Retro Thing

REVIEW: Beggar Prince - Sega Genesis Game

We live in good times for homebrew videogame developers.  Enthusiasts of the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Odyssey 2 and other classic systems have learned to program new games, and many have spent long nights recreating the look and feel of original cartridges and packaging of their console favorites.  "Beggar Prince" is the first homebrew releases to come out on an authentic cartridge for the 16 bit Sega Genesis (Mega Drive), and the first game to be commercially released for that platform in nearly 10 years.

"Beggar Prince" started life as an exclusively Chinese release back in 1996.  Flash forward a few years to see American Brandon Cobb and his Super Fighter Team group begin a year-long process of translating and fixing bugs in the game's code leading up to the cartridge's release in May 2006. Super Fighter Team went to impressive lengths to recreate the vibe of a genuine Genesis release.  The cartridge, box, and manual all have the look and feel of a game that might have been released by a games publisher back in the 16-bit heyday.  Feeling ten years younger, I was ready to plug the game into my Genesis and get started.

The background unfolds through scrolling text and animation telling the story of a Prince who leaves his castle to sample the world of the commonfolk.  Deciding to return to regal life, the palace guards refuse to admit the prince - and the plotting Cat Minister (meow?) puts plans into motion to seize the kingdom.  As the game begins you play the prince meandering the environs of the kingdom, encountering townsfolk and gaining valuable clues that will hopefully lead to snatching power back from the sly claws of the Cat Minister.

Oddball Micros: The hideously ugly (but strangely popular) Amstrad CPC

The home computer industry was filled with unrestrained enthusiasm in the early 1980s. How else could one explain Amstrad's CPC (colour personal computer)? The keyboard resembled something from a toy catalog: a smattering of lime green, sky blue, fire engine red and (mercifully) basic black. The optional floppy drive was unique as well; it ate non-standard 3 inch floppy discs.

The CPC was introduced in 1984 and went head to head with the Commodore 64 and Sinclair's ZX Spectrum. The system was sold as a package that included the computer, tape drive and monitor - there was no need to pick and choose accessories. A slightly more upscale version included a 3 inch floppy drive in the exceedingly rectangular case. No one could ever accuse this system of being ergonomically designed.

The CPC was based around a 4 MHz Zilog Z80 microprocessor and offered 64K RAM and 32K ROM (which featured Locomotive BASIC). Its display offered sixteen colors at 160 x 200 pixels, or up to 640 x 200 in two color mode. It didn't stack up particularly well against the Commodore 64, which included a more capable 3 voice sound synthesizer and sprite-based graphics. It fared better against the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, since the CPC offered a real keyboard and better graphics.

Amstrad's CPC lineup was quite successful in Europe, where an estimated 4 million units were sold. The company purchased arch-enemy Sinclair in 1986 before morphing into an IBM-PC clone manufacturer and churning out millions of boring beige boxes (along with several incredibly odd portables). [photo: Bill Bertram]

Amstrad CPC microcomputer [old-computers.com]
CPC Zone

related:
Retro Thing's Top 19 Oddball Microcomputers

Azur 340A amplifer: Budget audiophile sound

The Cambridge Audio philosophy can be summed up in a single word: Minimalist. The British company was founded in 1968 and made a name for themselves in the 1970s with their P40 and P50 amplifiers. Faced with intense competition from offshore manufacturers, the company chose to pursue a minimalistic approach. So, while Japanese manufacturers attempt to differentiate themselves by adding 1001 digital features to even the most mundane equipment, Cambridge Audio equipment is sparse and sounds great.

The Azur series is a wonderful example of the Cambridge approach. The Azur successfully brings audiophile sound to the masses by steering clear of unnecessary bells and whistles. The least expensive model is the Azur 340A, which offers surprising quality for under $250. It puts out 2 x 40W (8 Ohms) and offers six inputs. There are no DSP chips lurking behind the aluminum front panel. In fact, I was somewhat surprised to discover that the unit includes a "modern" remote control. One especially welcome feature is a dual speaker system that allows multi-room installation or bi-wiring. Apart from that nicety, there is a headphone jack and tone control bypass for cleaner sound.

