JB0 Posted April 16, 2007 Posted April 16, 2007 If there isn't a resistor in the circuit and/or the batteries fluctuate(+) it can rapidly burn out a LED. (+)Which they do over their lifetime , quite a bit in fact if they are cheaply made batteries.) That explains why car brake lights seem to have a bizarrely high failure rate. I'd always chalked it up to being stuck outdoors exposed to the weather and temperature fluctuations. Now I know. And knowing is half the battle!
David Hingtgen Posted April 16, 2007 Author Posted April 16, 2007 Chindenathus said what I was going to. Basically---a properly installed LED will last forever. My PS2's red LED has been going for years on end. But most cheap LED installations like in keychains and toys, have no resistor/circuitry----they'll work, but only 1/1000 as long as they should. That gives then tens, maybe hundreds of hours of operation, instead of the thousands or hundreds of thousands of hours they would if they had a proper resistor. Going resistor-less means you can do it cheaper, and in a smaller space. But it won't last long, and it especially doesn't like to be on for longer than a few seconds, as it'll REALLY burn out then with no resistor.
Ginrai Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 That explains why car brake lights seem to have a bizarrely high failure rate. I'd always chalked it up to being stuck outdoors exposed to the weather and temperature fluctuations. Now I know. And knowing is half the battle! What? Car brake lights are bulbs, not LEDs.
trueblueeyes Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 What? Car brake lights are bulbs, not LEDs. Don't forget about the third brake light. The one on our 2003 Lightning is LED and I had to replace it in early 2005. ......... Does anyone know where to find Masterpiece Megatron besides BBTS for a reasonable price? I'm not liking the glued-in plug they are using. I should've preordered the stupid thing from somewhere. When or should I say if I can find both MP-05 and KISS Hot Rodimus (another one I should have bought when I had the opportunity), my TF collecting days are over.
JB0 Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 Don't forget about the third brake light. The one on our 2003 Lightning is LED and I had to replace it in early 2005. Yeah. I meant the center ones they imbed in the trunk lid/spoiler.
Eazy D Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 I live in New south wales, Australia and my MP-05 got seized by customs. I'm in deep s*** now becuase its been classified as a replica pistol. I was wondering if anyone else in australia has had this problem becuase I was under the impression that we didn't have similar toy gun laws to the US. If I want to contest the seizure I need a permit for importing replica guns (which don't get given to lay-people usually) or I need to go to court. If I lose in court I have to pay the crowns legal fees which are about three times the cost of the toy. To make life even sh*ttier I was warned that all my imports would now be inspected so I can't even try to pick up anothert MP-05
kensei Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 You know that Johnnie Howard's minions will never allow it. Australia is just too anal. It's funny they class it as a replica pistol when it transforms into a robot and has a trigger that doesn't work.
UN Spacy Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 I live in New south wales, Australia and my MP-05 got seized by customs. I'm in deep s*** now becuase its been classified as a replica pistol. I was wondering if anyone else in australia has had this problem becuase I was under the impression that we didn't have similar toy gun laws to the US. If I want to contest the seizure I need a permit for importing replica guns (which don't get given to lay-people usually) or I need to go to court. If I lose in court I have to pay the crowns legal fees which are about three times the cost of the toy. To make life even sh*ttier I was warned that all my imports would now be inspected so I can't even try to pick up anothert MP-05 Wow. Finally someone's had bad luck getting their MP-5 into their country. Sorry to hear about that Eazy D.
wolfx Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 I live in New south wales, Australia and my MP-05 got seized by customs. I'm in deep s*** now becuase its been classified as a replica pistol. I was wondering if anyone else in australia has had this problem becuase I was under the impression that we didn't have similar toy gun laws to the US. If I want to contest the seizure I need a permit for importing replica guns (which don't get given to lay-people usually) or I need to go to court. If I lose in court I have to pay the crowns legal fees which are about three times the cost of the toy. To make life even sh*ttier I was warned that all my imports would now be inspected so I can't even try to pick up anothert MP-05 Ouch. Sorry to hear that. Was this the one with the orange cap or without? If without, would they alllow it if it had an orange cap?
