Lord-Chaos Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Does anyone know if the XE cartridge version (blue XEGS box) of Eastern Front is uncommon or rare? I have this one copy in my collection, but never saw the XEGS version again. Only the XL version, black XL cart, silver XL box. Thimo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.atarimania.com Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 That version is REALLY rare. I can't even remember what the cartridge looks like... Does it have that odd red label or is it a standard XE design? -- Atari Frog http://www.atarimania.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 At the risk of sounding like a 2600 collector, I think that there are four label variations for this one. The first is the standard "brown cart, brown label" version, then there's the rare XE-specific "grey cart, XE label", and the "brown cart, silver striped label", but there's also a hybrid "brown cart, XE label" version that's not too common (the latter two, I think, came in the smaller silver boxes). IIRC they were all RX8039, and they had © dates of 1982, 1988, 1983 and 1987 respectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draikar Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I never seen any brown carts with XE label for any game, Dose anyone have a scan of one ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I never seen any brown carts with XE label for any game, Dose anyone have a scan of one ? I sold an example on ebay recently - I still have the picture that I used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord-Chaos Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 I never seen any brown carts with XE label for any game, Dose anyone have a scan of one ? I sold an example on ebay recently - I still have the picture that I used. Yes, that looks like the copy I have, but I do also have the box, the manual and the map. Thimo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I do also havethe box, the manual and the map. Can you confirm that this cart came in the small silver box? The only boxes I have (at present) for EF1941 are the large, original Atari one (that came with the brown cart/brown label variant), and the APX version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Never mind, I saw the ebay auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBen Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 That version is REALLY rare. I can't even remember what the cartridge looks like... Does it have that odd red label or is it a standard XE design? -- Atari Frog http://www.atarimania.com It is really rare. If you want it you can get it brand NEW in the shop from B&C : http://www.myatari.com/atarixlc.txt ATC124 EASTERN FRONT 1941 19.95 XE XE = XE BLUE BOX THANKS B&C - You save me $90 for my last bit of this auction Bernd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBen Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 (edited) Today I received the game from B&C. The cartridge has the same cover as the picture from Lord-Chaos. It is not a fake! Bernd Edited September 21, 2006 by BigBen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaxda Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 (edited) Please don't ban me for upping an old thread, but my question directly relates to this one... Is there any difference between the XE version (I have a standard blue label, off-white/grey cart) and the standard brown 8-bit one? I have one of each and would like to unload one of them if there is no difference. I have and 800XL and 130XE so no real preference. They appear to be the same, just from gameplay, but if one does tend to be rarer then I will sell that one! Edited September 13, 2009 by phaxda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Atari Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 On 8/14/2006 at 11:52 AM, Lord-Chaos said: Does anyone know if the XE cartridge version (blue XEGS box) of Eastern Front is uncommon or rare? I have this one copy in my collection, but never saw the XEGS version again. Only the XL version, black XL cart, silver XL box. Thimo I have 5 variations... Brown cart brown label / Brown cart silver label / Brown cart XE color label / Gray ribbed cart Silver label / Gray ribbed cart XE color label. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 3 hours ago, Old Man Atari said: I have 5 variations... Brown cart brown label / Brown cart silver label / Brown cart XE color label / Gray ribbed cart Silver label / Gray ribbed cart XE color label. Pics or it ain't so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Atari Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 On 1/26/2022 at 1:05 AM, MrFish said: Here are the pics of just the rare ones in question. For many years my Uncle own a Electronics/Music/TV shop. One day in -1997-98- he asked my if I want any of his old Atari inventory. I gave him a hundred buck and he gave me three boxes of new Atari Software. There was case of maybe 14 XE Boxes, and curiously 5 of them were XE Eastern Front (1941) Games. I wasn't really collecting then so I opened two. I was baffled by the blue labels on the old brown carts. I was very interested now and I opened another with a blue label on brown cart. I stopped after I opened the fourth box. That was my Blue XE Label on a gray XE ribbed cart. The fifth one remains SEALED to this day and rests with my collections. I vaguely remember trading one of the blue browns off years ago but I don't remember what I traded for... I HOPE YOU ENJOY THESE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Atari Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 2 hours ago, Old Man Atari said: OK. so I dug the others out too. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Cool! Maybe the only such Atari cart that was made (with 5 different forms)? I'd only recalled 3 of the 5; but maybe I have seen them all (or at least 4 of the 5) at one time or another. Anyway... thanks for the pictures. I appreciate your effort to retain your honor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 4 hours ago, MrFish said: Cool! Maybe the only such Atari cart that was made (with 5 different forms)? I'd only recalled 3 of the 5; but maybe I have seen them all (or at least 4 of the 5) at one time or another. Anyway... thanks for the pictures. I appreciate your effort to retain your honor. A fitting tribute to Chris Crawford. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyy Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 here's more information regarding eastern front... https://www.digitpress.com/eastereggs/a48easternfront.