A quick search of the forum would've answered ALL of these questions. I hate being a search nazi but this one is especially common.
"100% original": the
board set is 100% original and legit. It's guaranteed (by Yaton) to work. The
label and / or plastic cart shell may be replacements. The cart
could be extremely dirty, inside and out. Every "original" cart I've bought from him has been legit and playable, but some have needed a good scrubbing.
"100% working" or
"special":
bootleg, to at least some extent. He still guarantees they work to the extent that they're playable but they may have the usual bootleg problems (i.e., no endings). The shell / label may or may not be SNK originals but who cares since the boards are boots anyway. I've bought two from him: Twinkle Star Sprites and Neo Turf Masters. TSS was 100% boot and works 100%. NTM had one original board (with original mask roms) and one boot board. The boot board had some bad solder joints that had to be reflowed. It now works 100%. HOWEVER,
AS WITH ANY BOOTLEGS, YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY AND IT IS A GAMBLE AS TO WHETHER IT WILL WORK RIGHT IN YOUR SYSTEM.
"New kit":
100% legit, new MVS kit. I've bought two and they've both been perfect.
Those
plastic boxes are similar to shock boxes but are
NOT SHOCK BOXES. They're segmented (so you can't use shock box inserts) and from what I gather, the
quality is questionable. If you get a cart with one of these, consider it as extra packing to protect the actual cart in shipping.
Do not pay extra because of the box.
Finally, I've done a good bit of business with him, both through eBay and his web site (
www.arcademvs.com). I've never had a problem, though shipping can be very slow.
