This last summer, I encountered Italian figure collectible company Kaustic Plastik, and their partner company, Infinite Statue, for the first time at San Diego Comic-Con. I was very impressed with the workmanship of the products they had on display there, from their Universal Monsters line to various other sixth-scale figures and statues from both film and anime. Kaustic Plastik was kind enough to send me out their latest release, a figure of John Wayne as depicted in his 1953 movie, Hondo.
What Is the John Wayne “The Duke” 1/6 Action Figure?
The John Wayne 1/6 action figure is a poseable and collectible PVC and fabric figure approximately 12″ in height. It is currently available to preorder, and comes in three editions: Regular, Deluxe, and Exclusive. The Deluxe includes everything from the Regular version, as well as a static figure of Hondo Lane’s canine companion Sam from the film. The Exclusive version has all the contents of the Deluxe, but with the addition of a saddle bag.
Here in the United States, the Regular and Deluxe versions are available from Sideshow Collectibles. The Regular version costs $290, while the Deluxe version is available for $345. If you’re interested in the Exclusive version, which is limited to only 120 pieces, you can preorder that one directly from the Kaustic Plastik webstore and costs 360 euro.
The figure was made by the Kaustic Plastik team, and you can see the credits on an included card:
All versions of the figure have the following features:
John Wayne Headsculpts (Handmade paint) based on 1953 Likeness
– 8 Posable hands
– One Body fully articulated (31 cm)
– One Fringe Jacket (weathered)
– One pair of light brown pants (weathered)
– Red and blue Scarf Bandana (weathered)
– One pair of Brown boots (weathered)
– John Wayne’s trademark Colt Single Action Army revolver chambered for .44-40 Winchester
– Winchester 1892 SRC
– Winchester Scabbard Holster
– Metal spurs
– Holster with full set of bullets
– Cowboy Hat
– Standard Stand (Magnetic)
John Wayne “The Duke” 1/6 Action Figure – Unboxing
My figure arrived from Kaustic Plastik double-boxed, a nice added bit of shipping protection that includes a fairly standard sixth-scale figure cardboard mailer inside the shipping box. The actual figure box has a decorative card sleeve over it, with an illustration of John Wayne by Giada Giusti on the front:
The back of the box is mostly notable for the desert scenery, as well as John Wayne’s signature and the specific edition number of the collectible.
Removing the sleeve, you’ll find a window box where you can view the figure as well as the regular accessories.
The back of the box has a photo of the posed figure, as well as this information about it:
A packet inside of the box contains a few different printed cards, including a recreation of the box sleeve artwork by Ms. Gusti.
One of the pieces inside that packet has instructions on how to load and unload the pistol. Yes, you can actually put the tiny metal bullets into the chambers of the revolver.
John Wayne “The Duke” 1/6 Action Figure – Accessories
There are two plastic trays inside the box: the top tray holds the figure and all of the Regular edition accessories, while the bottom tray holds the Deluxe and Exclusive accessories. Let’s look at the latter accessories first. Here’s the PVC figure of Sam the dog, which in the film was a Shepherd/Collie mix from the same breeder that produced Lassie:
And here’s a closer look at Sam’s face, where you can get a good look at the sculpt and paint work:
The Exclusive-only accessory is the saddle bag, made out of leather.
The saddle bag looks even more impressive once you get a close look at the weathering, and the straps and buckles:
Here’s the base for the John Wayne figure. I appreciated the Western floorboard print, but really wished that the floor planks had been a truly three-dimensional element rather than an illustration.
However, I soon realized why the floor was like that: The base is magnetic! There are either matching magnets or metal in the bottoms of the figure’s boots, which allows you to pose The Duke on the stand without the need for any supporting waist or hip clamps. I’ve never seen this in a sixth-scale figure release before, and now I want to see it in all of them!
The John Wayne figure comes with two iconic weapons, his Winchester rifle, and the Colt single action Army revolver. The revolver is made with diecast metal parts.
