Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle

General Chat => Arcade Lifestyle => Topic started by: Superully on October 22, 2009, 05:31:52 PM

Title: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Superully on October 22, 2009, 05:31:52 PM

on the back of the box of congo bongo's c64-version you can read "go ape over congo bongo". i've probably taken this tagline to seriously, because with this roadtrip i have officially GONE APE   :shock:

but let me start from the beginning ...

a couple of weeks ago i managed to snatch a game on ebay germany which i had never thought to get my hands on: sega's congo bongo! once again i was lucky enough that the game was listed in the wrong category AND the description was damn poor - so i got it for little money ;D. i hadn't played CB in the arcades, but i was a H-U-G-E fan of that game on the famous commodore computer, so i simply couldn't resist. the good thing was the price, the bad thing the distance: the seller was located in hamburg, which is more than 550 kilometers (one way) away from me. WTF i thought, i want this game so bad, so i went for it 8) however, because of the distance, it was difficult to find a pickup date which would suit the both of us and when the seller told me i had to get the game as soon as possible because he was moving to the usa i was desperate.

but then i was offered the chance to buy a huge bulk of machines from someone else even further north (see  here (https://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=1014.0))! i talked to the guy and luckily, the seller of the bulk deal was kind enough to offer me a pickup of the congo bongo (he only lives one and a half hours away), so i jumped for it. this would give me the chance to (a) pickup the CB and (b) have a look what is on offer. only one problem remained: man, this is going to be one heck of a roadtrip ;)

i talked to michael from denmark (muerto) who was also interested in the bulk deal and so we finally set a date! let's get this roadtrip rolling ...

time travel back to friday 16th october :arrow: zapp, here we are!

PRELUDE

amongst my friends are a couple of michael jackson fans (well, who isn't?) and when a friend of mine asked me if i was interested in helping her out filming an MJ tribute video i simply couldn't resist. the plan is to recreate the world-famous thriller video "from scratch" and for the last few weeks we've been practising for the thriller video. on the evening before the roadtrip we had planned to shoot some scenes for the video (how stupid can a person be?). and while it is still far from being finished, the least i can do is give you a small appetizer  :twisted:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2487/4031913459_abbe82d9c1_o.jpg)

the filming took much longer than expected (as always), so i went to bed at half past one at night - knowing that an enormous roadtrip was just ahead of me ...

to be continued ...

Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: DarthNuno on October 22, 2009, 06:22:35 PM
My God  :o What a teasing from Hell  :o  :P

Congo Bongo? Road Trip? Michael Jackson? even Muerto?  Everything sounds good so far  :-* :-* :-*

Arg... the story please!!!!  :-* :-* :-* :-*

 :-* :-* :-*

 :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Superully on October 22, 2009, 07:11:51 PM
the roadtrip continues ...

MAIN COURSE

wakeup-call at 5 o'clock in the morning - after 3 1/2 hours of horrible sleep (i was very cold from the long nightshot). rise and shine, time to hit the road!

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/4031913719_03f998760e.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/4031913841_f1d4235dbb.jpg)

the statistics: almost 700 kilometers to go. have a look at the travel estimate. without spoiling too much i can say this: it's way off!!!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2503/4032666276_cfb2b552be_b.jpg)

and as always a nice little overview - doesn't this already look crazy?

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/4031921281_6cbe040cc1_b.jpg)

still very early and my eyes don't seem to be able to focus anymore, so i decide to take a rest - no wonder after such a short night and an exhausting day before. but better late than having and accident!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2649/4032666592_1cb2dab8c5_b.jpg)

after taking a short nap, i'm back on the road again. countless hours (and construction sights) later, i hear my tummy's calling. although i'm on a diet at the moment, i can't go without food and so i'm picking up a nice snack while refueling my car.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/4032671592_8ee16f9f22_b.jpg)

i haven't seen this before, but the shop assistent tells me that it is bought by a lot of people, so i go for it. i tear it open right before i hit the autobahn again, so that i can easily eat it while driving. with my eyes on the road, i take the first bite. "hmmm, this doesn't taste too good", i think to myself, "perhaps it'll get better once i hit the "pizza stuff" in the middle". next bite isn't convincing either, so before i take my third bite i take my eyes off the road and examine that thing a little bit closer ...  :o

