Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle
General Chat => Arcade Lifestyle => Topic started by: ckong on October 25, 2009, 06:55:43 PM
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I went on a road trip today, my first one ever to fetch a classic game cab. And this first one was for nothing more than an original Donkey Kong cabinet. A game I have loved since my childhood, and I wanted to own one for more quite some years now. I occasionally searched for it, mostly on the internet, but in Europe you hardly find any. Until this cab came along. Abouth six months ago someone mentioned to me that his brother had one, but unfortunately at that time he wasn’t interested in selling it. But I knew one day it would be mine. 8)
Then about 6 weeks ago I sold him a Japanese cab and he mentioned that Donkey Kong was available if I wanted it. Of course I did!! :o He did send me some pictures, and I was in love. She was beautiful. But a price was not set yet, and we discussed this several times. I knew he would give me first choice, so we both were not in a hurry. However, two weeks ago, during the famous SHMUP Party at rklok we met again, and from that moment it went pretty fast. We closed the deal last Friday and we planned a pickup for today.
So here we go, it’s Sunday morning 9.40 AM, and I have a trip of 209 km’s ahead of me.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/1.jpg)
I prepared the car with a soft blanket (she is fragile and sensitive you know)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/2.jpg)
And a little help to prevent my back from hurting too much.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/3.jpg)
I set my intraday distance counter to zero and pushed the magic button, the gate opened and it was time to put the pedal to the metal. Although the weather was not so nice, the scenery was.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/5.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/7.jpg)
First stop was a gas station and I fuelled up my car with some diesel.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/8.jpg)
After 25 minutes or so I finally reached the motorway, and I didn’t hesitate to speed things up.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/9.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/12.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/11.jpg)
Now some dull pictures of the motorway part, but they are obligatory. There was a bit of road work, but no delay fortunately. The weather was clearing up while I was nearing the destination. There was even a lot of blue sky which must have been a sign. Mario was with me.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/13.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/14.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/15.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/16.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/18.jpg)
Almost there, just a few kilometers more (in this desolated part of Holland)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/19.jpg)
After exactly two hours I reached my destination. I rang the doorbell, walked into the living room and there she was, in all of her beauty. I touched her, gently of course, I don’t want to offend her. But her reaction made me feel good, I knew instantly that this couldn’t go wrong. I mean, look at here.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/20.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/21.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/22.jpg)
I did do a quick round of gameplay, but I was so nervous that I didn’t make a lot of it. Then of course I had to go through the usual chitchat and offered coffee (not really, it was very nice to talk with the seller, he and I both love Cave gaming), but I took the first opportunity to get here outside and in the car. She fitted perfectly, slim as she is.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/23.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/24.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/25.jpg)
After having dealt with the financial part of this transaction I headed home. I drove very carefully to avoid too much bumping. After a while I got hungry and I stopped at a gas station. Shall I take these?
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/26.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/27.jpg)
No, let’s be smart, this is better for me.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/28.jpg)
I went further with the journey home, went through the Dutch St. Gothard tunnel and frequently checked the position of my precious cab.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/29.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/31.jpg)
Almost home. I now had driven very carefully for about 175 kilometers, and I don’t want the car to become lazy. So I increased speed a little. Not too much though, I already had some speeding tickets this year.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/30.jpg)
Finally, after 436 kilometers (I drove 20 kilometers more than necessary because I missed a junction in Amsterdam, were where my thoughts?) and 5.5 hour later I was at home again.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/32.jpg)
It goes without saying that I am very happy with the cab, and after the little restoration work which she will get, mostly paintwork, she will almost be like new, but not too new. I want to thank ElPancho and his brother again for this opportunity.
Oh, I could have make pics of the unloading, but she will stay in my car overnight. Why? You can read about that in a few days in my restoration topic.
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How very nice, and Donkey Kong!! I remember playing that as a child, now they are rather rare here in Sweden. Interessting with the reversed kind of thing that Nintendo did with the monitor...
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man, on original DK - congrats on that fabulous catch. and thx a lot for sharing your roadtrip with us!
