Night Strike Duke as well as enemies Pig Cop,
Octobrain and Overlord, all complete with high detailing, articulation and
accessories.)
Duke Nukem stands a tough 6 1/2" tall, with a perfect likeness to the video game
counterpart. If you will, Duke is the Barbie of action figures. What do I mean?
In the same way that Barbie's feminine features are emphasized, Duke's
masculinity is insanely exaggerated -- his body, leg and arm muscles are so
huge, they're bigger than his head, which is comparatively tiny. It's
discouraging and somewhat disturbing, but very true to the game, as playing it
multiplayer in 3rd Person Mode (hit F7) for many hours has proved. Duke Nukem
would beat He-Man to death in a body-builders contest, he's that big. The
sculpting on Duke is fine; my only complaint lies in his oversized hands, which
seem to have been on the same steroids the rest of his body (minus head) were
on. But since they hold his equally-oversized weapons with a tight grip, it's
only a minor problem. Duke is fitted with his typical manly clothes: tough
leather boots, tight blue trousers and a dark purple vest, as well as his
sunglasses (painted on) and a utility belt, all suited for alien killing and
world saving.
As far as weapons go, Duke is nicely armed to the teeth and is finally able to
answer the continually pondered question, "Where do you keep all those guns?"
Duke sports a bloodied knife, two MP5 Sub-Machine Guns (none of which were in
the game, but never mind), his enormous Devastator (for the uninformed, a large
double-barreled stinger-missile launcher) and the famed Freeze Thrower, all of
which he can hold at once thanks to some fancy peg-holes in the figure. Simply
attaching the Devastator to his back (which doubles as a Jet Pack for
imaginative players), the Freeze Thrower to the Devastator and then the
Sub-Machine Guns to his leg-holders allows him to pose with all 5 of his weapons
at once, a nifty feature to those who want to display Duke looking as tough as
possible. (I must note that only a lucky few will actually own the Freeze
Thrower, an internet exclusive that was only available from select retailers.)
The detail on the weapons is great; I like the bloody-splatter effect on the
knife, and the silver-wash on the guns is authentic.
The other paint and detailing on Duke is of Resaurus standard; great, but not
McFarlane, which works for the cartoon-ish Duke. The smirk on his face is
priceless. The paint application is all good, with no smudges or splashes, and
the detailing is nice. Articulation is also very good, with 12 points overall, 3
on each arm, 2 on each leg, and joints at the midsection and neck, Duke is
nicely poseable and able to kick ass in any pose you want.
Speaking of poseability, Duke is definitely a playable toy, despite not being
suitable for the kids. He's highly durable, aside from some loose wrist joints,
and his articulation suitable -- you can use him to re-enact all the Hong Kong
action movie stunts you want, where he flips backwards shooting everything in
sight with a gun in each hand. He really packs heat holding the Devastator
(attached FreezeThrower optional) and, as mentioned, the imaginative players can
pretend that the Devastator attached to his back is a jet pack, and can use him
as a flying toy.
Duke is an overall great action figure, and it's a shame that Resaurus no longer
exists to sell it. Fortunately, you can find this toy and others in Comic Con
lineups and at eBay easily, and usually at a decent price.
For us grown-ups, the toy is a colorful and distasteful guilty pleasure, much
like the game.
- Shocka
(July 22, 2002)
