Knightmare
Sr Member
When you checkout there is an open spot for a coupon code anyone got one ??
Factory Entertainment SDCC 2022 - Men in Black 1 & 2 Neuralyzers
- Thread starter agliarept
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- men in black
Starganderfish
Active Member
Alright, I succumbed and ordered the Neuralyzer. Luckily the $100 shipping was also currency converted so it's more like US$65 or 70. Still a lot but it's a substantial box and US shipping is rubbish from everyone apart from Amazon these days.
Has anyone else been seeing the same kind of floppiness that Agentsmith350 reported? That's probably my biggest concern with it
Has anyone else been seeing the same kind of floppiness that Agentsmith350 reported? That's probably my biggest concern with it
Knightmare
Sr Member
You just said
“I'm pretty happy to be skipping all of these.
Looks like I'll have to 3D print something, maybe take a crack at electro-plating...”
I Was looking forward to you posting the Electro - plating LOL
Starganderfish
Active Member
Yep. Completely devoid of willpower. I am still going to take a crack at Elecrto-plating - I plan to plate a bunch of different stuff once I get it down pat. Unfortunately, we're about to move house and our new temporary rental won't have room for any hobby equipment so It's all going into storage.
For this... I've missed a few props over the years that I really wish I'd gotten at the time, or was unable to get due to geographic restrictions. and that still rankles. FOMO is real and it's a b#tch.
Ive now owned the Master Replicas, original FE and the new one. I can assure you that all three have been a bit floppy due to the wiggle room needed for a smooth pop-up mechanism.
If the tolerances are too tight, then the pop-up might fail and adds to the wear on the plastic components in the mechanism.
Starganderfish
Active Member
That's good info, thanks. I saw someone mentioned adding a little velcro tape to the battery compartment to help minimise the wobble so I'll keep that in mind. Aside from the initial "oohh, it's so cool" repeated mucking about tih it, this will almost certainly go on display and be very rarely used.
Yeah, that was me. I little fuzzy sticky velcro patch right on the battery itself. It doesn't eliminate it and you can't use too much you need it to slide easy, but it reduces it. I did this on the first one they made. I've left the new one alone for now.
Another trick I’ve used in the past is a strip of electrical tape on the front of the retention ring. This also helps prevent scratching.
I just got mine and did a little video on them. They're pretty nice, I do like them, well the red one, not the blue so much. I do wish it had a lithium battery and a xenon flash instead of the LED... The LED is bright, but it's not a flash. And my neuralizer from the first movie is a little looser than the second one, but I'm going to give that velcro trick a try.
But right now it's just living in the shadow box
Here's a little video
But right now it's just living in the shadow box
Here's a little video
I‘m working on my video now for the MIB version and had the same issue with the unreadable dials and wasn’t really able to move them..
Also, the foam inserts in the case can be flipped over so you can display the prop in the open or closed position
Sean
The lighting on the dials is a big thing yeah, wish that was better. Wonder if there's anything that can be done about it... And they are really hard to move that is true.I‘m working on my video now for the MIB version and had the same issue with the unreadable dials and wasn’t really able to move them..
Also, the foam inserts in the case can be flipped over so you can display the prop in the open or closed position
Sean
Someone commented and let me know about flipping the foam, I thought it was just foam used for some other replica lol, so it now lives in the shadow box with the foam flipped around.
Glad someone finally reviewed the MIIB version. I had the old model and it did have a strobe. The problem was the capacitor for the strobe was a battery eater. Even with taking the battery out between uses, it would only last for a handful of flashes.
The original release had a proper xenon or flash tube? Was it bright and somewhat blinding? This is just like a cell phone flash really
probably about the same. The other drawback of a strobe is that the flash is a fraction of a second. The timing of the LED flash on the new units is close to a perfect match to what you see on screen.
Starganderfish
Active Member
Received mine today. It's... good?
Has some really nice points to it and some frustrating flaws that detract from that "new prop wow factor".