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/4032671796_ec84958189_b.jpg)

jesus christ!!! MOLD - f****** M-O-L-D !!! and i've already eaten half of that thing. i'm thinking about hitting a parking area and getting rid of that stuff inside of me (FINGER :arrow: MOUTH), but decide against it! "this is not going to kill me", i'm telling myself, so i take some huge gulps of water and continue north.

UPDATE: i'm still alive!  ;)

some hours later (my navigation device tells me only 1 1/2 hours to go) IT happens: traffic jam! 12 kilometers!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2693/4032666768_7246f31f63_b.jpg)

sometimes the traffic isn't moving for 15 minutes, most of the time it's going veeery slowly. after 3 (=THREE) hours i finally spot the reason for the jam:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/4032666888_0148184470_b.jpg)

a simple construction site where the roads narrow from two to one lane. that's it!  >:( not even something spectacular  ;)

but unfortunately i'm not done yet, because the next obstacle is waiting for me in hamburg ...

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/4031914411_c87c333ed7_b.jpg)

the so-called elbtunnel which guides the traffic underneath the river Elbe

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2732/4031914533_4a94a797ea_b.jpg)

inside one of the four tubes

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/4032667254_695b8e6c2e_b.jpg)

finally i've cleared that thing, too, and there are empty roads ahead of me!

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/4032667790_5d3dc784d4_b.jpg)

the sun is already setting ...

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/4032667372_0b50024cba_b.jpg)

... but not a lot of road ahead of me. the seller's location is close to flensburg! kolding is already far into denmark  :shock:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2551/4032667666_ff715672eb_b.jpg)

the scenery alone justifies the long trip up north

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2597/4032668006_fb92e047cb_b.jpg)

and because of the proximity to the sea, there's a lot of "green energy standing around"

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3512/4031915493_b0640c0108_b.jpg)

finally, after almost 12 (=TWELVE) hours on the road, i reach the little village where congo bongo, michael and the bulk deal seller günther are (hopefully still) waiting for me

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2757/4031915703_08f9095305_b.jpg)

first order of business: take a short trip with michael's car to a nearby location where günther has stored some cabs. we have to get an overview about all that stuff! note to myself: it'a nice not to be the driver for once  ;)

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4031915821_c5f93f86f5_b.jpg)

in a rented shed there are some universal games waiting for us. 16 to 18 all in all.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2560/4031915991_d9b5851ff9_b.jpg)

back at günther's place, it's on to the next order of business: loading the congo bongo. while günther is "carrying" the game, i'm preparing my car

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2669/4031916179_81933f73a3_b.jpg)

congo bongo is a huge game, so we're not sure if it's going to fit into the car completely

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/4032669108_281ab865d5_b.jpg)

let's try it!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2435/4031916607_ae4b5cc10c_b.jpg)

"push guys, PUSH!!!"

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2640/4032669372_df1a209e2c_b.jpg)

fits like a glove!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2667/4032671918_2cf2027bef_b.jpg)

let's see if i'm still able to drive. after all, we had to push the seats forward to fit in the game. luckily, everything's still under control 8)

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/4031917015_1804645dd0.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2784/4032669506_f37a34c537.jpg)

time to give günther the money back he had covered for me when he picked up the game in hamburg. once again, i'm imitating mick jagger  :P

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/4031919701_11e5287711.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2531/4032672142_422a5c115e.jpg)

after loading the game, günther shows us what might be in store for us (and what is in storage ;)). he has brought a lot of games back from the usa and they are still wrapped up from the move. so there's not a lot to see, but judging from the shape one can see that there really is a tempest and a tron underneath all those cardboards (and many more of course).

