It's been a while since I wrote much on the blog. Whenever I lost inspiration I found it's better to let it be for a while, rather than force myself to write something. Of course that leads to me having a lot of old pictures in the "backlog", but I'm slowly starting to publish them today.
We took our annual trip to Hong Kong in November 2012, and as always I visited some game arcades. I can't believe I've kept these pictures to myself for a year, but here they are.
Showing posts with label Arcade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arcade. Show all posts
Monday, November 11, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Space Gun
Let's go back to the early nineties for a moment. The summer holiday was always in the family car, and we often took the ferry to Denmark. Not an easy situation for someone who tends to get seasick, like me!
It was on one of these holidays, I think it must be the summer of 91, that a particular arcade game saved me. I was puking my guts out on the rolling Denmark ferry until I discovered Space Gun.
I realized that I felt OK as long as I was concentrating on the game! So I played it for hours. And it more or less saved the rest of my stomach contents until we were back on land.
I never forgot about Space Gun. It was available on the home computer of choice at the time, the Amiga, but it didn't really feel the same without the guns rumbling. When the internet became more widespread I searched for the game, and drooled at pictures of the cabinet. The advent of MAME also gave me an opportunity to play the original arcade version, but the mouse was still no substitute for the positional guns.
Fast forward to 2013. I was searching a Swedish site when I found it. The sales text said something like "Your chance of owning a real arcade cabinet!", but to me it wasn't just any cabinet. Space Gun!
The cabinet looked great in the pictures, so I asked the seller if anything was missing or not working. "No, everything is working, nothing is missing". OK, I was hooked! I had to have it.
The game was at least 800 kilometers away, so I got a friend who lives closer to pick it up for me. And that's when the problems started.
I went to look at the cabinet in my friend's home some weeks later, and I quickly noticed that something was missing. The pedals! And the door panel above them!
I hurried to contact the seller, and his reply was quite surprising. "Oh yeah, the pedals are still here". Why didn't he mention anything if he forgot to give them to my friend? He also said that he never had the door panel. So much for a complete cabinet. But I would soon learn that things were even worse.
Luck would have it that my cousin was going the same direction shortly after, and he could pick up the pedals. And now I realized that this cabinet was neither complete nor fully working. The pedals' wiring harness was badly cut and spliced, and the pedals didn't work at all. The game is playable without the pedals, but one of the guns can't go left, and the other doesn't vibrate.
And there you have it. My intention was to buy a complete and working Space Gun, and that is certainly what I paid for. But now I have one more problem game on my hands! I hope to have it fully up and running soon, but I need to finish some other projects first.
I frankly don't think I learned anything from this, but I should have learned not to trust pictures... and sellers.
I realized that I felt OK as long as I was concentrating on the game! So I played it for hours. And it more or less saved the rest of my stomach contents until we were back on land.
I never forgot about Space Gun. It was available on the home computer of choice at the time, the Amiga, but it didn't really feel the same without the guns rumbling. When the internet became more widespread I searched for the game, and drooled at pictures of the cabinet. The advent of MAME also gave me an opportunity to play the original arcade version, but the mouse was still no substitute for the positional guns.
Fast forward to 2013. I was searching a Swedish site when I found it. The sales text said something like "Your chance of owning a real arcade cabinet!", but to me it wasn't just any cabinet. Space Gun!
The game was at least 800 kilometers away, so I got a friend who lives closer to pick it up for me. And that's when the problems started.
I went to look at the cabinet in my friend's home some weeks later, and I quickly noticed that something was missing. The pedals! And the door panel above them!
I hurried to contact the seller, and his reply was quite surprising. "Oh yeah, the pedals are still here". Why didn't he mention anything if he forgot to give them to my friend? He also said that he never had the door panel. So much for a complete cabinet. But I would soon learn that things were even worse.
Luck would have it that my cousin was going the same direction shortly after, and he could pick up the pedals. And now I realized that this cabinet was neither complete nor fully working. The pedals' wiring harness was badly cut and spliced, and the pedals didn't work at all. The game is playable without the pedals, but one of the guns can't go left, and the other doesn't vibrate.
And there you have it. My intention was to buy a complete and working Space Gun, and that is certainly what I paid for. But now I have one more problem game on my hands! I hope to have it fully up and running soon, but I need to finish some other projects first.
I frankly don't think I learned anything from this, but I should have learned not to trust pictures... and sellers.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Fantastic Outrun 2 SP poster!
For those of you who know me, you might know that Outrun 2 SP is one of my arcade favourites.
