RangerG Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) Just to add a little interest to the Air Raid Men-A-Vision discussion. I firmly believe that it is from Latin America. I lived in South America and the name sounds like Spanglish and the cart even resembles other t-tops from Latin America. Also, check out this list of other Atari companies/products from Brazil/Latin America. Coincidence? Splice Vision Digivision Argevision Data Vision Wide Vision Conectivision Cosmivision Softvision Dinamivision Feel free to add more support to the claim. Take care. Edited April 2, 2009 by RangerG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I don't know if we'll ever know for sure, but it's certainly within the realm of possibility. And from what I understand, there are more things that point to it originating in Mexico or Central America or South America that not; for example, the game turning up most "often" in states that border Mexico and the physical similarity to South American T-handle cartridges, like you said. I'm not sure I'd say the name "Men-A-Vision" particularly smacks of Spanglish (although it certainly could). I always figured it to be a play on the expression "men of vision," and if that is in fact what it is, it implies a degree of sophistication/familiarity with the English language that I wouldn't expect from a small-time Latin American software designer/group. Which, again, isn't to say it couldn't happen, because to be fair, I've never been to South America, let alone lived there. Maybe English phrases are commonplace down there, I dunno. Someone help me out there. I think it's fair to guess that the cartridge shells and maybe even the PCBs came from Latin America. Assuming that the origin of "Men-A-Vision" is up in the air, could it be possible that the cartridge shells were imported into the U.S. by Men-A-Vision, who wrote and "released" Air Raid here? The cartridges (shells, PCBs?) would probably have been a much cheaper alternative to anything available here. Under this scenario, Men-A-Vision would probably have been a hobbyist or homebrewer -maybe several, based on the name being "Men-A-Vision" and not "Man-A-Vision"- looking for a quick buck, and with some tie to Latin America (either a personal or business contact). Here's another [crackpot] idea, which probably shouldn't be taken seriously: what if the Air-Raid cartridges were part of the South American drug trade? What if the cartridges were a way of smuggling cocaine into the U.S.? What if Air-Raid cartridges were partially made of cocaine? It might explain their rarity... (Not likely.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buyatari Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Well whatever was written down at the beginning is taken as gospel. Had no one found this game till now it would be just another import. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Wonder007 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Just to add a little interest to the Air Raid Men-A-Vision discussion. I firmly believe that it is from Latin America. I lived in South America and the name sounds like Spanglish and the cart even resembles other t-tops from Latin America. Also, check out this list of other Atari companies/products from Brazil/Latin America. Coincidence? Splice Vision Digivision Argevision Data Vision Wide Vision Conectivision Cosmivision Softvision Dinamivision Feel free to add more support to the claim. Take care. True, but to date, all of the Air Raids have been found in the US. Top Brazilian collectors (Atari 2600) have never seen this game let alone this type of shell....it is unique. Another thing, games like from the Ultravision family (t-bar carts) were made in the US- Miami to be exact. So, the games being discovered in the US and no Brazilian collector has seen them in Brazil makes the above theory suspect.......my two cents..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sly Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Just to add a little interest to the Air Raid Men-A-Vision discussion. I firmly believe that it is from Latin America. I lived in South America and the name sounds like Spanglish and the cart even resembles other t-tops from Latin America. Also, check out this list of other Atari companies/products from Brazil/Latin America. Coincidence? Splice Vision Digivision Argevision Data Vision Wide Vision Conectivision Cosmivision Softvision Dinamivision Feel free to add more support to the claim. Take care. True, but to date, all of the Air Raids have been found in the US. Top Brazilian collectors (Atari 2600) have never seen this game let alone this type of shell....it is unique. Another thing, games like from the Ultravision family (t-bar carts) were made in the US- Miami to be exact. So, the games being discovered in the US and no Brazilian collector has seen them in Brazil makes the above theory suspect.......my two cents..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 True, but to date, all of the Air Raids have been found in the US. Top Brazilian collectors (Atari 2600) have never seen this game let alone this type of shell....it is unique. Another thing, games like from the Ultravision family (t-bar carts) were made in the US- Miami to be exact. So, the games being discovered in the US and no Brazilian collector has seen them in Brazil makes the above theory suspect.......my two cents..... Add my two cents to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anicetyguy Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Interesting - the definition of mena in Spanish: mena [may’-nah] noun 1. Small sea-fish, kind of anchovy. (f) 2. A mineral vein ore. (f) 3. (f) verb 4. VITOLA. 