+the1hatman Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I recently received a most excellent item in the mail, an original Turbo box and cart. For someone who only had the cart and had to create everything else to "complete" the game, this is a pretty big deal. One of those games you might think you'll never find CIB and still affordable. The only minor drawback was the box in slightly rough shape... There is a lot of tape involved along with the dreaded price tag: The back has some tape issues as well: As is often the case with Coleco boxes, the sides were creased and crushed and the tabs were torn off: On the other side the tab was actually missing: The bottom flap of the box was not completely unglued but was tearing the under flap away with it: So that's what I had to work with, It looks rough but this is Coleco's rarest Intellivision release so it's worth the effort to save as much as possible. A collector like me is lucky to even have a box for this. Let's begin..... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+fdr4prez Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 duct tape and spray paint will fix that right up 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 First I have to deal with the tape. A lot of it can be removed by just being careful and slowly pulling the tape away from the surface. If any piece of it starts to rip or remove the graphic from under it, I simply have to leave that bit in place and cut away the loose tape to leave a clean, flat edge. I try to keep as much of the original box as possible. The Price tag has to be removed with a combination of Goo Gone and simple friction: The tape continued to the back along with a lot of dirty tape residue. I was able to remove all of the tape on this side and used a tiny amount of Goo Gone to take off the dirty glue residue. Too much of it will damage the surface of the box so a small corner of paper towel damp with Goo Gone is all that's needed. Once that is done I can take the box apart by splitting the manufactured edge (the glued side) down the side. This has to be done carefully to not rip the already crushed box side: The now opened box with the tape and glue removed and most of the price tag coming off. Had to let the tag sit damp with Goo Gone for a bit before it could be removed all the way: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Sorry, didn't know this was going to be a tutorial of sorts! I have a Lady Bug box that was pretty beat up, missing end flaps, etc. I ended up cutting it up and placing the spine, rear and front (separate pieces) in one of those universal game cases. Hey, looks better than it did! And I too have a Turbo box that has seen better days. Not as bad as yours I guess, but what I did was place a bunch of packing peanuts in it to help fill out, so does not give the appearance of it being as crushed. Have some ideas which involve Sharpies to help color the cracks in the spines and maybe some packing tape to mend the end flaps, but other than that - am afraid to do much else. Interested to see what kind of magic you've got up your sleeve! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Now I can see the inside of the box and where it needs new support added to reverse the crushing of the sides. I can't repair the creasing that's taken place over the years but I can give the box back its original shape and rigidity: The cartridge retention looks ok at first glance but has some crushing where the supports meet the box. These will have to be re-enforced as well: A closer look at the other side reveals how Coleco's use of perforated edges to create folds causes them to split apart. This can be fixed with clear packing tape cut to fit the creases exactly: Just like the outside of the box, I have to take apart the cart retention to shore up the supports there as well. There is a lot of old dry glue that has to be removed whenever you do this or the new seams will not adhere properly: Here is all the tape, glue chunks and strips of separated cardstock that shredded off from the box. All had to be removed to clear the way for new adhesion but this was all that was lost from the original. Not much really: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Sorry, didn't know this was going to be a tutorial of sorts! I have a Lady Bug box that was pretty beat up, missing end flaps, etc. I ended up cutting it up and placing the spine, rear and front (separate pieces) in one of those universal game cases. Hey, looks better than it did! And I too have a Turbo box that has seen better days. Not as bad as yours I guess, but what I did was place a bunch of packing peanuts in it to help fill out, so does not give the appearance of it being as crushed. Have some ideas which involve Sharpies to help color the cracks in the spines and maybe some packing tape to mend the end flaps, but other than that - am afraid to do much else. Interested to see what kind of magic you've got up your sleeve! IMG_2694.jpg IMG_2695.jpg IMG_2696.jpg That actually looks great considering what you had to work with. Don't be afraid to work with it further. In the condition these are already in, you might as well take a shot at it since most of the collectible value has been lost. If nothing else, it teaches you tricks that can be used later to fix less damaged boxes that are not as invasive as the cutting and taping like I'm doing here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 (edited) Now I can fix the torn/missing tabs. Thankfully one was still inside the box and was the piece with the part number that goes with Turbo. This is put back in place using HD Clear packing tape cut exactly to the tab's shape. I use the HD Clear because it practically disappears against the background graphics. You can feel it when you hold the box but it takes nothing away from its the appearance on the shelf: The other side was missing the tab completely. Thankfully I had an extra Donkey Kong box that was actually in worse shape but still had the universal Ivy Hill printing tab Coleco used on all their boxes. A quick snip and tape job later and the transplanted tab looks like it belonged all along: Edited January 5, 2017 by the1hatman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 (edited) Now I can begin adding the new support pieces that will prevent crushing and give the box its original shape back. This is done by cutting cardstock strips that fit exactly inside