I don't remember when, but I was surfing the web for random related items when I saw a fantastic poster! It looked like it was from Japan and promoting the PS2 release of Outrun 2 SP.
I couldn't find the poster for sale anywhere, so I started watching Yahoo Japan Auctions. Every week (for months) I searched, but of course it's almost impossible to have such luck that precisely this poster should pop up.
It wasn't until another one of my random google sessions that I finally found someone on a forum advertising this very poster. My heart was jumping as I sent him a message, asking if it was still available... AND IT WAS!
To make a short story even shorter, I immediately purchased it and got it shipped safely from the UK.
But no poster frame could fit these strange Japanese dimensions. What to do?
I bought a cheap IKEA frame which I cut down to size. It worked like a charm!
Looks amazing, don't you agree? This will have a proud space on my game room wall.
I don't remember when, but I was surfing the web for random related items when I saw a fantastic poster! It looked like it was from Japan and promoting the PS2 release of Outrun 2 SP.
I couldn't find the poster for sale anywhere, so I started watching Yahoo Japan Auctions. Every week (for months) I searched, but of course it's almost impossible to have such luck that precisely this poster should pop up.
It wasn't until another one of my random google sessions that I finally found someone on a forum advertising this very poster. My heart was jumping as I sent him a message, asking if it was still available... AND IT WAS!
To make a short story even shorter, I immediately purchased it and got it shipped safely from the UK.
But no poster frame could fit these strange Japanese dimensions. What to do?
I bought a cheap IKEA frame which I cut down to size. It worked like a charm!
Looks amazing, don't you agree? This will have a proud space on my game room wall.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Selling some games
I'm downsizing my collection a bit. Partly because I realize that I've been a hoarder and I will never have the time to restore it all, but also because the games take up a lot of space.
So far this year I have gotten rid of:
So far this year I have gotten rid of:
- Judge Dredd:
Sold (cheap) to a friend, who fixed the front with new wood and a decal. It's up and running now, and it looks great. - Robotron 2084 (US version):
After I got the UK version I realized that I don't need two Robotrons. And this one needed a lot of work. I sold it to a friend who is currently restoring it. I'm looking forward to playing it, hopefully at his annual retro party in January. - Star Wars Trilogy:
Although I'm a Star Wars fan, the music in this one felt a bit too repetitive. And I need to downscale my pinball collection. I still feel a bit sad to let this go, but I sold it on the open market. - Super Offroad:
A game that I would love to keep, but I just have too many. I sold it to a friend who is already restoring it. He always does a great job, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the result. - Turbo:
I gave this to the same friend who got the Super Offroad. This one was actually converted to Pole Position, but I purchased all of the needed parts from The Arcade Boneyard. I hope it can be brought back to life. - Foosball:
I gave this away, after realizing it just took up way too much space. I'll just buy another one when I get a bigger house. They don't cost much.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Very sad news
I'm very sorry to say that my local operator friend from this post has passed away.
His health had deteriorated for the last couple of years, but it is still a shock when something like this happens.
I will honor his memory by keeping his old machines alive, like I know he would want.
Rest in peace my friend.
His health had deteriorated for the last couple of years, but it is still a shock when something like this happens.
I will honor his memory by keeping his old machines alive, like I know he would want.
Rest in peace my friend.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
A roadtrip to a familiar place
This story begins in 2005, when I visited a warehouse in the south of Norway with a lot of cabinets. I'm not sure how many, but it had to be a lot more than 100. That's where I found Robotron and Dragon's Lair. Unfortunately, I was quite new to this hobby at the time, so I didn't know many of the cabinets that I saw there. And I was more into pinball than arcade games. Only luck would have it that I chose those two popular games over the other ones from the warehouse.
My worst mistake is that I didn't take a single photo at the time. And from the row upon row of games, the only ones that I could remember were Space Ace, Super Offroad, a converted Crystal Castles and an unknown driving game with a marquee which said something about F40 or 340. The owners almost begged me to buy more than the two games, but I refused. One reason was that most of the cabinets were converted and in bad condition, but also the prices.
My worst mistake is that I didn't take a single photo at the time. And from the row upon row of games, the only ones that I could remember were Space Ace, Super Offroad, a converted Crystal Castles and an unknown driving game with a marquee which said something about F40 or 340. The owners almost begged me to buy more than the two games, but I refused. One reason was that most of the cabinets were converted and in bad condition, but also the prices.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Recent purchases
Just a little update about recent purchases I've made..
