Deyellowing a Rare Crystal White GameCube - Adam Koralik

It's Adam Koralik here and today we're discussing a Japanese Final Fantasy Crystal White Nintendo GameCube (with Game Boy Player). Specifically, we'll be restoring it. This console is extremely limited, one of one hundred and fifty ever made. However, it's very yellow. I want to fix that, let's go!
www.patreon.co...
/ adamkoralikofficial
/ figureitoutproductions
/ adamkoralik
/ adam_koralik

[@Caleb_Bravo99]

The fact that you managed to get this with the Game Boy Player and the Controller for $30 is insane.

[@chargermaster3676]

RadShyGuy sells it to gamestop they will give him $12

[@AdamKoralik]

+RadShyGuy Agreed.

[@beachplease808]

You could've use a brush to brush on the solution.

[@cesarmendieta7954]

He probably kill he's previous owner. I would pay 3x the price just for the controller and 5X the price for the white GBA player and even that is cheap

[@Waifu4Life]

Would have been funny if at the end of this process, Adam found out that it wasn't a White GameCube, but just a Platinum version that lost it's entire paint job :p

[@AdamKoralik]

I was so scared if was the PAL one...but it isn't. I kept checking the region coding, the color, the stickers...I needed to be sure.

[@HenrikoMagnifico]

I can't believe you had a de-yellowing tutorial! Exactly what I was looking for for my own yellowed (PAL pearl white) GameCube 😁

[@dschult3]

You know you are the man when Google refers you to yourself when you have a question. Great video, Adam!

[@AdamKoralik]

:P

[@christopherwilliams9418]

Was anyone else a little fucked up at the ATI sticker peeling off after the retrobrite process? ;w;

[@joniden2215]

"These things sell for thousands of dollars." "I bought this for $28 while I was in Japan" HA!

[@AdamKoralik]

Yes?

[@Silv3rShadow1]

@@AdamKoralik I'd buy it for 1k usd, im a final fantasy collector, if it is complete in box that is

[@ActuallySanFrancisco]

"you know what the saying is: "once you buy a gamecube, you continue buying a lot of gamecubes."" - john from +hard4games

[@eliktroniq]

good god, i've been searching for one of these for months and months for just that game boy player, and you've found one for just 28 bucks?! i don't think i could be any more jealous! and how in the world have i never subscribed to you? i've been watching your videos for years now! time to fix that...

[@AdamKoralik]

+windows958 Welcome aboard.

[@challengerdrakava1198]

Adam Koralik: "Rare white gamecube guys!" me: *paints gamecube white* . _ .

[@jehad78]

Your welcome Adam and yes I'm still watching from time to time!Glad to see that game cube is still up and running with you!

[@AdamKoralik]

+jehad78 Well thank you again! ^_^

[@jehad78]

Adam Koralik anytime brother

[@robitaill3]

Adam, I have a trick for glossy plastics; wax them with car wax, it works amazing. I tried with my launch ps3, looks brand new

[@hydr0genjukebox]

Just remember, as he never seems to mention this, the consoles do re-yellow. Just be aware. This is a temporary solution.

[@WindyCornerTV]

Odd question, but would this also work with an Indigo Gamecube that has sun fade?

[@greenhxify]

Great video Adam! Ur the coolest ^_^ i love my gamecubes so much i think I'll restore them in a few years.

[@AdamKoralik]

Good luck!

[@youroneandonlyneighborhood8834]

pretty meta how your video of yourself taught you how to reassemble the Gamecube. ;)

[@AdamKoralik]

+youroneandonlyneighborhoodboi Right?!?

[@tim49013]

The best $20 you could probably ever spend I wish I had one

[@danielromero7867]

The $20 or the GameCube?

[@mattymatt2323]

Did Michael Jackson use Salon Care 40 as his body soap?

[@traeyboy529]

Lol

[@tudapainicaa]

Lol

[@eleosparakhaous]

That's kinda funny, but the thing that actually happened was that he ended up catching on fire during a performance and needing skin grafts.

