Paratrooper Duke Test Shot

It is mentioned in the review below, but I just want to reiterate that this review is for a "Test Shot" figure, which is a pre-production version of this figure, and the final item may differ from what you see here. Production level sample images are available for packaged and loose versions of this figure, and you may already notice some differences.

I want to personally thank "Mysterious Stranger" from our forums for so generously spending the time writing up this review, taking these pictures, and for being cool enough to share this very cool looking new figure with us months before it hits regular retail outlets. Thanks!!

Hi all, Mysterious Stranger here with a guest review for Sigma 6 Central. Today's focus is on the Paratrooper Duke Test Shot that was recently seen on eBay. Since this is a test shot and not the final product there may be some differences between this particular figure and the production figures so keep that in mind when making a decision on whether or not to buy this figure. Now with that bit of "legalese" out of the way, on to the fun stuff.

When I first heard about this figure from one of the members on the S6C boards and saw the pictures I knew this would be a winner. Sure its another Duke and yes there aren't any new body parts here but that's a fact we're going to have to live with and one I'm not going to debate in this review (even though I'm right there with you) No, what sets this guy apart are his accessories which I'll review in depth in the Tech Specs section. Other than an incredibly awesome parachute, Paratrooper Duke is all repaint and reissue but that's not really a bad thing overall. We get Spirit's knife and axe, some of Tunnel Rat's grenades, pistol and modified webgear, Jetwing Duke's helmet and Duke's obligatory Switchfire and rifle.

The body is a hybrid of sorts, using the typical Duke version 1 body with Jetwing Duke's lower legs and feet. The upper body is actually more reminiscent of Sea Ops Duke's as the arms are completely covered by the Sigma suit. He's molded in a lighter blue color with the accents painted on. This lighter blue color is a nice change from the dark blue, almost black color we've gotten for the Sigma suits base color so far. With Arctic Duke in white and Jungle Snake-Eyes in green, we can look for a little more variation in the coloring of the basic Sigma suit and I like it. The blue here works for me since PT Duke is an aerial soldier. Blue suit, blue sky. See the corrolation? Anyway, the accent color here is a metallic blue/green that's almost a turqouise color and blends with the blue base color really well. I like the metallic sheen as it really makes the figure pop visually. He's got his standard blue color accent on his gloves to tie him in with his first figure in the same way Desert Long Range has his gray trim. While I don't like rereleases that don't have much color difference from previous figures, the Duke blue here is only on his gloves so it ties him in without overpowering the rest of the color scheme (something that I didn't like about Desert Long Range, the mix of colors just didn't blend well there).

Also of note, since this is a test shot there are some markings on the body and accessories. I'm not sure what they mean exactly but the figure has the letters "HKE" written in black Sharpie on the top of his head, left chest and crotch as well as on the rifle and top of the helmet. I'm sure these are for identification purposes, tracking the running changes they've made in the production process.

Paratrooper Duke uses the camo face paint version of Duke's head that we saw on the Sea Ops Duke. This is something that carries over to the production figure if we're to believe what we've seen in leaked photos. The face paint works with this figure giving him a SEAL or HALO trooper look. Still not digging the "Malibu Duke" flesh tone but since all we see of it are the face and fingers its not too bad. The lower legs use the Jetwing Duke feet and the reinforced boots look good, giving the figure a little more bulk and also tying it to the other airborne trooper we've gotten so far. The boots are painted in a gray color with silver accents on the "pistons" and the same blue/green accent color as the rest of the body. Really this body and the paint apps are near perfect with only one flaw that I hope they correct in the production figure. His wrist joints are molded in the same blue color as the rest of the body, NOT in the flesh tone to match the hands. While not a huge deal it does detract from the look of the figure with the flesh wrists having a blue "stripe" down the middle. Still overall, I'm really digging this figure. If it only had a new headsculpt and was a different figure (Airborne maybe?) But we can't have perfection now can we. Then we wouldn't have anything new to look forward to when new figures come out.

As for the accessories, the webgear, being a modified Tunnel Rat harness, fits well and looks good. The belt is a bit tight as it was made for a smaller figure, but it still fits and the clasp closes completely but has a little trouble staying closed if you play with the figure too much. It looks like PT Duke may be getting Tunnel Rats rifle in the production figure but it wasn't included with this test shot. Still he does get some heavy firepower for an airborne trooper. A single Switchfire and rifle, Tunnel Rat's pistol, 4 grenades, a knife and an axe. Not exactly the 50+ pounds of gear a real paratrooper carries but for me he's got enough to be trouble for any Cobra troops he runs into after being dropped behind enemy lines. And oh yeah, he's got a big black parachute too. Kinda handy for a paratrooper to have dontcha think? All in all, if this figure only came with the parachute and harness and nothing else I'd buy it. This one's a winner in my book and if the price point is right, Paratrooper Duke may be the first Joe army builder for me.

Begun, the Clone Wars have...

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