time to start a new thread on this once fabulous forum (which has fallen into some kind of hibernation) - must be my first one for more than two years. anyway, believe it or not, i'm honestly HONESTLY H-O-N-E-S-T-L-Y thinking about "returning to the scene", but i will talk about that in another thread which has to be resurrected from the dead.

but before i dive into that, i'm curious what you guys have been up to these past few years and if you are still somehow connected to the scene. i know that andré sold all his stuff, but he's posting here from time to time. i'm pretty sure i'm going to forget someone, so please don't be mad, but simply put in your thoughts, because i REALLY wanna know what's going on with you guys!

@andré: do you regret selling all your stuff and not keeping at least one machine? have you ever thought about returning?

@erik: i know that you have started some kind of printing / cutting thingy, but what about your collection? EDIT: just spotted that it has also been sold. so the same questions to you that i asked andré ...

@michael: what about the  danish shed? what's going on there? seen on facebook that you sold your star wars cockpits

@chris: what about you? still have that rented apartment behind your house? still collecting?

@bela: how are things in hungary (it was hungary, right?) still zaccaria all the way?

@etienne: still printing those alu stickers from time to time, but what about the rest? any new mcgyver projects?

@bruno: seeing you sell the G3 really hurt to be honest, and that's coming from someone who never saw it in real life. what's going on in your three gamerooms? still got the fever?

@stefan: when i left you were still on top of everything, filling up your basement to the limit. how are things going for you and jochen these days?

to all the rest, newbies and oldies: please let me / us know how the hobby is going for you these days. i've said it before: i kinda lost interest when the container thing started, but never stopped reading forums - and i still kinda like those old machines. my plans for the arcade have changed a bit, but as i've said before, i'll talk about that in "my" separate thread. but why don't we get a conversation going here first?

hey guys, here's something i wanted to post for quite a while now. i'm pretty sure everyone has noticed that the postings in this forum have dropped to almost zero and people have migrated somewhere else or simply are less active (myself included). the question is WHY? for me there are multiple reasons, the most important one being the name of the website itself! a few years back andré tried to establish ARCADE LIFESTYLE as the main name / address and drop or at least push back the dragon's lair theme, but this never happened. back then it was ARCADE LIFESTYLE here all over with tons of roadtrips and restorations and honestly i think we missed the perfect chance to establish THE european forum on the web, not just something which people talk about as the dragon's lair guys. i never cared too much für the dragon's lair part of the forum and always thought that a special section dedicated to DL was too much and i think that this (in my opinion) stupid cosplay stuff pushed people away rather that attract visitors!
as i've stated above, there are many more reasons why this forum is in the state it is now, but for now i'm done with my posting and i'm curious to see if and what you guys have to say. can we make this forum great again or should be let it rest in peace?

we all remember thomas - how can't we forget him? but do you guys remember the computer space ball he had for sale once?



does anyone know what happened to the cab? i still regret not going for it back then ...

hey guys,
looking for a nintendo cab to build a dedicated donkey kong ii. unfortunately i was stupid enough to sell off the one spare nintendo cab i once had - and i can't remember who i sold it to
so if you have one you don't need anymore, please let me know!!!

the title basically says it all: both games are in nice original unrestored working condition and have been imported from the USA. here's a few pics i've just taken:

GRAVITAR





https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1512/25603199694_883dab34cf_k_d.jpg[/img]



TEMPEST













and here's what i want: PONG

enough said - let's trade ...

still need to thin the herd a little bit, therefore i've decided to sell a few more games from my private collection, some have been wonderfully restored and are fully working while others are still in storage - untested. here's what's up for grabs ...

(1) PAPERBOY - SOLD SOLD SOLD

this will probably be the nicest example of a paperboy machine you'll ever come across. it has been painstakingly restored and is fully working. note that the machine is up here in my apartment and has to be picked up in person asap (end of july the latest), because i'm moving houses. here's a few pics





(2) VINDICATORS - SOLD SOLD SOLD

once again this has been painstakingly restored from something that was basically useless to one of the nicest examples you'll ever find out there - the only thing missing is the sideart on the left, otherwise it's fully operational. you'll get a huuuge box of spare parts along with the cabinet, something which will last a lifetime. as with the paperboy, the machine is up in my apartment and has to be picked up asap. some pics to make you want this









(3) PAC-MANIA - SOLD SOLD SOLD

another crown jewel of my collection which unfortunately as to leave. new vinyl on the sides and on the front, new sideart, original control panel in nice condition. this machine is - of course - working 100%. check out this beauty







(4) MS PAC-MAN - SOLD SOLD SOLD

this one came from the bulk deal we did with paul50's a few year back. it has never been tested, condition of the cab is good. i'll throw in a few extras to make this cab "whole again". and NO, the galaga shown on the following pictures is NOT for sale atm









(5) RAMPAGE - SOLD SOLD SOLD

this is an unrestored machine in really nice condition - and as you can see from the pics it's working. clean it up and play the shit out of this thing - that's all you have to do. see ...











