ORPHAN OVERLAY SET series II

About the Overlays

   In this set you there are 78 overlays covering all 37 of the Orphan Intellivision games. There are two overlays for each game, with the exception of "Triple Challenge" which comes with six overlays, to cover it's three different games. The overlays are high quality, and are custom made. The games it covers are as follows:   

 The overlays were designed keeping in mind, the rarity factor. Thus, the more rare the game is, the more extensive the artwork & graphics are. You can really see this in the graphics for games like "Tutankham" & "Congo Bongo".  (Would you like a closer look at the Orphan Overlays? ) (CLICK HERE!)

Why Make the Overlays?

Every Intellivision collector that I have come across has voiced their dismay about the fact that overlays for many of the games were never produced. This happened after Mattel went under & sold all rights to INTV in the 1984. INTV started to produce some really great games with one flaw, they came without overlays. This was a move based on money. The games were produced in a way so that overlays were not needed. Commands that normally were isolated to the keypad were now transferred to the disk and side action keys. The scrolling feature played a key role in this by allowing the game player to scroll through choices, instead of finding the correct button on the keypad. Almost all of the new titles had gone to this cost effective change. One exception was the "World Championship Baseball" game. By eliminating the overlays, many of us felt that our collections were incomplete.

  The Process!

  In 1990 I was playing "Triple Challenge",  a game that did not have overlays. I was getting upset because I was getting the buttons wrong. I had to keep looking at the instructions, making the game take a long time. So, I drew up a crude overlay on a sheet of paper, letting me know what the keypad button functions were. This was the start of my quest!  After that, I started making sketches for all of the games that came without overlays.  This was a task that took nearly a year. Soon after I was done, a friend that knew I had artistic talent suggested that I make cool graphics for them.  I started drawing what I felt would look cool. They were pretty neat on paper,.....but they were not worthy of the greatest gaming system ever.

  After going through literally hundreds of paper overlays, I decided to try to produce them on plastic. I figured that I could use some different graphic programs accompanied with some original artwork.  This proved to be very hard to do. In order to get the graphics right, I did a lot of trial & error samples.  Many of the final overlays use original Intellivision, INTV, Parker Brothers, & Coleco artwork accompanied with my own artwork. The effects were great. I also designed many of them from scratch. I used graphic programs to design game overlays like Defender, Pac-Man, & Super Pro Football from the ground up.

   To print the high quality graphics, I had to invest in a high priced, high dpi printer.  This proved to be my greatest purchase regarding the overlays. The quality was superb!  Then, I had to figure out a way to spray a backing on the overlays that would bring out the color, as well as hold good.  I tried many different paints & clearcoats.  I did not like the way that clearcoats & enamels shined on the backs, so I decided to scrap that idea. My final decision was to use a primer mixed with a secret catalyst. I cover the backs using an air brush to get the nice even powder coat finish. From there they go under a hot lamp to dry warm. The warming effect can also be achieved by letting them sun dry. The last process is the cutting. At first, I cut them all by hand. After I realized that this would take a long time, I opted to use a cutting board, which took even longer! Finally I started using a stencil, which cuts my time in half. I found that this is the closest I can come to copying the processes by the original Mattel overlays.

    2004- I started receiving more interest regarding the overlays. I did not want to stop making them, so I went & had the set professionally printed & cut. The overlays now have mint printing & a perfect cut. I have also added a full size box so collectors can keep the set with their games.  The price had to be raised a little to cover the added costs of production.  Some overlays had to have adjustments to cover Intellivision Productions Inc. copyrights. Some had to have some image alterations. In addition, the numbers have been changed to their respective game number.

  The Transformation from Hobby to Production?

  I kept these to myself for a while. After talking to a few other collectors, I decided to start to include the overlays in some of my games that I was selling.  It was not long before I was receiving e-mails, asking me to produce the overlays for others. I agreed as long as they paid for the cost of materials & production.  I am not out to make a profit from these, I am just doing it for the other Intellivision nuts out there like myself.

Please read the disclaimer! (CLICK HERE!)

his set has been discontinued. (200 sets made)