First of all, I found a Zaccaria power cable harness on eBay. I remembered that I had a broken connector in the backbox of my Magic Castle. But I did the mistake I often do: I bought something without ensuring that I actually need it. It turned out that I already had this cable in nice working order!
First of all, I found a Zaccaria power cable harness on eBay. I remembered that I had a broken connector in the backbox of my Magic Castle. But I did the mistake I often do: I bought something without ensuring that I actually need it. It turned out that I already had this cable in nice working order!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Space Invaders II sold
I had filled my garage with arcade cabinets after my little local roadtrip. Luckily I got them all moved inside before the snow fell. As you may remember, I have plans for most of the six Space Invaders cabs that I picked up:
- I am keeping one blue (SI1) and one red (SI2) for myself.
- My friend who helped me tidy the op's garage is getting a blue cab.
- My friend Arch is buying one blue and one red cab.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Danger! Danger! A storm is coming!
It's been a while since I posted. You would think that it's because of "real life" catching up to me, or whatever people say when their work and family takes too much time. But no! The reason why I haven't written about the games is actually the games themselves!
I live up north, far too close to the arctic circle. November is coming fast, and so is winter and snow! After my little local roadtrip a couple of months ago I suddenly had 9 arcade cabinets in the garage. That doesn't leave room for much else, let alone my car. I dreaded the thought of having to park outside and remove 10 cm of snow every morning through the winter. I also have the garden tools, furniture, bbq and all those things which I'd prefer to get inside before the first snowfall! Most important of all, I didn't want to move the games in winter conditions. I planned to rent the same large trailer that I used to pick up the games, and it's difficult enough to handle it without the icy roads.
I had been postponing for too long, and two weeks ago I asked three friends if they could help me move. The first date that was good for all of them was October 24th. Now, if you don't know the climate we have in this corner of the world, I will tell you that the weather can change from one day to the next. You look out on your green garden and go to bed, and the next morning 15 cm of snow punches you in the face. That was what I was very afraid of. I had to get the games moved before winter came.
I live up north, far too close to the arctic circle. November is coming fast, and so is winter and snow! After my little local roadtrip a couple of months ago I suddenly had 9 arcade cabinets in the garage. That doesn't leave room for much else, let alone my car. I dreaded the thought of having to park outside and remove 10 cm of snow every morning through the winter. I also have the garden tools, furniture, bbq and all those things which I'd prefer to get inside before the first snowfall! Most important of all, I didn't want to move the games in winter conditions. I planned to rent the same large trailer that I used to pick up the games, and it's difficult enough to handle it without the icy roads.
I had been postponing for too long, and two weeks ago I asked three friends if they could help me move. The first date that was good for all of them was October 24th. Now, if you don't know the climate we have in this corner of the world, I will tell you that the weather can change from one day to the next. You look out on your green garden and go to bed, and the next morning 15 cm of snow punches you in the face. That was what I was very afraid of. I had to get the games moved before winter came.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Outland Oslo
I thought I had already written about this, but apparently not. We were visiting Oslo in the end of July. A friend of mine who is very much into Lego took us to a shop called Outland. In addition to a ton of rare Lego sets, they focus on role playing, comics, fantasy and board games. And.. arcade cabinets?!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
The keychain
You may have read my post about my very short local road trip. If not, go ahead!
I asked the operator for keys to the cabinets I got from him. His health isn't very good, so he told me: Go down to the basement. On the right, you will see a long keychain hanging from the ceiling.
I asked the operator for keys to the cabinets I got from him. His health isn't very good, so he told me: Go down to the basement. On the right, you will see a long keychain hanging from the ceiling.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
A report from Liseberg!
For some weeks now, I've been writing about the game arcades in Hong Kong and Tokyo. These remote locations offer some of the best gaming experiences out there, and many of us dream of going there.
Well, to all people living in Scandinavia I have great news! Sweden has a place which rivals the best of what Asia has to offer! I am of course talking about the arcade in Liseberg, the biggest amusement park in the nordic region. I was there in July, and was very impressed with what they have to offer.
Well, to all people living in Scandinavia I have great news! Sweden has a place which rivals the best of what Asia has to offer! I am of course talking about the arcade in Liseberg, the biggest amusement park in the nordic region. I was there in July, and was very impressed with what they have to offer.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Dexter laserdisc replacement
Today I want to mention a very exciting web site. In fact, I stop by every day to take a look!
I am talking about.. laserdisc-replacement.com!
I am talking about.. laserdisc-replacement.com!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Hong Kong and Tokyo November 2011 - Part 13
We have come to the final post in this series of visits to arcades in Tokyo and Hong Kong. It's been a long journey, and I hope you have enjoyed at least some of the pictures!
