Since I wasn't a big She-Ra: Princess of Power fan as a wee lad, figures like Castaspella have zero nostalgia impact for me - what I see here is the sum of its parts, fairly literally. One of her hands is similar to Battleground Evil-Lyn, unable to g.shtml but quite able to be posed casting magic. There's a lot of newness here in a line that thrives on recycled bits and pieces - the typical female body buck has been augmented with new shins, complete with energy bolts on her dress, wrists, and boots. The head is new, the accessories are quite unique, and the whole package ain't bad. Of course, she has a giant spinning Lazy Susan on her back that doesn't spin too well, but we'll get to that.
Another fun.shtmlect to Mattel reintroducing these characters is to hear non-fans react to them. I was explaining to someone the figures I got in the mail last month, and someone said "Wait - that's actually her name?" If you're involved in the fan community, it's easy to lose sight over how utterly ridiculously goofy these names are. Once you've come to accept "Stinkor" into your life, there's no turning back.
At about 7-inches tall, she doesn't offer much new in height other than her hair - it's pretty tall, and she's a magic redhead. Her yellow and blue outfit probably would have made her an ideal Comic-Con exclusive for San Diego, given the colors proliferation on their site, but ah well. She doesn't match the original doll, but rather has coloring to match the cartoon series. She looks all the less silly for it. Orange and copper trim help the details of her dress pop, and a small tab covers any hint of cleavage which helps to remind you that this was originally a figure designed to empower/siphon money from small girls and not slightly older boys. The high collar, tights, and skirt are quite modest and seeing the short skirts or fur bikinis of other figures, she stands out as being more than a little unique. Heck, she reminds me of how a lot of the girls dressed around here before high school. She may as well be an Etherian Cheerleader. The face sculpt is pleasant and the hair looks good - I really can't knock it, it's a top-notch figure of someone with whom I have no connection.
For most fans, I assume they will be more pleased with her accessories. The striking clear yellow shield is cool, but it's unpainted and in low light, absorbs all detail. It's very similar to the shield used with Netossa, She-Ra, and Frosta aside from coloration. The spinny shield thing doesn't spin so much, so basically it's a giant flat thing that sits on her back like the original toy. I understand the reason for its inclusion, but mine will probably go into the spare accessory box - it would be nice if it could spin or do something, like act as a display stand. It's a decent looking update with faux-lenticular sculpting. The real gem is an energy blast - the Four Horsemen designed this awesome yellow bolt that is hollow on one end, so it can encase her wrist and hand and look like magic. As this kind of accessory goes, this may be the best-executed version I've ever had the pleasure of owning. I assume it will be highly requested in other colors when it comes time to release future Weapons Paks - I wouldn't mind seeing more of them for Evil-Lyn and Shadow Weaver.
Were it not for the subscriptions, I wouldn't have this figure - and I can say that the quality is absolutely there. Like many She-Ra characters, I have no objection to her existing because Mattel did a nice job here. It's just not a figure I needed on my shelf, is all... but it's a really good one!
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