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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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 Sunday, November 06 2005 @ 06:28 PM EST |
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I just got my remote controlled Dalek. It is 50% better than the Sonic Screwdriver in regards to instant gratification, in that half of the toy comes equipped with batteries. The Dalek has 4 AA batteries installed. It comes in "Try Me" mode, where you can press one of the hemispheres on the Dalek and hear a random phrase. The remote control requires a 9V battery. Well, I'll need to get one tomorrow, so that I can test drive my Dalek.
One needs to exercise care when removing the toy from its packaging. I had to reset one of the dome lights, as I dislodged it while removing the protective plastic that was taped to the dome to protect the lights. Gently pressing it back in place allowed it to work properly again. Also, separating the two plastic halves of the packing material may cause the eyestalk to be removed from the toy. Instructions are included in the box (between the two cardboard boxes, only easily found if you open boxes from the bottom) on how to attach the eyestalk.
The lights on the dome flash when the toy speaks, and the eyestalk's eye glows blue.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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Louis
Registered: 01/01/04
Posts: 3075
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| Sunday, November 06 2005 @ 09:42 PM EST |
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Thanks for the review of the Remote Control Dalek Taras! I just reviewed for the TARDIS Money Bank for episode 12 of Podshock. Perhaps we can mention your review in episode 13?
Can you can control what phrases the Dalek says from the remote? Is it fully mobile? By that I mean, can you control the Dalek making it turn left, turn right, go forward, and reverse?
Glad to hear it came with batteries. I wish that was the case with Sonic Screwdriver and the TARDIS Money Bank. Being that the Dalek itself uses AA batteries, it means that one could use rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. As I would imagine that the AA would ware down more so than the 9 volt in the remote control unit.
Thanks for the review, keep us posted on your findings.
Cheers,
Louis |
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☛ Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LouisTrapani ♥ ♥
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K Kochanski
Registered: 07/13/05
Posts: 101
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| Sunday, November 06 2005 @ 11:05 PM EST |
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Coool  I am still waiting for mine. Where did you order yours from and when? Just curious cause I ordered from 10th Planet back on September 21st. I know they are waiting for them to come in and they are only getting limited amounts when they do get them. We could have some dalek wars when I get mine  I will be bring it to Icon, hee hee hee.
Natalie |
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Admiral Kristine Kochanski
G.A.B. Saffron, Moonstone, Burnt Orange Team Leader
http://www.gabtraders.com
"O brave new world
That has such people in't"
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Sunday, November 06 2005 @ 11:38 PM EST |
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Louis,
I'll fill in the details once I get a 9V battery and take the guy out for a spin...
Kochanski,
I ordered mine from WhoNA. It arrived via FedEx on Saturday, while I was away in the Catskills. I had ordered it with a bunch of CDs and the two new DVDs.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Sunday, November 06 2005 @ 11:45 PM EST |
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K,
I forgot to mention when... I ordered it on late Monday night. I was actually not looking for the Dalek, but trying to fill out the remaining gaps in my audio collection, (How I missed ordering Evil of the Daleks is beyond me.) and pre-ordering the new DVDs. I saw they had them (RC Daleks) in stock, and somehow the BUY button was clicked.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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K Kochanski
Registered: 07/13/05
Posts: 101
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| Sunday, November 06 2005 @ 11:57 PM EST |
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| Ah, ordering from US company probably better right now, all the UK stores have a much higher demand. Oh well, I will be patient and wait for mine. Thanks for the info. |
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Admiral Kristine Kochanski
G.A.B. Saffron, Moonstone, Burnt Orange Team Leader
http://www.gabtraders.com
"O brave new world
That has such people in't"
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Sunday, November 06 2005 @ 11:58 PM EST |
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Louis,
The bottom of the box says not to use rechargable batteries... 
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Tuesday, November 08 2005 @ 04:24 AM EST |
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After getting home with the 9V battery, I placed the battery in the remote and assembled the antenna. A phillips head screw driver is required to open the battery compartments on the undersides of both the remote and the Dalek. Turning on the Dalek lights up the eye in the eyestalk. This doubles as the on indicator. The remote also has an on/off switch. The instructions claim that a battery in the remote will drain completely in 24 hours if left on. After about 5 minutes of inactivity, the Dalek toy (not the remote) will go into a sleep mode. To reactivate, the switch on the Dalek (located on the underside) needs to be turned off and then back on.
The remote has two stick controls and 5 buttons. The controls are used for moving the Dalek, while the buttons activate the Dalek's voice/sound effects. The eight sound effects are controlled by the buttons as follows:
button 1: "Seek. Locate, Annihalate!" / "Seek, Locate, Destroy!"
button 2: "You will obey the Daleks. Obey! Obey!"
button 3: "Halt or you will be exterminated!" / "You are an enemy of the Daleks!"
button 4: "We are the supreme beings!"
button 5: "Exterminate!" (gun effect) / "Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" (gun effect)
The Dalek has two wheels and a caster. Each wheel is controlled by one of the sticks on the remote. You can have the Dalek move forward of backwards by moving both sticks about the same amount forward or back. The Dalek moves left when the right stick is moved forward and right when the left stick is moved forward. Moving both sticks in opposite directions will have the Dalek spin in place. As the Dalek moves, the dome and eyestalk move a bit as well automatically. The user has no control over these movements.
