrounded Joe's final years.

The Chinese figures also pose another problem.  If you look at the figures released in the series, most of the molds returned in the 1997 - 2004 timeframe as comic pack, TRU or full retail release figures.  There is one glaring omission and that is the V1 Cobra Commander.  The mold was used in the Chinese Joe exclusives but then "lost" and never seen again.  How would such an important mold be the only one of the Chinese figures to disappear?  Again, another mystery.  But, even the Duke released in 1997, just three years after this version, used different parts.  So, maybe some of the molds were lost or damaged.  But, it is curious that the most popular mold from the Chinese figures is the one that disappeared.

As a character, there is no ignoring Duke.  I figure acquired the American figure as a mail away in January of 1984.  I was sorely disappointed just a few weeks later to find the first 1984 carded figure hanging in Kohls store was the Duke I had gotten via the mail.  Regardless, Duke quickly became a valuable part of my collection.  Duke's filecard mentioned his flight training and he quickly found himself as the co-pilot of the Dragonfly or manning the second seat in the Skystriker.  I didn't see Duke as the leader of my Joes as much as a new recruit who was highly trained.  By the summer of 1984, that had changed and Duke took more of a leadership role in my collection.  But, even this was short lived.  By 1985, Flint had arrived and taken over Duke's slot as the combat leader of my Joes.  By this time, I had three or four Duke's in my collection (my brother's had also gotten mail away figures) and they quickly became custom fodder for other figures in my collection.

Today, though, Duke has a greater role.  As my collection is mostly limited to figures from 1986 and earlier, Duke has a more prominent place.  Having this Chinese version allows me to have multiple Dukes around without having redundant figures.  It's a small difference: having a foreign figure nearly identical to the American versus having 2 American figures.  But, it is an area of collecting I appreciate.  So, figures like this Chinese Duke take on greater importance than they would otherwise have.

All of the Chinese carded figures are rather easy to find.  Huge quantities of them were available at American discount stores in the mid '90's and most of them remained carded as they were snatched up by enterprising dealers and collectors.  On top of that, loose Chinese Dukes turned up en masse in Asia in the mid 2000's.  So, tons of loose figures were loaded into the market.  As such, loose figures are cheap, though most of the stock has been absorbed and they are tougher to find than they used to be.  Carded Chinese Dukes, though, do get somewhat pricey.  Since it is, essentially, the V1 Duke on a card with his original artwork and original accessories, collectors have taken to the figure more so than even the Chinese exclusive figures.  But, if you want a pristine mint version of Duke and don't want to spend a ton of money, the Chinese version is a great alternative.  Most collectors wouldn't be able to tell the difference in pictures.  So, it is a worthwhile acquisition from that standpoint.  But, as an essential foreign figure, if you already have the V1 American Duke, this is a variant that can be skipped.  It doesn't offer much to a collection beyond filling out a roster.  But, for the price, that is an acceptable fate for a figure like this.