[@Dylan90210]

@@eleosparakhaous That isn't actually the main cause. He had the genetic disease Vitaligo, which causes skin to lose it's pigment. Which is incidentally why he always walked outside with an umbrella, because apparently sunlight exposure affects the condition.

[@MrSkyl1ne]

The purple part of gamecubes also yellows, but it looks more like it faded. It's possible to de-yellow it also.

[@zincmann]

So I have a Japanese White Original DS in Box and it too does have that yellowing. The yellowing comes from several sources (nicotine tar) as a lot of Japanese still smoke, the air around the island etc something a little different than whats in the United States.

[@zacv1288]

Top video Adam! I have a new sealed White PAL Gamecube and you have managed to bring a sparkle on your Japanese version GameCube. Keep up the great work!

[@AdamKoralik]

+Zac V Thanks!

[@killeen21]

it's easier if you coat the pieces with a brush and then put them in plastic wrap so the hair cream can't evaporate - that way you can just let it sit in the sun for a few days (3-4 is usually enough for me) and be done.

[@nintendiumarmour879]

Hi Adam the memory card flaps are removable. I removed the flap from slot two. Its just a bit fidaly to get the spring back in, but perfectly do-able

[@nathansmith1085]

8 Bit Guy/8 Bit Keys uses this same method. He has stated on his most recent videos that he is experimenting with other techniques and will update on how they turn out. Just a FYI in case you were interested or unfamiliar with his channel(s)

[@terrancetruth]

Hey y'all. When he was talking about the lid mechanism; make sure when you put that lid back on to be careful about the door close sensor on the back of the system(the orange and black part on the left side in the back with the 2 switches on it) because if you push down too hard on it, it will break. The system will not be able to show the door is closed until you get a new one. Just saying.

[@Riz2336]

That's why I like all black consoles like the US Sega Saturn, don't have to deal with that yellowing shit.

[@plaguedoctor3782]

True, but in my opinion White works better with a lot more colours and breaks the status quo of the army of Black systems I have.

[@darthgamer6080]

@Riz2336 Very true but Black doesn't hide and handle dust very well.

[@RileySkye100]

Riz2336 you still have to deal with any yellowing on the controller panel.

[@childishbeat]

I might have thought this video was at least called "Destroying a Rare Crystal White GameCube".

[@zincmann]

So I have done the 40 Cream retrobrite according to your tutorials in the past and the above one. I got a White FFXIII PS3 from Japan that was yellowed underneath on the side the stand and controller so I have had it sitting out since 10 AM recoated it and frankly it looks like its white again. I guess will see when I bring it in but i brought the controller top half in and it looks completely white again which would be crazy after one coat. Thanks for all your videos.

[@shigerumiyamoto8173]

The Nintendo Switch would actually look really good looking if the dock was white and white joycons or white and red joycons

[@nkhazov]

This is so cool this is my first time ever hearing about the white GameCube

[@eleosparakhaous]

There's a reddit thread stating that the very slight yellow/ivory color in the GameCube (or at least the controller) is intentional, by the manufacturer's design. He compared the Crystal Chronicles GCN controller to a Super Mario Strikers Pearl White one for reference.

[@eleosparakhaous]

The OP also posted the insides of the controllers.

[@jambihd]

Man I want to get a GameCube again, it's the first console I ever owned and has some of my favourite games. Ive been trying to look for one in my city (I'm in Canada) but every where I'm looking they are priced for more than I want to and feel like I should spend, if anyone has any advice or tips that would be great!

[@petunia4141]

Congrats on your find!

[@AdamKoralik]

+Jacob Boyko Thanks.

[@HenrikoMagnifico]

I can't find that hair salon stuff in Sweden where I live, is there some other equivalent? Edit: I found a seller that ships to Sweden, but it's not the "Maximum Lift" version. Does it matter at all?