We're back in Hong Kong again, after an eventful week in Tokyo. This time we're in the middle of the tourist area, Tsim Sha Tsui. Right at the Star Ferry Pier, Avenue of Stars and the view to the famous skyline there is a small arcade in the second floor of a shopping mall building. I wonder how much longer it will remain in that place. Hong Kong has changed a lot the recent years, and I'm honestly fearing that this arcade will disappear. The interesting shops are rapidly being replaced by expensive brand shops like Prada, Gucci and LV. And those obviously don't blend well with game arcades.
We're back in Hong Kong again, after an eventful week in Tokyo. This time we're in the middle of the tourist area, Tsim Sha Tsui. Right at the Star Ferry Pier, Avenue of Stars and the view to the famous skyline there is a small arcade in the second floor of a shopping mall building. I wonder how much longer it will remain in that place. Hong Kong has changed a lot the recent years, and I'm honestly fearing that this arcade will disappear. The interesting shops are rapidly being replaced by expensive brand shops like Prada, Gucci and LV. And those obviously don't blend well with game arcades.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Hong Kong and Tokyo November 2011 - Part 12
Greetings everyone! This series of visits to Hong Kong and Tokyo arcades is slowly coming to an end. Today I'm posting about one more fantastic location, and maybe one of the reasons why my day at Joypolis was such an amazing experience. You see, as my wife and I were taking a break to go eating, we accidentally bumped into a place which I'm sure many of you know about. The retro arcade (and mall) in Odaiba!
It's just next door to Joypolis, so combining the two for one whole day of enjoyment is perfect! We also ate at a restaurant nearby, with a wonderful view to the water and the thousand lights of Tokyo.
I won't write too much about this, and mostly let the pictures speak for themselves.
It's just next door to Joypolis, so combining the two for one whole day of enjoyment is perfect! We also ate at a restaurant nearby, with a wonderful view to the water and the thousand lights of Tokyo.
I won't write too much about this, and mostly let the pictures speak for themselves.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Hong Kong and Tokyo November 2011 - Part 11
Hello everyone! We have come to part 11 in this long line of posts from my trip to Hong Kong and Tokyo back in November 2011. Is this never going to end, you ask?
Well, please bear with me for just a little more. We have actually come to one of my favorites, the one I have been looking forward to writing about.
11.11.11 will always be a special date for me. It's on this day that I visited Tokyo Joypolis! I wish I could say that I arrived at 11:11 in the morning, but I think we were at a grocery shop nearby at that time. Dark clouds were gathering above us, and it started raining before we could enter the mall where Joypolis is located. A nice day for some indoor activities!
Well, please bear with me for just a little more. We have actually come to one of my favorites, the one I have been looking forward to writing about.
11.11.11 will always be a special date for me. It's on this day that I visited Tokyo Joypolis! I wish I could say that I arrived at 11:11 in the morning, but I think we were at a grocery shop nearby at that time. Dark clouds were gathering above us, and it started raining before we could enter the mall where Joypolis is located. A nice day for some indoor activities!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Hong Kong and Tokyo November 2011 - Part 10
My wife and I are both great Disney fans. We visit Disneyland Hong Kong as often as we can, but not on this holiday! We had never been to the Tokyo park, so we decided to give that a try instead. We had great expectations as we entered through the arched entrance. And Tokyo Disneyland delivered! We were there in November, so the park was dressed in Christmas decorations. Just like the American parks, they have old looking town buildings near the entrance, and in the middle of the "town square" was a beautiful gigantic Christmas tree!
But.. What was that building on the right? Does that say.. ARCADE?
Of course I had to go inside. The wife went for some shopping instead. I guess she needed a break from games after the long day in Akihabara. Imagine that. Well, I certainly wanted more!
I shouldn't have been surprised, but this game arcade was very different from the modern technological marvels of the electronics district. This place was obviously all about the mechanical amusemets of yesteryear. I'm not a hundred percent sure if all of the games were original, but I have no reason to doubt it. I just wonder when they all arrived in Japan. Did they come here when they were new, or has Disneyland Tokyo imported them from USA in recent years?
First up was.. A crane! You've got to be kidding me, more cranes? This one felt very different, though. Although it mostly played like its modern counterparts, the feeling is very different. Not only is the crane a part of a theme (miniature steam shovel). The wooden cabinet and the sign on top set the mood in a whole different way than the cranes I'd seen all over Akihabara. This is one crane that I can like.
And here's another one! The Japanese obviously like their cranes.