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Just awesome :o
Congratulation : Your first road trip... and you already got an extremely 'hard to find' cabinet here in Europe :P.
Regarding the pictures, the cabinet looks like new :-*
This Road Trip will be very special for you : this is the first one for a dedicated cabinet, and ... what a game : Donkey Kong :-* :-* :-*
Thanks for posting this story. I cannot wait to see the upcoming pictures 8)
PS : You're right : Milk is far better than Dr Peppers ::)
PPS : Don't drive too fast on the road... take always the time needed, even it's long and be careful :-*
PPPS : Welcome to the Club my friend ;) Homepage of course :P :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/news/ckong.jpg)
:spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
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woooh! - what a nice catch!!!!
congratulations!!! and thanks for the pictures!!!
:spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
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And if you ever get tired of it, Please let me know and I'll make it up to you to sell it to me :ghost:
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nice roadtrip. thx for sharing! :)
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She is a beauty ! , congrats ! :spaceace:
DK Rulez !
thanks for sharing this roadtrip with us !
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Thank you guys for the nice words. It is indeed an awesome catch, and in pretty good shape. However, there is some restoration work to be done, mostly wood- and a paintjob. I sure will post pictures of the restoration process, although that could take a while due to other commitments.
But I already started the planning of the restoration, planning doesn't take much time fortunately and can mostly be done from behind a notebook, but it is a very important part of the restoration process.
DarthNuno, thanks for the very nice Banner on the frontpage, I love it.
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Congratulations !!! Great roadtrip and great cab :-* :-* :-* and now we want to see a great resto ... :spaceace: pics pics pics :wink:
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Congrats !!!! :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
Man, I don't dare go any further than 140 in Holland. That's why I love roadtrips to Germany, The Land Of The Free (speed limit).
But looking at the pics.....what is there to restore ? The coin door maybe ? :D
Man, I can't wait to set the record in the memory of this one :D (O damn, it won't save).
May I suggest buying a DK/D2K kit ? :D :D
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Congrats !!!! :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
Man, I don't dare go any further than 140 in Holland. That's why I love roadtrips to Germany, The Land Of The Free (speed limit).
But looking at the pics.....what is there to restore ? The coin door maybe ? :D
Man, I can't wait to set the record in the memory of this one :D (O damn, it won't save).
May I suggest buying a DK/D2K kit ? :D :D
The pics don't show it, but there are some damages on the panels, easy to fix though with woodfiller and paint. And indeed the coindoor could be replaced, the metal is partial not only bend, but also cracked! And the joystick has had its best days. That sums it up pretty much, technical the cab is in a very good shape.
The D2K 'upgrade' is very nice, I have it for some time now, togehter with a DK PCB and adapter in a generic jamma cab.
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Nintendo coindoors are the weakest I've ever seen around. Overhere they would have been busted all the time :)
Mine is bent too. Tried to fix it as good as possible before I had it powder coated.
Did you know that Mikesarcade.com sells repro Nintendo joysticks and parts ?
http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?action=search&category=Game+Parts&subcategory=Nintendo+Parts
The original joystick may be very well be repaired. They need to be greased and often were never....
Check out this thread for some good advice:
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=83865&highlight=nintendo+joystick+repair
Oh, and if the seller of the DK gets tired of his Pac Man, just let me know ;D ;D
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(Can't sleep, so I'm still posting at 3 AM !)
I noticed the step-down transformer at the seller's place. I checked, but it looks like Nintendo cabs are one of the few that you can't switch to 230VAC inside the cab by moving over a wire on a terminal.
This cab came from the US right ? I'm afraid that I've reached the point where I can actually see the difference between a US built Nintendo cab and a Japanese one....(Sick).....I think the extra bolts on the edges of the kickplate give it away....
The serial number plate would be interesting to see a picture off, plus all the insides of course :)
Oh, and your right, that part of North-Holland is desolate for a sub-urb guy like me :) Reason for clear skies there: It's ALWAYS windy there. North-see in the west, IJsselmeer in the east.... :D
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Awesome cab you got there Ckong :) A bit jealous bit in a good way :)
About cleaning the Nintendo joystick, there's also a video up on youtube about that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhZ2YAFHCCM
Old dirty joysticks tend to stick a little / don't jump back to center.
