There is a bit of backstory for this one, so if you're only here for the review, skip to the image that shows Duke in box. The paragraph below that is the actual review.
That question might sound weird, but there is a reason I ask. Growing up, I didn't have many "traditional action figures", a lot of the toys I got were Transformers or Lego (mainly Bionicle). Oh sure, I was a fan of things like Star Wars, still am (though it's many ups and downs), even played with some Star Wars toys that other kids have. But to this day, I've not bought a single Star Wars toy (no, not even Black Series). I'm also a Marvel fan thanks to the MCU, and DC thanks to viewing the DC Animated Universe in recent years. I don't own a single action figure of either brand partly because I knew it would be a deep rabbit hole for all three of those. Even Pokemon, the only Pokemon toys I ever got that could even be considered action figure, were barely moveable (if at all) electronic toys of Pikachu and Blaziken, both of which were a present. I still own the Blaziken, however, I think the batteries may have corroded to oblivion by now. Action figures didn't make up a lot of my childhood.
There is an exception to this, though, Action Man. I had Action Man toys when I was in kindergarten, going into Primary School, none of which I own now. I remember I had a Go-Kart, a snow bike, and a Venus Fly Trap like thing? It was like a Bear Trap (in terms of function), but sculpted and painted to look like a Venus Fly Trap. I also have vague memories of a parachute one that could go up a kite before falling back to earth, along with a scuba themed one? My memories of this time are hazy. It was around 20 years ago, after all.
So, now that I have an income, why don't I buy collectable Action Figures outside of Transformers? Well, the main reason has always been a thought inside my head regarding value. Due to the nature of Transformers and Bionicle, many Action Figure lines like Marvel Legends, Star Wars Black Series and especially 3 3/4 inch offerings from several places (looking at you Super7 Banzaitron), I just didn't see the value in. A $40 traditional action figure felt like a rip off when I compared them to other products like the $30 Deluxe class Transformers: a humanoid action figure, a vehicle/ animal, and a puzzle. Even back when Lego was making buildable action figures, nothing stopped me from digging into my parts collection and creating something different if I didn't like the official build. So why am I reviewing a G.I. Joe Classified figure? Curiosity finally got the better of me, and it seemed like these were somewhat shelf warming at one of my local Toyworlds. I figured "why not? May as well see what these are about." Hopefully, this interests some people, though I don't know how interesting a review from the perspective of a somewhat recent fan of G.I. Joe. Not to mention someone who hasn't touched a standard Action figure in 20 ish years these being his first actual G.I Joe toys ever would be. Well, time to see what the fuss is about with this whole "6-inch Action Figures".
Starting with the accessories, and we come to the first sign of "this guy probably doesn't know what he's talking about". On all four figures, I had a hard time getting their accessories to behave the first time. Some like the backpacks were easy, but getting anything into their hands felt uncomfortable like I would break something. After that initial struggle, things got more comfortable, but a part of me thinks that I did break something or bent something out of position. Maybe I'm overreacting, fueled by me being so used to the 5mm ports that are Transformers hands, that is entirely possible. The accessories themselves are fine though. Duke keeps things pretty tame compared to some (Snake Eyes), with his main accessories being some binoculars, a small pistol, a rifle, and a backpack, all of which can store on him. From what I've heard, the use of space weapons in the line is frustrating for many G.I. Joe fans. I can understand why, however, I'm perfectly fine with them, I prefer space guns over real guns. That, and the whole "it's *current year*, you can't sell real looking guns to kids" argument is probably the main reason for it. It's at least a minor compromise, and I wouldn't be surprised if people were 3D Printing realistic guns for their figures.
The pistol I like the most, though that's more due to minor issues I have with the backpack and the rifle. For how well the pack is sculpted, there are parts that I wish had some more paint to help break up the green, things like the water bottles and some of the straps. From experience, it is accurate though for it to be mostly green, so in that context, it looks great, but I can easily see it being a "what would you rather?" situation, where there is no one right answer to the look. The sculpting on the rifle looks great, along with the paint job. My issue with it though is the barrel, it angles up, fresh out of the box. From reviews I've seen, mine isn't the only one that does this, and due to it being hard plastic, it looks like it was intended to do this. Why? Thankfully, straightening it is easy, and once straight, it looks great. Duke can hold both weapons with ease. However the binoculars (sculpted well, but due to the lack of paint, doesn't really look good) I've not been able to get him to hold. For me, they stay on his belt. The belts themselves are fine and once again sculpted well. I would have prefered the one on his chest, along with the pistol holster to be more firmly attached. Seeing as there's no way to remove any of them without disassembly, it makes me curious as to why they're loose in the first place. The central belt around his waist I get, it's to help with articulation after all. The others though, I just find it an odd choice.
Looking at Duke on his own, I think he looks great. The face is the only weak thing about it, though I can't figure out why. Just something about it isn't sitting right with me. The way the sculpting hides the articulation is awe-inspiring, with the only noticeable joint being the ab crunch. Moving those joints though seems to be difficult at points. Some take a fair bit of force to get going initially. Nothing feels weak, far from it, but it sits a little too close to the "too strong" side for my tastes (but again, this could be "Transformer/ Bionicle experience" talking, where most of those joints are variations on friction, not ratchets like in Duke. While it might be hard to position the joints, it's effortless to set the figure naturally, simply due to how many joints there are. Below is a (poorly laid out) list of joints comparing Duke to Earthrise/ Kingdom Leader Class Optimus Prime, just to show the differences between the amount of movement both are capable (not including Prime's gimmicks).
It's genuinely impressive how much movement you can get out of this guy. It is a struggle to get him into some positions like being on one knee, but I feel a way to help with that involves the stand ports (for a non included stand) in Duke's heals. These look to be the same ports that you'd find in a Transformers butt, which would probably help a lot when making dynamic action poses.
I see now why people collect these, Marvel Legends, Star Wars Black Series, etc. I'm genuinely impressed by this, and the fact that the other three I got are of a similar quality has given me a "I have seen the light" moment when it comes to traditional action figures. Will this mean I'll start collecting Marvel Legends and Black Series? No, I'm not made of money! Will I go all-in on this line? Doubtful considering what I've seen and heard about their distribution. Are there others I plan to get? Yes. I have Duke's Decepticon alike counterpart, Cobra Commander, on the way. I also have my eyes on other characters released (though I have no idea where I'd put a Baroness if I ever manage to get her, due to her coming with that bike). If there is interest in me reviewing other Classified figures, I'll gladly review more of them. The 80's line is something I'm curious about, but that's in the "when I have more space" category of future plans. Would I review those old Action Man toys? If I somehow got my hands on them again, sure, but I doubt there is any interest in it now.