5. Size of cordage. (Nautical) Ball gauge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sly Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Air Raid has been found throughout USA and maybe just one bordering state to Mexico. Never found in any other country. I could be a pirate but as released only as a US original. But I doubt it was ever released in Latin America or South America Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) Air Raid has been found throughout USA and maybe just one bordering state to Mexico. Never found in any other country. I could be a pirate but as released only as a US original. But I doubt it was ever released in Latin America or South America Besides that: This type of T-handle is not seen in Brazil (the only Brazilian T-handles are the completely different Tron / Digivision ones) and only very few Brazilian carts carry a label without a company name or game title. Also, very few (if any) Brazilian companies released only one title. And not one Brazilian company actually put that much effort in creating a game from 'scratch'. Marco, I forgot. Do you own the Dinatronic Air Raid? Edited April 2, 2009 by Rom Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Never found in any other country. Not true, one was found in Mexico at a garage sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerG Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 There are several old threads detailing the "is it PAL/NTSC/PAL-M debate" when it comes to Air Raid. I think even having this format debate points to the cart being from outside the US. This is an interesting discussion for a truly storied Atari cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) By looking at the color palette, it's a NTSC game, although it counts 290 scanlines (PAL). I don't think the programmer was trying to show the game in purple. Edited April 2, 2009 by Rom Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Also I can add I researched the OAK brand PCB that Air Raid is on and it was made in Mexico. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerG Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 That's right, I remember that research Shawn. Iwan reminded me in the other thread that the English name "Air Raid" is based on conjecture - there is no actual title. I think a better title would be a Spanish one :-): Ataque Aereo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Wonder007 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 It does not matter where chips come from....many chips come from other countries just to be assembled in the US or to be released as a US product.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homerwannabee Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 It does not matter where chips come from....many chips come from other countries just to be assembled in the US or to be released as a US product.... Speaking from experience Wonder this is a fight you just can't win. There will always be haters to the rare games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dino Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I'm pretty confident that its an import from latin America, most likely Mexico. It doesnt have the "look or feel" of a US made cart. An american company would have put a title or company name on the cart at the very least. Its part of the western culture to "brand" things. There are plenty of examples of Taiwanese and Brazillian pirates and hacked "originals" that originate from these countries that do not carry names on their labels. In the cast of Taiwanese carts, they are always found outside of their originating country. I personally don't understand this "I collect US release games only" mentality. If the Megaboy cart was released in the US, it would be worth 10 times its current selling price. Why? Discovering that Air Raid was only released in Mexico and a dozen or so copies found their way to the US over 30 years would make this cart much less valuable. Why??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zwackery Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I think the game is from the future and was sent back in time to mess with our fragile little minds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buyatari Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I'm pretty confident that its an import from latin America, most likely Mexico. It doesnt have the "look or feel" of a US made cart. An american company would have put a title or company name on the cart at the very least. Its part of the western culture to "brand" things. There are plenty of examples of Taiwanese and Brazillian pirates and hacked "originals" that originate from these countries that do not carry names on their labels. In the cast of Taiwanese carts, they are always found outside of their originating country. I personally don't understand this "I collect US release games only" mentality. If the Megaboy cart was released in the US, it would be worth 10 times its current selling price. Why? Discovering that Air Raid was only released in Mexico and a dozen or so copies found their way to the US over 30 years would make this cart much less valuable. Why??? Part of it is ego-centric but I think it is mostly to put a lid on the # of games needed. Not everyone wants to collect an endless steam of games. Many people like to know exactly how many games "count" and then they slowly work off that list. If you live in the USA you are a disadvantage to buying games not made in the USA so you buy them at a premium from other collectors or on the net. Sure many collectors do pay a