I cleaned mine that way. Very clean now and works like a charm again!
Good luck!
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Congrats, nice to know that there are still some DK's in Europe.
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OK, today the second and final part of the DK roadtrip. As I told yesterday she had to spend the night in my car. The reason for this was that I wanted to take her out somewhere, in fact I took her to:
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/p1.jpg)
I left her in the car (yes Bruno, I used my brains ;) ) got in and walked to the paint department. I asked the girl over there to take her little color scanner
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/p2.jpg)
and to walk with me outside in order to scan the color of the cab. So she did:
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/p3.jpg)
When we walked back in I said to her what a nice thing a color scanner is. But she replied with the words that the scanner is not always correct!! :o It often has a severe mismatch. Wow. She searched the right color from the code on the scanner, but I saw immediately that it was not correct. Too dark. >:( Then she said that it could also be this (?) and she showed me a color which could be right.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/p4.jpg)
I took the color strip outside to the cab, and as far as I could see it should be the right color. I went back inside and ordered half a liter semi glossy paint in that color. After mixing and shaking the paint was ready.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/p6.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/p7.jpg)
Of course I first will try the paint on a piece of wood to check if the color is really correct. Then I went home again to finally unload her.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/34.jpg)
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/35.jpg)
I gently lifted here up and carried here over the doorstep. She finally was in my house.
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/Donkey%20Kong%20Road%20Trip/36.jpg)
This is the end of my road trip report. I already took a lot of other pics, some of them will be posted in the restorastion topic.
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i was told that those scanners at the huge home depots don't produce convincing results - they are cheap machines which don't cost a lot of money. the guy where i get my colors from had one of those in his shop. it cost around 500 euros and after doing some scans he gave it as a present to a friend because the results were useless. everytime i need a color scanned these days he sends my original piece to someone else who has a 12000 euro machine and within one day he gets the results back. :)
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Guess what happened: my lovely wife paint the whole cab black and my laptop with this story babyblue, also the screen. Tonight I will have to sleep in the car next to my lovely cab, but I do not know this yet.... ;D
EDIT: guess what happened: I went to the Chinese to get some food and my wife took over the notebook. so please don't believe what she wrote. although she doesn't understand my drive, she will not harm DK and I can sleep at the usual place.
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haha your account was still logged in. :ghost: :ghost: :ghost:
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Hello,
I know it has been a while ago but i was wondering if you still got the DK cab?
I am also from the netherlands and searching for a long time for a DK.
But do you want to sell it to me ? and what kind of price do you want for it?
I do also understand if you want to keep it.
Kind regards
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See the road trip report topic, where you posted the same question. ;)
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Uhh....he PMed me for cabs too.....not sure if we can trust this new guy. Not saying he can't be trusted but he only just registered (july 1st) and starts asking to buy cabs "everywhere". Go with caution...
Kick....if you're to be trusted..first step is to put some kind of introduction up here.....
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same happened to me. got a request for some cabs from him.
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I "met" him on Marktplaats while selling my Funhouse pinball machine. Through messaging he asked me about my other cabinets that I have for sale.
Got a little tired of it, he was so time consuming :) so pointed him to this forum and told about the containers from COW :)
Think he can be trusted, he's seems just a little over enthusiastic :)
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I "met" him on Marktplaats while selling my Funhouse pinball machine. Through messaging he asked me about my other cabinets that I have for sale.
Got a little tired of it, he was so time consuming :) so pointed him to this forum and told about the containers from COW :)
Think he can be trusted, he's seems just a little over enthusiastic :)
Exactly the same happened with me and Kick on marktplaats when I was selling Pleiads last year. I got a bit tired of him (sorry Kick) and finally told him to be patient and that I would think of him when I would sell my DK or ms. pac-man. But that is not necessary anymore, now that Kick is on the forum (Hi, Kick).