Altria Caster Nendoroid #1600

Updated: 2023/04/18

Introduction

Altria Caster is a Servant in Fate/Grand Order. She is Altria Pendragon (often named Saber) if she had not been chosen by the sword Caliburn. Instead, she uses the Staff of Selection. That explains her class, Caster, which regroups users specialized in magic. So she is not the King of England. She is named Altria Caster, Artoria Caster and Castoria. In the game, she is one of the most wanted Servants because she has very interesting support skills. Currently, I have not summoned her but I like the character a lot.
Castoria is here in her Stage 2. She has a different outfit from her Stage 1 and has more power. In fact, each Servant has 4 Stages unlocked after a level increase. She is the Nendoroid 1600 (but I do not think it matters much).
Castoria is my only Nendoroid. Comparing her to my other figures is rather difficult. The base section will be about the transparent pieces, so the bases and the holding arm, and cardboard showing a flowery landscape. I will present the accessories in the pose section.

Base: 7/10

This Nendoroid comes with a standard base and arm. A special base would have been amazing but the price would have been very high I guess.

For a Nendoroid, the number and quality of the accessories is a key point. But before discovering them, take a look at this sea of flowers, with butterflies and a blue sky. It is a representation of Castoria’s Noble Phantasm, named Around Caliburn. A Noble Phantasm is a very powerful weapon, attack or spell representing the Servant. It is interesting because she does not have Caliburn in this form. so she cannot understand its name. With this power, she can protect and strengthen her allies. The cardboard is a good idea, it creates a nice background. The copyright is very discrete (it would be better without it but I understand its purpose).
I will use it to display her on my shelf!

The Noble Phantasm saves the grade with 7/10! It is normal, it is her secret weapon after all. Without it, I would have given a 5/10.

Design - Pose: 9/10

The next photo displays all the pieces that come with the Nendoroid 1600, Altria Caster.
The twintails are attached with a ball joint so they can be moved in order to give a feeling of speed for example. It is a very good design choice I think. On top of her head, we can put her ahoge (very small but so cute!!! I love this trait!) or her hat. The latter can move more or less freely, so it can be a little bit dangerous to hold Castoria by her head. It is hard to choose between the two options: with or without hat?
In the picture below we can see her blue cape placed next to her hat. Her staff comes with a support base in order to place it next to her. A blue light explosion thing can be placed on the base. I do not like it, it seems fake, not dynamic. It is strange to have a 2D effect with a 3D figure. So this piece is not displayed.
The 3 faces show different expressions but I think it lacks a “negative” one, like maybe angry or scared because all 3 seem happy. It is not a big deal but it makes Castoria miss the 10/10 grade!
2 pairs of arms and 2 pairs of legs are included. The 2 supplementary right hands can hold her staff, still or tilted.
Lastly, we have a replacement neck joint which can be useful, maybe? I hope it is sturdy enough but it is good to have an option, just in case.

Let’s start with a classic pose. Castoria is holding her staff and is wearing her hat and her cape. From this angle, we cannot see the arm which prevents her from falling.

Her ahoge is hard to use because of its size. I am scared of breaking it. It is a shame that removing this fragile piece is necessary in order to put her hat on top of her head.

The ribbon of the cape can be removed and used on its own. We can put it on the chest of Castoria. It is not the official outfit she has in the game but I like this possibility.

Here is the big advantage over a scale figure! She can fly! Well, almost. Notice how her strands of hair are placed differently compared to the last picture. The base is large enough to support all her weight. I imagine it is very common for a Nendoroid but it impresses me a lot. Let's fly to victory!

9/10

Design - Painting: 10/10

With a figure of this size, there are not a lot of details but it is expected. I have not much to say except that I like the big eyes. However, the paint application is not perfect, we will discuss this right in the next section.

10/10

Quality: 8/10

I noticed two points that bother me. Her skirt is mobile (but can not be removed) so a gap is visible. This is a minor defect, barely noticeable. The bigger one is some paint defects, especially on the hat. The separation between the red and the blue is not very clean and some gold paint has been applied in a wrong spot. It is not very visible but it is a shame nonetheless. Her belt is also irregularly painted.

With two problems, it is 2 points that are lost! 8/10

Price: 7/10

With a price tag of €69.99, I am a little bit disappointed. The quality is not as high as expected and I enjoy her (a little) less than I would have imagined.

Too expensive! 7/10

Total: 8.2/10

Castoria suffers from her size. Yes, in my opinion, size matters a lot! She is too tiny, so even if she has a lot of posing options, it is not easy for me to admire her. Also, the ratio quality/price is not very good because of the paint problems.

This review ends on the total grade: 8.2/10.