The Energon Pub

Last time I checked AK's and shotguns don't have big ass neon green and hot pink tanks attached! (Good Ol' super soaker days )

AbsumZer0 wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

AbsumZer0 wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

ShGarland_1383 wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

Bluebullet wrote:That thing looks retarded. Hasbro orange capped a SUPER SOAKER?

All 1:1 scale (or close) gun like objects will have an orange cap. This is not Hasbro's decision. It is US Law, if I have my info correct.

I think it is law. I remember as a kid.....damn, when was it......definitely before 6th grade because that was when I'd drifted away from those kids. Anyway, we all had these water guns that were designed like real machine guns. I can't recall if they were literally super soakers or not, but they were so realistic......it was like Tipper Gore going off on bands like Twisted Sister and Judas Priest at the time. That's what lead to this orange cap stuff. Looking back at it, I kinda wish I'd have kept one of those water guns.

This whole bit complaining about orange caps reminds me of when the third brake light became law in the mid eighties. Writers to mags like Motor Trend were blasting Lamborghini for putting a third brake light in the rear window of the Countash (sp?) ruining the nice rear image of the car.

In both cases, it's the US Govn't who might be taking things a bit too far in applying these laws, not the manufacturers (though they may be very willing participants.)

In any event, if one orange cap has saved a kid from getting accidentally shot, then I'll put up with them. Heck, back in my day, we had to use our imaginations a lot more anyway to have fun with our toys.

(Of course I'm so old I only had part of a Slinky to play with until I straightened it... )

The orange cap on that thing isn't done because of the law because the law only applies to toys that could potentially be mistaken for a genuine firearm. You'd have an easier time being shot for a cell phone than that thing.

You don't think that manufacturers want to avoid litigation related to these laws? You can blame them if you want, I guess...

Litigation for what? Blame them for what? Classics Megatron would have required a blaze-orange barrel because it's shaped like a gun, held like a gun, and could be mistaken for a real gun, especially in poor lighting. This is a big hunk of plastic that attaches to the forearm and looks absolutely nothing like any existing firearm. They probably chose the orange color because neon colors appeal to the target age group and because the rest of their line does have the orange caps by legal necessity. I wouldn't be surprised if the orange pieces actually use the same mould as another Super Soaker.

Don't you think that some lawyer would still argue in a litigation case? Don't you think that Hasbro is perfectly warranted in going ahead and putting the orange caps on? You may be correct that legally they don't have to (though I think a Federal agency may argue otherwise, but I don't have the knowledge to say so for sure) but I do think that such laws and the potential for litigation make this a no brainer for companies like Hasbro. Rather than try to figure out which guns maybe don't need to legally have the orange cap, maybe they just figure to cut off any potential hassles with either litigation or analysis of particular toys to determine which the lay applies to and which doesn't.

So, whether you agree or not, I stand by my assertion that US toy gun laws are behind the decision to put orange caps on all toy guns, regardless of shape. Manufacturers are not putting the orange cap on toys like these just to get to people like you who don't like them and think they are silly. I don't know what other reason you think they would have for doing this.

Agamemnon wrote:

AbsumZer0 wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

AbsumZer0 wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

ShGarland_1383 wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

Bluebullet wrote:That thing looks retarded. Hasbro orange capped a SUPER SOAKER?

All 1:1 scale (or close) gun like objects will have an orange cap. This is not Hasbro's decision. It is US Law, if I have my info correct.

I think it is law. I remember as a kid.....damn, when was it......definitely before 6th grade because that was when I'd drifted away from those kids. Anyway, we all had these water guns that were designed like real machine guns. I can't recall if they were literally super soakers or not, but they were so realistic......it was like Tipper Gore going off on bands like Twisted Sister and Judas Priest at the time. That's what lead to this orange cap stuff. Looking back at it, I kinda wish I'd have kept one of those water guns.

This whole bit complaining about orange caps reminds me of when the third brake light became law in the mid eighties. Writers to mags like Motor Trend were blasting Lamborghini for putting a third brake light in the rear window of the Countash (sp?) ruining the nice rear image of the car.

In both cases, it's the US Govn't who might be taking things a bit too far in applying these laws, not the manufacturers (though they may be very willing participants.)

In any event, if one orange cap has saved a kid from getting accidentally shot, then I'll put up with them. Heck, back in my day, we had to use our imaginations a lot more anyway to have fun with our toys.

(Of course I'm so old I only had part of a Slinky to play with until I straightened it... )

The orange cap on that thing isn't done because of the law because the law only applies to toys that could potentially be mistaken for a genuine firearm. You'd have an easier time being shot for a cell phone than that thing.

You don't think that manufacturers want to avoid litigation related to these laws? You can blame them if you want, I guess...