Limbo Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 I can't imagine how anyone would think Megatron in gun mode is a real gun. Seriously, it looks silly, it is an oversized mockup of a 70 year old model that does't even snap that well together... I would love to hear that someone robbed a bank with Megatron tho.
baronv Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 (edited) I can't imagine how anyone would think Megatron in gun mode is a real gun. Seriously, it looks silly, it is an oversized mockup of a 70 year old model that does't even snap that well together... I would love to hear that someone robbed a bank with Megatron tho. Well if you pay attention to the news, kids and adults have been getting killed over toy guns and such for a long time. Remember the reason toy gun law went into affect were that kids and teens were getting shot by the cops by accident. I may be wrong, but I believe the big push to make toy guns orange and bright colors was when a kid was shot by cops in the 80s when a old black laser tag gun was mistaken by a real one by a cop and a kid died over it and that gun didn't even resemble a real one. Heck, if I saw a kid or teen with Megatron in gun mode and didn't know what the hell it was and he was walking around the block, I'd call the cops on him. Megatron may be big, but with the Desert Eagle and other huge side arms out their with laser sights, scopes, etc. guns come in all shapes and sizes and not the old .22 caliber arms anymore. p.s. I hope that Skywarp MP is real! Edited April 17, 2007 by baronv
Hikuro Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 Oh I will diffenetly order it, just don't see why it's gotta take 5 months on a freakin repaint...... But isn't this kind of gay? Skywarp gets what looks like an anime accurate scheme, yet starscream got jipped on his color scheme.
mister_e Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 MP-06 Skywarp I'm actually more excited about the mentioned ENCORE series. I missed out on a lot of the Takara TFC reissues, so this would be a good opportunity for me to snag some of my fav G1 bots
Chewie Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 That is adorable. Looks like I know what my Nephew is getting soon. >_>
Guest sh002 Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 My preorder for a MISB unopened and unmodified MP Megatron got cancelled due to low stock. Anyone know of a good online store that is selling it MISB unmodified for the cheapest price? Thanks. Nice MP Skywarp. Man if Takara released Classics...
Veritas Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 Great news indeed on MP Skywarp... I just hope we don't have to wait a year+ for the inevitable Thundercracker MP.
Eazy D Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 Ouch. Sorry to hear that. Was this the one with the orange cap or without? If without, would they alllow it if it had an orange cap? Tnx for the sympathies dude. It was unmodified. I don't know what their position is about yellow caps. As I said I was completely unaware that there would be a problem with australian customs in the first place.
Macross73 Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 How they justify classifying it as a replica gun when it turns into a robot makes no sense. Just show up with a bit of water based orange paint and mod the tip. Good luck
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 I live in New south wales, Australia and my MP-05 got seized by customs. I'm in deep s*** now becuase its been classified as a replica pistol. I was wondering if anyone else in australia has had this problem becuase I was under the impression that we didn't have similar toy gun laws to the US. If I want to contest the seizure I need a permit for importing replica guns (which don't get given to lay-people usually) or I need to go to court. If I lose in court I have to pay the crowns legal fees which are about three times the cost of the toy. To make life even sh*ttier I was warned that all my imports would now be inspected so I can't even try to pick up anothert MP-05 That really sucks. So no orange cap thing was on? Doesn't surprise me. I wonder what would happen if it was just packaged in robot mode?
Radd Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 Damn i hope thats for real! Me too. I'd honestly like to get all three seekers. My Transformers shelf is dominated by Autobots, because the Alternator's line is simply so Autobot heavy. Getting MP Megatron and all three seekers would be a great way to balance that out.
