Room 34 Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 I recently completed my Space Invaders label variant collection quest, obtaining all 6 label variants (or so I thought): Atari text Atari picture Atari silver Atari red Sears text Sears picture The Atari red label version was one I received as a MIB sealed package. Oh, the delight! But I knew someday my curiosity would get the best of me and I would open the package, hoping against hope that the penny-pinching late-'80s Atari gods would've graced this box with a game catalog or some other interesting prize. But I never expected what I got. Although the BOX is the red-label-era style, the cartridge inside is NOT. It is a silver label style. Actually, it's a gray label, because it's a cheap 1988 reprint of the silver label design. The end label also has the peculiar font that is almost the picture-label-era font, but not quite. The instruction manual that was packed in with this game is the black-and-white late-'80s reprint of the picture-label-era instructions. Quite an odd assortment I am looking at here. This seems to be the product of the same factory that cranked out the weird 1988 copies of Canyon Bomber and Home Run that I recently acquired MIB sealed, where the boxes themselves were printed in black-and-white (although the game labels are color, but cheaply made). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatepunk60 Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 pictures my friend pictures... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 13, 2002 Author Share Posted August 13, 2002 pictures my friend pictures... Huh? My point was it was a factory-sealed box, so no one knew what was inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garbs Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 Hey R34, Do you think there was a possibility of fraudulent activity, etc., here? It's not clear in your post. Just curious. Garbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 13, 2002 Author Share Posted August 13, 2002 Hey R34, Do you think there was a possibility of fraudulent activity, etc., here? It's not clear in your post. Just curious. Garbs No, no. I don't think it was fraudulent. The shrink wrap seemed authentic and accurate to the time period (late '80s). It was very brittle from age and it had the plastic "hanger" stuck on it. The cartridge is brand new (no dirt or corrosion on the contacts... even a "cleaned" cart has a certain used look), and the box and manual are all mint. It's just a case of the low quality control Atari had in the late '80s. And I am just mad because I already have a silver label S.I. and I wanted the red label!!! But I don't think the person who sold it to me was a scam artist or anything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garbs Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 Cool. I'm always worried about stuff like that. Well, it's happened to me in the past, not with anything Atari-related, but with other stuff. I really hate scam artists. They should all rot in hell with red hot pokers shoved up their keesters. Anyway, thanks R34. PS: - I checked out your site and I think it's pretty neat. Any pointers or tips on how to get started on something like that? Do you do any designing on the side for something like that? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Monkey Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 pictures my friend pictures... Huh? My point was it was a factory-sealed box, so no one knew what was inside. Yes but WE would like to see "pictures my friend pictures" of what you found in the box! ....at least I think that is what Skatepunk meant... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 13, 2002 Author Share Posted August 13, 2002 Yes but WE would like to see "pictures my friend pictures" of what you found in the box! ....at least I think that is what Skatepunk meant... Room 34 shakes his head for a minute... his minute brain rattles around inside his cranium and finally snaps back into place... Ah! I get it! If I have time tonight I will scan the whole lot for you all to see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 13, 2002 Author Share Posted August 13, 2002 PS: - I checked out your site and I think it's pretty neat. Any pointers or tips on how to get started on something like that? Do you do any designing on the side for something like that? Just curious. Just plug away at it. I don't have any formal training, but I've been doing web sites as a hobby since 1994 and professionally since 1996, so I've developed a modicum of design ability merely through repetition and experimentation. I do happen to do freelance design on the side, but unfortunately I am extremely busy these days with my day job, a freelance project, my band, and a little documentary filmmaking hobby I've stumbled into... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garbs Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 Well, you definitely sound busy. . . I can relate. If you do get some extra time to take on a project, send me an e-mail, and I'd be glad to talk with ya. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 13, 2002 Author Share Posted August 13, 2002 Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention... playing Atari! And of course, hanging out at the AA forums... but I am mainly doing that at my slacker day job. Tomorrow's my last day here though, so I'm going to have to get disciplined again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 14, 2002 Author Share Posted August 14, 2002 OK, I have pictures of my red box (but not red label! ) Space Invaders for you all. These are fairly small and heavily-compressed so they don't slow down the page loads so much , but if you want to see super-up-close, e-mail me and I will send you high-res versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 14, 2002 Author Share Posted August 14, 2002 Sorry... only 3 attachments per post. Here's the final image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent X Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 That's awesome! It's like getting a little sampler of several different box/manual/label styles all in one convenient package! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 14, 2002 Author Share Posted August 14, 2002 That's awesome! It's like getting a little smapler of several different box/manual/label styles all in one convenient package! Yeah... too bad I didn't realize I was getting the "Space Invaders Sampler Pak " when I bought it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Monkey Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 I think I may have a shrinked SI like that in my collection.. I'll have to dig it out and see if I have one of these "Clip Show" versions too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari freak 1 Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Tell us how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Oh, what a dilemma! (much like Schroedinger's cat!) If you collect factory sealed boxes, you'll never know, if it contains the right cart and, to make it worse, you'll never be able to collect for those who contain the wrong carts, making a complete collection impossible. Enough joking, maybe some X-rays can help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted August 14, 2002 Author Share Posted August 14, 2002 Oh, what a dilemma! (much like Schroedinger's cat!) Have you been lurking in that discussion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Have you been lurking in that discussion? Not yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Monkey Posted August 17, 2002 Share Posted August 17, 2002 I opened my red SI box last night and found the same tribute show... for the record this one came from O'Shea about 4 years ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted August 17, 2002 Share Posted August 17, 2002 Interesting, now I'm curious about the shrinkwrapped red box Space Invaders I bought from O'Sheas several years ago. I'll have to dig one of them out and open it up. I bet I'll be surprised with the same "silver/gray" label cart. I was going to say that those are less common than the red label variant, but perhaps not if many of the O'Sheas titles appear in this style. I'm sure you can find someone to trade you a red label for that gray label cart. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwh Posted August 17, 2002 Share Posted August 17, 2002 So now the game that has the most picture label variants has yet another! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari freak 1 Posted August 17, 2002 Share Posted August 17, 2002 Albert, Why don't you have the grey lable in the label variant guide, I know it's basicaly a silver label, but I think It should be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 HEY! I've got the same thing going on over here. Red Box, Silver Label Cart, B&W manual. Messed up. Any chance we could bump up the rarity of something like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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