NES hangtab box variants. Split from: factory WRECKING CREW

[Bronty-2]

Hi all,

In the ebay insanity thread we started talking about the NES sealed wrecking crew that just ended, and got onto the topic of the early release 'hangtab box' NES games that had the cardboard hangtab built into the box (as opposed to a plastic hangtab glued onto the shrink).

The latest date I've seen on one of these boxes so far is 1/88 (karnov), and we as part of our desire to document all the NES variants, want to start with the hangtab boxes. These following 91 games were published at the same time as karnov or before. Please confirm the existence of any you have so that we can get a picture of what's out there. There may well be ones after karnov also. :)

1. 10-yard Fight (10/85) System launch game (confirmed)
2. 1942 (12/86) (confirmed)
3. 3-D Worldrunner (9/87) (confirmed)
4. Alpha Mission (10/87)
5. Araknoid (8/87)
6. Athena (8/87) (confirmed)
7. Athletic World (9/87)
8. Balloon Fight (6/86) (confirmed)
9. Baseball (10/85) system launch (confirmed)
10. Breakthru (11/87)
11. Burgertime (5/87) (confirmed)
12. Castlevania (5/87)
13. Chubby Cherub (10/86) (confirmed)
14. Clu Clu Land (10/85) (confirmed)
15. Commando (11/86) (confirmed)
16. Deadly Towers (9/87)
17. Donkey Kong (6/86) (confirmed)
18. Donkey Kong 3 (6/86) (confirmed)
19. Donkey Kong Jr (6/86) (confirmed)
20. Donkey Kong Jr. math (confirmed)
21. Double Dribble (9/87) (confirmed)
22. Duck Hunt (10/85) (confirmed)
23. Elevator Action (8/87)
24. Excite Bike (10/85) (confirmed)
25. Ghost N Goblins (11/86) (confirmed)
26. Golf (10/85) (confirmed)
27. Goonies II (11/87)
28. Gotcha (11/87)
29. Gradius (12/86) (confirmed)
30. Gumshoe (6/86) (confirmed)
31. Gyromite (10/85) (confirmed)
32. Hogans Alley (10/85) (confirmed)
33. Ice Climber (10/85) (confirmed)
34. Ikari Warriors (5/87)
35. Jaws (11/87)
36. Karate Champ (11/86) (confirmed)
37. Karate Kid (11/87)
38. Karnov (1/88) (confirmed)
39. Kid Icarus (8/87) (confirmed)
40. Kid Niki (11/87)
41. Kung Fu (10/85) (confirmed)
42. Legend of Kage (8/87) (confirmed)
43. Legend of Zelda (7/87)
44. Lode Runner (9/87) (confirmed)
45. Lunar Pool (10/87)
46. M.U.S.C.L.E. (10/86) (confirmed)
47. Mach Rider (10/85) (confirmed)
48. Mario Bros (6/86) (confirmed)
49. Mega Man (12/87)
50. Metroid (8/87) (confirmed)
51. Mighty Bomb Jack (7/87)
52. Mike Tysons Punch Out!! (10/87)
53. Ninja Kid (10/86) (confirmed)
54. Pinball (10/85) (confirmed)
55. Popeye (6/86) (confirmed)
56. Rad Racer (10/87) (confirmed)
57. Raid on Bungeling Bay (9/87)
58. Renegade (1/88)
59. Ring King (9/87)
60. Rush'n'Attack (4/87) (confirmed)
61. Rygar (7/87) (confirmed)
62. Section Z (7/87) (confirmed)
63. Side Pocket (11/87)
64. Sky Kid (9/87)
65. Slalom (3/87) (confirmed)
66. Soccer (3/87) (confirmed)
67. Solomon's Key (7/87)
68. Spelunker (9/87) (confirmed)
69. Spy Hunter (9/87)
70. Sqoon (9/87) (confirmed)
71. Stack-Up (10/85) (confirmed)
72. Stadium Events (9/87)
73. Star Force (11/87)
75. Stinger (9/87) (confirmed)
76. Star Voyager
77. SMB (10/85) (confirmed)
78. Super Pitfall (11/87)
79. Tag Team Wrestling (10/86) (confirmed)
80. Tennis (10/85) (confirmed)
81. Tiger-Heli (10/87) (confirmed)
82. Top Gun (11/87)
83. Track and Field (4/87) (confirmed)
84. Trojan (2/87) (confirmed)
85. Urban Champion (6/86) (confirmed)
86. Volleyball (3/87) (confirmed)
87. Wild Gunman (10/85) (confirmed)
88. Winter Games (9/87) (confirmed)
89. Wizards and Warriors (12/87)
90. Wrecking Crew (10/85) (confirmed)
91. Zanac (10/87)
91A. Pro Wrestling (confirmed)

total games, 91 as Pro Wrestling added and star tropics deleted.
List is starting to look good! Can anyone confirm anything else from early 88? Feb 88 games like marble madness or Mar 88 games like Dragon Power would really help as 1/88 may not be the correct cut off.

