The Legend of Zelda Merch/Swag/Collectible Thread - Page 9

Iwatasan · #81 12-02-2015, 07:07 PM

Spirit Tracks Train Whistle Press Kit

Region: North America
Publisher: Nintendo of America
Release Date: November 20, 2009
Content Description: Wooden train whistle with laser-etched Spirit Tracks logo, 4GB SD card containing (at least) one video file of the opening cinematic and ten high res image files of character art, Nintendo DS branded USB SD card reader
Other Info/Pics: Distributed to select press outlets, including (at least) Destructoid, Joystiq, Kotaku, and Nintendo Life. A common misconception is that the train whistle came packed inside the Spirit Tracks treasure chest, but the treasure chest was actually part of a different press package. Both press packages are considered to be among the rarest of Zelda collectibles, but no definitive count is known.

Spoiler!

Still need to find out: Package description, High res photos of SD card and reader, Original res video file of opening cinematic

Iwatasan · #82 12-02-2015, 08:20 PM

Spirit Tracks Treasure Chest Press Kit

Region: North America
Publisher: Nintendo of America
Release Date: December 1, 2009
Package Description: Standard shipping box
Content Description: Wooden treasure chest, T-shirt, retail copy of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, documentation
Other Info/Pics: Distributed to select press outlets, including (at least) Destructoid, GamesRadar, GoNintendo, and Kotaku. The treasure chest features the Spirit Tracks logo engraved on the lid, and when the lid is opened, a light-activated speaker plays a sound byte of the Zelda treasure chest opening theme. Inside is some printed documentation, and a retail copy of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks atop a pile of green confetti paper. Also included with the package is a green T-shirt (men's L size) featuring Link character art. A common misconception is that the Spirit Tracks train whistle came packed inside the treasure chest, but the train whistle was actually part of a different press package. Both press packages are considered to be among the rarest of Zelda collectibles. No definitive count is known, but there are probably at least 31 of these press kits in existence.

Spoiler!

KnightOfTruth · #83 12-02-2015, 09:13 PM

How'd I know these were going up on here today?

Iwatasan · #84 12-02-2015, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnightOfTruth

How'd I know these were going up on here today?

heh heh

Let me know if you have any info you want to add or modify

Did a bunch of research on these this morning and I'm defying conventional wisdom a bit by saying these were separate things, but I think I have the evidence to back that up at this point.

KnightOfTruth · #85 12-02-2015, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iwatasan

heh heh

Let me know if you have any info you want to add or modify

Did a bunch of research on these this morning and I'm defying conventional wisdom a bit by saying these were separate things, but I think I have the evidence to back that up at this point.

I wouldn't go as far as saying that they ALL were separate. It seems like some reported them as coming "together" while others said they got theirs separately. Does "together" mean they came in the same package? Perhaps. But I have not seen enough 1st hand reports to verify either situation. It is very possible that some places received two separate packages while others received one with the whistle. Seeing as how they are so rare (and old now), it will be tough to find out. I am very surprised that I've never seen a letter included with one? These things ALWAYS had a letter from Nintendo or a 3rd party marketing department that addressed the game or the package itself. I've NEVER seen one yet and I spent awhile looking. Maybe its out there though?

Iwatasan · #86 12-02-2015, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnightOfTruth

I wouldn't go as far as saying that they ALL were separate. It seems like some reported them as coming "together" while others said they got theirs separately. Does "together" mean they came in the same package? Perhaps. But I have not seen enough 1st hand reports to verify either situation. It is very possible that some places received two separate packages while others received one with the whistle. Seeing as how they are so rare (and old now), it will be tough to find out. I am very surprised that I've never seen a letter included with one? These things ALWAYS had a letter from Nintendo or a 3rd party marketing department that addressed the game or the package itself. I've NEVER seen one yet and I spent awhile looking. Maybe its out there though?

Can you post any articles you saw where they said they came together?

I've not seen a letter with the train whistle, but the unboxing video of the treasure chest package shows a letter or some kind of documentation inside, it just doesn't show it up close. If I get your meaning, a copy of the letter would definitively prove one way or the other what was included, right?

KnightOfTruth · #87 12-02-2015, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iwatasan

Can you post any articles you saw where they said they came together?

I've not seen a letter with the train whistle, but the unboxing video of the treasure chest package shows a letter or some kind of documentation inside, it just doesn't show it up close. If I get your meaning, a copy of the letter would definitively prove one way or the other what was included, right?

Well that, and more importantly to me, it would be able to be considered 100% complete, as I don't consider them completed without it.

Iwatasan · #88 12-02-2015, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnightOfTruth

Well that, and more importantly to me, it would be able to be considered 100% complete, as I don't consider them completed without it.

Agreed, I'm a stickler for the documentation and other little bits as well.

If you can link me to a source that says they came together I'll update the above posts. I've got Nightram's video saying that they came as a set, but he didn't get his from Nintendo, he got his from Kotaku through a charity raffle. Then I saw some other sources that cite Nightram's video.

But I didn't see any that say they got their whistle and treasure chest together from Nintendo. Joystiq/Engadget saying specifically they were separate, GoNintendo with their treasure chest unboxing video showing what came in the actual shipping box (no whistle). Also the dates were different according to the firsthand sources I found. November 20 for the train whistle and December 1/thereabouts for the treasure chest. The game came out on December 7, so it makes sense the press would get the game about a week early and get press images a couple weeks before that.

Edit: Oh, and articles/videos cited are posted inside the Spoiler tags in case you missed em

KnightOfTruth · #89 12-02-2015, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iwatasan

Agreed, I'm a stickler for the documentation and other little bits as well.

If you can link me to a source that says they came together I'll update the above posts. I've got Nightram's video saying that they came as a set, but he didn't get his from Nintendo, he got his from Kotaku through a charity raffle. Then I saw some other sources that cite Nightram's video.

But I didn't see any that say they got their whistle and treasure chest together from Nintendo. Joystiq/Engadget saying specifically they were separate, GoNintendo with their treasure chest unboxing video showing what came in the actual shipping box (no whistle). Also the dates were different according to the firsthand sources I found. November 20 for the train whistle and December 1/thereabouts for the treasure chest. The game came out on December 7, so it makes sense the press would get the game about a week early and get press images a couple weeks before that.

Edit: Oh, and articles/videos cited are posted inside the Spoiler tags in case you missed em

Good points indeed. I was going off of Nightram's and what ZeldaDungeon Wiki had said, but after digging further into both stories it appears that neither actually had them included on the same day. Nightram posted elsewhere that he had to ask the guy at Kotaku separately for the whistle and then later bid on the chest and won it, so it seems they were separate. And the ZD wiki has 2 sources below where they say it was included and neither of them actually confirm that fact at all.

Makes me feel a tad better about a recent transaction I made, that's for sure! But, I'll keep pursuing to get more details.

Edit: Also, I might see if I can use some "software" to pull images of those 2 documents in that one unboxing video - I'm really curious to see what they say now!

King Peter · #90 12-03-2015, 01:16 AM

I love Nintendo representative when I go to Best Buys, I get all kind of free stuff, I manage to get a Zelda Triforce poster not long ago