Head: Valor vs Venom Duke
Figure: JvC Duke (O-ring version)
Beret: BBI
Rifle: Comic Packs

Since I wasn't interested in collecting another Joe line, I approached the New Sculpt era from the perspective of someone cherry picking what I was getting, only picking up things that I could integrate into my vintage collection. The first T-crotch wave obviously didn't work at all, and when they started adding o-rings, the new figures inexplicably started getting taller, approaching 4 inches (which is what modern figures are.)

The o-ring Duke was a great figure, featuring a couple of fun new points of articulation that have now become standard, and a worthy update to the Joes' first sergeant. But, I already had several figures I was using as Duke at the time, and this one was quite a bit taller than they were and had a very different skin tone. I liked the figure and wanted to add him to my Joes, so I started trying to determine who he should be. I toyed with the idea of making him an original character, but I tend to kill those off... even if I'm not using them in dio stories. One day I was rummaging through some older figures I never really used much and came across my old mail away Joe Colton...

It worked. The Duke figure had a heroic stature and profile, and who is more heroic than the original GI Joe? I painted him up in more subdued military greens, darkened his hair and added a scar. He looked great. My first version of the custom had a beret I cut off of JvC Flint. It looked great, but because the beret was so small I had to just flatten Duke's head and glue the beret directly on.

The finishing touch came when the VvV Duke came out with a much better looking painted head which accompanied the TRU release of a wave of BBI figures with removable berets. This gave me the opportunity to give Colton a much better head with a removable beret.

This figure has been a cornerstone of my customs since I made him. I often display him with a lot of my O13 customs and various other New Sculpt/Modern customs. In a lot of ways he represents a new chapter in customizing for me, as he was the first character that I tried drybrushing on. I used the technique to add depth to his Tac Vest, his pants, gloves, and his face. Even though I got a lot better with later customs, this figure still holds up against them, and likely always will.