evening wrap-up: batteries changed

Well, it seems my Force FX woes aren't as bad as I thought. Firstly, I went and bought some fresh batteries (something I promised myself I'd never do since I personally think we're at the level of technology that we should be able to avoid environmentally harmful disposable batteries).

I swapped in the new set and lit up the lightsaber. To my dismay it fired up just fine. And just to test my own sanity, I swapped in the old batteries to retry them and sure enough, not only was the dark spot back, but it was also noticeably dimmer with the weaker batteries.

However, as I played with the newly re-energized toy (no pun intended, I actually bought Duracell brand), I paid extra close attention what was the dark spot. Sure enough, on close inspection, the blade flicker at the same spot. And although I don't ever intend to abuse this thing - it's a collector's item after all, not a toy, per se - it's disappointing to note this imperfection. And a couple of test tapping against my futon (to trigger the "clash" sound effect), the flicker was more noticeable... And at one point, the dark spot returned until I gave it a gentle tap again to shake up its innards.

I've sent an email to Master Replicas asking if this was at all "normal" before pursuing warranty service... not sure what their turn-around is for email (but I'm told they're really good for customer service). I still aim to call the store tomorrow to try getting a hold of "Rob" - the infamous store owner I keep hearing about. If anything I'll get to ask if he's aware of anybody else with a similar condition on thier lightsaber collectable...