'DIMEBAG' DARRELL ABBOTT Wax Sculpture Unveiled

According to The Metal Den, the Rock Legend Wax Museum in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada has honored "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by unveiling a life-sized wax figure of the late PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN guitarist.

The figure was conceived by Mandy De Vere of Mangry Inc. and sculpted by local Niagara Falls artist Pasquale Ramunno exclusively for the museum.

The "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott wax figure is on display from today (Saturday, May 25) at the Rock Legend Wax Museum.

The Rock Legend Wax Museum features one-of-a-kind life-like wax sculptures of your favourite musical heroes. Designed by Ramunno, these realistic life-size figures will have you posing and pretending to be chums with both classical crooners and modern-day rock deities.

Back in 2007, KnuckleBonz released a limited-edition Dimebag Darrell Rock Iconz figure. The figure was created from the "Far Beyond Driven" era, with Dimebag's tobacco Dean guitar, the cammo shorts and "all the tats." Only 3,333 figures were produced.

Dimebag was co-founder and lead guitarist for PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, Dimebag and Vinnie Paul formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by Nathan Gale. He was 38 years old.

Since his brother's murder, Vinnie Paul has released several Dimebag-related items through his Big Vin Records label, including DVDs and the paperback book "He Came to Rock".

Asked about criticism from people on the Internet, questioning why the proceeds from these various posthumous releases weren't being earmarked for charitable causes, instead going to him, Vinnie Paul told the nationally syndicated radio program "Rockline" in a 2008 interview: "I don't even know where to go with that other than, you know, [my critics are] not in the same position I'm in or had to go through what I've gone through here. It's really none of their business where it goes, so I don't know how else to address it — I really don't even think about it. It doesn't cross my mind."

Vinnie Paul added that the Dimebag-related releases weren't an attempt to cash in on his brother's tragic end but rather a way to keep Dimebag's legacy alive and well.

"I'm doing this for the fans and for them to enjoy what Dime was all about and give them more than what they already had — to increase his legacy and to make him larger than life forever," he said. "And he'll outlive all of us. I'm beyond letting things like that pick at me or irritate me. I just have to look past them and keep rolling."