KevinMos3 Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) The Absolute and Activision carts always bothered me. Activsion carts for the 2600 always invoked a feeling of quality, but for the 7800 they just felt cheap to me. They don't even fit well into the cart slot and the labels were especially ugly. The other issue was that they were the only carts in my collection that didn't match (besides the two Froggo games which at least looked good and felt solid). Well, I've finally gotten around to satisfying my OCD and here is the result: The 32K games are repros (Kung-Fu Master is the sprite/color hack). The others (Double Dragon, F-18 Hornet, and Rampage) are extra carts I had of each, so I carefully removed and stored the original labels, and trimmed the insides of Atari shells to hold the original PCBs. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy playing the games much more now. I've found myself spending more time with these games recently than all my life combined. If anyone is interested in doing this, here are labels you can use (as seen in the picture): Edited January 5, 2013 by KevinMos3 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Nice job. I always hated that Double Dragon cover art because it didn't look like the common DD art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorfcadet Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Wow! Very nice! I agree with you about the Activision labels; they did look mega cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) I always hated that Double Dragon cover art because it didn't look like the common DD art. Personally, I've always liked the Activision boxart for Double Dragon, but I understand what you're saying. I added an alternate NES/Genesis style Double Dragon label to the first post for ya. It could be done better, but the artwork I used for the 2600 label in my hacks thread is on another hard drive. So, I just grabbed what I had available at the moment. Edit: Too late to edit the 1st post again, but here's an alternate Double Dragon label with Activision art, but the colors changed to better match the actual in-game colors of the characters. Edited January 5, 2013 by KevinMos3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Awesome labels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmervine Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Kevin-really nice work! Let us know if you decided to make a few of these available. I really enjoy your color corrected Tank Command!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorfcadet Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Wow! The funny thing is I need all of those for my collection, but now I don't want them without those labels! I wonder if Al would do repros with those labels? Probably not, but a guy can dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Those look fantastic. Nicely done. I also agree that the Activision carts were disappointing-looking with those simple and cheap labels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 Thank you very much guys! The only label I'm not satisfied with is Pete Rose Baseball. I'm trying to find a different picture that I like better. I want some green (grass or turf) in it and a nice action baseball pic. I added a green hue to the background as seen above, but I'm not happy with it. As for getting labels printed... there's a shop in Lexington, Kentucky where I did these over holiday leave. The guy is real nice, does excellent work, has great prices, and he will ship to pretty much anywhere. http://www.businessp...ingamerica.com/ All contact info can be found on that site and there's even a place to upload your files for him to print. He prefers to print on 12"x18" sheets, so you can fit 16 labels on there. Also, you get 4 of those sheets for $5, so you're essentially able to get 64 labels for $5 plus shipping. The prints turn out in a semi-gloss, so they're not matte or glossy. Kind of a happy medium. I wouldn't mind them being a little more glossy actually, but I'm happy with them. If you really want them super shiny, you can spray them with a coat of lacquer (I tested one, but prefer them not that glossy). Kevin-really nice work! Let us know if you decided to make a few of these available. I really enjoy your color corrected Tank Command!!! Actually, I'm considering taking an interest check in a small run of Tank Command and Kung-Fu Master. I just need to get things ironed out first. In the meantime, you can ask Al to make one for you if he's not too busy. Wow! The funny thing is I need all of those for my collection, but now I don't want them without those labels! I wonder if Al would do repros with those labels? Probably not, but a guy can dream. All of the 32K games can be easily reproduced. It's not my place to speak for him, but I think you'd be fine. Double Dragon, F-18 Hornet, and Rampage use custom bankswitching, so I don't know about those; you'd have to ask. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorfcadet Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Kevin, you need a pic of Pete sliding into home. Pete was a good hitter, but what he did on the basepath is the reason people feared him. I love the DD red label! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stun Runner 87 Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Those look way better than the origional carts. Someone should make labels for all the origional carts that were black and white and add color to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 I've also made a gray-label replacement for b*nq so that it matches the rest of my collection. No disrespect intended. For whatever reason, when I bought it I was thinking it would be gray, (probably because of the picture in the label contest page). The original label is very nice, (but I'm a stickler for my 7800 games matching), so I removed it VERY carefully with heat and affixed it to the sticker-paper-backing of the new label for storage. You can see the cart with the original label beside it in this pic. Unfortunately, I'm getting off topic since this is about Absolute/Activision carts. Anyway, extra advertisement for b*nq! Buy it in the AA store. Kevin, you need a pic of Pete sliding into home. Pete was a good hitter, but what he did on the basepath is the reason people feared him. I love the DD red label! Thanks! I've used google image search and have had trouble finding a good one. If you know of one, please share. Someone should make labels for all the origional carts that were black and white and add color to them. I've done a few for the 2600 in my hacks thread: Double Dragon, Rampage, Pete Rose Baseball, (and I'm about to do Tomcat F-14). It would be very easy to use them for the 7800 games as well. I suppose one would just need to change the copyright