[@AdamKoralik]

I'm unfamiliar with that particular product so I can't say.

[@djdjukic]

Hey Adam, interesting video. The GameCube looks like painted ABS plastic, so same as the SNES but with a bit less bromine, as well as some dyes and apparently on this Crystal model a surface coat. Since you have two purple GameCubes, it would be interesting to see what difference it makes in deyellowing them (or just a part of their cases), since they obviously yellow as well, it's just far less noticeable because of the dark color. I also wonder if there is a way to deyellow transparent plastic, but it seems nobody on the Internet has done it...

[@tomholt1080]

Thats a cool looking gamecube. Im a bit jelly Adam!

[@mtshark7]

Awesome restoration Adam! That GameCube turned out really nice :-) I always watch my old videos that I've given advice on to re-teach myself, lol. That is funny Google recommended your video as a solution haha.

[@AdamKoralik]

+mtshark7 Thanks.

[@audreyoldaccount9233]

You should check out The 8-Bit Guy's (formerly TheiBookGuy) method for de-yellowing yellowed plastic. I doesn't have to take nearly as long as you say it does.

[@AdamKoralik]

+justAnotherfanb0y As stated in the video, it depends on how one does it. I did it the lazy way, hence it takes longer.

[@audreyoldaccount9233]

Ah I see. I guess it is more of a choice or preference.

[@AdamKoralik]

+justAnotherfanb0y Admittedly, I probably should I have done it the proper way, but I just wasn't feeling it.

[@Swan-may]

His most recent video shows the downside to his method: he got an uneven application of 40vol and it marbled the plastic. I guess it's less of an issue on white items though.

[@audreyoldaccount9233]

The plastic of the computer in said video is very prone to streaks and lines / unevenness. With that and _possibly_ another exception, all of his restorations have been successes.

[@fmjmanarroyo1342]

Not sure if you have updated your methods but you can use Oxiclean or the generic powder and water with any LED light to de-yellow consoles. Saves a ton of money and time.

[@StefanPiano]

I bought a boxed version of FF Crystal Chronicles for the Gamecube. I really enjoyed FF Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates for DS. Do you think I'll like it? Or Will it Just look pretty on my shelf?

[@colefreddy1]

Very nice video, I love you're cleaning and restoring video's

[@AdamKoralik]

Thanks.

[@Expressionistix]

The 8-Bit Guy does this kind of de-yellowing of old computers and tech all the time.

[@dwarf365]

Streaked his Osborne all to hell though. :(

[@paralixis4500]

Hell he uploaded today different ways to retrobrite the plastic

[@dwarf365]

thanks for the reply. it made me recheck my feed. :)

[@ky-gp4sz]

Goulgan he acts like he has EXTREME ADHD, he always chooses time over results. He wants it don't fast not right, quantity over quality! He doesn't like waiting more than a day at most!

[@Metal-Possum]

Salon Creme and cling film has potential for a tortoise-shell finish. I just dump a bottle of rather strong hydrogen peroxide in a container or zip-lock bag, water it down a little if you're having trouble submerging the goods, and leave it somewhere warm for a bit. Just a heads up though, retr0brite doesn't improve the integrity of the plastic, it merely "reverses" the change in colour. Some argue the plastic is more brittle afterwards, as hydrogen peroxide is a mild acid, and it will likely turn yellow again faster than before (if you don't keep it in a good environment, obviously). Also, Pledge is awful stuff. It will create a glossy finish, and fill scratches, but the main ingredients are silicone, which builds up the more you apply it. Antique dealers fucking hate the stuff, because it can have some very adverse effects after a period of time.

[@ultrafsm]

+Adam Koralik Do your de-yellowed consoles get back to being yellow after some time has passed since application? I have a Sega Saturn that I absolutely gave up on because it kept yellowing again and again even after using this Hair stuff enhanced with Vanish. I ended up replacing the case with a Skeleton one and buying a skeleton controller to go along with it. Skeleton Saturns are actually quite common here in Brazil.