To keep costs low Cambridge had to cut several corners, but they kept the sound as refined as possible. This is definitely not an amplifier that will shake the neighborhood, although its sound quality is excellent value for the money. A rather unfortunate omission is the lack of a phono-level input. If you're a vinyl buff, you'll have to invest in the separate $89 Azur 540P preamplifier module. Also, this is simply an integrated amp (preamp and power amp in a single box), so don't expect to find an AM/FM tuner on board (not really an issue for me, since 99% of my listening material is CD, vinyl or iPod these days).

If you need a bit more power, the Azur series offers five other amplifiers that range up to the 120W Azur 840A, which features "Class XD" bi-amplification technology that operates as a pure Class A amp at low volumes, shifting to Class B as increased output is required.

Cambridge Audio Azur 340A integrated amplifier details
Azur 340A review [Positive Feedback Online]

REVIEW: Cult Classics DVD Movies

I've long been a student of cult movies, but it’s been harder and harder to find weird movies over the last few years. Late night UHF TV used to be littered with these cinematic curiosities, and I was convinced I’d seen them all, yet this 4 DVD collection is packed with films that I’d never even heard of.

Many cult films didn’t set out to be deliberately odd. Often they were cautionary tales that dramatized the perils of straying from the moral didactic of the day. On the other hand, many more were pure exploitation – backlot cinema drek dotted with half-glimpsed nudity, girl fights, all while the merest taste of alcohol transformed even the most righteous into sunken-eyed psychopaths.

These four DVD's bring you 20 obscure movies (many of the features are only 60 minutes). All are black and white, with varying image quality. Many of these films were made well outside Hollywood, so the image varies in quality from quite good to somewhat scratchy. Even with occasional visual hiccups, it didn’t affect my fascination with these movies. There’s something about the “underground” nature of these films that makes them seem more secret and forbidden when the image quality is less than perfect.

Shoot-a-Loop: fun with marbles and tin

There's something refreshing about toys that don't require batteries, especially when they have a certain retro mystique. Rocket USA was founded near Chicago in 1997 to produce affordable tin toys. Many of their products are licensed classics from the heydays of mechanical amusements, although they also offer an array of Futurama and and Bozo the Clown merchandise.

My favorite Rocket USA game is Shoot-a-Loop. It was a popular game in the 1930s and requires you to master a deceptively simple looking 9-inch tall marble track. Just flex back the marble launcher and blast your projectile through the roller coaster-like loop. With a bit of practice you'll be able to land shots in the scoring tray on a fairly regular basis. There's no plastic here - the loop and base are crafted entirely from tin (geez... what a world we live in where I find myself talking up tin as a quality material). Includes three marbles and instructions.

Shoot-a-Loop tin game [Lee Valley]

Stunning vintage Swiss telephones

Now this is timeless design. The original model of this Bakelite wall phone was introduced in the early 1930s by the Swiss Telephone Authority. This particular version was manufactured from 1950 through the early 1970s. It was available only in basic black and featured a dual bell that looks suitable to wake the dead. One extremely clever feature is the little metal hook that hangs from the bottom of the set; loop the handset onto it and the call is placed "on hold."

Available from Manufactum in Germany for 245 euros. Sadly, I was unable to find them listed on the UK site.

Swiss PTT 1950 Wall Telephone [via Red Ferret]

Related:
Manufactum: Old-Fashioned Design and Mechanics
The Sexiest Telephone Ever?

Cosmonauts paid less than McDonald's employees

The breakup of the Soviet Union had many unintended consequences. The fabled Russian space program has been one of the most high profile victims of the nation's shift to capitalism. Simon Saradzhyan at Space.com recently wrote, "A career as a cosmonaut—once the dream job of a lifetime for millions in this country—is increasingly less attractive because it is no longer the ticket to international fame or a fortune. As a result, the pool of qualified candidates for positions in Russia’s cosmonaut corps is shrinking."

There are currently 37 Cosmonauts on active duty in Russia and each is paid less than 20,448 Rubles (US $775) per month, plus flight bonuses. The Cosmonaut program is still popular with military pilots because it offers a higher salary, but many others opt for more lucrative careers in the private sector.