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/4031918473_ff66ac1a4e_b.jpg)

we're moving some stuff around to get a peak at what's hiding in the back

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/4031917695_26d5c39c30_b.jpg)

what looks like there might be some good items ...

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3523/4031917381_a27424db2c_b.jpg)

... is only boring token stuff  :(

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2551/4032669892_da3c8d9a5c_b.jpg)

it's hard to tell from the picture, but günther's real love are pinballs (that's why he wants to sell off his video game stuff). can you spot some of them?

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/4032670808_2e570be47c_b.jpg)

welcome to area 51

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2531/4031918277_c6fe990899_b.jpg)

because his whole garage is full of arcade stuff, günther has two greenhouses outside where he also stores games. here's michael in one of them  :arrow:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2429/4032670672_5e1c7a0ec9_b.jpg)

here's the other one with both an outrun and an asteroids cabaret

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2524/4031917519_1be0e6f308_b.jpg)

all in all, günther has more than 50 universal games plus 12 - 15 dedicated cabs (along with a couple of pcbs, marquees and bezels). we don't talk about prices yet, because first of all michael and i have to agree on what all that stuff is worth to us. so we say goodbye to günther and head for a nearby burger king :) i've coped with the pizza snack trauma and therefore i'm good again for some great stuff!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2688/4031918717_164d51e4e3_b.jpg)

we didn't take any pictures of our burger king negotiations, but we both had the same idea money-wise! before you ask: we'll keep that to ourselves for now  ;)

it's shortly after 8 o'clock in the evening. well fed i realize that i still have some kilometers of road to kill, so i head home back south! it's a long and exhausting journey and i'm really tired now. fortunately, i know my body very well and each time before it's about to shut down, i take a break on one of the many parking areas to have a short rest. it seems as if the last 400 kilometers won't end, but eventually i manage to make it home safe and sound! have a look at this  :arrow:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/4032671672_1f99c3abe8.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2755/4032671324_180b4b0e3f.jpg)

one country, six counties, 1438 kilometers, 23 hours 39 minutes on the road - this roadtrip is OFFICIALLY OVER and i have GONE APE!

AFTERMATH

the next day i gather some friends for the unloading of the cab. you already know patrick  :arrow:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2645/4032673186_e9a7229854_b.jpg)

and here's myself along with markus - one of the strongest men alive (although he doesn't look like that)

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2450/4031920425_700383ea8b_b.jpg)

as always, the "bottlenecks". this game is extremely heavy (i didn't have the time to remove the screen)!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2733/4032673350_67458f9184_b.jpg)

but finally, we have the game up in my apartment. the condition of the cab is very nice, it needs some new t-molding and only minor improvements. because there are no reproduction sidearts available, i can call myself lucky that one part of the artwork is complete ...

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2537/4031920115_9ba1a7bb6a_b.jpg)

... the other one is only missing a small part! yeah baby!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2445/4032672472_5c74d394b5_b.jpg)

and i'm even happier that the control panel is in nice condition, too, because there are also no reproductions for sale (and NOS is impossible to find). only a small cigarette burn at the upper right corner, but all in all this will look great after "mr. magic eraser" was here  ;)  8)

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2502/4031920277_31965d911f_b.jpg)

everything that's left to say now is: CONGO BONGO IS IN DA HOUSE. hope you enjoyed my roadtrip - it was a borderline trip for me  :twisted:

Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Muerto on October 22, 2009, 08:04:02 PM
Great to se you got home in one piece!!!!

And the CB is beautiful!!! only some cosmetic damage, cant wait to see it up and running!
It was a real pleasure to meet you ully!

and, only one picture missing, buy buy Günther:

(http://muerto.superfreehost.org/arc/buybuy.jpg)
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: ckong on October 22, 2009, 08:25:22 PM
Very nice story and pics. You must have been exhausted, but it surely was worth the effort. One thing though, why for haven sake are you on a diet?
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: JG on October 22, 2009, 08:42:39 PM
Since I'm doing a 500 km + trip the day after tomorrow I'm taking notes: Get a good night of sleep, no Moldy pizza and expect to be late.

