Finally, G.I. Joe takes the gloves off and starts bashing some of the competition! After reviving the 12" action figure line in 1991, G.I. Joe has had a history of "Hit or Miss." They have produced some great sets, and other times a few lead balloons. Double Duty is a new series which seems to have as the central theme "the reversible vest." Sure, we have all had reversible belts. But I remember when I was a kid, that my Mom bought me a reversible jacket. On one side, the jacket was red with yellow sleeves; and the other side it was blue with grey sleeves. I don't think it had pockets. Thirty years later, someone at Hasbro remembered their own childhood reversible jacket and turned that memory into a toy line!
Packaging: Loud and colorful, like a kid's toy should be! Double Duty says: "Buy me, dammit!"
Headsculpt: Jungle Shield had a Normandy Ranger style head. The ones I have seen used so far are the Hispanic head which appeared first in the Pearl Harbor set; the Normandy Ranger style, the AA pinhead, and the red-haired pinhead.
Articulation: Muscle Body Joe with the Gung-Ho grip hands.
Gear: One black jumpsuit, one reversible vest, one space helmet with removable face-panel; giant gloves, machete, awesome Green-Beret soft-rubber cap; boots, Hall of Fame era missile-firing weapon. The best reason to buy this set is the beret, which is the same one that comes with the JC Penney Green Beret set. The flash on the DD version has a couple of cat eyes on a black background. It looks great, and it went to a Viet Nam era figure.
Price: Hasbro finally bit the bullet and they knocked the price down on their "basic" sets to $9.99! So while the market has forced 21st Century to raise their prices, Hasbro is stepping forward and lowering prices! This may be the beginning of the end for some of G.I. Joe's competition. A Price War is always good for consumers, but in the long run it usually means that some of the weak sisters will fold their tents and leave the 12 inch action figure market. For $10.00 nobody can touch this set in terms of gear and kitbashing potential.
Overall: Great set at a great price.
Grade: A
