Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle

General Chat => Arcade Lifestyle => Topic started by: tb lilley on August 05, 2012, 08:14:48 PM

Title: Hello from new member.
Post by: tb lilley on August 05, 2012, 08:14:48 PM
Hello. I'm new here. Just joined. I live in the UK and have been collecting cabs for a few years.

I've probably had 10-12 different cabs over the years, but here's my small collection as it currently stands:

First up, Missile Command:

This was my first upright cab. I started out with a Missile Command cocktail bought as non working through eBay. My quest to get the cocktail working led me to join a couple of arcade forums - through which the upright was secured. 

Missile Command upright is my grail cab. Came to me non working but complete. Had a G07 (bust) with pretty bad screen burn; a scruffy control panel; a badly scratched bezel; and a power supply in need of a complete rebuild. Overall though, the cab is solid enough and retains original side art. This cab gets used most days and has been rock solid for last 2 years.

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/caf60e10.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/30580b21.png)

Next up, Defender:

This is my third Defender. Started out with a Streets Defender which I didn't have for too long - it was sold to fund a non working Williams bought off eBay. I only had that for a couple of months before someone offered me silly money for it through the KLOV forums (quite odd bumping into a UK guy wanting a Defender on a US forum). I used the funds to buy a couple of cabs. My current Defender being one of them.

This came to me as a shell. Monitor was beyond saving (tube had gone), wiring harness was missing, no boards at all - I think all it came with was the original power brick. Cab is a US import:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/c0a77bee.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/976ae540.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/fd6fd73c.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/78de9f39.jpg)

Next up, Asteroids Deluxe Cabaret:

Bought this through eBay. Wasn't in great nick. Pretty scruffy, and with a mouse nest inside:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/0c01a153.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/d1f67493.jpg)

Cab itself was solid enough though, and didn't take much to get it up and running, although right now it's running an Asteroids PCB:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/ebfa8bd5.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/66fe148c.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/d320bb53.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/eac9e0c7.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/a513cf39.jpg)

Finally, Robotron (Euro).

Another cab that came to me as a shell:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/Euro%20Roby%20Restore/5ffae0f6.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/Euro%20Roby%20Restore/150c4ee9.jpg)

This has taken a long time to sort out. Worth the effort though:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/fef71f8d.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/55abf02c.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/37a596b2.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/53c45be6.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/96487b94.jpg)

And that's it. For now ......
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: Alpha1 on August 06, 2012, 01:06:11 AM
Welcome pleased to meet you  ;D
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: Q*ris on August 06, 2012, 06:51:36 AM
Very cool collection, welcome here!
Damn that MC cab looks really nice, such an awesome 'easy to learn, hard to master' game like Asteroids.
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: level42 on August 06, 2012, 07:04:04 AM
Yeah excellent selection. Love the MC cabaret side-art and the Robotron especially !

Welcome !
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: Laszo on August 06, 2012, 09:45:55 AM
Very nice collection.
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: ckong on August 06, 2012, 03:49:40 PM
Welcome here.
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: Superully on August 06, 2012, 04:33:41 PM
welcome and congrats on a nice selection of games - true classics indeed!!!
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on August 07, 2012, 01:51:12 PM
Welcome !
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: level42 on August 08, 2012, 07:31:51 AM
Since you have a Euro Robotron, could you do me a favor and make a picture of the inside of the control panel. Would like to see how the joysticks are mounted. Are those Wico joysticks ?
I've got a set of original NOS Wico's here for my Joust CP.
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: tb lilley on August 08, 2012, 09:16:53 PM
Thanks for the warm welcome, much appreciated.

@Level42: yes, I've fitted a pair of wicos. Not sure about Euro Joust, but Euro Robotron didn't use wico sticks - they used these monsters instead:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/51a7a0e2.jpg)

The ones pictured above aren't mine (unfortunately) as my control panel came to me looking like this, with no sticks at all:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/Euro%20Roby%20Restore/b544c78d.jpg)

Anyway .... as I figured I've no hope of finding the proper sticks I went Wico instead. They are mounted in a piece of board that sits tight underneath the control panel. Wood has been routered so that the top section of the Wico sticks sits flat in the wooden panel:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/c510bc65.jpg)

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/a708848d.jpg)

From the underneath:

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r121/tb_lilley/e1817e2a.jpg)

Let me know if you want more pictures. Happy to help.
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: DarthNuno on August 08, 2012, 09:24:28 PM
Wow, great work on that Robotron  :o ...I'm in love  :-*

Welcome  8)
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: level42 on August 08, 2012, 09:40:56 PM
Very nice indeed ! I already noticed there were no (carriage) bolts around the sticks , love that.

Mine didn't have the original sticks but those tiny "stick"-like joysticks by Suzo retro-hacked-in. They look fugly but they arent the worst joysticks I've come across (hey, they're Suzo's....)

I bet you got that CPO from a certain Archer McLean ??
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: tb lilley on August 08, 2012, 10:00:26 PM
Ha! Yeah, it's an Archer repro. The bezel and marquee on the Robotron were custom printed on to glass for me by ThisOldGame. At the same time I also ordered a spare Robotron CPO, which is as good as the Archer one, but I've passed it on to a fellow collector who needed it.
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: level42 on August 09, 2012, 11:27:05 PM
I'm pretty desperate for the same stuff for the Joust.....I think Archer has the files...well we've met now so I'll drop him a mail ;)
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: tb lilley on August 09, 2012, 11:32:12 PM
I know a UK guy that's restoring a Euro Joust. I think his bezel and marquee are originals that ate in good condition, but he's going to need a CPO. Please let me know if you get the art files from Archer for the CPO, as it would be good to pass them on.
Title: Re: Hello from new member.
Post by: Arch on August 28, 2012, 02:38:11 PM
Yihaaa, tb! Welcome mate!  ;D