[Big Papa Husker]

Interesting, do you have a picture of them?

[Bronty-2]

I don't have pictures of all of them, but here's an example:

http://www3.telus.net/online/dans_auctions/vids/wildgback.jpg

[lendelin]

I have a hangtab box for METROID. (just checked)

[Bronty-2]

thanks! main post edited.

[TRM]

Yes, it is always useful to get pictures. Someone could always claim to have one an dthen be lying about it. INteresting list, none the less.

[tonki]

These are the hang-tab boxes I have that are not exactly in your list (ie I've included Canadian box variants):

US boxes:
Karate Champ
Spy Hunter

CAN boxes:
10-Yard Fight
Baseball
Cobra Triangle *Not in your list
Kung Fu
Pro Wrestling *Not in your list
Slalom
Soccer
SMB
Tennis
Urban Champion

Not sure if the US boxes of Cobra Triangle or Pro Wrestling also had hang-tabs?

[8bitnes]

See ebay auction #8159419203

EDIT 2 - I have checked all of ebay's current and closed auctions for the unverified titles so no one else should waste their time unless they are looking in lots.

It verifies Karate Champ and Legend of Kage.
Also, it has Canada versions of Tyson and Faxanadu with hangtabs.

EDIT 1 - I have Canada versions of Dragon Warrior and Golf with hangtabs.

I will delve into my collection tonight and probably help with checking off another 10-15 US releases.

[Bronty-2]

deleted

[Bronty-2]

Sounds good 8bitnes.

I'm interested in the info people have provided on the Canadian variants also, but that should definitely be a separate list. If anybody has Canadian info, feel free to post to this thread and then I will start a separate list later.

[Mattiekrome]

Man I dont ever remember NES boxes having those :embarrassed:

very neat though,

[Qixmaster]

okay startropics is DEFINATELY off the US list, it was released much later then the others.

Also another point: Arkanoid never came with a single box, it was only ever produced in the big box packaged with the controller. No hangtab on that box, but the cart is definately five screw.

Not sure what i can confirm right now, since a lot of my five screw games don't have boxes and over half of the boxed ones are in storage. Could we safely assume that if we have a five screw cart that a hangtab box for it DOES exist?

[Qixmaster]

i can confirm your canadanian clu clu land as i have that version complete in box. a definate hangtab on that sucker.

[8bitnes]

I can confirm the following with more to come.

1942
3D Worldrunner
Burgertime
Commando
Double Dribble
Lode Runner
Ninja Kid
Rush 'N Attack
Slalom
Tag Team Wrestling
Tiger Heli
Track & Field

Rad Racer - CANADA

[8bitnes]

I can confirm the following with more to come.

1942
3D Worldrunner
Burgertime
Commando
Double Dribble
Lode Runner
Ninja Kid
Rush 'N Attack
Slalom
Tag Team Wrestling
Tiger Heli
Track & Field

Rad Racer - CANADA

[Bronty-2]

Could we safely assume that if we have a five screw cart that a hangtab box for it DOES exist?

I don't think we should assume anything.. we should at least try to get some kind of confirmation IMO

[Bronty-2]

Could we safely assume that if we have a five screw cart that a hangtab box for it DOES exist?

I don't think we should assume anything.. we should at least try to get some kind of confirmation IMO

[jajaja]

Man I dont ever remember NES boxes having those :embarrassed:

very neat though,

I dont think this is neat acctualy. Its a bigger chance that the box get damage with lose cardboard on the back. Castlevania 1 was also hangtab, atleast the PAL version, i have it so i can confirm :)

[jajaja]

Man I dont ever remember NES boxes having those :embarrassed:

very neat though,

I dont think this is neat acctualy. Its a bigger chance that the box get damage with lose cardboard on the back. Castlevania 1 was also hangtab, atleast the PAL version, i have it so i can confirm :)

[Bronty-2]

Will note that for the PAL list thanks. I'm not going to put up castlevania as confirmed though as the list above is strictly US. Wanted to keep things manageable for now by sticking to US. Don't get me wrong, I'm canadian so I'd love to do the canadian and PAL lists also, but I think we need some focus for now.

[Bronty-2]

Will note that for the PAL list thanks. I'm not going to put up castlevania as confirmed though as the list above is strictly US. Wanted to keep things manageable for now by sticking to US. Don't get me wrong, I'm canadian so I'd love to do the canadian and PAL lists also, but I think we need some focus for now.

