The parcel took less than 2 weeks to arrive from Texas, United States. The total came to about USD36.00, give or take with the shipping taking up half of that. Yeah, my eyes popped when I saw the eBay listing too. The description said, ‘Vintage 1993 Star Trek Next Gen Tricorder NOT WORKING FOR PARTS’. So, yeah, I only wanted the casing.
Trust me when I say, the used toy is in pristine condition and it was fun to hold a, um, virgin Tric. Worse case is, I get to keep the shell, which is what I wanted in the first place.
VISUAL INSPECTION
Now is the time I can take brief look at the Playmates Tricorder. I am not sure why there is a green plaster over it but later, I will have to remove it in case the glue reacts to the plastic. But apart from that, the whole toy seems undamaged in any way and maybe, it is a display item.
BATTERY CORROSION DAMAGE
When you buy stuff like this, always remember the reason why so that you know where your expectation lies. Then, you will not feel disappointed nor cheated unless the item’s description was not accurate. Battery corrosion is a very common problem when you do not remove the batteries after using things. Even good branded ones will leak eventually. But it’s the Alkalines which causes more problems.
You will be dealing with metal corrosion, Smurf powders and component replacement if the parts are available. As for me, I would have to mostly clean everything to stop the chemical reaction and the wire replacement. Cleaning the chemical does leave me in a slightly sour mood after that because they are EVERYWHERE.
Yeah, this is the bane at one time because I have to go through a lot for friends who forget to take out he batteries after playing. But to be honest, the damage here is not too serious since I did not see any liquid leaks.
NOW, I regret not setting up an electrolysis lab where I can clean the metal contacts and re-plate them.
When you unscrew something new, there is a slight resistance before it gives way to the screwdriver, followed by a click sound. Second, the speaker here is not in its place in the sound chamber. The only way it could have been in this state is if it fell but there are no signs of that.
SOME THINGS TO PONDER
Well, this is going to be fun but to be honest, I have to stop myself. Am I going to be a toy collector or, am I going to finish the electronics for them? And eventually, if I did, what am I going to do with all these? Take a different one out every day? Sell them? Stocking stuffers?