premium at some point anyway anyway but not at the start. They usually got a nice head start from local garage sales/flee markets or even the games they owned as a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dino Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I'm pretty confident that its an import from latin America, most likely Mexico. It doesnt have the "look or feel" of a US made cart. An american company would have put a title or company name on the cart at the very least. Its part of the western culture to "brand" things. There are plenty of examples of Taiwanese and Brazillian pirates and hacked "originals" that originate from these countries that do not carry names on their labels. In the cast of Taiwanese carts, they are always found outside of their originating country. I personally don't understand this "I collect US release games only" mentality. If the Megaboy cart was released in the US, it would be worth 10 times its current selling price. Why? Discovering that Air Raid was only released in Mexico and a dozen or so copies found their way to the US over 30 years would make this cart much less valuable. Why??? Part of it is ego-centric but I think it is mostly to put a lid on the # of games needed. Not everyone wants to collect an endless steam of games. Many people like to know exactly how many games "count" and then they slowly work off that list. If you live in the USA you are a disadvantage to buying games not made in the USA so you buy them at a premium from other collectors or on the net. Sure many collectors do pay a premium at some point anyway anyway but not at the start. They usually got a nice head start from local garage sales/flee markets or even the games they owned as a child. No offense, but what you are saying doesnt make a lot of sense to me. By placing a cap on what you collect, you are actually paying a very hefty premium for the games you are collecting, because you are limiting the supply of games that are being demanded by the pool of collectors. The common games are dirt cheap everywhere and are not the reason for putting the cap on what you collect. As for the rare stuff, you see US versions of UR games selling at 10x their PAL equivalents, even where the PAL equivalent is far rarer. US collectors who collect non-US stuff are actually buying non-US games at a discount Ask Rick, Crunchy or Frostbite Bailey and they'll tell you that, for example, the UR PAL stuff they buy they get dirt cheap when compared to UR US releases Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 It does not matter where chips come from....many chips come from other countries just to be assembled in the US or to be released as a US product.... Speaking from experience Wonder this is a fight you just can't win. There will always be haters to the rare games. Why is saying it is from Mexico "being a hater" towards it? I don't understand this post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dino Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 It does not matter where chips come from....many chips come from other countries just to be assembled in the US or to be released as a US product.... Speaking from experience Wonder this is a fight you just can't win. There will always be haters to the rare games. Why is saying it is from Mexico "being a hater" towards it? I don't understand this post Because you are insinuating its not a US release, which would make it near worthless to US collectors, you Air Raid hater!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 It does not matter where chips come from....many chips come from other countries just to be assembled in the US or to be released as a US product.... Speaking from experience Wonder this is a fight you just can't win. There will always be haters to the rare games. Why is saying it is from Mexico "being a hater" towards it? I don't understand this post Because you are insinuating its not a US release, which would make it near worthless to US collectors, you Air Raid hater!! Ah, well then, guilty as charged I guess I am one of those weird collectors that forgot the value goes from $2,XXX to $200 just because it is a Mexico release. Well, hopefully it is from Mexico so then I can buy one I would still treat it like the rarity 10 it is regardless of it's orgin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninermaniac Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 All I know is, is that if eskobar here on AA comes up with these on eBay, like the Quadruns and Asterix carts we will know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dino Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 It does not matter where chips come from....many chips come from other countries just to be assembled in the US or to be released as a US product.... Speaking from experience Wonder this is a fight you just can't win. There will always be haters to the rare games. Why is saying it is from Mexico "being a hater" towards it? I don't understand this post Because you are insinuating its not a US release, which would make it near worthless to US collectors, you Air Raid hater!! Ah, well then, guilty as charged I guess I am one of those weird collectors that forgot the value goes from $2,XXX to $200 just because it is a Mexico release. Well, hopefully it is from Mexico so then I can buy one I would still treat it like the rarity 10 it is regardless of it's orgin. You're not weird CC, just logical This thread may as well be called the "Who thinks Air Raid should be worth 1/10th of its current value" thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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