I finally solved my NES problems, and no it didn't involve a sludge hammer . I was able to buy a toploading NES 2 off of a friend of mine. All I can say is that it's A VAST IMPROVEMENT over the old NES 1, and it should have been released far earlier then it was, which would have spared many gamers from the headaches caused by the Grey Box's faltly hardware.

Compared to the Grey Box the NES 2 is far more sturdy, and less prone to the malfunctions that have plagued so many NES owners. The console itself actually a normal NES but with a redesigned case, and better quality parts, and best of all NO 10NES Lockout chip, which caused the NES 1's Blinking Red Power Light, so there is little that can be said, it still plays the entire NES library, and is compadible with all of the Grey Box's accessories and controllers.

The only downside that I can find with the NES 2 is it's picture quality, which is somewhat inferior to the picture quality of the Grey Box, and that is owed to the fact the cartridges in the US were designed to be insetered into the NES 1's frontloading mechanism.

As I said before, the NES 2 is a vast improvment over the Grey Box, and is without a doubt the superior verson, and is a must have for Nintendo Fans and collectors.