Mask of Phanteana
Resurrection of Monstress (Yellow Submarine) - Basic Series
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
Phantom of The Paradise is a cult classic of the highest order. Fans may be surprised to know it's pretty big in Japan for whatever reason, and nowhere is that more evident than any given anime shop. This is actually the fifth character I'm aware of to be directly inspired by good old Winslow, and I haven't been looking very hard. Mr. Nirasawa, unsurprisingly, threw his hat in the ring with Phanteana here, a gender-swapped version with far less in the way of clothing, but considerably more flair. Posed in a pretty dramatic flourish, she can play the keyboard with one hand only, but still makes it look good. Every bit is well sculpted and painted, as usual. Accessories are the main draw yet again, this time comprising a keyboard, speaker, control panel (mixing board? I don't know this...[See More]

Howling Wolfinica
Resurrection of Monstress (Yellow Submarine) - Basic Series
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
Werewolves are fun. Rock music is fun. Do these great tastes taste great together? I say yes. The purple version appeals to me more than the more realistic brown, for whatever reason. Maybe the cartoonish nature of a punk rock lycanthrope toy (oddly, not the only one I own) demands an outrageous color scheme. Maybe my love for the colorful world of Darkstalkers is showing, or it's just closer to the blue of the original art. Whatever the reason, here we are. I'd have preferred a less neutral expression, and she doesn't hold her guitar worth a damn. But the accessories and base are so good, it almost doesn't matter. The stage floor and large speaker are augmented by two smaller speakers and an amp, to be placed however you like. One of the rats fits neatly into a hole in the floor. A...[See More]

Franken Steela
Resurrection of Monstress (Yellow Submarine) - Basic Series
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
As a fan of Nirasawa's art style, I have to say, nobody captures it quite like Yellow Submarine. And as Mindless Self-Indulgence warned us, Frankenstein girls will indeed seem strangely sexy. This one's a bit of a sore point with me, in that I would have vastly preferred the blue version, with its more realistic colors. But that's apparently hard to find, so here we are. I can't complain too much, really. The operating table is hefty and substantial, making it feel like a pretty good value overall. The joints in are good and solid, even after 20 years. Paint is tight. The glaring neon accessories are the main reason I wanted the blue version; any detail on them gets swallowed up. A paint wash would have helped. That said, I can't argue with that amazing reclining table, nor the handful...[See More]

Creature Gillealla
Resurrection of Monstress (Yellow Submarine) - Basic Series
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
I'm a sucker for the Gillman. Fish people in general, really. And one thing I don't see very often, at least in plastic form, is female fish folk. So Gillie here was an easy decision. But does she stack up? In a word, mostly. Once you get past the idea that you're basically buying a sexy monster girl statue, it goes down easier. The whole line has a 3-joint standard, neck and shoulders. This one bucks the trend with ankle hinges, which allow for standing or floating poses, but also muck up an otherwise killer sculpt. The real draw, as is typical of this line, is the sheer volume of accessories, allowing for lots of display options. She can (sort of) hold her knife or wear it, the skeleton fish can be tucked into various gaps, the breathing apparatus looks good on her (not making much...[See More]