The Energon Pub

My question is...has anyone brought up any concerns with having batteries already in transformers? If I plan on leaving my collection MISB for many years to come...until I have kids do you for see any problems?

I remember as a kid hustling around in the garage finding various old items which used batteries. Opened them up only to find corroded, leaky, acid filled battery compartments.

I pmed a few moderators and one mentioned that these days only round batteries are used which are much safer? However, check the pic below of leader prime....AA's. Should I open him up and take the batteries out if I plan on keeping him in storage for years to come?

skyblast

Eh, probably wouldn't hurt, just to be on the safe side. Unless you're planning on selling him MISB down the road. Then the acid is someone else's problem.

YEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!! I love you're response man!!! Someone else's problem down the road. Nice. You are right though

Depends on where you store them. If there is alot of heat and moisture they could rupture and ruin whatever they are in. (knows from experience )

Usually, Transformers with batteries included have these little plastic inserts which prevent them from completing the circuit. While this does not insure that the batteries will remain intact a few years down the line, proper storage and protection from extreme temperatures will give them a better shelf life.

but doesn't leader prime work on batteries right now?...by pulling down the switch through the hole in the front? Or does the down action create the energy to lit him up? Sorry if that's a dumb question.[/quote]

skyblast wrote:but doesn't leader prime work on batteries right now?...by pulling down the switch through the hole in the front? Or does the down action create the energy to lit him up? Sorry if that's a dumb question.

[/quote]

You are correct. Primes are working and wll probably leak in many years. I had a figure do that, but it did not harm the plasti at all, it just corroded the terminals a little. I wouldn't really worry about it.

(I Just got your PM, but I figure I would reply here)

Great questions as a lot of my collection is MISB. I will store them in quality controlled temperature conditions.

Ultimately its up to you but when I opened the battery compartments on my Leader Prime and the batteries weren't alkaline. You may want to check because non-alkaline batteries WILL leak and the acid may corrode the battery compartment which will keep the electronics from working.

Owning a J-5 (not Railspike) and Armada Unicron, I think that the only batteries worse than traditional ones (AA, C, D) are "button-cell" batteries.

The "LR-44"s in my J-5 did corrode (J-5 corroded so badly that the 'exploding' battery warped the blue cover to the weapon), but apparently were so used by this point, that the damage was not as extensive, as say a fresher battery. These provide the most problems because they have to be replaced at specialty stores (or online), making them more inaccessible than going to your local Kroger, or Wal-Mart (or truck stop) and snagging a set of "people-in-America-use-these" AAs.
The other problem is that there are several batteries made the same size, using different materials (Alkaline metals, Silver, ?). My G.I. Joe SuperSonic Fighters Major Bludd (or Maj. Bludd v2 for short) finally had his 3 A76 (effectively, same as LR-44s or Energizer 357s) batteries run down in his rocket/sound backpack -- after 15 years. Upon attempting to replace these with 3 Energizer 357s, the backpack does not work as efficiently, sometimes needing to be thumped, after a 1 second delay. Perhaps if Duracell A76s (as opposed to S76s) weren't so expensive and hard to find, I'd have better luck. On the other hand after 15 years of minor use, don't be surprised to find a familiar cyan-colored lining on the battery compartment.

For those who love MISB toys, I insist and encourage opening of your battery-including figures. Remove the battery, then restore the package to the best of your ability. I don't think any future collector will whine because your movie leader Optimus didn't get miscolored by languishing, unused batteries. On the other hand, they're welcome to buy my Trypticon, whose Energizer C cells have been sitting in him since I first put him in storage -- back in 1989!
(J/K -- I had to completely disassemble him to swap out his yellow battery compartment with a spare Trypsy's.)

-- Cybertronian.

skyblast wrote:but doesn't leader prime work on batteries right now?...by pulling down the switch through the hole in the front? Or does the down action create the energy to lit him up? Sorry if that's a dumb question.

That's why I said usually.