The change machine was also old-looking and ornate, but something makes me believe that this is made quite recently.
Chicago Coin's Goalee is a two player ice hockey game. The condition is almost too good for a 1946 model. The backglass looks perfect!
Take a look at this random YouTube video for gameplay.
And here's a beautiful Rock-Ola 1937 World Series baseball game. The picture doesn't do it justice. I found a YouTube video showing the game, please take a look!
World Sprint is a bicycle game. I'm not sure about how it plays, because I didn't test it. But look at that condition! It doesn't look like it's from the time when your grandparents were young.
They also had a football (soccer) game with similar controls. I love the look of all the mechanical figures with the beautiful painted backdrop.
Now this is really something! Ever since I watched the Tom Hanks movie Big as a kid, these old style fortune teller machines intrigued and scared me. The doll inside this one didn't look very impressive, but I didn't dare to try it nonetheless. You remember what happened to Tom Hanks, don't you? :-)
Hand shake with Uncle Sam, test your strength! This one almost looked oddly out of place in Tokyo, Japan. Just looking at this picture makes me imagine that I'm in some southern state fair!
There isn't much information about this Automaton Palm Reader on Klov, but it was made by the New York based company Mike Munves Corp. Arcade Equip. and featured readings from "the celebrated palmist Fletcher".
Now this one just freaks me out. I fear that grandma will break through the glass at any time. Moving along!
This Flip Skill from the Mills company is from 1938. That's more than 70 years old, and look at that condition!
I'm not sure if Play-Golf is the original name for this, but it sure is beautiful! Just look at how the backdrop blends in with the playfield and creates a complete illusion of a great golf course! It's more like a piece of art than an amusement machine.
I tested a couple of rounds on this Bally-Round. It's certainly very random compared to the pinballs of today, and in that regard it's almost more similar to a modern pachinco machine. But it's beautiful, and the condition is like the other games they had on display: Nearly perfect!
Here's another pinball model, the 1932 Daisy Pinball from Peo Manufacturing Co. The year of manufacture is actually not accurate, according to Klov. It could have been made any time between 1931 and 1932, but no matter when it's made it's old!
Tokyo Disneyland's collection of old mechanical games impressed me, and I could see that that they were popular among its visitors. It's amazing that future generations can enjoys these ancient machines for years to come!
Needless to say, the rest of the park was also a wonderful experience. We spent so many hours there, and didn't leave until it was closing time. What a wonderful way to spend a day.
But.. What was that building on the right? Does that say.. ARCADE?
Of course I had to go inside. The wife went for some shopping instead. I guess she needed a break from games after the long day in Akihabara. Imagine that. Well, I certainly wanted more!
I shouldn't have been surprised, but this game arcade was very different from the modern technological marvels of the electronics district. This place was obviously all about the mechanical amusemets of yesteryear. I'm not a hundred percent sure if all of the games were original, but I have no reason to doubt it. I just wonder when they all arrived in Japan. Did they come here when they were new, or has Disneyland Tokyo imported them from USA in recent years?
First up was.. A crane! You've got to be kidding me, more cranes? This one felt very different, though. Although it mostly played like its modern counterparts, the feeling is very different. Not only is the crane a part of a theme (miniature steam shovel). The wooden cabinet and the sign on top set the mood in a whole different way than the cranes I'd seen all over Akihabara. This is one crane that I can like.
And here's another one! The Japanese obviously like their cranes.
The change machine was also old-looking and ornate, but something makes me believe that this is made quite recently.
Chicago Coin's Goalee is a two player ice hockey game. The condition is almost too good for a 1946 model. The backglass looks perfect!
Take a look at this random YouTube video for gameplay.
And here's a beautiful Rock-Ola 1937 World Series baseball game. The picture doesn't do it justice. I found a YouTube video showing the game, please take a look!
World Sprint is a bicycle game. I'm not sure about how it plays, because I didn't test it. But look at that condition! It doesn't look like it's from the time when your grandparents were young.
They also had a football (soccer) game with similar controls. I love the look of all the mechanical figures with the beautiful painted backdrop.
Now this is really something! Ever since I watched the Tom Hanks movie Big as a kid, these old style fortune teller machines intrigued and scared me. The doll inside this one didn't look very impressive, but I didn't dare to try it nonetheless. You remember what happened to Tom Hanks, don't you? :-)
Hand shake with Uncle Sam, test your strength! This one almost looked oddly out of place in Tokyo, Japan. Just looking at this picture makes me imagine that I'm in some southern state fair!
