As the hot summer days wind down to the fall, Nerd Society is looking at the last hot Masters of the Universe Classics releases for August. First up we are going to be looking at the Enchantress who hypnotizes: Castaspella! For years fans have been asking for her, and Mattel finally fulfilled many fan’s dreams.

I have talked about Castaspella before on NS. She has appeared as a Vintage Toy of the Month awhile back, so to have the chance to look over her new release is a real treat. Also, there will be a side by side view from the new version and the old. Let’s read on and see what this new Casta is all about.

Castaspella comes on a regular MOTUC bubble. She has that lovely Princess of Power sticker on the front. Immediately one can see that this version of Casta follows along the color scheme of her appearance in the cartoon. Also, underneath her name is her familiar tagline- Enchantress who hypnotizes.

A closer look reveals all kinds of good stuff. This is a stunning figure and she comes with some cool accessories. Originally Castaspella was released in the first series of Princess of Power toys. She has long been a favorite, and from the looks of it, she has turned out extremely well.

The back of the card features other PoP releases. It’s important to note that when I mention PoP release I am referring to two things, one being those toys released from the vintage PoP line and secondly, these are all characters that fall under the Great Rebellion (the group of people trying to free Etheria from the evil forces of Hordak.) With all the various factions that encompass the MOTUC line, fans have long been in debate about the difference between PoP characters and members of the Great Rebellion. I use the terms freely to describe essentially the same thing.

Castaspella’s bio is interesting. Like most of the other characters, I am not thrilled with Castaspella’s “real” name. I have nothing against the name Esmeralda, but it just sounds like it fits better with Madame Razz or something. It sounds like an old worldly name. But, it ultimately doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, because she is always going to be Casta to me. I do like the bio as it is a nice mix of what her abilities are while also establishing her connections to other characters. Some of the bios tend to be very vague, but this one actually does some fleshing out of the character.

Out of the package she is something else. I feel like there were some new pieces that went into this figure. Ultimately she just looks fantastic. The 4 Horsemen really captured the spirit and essence of Castaspella. This is the Castaspella that fans have been wanting. The blues, yellows, and oranges on her outfit really stand out. She is a colorful character, but it isn’t distracting or gaudy looking.

Up close her face has a very beautiful look. I really enjoy how each character is given a unique face. The vintage action dolls all had, essentially, the same face though there would be changes in makeup. However, there is really a distinct beauty to each character. I also really love her hair sculpt. Again, the 4 Horsemen know their hair. I want to also note that her face is painted. One of the things that some people were worried about was that her skin tone on her face would not match that of her body. Mine looks just fine, both in person and with the photos. I don’t see a stark difference between her facial skin tone and the rest of her body.

Turned around, Casta continues the look of cool. Her pony is not big and bulky. The lightning belt on her skirt follows the same pattern and coloring around her back, unlike Frosta whose back was completely one color. These attentions to detail help make a figure stand out. The joints for this figure were also tight. I don’t fear that she will topple over at all.

Her accessories are some of the best if only because they are part vintage inspired and also brand new. Her familiar hypno disc is included. It comes with a genius way of attaching to the figure around the waist. Casta also comes with a shield, which is new for her, and a really cool magic energy burst piece that fits on her hand easily enough. These items help make the figure fresh.

The new hypno disc is a perfect update from the original. It looks practically the same! I also love how the bumpy plastic is set to mimic the holographic look of the original. I feel like there was a great deal of attention given to this new version of Castaspella.

Standing on her own, the shield snaps onto her left arm cuff with ease while the hypno disc slides around her waist. Her hair does not hinder the piece at all. She can stand on her own too. Also, the disc spins! It is just so cool.

Another nice update to the disc is that the flame design can be seen on the back as well. This was not possible on the vintage toy; the flame design was only on one side.

The magic energy burst slides onto her casting hand. Like the MOTUC Catra figure, Castaspella comes with a soft open hand to cast her magic. The burst of energy slides over her hand and she is ready to strike her foes down!

Here is a look from the vintage Casta and the new Casta. There is quite a difference! While the new Casta borrows the color scheme from her appearance in the vintage cartoon, the vintage toy had an entirely different look. Though there are some similarities.

The lightning bolt design is apparent on both toys. The placement of the design is just in different areas. Check out the hands too. Both versions have the same shaped hands, one closed and the other open in a casting magic way.

Both of their boots are made for walking. Vintage Casta has a thigh high approach with a lightening pattern down the center much like the MOTUC Casta. There is a variant of the vintage Casta that features a strip of her flesh down the center of the boots so that the lightning design is more pronounced. I think both versions are nice in their own way. While I would have liked to see what a true vintage MOTUC Casta would have looked like, I am really glad we got the chance to have a Casta that was based from the cartoon.

Her arm cuffs are special. There are some cool designs and embellishments on the arm cuffs that are a perfect union of the vintage and cartoon look.

I really like the way Casta can pose. That open hand allows for some really nice poses and looks.

Especially when she comes into danger with the Horde! Some would look at this scenario and think, “Leech and Grizzlor are going to scare Castaspella off for sure.”

But with just a bit of that hypnotizing razzle dazzle…

Castaspella can turn the tables on her enemies real quick. I’m sure at some point Leech will realize he is attacking his friend. Poor Grizzlor can never seem to catch a break.

Another fight finds Castaspella up against the feline foe Catra. With a bit of magic, Castaspella can release deadly energy. I like this energy burst because it gives Castaspella more power. Her ability to deal with some hypno magic is cool, but as a fan of role playing games, I like the idea that Casta is a powerful mage with an arsenal of magic powers.

Those powerful mage skills would come in handy against someone like Shadow Weaver. The two of them have a history together, and both being so proficient in magic, I can’t help but wonder what kinds of epic battle scenes the two could get into.

Swords and freeze ray guns are cool and all, but there is something really awesome about using magic to fight against your enemy. This is why I think Castaspella makes such a great character for the MOTUC line. I read on various forums here and there about certain characters in the MOTUC line. One of the problems that some people tend to have with the PoP characters is that they feel they don’t fit in the line or are just silly girly characters.

I can see how that assumption could be made, but there are truly some wonderful things about these characters and figures. The idea of having a powerful mage in the group capable of all kinds of various magic spells is very cool. The fact that she also happens to look awesome doesn’t hurt either.

With the addition of Castaspella to the MOTUC line, I am happy to report that the members of the Great Rebellion are really starting to look like they are a working rebellion. A few years ago I was very nervous about filling out all the ranks, but Castaspella’s place in the line nearly closes the first series of vintage PoP toys. Glimmer and Kowl have already been announced, so I believe all that is left from the first series is Angella and Double Trouble. All that will mostly be left are the PoP releases from the second series and Spinnerella and Loo-Kee from the third. I know I am not counting any of the She-Ra and Catra variants, but I doubt we will see them. Either way, this is another great figure from the PoP/Great Rebellion faction of MOTUC.

Grade- A+ (Castaspella looks amazing. There are enough mixtures of vintage toy and cartoon aspects to truly make this version of Castaspella feel like something special and appeal to all kinds of fans.)

Don’t go too far. There’s one more MOTUC release to talk about for August. Stay tuned for a nice article on the MOTUC Filmation Mini-Subscription release of Shokoti!

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