Review of Count Marzo action figure
Masters of the Universe Classics

Introduction

For the most part, Mattel has used the vintage line up of characters for their Masters of the Universe Classics. There's been some nods to the 200X series, as well as some oddball choices thrown in, but vintage has largely been the theme.

Count Marzo is slightly different choice for the series, although not completely out in left field. While he was in the original cartoon, there was never a vintage action figure created, and therefore nothing to base the MOTUC version directly on. In essence, they've updated a non-existent action figure.

For 200X fans though, this might be an indication of good things - Mattel has said that they are willing to do 200X characters, but in the vintage style. Hey, you can't get everything, but at least that provides some link between the old and new shows.

Marzo sold out in the wink of a young Eternian girl's eye, as you might expect. Matty Collector sold him for the usual $20, and after market prices are just a little over that right now.

Next month is the release of Whiplash, along with the re-release of Trapjaw. More importantly, we'll see what Mattel has on display for MOTUC at SDCC this week - check here for my coverage!

Packaging - ***
While this is the same packaging I've enjoyed throughout the entire run, it seems to block the view of the Count more than usual, especially the jewel.  I love the overall design, and the bio seems appropriate - coming from someone who doesn't know this guy from the Count on Sesame Street - but he looked less comfortable in the plastic tray than past releases.

Sculpting - ***1/2
This classic vintage interpretation of the character turned out great, with a little bit swashbuckler, a little bit knight, and a little bit evil all rolled into one bad ass looking dude.

The dynamic posed hair can be a little much, and is probably my only negative. From the right angle it looks great, but from others it tends a bit toward the silly.

It also restricts the neck articulation somewhat when he's wearing the cape, but remove that and he has the usual full range of movement.

The sculpted armor looks great, and there's some new work on the body as well - they've given him an new left hand, specifically designed to hold the jewel.

He stands great on his own of course, and is right in scale with the other male figures in the line. With the re-used body parts, that's really no surprise.

Paint - ***1/2
In the earliest releases of MOTUC, we saw some issues with paint quality. However, it seems that over the last 6 months or more these have almost completely disappeared.

Here, we have very clean ops, with just minor slop on some of the armor. The beard and hair look great, and the eyes are clean, sharp and straight. The devilish eyebrows have some little pointy tops, and these are a bit uneven and sloppy. This isn't the kind of guy that would let his eyebrows get uneven. Still, most of the paint work is quite good, especially considering the scale.

Articulation - ***1/2
All the usual MOTUC articulation is here - ball jointed neck, ball jointed shoulders, cut biceps, pin elbows, cut wrists, cut waist, ab crunch, pin knees, pin ankles, and ball hips with cut thighs. The cape restricts the neck a bit when it's in place, but without it he has a very good range of movement.

This is one of those rare 'toy' bodies that can actually take very natural, flowing poses, allowing for some terrific display potential.

Accessories - ***
There's some real goodness here, but with some of the excellent accessories of past figures, he's got some might big shoes to fill.

I love his sword, with it's double bard on the end and ornate hilt.  It's also sturdy - no wilting here!

He also has the removable cape, which includes the large shoulder and chest armor as all one piece. It looks good on, but you may want to display him bare chested, particularly when in battle with He-man. Hey Joey, do you like gladiator movies?

Finally, there's the gem, which looks great and fits in the newly sculpted right hand. The red translucent stone looks great, but with other figures packing in extra heads and multiple items, Marzo doesn't end up doing quite as well in this category.

Fun Factor - ****
The MOTUC series is great fun, and Marzo is just another example of how good Mattel can be when they want to. Sadly, it seems they save all that fun for the 'collector' lines.

Value - **1/2
It seems that I've grown accustomed to putting out $20 a pop for these guys, because it's actually starting to feel like I'm getting my money's worth. Or maybe all the lines at the mass market retailers have just gotten so bad that they make these look all that much better.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing - this is a very sturdy toy!

Overall - ***1/2
Not being a big He-man fan myself, I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of Marzo. He doesn't have the cool facial features of a Webstor or Mer-man, and lacks that natural evil of Skeletor. But once he was out of the package, I began to appreciate the overall look and design, and it's actually nice to have another human-like male character in the series.

There's a swashbuckling Three Musketeer bad boy sort of thing going on here that appeals to kids of all ages, and he makes a great addition to the MOTUC display.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy
Matty Collector was the place to pick this guy up earlier in the month. Now your best shot is ebay. Don't miss out next month when Whiplash and the re-issue Trapjaw go on sale!

Related Links -
Other MOTUC reviews include:

- the most recent was She-Ra, Princess of Power.

- before that was the large scale Tytus.

- I've also looked at the cool custom swords and shields you can get from SpyMonkey Creations.

- prior to that, I looked at the other May release, Optikk.

- seems like it was just yesterday that I covered Evil-Lyn.

prior to that it was Moss Man.

- check out the cool MOTUC Display stands.

- just before that I covered Battle Cat and Trap Jaw, and prior to that was Adora.

- I really liked Scare glow, although he's not exactly what you'd call a key character.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page to find earlier MOTUC reviews, and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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