G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra: Duke (Wave 1)

G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke (Wave 1) A.K.A. Duke: Team Commander. This is easily one of the best G.I. Joes that you could invest in. G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke's detail is simply exquisite, he has a wonderful complement of weapons and accessories - that he can actually all carry at the same time (in fact the amount of equipment G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke is carrying is reminiscent of how much gear trained U.S. Army Rangers carry - I obviously watch too much Discovery Channel). G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke is a perfect look into what G.I. Joe would look like in the real world. In fact it almost has an "anti-G.I. Joe" feel about it. 

Personally the only thing I would change is the fact that G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke's blonde hair still stands as clean. It's like a lightbulb calling in the dark. A removable poncho would have also been a nice add-on and a leg holster for his pistol. 

G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke's card reads: "Conrad "Duke" Hauser is the G.I. Joe Commander. He treks into the jungle carrying weapons and gear, including a rapid-fire AMG-2J weapon system, pistol and flashlight. He heads toward suspicious sounds that are alarming nearby wildlife. He knows COBRA force are the cause - and that it's his job to stop them." A no-nonsense commander who gets the job done. 

In this photo you can see just how good the detail is. Check out the depth and jaggedness of the scar on the face of G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke, the dirt on Team Commander Duker's arm, even the detail that went into the M4. The detail is far grittier and more realistic than the detail on G.I. Joe Conrad "Duke" Hauser from the Pursuit of Cobra Wave 3 series. The detail is so good, that you can even make out the Rail Adaptor System of the M4 which also comes with a suppressor and ditches the flip-up rear sight in favor of what looks like a Aimpoint CompM2.

G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke is flexible enough that he can aim and sight while holding the vertical forward grip.

G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke carries with him a MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) Pack which surprisingly is hollowed out to carry his flashlight - something you don't commonly see with G.I. Joes. G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Dukes' MOLLE Pack also has a garter built into it which allows you to strap on G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke's M4 or the rapid-fire AMG-2J. 

As mentioned, the MOLLE pack is reminiscent of the amount of gear special forces are required to carry. Strangely, G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke's primary MOS is listed as infantry, he is not listed as a member of any special forces group. 

G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke secondary weapon is a compact, unsuppressed rapid-fire AM-2J. It looks like he has spare ammo for it on his battle harness next to the ammo clips for his M4. G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke can remove the ammunition cartridge for the AM-2J.

The flashlight can be taken out of the MOLLE pack and G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke comes with a small pistol. Unfortunately he does not have a holster for the pistol. I just stuck mine into the front of his battle harness. The pistol and flashlight can be used in combo by the G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke for tunnel clearing. At this point I'm reminded of his similarities with EOD expert Tunnel Rat.

And as a last resort, G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke has a machete that fits neatly into a sheath at his side. At this point, I'd like to point out something missing from his Battle Harness - Water canisters. You can't go into a jungle without water containers. Either G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke is confident that he can find water, or it's inconveniently stored in the MOLLE pack.

Here's G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Duke stripped down to his body armor.

Overall, G.I. Joe Duke is a solid figure with great sculpt, articulation and a full complement of accessories that cannot be beat. A definite must have in any collection.