5200 Boxes: Glued Or Taped Shut?

[opeygon]

Anybody know if 5200 boxes were glued or taped shut from the factory? I just bought a supposedly new one but the box is taped shut. In the end, it doesn't really matter, cause I'm gonna open it and play it as soon as I get it. I've been grabbing 5200 games at the local thrifts for the last six months or so in anticipation of this purchase

[riffraff]

Glue. Nasty glue at that. 5200 boxes are usually thrashed at the top when opened.

[cyberfluxor]

Glue. Nasty glue at that. 5200 boxes are usually thrashed at the top when opened.

What's the best method of opening a new game, a letter opener? Thin pocket knife? What about poking the tab out? Those are the things I'm most worried about.

[riffraff]

When I opened my 2600 Crazy Climber box, which isn't much different than the 5200 ones, I used a pen-knife, you know one of those things specificly designed for precision cutting. The result? A still-mostly-mangled top flop of the box. I don't know what to do about these flaps.. they are over-glued and I really have no idea how to open them right without causing some damage.

[cyberfluxor]

When I opened my 2600 Crazy Climber box, which isn't much different than the 5200 ones, I used a pen-knife, you know one of those things specificly designed for precision cutting. The result? A still-mostly-mangled top flop of the box. I don't know what to do about these flaps.. they are over-glued and I really have no idea how to open them right without causing some damage.

Wow, that certainly sucks. Sorry to hear your Crazy Climber box got fouled up like that. I'll need to figure this thing out somehow because I hate my ripped up box tops and I do have a few games with perfect openings.

[Albert]

When I opened my 2600 Crazy Climber box, which isn't much different than the 5200 ones, I used a pen-knife, you know one of those things specificly designed for precision cutting. The result? A still-mostly-mangled top flop of the box. I don't know what to do about these flaps.. they are over-glued and I really have no idea how to open them right without causing some damage.

Yeah, it's really a shame that Atari designed the boxes to basically self-destruct when you open them. Maybe this was done to discourage theft, or to prevent people from returning games they had already opened, played, and got bored of?

 

..Al

[misspent_youth]

why not try heating them a little, like with a hair dryer, to soften up the glue a little, then something like a letter opener? Never tried it myself, so just an idea?

[riffraff]

worth a shot.

[cyberfluxor]

why not try heating them a little, like with a hair dryer, to soften up the glue a little, then something like a letter opener? Never tried it myself, so just an idea?

Sure it won't get all gooy and stick to the knife then all over the edges of the box? I don't know but with my luck I'd end up catching the box on fire or melting away some of the artwork.

[TunnelRunner]

Glue. Nasty glue at that. 5200 boxes are usually thrashed at the top when opened.

What's the best method of opening a new game, a letter opener? Thin pocket knife? What about poking the tab out? Those are the things I'm most worried about.

 

Best way to open a new game that's glued shut is warm up your clothes iron about midway and run it across the top of the box. Not too slow, but not too fast. Then open it and let the old glue cool down. Take it from a guy who has glued a few hundred 5200/2600/Colecovision boxes in his day!

g