[Qixmaster]

I say....Lets bump this one to the top and lock the other thread that just got started about nes 5 screw variations.

[Dr. Morbis]

I say....Lets bump this one to the top and lock the other thread that just got started about nes 5 screw variations.
Why? They are two different (albeit related) topics. Hang tabs vs 5 screw variants.

[Bronty-2]

True, although they might end up being the exact same topic. It would be nice if I had access to an x-ray machine, I could see if my sealed hangtab boxes all have 5 screw cases in them. I know that sounds extreme ;) but you have to admit it would make for excellent proof..

[Qixmaster]

I say....Lets bump this one to the top and lock the other thread that just got started about nes 5 screw variations.
Why? They are two different (albeit related) topics. Hang tabs vs 5 screw variants.

no don't get me wrong, they are different topics, but it would make it much easier to two birds with one stone IF they end up being the same (which IMHO, they are).

5 screw games go in hangtab boxes... it just makes sense to me.
Early Black Box NES games were released 5 screw and what not.
These boxes match the cartridge perfectly. Box = No country code, Game = no country code. Box = non rev. a, Game = non rev a.
and so it is my honest opinion that we have it figured out (canada, euro releases aside).

[Dr. Morbis]

no don't get me wrong, they are different topics, but it would make it much easier to two birds with one stone IF they end up being the same (which IMHO, they are).

5 screw games go in hangtab boxes... it just makes sense to me.
Early Black Box NES games were released 5 screw and what not.
These boxes match the cartridge perfectly. Box = No country code, Game = no country code. Box = non rev. a, Game = non rev a.
and so it is my honest opinion that we have it figured out (canada, euro releases aside).
I see what you are saying, and 5 screw carts may equal hang tab boxes. However, I can tell you that Canadian cartridges did have a country code in the 5 screw era. All of the first party 5 screw carts I have found here in the wild have the letters 'CAN' on the label. There is no standard 'NES-xx-CAN' code, but the carts were definitely manufactured solely for the Canadian market.

Any sealed collector's ready to sacrifice their games' seals for the sake of this thread??? LOL

[video_game_addict]

You can confirm:

Ikari Warriors
Spy Hunter
Star Voyager

I own these with hang tabs.

[izret101]

I am alost positive i have some.
I will check when i get home.

[8bitnes]

I say....Lets bump this one to the top and lock the other thread that just got started about nes 5 screw variations.
Why? They are two different (albeit related) topics. Hang tabs vs 5 screw variants.

no don't get me wrong, they are different topics, but it would make it much easier to two birds with one stone IF they end up being the same (which IMHO, they are).

5 screw games go in hangtab boxes... it just makes sense to me.
Early Black Box NES games were released 5 screw and what not.
These boxes match the cartridge perfectly. Box = No country code, Game = no country code. Box = non rev. a, Game = non rev a.
and so it is my honest opinion that we have it figured out (canada, euro releases aside).

I have recently Wizards & Warriors and Ring King as 5-screw variations. They did NOT have a hangtag box and they were from a person's personal collection of games as a youth. There is no way they could have mixed the carts into the wrong boxes.

I can confirm a Spy Hunter box though.

[Bronty-2]

hi eric - question - do the non-hangtab boxes you speak of say rev a on them? Just asking as I have some non hangtab non rev a boxes, which I believe would have come out right after the hangtab boxes, perhaps five screws came in these as well.

Or perhaps the switch in the number of screws and the type of boxes didn't coincide exactly, I guess.

[8bitnes]

Ring King - no Rev-A ... also the cart has a country code NES-RK-USA

Wizards & Warriors - yes Rev-A ... no country code on cart

Also, I was the one who confirmed Winter Games, that was supposed to be Spy Hunter.

[BigNESMDFan]

Will note that for the PAL list thanks. I'm not going to put up castlevania as confirmed though as the list above is strictly US. Wanted to keep things manageable for now by sticking to US. Don't get me wrong, I'm canadian so I'd love to do the canadian and PAL lists also, but I think we need some focus for now.

Castlevania is confirmed,i have a hang tab castlevania 1.The cart i have though with the box is a 3 screw,maybe there is a mis match or not all hang tab boxes are 5 screw...im not sure

[BigNESMDFan]

I have also seen non rev a boxes without hangtabs

[Gameguy]

A bit of an old thread but I have something to add to it. A Tetris hangtab box, it's a Canadian version. It's pretty late for a hangtab box, Tetris was released in November 1989.



http://s31.postimg.org/9ba2mo0vv/Tetris_hangtag_box_front.png

http://s31.postimg.org/qf4vc06t7/Tetris_Hangtag_box_back.png

http://s31.postimg.org/71r090y9n/Tetris_Hangtag_box_closeup.png