| Posted By
Rüdiger
on 2024-04-19
13:30:44
|  Big Mac
I recently found and purchased this version of Big Mac. Unfortunately this cassette is defective, the tape broke while loading. I hope I can get it repaired, but no guarantee.
 
Once I was able to load the cassette into my datasette and it turned out that this tape variant contains a different Big Mac version. Apparently the same as the other cassettes, but with a loading screen and a few instructions. Unfortunately I hadn't backed up anything, so when I wanted to test the B side of the cassette, a mishap happened.
Do any of you have this tape in your collection and would like to check it out?
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Posted By
Waz
on 2024-04-24
05:44:03
| Re: Big Mac
Hi Rudiger,
That printed cassette seems similar to ones that exist for Rockman and one I saw recently for Formula 1 Simulator. When I examined the latter in a gaming shop a few weeks back (albeit in a well organised big box of games) I did notice the quality of the cassette didn't seem as good as say some of the BASF branded ones.
I know where you would have sourced this, and if at all possible please reach out to the shop owner - they're normally pretty good with refunds. It did look like the fact it was written on by the original owner to say which side actually loaded was a problematic tape to start with.
Both my originals are the black cassette label version. If I do come across one of these variants I'll get it and use my DC2N to do a transfer for the TAP image, if as you say it has a loading screen. Possible that it might have been like the older Tony Kelly games that used the slow loader where it had the instructions first, but then remastered to Novaload for its original release (minus instructions) - so this could well be a second master.
I'll keep my eyes out for you and if I see one, I'll get it. If I see two, would you like me to get one for you too?
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Posted By
Rüdiger
on 2024-04-24
07:50:22
| Re: Big Mac
Such printed cassettes are more common with older Mastertronic titles. But I think my cassette will also be repaired and then read.
By the way, it's not a slowload cassette, but with Novaload.
Of course it would be great if the other collectors here would check their cassettes to see if anyone else has them. But seems quite rare.
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Posted By
Waz
on 2024-04-24
18:48:36
| Re: Big Mac
The printed Mastertronic cassettes are common for early releases - however what makes these C16 and Plus/4 ones different is the font used for the game title - it's different from the first run of the printed cassettes on other formats. Here's two C64 ones as an example:
There's also one eBay auction at present for BMX Racers C16, where this cassette also matches the above:
Compare that to say Rockman, and you can see the font differences. The format isn't bolded and the game title is closer to the format name also. The game title is also in the same font as the format for the C16, but for the C64 ones, you can see the difference.
I'lll see if I can ask around some of the Mastertronic Archives folks and get a handle on when they might have been pressed - they do seem harder to find and by early to mid 1985 they'd already phased out the printed cassette and went for labels instead (normally white text on black label)
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Posted By
C16 Chris
on 2024-04-25
12:16:31
 | Re: Big Mac
The Big Mac tape at the top right has a paper label.
The printed Mastertronic tapes are all without fastload.
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Posted By
Luca
on 2024-04-26
02:04:02
 | Re: Big Mac
All nice stuff guys, don't you wanna also send us prettier photos to be uploaded too?
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Posted By
Waz
on 2024-04-29
05:56:53
| Re: Big Mac
I can also facilitate a transfer to a TAP image of the printed cassette (without label) of Big Mac - second row, middle one, if C16 Chris is able to lend to that to me - or possibly Rudiger may be a better option to get a transfer done?
In the meantime I asked with the Mastertronic Archives folks, and effectively it's a case of whatever tape duplicator was available at the time, which is why the ones with the different fonts exist. No definite date of manufacture, but all the copies I've seen so far have been based around certain parts of the UK, which may mean a distributor more local may have been used. The printed label Big Mac one (top right of C16 Chris' images) is interesting too.
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