Super Pro Football Box Repair

[+the1hatman]

So I picked up a cheap copy of Super Pro Football as I didn't have it (don't judge me, I'm poor) which was not in the greatest condition. I made the decision to try and repair it even before I hit buy it now. As you can see the front artwork and most of the left side of the box were damaged/missing and the cart retention section was completely gone:

 

 

I started by cutting away and saving (more on that later) the damaged edges of the front and side. I tried to leave as much of the original box as possible but all of the artwork had to go as lining up the new print would have been beyond my skill:

 

 

 

 

[+the1hatman]

I next reinforced the crushed right side and bottom flap panels with fitted cardstock. This gives the original damaged areas new support:

 

 

Closeup of the flap repair:

 

 

I then printed out the new front and left side using complete images from online:

 

 

I had to leave some overlap on the left edge as there is a gap in the original on that side.

[+the1hatman]

Next I had to splice in the new section under the remaining original box sections:

 

 

All of this is accomplished with a combination of double sided tape and press laminate cut into strips. Glue would not seal the edges and would not flex at the side seams properly without splitting. Doesn't look as clean but this box was destroyed anyway so the whole procedure is a bit of a Hail Mary anyway (lame football joke):

 

Edited October 7, 2015 by the1hatman

[+the1hatman]

Again, I wanted to keep as much of the original box as possible even though cutting more away might have made for cleaner lines. I felt it was important to keep everything that did not absolutely have to go even though I was able to reprint the entire front and side. Sentimental about the product I guess.

 

Closeup of the front seam:

 

 

Closeup of the bottom seam:

 

 

Closeup of the left side seam with some original box overlap:

 

[+the1hatman]

As there was no cart retention section left I had to make my own out of cardstock. I use the Coleco style since it is easier to create and mount. It also reinforces the side of the box it is mounted on and helps prevent crushing. I also added a manual pocket to keep the instructions and overlays from moving around or falling out of the bottom flap of the box. I use the same setup for the reproductions I make as well:

 

 

As a bit of extra sentimental touch I mounted the pieces I had to cut away to the inside of the box. They won't really be visible once the box is complete but they will always remain a part of the original.

Edited October 7, 2015 by the1hatman

[+the1hatman]

The reassembled box is actually super sturdy from all the added cardstock support and laminate. It's almost as stiff as Parker Brothers style packaging and easily stands up on its own with all of the contents inside:

 

 

Edited October 7, 2015 by the1hatman

[+the1hatman]

The new cart retainer and manual pocket make getting to the game and materials easier than the original center-bottom alignment. Keeps things from falling out of the bottom as well which I have always found annoying about the older boxes in my collection. i would never change a complete original box but since this one was so far gone I figured what the heck:

 

 

And so the repair is complete. Not the prettiest thing in my collection but it beats having lose carts and instructions. Again, this is not something I would do to a mostly intact box or anything rare but since this had little to no collectible value left anyway I wanted to make it as complete as possible. It works for my meager collection and makes a nice placeholder until I can afford a better copy.

 

One big happy family again:

 

Edited October 7, 2015 by the1hatman

[+KylJoy]

I'm a project guy so I like what you've done to save that box.

[+stupus]

Good God man!

[+intvsteve]

Cool! Nice work!

 

This is the kind of thing I wish I still had time for -- tinkering and 'making'. There's a local game shop around here that's got a few INTV Corp. releases with some damaged boxes (probably rodent damage), and they're a bit stumped as to what to do with them. Something like what you've done would boost the 'curb appeal' -- as long as they're clear about what went into it, of course. Not sure they're ready to put in the time, though.

[m-crew]

Great Work !!!

[+intellivotion]

A work by true restorer

 

I have an extra copy of Turbo by CBS that would need the same treatment

Edited October 7, 2015 by intellivotion

[+the1hatman]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the encouragement. I make reproduction boxes for my collection to house the rare carts that I have been lucky enough to come across but could never afford complete versions of, so I had a pretty good idea about how to approach this repair. It was really just a matter of printing a full repro and then splicing in the parts that were damaged instead of just putting together the whole box from scratch. I'd rather save as much original material as possible and my repro stuff is not as thick as the source packaging anyway so having the original back, flaps and 3 of the tabs was a nice bonus.