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbking67 Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 I can't help but think that possibly B&C made those brown carts from boards that they had and either custom made some stickers or had a supply of them. I have my doubts that Atari would put those out there... although I guess it's possible that the Tramiel era Atari would try to sell anything they had inventory of. Given the after-markets tendency to make repros and call them old stock dug out of the Atari warehouse I just wonder. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 20 hours ago, slx said: A fitting tribute to Chris Crawford. No doubt. It shows how important Eastern Front was in the progression of Atari 8-bit game development. This was also released through APX on tape and disk -- and the source code was sold as well. Chris Crawford's name comes up time and time again on former-Atari employee (and 3rd-party employee) interviews. @ChrisCrawford is one of the true pioneers of computer gaming. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 1 hour ago, bbking67 said: I can't help but think that possibly B&C made those brown carts from boards that they had and either custom made some stickers or had a supply of them. I have my doubts that Atari would put those out there... although I guess it's possible that the Tramiel era Atari would try to sell anything they had inventory of. Given the after-markets tendency to make repros and call them old stock dug out of the Atari warehouse I just wonder. I think it's the latter, as I'm pretty sure I've seen people showing these coming out of sealed, boxed copies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Atari Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 11 minutes ago, bbking67 said: I can't help but think that possibly B&C made those brown carts from boards that they had and either custom made some stickers or had a supply of them. I have my doubts that Atari would put those out there... although I guess it's possible that the Tramiel era Atari would try to sell anything they had inventory of. Given the after-markets tendency to make repros and call them old stock dug out of the Atari warehouse I just wonder. Interesting theory: However my Uncle would not - could not - have purchased theses from B&C. I don't know who his distributer was, but he would have bought his stock in the late '80's. He had 400s and 800's in his store in the summer and displayed working for Christmas 1980. I have owned these carts for nearly 25 years now. Personally I don't need any other, or more proof. I unwrapped the cellophane. I opened the boxes. I found those carts. And the last Sealed box I have of Eastern Front (1941) is likely one of those carts. (I believe...) Besides it was very common for Atari to use up old labels on new products only ordering new supply when needed. The transition in '82 and '83 - Brown or black labels to the Silver labels is all the proof anyone needs for that. Eastern Front (1941) XE - was also one of those XE Titles just like Summer Games... The games had been out for years... The floppy had been duplicated and shared all over and every one already had the game. My first copy - was on floppy, in fact I never owned a brown Label EF1941 until eBay. Atari was not pulling any NEW CUSTOMERS in with the XEGS it was mostly Atarian's looking for something glorious and new. So by this time EF1941 was a non seller. The sticker on the boxes if I remember was clearance for $10. (I got 40-50 titles for $100.) Lastly, I can spot most fakes form a MILE away... These are not repros... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbking67 Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 well there you , sounds legit... i was really referencing the "new" ones listed at B&C... who does sell a few repros that they call legit from time to time (okay, well i mean all the time). It's hard to judge the authenticity from a seller who is sometimes not always on the up and up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Atari Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Just now, bbking67 said: well there you , sounds legit... i was really referencing the "new" ones listed at B&C... who does sell a few repros that they call legit from time to time (okay, well i mean all the time). It's hard to judge the authenticity from a seller who is sometimes not always on the up and up. I am certain B&C is on the "Up & Up". They do own the rights to a lot of what they bought. They are in one of the old Atari buildings, if I am not mistaken. They have been selling old "Atari Stock" for 30+ years. There are several Prototypes of Atari Software that if it were not for Bruce, simply would not be available to anyone. He could have kept those as one of a kinds, but he reproduce them and let us in on unreleased prototypes. Examples... Atari No. RX4023 - Berzerk Atari No. RX8037 - Star Trux Atari No. RX8038 - Superman III Atari No. RX8061 - Jr. Pac-Man Atari No. RX8068 - Stargate Atari No. RX8071 - Letter Tutor Atari No. RX8074 - Kangaroo Atari No. RX8076 - The Last Starfighter Atari No. RX8094 - Commando Atari No. RX8100 - Mean 18 Atari No. RX8111 - Tower Toppler Atari No. RX8112 - Jinks Atari No. RX8118 - Xenophobe Atari No. RX8124 - MIDI Maze Atari No. RX8125 - Deflektor Un-number Atari Prototypes Animated Puzzles Bruce Lee Gauntlet Super Pac-Man No one knows if all these titles are 100% complete or not but for one reason or another Atari stopped these from getting out to market. (Wow isn't the the definition of Un-Released...) If it were not for Bruce at B&C, Lance from Video-61, The crew from Best Electronics and several other wise and thoughtful people (Yes they make money for their efforts - you have a job too don't you?) than these and may other titles would not exist today. Beside they invested their Money into purchasing the old Atari stock too. The only reason they do exist, is from those individuals that rescued these from the immanent scrap yard. There are more titles out there that have been resurrected. To Bruce of B&C, Lace Rinquist of Video-61 & Best - I for one applaud you and your efforts - THANK YOU. To those who say this is fraud, THINK AGAIN, or maybe for the first time... Who are you judging these people so harshly. Have your Copyrights been violated? Did you suffer intellectual property damages? If you have any one of these title in your collection, or you ever enjoyed playing one of these titles, I say, "Show some R E S P E C T !!!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 On 1/28/2022 at 6:22 PM, Old Man Atari said: Besides it was very common for Atari to use up old labels on new products only ordering new supply when needed. The transition in '82 and '83 - Brown or black labels to the Silver labels is all the proof anyone needs for that. Back then nobody would have cared or even less complained when receiving a brown cart in an XE box. It was just the ROM inside we wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.