Just got mine in the mail, and she's fantastic! I don't have the space to display the first Phoenix (green) and this Phoenix side by side, but the detail to the paint and complexity of the sculpt on this piece looks waaay better than the older one. They're both great, but this statue is really superb!
The trick to this statue is that it has
A LOT of potential for small breaks all over. You gotta be real gentle when taking each piece out of the box because the small flame tips and the feathers are really thin. I had to use both hands and carefully pull pieces out of their slots. And then you gotta pay attention to which pieces you're attaching to the base in which order. For example, there's a flame piece that needs to be attached to her right leg first, then her right hand next, and then you need to attach the sash on her belt last. It's kind of a pain, but you need to go slow with this piece if you wanna get her together problem free.
And even with all the care I payed to putting her together, I have googly eyes on one of the portraits =( But since I don't plan on displaying her with that coh I'm not too concerned =)