The Cover Project
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: redsox2012 on October 11, 2017, 06:15:36 PM
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I've seen these pop up on Ebay recently. Someone is making reprint manuals for the most expensive Saturn games. From the photos I can't tell if they say "reproduction" anywhere on them. Genuine manuals for the most expensive Saturn games can go for $50 - $100. While I can understand that there may be a market for quality reproduction manuals, especially if someone doesn't want to spend $$$ to buy a real manual, I worry that these may find there way into the selling community, either knowingly or unknowingly.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Burning-Ranger-Sega-Saturn-Custom-Reprint-Manual/322820325790?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D47043%26meid%3D767f76e6dd4846d58fbfb1e1b1352851%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D322820268739&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%253A7d434949-aed8-11e7-b0d9-74dbd180ceef%257Cparentrq%253A0dae542315f0a88b04d4621efffb73c3%257Ciid%253A1
I don't have a problem with reprinting manuals, as long as they are identified as such. I can understand that someone who has a loose disc may want the manual to use for reference, especially for some of the RPG's, and this is an affordable alternative. I just don't want to see someone pay hundreds of dollars for a rare Saturn game only to find out the manual isn't authentic.
Of course, I also understand that the purpose of TCP is to create high quality artwork reproductions, and ours are not labeled as reproductions. However, these manuals are specifically designed to be exact replicas, in size and content, of the original long box manuals. TCP retro covers are mostly designed to fit in UCG's, DS or DVD cases as replacements for the original cardboard boxes or jewel case inserts.
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The manual printing looks very fuzzy. The first picture is a great example. The leather texture that the manual is sitting on is in focus, but the print job looks very soft and washed out.
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I wouldn't mind seeing reproduction manuals for the sega cd and saturn that were resized for DVD cases.
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I doubt anyone bothers (or can) produce exact copies of the manuals quality and materialwise.
There is always something that lets you regognise it as repro.
And if you buy from ebay you'll get your money back if you get replica instead of genuine when buying genuine.
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I'm tempted to buy one just to compare it to one of my original manuals.
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I recently bought a copy of "Marvel Super Heroes" for the Saturn that was missing the manual, so I bought one of these replacement manuals to see how it is. It's decent quality, not great and certainly not TCP quality by any means. Small text is quite fuzzy. Replacement manual is a fraction of an inch shorter than an original - still fits between the notches of the longbox though.
I don't think these will ever be mistaken for originals. The print quality is far below originals, and original manuals have a perforated registration card attached to the inner back cover - these reproductions do not.
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So decent enough to be replacement, but not good enough to be easily confused with real deal.
That is good to hear.