Here is my addition to all the Halloween fun. My review of Resurrection of Monstress's Mask of Phanteana, the standard version.

Last year Josh hit us with a flurry of reviews for the very sharp line of girl figures called Resurrection of Monstress. Each being a sexier reinterpretation of a classic monster. This would be their revamp of The Phantom of the Opera.

I thought the figures looked nice and Josh was nice enough to slip me one. Halloween had passed so I hung it on the wall and waited till now to bring you this review. That's right, I cracked the package just for YOU, our faithful CDX readers!

From the back of the package:

"Big star BELLA WINDSLOW is the most popular avant-grade industrial techno music artist with beauty. But not everybody likes her and some people felt jealousy towards her. BAMBI (who thinks BELLA is her rival) set her up the trap and made a terrible burn on BELLA's left face by the CD press machine. Automatically , BAMBI became the top star after BELLA has gone. But, this situation didn't continue for so long."

"Unexpectedly a mysterious industrial tecno player with enigmatic metal mask has made debut and she took BAMBI's throne very easily. That's right! She is the phantom of BELLA WINDSLOW. Revenge has begun as the "MASKED PHANTEANA"

The figure is really more of a statue with only the head, arms and wings rotating. But I think we all know these are meant to be put on the shelf and "look good". There not really meant to be "played with." (NOTE: If you are "playing" with your girl statues please seek professional help immediately.)

In all seriousness though, THIS is a very good looking figure that pays all the right nods to the original character while being fresh and original in it's own way. The sculpt and design are top notch, though she looks like her skin should glow in the dark and sadly it doesn't.

She comes with a bunch of accessories and you can see the influence of not only the original Phantom of the Opera but several of it's adaptations. Included are a keyboard, stand, base and mixer. 2 Masks (both in gold and clear for a total of 4) are included. One looks like the more current and popular half mask from the Andrew Loyd musical, the other reminds me of the campy 70's Phantom of the Paradise.

The included Owl remind me of the Claude Rains Phantom's mask and the skull evokes the classic Phantom's Mask of Red Death masquerade costume. Also included are some mannequin heads to display the extra masks.

While I normally do not collect "girl" figures I am a big fan of the Phantom of the Opera and I think the designer and sculptor came up with a neat concept. I give it a big thumbs up.