[@K3NnY_G]

Gonna be re-doing that little guy in a year and/or some. Being solid white when the yellow comes back it'll be blatantly obvious. I recommend checking out 8-bit guy's video on RetroBrite methods. The better method would be to put it in an Ozone rich environment with high heat. $30 is insane on that though, good steal.

[@pejnismiggle]

You could also buff out the Nintendo Gamecube Jewel as well from the scratches on it.

[@kitsunemetal]

Wow thats interesting i never knew that they released a white version of the gamecbe my friend.

[@AdamKoralik]

There's a common PAL white one, and the super rare crystal white Japanese one. This is the latter.

[@levant5378]

Damn Bromine, cherry hemangioma in humans, and yellowing on consoles.

[@aussieguy1012]

Apparently its the plastic decaying......riiiiight

[@levant5378]

I imagine it's oxidation of the plastic when the bromine decays the surface.

[@groovylobster]

I'm really weirded out right now because i was just looking at Gamecube console color variations yesterday.

[@rcshaggy]

Oh nice! Well I just want to have a White one...itself.... Kinda like the vehicle colour of white to be honest and I do love the Gamecube...

[@AdamKoralik]

I presume the PAL version.

[@theshadowman1398]

Adam those memory card doors are easily removable

[@MrNicholas7]

If the color differs from the white PAL version, I bet the cover/door for the "Hi Speed Port" on this one is 10x more rare. It's too bad it wasn't included.

[@AdamKoralik]

It does differ.

[@Silv3rShadow1]

Great video, just wondering about the condition now if it has any damage, brittle, flaking or even reverted back to yellow or the texture has been affected

[@AdamKoralik]

Annoyingly, it has gotten more yellow over time. But, it's been years.

[@Silv3rShadow1]

@@AdamKoralik thanks for the reply, just to follow up on that, would it be near a natural light source on display? I de-yellowed some LEGOs a while back and they've stayed non-yellowed, but I've got them far out of sunlight. It's probably different plastic but I'm wondering if it reverted to yellow again naturally

[@ShredderN64Alt]

Sorry to be "that guy" but you CAN remove the memory card doors- they just slide out and the springs come along with them. Nice find and work, though.

[@DragonProtector]

the original purple one i got from 2001 has some issues with game freezing certain games

[@SHADOSTRYKR]

I would have been worried about it affection the pearl finish

[@030398ryoma]

I'm pretty sure that the European pearl white is the same as the Japanese Crystal White. The ONLY difference I believe between the 2 is that the European is a DOL-101 (without the digital port) while the Japanese is DOL-001. I think that its sort of like how the US purple N64 is called "Grape" while in Japan it's "Midnight Blue".

[@AdamKoralik]

Admittedly, I don't have both. But I've seen the white PAL Cube, and it's less...shiny for lack of a better word.

[@B00RADLY]

Massive improvement but don't you think you should have done it another time , the colour is still different to the game boy player or is that the camera angle?

[@AdamKoralik]

+BOORADLEY There's only so much improvement it's going to make.

[@Wheels8504]

I have a black GameCube but the controller port has some yellowing on it. I'm afraid to do anything about it.

[@hernanmatias1428]

Lovely done.

[@DTDSasquatch]

Very cool, and great info... but why wouldn't you post a link to your other video instead of making people search for it?

[@AdamKoralik]

Because KZbin got rid of annotations long ago.

[@PuuberZ]

Gamecube is such a great console.

[@starcrux]

What is that big silver toggle switch added onto the side of the black GameCube at the end at 16:04?

[@AdamKoralik]

Region switch between US and Japanese.

[@DxCrepp738]

Probably a dumb question, but these deyellowing solutions wouldn't work on an indigo Gamecube, right? Mine is pretty yellowed relative to the inside of the shell halves and the bottom of the console. I would like some pointers, if any, on how to restore the vibrant indigo shade that it was before.

[@AdamKoralik]

Yeah, it'll work.