As stated before, the lights on the dome flash as the Dalek speaks. Also, the midsection is manually rotatable 360 degrees. You can pose it in any position, as well as being able to point the gun and sucker arm in different poses.
There are two different frequencies of Daleks, one 40 MHz and the other 27 MHz. If you want to use two toys independently you will need them to have different frequencies. The frequency of the toy is listed on the box and on the Dalek and remote. Mine is 40 MHz. The range of the remote is quoted as 8 meters indoors, and 15 meters outdoors.
The instructions state that rechargable batteries should not be used, and that alkaline batteries are recommended. They also state that a strong RF field will degrade the toy's performance.
Though the Dalek is constructed of plastic, it feels solid and well built. The remote is light, and feels a bit cheaper. The instructions recommend that the 4 AA batteries be replaced before using the toy. This may be sound advice for those Daleks picked up off the shelf in a store as you don't know how many times it was forced to yell "Exterminate!"
Though the Dalek has been a lot of fun, it is missing my two favorite Dalek phrases: "Daleks conquer and destroy!" and "Do not move! You are a prisoner of the Daleks!" Remember to turn off your Dalek after you are done, or it will exterminate your batteries.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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seanhuxter
Registered: 08/27/05
Posts: 825
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| Tuesday, November 08 2005 @ 08:44 AM EST |
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WhoNA seems to be currently out-of-stock. I've had good luck with 10th Planet. I think I'll order mine there. Already got two Sonic Screwdrivers from them (in two separate orders... once my 10-year-old daughter saw mine, she wanted one of her own.)
So, can you tell me how tall the Dalke is in total? (From ground to top of dome when standing on a hard surface?)
I need to know. If it's too tall for my Doctor Who photo stories (like Product Enterprises' R/C Dalek was) then it will be less useful to me.
I'd appreciate that info asap, as I am about to make an order.
Thanks!
Sean.
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One solid hope is worth a cartload of uncertainties.
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Tuesday, November 08 2005 @ 10:20 AM EST |
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Sean,
The Dalek is about 12 inches tall, and needs about 14 inches of clearance when the eyestalk is at its maximum height. It is 7 1/2 inches wide and 10 inches from front to back measured at the "skirt" base.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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K Kochanski
Registered: 07/13/05
Posts: 101
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| Tuesday, November 08 2005 @ 11:14 AM EST |
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| So, have you test driven it? How does it take terrain? Are the controls easy to operate? Just wondering cause I am going to terrorize my dog when I get mine But knowing George...he won't care |
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Admiral Kristine Kochanski
G.A.B. Saffron, Moonstone, Burnt Orange Team Leader
http://www.gabtraders.com
"O brave new world
That has such people in't"
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Tuesday, November 08 2005 @ 04:00 PM EST |
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Kristine,
It basically needs a flat surface. It is easy to get it stuck where the wheels cannot get traction. It may look like a new series Dalek, but it moves like the old school Daleks. Just like the classic series props, the skirt/bumper limits the mobility a bit. No climbing stairs.
I wish it would yell "Vision is impaired!" when I spin it wildly in place... or at least when I knock the eyestalk off.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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seanhuxter
Registered: 08/27/05
Posts: 825
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| Thursday, November 10 2005 @ 04:29 PM EST |
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Taras, where do you live, and where did you get your RC Dalek?
I ask because I'd like to know how much shipping you paid.
10th Planet says it will cost 25 pounds to ship a RC Dalek to the US, nearly doubling its cost!
Sean.
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One solid hope is worth a cartload of uncertainties.
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Thursday, November 10 2005 @ 04:45 PM EST |
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Sean,
I got mine from WhoNA on the web (they're in Indianapolis), and live in NYC. I had bought a whole bunch of other items, CDs and DVDs, A DWM and a paperback with the Dalek. I don't recall the total I paid for shipping, butI could look it up at home. I always allow quite a bit for shipping from the UK. I tend to only get stuff directly from the UK that I feel aren't available from retailers in the US or that I really WANT RIGHT NOW!
I feel for all of you that made huge plans to acquire the Dalek, while, I, on impulse, got lucky by hitting WhoNA just as they got their shipment.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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seanhuxter
Registered: 08/27/05
Posts: 825
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| Friday, November 11 2005 @ 06:28 AM EST |
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Do you recall how much WhoNA was charging for the Dalek?
Sean.
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One solid hope is worth a cartload of uncertainties.
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