You cannot escape from the Dark Side...

[ManekiNeko]

I picked up an Atari 2600 today for about eight bucks. That's a pretty good deal when you consider how much some game stores charge for them. I guess that's not too out of the ordinary, but the system itself is a little unusual... it happens to be a black 2600 without woodgrain finishing, the kind the AtariAge folks like to call Darth Vader models. How many of these were made, and are they any more or less valuable than traditional woodgrain 2600s?

JR

[CrazyImpmon]

About as common as the jr models but far less than any standard 6 switch and 4 switch woodgrain (heavy "armor plated" model from '77 is probably the rarest of Atari production)

I have 2 or 3 myself along with a coule Jr with long rainbow and 2 jr with short rainbow and enough woodgrain systems to rebuild my chimney with. :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: But only 1 Atari heavy (and 1 sears heavy, no Sears 4 switch or Arcade II)

[kainemaxwell]

Got any pictures?

[Captain Wrong]

You know, I don't think I've ever seen any production numbers on the individual styles. If someone knows where this information is, post a link, I'd love to see it.

I'd have to say Impmon is right about the all black model being least common of the old style 2600s though I don't know how it compairs to the 2600 jr. I've never seen a Jr in the wild out here. In fact, the only one I've seen since they stopped selling them is the one I own, which I've had since then.

$8 isn't a bad price. I got one for $6 a few weeks ago but it appears to be DOA. At least it came with 4 joysticks and a pair of keyboard controllers, so I still feel like I did ok. :)

And personally I HATE the term "Darth Vader". I never saw that before eBay and I still think it's something some seller cooked up to try and tie in Atari with Star Wars and gain a few extra looks through key word spamming. Sorry, big (and silly) pet peave of mine. ;)