The display shadow box is REALLY nice, hefty and solid. It's a gorgeous addition for a piece like this, very much above and beyond expectations. I love how the inserts are reversible for both display options, and you have a removable piece of foam, coated in black velvet for the lid so you can choose to show or hide the prop. A real shame they insisted on the MIB movie logo on the front. It's something almost all licensed prop makers do, probably as part of the license to identify the prop, but it detracts massively from that "in-world" accuracy. It's actually a reasonably thick piece of acrylic in the lid as well, not just some cheap plastic film. Torn between trying to remove the logo, and risk scratching up the acrylic, or just trying to remove the acrylic and replace with a new piece.
The neuralyzer itself is surprisingly hefty and solid. Lovely polished finish, I like the pop-up action and the light and sounds. Sadly, the top is ridiculously loose and floppy when extended. I realise this is a long-standing issue with this prop and previous versions have had it as well but it's not really acceptable at this price point. If the way they designed it left it that floppy, they should have designed it differently. I'm going to try the Velcro trick and hopefully it helps but it's a pretty major flaw for me. Luckily it's one I was aware of and expected but if I'd bought this without realising it, I'd be pretty annoyed.
The "light up" function on the selector dials is also effectively useless. It's almost impossible to tell that the dials even have writing on them, let alone read it when it's lit up, even in a dark room. No idea if the material used isn't transparent enough, the lights aren't bright enough or are positioned poorly or what, but again it feels like something they got "close enough" and just shrugged and let it slide. Bad enough if this was the first edition but for a re-release, they really should have done something to fix that.
The overall functionality though is great. Love how the years scroll up or down, how you can adjust the dials and the sounds and lights are cool. The LED flash is bright enough for me, especially if it means the batteries last longer.
This is my first Factory Entertainment prop, and given the often mixed reviews their stuff often gets, it's about what I expected. Doesn't make those flaws okay, especially for the price point, but it's a lovely display piece. Compared to the reputation and reviews from somewhere like Paragon, I definitely get the feeling that Factory Entertainment are lacking that final level of care that puts a product over the top.
I don't really feel the need to gamble on any of their other pieces at this point.
Overall it's a decent piece and will look good in the collection but it's not something I can unreservedly gush over.
Has some really nice points to it and some frustrating flaws that detract from that "new prop wow factor".
The display shadow box is REALLY nice, hefty and solid. It's a gorgeous addition for a piece like this, very much above and beyond expectations. I love how the inserts are reversible for both display options, and you have a removable piece of foam, coated in black velvet for the lid so you can choose to show or hide the prop. A real shame they insisted on the MIB movie logo on the front. It's something almost all licensed prop makers do, probably as part of the license to identify the prop, but it detracts massively from that "in-world" accuracy. It's actually a reasonably thick piece of acrylic in the lid as well, not just some cheap plastic film. Torn between trying to remove the logo, and risk scratching up the acrylic, or just trying to remove the acrylic and replace with a new piece.
The neuralyzer itself is surprisingly hefty and solid. Lovely polished finish, I like the pop-up action and the light and sounds. Sadly, the top is ridiculously loose and floppy when extended. I realise this is a long-standing issue with this prop and previous versions have had it as well but it's not really acceptable at this price point. If the way they designed it left it that floppy, they should have designed it differently. I'm going to try the Velcro trick and hopefully it helps but it's a pretty major flaw for me. Luckily it's one I was aware of and expected but if I'd bought this without realising it, I'd be pretty annoyed.
The "light up" function on the selector dials is also effectively useless. It's almost impossible to tell that the dials even have writing on them, let alone read it when it's lit up, even in a dark room. No idea if the material used isn't transparent enough, the lights aren't bright enough or are positioned poorly or what, but again it feels like something they got "close enough" and just shrugged and let it slide. Bad enough if this was the first edition but for a re-release, they really should have done something to fix that.
The overall functionality though is great. Love how the years scroll up or down, how you can adjust the dials and the sounds and lights are cool. The LED flash is bright enough for me, especially if it means the batteries last longer.
This is my first Factory Entertainment prop, and given the often mixed reviews their stuff often gets, it's about what I expected. Doesn't make those flaws okay, especially for the price point, but it's a lovely display piece. Compared to the reputation and reviews from somewhere like Paragon, I definitely get the feeling that Factory Entertainment are lacking that final level of care that puts a product over the top.
