Warning/guarantee: I worked/consulted on parts of this line, so yeah, bias bias bias bias.
I've been really lucky to consult on some figure lines over the years, some of which turn out exactly as I imagined and others go in a different direction. Being a shameless fan of the toys of the 1980s, the squishy-headed Mego-style figures which delighted ToyFare staffers and children who, as of today, are 35 or older are basically out of my field of expertise. Since dress-up is not a part of the play pattern I can't call them dolls but... well, they're doll-like to those of us who grew up with nothing but hard plastic or plastic-and-metal toys. Dean Venture uses the EMCE Toys body, which is really close to classic Mego. Instead of feet with shoes, the feet of the figure are actually the shoes-- so you can't take them off and put them on Batman or Hal Jordan. He has a wrist communicator, just like the show, as well as some velcro in his garments. The sweater is actually part of the shirt, so you can't have him with just the undershirt-- it's a single article of clothing.
Standing 8-inches tall, the figure has a delightfully goofy expression cast in thin, squishy roto plastic. This is similar to the original Mego toys, but a little squishier from my experience. His character is still completely present, and I suppose the hollow head has an added bonus of being true to the character's behavior in the show. The plastic color is a little pale, even for Dean, and the paint applications are largely clean-- there does seem to be some added schmutz though, so you may want to look at the face on your figure prior to making the purchase.
Since the only new sculpted elements are the shoes, head, and wrist communicator, the figure tends to look pretty good. It really does feel like a toy from an alternate 1970s, down to the style of packaging and the one-size-does-not-necessarily-fit-all body type. (Dean wishes he had arms like this.) To my delight and surprise, the figure seems to have no trouble standing unassisted, the not-quite-Converse shoes do a great job of keeping him upright. Even Star Wars figures, with their own display stands, can't seem to stay vertical unassisted as of late so I'm pretty jazzed that Dean here has strong enough joints to allow him to just stand on my desk without faceplanting.
Dean pretty much hit the nail on the head for what Bif Bang Pow! set out to do-- a retro figure that's kitschy, winking at toy fans of a certain era. The figure feels like an artifact that fell right out of the TV show, and since Dean isn't known for any combat gear in particular the lack of accessories isn't particularly notable. The figure's packaging has a clip-and-build HELPeR robot but... well, I've seen one put together. The packaging boasts "Fun and Unreasonably Challenging," and I'd agree-- I don't think I have what it takes to get one together. Still, Dean's a nice figure and Hank is coming in an upcoming series, so stay tuned for that.
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