Anyone know a place to get Neo Geo Pocket clamshell cases in bulk?

Forte

Forte

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I've recently gotten into collecting for NGPC, and I've managed to round up most of the US releases, but only loose or with manual. I've taken to using Nintendo DS cases and printing off custom artwork from thecoverproject.net, but the games don't fit well in the DS cases. Since NGPC has a case that's designed to hold the game (in the dust case to boot) and can accept custom artwork, I'd love to be able to get a hold of about 30 or so. Here's what I've been up to with the DS cases:

P4090158.jpg


The last two are Japanese clamshells (thanks bokmeow!) and what I'm looking to convert the others to eventually, if anyone can help out :)
 
M

Metal Slug

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Hi Forte,

Potentially they are out there.
Back in the day, retailers in the UK were supplied with dummy/extra clam cases. I got a load from my local Electronics Boutique (or had it changed to 'Game' by then?) when they dumped the NGPC.
I'd guess those have all been absorbed into collections now, but that leaves the vast numbers of cases from games returned to Japan then eventually resold as cart only.
I can't remember if they were stripped down by the main distributors in the UK then shipped back to Japan as cart only, or shipped back intact and stripped there.
Anyway, I'm rambling. You're not going to find that many empty boxes unless you can track down some of those cases.
If memory serves, the paperwork was allegedly destroyed but the status of the cases is less clear. IF any still exist in quantity, then it's possible they are with the distributors or were returned to Aruze.
You could try and follow the trail. Flash an email to the bigger distributors and work back from there.
Try play-asia or similar sites that sold the loose returned carts and the bigger independant online retailers who might possibly have some laying around in a box somewhere.

I'd say that after all this time it's doubtful though.
But on the upside I think that your solution is really good and looks great.

ATB
Gene
 
Forte

Forte

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Thanks! Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I'm probably about 10 years too late to the scene. What sucks is that companies make knockoff DS cases and UGCs and all of that, but NGPC is such a niche market that there isn't a generic clamshell case. The fact that NGPC had so many variances in packaging doesn't help either. Japan had cardboard boxes and clamshells, US had like one clamshell and the rest boxes that were different from Japan, and UK got all clamshells. I'll try shooting a few emails, but I doubt there are any left out there. Was really hoping for a generic solution, but doesn't exist apparently :(
 
Heath

Heath

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Why didnt you just get games with clamshell cases?
 
Forte

Forte

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It's neither easy nor cheap to find NGPC games other than loose nowadays. Plus, as I mentioned, US releases were in cardboard cases anyhow (except the first run of Metal Slug 1st Mission I think) so I can't get those in clamshells. The UK releases are quite expensive to import; it's cheaper just to make the custom cases. Faselei! itself CIB is over 100 USD, but I got the cart loose for 25 bucks. I'd rather spend the cash to get a lot of cases in bulk than pay that much just for one game's box.
 
presicion25

presicion25

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I dont blame you with that. Some people think alot of their games (my sarcasm for someone asking $100 for a NGPC game). Anyhow, Most of mine are loose carts with a CIB and CI Clamshell case as well. The only games I lack are Cool Boarders and Big Bang Pro Wrestling. There are a bunch of Slot and Mahjong games I don't have but im not interested in them really. Ive got a Lit Modded NGPC and a regular one as well. Ive gotten rid of my other CIB NGPC systems because I never used them. However, Its conceivable to collect every game since there were only about 116 games for the system. Heres what I used to have, my collection ha grown:

attachment.php
 
Tehcno

Tehcno

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Yeah I was in the same boat as you. I was making custom designs for the clamshells but coverproject didn't post them. Anyway I never could find them in bulk I just had to purchase cheap Japanese games and pull the artwork and games out of them. Usually it was Golf that I would buy. I got them for around $4 each but I just had to watch ebay for it.
 
chohan

chohan

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Xander Crews said:
So you're trying to make fakes.

Yeah....

....
Click to expand...

Yeah cause we won't be able to see the difference without the manuals and such...

I think its a good idea but the only way you will get clamshell cases cheap is buy either japanese clamshell cases or import them one by one from low starting bid auctions. Which is a bit of a waste because you'd still have the covers/manuals/carts left :)
 
chohan

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@Forte

Nice covers, really like the custom Metal Slug one!
 
Opethian

Opethian

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I have an extra NGP clamshell if you want for shipping costs
 
evil wasabi

evil wasabi

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chohan said:
Yeah cause we won't be able to see the difference without the manuals and such...

I think its a good idea but the only way you will get clamshell cases cheap is buy either japanese clamshell cases or import them one by one from low starting bid auctions. Which is a bit of a waste because you'd still have the covers/manuals/carts left :)
Click to expand...

People who buy loose games shouldn't try to make them more than they are. End of story. If you disagree, then you're in support of bootlegging.
 
chohan

chohan

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Bootlegs are fake cheap carts from a third party. So what you're saying anyone with origional mvs games with shockboxes is bootlegging aswell
? Explain yourself!
 
C

Colorado Rockie

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Xander Crews said:
People who buy loose games shouldn't try to make them more than they are. End of story. If you disagree, then you're in support of bootlegging.
Click to expand...

How the hell is trying to find extra NGPC snaplock cases considered bootlegging? WTF are you talking about?:scratch:
 
M

Metal Slug

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Xander Crews said:
People who buy loose games shouldn't try to make them more than they are. End of story. If you disagree, then you're in support of bootlegging.
Click to expand...

Can't agree with that at all.
It's easy for us who were buying at the time to have a hard POV on this, but these loose carts should have artwork and manuals and it was Aruze in their mad dash to screw up anything NEO related that meant that these were stripped in the first place.
I feel sorry for all the collectors who were left with incomplete collections or came to the NGPC after it was 'too late' and their only option was to buy the loose carts or spend over the odds on the few complete games available on ebay etc.
If they want to put them in cases with reproduced artwork or custom artwork then good on them. Like Cho says it's no different from what we do with MVS carts.
 
S

SNKorSWM

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Why would it be a bootleg? The cart itself is authentic, and that's the only thing that matters.
 
evil wasabi

evil wasabi

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chohan said:
Bootlegs are fake cheap carts from a third party. So what you're saying anyone with origional mvs games with shockboxes is bootlegging aswell
? Explain yourself!
Click to expand...

I see people who try to take their cheaply acquired ngpc games that didn't have the box or manual, and then printing them up. Some of these games do go for a few hundred, more than making up for the cost of reproduction. Printing isn't hard. But you can't make your own cases.
 
S

SNKorSWM

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So that's more like printing flyers and cart labels to make a "loose cart" into a "full kit with matching serials".
 
C

Colorado Rockie

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Xander Crews said:
I see people who try to take their cheaply acquired ngpc games that didn't have the box or manual, and then printing them up. Some of these games do go for a few hundred, more than making up for the cost of reproduction. Printing isn't hard. But you can't make your own cases.
Click to expand...

Right, but he's (Forte) not trying to fool anyone and pass them off as originals. Forte just wants authentic NGPC snaplock cases to store his loose games in. I don't see any problem with that and I don't understand why you consider that bootlegging.
 
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