The Congo bongo looks great, I'd sure like to see more pictures both game play and the inside of the game would be nice to see.
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: scr33n on October 22, 2009, 09:32:44 PM
Great roadtrip and awesome pics as always Ully  :-* :-* :-*

(http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/982/teml.jpg) (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/teml.jpg/)

Tempest ... Tempest where is Tempest, I can't see the shape  ??? :roll:

It's your next purchase?  :spaceace:
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Superully on October 22, 2009, 09:43:36 PM
Tempest ... Tempest where is Tempest, I can't see the shape  ??? :roll:

not on that picture! it was in another row  ;)
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: level42 on October 22, 2009, 09:45:22 PM
You are ape. Driving that far on one day. R U Congo Bongo ?!?!!? :D

LOVE that cab. You're going to get requests to scan that artwork ! Best I've seen so far !

Gunther's place looks like a candy store....jeez.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2429/4032670672_5e1c7a0ec9_b.jpg)
This one reminds me of a Euro Williams cab, but there are some differences.....not sure :D

Again, great roadtrip and great pics !!!

About the mold, think of it this way: free penicillin  ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Superully on October 22, 2009, 09:54:53 PM
One thing though, why for haven sake are you on a diet?

easy to answer: 2 months ago i had reached a weight of 88.9 kilos, now i'm down to 78 again  ;D

one more thing i noticed: i'm confused by the fact that my congo bongo has the woodgrain sides while the original version had the sides painted in the same color as the front is. have a look  :arrow:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/4034863245_2a6aa4f211_b.jpg)

somehow the woodgrain fits the jungle theme, but it doesn't fit to the front of the cab.
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: JG on October 22, 2009, 10:38:13 PM
Did I see a centipeed up there? would that be up for grabs for us swedish people? If it's almost Denmark then it's even more close than my Amidar...

and Yes, I want a centiped (have no clues where to put it, but I still want it).
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Superully on October 22, 2009, 10:58:36 PM
Did I see a centipeed up there? would that be up for grabs for us swedish people?

there's not one, but TWO centipedes up there - one european and one american version. however, i'm sorry that i have to tell you that NONE of the dedicated cabs is for sale right now. the seller wants to get rid of the "bad stuff" first before he's letting go of the good ones. we (michael and myself) are trying to work something out though. in the meantime, i'm still thrilled that i've managed to get an original congo bongo!!!
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Ronald Reagan on October 23, 2009, 04:31:11 PM
nice roadtrip! I really like the sideart on the cabinet!
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: DarthNuno on October 23, 2009, 07:16:25 PM
i haven't seen this before, but the shop assistent tells me that it is bought by a lot of people, so i go for it. i tear it open right before i hit the autobahn again, so that i can easily eat it while driving. with my eyes on the road, i take the first bite. "hmmm, this doesn't taste too good", i think to myself, "perhaps it'll get better once i hit the "pizza stuff" in the middle". next bite isn't convincing either, so before i take my third bite i take my eyes off the road and examine that thing a little bit closer ...  :o

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/4032671796_ec84958189_b.jpg)

jesus christ!!! MOLD - f****** M-O-L-D !!! and i've already eaten half of that thing. i'm thinking about hitting a parking area and getting rid of that stuff inside of me (FINGER :arrow: MOUTH), but decide against it! "this is not going to kill me", i'm telling myself, so i take some huge gulps of water and continue north.

