41 years ago Nintendo released the Family Computer (commonly known as the Famicom) in Japan. This home console introduced the world to Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, Dragon Quest and a wealth of other landmark series that continue to this day:
I never owned a Famicom, and indeed few outside of Japan did, for Nintendo redesigned it and released it worldwide as the NES. I’ve seen Famicoms for sale in Japan every time I’ve visited and since they’re not very expensive I once or twice considered getting one ‘for the collection’. I never did.
This Japanese magazine came out a couple of months ago, and I picked it up in NYC when I was last there. It’s a commemorative special to celebrate 40 years of Famicom (albeit a year late) and if you look closely at the photo on the cover you’ll notice the console is a bit unusual…
It’s made of paper!
The magazine came with (and was probably printed exclusively for) a detailed life-sized papercraft model of a Famicom! Needless to say I had to have it, and while the $47 price tag was exorbitant (and a 360% increase over the ¥ price) in retrospect I may have got a deal since these are highly collectible now and the price is climbing much higher on eBay.
In addition to eight cardstock sheets of pieces, the magazine came with a box of additional parts including an electronic controller that makes authentic Super Mario Brothers sounds. It also had a few other bonuses, such as a sticker sheet, a guide book showcasing weird glitches in Famicom games, and a cute Famicom notebook.
I was surprised to see how in depth the instructions were. Happily the pieces were mostly cut already and punched out easily, but the actual assembly wasn’t trivial and certainly more challenging than I expected. I had to use the translator and read the steps carefully. While most of the pieces go together using tabs and slots, there are also steps requiring glue (or tape, which I used) but they are designed so the adhered tabs are mostly invisible.
That’s the model before I put the case on, and at that stage I’ve assembled about fifteen pieces. Note the rubber band on the right side: this is because the ‘eject button’ actually ‘works’ (it slides and returns as in the original hardware).
Assembly took me a few hours over three careful sessions. The above photo shows the finished unit, with controllers stored in their little slots (a feature removed from the NES redesign) and the cartridge waiting to be inserted. The power button moves as well.
And there is the system with the cartridge in ready to be played. The controller at the very front has a working d-pad and buttons, and makes all sort of sound effects when you use it.
This is a fantastic model, and certainly worth the original Japanese magazine price (¥1900). At $47 I was robbed, although I don’t regret it since I enjoyed making it.