There is one benefit of the reduced competition to become a Cosmonaut. In the past, qualified Cosmonauts sometimes retired without ever flying in Space. The reduced size of the modern space program means that there's a much greater likelihood that participants will get to travel to the ISS, although the current wait time is 10 to 15 years. And you have to admit that riding a rocket into orbit beats flipping even the best of burgers.

Cosmonaut Careers: Russian Interest in Homegrown Spaceflyers Flags

Related:
Buran: The first Russian shuttle to reach space
The Scent of Moondust

Beautiful sharp things

Knives hold a special fascination for me, perhaps because they have the potential to inflict severe harm at even the slightest carelessness. I used to carry a Swiss Army knife everywhere I traveled. These days it lives in the glove compartment of my car to ensure that it never gets closer to an airline security check than the long term parking garage.

Here's a look at a blade that I'd be very sad to lose. These beautiful $195 knives are handcrafted in a small shop in Thiers, France by a fifth-generation master coutelier. The 3-inch blade is Sandvik 12C27stainless steel and the African ebony handle scales are stunningly beautiful. The spine features a hand-chiseled leaf motif and a bouchonnage pattern highlights the base of the blade. Each knife is delivered in a lidded gift tin and includes a protective leather pouch.

French Handcrafted Pocketknives

A generation behind

My wife just bought me a video game console for Christmas. It'll be the first time since the early 1980s that I've owned a brand new machine, so I'm a tad excited. Don't get me wrong; I've logged many hours thrashing controllers in front of the TV, but not on a shiny new console. All that is about to change, and I'm a tad excited.

So which platform did I pick? Not a Microsoft Xbox 360. Definitely not the unobtainable PlayStation 3, nor a Nintendo Wii. Nope. I made a rather unexpected choice.

Yasuhara T-981: A rarity from "The world's smallest camera company"

Shin Yasuhara unveiled his T-981 35mm rangefinder at the 1998 Photokina Exhibition in Cologne, Germany. His creation arrived at the dawn of the digital era and paid homage to classic Leica and Voigtlander devices from the 1950s. The company billed itself as the world's smallest camera manufacturer, yet they turned out 4,000 of these hand crafted devices over the course of six years.

The emergence of digital photography and the high cost of manufacturing photographic equipment in small quantities (along with reports of quality control issues) led to the company's demise in 2004. Since then, the T-981 (and its rare T02 followup) have earned a cult following. The T-981 features a 1:2.8/50mm multi-coated lens and will accept standard Leica screw-mount optics. LED Exposure assistance is offered in the simple viewfinder, which features Bright Line technology to assist framing. The feature set is workmanlike: standard hotshoe flash, self timer, cable release and a tripod thread.

Lomography.com was able to purchase 100 of these coveted devices and they're available for $600 from their online shop. One of these would make an interesting Christmas present for a die-hard film photographer, although I think the price is a tad high.

Yasuhara T-981 Rangefinder Camera

Related:
Venerable Voigtlander Cameras
Leica R8

The Hummel Bird: Here am I sitting in a tin can

Futurists in the mid-twentieth century loved to dream up worlds filled with incredibly convenient personal aircraft. If that vision had come to pass, I suspect vehicles like the Hummel Bird would have been manufactured by the millions.

This tiny 13 1/2 foot long aluminum homebuilt aircraft is often powered by a modified VW bug engine (once plentiful, inexpensive and conveniently air-cooled). With a 37 hp engine the aircraft cruises at  slightly more than 100 mph (161 kph).  It requires only 300 ft (92 m) for takeoff and weighs a mere 300 lbs (136 kg) empty. There's only room for a reasonably slim pilot in the compact cockpit.

Morry Hummel worked in the Curtis Wright experimental department during WWII. He learned to fly after the war and his first design was based on the Windwagon by Gary Watson. Hummel purchased a set of plans in 1979 and set about modifying it as a taildragger with larger bulkheads and a full canopy. The aircraft was completed in 1982 and dubbed the "Hummel Bird" in a Sport Aviation article. The name stuck.

In 1999, four years after a serious aircraft accident, 84 year-old Hummel set about designing the Ultra Cruiser - an all metal ultralight aircraft. It first flew in 2000. Plans and parts for the Hummel Bird are available from the Hummel Aviation website, along with parts and kits for his popular Ultra Cruiser. I can only hope that I have such a productive retirement!