There isn't much information about this Automaton Palm Reader on Klov, but it was made by the New York based company Mike Munves Corp. Arcade Equip. and featured readings from "the celebrated palmist Fletcher".
Now this one just freaks me out. I fear that grandma will break through the glass at any time. Moving along!
This Flip Skill from the Mills company is from 1938. That's more than 70 years old, and look at that condition!
I'm not sure if Play-Golf is the original name for this, but it sure is beautiful! Just look at how the backdrop blends in with the playfield and creates a complete illusion of a great golf course! It's more like a piece of art than an amusement machine.
I tested a couple of rounds on this Bally-Round. It's certainly very random compared to the pinballs of today, and in that regard it's almost more similar to a modern pachinco machine. But it's beautiful, and the condition is like the other games they had on display: Nearly perfect!
Here's another pinball model, the 1932 Daisy Pinball from Peo Manufacturing Co. The year of manufacture is actually not accurate, according to Klov. It could have been made any time between 1931 and 1932, but no matter when it's made it's old!
Tokyo Disneyland's collection of old mechanical games impressed me, and I could see that that they were popular among its visitors. It's amazing that future generations can enjoys these ancient machines for years to come!
Needless to say, the rest of the park was also a wonderful experience. We spent so many hours there, and didn't leave until it was closing time. What a wonderful way to spend a day.
Monday, August 20, 2012
T Nuts!
Many of my arcade cabinets have problem with worn edges, especially the bottom side that touches the floor. Why? It seems like the previous owners (operators) have removed the legs from underneath the cabinet, or maybe it never had leg levelers at all!
To prevent further damage, and also to prepare the games for going into my soon-to-be-ready game room, I decided to rectify the situation. The leg levelers themselves are easy to get from our domestic pinball supply shop, but they don't carry any hardware to attach said legs to arcade cabinets. I decided to check eBay, although I had my doubts. I had looked at mounting plates for legs before, and they were expensive. Not to mention the postage! Since then, I had noticed that many people simply use t nuts to fasten the legs, so I decided to look for that instead.
Much to my surprise, I found a seller who sold t nuts at a very reasonable price. 3 USD for 20 pieces. Best of all, they let you save on shipping when ordering more than one set, so I clicked the + button until I had 100 t nuts in my shopping cart.
Today the parcel arrived. I almost can't understand how they did it. It must have moved from the USA to Norway at lightning speed!
Look at these beauties! I wasn't quite sure about the size and thread when ordering, so I was relieved when I tested one of them with a spare leg leveler from a pinball machine.
The seller's id is americanintegratedsupply, and I can recommend them to everyone. Not only did they ship lightning fast, it was cheap as well.
Now I just need to get 25 cabinets to attach these t nuts onto!
To prevent further damage, and also to prepare the games for going into my soon-to-be-ready game room, I decided to rectify the situation. The leg levelers themselves are easy to get from our domestic pinball supply shop, but they don't carry any hardware to attach said legs to arcade cabinets. I decided to check eBay, although I had my doubts. I had looked at mounting plates for legs before, and they were expensive. Not to mention the postage! Since then, I had noticed that many people simply use t nuts to fasten the legs, so I decided to look for that instead.
Much to my surprise, I found a seller who sold t nuts at a very reasonable price. 3 USD for 20 pieces. Best of all, they let you save on shipping when ordering more than one set, so I clicked the + button until I had 100 t nuts in my shopping cart.
Today the parcel arrived. I almost can't understand how they did it. It must have moved from the USA to Norway at lightning speed!
Look at these beauties! I wasn't quite sure about the size and thread when ordering, so I was relieved when I tested one of them with a spare leg leveler from a pinball machine.
The seller's id is americanintegratedsupply, and I can recommend them to everyone. Not only did they ship lightning fast, it was cheap as well.
Now I just need to get 25 cabinets to attach these t nuts onto!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Hong Kong and Tokyo November 2011 - Part 9
This is obviously the ninth part in my series of posts from the game arcades in Hong Kong and Tokyo. If you haven't read the other parts, please look at the backlog.
Just as we were about to end the night, we saw one more Sega location. We we just standing outside the Akihabara JR train station, and there it was! Of course we had to visit this one last spot.
Once again, Google street view had me confused. I was pretty sure about this location, but the building is something completely different! The explanation is that the Google camera car visited Tokyo a couple of years before I did, and at that time the Sega arcade was what looks like a news kiosk.
View Larger Map
Now on the other hand, it's looking great! Project Diva takes up most of the wall above the entrance, and the Sega logo attracts us to go inside. Well, "now" as in November 2011.