The revolver has a moving hammer and spinning chamber. There is also a piece on the side which opens up, allowing you to load and unload the pistol. The gun comes with bullets already loaded in the cylinder.
Here’s the replica Winchester 1892 SRC rifle, in its holster:
In the movie Hondo, Hondo Lane had won his rifle in a shooting contest in the Arizona Territory. This is immortalized in a plaque on the holster:
The rifle has diecast metal parts, like the pistol. Unlike the pistol, there are no moving parts.
There are also 4 included rounds for the rifle, even though they can’t be loaded into the gun.
John Wayne “The Duke” 1/6 Action Figure – The Figure
There’s a lot of fine attention to detail with the John Wayne “The Duke” figure. First off, let’s take a look at the head sculpt. The hat and hair are molded onto the head.
Here’s a look at a photo of John Wayne from Hondo, for comparison:
The sculpt is very good, and captures Wayne’s features well. Looking at the photo from the movie, I’ve now realized that the scarf as it arrived on the figure is backwards, and should be repositioned for display. You can tell that by looking at the figure from the back. Of course, this is an extremely easy fix. And otherwise, the look of the scarf, including the colors and the wear, is very close to what appears on camera.
There are a ton of nice details with the costume, from the use of different fabrics, to the stitching, to the weathering. You can see some of those below:
The little leather loop on the holster allows you to secure the gun.
Even though the pants legs hide the majority of the boots, as you can see they are fully decorated in Western style, along with attached spurs.
As usual with 1/6 scale figures, there are many different hands included, to allow for multiple display poses. I appreciated that you can see the ends of the fingernails on the hands, a level of detail rarely seen in other companies’ figures.
There are also a generous number of wrist pegs included, in case you break any moving hands on and off your figure.
Here are just a few poses for the John Wayne figure:
John Wayne “The Duke” 1/6 Action Figure – Final Thoughts
So look, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a big John Wayne fan. I’d never even heard of Hondo before getting this figure to review! But while I may not be a fan of The Duke, I definitely am a fan of Kaustic Plastik’s John Wayne “The Duke” 1/6 Action Figure!
While I had previously seen some of their figures on display at San Diego Comic-Con, this was the first time I’d gotten an actual hands-on with a Kaustic Plastik collectible. And I definitely came away highly impressed. The level of artistry and detail on the figure are exceptional, from the quality of the face sculpt to the detail work on the clothing and accessories. And now that I’ve experienced a sixth-scale figure with a magnetic stand, I don’t ever want to go back to the old-style stands ever again. The magnets are even strong enough that you can pick up the John Wayne figure, and the base stays attached.
If I’m going to be nitpicking, there are a couple of things that I would have liked to have seen in this figure. While the hat looks great, it is molded on to the head. It would have been nice to have had a second head included, with a bare head, for an alternate look, or have the hat be removable. Similarly, some actual three dimensionality to the wood flooring on the base would have been great, but I also understand how that may have interfered with the magnetic functionality.
But again, those are nitpicks. There is so much to love about this figure that my complaints are more “wish list” than any actual criticism. The bottom line is this: if you are a fan of John Wayne, then you will want this figure on your shelf. It is a gorgeous display piece, with just the right number of accessories to allow you a satisfying variety of different poses.
With this figure in hand, I’m really looking forward to checking out future releases from Kaustic Plastik. They will soon be releasing the first figure in their “Maestro” line. The sixth-scale figures in that line will be handmade, with rooted hair, separately rolling eyeballs, leather outfits, and medical grade silicon bodies. Considering that a figure like John Wayne “The Duke” already sets a high bar, it will be exciting to see future releases pass that mark.
For more information on the John Wayne “The Duke” 1/6 Action Figure, head to the Kaustic Plastik website.
Kaustic Plastik provided a figure for evaluation, but had no input into this review.
