Well, that one is specifically listed as a "kit." But I certainly don't want to pay $200 for something that I would have to put together and paint myself, and doesn't have lights or sounds, for that matter.
Kor
Status of McFarlane DSC Action Figures & Toys?
- Thread starter Roald
- Start date
Kor
It depends on the interpretation of the law and companies don't want to risk it. That's a huge liability.
We have controls on the sale of 'realistic imitation firearms' as well, it has less to do with cops shooting kids than it does the potential use of the weapons for crime as they're a lot easier to get hold of than actual guns. While nobody would mistake a TNG phaser for a real gun, the DSC one is shaped more like a modern firearm. It's still far enough off that it would be unlikely to fall under much scrutiny here to be honest; the franchise whose fans need to consult firearms law here is not Star Trek but Stargate (and Resident Evil). Way too many cosplayers play it very close to the line with airsoft P90s and the like which are indistinguishable from the real thing.
Conventions are beginning to be tougher on this element as I think after the Manchester bombing people began to realise how vulnerable these events are, and how readily you could walk in with weapons without anyone batting an eyelid. I've certainly gone to major London events without even a cursory check of what I'm carrying.
Precisely so.
I stand corrected. Still doesn't make it the right thing to do, however.
Beretta U-22 INOX with factory pink rail and grips.
Whitney Wolverine (more TOS era, but has had a few revivals)
Law enforcement doesn't have time to look at either of these, for instance and judge whether they are a prop or not. I get it. I do, but I also see their point.
It's a judgement call and they have to consider safety first. Sadly, it's a bit of the baby with the bathwater type of situation.
Indeed. Such a possibility has occasionally been reported on in the news.
Check out the "Hello Kitty" rifles here:
https://whnt.com/2014/12/12/real-gu...ike-toys-pose-new-threats-to-law-enforcement/
I remember reading about the possibility of the toy phasers having a swappable tip available for those who don't like the red or orange tip. Have any of the manufacturers done that? Or some third-party 3D printing gurus?
Kor
Yep, which makes it a stupid law to begin with, as criminals who already have great experience with breaking the law will only continue to do so in new and creative ways.
Technically, that's illegal. The orange tips should remain to ensure it's not a "real" gun, which is why it's oftentimes glued in place and very difficult, if near impossible, to remove without damaging the rest of the model. I used to do airsoft years ago, along with WWII and Vietnam reenacting. There was much debate over it. Lots of people painted over them or swapped them out with standard parts, as they didn't want to be seen when in the woods, under cover. The best way to do it was wrapping the muzzle in camouflage tape during the event and unwrapping when done. The whole thing is completely unenforceable, which further makes it an idiotic law.
Speaking of idiotic laws, one of the things that really baffled me was Pennsylvania inexplicably banned the use of wood-tipped blanks. Now, some folks here probably don't know what those are. They are blank-fire ammunition with a bullet-shaped balsa wood insert embedded in the front of the shell. This helps the rounds feed into more finicky rifles that can't handle standard crimped rounds that would otherwise jam the bolt. Between the powder discharge and a "shredder" that's screwed into the muzzle (much like a blank adapter), the balsa wood completely incinerates and there is nothing left by the time the bolt cycles. A friend of mine and I one time did a demonstration for an event coordinator that was extremely nervous about us using them (before the ban took effect). He had predominantly done Rev-War, 1812 and Civil War events with black powder and was unfamiliar with cordite-based weapon systems. I had the other guy stand about 15 feet away and empty a magazine full of 10 wood-tips at me (while closing my eyes & ears of course) and I didn't feel a thing. Total nonsense. Who uses wood-tip blanks other than re-enactors? How many people out there even know what they are? Have there been frequent drive-by wood-tip blank shootings in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh necessitating such decisive legislative action? Doubt it. Yet someone in the PA state legislature felt the need to ban those particular things, used only by an extremely small subset of the law-abiding population. We felt quite targeted by this and stopped doing things in PA, which was a shame as they had some great territory up there to play in.
Long story short, I understand how a lot of these things come about due to good intentions, but the only ones hurt by it are those law-abiding citizens who wouldn't think of using a fucking phaser to rob a bank in a million years. It's ludicrous to even contemplate the possibility. And the criminals will continue to laugh at us all and do what they do, blaze orange paint or not.
