Megatron MP-05 Petition

[Adzma]

Can anyone shed any light on the MP-5 situation in Victoria? Whenver I look at my brother's MP-5 I always wonder
"How the hell did you get into this country anyway? And unplugged too?!"
If the rumours of a Masterpieces Prime and Megs bundle are true, then I'll need to know the situation since I've always wanted my own MP Megs anyway and 20th Prime just doesn't live up to MP Prime.

[Tiby]

Thanks Fungal! That's very helpful - I'm still waiting for mine

[TF76]

I didn't follow the thread on the old board so sorry if this has been mentioned befor.

Is this the same situation for G1 Megatron? I'm thinking about getting the encore one. Sadly I sold my original a few years back.

Thanks

[GoktimusPrime]

No, only for MP-05 Megatron. G1 Megatron seems to be in legal limbo atm. :/

What I did when I got the original G1 Megatron reissue in early 2001 was to ask someone in Japan to open the toy and transform it send it to me in robot mode. I would recommend that you do this, and I would also take the extra precaution of having the box either thrown away, or if you want to collect the box, have it sent separately so that your Encore Megatron comes with no images of the toy in gun mode. When they open the toy, all they will see is a robot.

I forgot to do the same for Megaplex when I got him in 2002, but then again, Australian Posts customs weren't actively hunting down Megatrons until last April...

[TF76]

Thanks, guess i'll try to find one locally or on ebay, if I have no luck ill do what you suggested. I sort of do want the box but I want the toy more.

Thanks

[GoktimusPrime]

So have them posted separately? Either way I'd say it's safer to have the toy posted to you in robot mode if you can't get it locally.

[i_amtrunks]

Anyone know of a way to help this guy?

He is based in the ACT, and went and got a NSW permit, which is invalid in the ACT. I always thought the ACT had the same policies as NSW, except for X rated material and (until recently) fireworks.

He has read all through the Megatron.net stuff, and needs more help.

[alloy head]

Well after 10 months of frustration and patience,today i finally got my MP-5,i should be glad,happy excited,but i'm not i'm just satisfied that i won and the burocrates lost.I would love to call the government depatments involved in this every derogotory name i can think of,but because others are yet to receive theirs and less mature or maybe more mature people will read this i'll try and be objective or maybe not. First off before MP-5s started being sezied someone in government changed the laws involving replica guns to now include toys,regardless of whether they had the blaze organge cap,which happened mid febuary 2007,now alot of people had already pre-ordered MP-5 by then and i even rang both departments involved to check on any problems that may arise,and was told "Providing it has the blaze orange plug it won't be an issue" at that time they knew MP-5 was coming. So why did they give people bad advice like i was told and why did they wait until months after they were sezied to air warnings on t.v. not to bring them in.

Now this was something that i found very hard to understand,how could a select group who knows about firearms claim that MP-5 is a threat to public safety, i agree that there is a potiental for misuse,but it seemed to me that those who made the descions on this toy would not take other factors into account,such as being 30% bigger than the original,being almost all plastic,not being a static shape,it transforms after all,plus the cost and effort involved to get one.No crimnal would waste their time trying.Why was'nt every other toy gun removed from sale when the laws changed,it makes no difference if they were already in the country,if they are a "Threat" like they claim then they would remove and destroy them.What about all the other more realistic versions of megatron or even all metal replica guns,i've heard a number of stories about how they were allowed in without any trouble,if MP-5 is a threat to public safety do we all need to ban umbrella's or planks of wood because of the potienal for misuse,ok i know i'm not being very objective with that last part.

Finally the last thing i want to critise is the woeful communictions skills of the agentices involved, every step of the way it was like pulling teeth trying to find out what i needed to do,and then it would only be enough to get me to the next step and i then i would have to contact them again,why could'nt a full and frank explanation be give at the start or even when finally after months of procrastinating we were told we could have them,tell us exactly what it would involve,as i said before on the old board if not for this forum i still may not have mine,i had to rely on other collectors for information,how can 2 departments concerned with security of our country be so hard to deal with.I still believe somewhere,someone in government did'nt want this toy in the country and did all they could to try and stop us from having them,if you ask me it's an autobot plant.

[GoktimusPrime]

As someone who's just gone through that whole procedure and sent off my application to the NSW Firearms Registry last week and awaiting reply, I fully understand your frustration and sentiments over this matter...

First off before MP-5s started being sezied someone in government changed the laws involving replica guns to now include toys,regardless of whether they had the blaze organge cap,

It's not a new law. That law's been around for a very long time. Even back in 1984, G1 Megatron was illegal in many places - that toy was on sale for a couple of months then there was a product recall. Thus G1 Megatron became extremely rare. I never owned one as a kid and I only knew one kid growing up who owned one -- he got his from interstate which recalled the product later than NSW. This is also why every other Megatron since then has never been a realistic gun...
+ Galvatron - non-realistic space gun
+ Action Master Megatron - can't even transform
+ G2 Megatron - Abrams tank
+ G2 Hero Megatron - Abrams tank
+ G2 Gobot Megatron - Porsche sports car
+ Beast Wars/Machines Megatrons - crocodile, dinosaurs, dragons and floating head
+ Machine Wars Megatron - F22 Raptor jet
+ RiD Megatron/Galvatron - 6-10 different modes, none of which was a gun
+ Armada Megatron - tank
+ Energon Megatron - jet
+ Cybertron Megatron - batmobile
+ Classics Megatron - nerf gun
+ Movie Megatron - jet
+ Animated Megatron - flying cannon (?Earth mode is a jet?)
...in fact, the only other Transformer toys who've ever been realistic guns have been...
+ Goodbye Megatron (Japanese exclusive)
+ Browning (Japanese exclusive)
+ e-Hobby Megaplex (Japanese exclusive)
...so other than the original Megatron we've never had a realistic gun Transformer released in a Hasbro market because it was simply not legally viable!

