Hasbro Hall of Fame Duke: head
Hasbro Hall of Fame: vest
Hasbro: M16/M203, binoculars, canteen, pants, hat and backpack
M&C Toys: figure, belt, knife (converted bayonet) pistol and holster
Formative International: shirt
BBI: radio, boots, magazine pouches
21st Century Toys: helmet and extra belt pouches (resin copies)
Unknown: flashlight
Various extra straps, buckles, Velcro, etc.
Paint


Hall of Fame Duke was the first Joe I acquired as an adult. I received one as a Christmas gift in 1992. I later purchased a 2nd of the same figure for customizing. This Duke is the latter. I really liked the figure because he had a classic GI Joe appearance. I did not know until some years later that the figure had a poor likeness for the fictional character. Regardless, I decided to super-detail my extra Duke for my collection. As with my other HOF Joe conversions, I used an M&C body with the Hall of Fame head. The rest of the gear was selected from parts which appeared too oversized for other custom figures. The Hasbro pack and rifle were both from early Classic Collections accessory cards and were sized more to work with the Hall of Fame. The rifle was customized by replacing the barrel and front sight as well as the magazine with parts from a ridiculously oversized M&C Toys M4. I also added styrene tube to the grenade launcher as a replacement barrel after cutting off Hasbro's capped barrel. The weapon was painted by hand first the coated with clear matte spray. The vest was modified slightly by adding Velcro closures to the 4 front pockets. The pack was modified with better buckles and additional straps. I added a scratch-built pouch for the radio and tabs on the shoulder straps for attaching the radio handset and flashlight. I could not decide if I liked the helmet or patrol cap better so he has both; wearing either one depending on my mood. The other gear is the same as stuff from my other HOF postings with slight differences in paint or details. As with my other Hall of Fame or RAH Joes, I really enjoy the more free-style customizing that comes from working with these fictional themed characters.

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