[@robertk3635]

What are all the expansion ports on the bottom of gamecube for

[@zekb6382]

Great video love these maintenance style vids

[@TheRealEvilRoy]

I have an extremely rare, Orange, US Nintendo NX. There's only one in existence.

[@MizumiGCMods]

Is there a difference between the crystal and the pearl? I own a pearl cube and it has a very similar yellow tint, but I know that it's painted, much like the platinum cubes. I want to try this but I wonder if it shouldn't to protect the paint. Your crystal cube has a very similar shine to the painted cubes but I can't tell through the video. Thanks!

[@AdamKoralik]

I don't own the pearl one, so I can't be totally sure. But I imagine the crystal one is...shinier. I've seen it in person, but never had them side by side.

[@LetsPlayKeldeo]

Wow the price is Amazing !

[@harshvardhansingh1780]

Adam, when you will get a better camera? It's very difficult to see the difference between the yellow and the white. Also, using a higher resolution doesn't improve the quality. I believe the camera is to blame here as well

[@Imnotsure89]

Does the component RGB Port work on the crystal GameCube? Also do people just not care about GameCubes in Japan? Or did you just get a lucky find? It's really awesome that you got this with a matching Gameboy player.

[@AdamKoralik]

Good question, it does give component 480p images (for supported games). RGB SCART, not sure. I would assume no. This was the mother of luck finds. Yeah, it came with the console.

[@Imnotsure89]

Wow so it's like a perfect GC, considering the Pal Pearl didn't support it even though it has the port... I'm quite sure anyway. It's also cool that it conveniently matches with the newer Wii GC controllers.

[@jvogler_art4708]

anyone else kinda dig the offwhite marshmallow look it originally had?

[@Kudluck]

Hi, would it also work with a 30 volume cream? Just in case, is there any chance it would damage/wipe off the logos or the writen text on a GameCube controller (top part)?

[@AdamKoralik]

Honestly I'm not sure. :/

[@Kudluck]

@@AdamKoralik Thanks anyways for your quick reply!

[@dovakris1062]

I miss your beard. One of the best looking beards I've ever seen

[@AdamKoralik]

It's...here...

[@D3mO44]

So I just got a blue gameboy player. The front side only is discolored which I’m assuming is because it “yellowed” even though it isn’t yellow in color. Would doing this return it to its original color?

[@AdamKoralik]

I didn't even know they made a blue one. It might, I generally only do that on white plastics though.

[@D3mO44]

Adam Koralik sorry, I’m talking about the indigo gameboy player. I only called it blue because I thought most other people refer to it as blue.

[@RetroHellspawn]

How awesome is it that you had to, because Google, use your own god damn tutorial series to complete a project? XD I think that just goes to show how in-depth and professional you can be. :D

[@AdamKoralik]

:P

[@DragonProtector]

i cleane dmy nintendo wii it has some yellow on grippers and stuff and used ahcohol and worked fine now looks white

[@DragonProtector]

how do i fix open close button beign stuck?

[@jasonsteele901]

Can you de-yellow a blue game cube? I can tell mine is discolored.

[@ijclnl48]

Day and Night!!! good job man!

[@pas7680]

I still can't believe you found this randomly in Japan, in all my years going there i've never seen anything so rare and you find this on one short random trip...they hardly ever come up on YA or ebay and you get one for nothing :-(

[@AdamKoralik]

Luck of the draw I guess.

[@neal1231]

I'd love a rare variants series of sorts.

[@AdamKoralik]

I'll probably make an episode specifically about this Cube in a while.

[@Rockmans1989]

I have a platinum GameCube, and I hate the fact that only the memory card port N°1 suffers from yellowing -__-

[@rickypuohotaua6112]

Found one of these yesterday at o corner in mbk mall Bangkok Thailand, the shop owner said it wasnt for sale :(

[@AdamKoralik]

Sorry man.

[@nintendolunchbox]

What's with the toggle switch on the 4th console at the end of the video?