[+the1hatman]

A work by true restorer

 

I have an extra copy of Turbo by CBS that would need the same treatment

 

I don't think I would try this on something so rare unless the box was just that far gone like this SP FB one was. If you'd like to post some pics here I can take a look and see what could possibly be done though. But I wouldn't try cutting and taping on it unless you were sure it was no longer viable enough to hold collectible value.

 

Strangely enough my own copy of Turbo (US) is also an oddball find. I was able to get an inexpensive cart since the label was torn apart. So I recreated the US Turbo box using images from online, downloaded the manual and reprinted the label for the cart. mix in some extra Coleco documentation and you get a nice faux competed set!

 

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2015 by the1hatman

[HunterZero]

I've built a few replica Nintendo cartridge trays for SNES and GB, but never recreated the external box.

 

Since that box was pretty far gone to begin with, I have no problem with the lengths you went to to preserve what was left.

 

Good job!

[mthompson]

Was there any logistical reason that the new pieces couldn't have been mated so the edges would be flush with the original material? Or does the lighting in the photos just exaggerate the seam?

[+intellivotion]

 

I don't think I would try this on something so rare unless the box was just that far gone like this SP FB one was. If you'd like to post some pics here I can take a look and see what could possibly be done though. But I wouldn't try cutting and taping on it unless you were sure it was no longer viable enough to hold collectible value.

 

Strangely enough my own copy of Turbo (US) is also an oddball find. I was able to get an inexpensive cart since the label was torn apart. So I recreated the US Turbo box using images from online, downloaded the manual and reprinted the label for the cart. mix in some extra Coleco documentation and you get a nice faux competed set!

 

My extra copy of Turbo CBS has big damages (no cart retainer and no top flap), but 1) it's a copy that I could sell one day, so I don't need to repair it for the collection (I have another one in very good condition) and 2) shipping return to Italy would cost a little less that the amount to buy a very beautiful box.

Anyway your repro copies of Turbo Coleco box and label are awesome!!!

[Ignorama]

Well, it looks a bit like Frankenbox

[+the1hatman]

Was there any logistical reason that the new pieces couldn't have been mated so the edges would be flush with the original material? Or does the lighting in the photos just exaggerate the seam?

Good question. The lighting is making it look worse than it is but the seam exists mostly due to lack of skill on my part. I thought about cutting the patch to be flush but the cardstock I have to print to is not as thick as the original. Also, it would have made the already difficult task of lining up the patch to the original front pieces even harder and would have made it tough to keep the original tab at the top of the left side. I wanted to keep as much of the original as possible and use the least amount of tape and laminate as I could get away with As well.

 

A cleaner splice with fewer seams and more level application is possible but would have meant more cutting and taping. It's something I might try on a future repair but I wanted to keep this first attempt as simple as I could.

[+the1hatman]

My extra copy of Turbo CBS has big damages (no cart retainer and no top flap), but 1) it's a copy that I could sell one day, so I don't need to repair it for the collection (I have another one in very good condition) and 2) shipping return to Italy would cost a little less that the amount to buy a very beautiful box.

Anyway your repro copies of Turbo Coleco box and label are awesome!!!

Yeah that isn't something I would mess with. It would take the kind of damage seen on this football box or worse to get me to try a repair on something that rare. Putting in a Coleco cart retainer would be easy enough but the missing top flap would require too much alteration to the original box. This kind of restoration only works when the balance is tipped towards doing more good than harm.

 

The only possible thing I can suggest you try is maybe taking the cart retaining piece out of an easy to find box like Donkey Kong or Carnival and gluing it into the Turbo box in the correct spot. That way it's more of an original replacement part and no tape or laminate will affect any part of the box and artwork. I wouldn't mess with the missing flap though. My Donkey Kong Junior box is missing that piece too.

 

Thank you for your kind words!

Edited October 8, 2015 by the1hatman