Transformers Masterpiece MP-11ND Dirge

When Takara finally announced all the Seeker coneheads in MP form, I was so happy just to finally be able to complete the original G1 cartoon Seeker cast in MP form. The releases of Ramjet and Thrust were plagued with controversy over QC issues that resulted in incorrect shoulder assembly on Ramjet and loose hips on Thrust.

For the most part, the Dirge release has rectified those previous issues, but it's still not a perfect figure by any means. Click through below to watch my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. More pics and my thoughts are also further below.

The box art is the same classy MP design (thankfully they haven't decided to change that like they did with the collector card art!). Accessories are a bare minimum with the recent MP-11 releases. The cluster bombs are a nice addition for jet mode, but pretty useless to me for bot mode.

Jet mode looks pretty nice, but mine did have a weird issue with the knees that prevented me from being able to get the brown wide panels to sit flush with the wings. I tried various knee angles, but just couldn't get it right. I gave up in the end since I always display the core cast in bot mode.

And overall in bot mode Dirge does look pretty nice. I do wish they had given him more paint application, since he does seem very plasticky. Some premium glossy or metallic paint would've given him a more premium feel.

At least this time there's no issues with the shoulders and loose hips. Everything feels firm and sturdy. I would be very careful with the folding joints on the wings though. I've barely touched mine, but can see small stress marks on some joints already, so be careful there.

I do like the head sculpt, and the overall body proportions I think are the best out of all the conehead variants on the market. The 3rd party choices all have something off about them for me, such as heads that are too small, or bodies that are too short or too tall. I think the MP-11 mold strikes a decent enough balance for cartoon accuracy. Some hate the large knees, but I think they look pretty great.

Together with his conehead brethren, they look awesome on display. There's enough mold retooling to make them interesting, and the differences with the standard MP-11 Starscream mold also sets them apart nicely.

For now, I'm glad they've completed the Seekers I wanted in the MP series. No doubt I'm sure the future will hold some new design, but hopefully that's a few years off and Takara can release more characters from the G1 Season 1 and 2 character list. Definitely looking forward to Sunstreaker!