Sad but true.
But, that recreation stuff sounds amazing. Some day I hope to do that. Thank you for sharing.
Anytime!
It was an amazing time.Prior to 9/11 was the most fun. We even had a select team of players that we recruited out of various reenacting units in the area to do civilian op-for (opposition force) training exercises with regular military, National Guard, ROTC and various military academies up and down the east coast. We got really good at it and lots of people wanted us.
Then, after 9/11, that all dried up. The military bases locked out all civilian activities and it all went to hell in a handbasket. A couple years after Gulf War II started, one of the NG guys we trained came home and told our op-for unit commander that our time training with his unit helped him survive some sticky shit over in the sandbox. That alone made it all worth it and I still remember those days fondly, as they will never come again.
I really want to start a paintball or airsoft or something club to do missions like that. Think it would be a lot of fun, since there isn't the military overlap.Anytime!
Prior to 9/11 was the most fun. We even had a select team of players that we recruited out of various reenacting units in the area to do civilian op-for (opposition force) training exercises with regular military, National Guard, ROTC and various military academies up and down the east coast. We got really good at it and lots of people wanted us.
Then, after 9/11, that all dried up. The military bases locked out all civilian activities and it all went to hell in a handbasket. A couple years after Gulf War II started, one of the NG guys we trained came home and told our op-for unit commander that our time training with his unit helped him survive some sticky shit over in the sandbox. That alone made it all worth it and I still remember those days fondly, as they will never come again.
If you get some mil-grade paintball guns it could be interesting
When i was a teenager and slightly stupidier sometimes me and my friends would use bb guns for that with goggles and thick jackets. When you got shot and it hurt, you were dead. Everyone died pretty quickly.I really want to start a paintball or airsoft or something club to do missions like that. Think it would be a lot of fun, since there isn't the military overlap.
If you get some mil-grade paintball guns it could be interesting
Oh, I've heard the stories of people using the pump style BB guns and doing close quarters.
I also know of people who do paintball shirtless.
However, you can now get paintballs with pepper spray in them for military training.
if you're going to do PB or AS in the winter time when it's really cold, make sure to wear extra padding... everywhere! The balls don't break properly and the probability of coming home with major welts increases by an order of magnitude! 
When I was a kid back in 2002, art asylum released a "trek tek" enterprise phase pistol/communicator set. The phase pistol had an orange tip, but I was able to look up (on trekbbs no less IIRC) the shade of grey paint used for props on the show (gunmetal grey). I repainted the tip and the rest of the phase pistol myself, and it looked screen accurate.
No reason we couldn't have done the same with the disco phaser. My best guess is, in this day and age, MacFarlane toys are hesitant to release something that could be misconstrued as a real weapon, costing some poor kid his life.
It's very sad if that is the case, but I am interpreting the cancellation as MacFarlane Toys desire to limit some potential legal liability over a children's toy.
I still want one though, dammit!
No reason we couldn't have done the same with the disco phaser. My best guess is, in this day and age, MacFarlane toys are hesitant to release something that could be misconstrued as a real weapon, costing some poor kid his life.
It's very sad if that is the case, but I am interpreting the cancellation as MacFarlane Toys desire to limit some potential legal liability over a children's toy.
I still want one though, dammit!
IMHO, this orange tip thing for FAKE guns is utter bullshit, and is just an over reaction to any of the incidents concerning real guns in general-this is the kind of thing comedian George Carlin railed at in his later years and in one of his books, IIRC. Kids aren't (most likely) buying this replica anyway.
What is it with white males like you that you can't empathize with Rose Tico, L'Rell, Michael Burnham, Admiral Holdo, Furiosa, Erin Gilbert, Abby Yates, Jillian Holtzman, Patty Tolan, and Rey? Why is the failure of toys based on these characters such a great thing for you?
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What's to stop someone from painting the tip of a real gun orange and trying to get away with carrying it around in public?
The orange tips are often more oversized than the regular end of a barrel. Regardless, if you are threatening someone with a weapon the police will act accordingly because that is against the law as well. At least the laws I have reviewed for my state.