I don't really feel the need to gamble on any of their other pieces at this point.
Overall it's a decent piece and will look good in the collection but it's not something I can unreservedly gush over.
AnubisGuard
Master Member
Hmm. Should I do it?
Sure, and I feel like a chump for not waiting.
AnubisGuard
Master Member
Here’s my unboxing and review. Similar thoughts and criticisms of what‘s been said, but I still dig it!
Sean
Episode 17 - Men in Black (MIB) Neuralyzer by Factory Entertainment
Sean
Episode 17 - Men in Black (MIB) Neuralyzer by Factory Entertainment
AnubisGuard
Master Member
Mine arrived today, and I like it, but in some ways it compares poorly to my old MR MIB2 Neuralyzer.
As others have noted, there's a lot of front-to-back wobble when extended. The MR has wobble too, but not nearly as much.
I tried the Velcro trick to stabilize the top and it didn't do much. The play appears to be in how the plastic slider mechanism fits in the bottom tube, not in how the top fits inside the slider. (I tried verifying by swapping the FE and MR tops and bottoms, but alas they're not cross-compatable.)
The spring on the clip of the FE is weak compared with the MR as well, explaining why it's such a hair-trigger.
Unlike others, my dials turn easily (in fact, the bottom dial is rather loose.) But there is a lot of light bleed around the edge, unlike the MR which has nice, bright, and precise LED lighting.
Finally, MR chromed the top of the plastic slider base so that no black plastic would be visible when the unit is assembled. FE didn't bother with this step, so some black plastic is exposed at the base of the unit when assembled.
Overall, the FE piece feels a touch sloppy compared with MR's. It's a shame because I really don't like the MIB2 changes to the design and I was hoping I could entirely replace my MR unit on display. Unfortunately the plusses to the MR design mean I can't settle on a single definitive "play and display" unit like I wanted.
Am I happy with it? Despite the griping, overall yes. I vastly prefer the details of the MIB 1 version, meaning the red LED, the digital display, and the way the clear lens sits slightly proud. The flash function is also far superior – thank god I don't have to wait 60+ seconds for a capacitor to charge. Which also means no worries about leaving the battery installed for an extended period.
That said, would I pay $600 for this? Well, if I wanted the movie 1 design badly enough, maybe. But I wouldn't be happy about it. The 25% off plus free shipping put it in a more reasonable range, especially given how the better-toleranced MR edition was about half this price when it released (admittedly, almost 20 years ago now.)
As others have noted, there's a lot of front-to-back wobble when extended. The MR has wobble too, but not nearly as much.
I tried the Velcro trick to stabilize the top and it didn't do much. The play appears to be in how the plastic slider mechanism fits in the bottom tube, not in how the top fits inside the slider. (I tried verifying by swapping the FE and MR tops and bottoms, but alas they're not cross-compatable.)
The spring on the clip of the FE is weak compared with the MR as well, explaining why it's such a hair-trigger.
Unlike others, my dials turn easily (in fact, the bottom dial is rather loose.) But there is a lot of light bleed around the edge, unlike the MR which has nice, bright, and precise LED lighting.
Finally, MR chromed the top of the plastic slider base so that no black plastic would be visible when the unit is assembled. FE didn't bother with this step, so some black plastic is exposed at the base of the unit when assembled.
Overall, the FE piece feels a touch sloppy compared with MR's. It's a shame because I really don't like the MIB2 changes to the design and I was hoping I could entirely replace my MR unit on display. Unfortunately the plusses to the MR design mean I can't settle on a single definitive "play and display" unit like I wanted.
Am I happy with it? Despite the griping, overall yes. I vastly prefer the details of the MIB 1 version, meaning the red LED, the digital display, and the way the clear lens sits slightly proud. The flash function is also far superior – thank god I don't have to wait 60+ seconds for a capacitor to charge. Which also means no worries about leaving the battery installed for an extended period.
That said, would I pay $600 for this? Well, if I wanted the movie 1 design badly enough, maybe. But I wouldn't be happy about it. The 25% off plus free shipping put it in a more reasonable range, especially given how the better-toleranced MR edition was about half this price when it released (admittedly, almost 20 years ago now.)
