Restoring Old Retro Game Boxes -GB/GBA Repair

Restoration of video games. How to make your old carboard game boxes look nice if they've been mishandled, dropped, squished, etc. Let's keep the games alive!
Cheers to Good Vibe Collecting for having the only video on the internet explaining a proper method to open that stubborn bottom fold on Nintendo boxes. Go check him out:
• How to Properly Fold t...

[@FantasticQuack]

I was a little nervous working on this gem but the results speak for themselves. Thumbs up if you love Zelda Minish Cap!

[@Viking74256]

Great work! Do you have a recommendation/video for cleaning this type of box or vintage (70’s-80’s) boxes?

[@weskarcher483]

I have a gold Nintendo Zelda with the original box and shrink wrap but the wrap was sliced when my dad opened the box. It's still in excellent condition.

[@dino988]

Just got FireRed & LeafGreen boxes for almost nothing today. The boxes didn’t look the best since they seemed crushed…I did this technique and the results were insane. Those 2 games also have the same fold on the bottom as your Zelda Minish Cap so this video was perfect for me. Thee 2 boxes went from being 4/10 to 9/10. Thank you!!

[@FantasticQuack]

So glad to hear this, I use this method every time a box is less than 8/10. Not only does it make them look nicer but they feel more robust in the end as well. Cheers!

[@viridionwaves]

Very interesting process and definitely interesting results. I always thought of cutting a foam block to put inside a bent box to reshape it or retrain the cardboard to hold a defined shape. Of course, it would probably be far more effective if some steam was thrown on it at the same time. This result looks easier and possibly better. Thanks for sharing

[@FantasticQuack]

I do this method on almost every boxed game I pick up even if the creases are minor, it just makes it look so much better and feels more robust in the end. I've never had it not work and never looked back since.

[@sunnypatel4660]

I can't thank you enough for uploading this, imma try this out 🙏🙏

[@FantasticQuack]

Hope it works out for you!

[@sunnypatel4660]

@@FantasticQuack I usually buy box only gba games (never CIB), it's way cheaper rather than buying CIB gba games, it's tough to find boxes on ebay in such good condition nowdays. But I gotta say the prices for box only gameboy games have skyrocketed it's crazy, even for NES, SNES, and N64. No wonder collectors quit collecting.

[@FantasticQuack]

​@@sunnypatel4660 It's a tough time to collect for sure, but it can still be affordable if you put in effort buying/reselling. I made a video on that exact topic if you want to check it out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWXKo4VtrpqYaNk

[@genemachine02]

Saving gaming! One box at a time!

[@FantasticQuack]

Cheers to that!

[@Kunio]

This is actually very helpful! I originally was just trying to look for ways to deal with tears in boxes (Got a Pokemon Snap box with a nasty tear in the back), but this should actually be great for a few weird 3ds games and my somewhat bent copy of Donkey Kong 98. Awesome vid!

[@FantasticQuack]

Thanks for watching! This won't apply to 3DS as those games have plastic cases..

[@haruko_0502]

You are so amazing. I found this video when finding a solution to fix the box of my figure. Your video helps me a lot. Thank you so much.

[@FantasticQuack]

Glad it helped!

[@RetroFix]

RAD! You do great work Mr. Quack

[@FantasticQuack]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Thanks for the shoutout :) Alot of people seem to enjoy that video for some reason. How did that box get smashed?

[@FantasticQuack]

It was smooshed like this when I bought it so not sure :/

[@calebgoodlett9244]

I've got a Pokemon silver box that will get this treatment tomorrow. Good vid!!

[@FantasticQuack]

Thanks I hope it works out!

[@ramen1551]

Hi! How did this process turn out with pokemon silver? I have one myself and I was nervous to do this process on that game specifically because of the shiny gloss finish on the box

[@MIKEXCER]

u changed the game up with this one

[@FantasticQuack]

About time, right? :)

[@NovaArk28]

thank you so much for this video friend. you rock.

[@FantasticQuack]

You're welcome, glad you enjoyed the vid!

[@savaget2058]

*Hits the box with heavy starch* 😅

[@FantasticQuack]

:)

[@sargony666]

Such a great video, can't wait to try this out! Do you think using this method could damage the holographic finish on a box such as. Pokemon Silver or Gold? Thanks

[@FantasticQuack]

I did it on kingdom hearts for GBA which has the shiny-finish-type box and had no problems. Wishing you the best with yours, cheers!

[@Karl.Jayce-DE]

Do you suggest cleaning the surface of the box with furniture polisher, and can i use acrylic colours to fill out the spots where color is damaged?

