Duke Togo is a professional assassin (just like Luc Besson's Leon). Most of his jobs are completed through the use of a customized, scoped M16 rifle. Duke's alias ("Golgo 13") is short for Golgotha, the place of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. (source: Wiki)
This is SKYNET's (same name as the famous skynet in the Terminator movies) first limited edition "A Real Japanese Hero - Golgo 13 Duke Togo" 12" action figure which I was able to get my hands on in 1999. Package comes with one 12" Duke Togo wearing black shirt, maroon tie, grey jacket and trousers, and includes an M16A2 assault rifle plus Golgo special attache case.
The head sculpt is quite good as it is accurate and true to the manga/anime
His suit is rather stiff (it's like starched and then ironed - almost feels like cardboard)
His attache case - looks inconspicuous enough
Until it is opened to reveal a weapon's case revealing a stripped M16 assault rifle with sharpshooter's scope (that is the beauty of this set - at that time i.e. 1999, there wasn't any 1/6 scale stripped M16 that could be assembled)
The stripped M16 assault rifle parts with sharpshooter's scope laid out, ready for assembly. It consists of rifle butt, scope, top receiver with rear sight, bolt carrier group, bottom receiver (trigger mechanism), two 20-round magazines, rifle barrel with front sight and hand guard.
Fully assembled M16 assault rifle with scope, mission ready!
Golgo 13 Duke Togo now armed and dangerous
News that Hot Toys will be releasing their version of Golgo 13 with his rifle case is GREAT news indeed!
hee-har..i missed out this version many years ago, can't wait for HT one man, i love this character as well!!!
ReplyDeleteyeah ken, Hot Toys Golgo 13 will definitely be the one worth getting!! like you said, "MUST buy! buy! buy!" ;)
ReplyDeleteHOLY SH@&!
ReplyDeleteI love Golgo 13. Had no idea this figure was out there!
Hot Toys version should be way better ;p
ReplyDeleteMan that 200+ price tag on the Hot Toys version really has me hurting to get this guy. I plan on opening and not keeping it mint in box so the high resale value and rarity is what really pisses me off. Kind of like all the recent Cool Girl releases and the even rarer ones like Bloody Rose. God, this hobby can be so frustrating sometimes...
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, man. Gone are the days of affordable collectibles. It seems the manufacturers are only targeting the RICH and leaving out the ordinary but dedicated people like us :( Prices of everything are skyrocketing when just some time ago, they were so affordable - SIGH!!
ReplyDeleteGod I know this is an older post but I'm a huge Golgo 13 fan having at least 10 the 3R Fewtrure ones decked out in different mission gear plus two different suit versions and I have two of the Hot Toys Golgo 13s too. I also have this version of the Skynet Golgo 13 still MIB - but how many versions did Skynet put out?? I;ve seen this one which I assume is most common, but I've also seen a black suit with a red shirt and black tie and black pants, black shirt and tie with a brown jacket. Do you know of any others?
ReplyDeleteI've seen the other version you mentioned too but I'm not sure how many other versions there are though.
ReplyDeleteI have this version as well as the limited black suit version which was released to celebrate the volume of the comic book had reached.
ReplyDeleteYes, the suits in both versions are starched so hard. And they are not lined like the current action figures. Once you have taken the outfits off, it is very hard to put back on once it was take off. The dark suit even stained the body. So both of mine have been nude since then. :))
About this character, I also have 3 of them in odd size like 6" tall with soft bodies. Very nicely made!
Thanks Cliff for sharing :) now we know the mystery behind the suits. Cheers
ReplyDeletehi, just want to check what kind of articulation does Golgo have?
ReplyDeleteI tried to twist his legs & arms abit they seems to be fixed with elbow & upper arm joints and knee & leg, the arms & legs don't seem to be able to rotate. also bending the elbow is so painful i might rip off the suit by accident.
the tie's pretty cheap though.
The stiffness is most likely caused by the suit. I also did not try to move the figure too much but from what I gather, there is a basic articulated body underneath but I did not take off the suit to confirm.
ReplyDeleteIt shares the G.I.Joe action figure body of 2000ish version. The joints are tight but still function basically. (Of course, could not be compared with the HT's articulation) It's stiffness is caused by the heavily starched outfits with leaves him no space on moving. It hurt my fingers to took the boots off, and it was such a pain to put it back on ---- I used hot boiled water and hair dryer to soften the vinyl though. Hope this information helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cliff for taking time to answer these queries :) You have been a great help!
ReplyDeletehi Cliff, is it possible to show a picture of the naked G.I Joe 2000ish body you mentioned?
ReplyDeleteI checked there seems to be alot of variations with their bodies, some don't arm & legs don't swivel like those older Star Wars figures.
I don't know how to attach pic here. Please leave your email.
ReplyDeleteHey Cliff
ReplyDeleteHere's a suggestion:
If you don't mind, you can email me the pic and I'll post it at the bottom of this blog post with description and words so that everyone who stumbles onto this post can also view it. My email is cowpehcowbu@gmail.com
Cheers
Alex
Toy Haven