Awesome  :o I got a similar story but with my usual BIFI-roll  :? Well, it's wasn't as bad as you because I didn't eat 'MOLD', but the meat (after looking at it, because when I'm driving I don't look what I'm eating) was ...all white or gray ... really disgusting  :-\ Since that I don't eat BIFI roll so often  :roll:

sometimes the traffic isn't moving for 15 minutes, most of the time it's going veeery slowly. after 3 (=THREE) hours i finally spot the reason for the jam:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/4032666888_0148184470_b.jpg)
a simple construction site where the roads narrow from two to one lane. that's it!  >:( not even something spectacular  ;)

3 hours?  :o Arghh... this is the worst thing that can happens during a long road trip... It's already a long way... and ... spending three hours for nothing inside the car  :-[ ....

Nice storage  :arrow:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/4031918473_ff66ac1a4e_b.jpg)

...probably some greats cabs are hidden somewhere in that mess ::) Too bad you don't really have time to dig during a road trip ...

Wow... your Conbo Bongo is very beautiful  :-* :-* :-*  :arrow:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2445/4032672472_5c74d394b5_b.jpg)

This is the same SEGA cabinet than my Zaxxon (https://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=547.0) by the way  ;)

Great story, great pictures, few 'side stories', friends (but not enough pictures of Muerto in my opinion  ::) ;) )  and a great cabinet at the end (ultra rare... you're maybe the only one to have this one in Europe maybe?  :P )  :arrow: PERFECT ROAD TRIP  8)

 :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: DarthNuno on October 23, 2009, 07:21:11 PM
one more thing i noticed: i'm confused by the fact that my congo bongo has the woodgrain sides while the original version had the sides painted in the same color as the front is. have a look  :arrow:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/4034863245_2a6aa4f211_b.jpg)

somehow the woodgrain fits the jungle theme, but it doesn't fit to the front of the cab.

Don't worry, both are original cabinet. I got the same thing with my Zaxxon. The cabinet exists in two versions : Painted or woograin sides. See my Zaxxon cabinet :

(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/10th/20th-sui4.jpg)

 8)
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: arcadefever on October 23, 2009, 07:29:33 PM
 :)

Nice road trip !!!! that Congo Bongo is in a great shape.....
I almost got one few months ago....

Great catch !!!!  :pac: :pac: :pac: :pac: :pac: :pac: :pac:
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on October 24, 2009, 06:55:24 PM
Congrats ully ! , nice catch, and wonderfull documented story ! (as always...  :D)
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: Superully on November 26, 2009, 06:08:08 PM
in between working on all my other projects, i'm thinking about how to proceed with my congo bongo. let me show it to you again  :arrow:

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2537/4031920115_9ba1a7bb6a_b.jpg)

i've already "complained" about the woodgrain sideart, i think it's ok on very old games like pong or tank, but later games should either have full sideart or at least a plain color with a sticker on it. as bruno already pointed out, there are two versions: one with woodgrain and one with plain brown sides.

i'd love to find brown vinyl or even better laminate to replace that woodgrain, however there is one problem: the sideart! do you think it will come off in one piece when i remove the woodgrain stuff or is there some other way to get it off without damaging it? of course, IF i give it a go (which i'm not even sure about), i'll make a scan of that sideart first so that in the worst case scenario i can have it reproduced.

what do you guys think?

@level42: haven't you at some point in time been looking for laminate (or whatever it is called) for your mario bros.? if i remember correctly, you also ordered some free laminate samples, right? where was that?
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: level42 on November 26, 2009, 07:04:13 PM
Why not use the method that CKONG did on his DK ?
That is, if the woodgrain is not a structure of course.

It was from Formica (www.formica.eu) and some others....
Title: Re: [Roadtrip] Gone Ape (Congo Bongo)
Post by: ckong on November 26, 2009, 08:49:50 PM
Why not use the method that CKONG did on his DK ?
That is, if the woodgrain is not a structure of course.

Will be a difficult job with this side art, much more and complex curves. And with DK I had the luck that it is a thick sticker, with an edge you can clearly feel and use as a cutting guide of the masking vinyl. I don't know if this also the case with Congo. Could be worht a try, but indeed, first scan it.