It’s Day 4 of FFZ held hostage by Masters of the Universe Classics! I know, it’s supposed to be Transformers Thursday, but Matty has a gun to my head right now and is insisting that we keep the purity of Masters Week by posting another Masters feature. Today we’re checking out another older figure that has been turning up for mighty cheap at various peddlers of plastics. Not coincidently, he is also one of the figures that has been showing up on the shelves at Big Lots around the country. I’ve had my eye on this figure ever since he was first offered by Matty, but he wasn’t one that I was willing to blow full retail on. Let’s find out why that was a terrible mistake.

What’s this? Beautiful Greyskull-inspired green stone packaging? Haven’t we seen this before? Why yes we have, over and over again, so let’s not dwell on it. I know very little about Count Marzo, only that he’s a wizard who turned up a couple of times in the MYP series and he seemed pretty cool. A buddy of mine informed me that he did appear in the Filmation cartoon but he didn’t look anything like this. Fortunately, this isn’t a Club Filmation feature, which means I don’t have to subject myself to watching that episode. Truth be told, I just wanted to pick up this guy to have a bad guy in my collection that didn’t look like a total freak and he certainly fits the bill. The back of the package has the usual bio and other figures in the line. Hey, look, a clean sweep! I actually have all of those!

So, straight up let me say that I am totally digging this figure! Everything about this guy feels fresh and unique. It’s funny how a relatively normal looking guy stands out in the MOTU Universe, but beyond the fact that he doesn’t have a skull face or elephant head, Marzo stands out because the sculpt is just phenomenal. The top half of the figure is just a regular buck, but it doesn’t look like it thanks to the large shoulder armor, chest armor, and cape all sculpted as one piece and placed over the figure’s neck. He has a standard MOTU bracer on his right wrist and a newly sculpted one on his left. The waist down uses a soft plastic belt and skirt layered onto the buck and he’s got a simple pair of boots. The costume looks amazing! It’s quite clever how they were able to build it off a regular buck and the design offers a great sci-fi and medieval combo that feels right at home on the MOTUC shelf.

And then there’s that portrait. Wow! Besides being a great modern update to the MYP character design, this has got to be one of the best head sculpts the MOTUC series has offered. The furled brow, the long blowing hair, the sinister ‘stache and beard… this guy looks epic.

Marzo comes with two accessories. You get his magic amulet and a sword. The amulet can be wielded in his left hand, much the same way we saw with Nepthu and The Faceless One. The sword is a great looking piece and it’s a nice surprise to find one bundled with a wizard. Aren’t Eternian magic users supposed to have staves or wands? Pfft! Marzo cares not for your stereotypes. What’s even better is that Marzo has a clip sculpted into his skirt that allows him to wear the sword quite comfortably. It’s brilliant.

Needless to say, I friggin adore this figure. He’s wonderfully executed and he makes a great addition to my MOTUC shelves. In my mind, I’ve already set him apart as a villain for Vikor and Battleground Teela to fight, as those figures sort of hover outside my mainstream continuity of this line. It’s crazy to think I held out on him, because I think he would have been well worth the $27 had I picked him up Day of Sale on Matty Collector. Still, I won’t complain about having grabbed him for around $13. Right now this guy is pretty high on my list of favorite figures in the line, and a line of figures as good as this one, that’s pretty high praise.

Tomorrow, we’ll start wrapping up this Masters Week nonsense with the first part of my look at The Palace Guard 2-pack.