Revenge of the Fallen Dirge

Series: Revenge of the Fallen
Allegiance: Decepticon
Categories: Deluxe
Year: 2009

Dirge thought the heart of enemy territory - N.E.S.T. Headquarters - was the perfect place from which to launch a secret campaign of terror. A single slip-up revealed his presence and brought his plans crumbling down. Now he's running scared with Bumblebee and Armorhide on his tail. He's too frightened to land, but so terrified of running out of fuel that he finds himself breathing a sigh of relief every time he touches down.

Review by LimeWire:

Prelude: Dirge is one of those non-Movie-characters, where I always hoped he would be issued as a new jet, not as some sort of half-assed repaint of Starscream (like Skywarp, Thrust, Ramjet, Thundercracker). Thankfully I was not disappointed.

Vehicle Mode: Dirge is a modified version of a British Harrier jet (with a twin tail fin instead of a single one), so I am fully expecting a G1-style repaint called Fireflight sooner or later. And honestly? I am looking forward to it. Aerialbots do not get enough love.

The alternate mode looks very one-piece and shows few signs of actually being a transformed robot. The details are very nice (much better than on Voyager Starscream or Deluxe Breakway). Goes to show that Hasbro/Takara still favors Deluxe figures above all others, sadly.

Robot Mode: The robot mode shows a very plain elegance, which also manages to seem threatening. I can easily imagine Dirge standing stock-still for hours, yet no one would dare approach him. He looks agile and posable, which he certainly is. The only downside is his small rucksack, which is fastened to his shoulders and pretty much robs him of 100% of his hip posability. But I don't really see how this could have been solved in any other way.

The important thing: Dirge is one of very few non-symmetrical jet Transformers. The cockpit forms his right arm, the upper part of his chassis provides the left arm, while his head is split in alternate mode and only forms the characteristic cone head when transformed into robot mode. A very innovative design.

Complaints:

- The rucksack, which makes him prone to toppling over backwards.
- The wings on his legs, you never know where to put them.
- The feet, which are wobbly and hard to pose. A flat, rough surface is recommended.

Conclusion: An excellent figure with some small flaws, which are tolerable in my eyes. Fully recommended.