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How easy is it to smash a graded game enclosure without damaging the game inside?


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Administrator · Posted

Let's say someone noticed that some graded games were being sold for roughly the same amount as the same game CIB, and that someone wanted to buy that graded game to open it to play the game, while retaining the excellent condition of the game's box.

Is there an easy way to go about this? Does it differ heavily between the various offerings (i.e. Wata vs CGC vs VGA etc.)?

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Wata and VGA: easy. CGC: no clue.

In my experience, Wata is the easiest to open. All you need to do is hold the case, front facing you, grip the top (label) part and push in with your thumbs with a good amount of force. You'll hear the pins snap and then you can pop the top off and slide out the game. Have done this several times with no issues.

With VGA, it becomes trickier because it's solid acrylic. but what you can do is slip a flat head screwdriver between the acrylic pieces, between the bottom and backside, and pry towards the bottom. It'll snaps the bottom off piece-by-piece, eventually the game can slide right out. just need to make sure you slide the game out *facing up*.

CGC tho I haven't tried... it's ultra sonic welded so I assume you'd need to grab a small tree branch cutter and chop off pieces til the inner blister can be easily removed. lol

Edited by inasuma
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I got a great price on a VGA sealed copy of Fantasy Zone for NES a few years ago. I wanted to open it for the sealed contents thread, so I had to smash the acrylic case to get it out. That case was pretty damn sturdy and I think I even had to take a hammer to it. That being said, it wasn't too hard to keep the to actual game intact. I just had to be careful about how I struck the case. Once I had it cracked open, it was just a matter of safely prying the remaining pieces apart.

So, while it can be a little challenging to get inside the case, protecting the game was relatively easy.

 

Edited by DoctorEncore
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It's relatively easy to crack a case to get the game out.

I just recently cracked a CGC video game case with a hammer and screw driver without issue and would recommend watching a video on YouTube and see how they are cracking out comics since there isn't one for video games yet.

For WATA it's easier you can smash the top flip on the front and back where the tabs are. After a few good hits you should be able to pull the flip right off. See getthegregs YouTube Short on cracking a WATA case. 

VGA not sure, haven't cracked on. Just take your time and watch YouTube if needed

 

 

Edited by mlbfan10
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14 hours ago, Tyree_Cooper said:

Wait, you mean that you can exchange a game from a WATA case without people being able to notice? 😂

Mmm not really. It’s extremely difficult to get the pins unattached, undamaged. VGA has a similar issue with the way they mold the acrylic pieces, makes it pretty difficult to seal a game and have it look exactly how VGA does it.

Edited by inasuma
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1 hour ago, Link said:

I'd use a dremel.

Yeah, if you're going about it seriously and really want to be careful, drilling out a few weak spots makes the most sense. I just didn't feel like using finesse, so the hammer solution was good enough for me. A more expensive game than Fantasy Zone would definitely get a little more time and effort if I ever have to do it again.

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alot of power tools might melt the acrylic making a mess and melting/sealing as they remove material, not as awesome as one would imagine if this happens.

 

I think hammer/chisel combo or channel locks to break the acrylic or the bond of the glue joints is the better way but still a risky operation

Edited by oops
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Administrator · Posted
56 minutes ago, oops said:

alot of power tools might melt the acrylic making a mess and melting/sealing as they remove material, not as awesome as one would imagine if this happens.

That's been my experience with similar materials so I'd probably avoid a dremel or similar, personally.

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1 hour ago, oops said:

alot of power tools might melt the acrylic making a mess and melting/sealing as they remove material, not as awesome as one would imagine if this happens.

 

I think hammer/chisel combo or channel locks to break the acrylic or the bond of the glue joints is the better way but still a risky operation

Hammer and chisel or hammer and small crowbar would have seemed like the logical choice to me. Shittylifeprotip: if you don’t have the tools just bring the game to Home Depot and use the tools to bust it open and put them right back on the shelf!

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4 hours ago, oops said:

alot of power tools might melt the acrylic making a mess and melting/sealing as they remove material, not as awesome as one would imagine if this happens.

I just tested with two pieces of jewel case layered together. They did indeed stick; but there wasn't any dust or mess, and they were easy to seperate. What I like about a dremel is no shards cracking across the rest of the case. ymmv of course, and I hope a grading case is thicker plastic than a jewel case.

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1 hour ago, Link said:

I just tested with two pieces of jewel case layered together. They did indeed stick; but there wasn't any dust or mess, and they were easy to seperate. What I like about a dremel is no shards cracking across the rest of the case. ymmv of course, and I hope a grading case is thicker plastic than a jewel case.

whatever works. Maybe a combination of dremmel and chisel/hammer.

 

Play safe. Wear safety glasses and cut resistant gloves

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