Starting a Famicom collection

[djdac]

^ True I stopped playing roms long time ago. Doesn't look or feel the same as playing in the actual hardware.

[nintendodork]

I always thought it was fun when you had a NES USB controller and an RGB cable

[Blue Protoman]

Repros are expensive, and I'm not sure if the guy does Famicom carts.

[nintendodork]

He probably meant to get a converter too, or maybe, he just meant it'd be nice to play the games on actual NES hardware.  And repros aren't that much more/less than the actual carts.

[LocalToast]

Well I could get a repro for every game that is hard to get/never been released, or I could just get a PowerPak loaded with rare/hacked/translated ROMs.

But yeah, I think emulation kind of spoils the fun.

[LocalToast]

So I found a Famicom + FDS on eBay (link), but I'm wondering what you guys think of the auction. I only have about $40-50, and this seems like a pretty good deal so far, but I was wondering what your guys' expert opinion is.

Basically I'm really anxious to get my collection up off the ground so I can start thinking about other things, like games for one thing.

[manuel]

Nice auction. But I'm quite sure you won't win with 40-50$.
You should try your luck, though.

[LocalToast]

How much do you guys think something like that would go for? Like I said I've had 0 experience with bidding on a Famicom so I don't know what to expect. I have about $35 in some miscellaneous account and maybe $15 in cash, and I'm planning on making $33.50 tomorrow, so that's a little over $80 I can use.

According to the Price Guide thread, that seems like the suggested price for a system + FDS.

P.S. - I hope I don't end up bidding against somebody here.

[nintendodork]

They both have the box, which is nice.  My only complaint would be that the Famicom is quite yellowed...but it's nonetheless a great deal!  I'd say $80 should be your max, as you will have shipping costs from Malaysia, too.  You can find better deals than that, but they're scarce outside of Japan.  Keep a watch on it.  You never know what could happen in three days.

EDIT* It seems he's selling quite a few Disk Systems, so if you don't win that auction, you can always look at the other ones.  He's also selling two Famicom look-alike Famiclones!

[LocalToast]

Yeah, I also noticed the discoloration of the system.

So, I decided to Google "famicom yellowing" and found a thread which lead to a thread previously posted on these very own forums about discoloration! Apparently this stuff called Retr0Bright will do the trick. Although, I'm worried that I might screw something up, somehow.

Also, the controller's surface (metal) might have some scratches, but would that be hard to repair? I'm guessing that it isn't paint and regular metal polish would not harm it.

Conclusion: If I make some Retr0Bright and get some metal polish, the Famicom will look good as new.

[skyrunner14]

Get MOTHER.  Actually, the game's entirely in Japanese.  But there is an English prototype.  Just download that and play it on an emulator.

MOTHER was actually the first Famicom game I owned. To be completely honest, it was the one of the main reasons I got a Famicom! I used a bunch of translation guides, and some info on starmen.net as well.

[LocalToast]

Well the bidding went pretty high on this auction. It's a little over $100 (not to mention $14 shipping). I don't think I'm that interested anymore. 

[namakubi]

Keep looking, and I'd suggest just getting a Famicom first, as getting both the Famicom and Disk System is going to shoot the prices up in auctions.

[LocalToast]

I've got my eye on another auction ending soon, although I'm a bit unsure about it. The system is in good condition and has a couple games to get me started, but shipping is a little high.

Linky

[LocalToast]

Well I won the auction with $56. Not too bad, I guess. I don't really mind not having a box or instructions I can't read. "Economy SAL" shipping is $17 (alternative, EMS, was $19), so the total came out to be $73. Economy SAL takes longer but I don't really mind waiting for it.

Next on my list is a Disk System, and then some games.