the original scoring seams of the box. I use double sided tape and a few dots of super glue along the back to keep the support in place and make it permanent: You can see the difference this makes on the outside and how well the box holds its shape... BEFORE: ...and AFTER: These supports are placed along the spine of every vertical part of the box and cart retainer as well as along the bottom inside flap to repair the tearing the old glue was causing there: Here is the now sturdy cart retention piece after being reconnected to the inside. I also had to flatten out the part the cart rests on as it had gotten smashed over time. I re-enforced it with extra layers of tape to keep this from happening in the future: Edited January 5, 2017 by the1hatman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 (edited) The last major hurdle was the amount of fading that had happened to the front. All of the yellow accents had turned white: the Sega logo, Intellivision text on the stripe, inside the TURBO logo and some of the arcade case graphics. I took a chance with a yellow Sharpie permanent marker and found that it did a very nice job bringing the color back to these areas. Here is a little sample of before and after in the Intellivision text: And the now the entire front is brought back to full color. I also touched up parts of the arcade case with a black marker and a few dots where the price tag had damaged the purple background at the top right corner. Some glue residue from the tag is still visible but it's a lot better than it was...BEFORE: ...and AFTER: Edited January 5, 2017 by the1hatman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 The box is now sturdy enough to stand on its own again even with everything inside: The top flap I repaired with just the HD Clear tape and no extra cardstock support so it looks as close to all original as possible when it is opened. It also looks more natural with the original hangtag piece that somehow is still attached to this well traveled box. All of the other added supports you saw on the inside are more or less hidden unless you really peer down inside the box and look for them on the sides: Overall, the entire thing came out much better than I'd hoped and now holds a proud place in my collection... BEFORE: ...and AFTER: Back together with the manual, Coleco catalog and warranty card (and possibly some custom overlays to finish it off): Special thanks to BBWW for sending me this great box! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+fdr4prez Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 duct tape and spray paint will fix that right up Or you can do all that other mumbo jumbo you've mentioned in these preceding posts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric7100 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Or the original owners could just take better care of their boxes over the years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Or the original owners could just take better care of their boxes over the years. Yeah. It's sad to see a rare game box in this condition but my guess is that most of the damage takes place to these things within their first few years of existence when no one thought they'd ever become collectible and cared more about the cart than the packaging. The only reason a box that was this far gone even survives this many years is because a collector somehow got a hold of it and couldn't toss it away despite the damage. I'm probably the 20th owner, lol. I'm just happy to have it since I know it will have a good home from now on in its new box protector 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Awesome job! I don't have the heart to tell you that you had the incredibly rare white text version though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Awesome job! I don't have the heart to tell you that you had the incredibly rare white text version though. If I did I'm sure you would have sent me a PM about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 If I did I'm sure you would have sent me a PM about it Lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BBWW Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Looks much better. LOL When you buy a "Lot" of games, sometimes surprise is in the lot. Sounds like you had some fun. :-) I'm not to blame for the condition...but it went to the right person. I finally got a NIB one and have another that is very clean but open. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Amazing job restoring the box! And yeah, idiotically ironic that the rarest of things typically end up in such shape. Can't help but be reminded of all the clueless resellers and traders out there also, that stuff games like this in padded envelopes when shipping. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfy62 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Great work restoring the box, I believe my Turbo box to be in the worst shape of any in my collection, and your efforts put your box in better shape than that, or damn close to! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BBWW Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Nice overlays too!!! (Hint) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-crew Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Looks Great!! Thanks for sharing your secrets for box restore.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KylJoy Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Great job!!! I love restorations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HunterZero Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Awesome! I'd be tempted to use some magic markers or acrylic paint to touch up the white showing through the cracks in the printing around the creases, but it's great as it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+JasonlikesINTV Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Excellent restoration, Less Exciting Eric! Seeing the tutorial inspires me. Maybe I'll actually attempt to assemble some of my flat boxes, or even restore a few. My Body Slam could really use a similar repair. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intellfan Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Great job. you do great work . Now I could use a maker over myself so I looked like i did in 1982 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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