What annoys me more is how even Star Wars toy guns are now completely painted in bright colours... like the Clone Trooper rifle - totally black in the movies, but blue and orange as the toy!! AAARGH!

So yeah, considering how retentive the laws are on a freakin' space ray gun, it's little surprise that a toy that transforms into a Walther P-38 wouldn't escape the same legal scrutiny.

i even rang both departments involved to check on any problems that may arise,and was told "Providing it has the blaze orange plug it won't be an issue" at that time they knew MP-5 was coming. So why did they give people bad advice like i was told and why did they wait until months after they were sezied to air warnings on t.v. not to bring them in.

...it was wrong for that person to give you that advice. But I think all you can really do now is dob that person in and get him/her in trouble for giving you misleading information. Other than that I don't think it would help you much. *shrug*

Now this was something that i found very hard to understand,how could a select group who knows about firearms claim that MP-5 is a threat to public safety, i agree that there is a potiental for misuse,but it seemed to me that those who made the descions on this toy would not take other factors into account,such as being 30% bigger than the original,being almost all plastic,not being a static shape,it transforms after all,plus the cost and effort involved to get one.No crimnal would waste their time trying.Why was'nt every other toy gun removed from sale when the laws changed,it makes no difference if they were already in the country,if they are a "Threat" like they claim then they would remove and destroy them.

This decision wasn't made only against MP-05 Megatron, it was made against all replica toy firearms, like BB guns, air rifles etc. It's just that MP-05 happened to fall under the crosshairs (pun intended) of Australian Customs last year. But it doesn't make the other toy guns any less illegal.

I agree that it is silly, but the law is really to stop people from buying very realistic replica toy guns (some BB and air guns do look very convincing) - and quite frankly, I don't think most of them make the distinction between a replica air gun and a Transformer. To them it's all the same so they all fall under the same law. Either that or they just can't be bothered to go through all the time and expense to amend the law to exempt Transformers. I don't know...

if they are a "Threat" like they claim then they would remove and destroy them.

Well confiscation is a form of removal. I think they do destroy seized illegal firearms, but maybe not so with toys. They're both illegal but I suppose toys represent a lower level of threat. That and at least under confiscation there is a chance to go through a legal process to reclaim it (even if it's an absolute royal pain in the rear).

What about all the other more realistic versions of megatron or even all metal replica guns,i've heard a number of stories about how they were allowed in without any trouble,

I dunno... I've known a few people who've had their BB guns confiscated by Australia Post... when you import stuff like this it's a gamble because it all depends on whether or not your parcel happens to get inspected by Australian Customs or not. As a precaution, I had my G1 and reissue Megatrons mailed to me in robot mode. Neither was inspected. I forgot to do the same with e-Hobby Megaplex, but that wasn't inspected either. My Machine Wars Megatron, which is an F-22 jet, was inspected... it got through fine, but the moronic inspector BENT my MW Megatron card in half when he squished it back into the box. Hello?! Do you mind, that's a collectible!! AAARGGH!! And yeah, my MP Megatron got through uninspected too (after which I breathed a big sigh of relief, believe me) - I'm getting the permit anyway to be legally compliant as a precaution. :/

Gun Transformers have always been illegal. Ever since Sept/11 there have been signs at airports specifically saying that you cannot carry gun Transformers with you. In 2005 I was inspected at Beijing airport and the customs officer was asking me questions about my Cybertron Galvatron... (I answered her, giving her a brief lecture about the history of the character and Transformers lore ).

if MP-5 is a threat to public safety do we all need to ban umbrella's or planks of wood because of the potienal for misuse,ok i know i'm not being very objective with that last part.

Again, I feel your frustration. In my personal opinion I don't think these laws do all that much to discourage real criminals from acquiring guns (or replica guns) that they would want to use to commit crimes. IMHO I think these laws do more in inconveniencing honest folk like you and I than actually effectively deterring criminals.

...but the law's the law... (-_-)

This is why I personally enjoyed watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix where further increasing government bureaucracy, albeit well intended, only thwarted the good guys and did nothing in inhibiting the bad guys (and in fact ended up assisting Voldemort).

[Tiby]

Got my permit! Yay!

Please make sure you read the permit very carefully as it explains what needs to be done if you sell the figure. Fungal, I note your comments about needing it for a friend, but it seems you cannot transfer MP05 to your friend unless your friend has a permit also. Be careful!

I know this is a hassle but the ministry did show me a number of pistols that were the size of MP05, and some that were bigger. I think us in NSW should be happy that we can legally own this figure now. Most other states have clamped down and are not yet up to NSW's system.