Clear NES Shell Mod

[FireHazard51 | 2,175]

I did this as a Christmas gift for my girlfriend's boyfriend.  About 9 months ago we had talk about video games and how I got into collecting them and he mentioned how he wanted an NES and Super Tecmo Bowl.  I told him he probably wouldn't be happy to see how expensive they were going for online and the state they look unless you want to pay way too much money for a good condition one.  We never talked about it since then but I knew what I had to do.  I had to buy a junk NES (likely not working) and do a cool shell mod after fixing it.  That is what I did, got a cheap NES from a GoodWill auction (actually not nearly as beat up as I expected so I'll keep the shell) that I had to do some minor repairs too.

Over all the fucking screw holes on the new console were too small.  I sheared the top of one of the tiny screws that hold the metal bit/spring to keep the door open.  I ruined another screw holding the motherboard down and almost couldn't get it out.  Another screw is mangled and would be a bitch to get out if the motherboard needed to be removed again.  If I had to do it again I think I would try predrilling the holes bigger.  Also note that the case is STUPID easy to put micro scratches into.  I noticed paper towels were leaving micro scratches.  

I got the clear shell idea from watching this mod video:

Here is where I bought the clear shell: https://retrogamerestore.com/store/nes-shells/

[NostalgicMachine | 383]

EXCELLENT work, OP!

I was just about to ask you where to find a transparent NES shell, and you provided the link.

Thank you so much!

[fcgamer | 5,124]

11 minutes ago, NostalgicMachine said:

EXCELLENT work, OP!

I was just about to ask you where to find a transparent NES shell, and you provided the link.

Thank you so much!

The guy that operates that is from Taiwan. He bought one of my Family Bits books and I autographed it for him

[JamesRobot | 6,256]

As cool as that is, it's a little too spendy without the guts.  It's custom though, so I get it.

Be cool if he did some colored shells for the next run.  Clear or translucent red.

[FireHazard51 | 2,175]

4 hours ago, JamesRobot said:

As cool as that is, it's a little too spendy without the guts.  It's custom though, so I get it.

Be cool if he did some colored shells for the next run.  Clear or translucent red.

I agree with the costs.  I can only justify the cost since it was a gift.  It totally made his Christmas which in itself hard to put a price on.  I think the only other color I've seen before was a smoked transparent case that was kinda cool too.  But I figured he'd want a clear view of the innards.

[Gloves | 12,574]

On 1/1/2025 at 5:11 PM, FireHazard51 said:

I did this as a Christmas gift for my girlfriend's boyfriend.

The NES is cool but I can't stop staring at this sentence.

[Link | 2,950]

Looks awesome, I love it! Clear cases for anything with circuit boards were all the rage in the mid90s and they kind of fell off, but I never stopped loving this kind of thing. Hell, I have a circuit diagram tattoo. Amazing how perfectly the vendor replicated the case; although sounds like they need to work on their screwhole machining or include screws to fit their product.

On 1/1/2025 at 3:11 PM, FireHazard51 said:

got a cheap NES from a GoodWill auction

Also jealous of this. Any decent retro console wouldn't last 5 minutes in any thrift store around here; I've tried to mess with the Goodwill auction site but it seems also competitive.

On 1/1/2025 at 3:11 PM, FireHazard51 said:

gift for my girlfriend's boyfriend. 

Huh, what's this, a poly sitch? Does he look like you?