There wasn't much to be seen here, to be honest. Some candy cabs, a lot of cranes. The only game we sat down to play was this 3D racing game, complete with glasses. The effect was quite nice. Take a look at this gameplay video I found on YouTube: Maximum Heat 3D.
As pretty much everyone knows, Japan is quite different in many aspects of day to day living. On our way home we spotted this advertising poster.
Who's up for some communication with Sonico? The women's liberation movement would have torn this down within hours if this were to hang in my home town!
Or how about this "mammary" pudding? What could this possibly taste like? Milk?
Our little tour of Akihabara has come to an end. The next day we went to another district, and ran across a nice shop for retro enthusiasts. It's very Coca Cola oriented, but they also had some nice pieces for decorating the game room. I guess this shop is mostly targeted towards bars and restaurants, because most people can't possibly have room for this.
I like the neon clocks! I actually got one almost just like this from eBay.de, and I'm going to use it to brighten up my game room.
Other than that, there were a lot of Coca-Cola items, 50s retro and diner decorations.
This post had less arcade related material than I wished for, but the next one comes from Tokyo Disneyland. They have a surprisingly nice collection of old mechanical games in their collection!
Just as we were about to end the night, we saw one more Sega location. We we just standing outside the Akihabara JR train station, and there it was! Of course we had to visit this one last spot.
Once again, Google street view had me confused. I was pretty sure about this location, but the building is something completely different! The explanation is that the Google camera car visited Tokyo a couple of years before I did, and at that time the Sega arcade was what looks like a news kiosk.
View Larger Map
Now on the other hand, it's looking great! Project Diva takes up most of the wall above the entrance, and the Sega logo attracts us to go inside. Well, "now" as in November 2011.
There wasn't much to be seen here, to be honest. Some candy cabs, a lot of cranes. The only game we sat down to play was this 3D racing game, complete with glasses. The effect was quite nice. Take a look at this gameplay video I found on YouTube: Maximum Heat 3D.
As pretty much everyone knows, Japan is quite different in many aspects of day to day living. On our way home we spotted this advertising poster.
Who's up for some communication with Sonico? The women's liberation movement would have torn this down within hours if this were to hang in my home town!
Or how about this "mammary" pudding? What could this possibly taste like? Milk?
Our little tour of Akihabara has come to an end. The next day we went to another district, and ran across a nice shop for retro enthusiasts. It's very Coca Cola oriented, but they also had some nice pieces for decorating the game room. I guess this shop is mostly targeted towards bars and restaurants, because most people can't possibly have room for this.
I like the neon clocks! I actually got one almost just like this from eBay.de, and I'm going to use it to brighten up my game room.
Other than that, there were a lot of Coca-Cola items, 50s retro and diner decorations.
This post had less arcade related material than I wished for, but the next one comes from Tokyo Disneyland. They have a surprisingly nice collection of old mechanical games in their collection!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Hong Kong and Tokyo November 2011 - Part 8
I am running a series of posts about my travels to the game arcades in Hong Kong and Tokyo from November 2011. This is obviously number eight in the row of posts, so please look at the backlog if you have missed the other parts.
Well, with that little piece of information, let's get on with the show!
My wife and I had spent a whole day in Akihabara, Tokyo. This district is famous for shops selling state of the art electronics, but also retro boutiques and arcade games. I was obviously there for the latter, but we also did some shopping in between all the playing.
We were on the way back to the JR train station when we passed what looked like a discount shopping mall.
Here's the Google street view, so you can see where it is:
View Larger Map
..and here's my picture of the very same spot. Looking at the dark sky, it's obviously getting late. What caught our eye in the beginning was that this mall had a camera focused on the pavement outside, so anyone who passed by was automatically on TV! No, of course not. They had a monitor showing the picture from the camera, nothing was broadcasted. But this stupid marketing trick worked on us, because it stopped us long enough to catch our interest. And so, we went inside.
The mall had various shops, carrying everything from bathroom equipment to Batman costumes. In one shop I found a cheap dance machine! Although it's not exactly Dance Dance Revolution, I'm sure this DDR-style alarm clock must be a hit in the community. Who knows, maybe you need to "dance" the correct combination with your fingertips to stop the alarm?
After numerous trips to Hong Kong, I knew that almost all of their pinball games are long gone. I had some hopes for Japan, though, as I read about dedicated pinball clubs and locations with numerous games. But it wasn't until I arrived at this mall that I actually found one! A Stern Sopranos, standing alone in between the more usual suspects.
