"Fake" Frankensteining

[fcgamer | 4,738]

I'm personally not a huge fan of Frankensteining pieces to complete a set. That's how we end up with mismatched parts, items that are similar but not identical, and it just ultimately ends up creating confusion down the line. With that said, I'm hear to discuss fake Frankensteining, and I'm sure some of you might have some stories to share as well.

For example, there's a guy I know, and he seemingly has this huge warehouse of video game goodness. He doesn't give a crap about that stuff, he's an older guy and doesn't particularly seem to need the money, and I'll just purchase whatever goodies he finds, when we meet. I don't cherry pick, sometimes I'll leave things behind, but anything that's boxed I'll take.

A few years back he sold me (very cheaply) a stack of empty Sega Mega Drive boxes, along side a stack of empty Hi Card cases. Throughout the time though, he has also sold me loose games for both of these machines, and interestingly enough, the vast of the loose carts match up 1:1 with the empty cases.

Because of how the guy sells his items to me, I honestly don't believe that he's purposely selling them separately for more money, though it is also quite clear to me that many of these carts and boxes were initially together. So yes they were Frankensteined, but at the same time not really.

Anyone else have experienced something like this? Maybe a friend gave you something, and then later found more pieces that went with? 

[O.G. CIB | 415]

It’s nearly impossible to finish some sets without combining pieces. As long as the product codes match (NES, snes and N64) it doesn’t matter to me. Some items are hard enough to find as it is and 20 years ago no one verified if the codes matched  so you would have what you thought was a CIB copy they may have a different revision manual. 

with time came knowledge and new discoveries till this day. I can’t hate on how people get to complete sets.... it’s hard enough. 

[Tulpa | 3,526]

It's probably harder to put together a CIB of anything with its exact original parts and inserts after twenty to thirty years than it is to find the same thing sealed in many cases, IMO. People threw most of the ephemera out and stuff got mixed up. So I understand why Frankensteining happens. As long as the numbers match, I think most are okay with it.

[ThePhleo | 2,185]

To me, a Frankensteined collectible is okay if it's true to its variant.

I have probably a couple dozen games in my collection that I can "technically" piece together to make CIB, but they aren't true to their variants. Instead I store them away in boxes until I come across their true matching parts and then sell it if its a double, or keep it if its a unique enough variant to me.

Knowing what piece goes to what isn't easy either though, but can be pieced together with educated guesses. For example, Marble Madness on NES has three "pack-in" variants but only two "publication" variants. The two publication variants are "Circle Seal" and "Oval Seal" but the pack-in variants have different flyers/posters....pack-in 1 has the circle seal of quality generic Milton Bradley flyer, pack-in 2 has the oval seal of quality generic Milton Bradley flyer, and pack-in 3 has the Marble Madness full poster.

Also, as far as what constitutes a "complete" game, I think its okay to exclude extraneous items that don't contribute to the actual game itself. Stuff like registration cards, flyers, posters, and other random inserts shouldn't be considered part of a "game" but rather just miscellaneous extras...but, items that DO contribute to the game like maps absolutely should be part of the "completeness" of a game.

Edited May 2, 2020 by ThePhleo

[Tabonga | 2,325]

About the only thing I do have done this with are maps for games.   (I am a big sucker for game (or fantasy) maps of all sorts.   Sometimes I have gotten games missing the maps (normally I won't buy games that are missing boxes, manuals, etc,) - maps for some reason seem easier to find than a box or manual.   I also will get maps if they are in better shape than what I have.

I also will get maps for games that didn't come with a map originally,  (Two examples for the Genesis are "Centurion Defender of Rome" and "Might and Magic - Gates to Another World" - they didn't come with a map but the PC counterparts did.)

And I will "upgrade" a map if a nicer version if available.  One example of this is the Master System game "Miracle Warriors".  This came with a large paper map which is not common and if it is there it is often in horrible shape.  The Japanese versions (on many platforms) came with a light canvas like map and a pewter figure (to put on the map to keep track of where you were on the world map).

 

[Strange | 1,700]

41 minutes ago, Tabonga said:

About the only thing I do have done this with are maps for games.   (I am a big sucker for game (or fantasy) maps of all sorts.   Sometimes I have gotten games missing the maps (normally I won't buy games that are missing boxes, manuals, etc,) - maps for some reason seem easier to find than a box or manual.   I also will get maps if they are in better shape than what I have.

I also will get maps for games that didn't come with a map originally,  (Two examples for the Genesis are "Centurion Defender of Rome" and "Might and Magic - Gates to Another World" - they didn't come with a map but the PC counterparts did.)

And I will "upgrade" a map if a nicer version if available.  One example of this is the Master System game "Miracle Warriors".  This came with a large paper map which is not common and if it is there it is often in horrible shape.  The Japanese versions (on many platforms) came with a light canvas like map and a pewter figure (to put on the map to keep track of where you were on the world map).

