MOTUClassics.Com:
Count Marzo Review

This sword is instantly one of my favorites in the entire line. I love the hilt and the extra burrs on the tip in particular. Whichever Horsemen did this piece, my hat is off to you. It looks great in the red/gray scheme, but this is a weapon worthy of a few more decos in future weapon paks. The sword also has a sheath on the side of the armor which lets the sword in that iconic side position. That’s how unaffiliated Marzo is, he doesn’t even wear his gear on his back!

Articulation is standard for the line. The hair and armor combine to block the neck articulation a bit, but it still has decent range. On my Marzo, the ankles are super weak – both are floppy – so I’m going to have to tighten those up or he’ll be taking a daily dive off the shelf. Until then, his cape is pulling double duty to keep him standing up.

I’ve been keeping an eye on other reviews because I feel like the paint has been sloppier with the last few releases, but I’m not sure if it’s widespread. I get to open a batch of these figures each month for all various IAT staff and the last couple months I haven’t found a “good” one that stood out. We had extra black in the beard, missing paint on the beard, sloppy lines on the armor, a big black mark on the belt buckle, messed up eyebrows, etc. As you can see below, I opted for the sloppy armor Marzo.

The black paint doesn’t cover the recessed area while bleeding over it in other areas and the ribbed shoulder armor isn’t fully painted on the front or back. I always hate being nitpicky with the paint on these figures, but at $20 a pop I want to not have to “choose” the least flawed among a half dozen figs. I want to just grab a white mailer out of the box and get a good figure inside. I buy two figures a month to be safe and I have to decide if I want to do that again with the all-in 2011 sub. The prospect of only getting one figure is daunting based on the last few releases.

Another paint issue of note is that the right hand seems to be made of an extraordinarily tough plastic. Usually there is some give on the hands so that the accessories can be added/removed easily, but I have a heck of a time getting the sword in his hand and I’m starting to lose the silver paint on the sword because of it.

Overall, Marzo is still a great figure. I love the extra sculpted details on the new pieces and the choice of reused pieces. I would’ve liked matching bracelets over the He-Man left forearm, but I digress. There are things that I do bother me like the loose ankles and the sloppy paint, but those are possibly specific to my single Marzo and only mar my happiness with this one piece. I love the face sculpt and the dynamic poses the new hand provides. I have to admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of this character in 200x, but I love the figure. He looks right at home in the Classics line. There is one thing though… I’ve got Marzo and I’ve got Keldor… I’m going to need a Captain Randor! And King Miro wouldn’t hurt either…

For more MOTU reviews, check out our MOTU Classics Collector’s Guide.

22 thoughts on “MOTUClassics.Com:
Count Marzo Review

  1. LOL Marzo looks like he’s breaking his arm to try and get that amulet out. He seems like a pretty cool figure, but I had to pass on him.

    1. Yeah, I was in between on that one because a normal person could reach back there, but I wanted to show that nice little addition to the figure. πŸ˜€

  2. Great review! I’ve been having a great summer with all the 200x and Whiplash and Carnivus are still to come!

    1. I’m not sold on Carnivus just yet, but I’m enjoying all the 200x. I wouldn’t mind seeing vintage Man-E-Faces and Roboto at SDCC though!

  3. I can’t stop laughing. Great one Noisy,
    although I really not into 200x style,
    but since I bought Keldor, I’m gonna need Marzo too.
    PS:Sorry if double post πŸ™‚

  4. LOl, one of your best reviews yet! I loved the comics! That head sculpt reminds me of another animated asian character though. I can’t figure out which though.

  5. I think the head sculpt looks like Sawyer from Lost. I’m not big on the 200x stuff being in the line, but his backstory makes him cool and he fits nicely in the mythos. I’m with you on getting a young Randor too.

    That sucks about the sword getting scratched up. I wonder why the hand plastic doesn’t have any give this time around?

    1. I can kinda see Sawyer. Is it the hair though?

      I don’t know why the hand is made of sturdy plastic instead of the usual. It’s also molded in black and painted (like the head). Mattel’s gotta quit that.

  6. My favorite thing about him is the sword. I’d like to see it in a few more colors too and I imagine we will. The rest of the figure is okay. The mold line going straight back in the hair drives me crazy.

  7. Is it just me, or does his loincloth/belt combo have a real Jack Kirby vibe to it?

    “Sloppy Armor Marzo ™ joins the line in (year), increasing the army of Eternia against the evil (name of new enemy line TBD)! Now Sloppy Armor He-Man(tm) and Sloppy Armor Skeletor(tm) have a new ally! ”

    (Marzo also needs a ‘battle cat’, probably all black with red armor)

  8. Nice review. Marzo wasn’t a must have for me, so I passed. He’s still a decent figure though.

  9. Marzo looks great, though the armor looks awful in the old man hand pic. More 200x I say.

    Great review & hilarious pics. Didn’t Riker do that to someone at least once a season?

  10. Great review Noisy!
    about the paint on the sword, try placing the handle against his fingertips and rolling it inward toward the heel of his hand.

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