Sega CD Foam Bricks for Sale!

Hey all,

I thought I would post this here since it is the Sega CD section. I'm sorry if it goes in selling section but here are replacement foam bricks for the Sega CD. This is not my auction but I have bought things from them before and they great.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=p5197.c0.m619

Perfect for all those Sega CD auctions that claim to be "Complete" only to not include these little bricks. I've tried making some from some foam I bought from the art store but believe me it is much easier and cleaner just to buy the bricks already made.

i've actually made a point of removing all the foam inserts from all of my U.S. SATURN titles, as i know for a fact that foam rubber deteriorates over time,
especially the cheaper grades, such as that which SEGA U.S. used. many of these are still fairly fine to this day,
but in five years or less they will start to deteriorate, mark my words, and make an unnecessary mess in otherwise clean and pristine U.S. SEGA CD/SATURN cases...

That is the fisrt time I've heard that. It makes sense since it is foam but I have not had any problems with mine starting to decay. I have at least 32 Sega CD games complete in the long cases with the foam bricks and they all look good without a hint of falling apart.

Yeah, I have around 60 Sega CD and 55 Saturn games that all have the foam brick, and they're fine so far. Some of them are even the original ones that came with the games when I bought them new.

I think the foam will deteriorate at about the time the discs start to rot.

Not to sound like a cheapskate or a downer but I think that 8.99 for 3 of those foam bricks is too high. Thanks for bringing the auction to our attention though! :)

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Originally Posted by Shai'tan

Not to sound like a cheapskate or a downer but I think that 8.99 for 3 of those foam bricks is too high. Thanks for bringing the auction to our attention though! :)

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I agree with you there. The thing is, there are multiple sizes of the foam bricks too depending on the size of the manual and the number of discs. If you ever tried to put a regular size brick in with a copy of Dragon Force for the Saturn you'll know what I mean. I've actually made my own replacements a couple of times and they always help reinforce the case from cracking if you accidentally grab it too hard. I did look into making some of these in a large quantity to sell through here, would anyone be interested if I did?

That's what I thought at first but then I factored in the time, money and the mess of making my own and the price was easier to swallow. At least it is free shipping so that helps.

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Originally Posted by sheath

I think the foam will deteriorate at about the time the discs start to rot.

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the foam will age much, much faster than than the optical media, i can guarantee you that.

i've had some foam rubber from the mid/late 1980s that began to deteriorate big time on me about 5/10 years ago.

some higher quality, japanese made grades of foam rubber from the 1970's can actually still be found in good form to this very day, if they were well cared for,
but that kind of foam, as you might guess, is in the extreme minority, and quite rare today. by and large, most grades of foam rubber only last about 25 years max,
and the cheaper, lower grades that have been in common use for over a decade now will probably last even less.

if you squeeze or press down on an piece of foam rubber, and it holds the indentation, and/or leaves a black smudge on your fingertip,
then it is quite shot and should be disposed of...

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Originally Posted by Tasuke

the foam will age much, much faster than than the optical media, i can guarantee you that.

i've had some foam rubber from the mid/late 1980s that began to deteriorate big time on me about 5/10 years ago.

some higher quality, japanese made grades of foam rubber from the 1970's can actually still be found in good form to this very day, if they were well cared for,
but that kind of foam, as you might guess, is in the extreme minority, and quite rare today. by and large, most grades of foam rubber only last about 25 years max,
and the cheaper, lower grades that have been in common use for over a decade now will probably last even less.

if you squeeze or press down on an piece of foam rubber, and it holds the indentation, and/or leaves a black smudge on your fingertip,
then it is quite shot and should be disposed of...

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Any recommendations on replacements for foam bricks?

Real bricks?

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Originally Posted by xelement5x

I agree with you there. The thing is, there are multiple sizes of the foam bricks too depending on the size of the manual and the number of discs.

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yeah there's a few of the double packs or double disc games that use the thinner foam bricks for Sega CD

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Originally Posted by Defolto

Any recommendations on replacements for foam bricks?

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I believe timemaster11 uses those bubble sheets.

Those foams you're selling are exceptionally... Expensive!

I do use bubble wrap, though I am not sure how long that lasts. I also store my games face down to try and keep the manuals from bending.

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Originally Posted by timemaster11

I do use bubble wrap, though I am not sure how long that lasts. I also store my games face down to try and keep the manuals from bending.

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I keep mine upright, what are your thoughts on this?

do we even need the foam?

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Originally Posted by Thunderblaze16

do we even need the foam?

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you don't, really. the few U.S. SATURN games that i have get along just fine without the foam.
no case has ever cracked, nor has a disc fallen off it's spindle...

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Originally Posted by Tasuke

you don't, really. the few U.S. SATURN games that i have get along just fine without the foam.
no case has ever cracked, nor has a disc fallen off it's spindle...

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I have to disagree here, without the foam or something, you tend to get manual curve over a long period of time, especially if the box is laid face up. Like someone mentioned, timemaster11 has a decent solution that uses bubble wrap, and talks about the problem here.

The incidence of manual curve probably also depends on your location, in places where you have higher humidity it would be more likely. I live in Colorado though so there's very little humidity and I've seen less problems with my recent games compared to the ones from back in Illinois where I grew up.

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Originally Posted by Thunderblaze16

do we even need the foam?

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In the long run you do, perhaps not in the short run though. It keeps the discs from slipping around (in storage particularly, or when you're moving boxes ), and it also keeps the manuals from sagging down and warping if they are ever stored flat instead of upright. You won't notice the differences in a year or two but a foam brick is the key to a minty copy 5+ years down the road.