Eazy D Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 That really sucks. So no orange cap thing was on? Doesn't surprise me. I wonder what would happen if it was just packaged in robot mode? It is packaged in robot mode....thats the incredible thing. The customs idiots opened the box, looked at the robot staring them in the face and then seized it presumably because of the gun picture on the box
Black Valkyrie Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 Yes it would be nice Takara releases the TF-Classics, BTW MP-06 will have more die-cast parts.
promethuem5 Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 Hopefully the first thing they die-cast up are the back and wing hinges and such, and then maybe some of the other joints, and some in the legs to provide better balance. Hopefully as well, they don't make alot of the black parts on the plane die-cast, bc/ the black painted die-cast will never match the black molded plastic...
holytoledo69 Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 (edited) Yes!! I finally got MP-05 Megs in!! When I first opened the package I was a little scared. First off, there's this big yellow "notice" taped with mini-yellow stick-ons (easily comes off) stating not to use it in an (in short) offending manner. The box was fully re-taped and hardly no signs of tampering. Then I opened it... There it was, that big (exagerates) orange butt plug. I already had my dremel, pliers and hair dryer ready to operate and remove it. Initially I tried to pry it off with my finger tips, it moved a little but I couldnt get a good grip on it with my short nails (and I assumed there was some adhesive) Finally, I took a long nose plier, making sure it only griped the plug..twisted and pulled.. viola!! no more butt plug!! 30 seconds flat. So for those of you worrying about its removal, dont worry. The figure itself is prestine, nice tight joints and nicely engineered. A little flimsy, but not as flimsy as the yamato YF-19. Lots of racheted joints where theyre needed and more importantly it can hold a pose and it wont fall apart when you look at it funny. I havent transformed it yet, maybe this weekend... Im gonna play with it a little bit more in bot mode. Got mine from BBTS. Get 'em while they're hot. Edited April 18, 2007 by holytoledo69
konimon Posted April 19, 2007 Posted April 19, 2007 (edited) Hopefully the first thing they die-cast up are the back and wing hinges and such, and then maybe some of the other joints, and some in the legs to provide better balance. Diecast in the legs would add good weight to it like MP Prime. Although clear stickers and a face part are clearly stated as "renewed", rest seems just the same as SS. We get extra Archeville?? High pressure face?? If he had face like strong wind blown on his face, that would be awesome. (It translates more like an "intimidating face" tho...) Then I opened it... There it was, that big (exagerates) orange butt plug. I already had my dremel, pliers and hair dryer ready to operate and remove it. Initially I tried to pry it off with my finger tips, it moved a little but I couldnt get a good grip on it with my short nails (and I assumed there was some adhesive) Finally, I took a long nose plier, making sure it only griped the plug..twisted and pulled.. viola!! no more butt plug!! 30 seconds flat. Great news. My Megs is on it's way from BBTS as I couldn't find anywhere else that won't rip us off. Edited April 19, 2007 by konimon
Fit For Natalie Posted April 19, 2007 Posted April 19, 2007 (edited) In US continuity, Skywarp is a bully and a prankster. And kind of an idiot. So I guess Starscream's face would have worked equally well for him. Maybe the inevitable Thundercracker release will have a conflicted, apathetic face. Edited April 19, 2007 by Fit For Natalie
Doctor Reggae Posted April 19, 2007 Posted April 19, 2007 A clearer pic of MP Skywarp is up...check out his "gritted teeth" expression, which I tend to view as "too much Taco Bell" expression instead. http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=130493
dizman Posted April 19, 2007 Posted April 19, 2007 Ha, that face is just sad, maybe if they did something witht the eyes, i dunno, not gonna stop me from getting skywarp.
David Hingtgen Posted April 19, 2007 Author Posted April 19, 2007 Go to Botcon.com for pics of Classics Dirge. He's just a Dirge-colored Ramjet, no mold changes, so I feel a lot better about not getting him. But of course, Thundercracker my fave should be perfect, mold-wise...
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