The official Hummel Aviation site
The images are of Dave King's aircraft [Holobrook Ultralight Club, Australia]

Thomas Dolby releases new CD & DVD

Thomas Dolby, best known for his 1982 synthpop hit She Blinded Me With Science, is back on the road after an absence of fifteen years. He's never been a prolific artist, so it makes me very happy to announce his new independently released CD and DVD: The Sole Inhabitant.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Dolby had quietly disappeared into the background hum of the space-time continuum, but he took a fifteen year hiatus from the recording industry to found Beatnik, a Silicon Valley software company best known for creating the polyphonic ringtone engine hidden in millions of Nokia, Samsung and Motorola mobile phones. 2006 marks his return to live touring, and he'll have played about 40 gigs across the USA by the end of the year.

Oddly enough, it wasn't his return to performing that made headlines earlier this year - he succesfully sued wannabe rapper Kevin Federline for illegally sampling portions of She Blinded Me With Science. The resulting "song" was reportedly downloaded more than a half million times from K-Fed's MySpace page. They reached an out of court settlement of which Dolby commented, "I'm going to buy a new sailboat, find a quiet anchorage somewhere, make myself a cup of tea and write some brand new songs." It's good to see Britney's money going to a worthwhile cause.

Dolby's new live DVD was recorded during September 2006 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. It offers a wonderful look at his surprisingly organic one-man electronic stage show. Some alternate takes are available on his Podcast page. The companion CD (available separately) features the same set list, but was captured during two evenings in March 2006 at the Martyrs in Chicago. I'm especially pleased to see Dolby recording as an independent artist; he has a big enough cult following that he should have no trouble keeping financial and artistic control of his work. Word has it that we can expect an album of brand new material from Mr. Dolby sometime in 2007.

Visit the official Thomas Dolby site

Wonderfully wonky Wankels

Our "reader submissions" week continues with a comment about Wankel engines from Chris Margeson...

"I am mildly shocked to find nothing on the site on my favorite piece of oddball engineering to come out of the fabulous fifties; the Wankel Rotary engine!  It took a few models and some creative hand-gesturing from my brother to explain the mechanics of it (and I am no slouch w/ spatial skills), but ever since those Wankels have a special place in my heart.

The last itineration of the RX-7 (and their wonderful Wankels) had a staggered sequential twin-turbo system that Mazda cooked up w/ Hitachi's automotive division.  One turbo kicked on in the low RPM band, while the other gave boost in the higher ranges (somewhere around 3800 - 4000 rpm, if I remember right).  Between the usual smoothness of the Wankel, Hitachi's changeover magic and the staggered turbos there was virtually none of the usual "turbo lag" that you usually get.  It just delivered a smooth band of power."

Right then, Chris. We certainly didn't mean to disappoint you! I'll admit that my only exposure to Wankel powerplants was a well used early 1980s RX-7 owned by a friend. She was a cantankerous old beast (the car, that is).

REVIEW: Stikfas Action Figure Kits

It's seldom that a toy appears today that isn't a movie tie-in or geared up with some new technology.  Imagine how interesting a simple 3 inch tall articulated figure has to be to get the attention of the entire toy industry. In 2003, Stikfas figures won the coveted "Best Original Concept" award from Wizard's Toyfare (the leading magazine of the toy industry). It was the first time in years that the award was given to a non-electronic toy. That makes sense: these figures are really fun and became an instant classic.

Stikfas kits come in several sizes; Lite Packs include a figure and some accessories, while Mega Packs can even include vehicles. Once assembled, the figures cut an atmospheric silhouette of characters not often depicted in children's toys. These two kits are among the latest batch of Stikfas, a Viking and an Egyptian.

Free version of Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon

Sid Meier's wonderful Railroad Tycoon simulation game is now available for free download. This 1990 smash hit spawned numerous sequels, including the 2006 game Railroads! (which also happens to be only the second game in the series to involve Meier).

The goal of the game is to create and run a railroad company, with tasks including financing the railroad, building stations, laying track and acquiring and scheduling trains.

Railroad Tycoon free download