 

Did you post this in a Master System Facebook group recently?

[Tabonga | 2,325]

5 minutes ago, The Strangest said:

Did you post this in a Master System Facebook group recently?

No (since I don't use facebook I am pretty sure not;  ^___^).

(Some of the pictures might be the same since I just lifted them from ebay.)

Edited May 2, 2020 by Tabonga

[Strange | 1,700]

27 minutes ago, Tabonga said:

No (since I don't use facebook I am pretty sure not;  ^___^).

(Some of the pictures might be the same since I just lifted them from ebay.)

Someone in a Master System group was excited to have finally gotten a Miracle Warriors with a map too, funny coincidence.

I got a Miracle Warriors recently too with the map. Good stuff!

[Tabonga | 2,325]

Just now, The Strangest said:

Someone in a Master System group was excited to have finally gotten a Miracle Warriors with a map too, funny coincidence.

I got a Miracle Warriors recently too with the map. Good stuff!

I actually have a mint paper one also - but the collector in me wanted both.

[GPX | 1,371]

To me, “Frankensteining” a game is like building your own weapon. With such a weapon, you can either use it for good or bad intentions. 

Bad: combining parts of mismatches, and then selling them as if they were an authentic complete set. Of course, sometimes mismatches can also be made unintentionally which can lead to further confusion for subsequent collectors.

Good: combining parts which match the original regional coding, and transforming the individual parts into a whole. This is actually one of the main joys as a CIB collector.

Perhaps another positive thing is that buying individual contents might save you some money, even though likely to be more time consuming compared with buying a complete legit copy from the one transaction.

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by GPX

[a3quit4s | 4,119]

You can’t be having a players choice game inside a non players choice box or vice versa. 
 

Everything else is fair game. 

[Code Monkey | 2,011]

I once bought a Transformer from a local guy for $5 because it didn't have any weapons. It it were complete it would go for $75 but it was almost worthless without the weapons.

A few months later I went back to buy something else and he said, "Hey, you still collect Transformers? Here, take this." He handed me the bag of every weapon belonging to that original figure for free because he didn't have the figure to go with it.

I was super confused and it seemed like he didn't even remember me. I still have it.

[Tanooki | 4,943]

I'm not sure if I am or not a fan of it, but I have personally done it quite a few times but I did take care doing so.  I guess it's from the time I actually cared more about collecting stuff still and wasn't soured on it in most of the cases.  When recovering my losses from 2004-05 when I started getting stuff back I made attempts to at least line up manuals and included map/posters with the games and that they were the right ones.  So in a sense yeah they were, but if i didn't tell you I did it, you would not know they didn't come out of the same shrink wrap from the factory.

I've done it to complete systems too, but again, I'd match up the papers, even in a case or two I've even taken a less nice piece of paper over one I had to match the contents up.  The last time I pulled this stunt I guess was a couple years ago. I reverse built an entire Nintendo Action Set (orange zapper version) on the cheap.  First came the last day of an estate sale I got the box, foam, all the bags and some still had the unremoved a/v cable, uhf thing, and the manuals+warranty+game manual bagged up for like $10-15.  A week or two later at a flea market found another one beat to death box I pitched but inside had a cherry system and ac adapter for around $10.  After that I sourced a couple of controllers and zapper on ebay as it was cheaper than local for $20, and then finally picked up the correct cart for $5 and I had it all.  It took about a month in all and if I ever did dump it, it's a match.

The longest term I've done such a thing and it was actually by accident and techincally isn't done still, Pokemon SoulSilver for DS.  Last year summer-ish I found the pokewalker at a flea table for $5 and planned to hold onto it just in case, never had luck, tried to sell it, but ebay and it's preferred seller bs it never sold.  2 months ago I found the game at the Louisville Arcade Expo but someone stole the card, oddly left the intact box/contents, and i asked the seller if I could buy it and they just let me have it!  At that point I was committed, ended up bagging the game on the cheap for $30.  And then a couple weeks after I found the pokewalker manual with a DSi system manual for $5 too.  Right now all I'd need is the outer larger sleeve box and flimsy tray that slots the game box and pokewalker inside it.

 

Like the post above, I did the same in a few cases on G1 Transformers, learned fast you either buy your G1 for like $10 or less, because there are a lot of toy predators out there that want anything from $5-30 for a tiny piece of plastic on those things.  It took me nearly 2 years to get a couple missiles for Thrust because I refused to pay $20/piece on them.  Currently sitting on 3 deluxe insecticons that have no weapons either so I browse listings on those.  Either I'll buy a beat up complete one with the pieces and then sell the spare to defray, or I"ll give up and sell them as i'm not that desperate.