Japanese model 1 Mega Drive for $6.99?

Yeah you just never know what you're going to find when you look around!

Today I went into a thrift store called "Talize" in search for classic video game junk as always.

They don't really have much when it comes to video games. I would say it's mainly clothing and other such things with a small little section where you might find the odd Genesis or SNES from time to time. But most of the time I go there they have nothing at all. So I wasn't expecting to find much.

I walk in and immediately go to the glass display area in the front of the store. I saw what looked like a model 1, controller and AV cables wrapped up in the display cabinet. I take a closer look and notice the blue start button on the controller. The actual console is beneath the clutter of wires and the controller itself but I manage to notice the "Mega Drive" logo on the front of the machine!

Okay let me remind you this store rarely has any consoles at all, and living in Canada I have never actually seen a Mega Drive in the wild. I have one that Lukemorse1 sent me from Japan but other than that one, I've never seen one before at all!

There is no price tag in sight. Strange, perhaps they know its special? I mean it's behind the glass after all (I've picked up a Genesis and SNES there before and they where just out on the store shelves with the other electronics) but I ask to take a closer look at it anyway.

The price tag is on the reverse side for some reason. Who needs to see the price of something in the display right? But when I flip it over I see "$6.99" and say "yeah I'm taking this!"

So here it is in all its Mega glory.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...MegaDrive1.jpg

It's in really good condition and like I said it came with a Mega Drive controller and the proper mono AV cable (neither of witch I had)

So check those thrift stores guys! If you're passing by one take a look and see. You never know what's waiting inside!

Nice find! It looks like a VA7 MD, did you open it up to see the board revision?

Yeah I did to give it a quick clean but I didn't check the motherboard. It does have the ext port on the back and the red piece around the LED pops out if that means anything. Oh and it has TMSS.

Great Find :ok:

Excellent haul! I'd love to find a real Mega Drive in the wild.

the very best model. great find
I bought mine for 50 quids on ebay

Nice! Very clean. Is that 16-BIT logo silver? I thought the Japanese/Asian consoles have gold lettering.

That is an awesome find. I cant believe that ended up in a thrift store!

I wonder how it got there, that reminds me of the time i saw a copy of the Japanese version of sonic the hedgehog 2 for 99 cents once and there was a sale buy 2 games get 1 free i figured i owened 3 different versions of Sonic 2 but why not

Thrift stores rule. They are where I found my Famicom, Super Famicom, and Pal Master system (worthless, didn't realize it was pal). Usally they don't have crap but every now and then you might find something awesome.

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Originally Posted by Mordan

the very best model. great find
I bought mine for 50 quids on ebay

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Ooooooh, steep. :(

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Originally Posted by Iron Lizard

Thrift stores rule. They are where I found my Famicom, Super Famicom, and Pal Master system (worthless, didn't realize it was pal). Usally they don't have crap but every now and then you might find something awesome.

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It's just like me. I found my 4 imported game systems in Canada(my European Game Gear and Super Famicom in my home city, Montreal, and my PC Engine SuperGrafx and MegaDrive Model 1 in Mississauga).

I usually have very little patience with items I really want, but if I find an import system locally, I'm going to pick it up on the spot.

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Originally Posted by Genesis32XCD

Nice! Very clean. Is that 16-BIT logo silver? I thought the Japanese/Asian consoles have gold lettering.

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No it's gold it just looks silver in the picture because the whole picture kinda looks goldish to begin with.

Congrats on your find!...Is this a Jap or Asian model?...I can't really see the "AV Intelligent Terminal Hide Grade Multipurpose Use" logo....
....

Just saw a video MN12BIRD uploaded to his YouTube account showing that MegaDrive. It's one of the latest "all-Asia NTSC models," as I like to call them; there's no "AV Intelligent Terminal - High Grade Multipurpose Use" text on the console, and it has TMSS(contains a VA6 motherboard). There are actually 3 different variants of the Japanese NTSC MegaDrive that I know of:

-Original model: Console has "AV Intelligent Terminal - High Grade Multipurpose Use" written on it, no TMSS, Sega logo has a little ® symbol right next to it. These were released only in Japan, and could contain a VA0 to VA4 motherboard.

-2nd revision(I own this one): Console has "AV Intelligent Terminal - High Grade Multipurpose Use" written on it, not sure about TMSS(my MegaDrive doesn't have it), but the Sega logo has no ® symbol. This is the first model released all throughout NTSC Asia. My MegaDrive has a VA5 motherboard, but there may be a possibility that this variant has a VA6 motherboard as well.

-3rd revision(this is MN12BIRD's new MegaDrive): Console has no "AV Intelligent Terminal - High Grade Multipurpose Use" text on it and no ® symbol next to the Sega logo. These all have TMSS, and contain a VA6 motherboard. I never saw a Japanese MegaDrive with a VA7 motherboard, but there may be some floating around

The Asian PAL variants look identical, but the hookups are positioned exactly like a US Genesis and they have a different model number. A Japanese MegaDrive always has model number HAA-2510, while an Asian PAL MegaDrive has model number 1601-something depending on what PAL variant it is(PAL-D, PAL-I, etc.). They also run like European MegaDrives, complete with slightly lower sound pitch.

There is a little thing to watch out for with the Japanese MegaDrive: some systems were modified to run in PAL and were modified with an internal RF modulator in which a cable is integrated into the system. Have a look at this video: