Opening a Famicom cart

[noriaki_kakyouin]

I purchased a cart of Donkey Kong Jr. the other day on ebay ($5 total with shipping) and it came in pretty decent condition, but I noticed that the board was a bit wobbly. I put it into my Famicom and it turned out to be Donkey Kong instead of Donkey Kong Jr. Workds great, but it's not what it says it is... and the board wobbles in the cart.

I was hoping to open up the cart and compare it to another Famicom game to see if there was a difference, but I really do not want to break the plastic. Any safe ways to open a famicom cart?

[InsaneDavid]

I purchased a cart of Donkey Kong Jr. the other day on ebay ($5 total with shipping) and it came in pretty decent condition, but I noticed that the board was a bit wobbly. I put it into my Famicom and it turned out to be Donkey Kong instead of Donkey Kong Jr.

It's more than likely a pirate cartridge. I'd like to see a picture of it if possible. This isn't super uncommon but I always like grabbing examples of pirate / actual. Recently I bought a small lot of Famicom carts from a member here and there was a huge debate about how they were all pirates, a few of them were, etc. Only one turned out to be a pirate once I got them. The front label said "Super Mario Bros." but the artwork was an obvious poor reproduction of the Japanese Wrecking Crew label. And, you guessed it, the game was Wrecking Crew. Is there a bunch of English / Engrish on the back? Is it called a "Cassette" anywhere? Then it's a bootleg. Now...


I was hoping to open up the cart and compare it to another Famicom game to see if there was a difference, but I really do not want to break the plastic. Any safe ways to open a famicom cart?

You want to get a wide yet thin bladed screwdriver and gently pry the two cart halves apart. Every series of Famicom games is held together in different places, work with it for awhile until you figure out what half has the tabs on it, then pry them apart.

[noriaki_kakyouin]

There the Ebay image still out there. Ah... here it is:

http://i8.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/9c/96/6b_1.JPG

It looks legit to me, but I have been wrong about things before. I will post a scan of the back tonight when I get home... but no engrish that I could see.

And thanks for the help on opening it. I'll try it (if I get the courage to).

[InsaneDavid]

There the Ebay image still out there. Ah... here it is:

http://i8.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/9c/96/6b_1.JPG

Damn, that's a great pirate reproduction!! Probably the most impressive I've seen. The only thing that gives it away (and not even that well honestly) is the tinge of the label. It looks faded compared to a commercial Donkey Kong Jr. cart. Also the picture is cropped differently around the border, etc. Very subtle differences. Here are some pictures (there were two variations of straight Donkey Kong Jr.)

http://www.gamersgraveyard.com/repository/nes/history/images/famicom/good/Donkey_Kong_Jr._cart_and_box.jpg

http://www.gamersgraveyard.com/repository/nes/history/images/famicom/good/Donkey_Kong_Jr._cart_(picture_label).jpg

Still, that's a pretty good reproduction label.

[noriaki_kakyouin]

I'll scan the front and back tonight and post that as well... but shucks. A Pirate, eh? Well, it's still an interesting addition to my 'museum'.

[InsaneDavid]

I'll scan the front and back tonight and post that as well... but shucks. A Pirate, eh? Well, it's still an interesting addition to my 'museum'.

That it is. :)

[noriaki_kakyouin]

ok. Here's the links to the front and back scans. I kept the images a tad big so you can see detail. The ebay scan was REALLY bad upon second glance and the yellow background really washed it out.

Scan 1 (http://www.freepgs.com/noriaki_kakyouin/famicom1.jpg)

Scan 2 (http://www.freepgs.com/noriaki_kakyouin/famicom2.jpg)

Boy it sure doesn't look too much like a pirated copy. I'm almost halfway tempted to say it is a real cart with a swapped program... but I would need to open it for that.

Aw, hell... lemme open it...

Ok... it was a LOT easier than I thought. The sides just opened very easilly. I used a 3/64" eyeglss screwdriver.

Scan Insides (http://www.freepgs.com/noriaki_kakyouin/famicom3.jpg)

Well I see the word NEC on one of the chips... but you guys know better than I do. But now curiosity has gotten the better of me.

(scrape scrape gentle careful scrape)

Without white tape (http://www.freepgs.com/noriaki_kakyouin/famicom3.jpg)

So, any verdict?

[InsaneDavid]

Boy it sure doesn't look too much like a pirated copy.

Yes it does, look closely at the picture of Mario, DK, and DKJ. Notice how the color bleed around the edges is all wrong? Also the distance of the picture of Mario, DK, and DKJ to the edge of the label is way off. And again, the colors are off which is common with pirate carts. Once you see a lot of pirate carts and official carts of the same or similar line of games in person then it becomes a lot easier to tell. Seriously, just the feel and look of the label gets to be a dead giveaway after awhile. Lastly the label itself is too small compared to the space atop the shell, I've never come across an official release of a first party Nintendo Famicom cart that didn't have full coverage of the label well with the label.

[noriaki_kakyouin]

Interesting. Well, it's like a normal person looking at a picasso and saying 'cool' and a pro looking at it and saying that it's a fake, the real one is in the back room.

And that's why I came here. To be with all you pros! Thanks for the help InsaineDavid.

[rbudrick]

That's odd. I would have sworn that was not a pirate. It actually goes on to duplicate the model number, Nintendo logo, copyright and everything. I have never seen a pirate do all these things. On top of this, I may have even opnce owne this cart, boxed and complete with the orange cart just like this. I really must say I don't think this is a pirate.

As for the cart being loose, I see this on legit Fami games all the time. The wobble is usually much more distinct in pirate carts, though. As for getting them apart, it is a fine art for sure. I've heard of some people putting their carts halfway into a table vise before and very slightly squeezing before using the flat bladed screwdriver technique. Of course, this only works if you are sure you are squeezing the half with the tabs. Not reccomended for everyone.

-Rob

[InsaneDavid]

You guys really can't see the difference in the printing quality (resolution of the scans doesn't matter, look at the color missmatch on the edges) and the distances between A - B, C - D, etc. on the label? :hmm:

[aaron7]

haha nope, you're insane. LOL


jk