Go Team Venture! Jonas Venture is, in many respects, the father of the series as the dad of Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture and his semi-consumed twin Jonas Venture, Jr. The character died before the boys Hank and Dean were born, and is shown mostly in flashbacks, video, or (in some cases) licensed products within the actual TV show. That's where this idea came from-- for those of you who don't know, I consulted on this line and this idea was something I tossed out early on because of an episode in which Billy Quizboy trots out a Rusty Venture tin lunchbox. I wanted it. And now I have it, as the packaging for Jonas and of course, Rusty.
While an 8-inch "retro action figure,' Jonas is modeled on the old Mego molds which are currently curated by EMCE Toys. The figure has a new head, repainted hands as gloves, and his shoes are actually feet-- these aren't removable. The big grin is meant to resemble the insanely positive nature of 1970s kidvid heroes and it provides a stark contrast to the depressed look on Rusty. The articulation is normal for a Mego-style figure, and the outfit is actually pretty fantastic if I do say so myself.
The labcoat is removable, and under it is a vest. The vest is removable, and under that is another shirt and a tie. As outfits go, it's fairly ornate. As gloves tend to be bulky and awkward, particularly on the original Mego figures, it was instead decided to paint the gloves on his hands. The look is great, unless you get super close and in that case... well, you can see the fingernails. But we're going to an aesthetic here and of the many retro figures Bif Bang Pow! has done, I really do feel this set encapsulates the format best.
While it's arguable that he does (or doesn't) fit in with the rest of the line, I see Jonas as a great one-off and a great new old toy, if you catch my meaning. As this set is in some respects a roleplay/prop replica item, it has been quite popular with fans and collectors as a tangible, weird little piece of merchandise that feels like it came straight from the "Rusty Venture" show-within-a-show. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the characters on the show are familiar with Mego products. Just ask Dr. Orpheus.
The main reason to buy this set is the packaging, because you won't want to get rid of it. Actually, this may be the only figure packaging where you'll actually want to rip it open to see all the artwork-- a cardboard sleeve covers the sides, with Rusty in a jetpack on one side, and the young Venture boy crawling through a cave on the other. I should also note the accessories-- ORB is a silver ball of science or magic or whatever, and it basically just sits there. But hey, now you can harness its power at home! The goggles are removable and fit quite well, which is great as I'm used to goggles with a too-thin plastic strap. This feels like it should last. We look at Rusty in a different installment, but I can safely say that this set ended up pretty much like I envisioned and Jonas turned out quite well. If you get only one Venture Bros. collectible-- or at least one more-- make it this one.
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