Weird Astroblast? Thrifting Finds

[Junie]

I went thrifting yesterday and found 10 differenet games at Goodwill for $0.50 each, I bought everything they had.

 

I got --

 

- Defender

- Space War

- Space Attack

- Space Invaders

- RealSports Football

- Atlantis

- Basketball

- Astroblast

- Super Breakout

- Asteroids

 

The copy of Astroblast is a black label with blue letters and reads "©M.I. 1982 U.S.A.". The weird thing was that it looked like someone took it apart before, it has scratches and cuts around the base of the cartridge.

 

The really weird thing is that there is a piece of old tape that wraps around the bottom cartridge piece over the game PCB and on the other side.

 

Seeing the tape and the scratches and cuts I procceded to take it apart, that's how I know the tape wraps all the way around it.

 

Here are some pictures of it..

 

 

Here at AtariAge the description of the game says it uses Paddles, well my game works with Paddles or a Joystick. Is this normal for the game to work with a Joystick?

 

Anyone have any ideas why there is tape wrapped around the entire thing? is this game something weird or what?

[MoonlightKnight]

The tape is keeping the PCB from moving to far back. I have received alot of mattel titles that, when you plug them in they don't "lock" into place. The game itself works but you cannot plug it into the Atari. I usually open the game and place a small (about 1/4 inch long) screw into the back to keep the PCB from moving backward. Once you put the thing back together, the screw doesn't rattle, so you would never know it's there and the game works great again!

 

It seems that Mattel didn't design these carts well to work on the Atari. They probably figured it worked on the Intellivision so why not the Atari, too?

 

Hope that helps!

[MoonlightKnight]

Oops! I forgot Astroblast has one of those short circuit boards so the screw trick won't work on that one. Looks like the previous owner found that was the only way to keep the PCB in place so he could play it.

[King Atari]

One thing about Astroblast, wherever I go, it's there, along with Space Attack. Are these the most common Mattel games for the 2600, or what?

[StanJr]

Funny, I never see Space Attack, but I do see lost of Super Challenge Baseball and Football alongside Astroblast.

 

Stan Network

[ubersaurus]

It works with both controllers, actually.

[sonnenhexer]

Dunno why it is wrapped, maybe otherwise the cart will broke apart?

 

Michael

 

[ 03-01-2002: Message edited by: sonnenhexer ]

[Jeffy Arensmeyer]

It's definitely not Scottish.

 

ò¿ó

[MoonlightKnight]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jeffy Arensmeyer:

It's definitely

not Scottish

.

 

ò¿ó

---

Bha ha ha ha! That's hilarious! What movie was that from?

[ATARIPITBULL]

I have a copy of Astroblast that also has tape sticking out of the cart just like your game. My friend game me this game and five others he had in a box for some ten years or so and when I saw the tape sticking out of the cart I thought it had fallen apart and was put back together with tape. I don't know how to place pictures in the posts, but if I did I would show you what mine looks like.