[@AdamKoralik]

Region switch between US and Japanese.

[@retrogamerfan123]

I'd like you to do a cleaning of the PS3 slim it can't be that hard right

[@vrekman256]

hm, why not using a brush to apply the stuff?

[@LightningSizzle]

Yo this is so cool that you got one

[@AdamKoralik]

+ElJackie Agreed.

[@almadawarrior]

adam, have you seen any gamecube component cable for sale while you were at japan?

[@AdamKoralik]

Once, but they were like $150.

[@DragonProtector]

my dad has electronic cleaning jsut sprey the board and stuff all dirt comes off

[@RileySkye100]

Have you ever checked out 8-Bit-Guy? He's done over a dozen videos involving deyellowing which he calls it "retrobright" it's pretty crazy what he deals with.

[@AdamKoralik]

I've heard.

[@Skyla286]

Hey was there so many colors of old game consoles?

[@emmettturner9452]

Uhh, I've seen these for sale many times since they were still available new and never heard anything about it being rare. Where did you hear that?

[@AdamKoralik]

Let me guess, you're talking about the PAL white one. it's not the same thing.

[@emmettturner9452]

Adam Koralik Nope. Been to Japan recently and was interested in it back when all the import shops still had the Crystal Chronicles bundle new. Never realized that anything changed but I still have to wonder how it could possibly be so rare. "150?!"

[@AdamKoralik]

+Emmett Turner Google it for yourself. Only 150 ever produced.

[@emmettturner9452]

Adam Koralik I did, and it seems to be one of those "new facts" that someone made up a few years ago and now everyone sources each other. Other examples of this phenomenon: the MentalFloss article that said blowing doesn't improve the chances of successfully booting an NES games (no testing and in contradiction to his own sources) and all the people who keep saying that there were 250 SNES PlayStation prototypes made (ugh: that was just someone's WILDLY incorrect guess about how many MIGHT have been made). The Crystal Chronicles GameCube bundle with matching Game Boy Player was available at every import shop back when it was still new. I don't think that would be possible if only 150 were ever made. It wasn't a contest prize or something. There would have to be a reason for such a low production number and that reason should be as readily available as the number. I'm very skeptical but there are definitely a lot of people out there saying that *these days.* I think it's possibly from a typo, like someone meant to change "150 thousand" to "150,000" and accidentally just deleted the "thousand" part. 150 made is, like, Nintendo World Championships-level rare and NWC definitely didn't grace all the import shops like this did.

[@zzzlucid_dreams7560]

@@emmettturner9452 You dont know what you are talking about. If there was 150000 of them there would be many more in circulation and i doubt people pay 1000s of dollars for something they know nothing about. Theres a big difference between pearl and crystal white.

[@JohnDoe-uu6jl]

Review the plug and play substitute for the GameCube component cables

[@milliondollaboiibsb4927]

Made a big difference

[@Blore07]

Is the uk pearl white gamecube considered rare if it wasnt part of the pack? My box says nothing about mario strikers.

[@AdamKoralik]

No, rather common.

[@Blore07]

Adam Koralik thought as much. It does look very similar with the pearlescent finish.

[@razorx2024]

one of my gamecubes is the pearl white version which sadly has the black back panel which sucks im not sure why they did that :(

[@AdamKoralik]

+RazorX2015 If it helps, it's probably the PAL version, which isn't valuable.

[@razorx2024]

i live in the uk so that makes sense as for it not being valuable thats perfectly fine since i modded it lol

[@noelcactus9178]

I used to have a yellow pikachu N64!

[@noobguy57]

Wow, that's cool!

[@AdamKoralik]

+FailureGaming Agreed.

[@gokublack8342]

Is it bad that I don't really see any difference between the colors? EDIT: Ok I could see it in the still photos

[@dpreetam]

Are you washing the parts between coats or just add more to them daily?

[@AdamKoralik]

+dpreetam Washing in-between.