info at the bottom... or maybe it could even be left as-is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Very nice work indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorfcadet Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I see what you mean.. I found the two most iconic pics, but they are pretty low res. Of course, Pete's heydey predates digital photography. I'll look in some of my books at work tomorrow and see if I have something I can scan. Still can't compliment your labels enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stun Runner 87 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I've also made a gray-label replacement for b*nq so that it matches the rest of my collection. No disrespect intended. For whatever reason, when I bought it I was thinking it would be gray, (probably because of the picture in the label contest page). The original label is very nice, (but I'm a stickler for my 7800 games matching), so I removed it VERY carefully with heat and affixed it to the sticker-paper-backing of the new label for storage. You can see the cart with the original label beside it in this pic. Unfortunately, I'm getting off topic since this is about Absolute/Activision carts. Anyway, extra advertisement for b*nq! Buy it in the AA store. Thanks! I've used google image search and have had trouble finding a good one. If you know of one, please share. I've done a few for the 2600 in my hacks thread: Double Dragon, Rampage, Pete Rose Baseball, (and I'm about to do Tomcat F-14). It would be very easy to use them for the 7800 games as well. I suppose one would just need to change the copyright info at the bottom... or maybe it could even be left as-is. BnQ is awsome.Lol, I thought id also do a little advertinsing for Ken Siders and Atariage.TO ANY ATARI7800 COLLECTORS THAT DON'T HAVE THIS GAME, YOU MUST GET IT......NOW!JUST GO TO THE ATARIAGE STORE AND PLACE AN ORDER.#$&*##&*^%#!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) Here I go off topic again... this time with Froggo carts. I thought I'd mess around and whip up some quick and messy alternate labels for Tank Command and Water Ski. I have more variations with different pictures, but I think these turned out the best... although I'm still not crazy about them. They really need some adjusting and could use better pictures to start with anyway. If someone finds pictures they'd like to see used for a label, just send it my way and I'll see what I can come up with. Here's what they might look like on carts: Edited January 7, 2013 by KevinMos3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpaul Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Actually, I'm considering taking an interest check in a small run of Tank Command and Kung-Fu Master. I just need to get things ironed out first. In the meantime, you can ask Al to make one for you if he's not too busy. I'd be interested in these... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Put me down as interested in Tank Command and Kung-Fu Master as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Thanks guys. I'll keep that in mind once I'm able to act upon it. I don't have the resources yet. I'll need to find a good source for parts, then I'll start a thread to get an idea of how much I'll need. The Kung-Fu Master hack thread should be updated soon. I just have to finish changing the spinning bombs. I've got the main sprite done, but I need to work on the exploded one. Back to topic: I'd like to put a request out there for a good tank picture and a good baseball picture (preferably of the Cincinnati Reds since it's "Pete Rose Baseball" and if at all possible, of the man himself). I know Pete's going to be hard to find unless someone has an old magazine or something that they can scan, but I'd settle for a really good action pic of the Reds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic Pac Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I agree way better than the originals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stun Runner 87 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I want all my carts to look like that..........Where can I get empty carts switch my boards into? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 (edited) Where can I get empty carts switch my boards into? Unfortunately, you'll just have to cannibalize existing carts. I'm not aware of anyone molding new shells (although I really hope I'm wrong). This is a shame because the coleco community has new molded shells for their releases. Perhaps we can get this done as well at some point. If you want to go that route (putting the boards into Atari shells), you'll have to do a bit of trimming to the shell. In the pictures below, you can see where you need to trim to make room for the PCB on both sides. You'll also need to trim a little more for the rom on one side and a resistor on the other. Lastly, you'll need to trim the screw post. If you leave it intact, but trim it enough so that it can fit through the horizontal slot in the PCB, you can use it to hold the PCB in place when you close the cartridge. It just so happens that lining up the PCB slot with the trimmed screw post holds the PCB right where it needs to be anyway. This is for Double Dragon, Rampage, & F-18 Hornet. For F-18, you'll need to make one additional trim because a resistor is exactly where the plastic comes down to meet the PCB. For the 32K games, you'll need a similar trim, but you probably won't need to trim the screw post. Here is a pic of Tomcat F-14. I believe the other games should look about the same. I did not replace the shells on my 32K games. Instead, I went the repro route using Pole Position II boards. There is an inverter attached to the backside, which is very easy to do. Jeff Wierer posted a guide for it (in his blog). Edited January 11, 2013 by KevinMos3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stun Runner 87 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thanks Kev for the input..............I had know idea it was that complicated.....All this time I thought you just needed any old cart shell....I thought it was going to be as easy as just unscrewing, throwing the board in and screwing the case back on, LoL..............I may have to hire someone for the job......damn but I'm still gonna try it first LoL........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduecrum Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Kevin, you need a pic of Pete sliding into home. Pete was a good hitter, but what he did on the basepath is the reason people feared him. I love the DD red label! Need Pete in his Expos uniform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Very nice work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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