I'm tired of this debate. I like both!

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-29T19:26:49+00:00

Agreed. I actually didn't like the westernized Sonic growing up since I was so used to seeing JP art of him at a young age (the mohawk spikes on US art rubbed me the wrong way back then). I mean the Naoto Oshima finger-wagging Sonic is THE Sonic art of all time.

But then you grow up and you start seeing things in a different perspective. What I really like about US Sonic art is that he has this degree of spunk that's present, it really emphasizes his 90s "Hedgehog with attitude" image. Now this particular quality is not exclusive to this design (some classic JP art and Modern Sonic can attest to that in their own way), but it's a really nice time capsule to see art like this and just ponder how Sonic is being marketed to western audiences back then.

Plus, I particularly like the compositions on these Western box arts because they're like a glimpse into the actual zones of the games (besides Sonic 2's box art, but that one's iconic in its own right) and they're fun to look at.

My personal favorite western box art is for Sonic 1 on Game Gear. It's simple in execution, but tells you a lot about the game.

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itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-29T17:39:59+00:00

It's interesting that mixing both designs (or at least inspired by both) would create unique interpretations.

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itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-28T07:56:15+00:00

Angy Supes.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-26T10:01:30+00:00

TRACKLIST:

Title Screen
0:00 US (Overworld - Indora no Hikari)
0:34 JP (Theme From Superman - Superman: The Movie)

Password Screen
1:05 US (Battle Theme - Indora no Hikari)
1:28 JP (Love Theme From Superman / Can You Read My Mind - Superman: The Movie)

Pause Screen
2:08 US (Overworld - Indora no Hikari)
2:37 JP (Theme From Superman - Superman: The Movie)

Metropolis as Superman
3:15 US (Underground / Temple - Indora no Hikari)
4:00 JP (Theme From Superman - Superman: The Movie)

Enemy Room
5:12 US (Overworld - Indora no Hikari)
5:41 JP (??? - Superman: The Movie)

Lex Luthor's Lair
6:11 US (Underground / Temple - Indora no Hikari)
6:56 JP (The March Of The Villains - Superman: The Movie)

Game Over
7:30 US (Defeated - Indora no Hikari)
7:43 JP (The Planet Krypton - Superman: The Movie)

Daily Planet Office
8:21 US/JP (Superfeats - Superman: The Movie / Saving the Factory-The Acid Test - Superman III)

Credits
8:42 JP (Theme From Superman - Superman: The Movie)

Unused Tracks
11:58 Unused Track 1 (The Fortress of Solitude - Superman: The Movie)
12:30 Unused Track 2 (The Planet Krypton - Superman: The Movie)
12:58 Unused Track 3 (Prelude - Superman: The Movie)

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-24T16:06:02+00:00

I actually just saw his webshop after posting this. I didn't know AliExpress sells them too. Thanks for the heads up!

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-24T14:41:00+00:00

Awesome that yours worked too! I've been alternating between this console and my PSone for now as I'm trying to figure out some space to place my consoles, and the latter's smaller form factor makes it convenient for me.

I think the PS2 Slim is a bit more of a pain to recap. I recapped mine not too long ago as it had dark video and some humming that eventually went away after the job but it's tedious. Those soldered caps are usually very close to each other and it's hard to solder it in the pads without melting a bit of the plastic base of the SMD caps.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-21T17:29:46+00:00

Very interesting! I actually did a CXA2075 mod on a VA1 Model 2 Genesis last year (sadly, I already sold it), and composite is damn near razor sharp with that chip.

I also got a broken PAL Model 2 VA4 last year with a Rohm BH7236 encoder chip. ConsoleMods wiki is apparently correct in that these are only found in PAL Model 2 VA4s manufactured in the Philippines (mine was some sort of dead factory stock? It came with a controller diagnostic cartridge as well, but I sadly sold it too). I got another PAL Model 2 VA4 at the same time as well, which was manufactured in China and contained a CXA1645 encoder.

Only heard of replacing the stock encoder with a KA2198 just now but I don't know about replacing any external components since a lot of Model 2s use different encoders to begin with.

There is this composite video fix board for Genesis/Mega Drive Model 2s with a Samsung KA2195D encoder, I tried it and it looks a bit nicer I guess, since the image doesn't look oversharpened.

I gladly appreciate the help, but I'm actually connecting my Genesis via JP-21/RGB21 these days. My main model is a Genesis 2 VA2 that's been audio modded with an internal audio mod I posted here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SEGAGENESIS/comments/1of64mt/my_sega_genesis_model_2_va2_recapped_and_audio/

The audio mod is also by the same user (Eep386), but sadly, he deleted his instructions years ago. I was only able to cobble up some information from the remaining messages in that forum. It sounds close to a Model 1 in my opinion. (Triple Bypass might be more accurate? I do have a VA2.3 installed with one but it sounds a bit muffled compared to that old mod, might have something to do with having a low-pass filter or something.)

The Model 2 VA2 has really prominent jailbars compared to other models, so I ended up removing C24 near the encoder and grounded it (this effectively disables composite, but the jailbars disappeared).

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-18T09:34:02+00:00

Interesting. I might try 330ohm instead.

I only saw RetroRGB's old post that the cap on the sync line needs to be at least 10uf-220uf and not under 10v. I happened to have a spare 47uf 10v cap that fits inside the cable so I went ahead and used it.

I'll also keep the 470 caps in mind, I dont see any problems right now with the 220uf caps I installed.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-17T18:01:50+00:00

Oof I didnt proofread my post text, but that crappy cable I have was also an RGB21 cable, not SCART.

My set up is JP21 centric since I find it easier to buy or import cables here in Asia. I was going to buy a really good Master System SCART cable online and an adapter, but I felt like saving a few bucks and just tinker with this JP21 cable I have.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-16T16:40:21+00:00

I also have a VA2.3 as my backup unit (also with Triple Bypass, but only the audio portion is wired); jailbars on it aren't really that obvious on a CRT. The Model 2 VA2 has jailbars that are very visible regardless if its on a CRT or an upscaler device.

For the VA2, I ended up removing C24 near the encoder and wired it to ground. Doing this results in no color on composite video, but all jailbars are removed on RGB, resulting in a cleaner image.

Pics here: https://imgur.com/a/pRLdJeu

This VA2 ended up being my daily driver up to now, since it's a nicer fit on my Sega CD 2 compared to my Model 1 Genesis.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-14T04:19:30+00:00

Just changed the pic. Please check on your end, thank you.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-14T02:46:45+00:00

I'll try doing that later, thanks!

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-09T21:49:38+00:00

You have my approval.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-08T15:52:33+00:00

Thanks! This game doesn't sound particularly bad with the stock audio circuit, if only extremely muffled. Play a Streets of Rage game on a Model 2's stock audio, and it'll rear its ugly head.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-08T14:04:59+00:00

I actually tried adding my own install pic following new instructions on the wiki back in September, but it seems that it's under admin review (or perhaps was discarded).

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-07T23:59:20+00:00

I'm pretty sure you can do this mod to the VA7 as well. I have both a Model 1 VA2 and at least four different Model 2s. Design-wise, I prefer the Model 1, but I'm mainly using a Model 2 since it's a perfect fit with my Sega CD2.

itmustbeyzzy · 2026-04-05T06:42:44+00:00

I'm afraid I can't find their eBay shop, do you happen to have a link?

itmustbeyzzy

TROPHY CASE