An unusual Intellivision design?

[Tavi]

I was doing some snooping online and found this Intellivision listed for sale somewhat close to my location.

What jumped out at me was the number pads are black and the direction discs are silver, rather then both being the usual gold.

Doing some additional digging around online, the controllers look like they are very similar (if not identical) to the ones designed for the Intellivsion System III.

The console itself is certainly not a System III. Which now has me curious if old existing console stock was being used up with new hardware (in this case controllers) as needed, or if someone just Frankensteined a console together themselves at some point out of the two different systems?

I might nab it just as a curiosity, if nothing else. The price is seems very reasonable, and they say it is in working condition. Plus, my cousin could use one to replace his system which quit working about 20 years ago.

[Bamse]

No doubt someone just swapped the controller's from a system III or Super Pro

[Tinman]

Just now, Bamse said:

No doubt someone just swapped the controller's from a system III or Super Pro

That's my guess as well.

[mr_me]

Is the contoller plastic brown or black? 

 

I've seen more black/silver INTV intellivisions with mattel gold bubble keypads and discs.

[Intelligentleman]

21 minutes ago, mr_me said:

Is the contoller plastic brown or black? 

 

I've seen more black/silver INTV intellivisions with mattel gold bubble keypads and discs.

Sometimes decades of hand grease can discolor the original plastic 

[Tavi]

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

Is the contoller plastic brown or black? 

 

I've seen more black/silver INTV intellivisions with mattel gold bubble keypads and discs.

It is hard to tell from the photo, and they only posted the one, but I would say it is brown?

I would go with the majority opinion here, and say at some point someone made this themselves out of two parts machines.

It seems sensible, but it does make me a little curious at to what someone did to a much newer INTV System III to render the console itself inoperative so that they used the controllers from it to repair an older model of console.

Ah well, it is a bit of a mystery! I was just curious if INTV was at some time using up any existing old Intellivision stock and making hybrid systems, but it seems it is just someones do-it-yourself repair job.

Still looks rather interesting though, if a bit odd.

[mr_me]

INTV was definitely using old parts they inhereted from Mattel but they wouldn't put Mattel Electronics branding on their consoles.  (Probably made at the same facility in Hong Kong).  Looking at the photo again, the controller plastic looks black not brown.  Someone could even have swapped the entire top cover off an INTV intellivision.  You'd have to flip it over and see the label to know for sure if it's a Mattel or INTV intellivision.

Edited March 5, 2020 by mr_me

[BassGuitari]

My money's on repair/service/mod job.