(6) TOMAHAWK 777 + MULTI DECO KIT - asking price: 555 Euros

got this game from the famous duke of lancaster ship raid. my plan was to throw out the innards of the machine and install a multi deco kit which i luckily managed to score - only 10 (in words: TEN) of those have ever been produced. i have EVERYTHING to turn this into a multi deco cabinet (wiring harness etc - you'll get a box full of stuff) which allows you to play games like boulder dash, burgertime etc with the push of a button - simple as that!









if you wanna have the cab alone, you can have it for 150 euros, BUT it is not complete anymore because i sold one of the parts to someone who needed it because i wanted to use the cab for my multi deco and had no needs for what's inside atm. if you wanna have the multi deco kit, you can have it for 500 euros - it cost me more to get it over here to germany, believe me. those things are really rare ...

note that i will add a few machines later, but that's it for now ...

let me start by saying that imho the term "grail" is totally overused in the arcade collecting scene - everything seems to be a grail these days. while i agree that everyone has personal grails he wants to collect (e.g. because of childhood memories), i think there are only a few games that really deserve to be called a grail, because they have significant historic value, they are rare as a hen's teeth and they have something which sets them apart from other games. one of those games would be computer space - the first commercial video game (although pretty unsuccessful i must admit). but not only that makes it special, it's the design itself which makes it a real collector's grail: this thing is a piece of art and belongs in a museum!

almost six years ago, on my roadtrip under a tuscan sun, i made first contact with a computer space. well, to be more precise, not just one, in fact there were two: the beautiful yellow single player version and the green two player alternative. the owner, massimo, had imported them from the usa and they were in fabulous shape as you can see. i've tried to get in touch with massimo over and over again over the last few years, wanting to test waters whether he could be convinced to sell them to me, but he seems to have disappeared from this planet. so i had almost given up hope of ever owning a computer space, let alone a yellow one, and thought that this picture would be the closest i'd ever get!



but you should never give up hope and as always - when you expect it the least - miracles happen . three weeks ago, a guy from wales had put up a really nice tron for sale on ebay but mentioned in the item's description that he also has other games for sale, amongst them a yellow computer space. i almost freaked out, got in touch with the seller immediately, asked for pictures, freaked out even more when i saw them, didn't care about the price and said "we have a deal". the only problem was the distance: after all wales is not just around the corner. we thought about asking martin the deliveryman first, but then the seller (whose name is gavin by the way) came up with a better idea: he would personally deliver the game to a meeting point just outside the channel tunnel exit in england and i would drive over, say hello, put something yellow in the trunk of my car and return home one happy camper! sounds like a plan? let's get things rolling ...

booking confirmation - check



a picture of the queen as a trade for the computer space - check



some "healthy" nutrition for the first part of the journey - check



some presents for a special guest star - check



oh, and not to forget my new mobile phone! i thought since the lady aka computer space has so many nice curves, i could also get a phone to match her beauty





i'm starting the trip on friday, because i don't want to get up at a crazy hour and drive all night long - i've got something better planned



this is where i'm going first ...



... and this is how long the trip's supposed to take!



two minutes onto the road and i'm already encountering the first of many accidents to come



traffic is just crazy on a friday evening, the autobahns are crowded and it is slighly raining - not a lot of fun to drive!



the worst part is over, because you know that you are on belgian soil when (a) the highways are illuminated (b) there are no constructions sites (c) you can eat while driving without having to worry about traffic





now who's that special guest star i've been talking about earlier? one of my favourite persons in the hobby, captain arcade himself: CHRIS! haven't seen him in over two years (what a shame) and he's so incredibly happy that i show up at his doorstep ...



... that he even agrees to show me his absolutely amazing collection of japanese robots ...



... which is normally protected by magic and an evil curse!



can't tell you how much i love them aren't they simply adorable?



apart from the fact that chris is one of the nicest dudes to ever roam this planet, i also love the fact that he always adorns your bedroom with gimmicks when you're spending the night at his place. unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time to chat (let alone have a look at his new gameroom / storage), but i'll be back - don't know if that's a threat or a promise though



the next morning i have to get up early ...



... because there's some more ground to cover



next destination: channel tunnel entrance in calais



time to burn some more fuel



just as i'm entering france the sun is rising



this promises to be a nicer day than yesterday



the sign all "arcade raiders england" should know pretty well



my departure time for the island is 9.50 - so there should be enough time to make it to the terminal



boarding passs printed



just as i'm standing in line to board the train to england, the sun's coming up behind the clouds



always an exciting parts of the journey - boarding the train



eurotunnel - relax, w'ell drive



my car in its parking position



i left the german flags on the car to make it easier for gavin to recognize me. i know they are pretty worn, but they still remind me of the great time we had in brazil last summer



gotta take a leak, so i have to go upstairs. it almost feels like being on a submarine ...



... and the "wonderful" wall decoration "almost" makes you feel like spending your holidays in the provence



enough toilet stories (and photos), let's exit the train on the other side of the channel to a beautiful winter morning - clear skies all around



we've set our meeting point just outside the folkstone terminal on a motorway station - a mere 5 kilometers from the terminal and easily accessible for the both of us!



almost there, i'm getting more and more excited, let's hope everything is going to work out just as we've planned it - after all it's also a five hour ride for gavin down from wales



lo and behold, just as i'm pulling in on the parking lot, gavin's showing up with his van as well - that's what i call perfect timing!



wales vs germany



i can't (and don't want to) wait any longer - open it up, gavin!!!



to be continued ...