I... am SINISTAR!

Another Sparbcade Progress Report

Things are nearing completion now. Here’s the status of the machines:

Centipede – I just need to add a blue cardboard bezel behind the glass bezel and it will be 100% complete.
Mortal Kombat – The control panel still looks crappy but I don’t know if I’ll get around to cleaning it up any time soon. The cabinet still has Street Fighter side art and bezel. I’m not sure when or if I’ll get around to replacing them.
Relief Pitcher – 100% Complete.
Battle Arena Toshinden 2 – I need to cut the marquee down to size so it will fit in the cabinet. I also need a new monitor bezel and plexiglas.
MAME – I still need to wire up a kick harness for the 6 additional buttons. I also need a new bezel and some plexiglas. I’m also going to wire up a power button for the computer up on the top where the power switch would normally be for that cabinet.

I still have that other empty cabinet. If POI still wants to give me his old 19″ TV, I’ll start piecing that thing together as well for console games.

Oh yeah, there’s the pinball machine, too.

All of this stuff is in my garage. I’m sure my neighbors are convinced I’m insane. I need to do some more cleaning in the garage after which all of the machines will be lined up along the back wall. I should have that done this week. Then I’ll post pictures.

Posted by on September 21, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Comments (3)
Posted under: Arcade & Coin-Op, Computers & MAME
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3 Comments

  1. Madaracs Said, September 22, 2008 at 1:30 PM

    For those who want to know what Relief Pitcher is, I added a link to this post. Sparby and I both agree that Relief Pitcher would have surely been a giant dodo in the arcades for many reasons:
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    • It’s slow to turn over players–which is a bad thing for Video Game manufacturers.
    • The game has an extremely high learning curve. There are two sets of controls. One set for pitching and the other for hitting… even though they’re the exact same layout? It’s a little confusing at first. Even gamers in 1992 would mostly have given up after a few minutes of wondering whether you’re pitching or swinging.
    • The teams are kind of lame. No licensed teams leaves you playing with awesome team names like The Minnesota Strokers. Because the best way to attract major league fans is to piss them off.

    The addition of Jack Buck’s voice pays off for the game though and if you don’t have to sink quarters into the thing you’re allowed lots of time to figure out what the heck you’re doing. It actually turns out to be a great game once you catch on. I think CS and I both really enjoyed the game after we got over the learning curve.

  2. Cloudscout Said, September 22, 2008 at 2:53 PM

    We need to try a two-player game.

  3. Cloudscout Said, September 28, 2008 at 8:40 PM

    I’m getting SO CLOSE to completion on all of these machines.

    The marquee is installed in Toshinden and I have the innards organized and fastened down. I also replaced the missing leg/leveler. It still needs a bezel, then it’s done.

    I installed the cone buttons on the Centipede cabinet and even wired up a proper circuit to power the LEDs on them. Now I just need the blue cardboard bezel for it. I should also wire up the lights for the coin mechs so it looks right when it’s on.

    The MAME cabinet is also doing well. I have the power button wired up for the computer. I still need to put the second switchable joystick in and wire up the 6 additional buttons. I also need to wire up the lights for the marquee… not to mention order a marquee… I suppose I should wire up the coin mech lights on this one, too.