Litigation for what? Blame them for what? Classics Megatron would have required a blaze-orange barrel because it's shaped like a gun, held like a gun, and could be mistaken for a real gun, especially in poor lighting. This is a big hunk of plastic that attaches to the forearm and looks absolutely nothing like any existing firearm. They probably chose the orange color because neon colors appeal to the target age group and because the rest of their line does have the orange caps by legal necessity. I wouldn't be surprised if the orange pieces actually use the same mould as another Super Soaker.

Don't you think that some lawyer would still argue in a litigation case? Don't you think that Hasbro is perfectly warranted in going ahead and putting the orange caps on? You may be correct that legally they don't have to (though I think a Federal agency may argue otherwise, but I don't have the knowledge to say so for sure) but I do think that such laws and the potential for litigation make this a no brainer for companies like Hasbro. Rather than try to figure out which guns maybe don't need to legally have the orange cap, maybe they just figure to cut off any potential hassles with either litigation or analysis of particular toys to determine which the lay applies to and which doesn't.

So, whether you agree or not, I stand by my assertion that US toy gun laws are behind the decision to put orange caps on all toy guns, regardless of shape. Manufacturers are not putting the orange cap on toys like these just to get to people like you who don't like them and think they are silly. I don't know what other reason you think they would have for doing this.

I actually don't mind the orange caps and realize that, in most cases, they could potentially save lives. It's the general aesthetics of the thing I don't like but, seeing as I'm not the target audience, I doubt Hasbro gives a damn what some twenty-something with no kids thinks. As I said, in this case, I think they did it because every other Super Soaker they produce has the orange caps and because kids actually like bright neon colors. You think they chose the orange top on their Tiki Soki Water Volcano to avoid litigation as well?

Argue what in a litigation case? Someone being shot over wearing this would be like shooting a kid wearing Hulk hands or Dr. Doom gloves or that He-Man Snake Armour Claw playset that came out a few years back. Apart from the fact that it shoots water it barely even qualifies as being a 'gun'.

AbsumZer0 wrote:Argue what in a litigation case? Someone being shot over wearing this would be like shooting a kid wearing Hulk hands or Dr. Doom gloves or that He-Man Snake Armour Claw playset that came out a few years back. Apart from the fact that it shoots water it barely even qualifies as being a 'gun'.

I've asked myself that about hundreds of litigation cases, like someone getting burned in her crotch by hot coffee that she put there.

I don't blame Hasbro and the like for avoiding it even in what should be an obvious case.

Agamemnon wrote:

AbsumZer0 wrote:Argue what in a litigation case? Someone being shot over wearing this would be like shooting a kid wearing Hulk hands or Dr. Doom gloves or that He-Man Snake Armour Claw playset that came out a few years back. Apart from the fact that it shoots water it barely even qualifies as being a 'gun'.

I've asked myself that about hundreds of litigation cases, like someone getting burned in her crotch by hot coffee that she put there.

I don't blame Hasbro and the like for avoiding it even in what should be an obvious case.

I don't either but, in this case, a sizable portion of the thing is already neon yellow and orange so the addition of an orange cap wouldn't make any real difference. My point was that in this case the orange cap wasn't used in order to comply with imitation firearm laws because the federal, as all the state laws I'm aware of, apply only to toys that "resemble firearms" and this doesn't, at all. The laws really aren't quite that excessive or unreasonable and blaming the use of bright unrealistic colors on the law even when it's done in large simply because it appeals to kids is only going to fuel anti-law sentiment.

AbsumZer0 wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

AbsumZer0 wrote:Argue what in a litigation case? Someone being shot over wearing this would be like shooting a kid wearing Hulk hands or Dr. Doom gloves or that He-Man Snake Armour Claw playset that came out a few years back. Apart from the fact that it shoots water it barely even qualifies as being a 'gun'.

I've asked myself that about hundreds of litigation cases, like someone getting burned in her crotch by hot coffee that she put there.

I don't blame Hasbro and the like for avoiding it even in what should be an obvious case.

I don't either but, in this case, a sizable portion of the thing is already neon yellow and orange so the addition of an orange cap wouldn't make any real difference. My point was that in this case the orange cap wasn't used in order to comply with imitation firearm laws because the federal, as all the state laws I'm aware of, apply only to toys that "resemble firearms" and this doesn't, at all. The laws really aren't quite that excessive or unreasonable and blaming the use of bright unrealistic colors on the law even when it's done in large simply because it appeals to kids is only going to fuel anti-law sentiment.

Sorry, but I don't buy your assertion that Hasbro did it to appeal to the kids. I don't know any kid who'll look at the cool neon green and yellow and say, "Cool, and it's got an orange tip too!!" It's too common among all toy guns for me to agree with you. I sill say it's because of the gun laws and a company's wish to avoid any litigation. We'll probably just have to agree to disagree here.