The condition wasn't great, but it was definitely playable. Looking at the playfield made me wonder if spare parts are hard to find in Japan, because they had done some MacGyver style fixes.
Seriously, who covers drop targets with tape? Did they do this to make it stay down? Or to make the ball roll smoothly over it?
At least it looked like lots of people had enjoyed this title. I've never seen such amount of wear around the flipper buttons! There was a smooth finger groove almost half a centimeter into the cabinet, obviously coming from thousands of games worth of wear.
Like I said, Sopranos was positioned in between shooters, music games and titles I had grown used to throughout this day in Akihabara.
Here are some stereotypical Asian games: Pop N' Music, and a DDR machine in the background.
Other music games included Reflec Beat and Taiko Drum Master.
Did I mention that there was a strict NO PHOTO policy everywhere I went? We have always said that Japanese tourists bring the most cameras, and there's a myth that they take pictures almost constantly. Now I know why! They are not allowed to take photos in their own country!
I tried to be careful, but I was carrying a large DSLR. In retrospect I should have chosen a small compact camera. Or maybe I shouldn't have taken any photos at all, but then you wouldn't be reading this. :-P
If I remember correctly, this shooter was also music related.
This is called Elevator Action - Death Parade, but the gameplay looks very different from the 1983 original. You can look at a random YouTube gameplay video here.
It was a nice surpise that we bumped into this little game arcade in this bargain shopping mall, and it offered one or two games that we hadn't seen earlier in the day.
The evening was getting late, and we were on our way to leave Akihabara for the night, but there were still some more places to explore. More about that in the next post!
Well, with that little piece of information, let's get on with the show!
My wife and I had spent a whole day in Akihabara, Tokyo. This district is famous for shops selling state of the art electronics, but also retro boutiques and arcade games. I was obviously there for the latter, but we also did some shopping in between all the playing.
We were on the way back to the JR train station when we passed what looked like a discount shopping mall.
Here's the Google street view, so you can see where it is:
View Larger Map
..and here's my picture of the very same spot. Looking at the dark sky, it's obviously getting late. What caught our eye in the beginning was that this mall had a camera focused on the pavement outside, so anyone who passed by was automatically on TV! No, of course not. They had a monitor showing the picture from the camera, nothing was broadcasted. But this stupid marketing trick worked on us, because it stopped us long enough to catch our interest. And so, we went inside.
The mall had various shops, carrying everything from bathroom equipment to Batman costumes. In one shop I found a cheap dance machine! Although it's not exactly Dance Dance Revolution, I'm sure this DDR-style alarm clock must be a hit in the community. Who knows, maybe you need to "dance" the correct combination with your fingertips to stop the alarm?
After numerous trips to Hong Kong, I knew that almost all of their pinball games are long gone. I had some hopes for Japan, though, as I read about dedicated pinball clubs and locations with numerous games. But it wasn't until I arrived at this mall that I actually found one! A Stern Sopranos, standing alone in between the more usual suspects.
The condition wasn't great, but it was definitely playable. Looking at the playfield made me wonder if spare parts are hard to find in Japan, because they had done some MacGyver style fixes.
Seriously, who covers drop targets with tape? Did they do this to make it stay down? Or to make the ball roll smoothly over it?
At least it looked like lots of people had enjoyed this title. I've never seen such amount of wear around the flipper buttons! There was a smooth finger groove almost half a centimeter into the cabinet, obviously coming from thousands of games worth of wear.
Like I said, Sopranos was positioned in between shooters, music games and titles I had grown used to throughout this day in Akihabara.
Here are some stereotypical Asian games: Pop N' Music, and a DDR machine in the background.
Other music games included Reflec Beat and Taiko Drum Master.
Did I mention that there was a strict NO PHOTO policy everywhere I went? We have always said that Japanese tourists bring the most cameras, and there's a myth that they take pictures almost constantly. Now I know why! They are not allowed to take photos in their own country!
I tried to be careful, but I was carrying a large DSLR. In retrospect I should have chosen a small compact camera. Or maybe I shouldn't have taken any photos at all, but then you wouldn't be reading this. :-P
If I remember correctly, this shooter was also music related.
This is called Elevator Action - Death Parade, but the gameplay looks very different from the 1983 original. You can look at a random YouTube gameplay video here.
It was a nice surpise that we bumped into this little game arcade in this bargain shopping mall, and it offered one or two games that we hadn't seen earlier in the day.
The evening was getting late, and we were on our way to leave Akihabara for the night, but there were still some more places to explore. More about that in the next post!
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