[@FantasticQuack]

I only ever use a cloth/paper towel lightly dampened with rubbing alcohol to clean the box surface. emphasis on "lightly" as too much alcohol and/or pressure can remove color from the box. Never heard of using furniture polish so can't comment on the risks/benefit of that. I wouldn't recommend using paint for touch up, get a nice set of permanent markers in various colors instead-- it will blend better with the surface finish of the box.

[@ramen1551]

Think im gonna try this with my pokemon blue!

[@FantasticQuack]

Best of luck!

[@edwinurbina3286]

Outstanding 🤘😎🤘

[@FantasticQuack]

Thanks!

[@Viking74256]

Right after ironing, would a hard roller over those creases help flatten them out ? Thanks for showing your skills

[@FantasticQuack]

I would think not because the biggest benefit after softening the paper fibers comes from high pressure + time. If i had a press I'd use that instead of the dumbells. Any hard crease is a permanent defect, but you can improve the appearance drastically, and robustness to a small degree, with this method. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@Salegos1]

Awesome

[@FantasticQuack]

Thanks for watching!

[@lukesmith3946]

Does the heat water not affect the box colouring?

[@FantasticQuack]

Not in my experience. I've done this 10+ times at this point with SNES and N64 boxes as well as GBA

[@Neverbirth]

I'm currently trying to catalog and organize my DS and 3DS collection, cleaning games up in the process and noting down imperfections and the like. And I was wondering: is there a way of restoring the cases? like repairing scratches, and making the plastic film on top of the cover sheet smooth again. Things like taking out stickers or simply cleaning up is fine. I came across your videos while trying to find related tips, so I thought it was worth giving a try to asking.

[@FantasticQuack]

Any damage to the plastic film on DVD, DS, etc. boxes is generally permanent. I've tried using plastic polish to buff out scratches but it doesn't seem to work well, presumably because the plastic is too soft (might be worth a 2nd try at some point). If the film is warped or stretched that is more or less permanent as well. There might be some type of heating/pressing process that could be figured out, but seems unrealistic to achieve a good result given the plastic film is attached to the box at both ends.

[@Neverbirth]

@@FantasticQuack Thanks for the answer. A pity cases cannot be restored more or less easily, but well, at least cleaning things up, and "ironing" cover sheets is leaving games in a nicer state.

[@11colavec]

any tips on how long to iron? i tried this on a "practice box" first and i noticed i caused some damage to the ink/graphics -- there was white spots

[@FantasticQuack]

It's hard to say and I've only ever done it by feel. It sounds like you may have been set too high on temp or just held it too long. The main purpose of the ironing step is to get the box wet and hot from the steam. So if it feels fairly damp on both sides you should be good to stop ironing. The bulk of the flattening comes from being weighted under the books as the cardboard dries.

[@Satiator123]

I think the increased value of a couple games I have will pay for that iron.

[@FantasticQuack]

Heck yeah! I've done this around 5 - 10 more times since making this video on GBA, NES, and N64 games. I'm always shocked and super satisfied by how well it works. I thought about doing a video for each unique box type but felt like it would just be redundant content.

[@dimyz7435]

hi works also with gold and silver pokemon boxes?

[@FantasticQuack]

Absolutely

[@ishaand4872]

What kind of dish towel are you using mine looks alot different and I don't wanna mess my game up?

[@FantasticQuack]

I think it's woven cotton. Flour sack towel should work as well. Just needs to be thin with little surface texture.

[@savaget2058]

I know I'm late to this, but I think you will get the same result with a regular cotton t-shirt as well. I have used this same trick before to iron shirts with wrinkled print logos on them that you don't want to damage. 👍🏼

[@epehc3182]

Totally off topic but I saw you had a gamecube video with disc error I have a GameCube but if I close my tray the screen goes blank no error message nothing if I leave the lid open it only stays on the menu any clue what might be happening?

[@FantasticQuack]

Never seen this problem before. Could be an issue related to the switch that tells the system the lid is closed. I would take the top shell off and get a look at that.

[@epehc3182]

@@FantasticQuack thank you I’ll try it out!

[@commandokittykitty726]

Fantástic Quack can repair everything except my broken heart 💔 hhahahahahahaha

[@FantasticQuack]

You might be surprised..

[@KuyaMarlonVlog.02]

WOW nice video kabayan hello FROM Philippines Walker 👣🏃🏃🚶📹📷0

[@FantasticQuack]

Hello and thanks!

[@JuicyJakeRepairs]

i can proudly say i was the 69th view

[@FantasticQuack]

Nice work!