Author Topic: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY  (Read 102204 times)

Superully

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[Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« on: December 05, 2010, 09:57:15 PM »


let me start like this: I HAVE A DREAM! i want to own an original PONG arcade machine one day :-*



they sell from time to time on ebay.com for a fair amount of money, but bringing the cabinets over to Europe is what kills the deal most of the time - some have been lucky though ;) and i'm sure i'll get my PONG eventually!

when "time pilot" toralf put up a for sale thread for a very rare pong clone called RALLY, i couldn't get that game out of my mind. So eventually a deal was struck with the seller! thx a lot, torald, for making the necessary arrangements!

PLUS i had just recently sold an OUT RUN MINI to a guy from a german arcade forum, who didn't have the means to pick up the game in person. since the buyer was based in southern germany as well, i offered to deliver the game to him. this would make for a nice roadtrip round - one going OUT, one going IN!!! 8)

here's what's coming up :arrow:



the roadtrip actually started one day earlier when i went to The Storage™ to load the game into my car



in it goes



that cab is really MINI - no problem at all to fit in the car and still a lot of space!



the next day, nothing new weatherwise when looking out of the window



europe (and therefore germany as well) is still under the grasp of the artic cold



no need to start early, but damn cold!



the first stop isn't too far away



fortunately, both the autobahns ...



... and the main roads have been cleared of the snow - so no problems driving at all!



i've never been to the university town of tübingen before - so here i come (shaking because of the cold?)



because the buyer lives on the second floor, he has ordered professional help



it's a relief to watch other people carry those heavy games for a change



that's where it has to go



and here's the dirty out run mini next to a nice clean neo geo cabinet (which is running m.a.m.e. inside)



after a nice chat with the buyer and a cup of hot tea (thx), it's time to head off to my next destination! you may wonder: 1h45m for 100 kilometers - where the heck is he going? well, i was told that the town i'm going to next is THE TOWN in germany which is located furthest away from any autobahns exits!



on my way out, i spot this sign by the side of the road: are those teenagers planning a riot because i'm going to get an atari clone? ;)



just as i'm leaving tübingen, the sun breaks through the clouds 8)



wonderful winter scenery with castle hohenzollern on the hill in the background - gotta love it :-*



after almost two more hours on the road, i have reached my destination



the seller is already expecting me and opens up the shed where the game is located



a first glance from the back



and here it is: a stylish combination of wood and fiberglass from 1973!!! :spaceace:



i know that the game is not working, but i want to do some inspections nevertheless



i manage to knock off a couple euros from the asking price and everyone seem to be happy - so let's bring this game out for loading it into my car!



the out run was mini, but this game is TINY  :P

still lots and lots of space in the car



time to head home - still under blue skies!



as the golden sun sets in the rear view mirror ...



... something even more golden rises in front of me! ;D



i haven't eaten anything since breakfast, so bring on something BIG :spaceace:



every time i look at that picture, i'm getting hungry again! that burger rockzzz



nothing spectacular during the rest of my journey back except for a nice melancholic sunset on the autobahn



the (by now) well-known avenue leading up to my home town



statistics



everything's peaceful and quiet in good old lauda! the RALLY has to spend the night in the car for the unloading / detailed inspection process tomorrow - sleep tight!!!



one country, one county, 508 kilometers, 8 hours 2 minutes on the road - this roadtrip is OFFICIALLY OVER!

« Last Edit: December 06, 2010, 08:06:41 PM by DarthNuno »
all i need is ... PONG - and a select few others: TOUCH ME, DRAGON'S LAIR, JOUST, ROBOTRON, MR DO, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH THE ROCK!!!

Etienne MacGyver

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2010, 11:35:45 PM »
i had a feeling that you would get thisone  :)

So you decided to let go of the outrun ? thats a classic too IMHO

or will there be a deluxe sitdown one day  ;D

Congrats ully , and thanx for the pics

Love the pics with the castle!

TimePilot

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2010, 07:01:48 AM »
Nice roadtrip Ully! and nice to see, that you have saved the rally for a cheaper price.  :)
a REAL classic from 1973! :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:

Superully

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2010, 07:14:31 AM »
So you decided to let go of the outrun ? thats a classic too IMHO
or will there be a deluxe sitdown one day  ;D

i totally agree with you, etienne, out run definitely is a classic and needs to be in an arcade collection, but i never liked the mini version that much, because it's missing the fabulous full-color sideart. never liked the sitdown version either, so there's only one option for me: the full upright! :)
all i need is ... PONG - and a select few others: TOUCH ME, DRAGON'S LAIR, JOUST, ROBOTRON, MR DO, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH THE ROCK!!!

Belike

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2010, 08:58:57 AM »
Germany looks beautiful in winter with that lot of snow and you were lucky with those cleared roads. ;D
I guess this is the oldest piece in your collection, congrats for the great catch, I hope you can repair it easily! ;)

Etienne MacGyver

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2010, 09:00:31 AM »
In the terms of space i need to agree with you , but for me if i had the space / opportunity i would like to have the deluxe sitdown

keep on dreaming etienne  :P

But thats just because i have fond memories to the deluxe, i never really played the upright, in my town the only version that was there was the deluxe moving cabinet  :-*

Ronald Reagan

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2010, 09:24:43 AM »
beautiful pictures, a snowy roadtrip report :ghost: :ghost:
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Muerto

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2010, 03:48:50 PM »
Nice road trip report as always!

It´s a hell of a game room you are going to build if all your machines will fit in there!  :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:

Superully

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2010, 04:11:02 PM »
It´s a hell of a game room you are going to build if all your machines will fit in there!  :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:

agreed, but i'm thinking somewhat in your direction: a barn ;D of course, i'd prefer to have all my games in the basement, but i'm afraid i'd have to rent barracks then ;)
all i need is ... PONG - and a select few others: TOUCH ME, DRAGON'S LAIR, JOUST, ROBOTRON, MR DO, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH THE ROCK!!!

gyruss

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2010, 04:15:01 PM »
Congratulations with your catch but too bad you let the outrun go, i think it's kinda cute..

Superully

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #10 on: December 06, 2010, 05:53:55 PM »

:spaceace: INSPECTION TIME :spaceace:

one day later, i've brought up the game into my apartment for immediate restoration. this game is by far the lightest i've ever brought up - two people can easily carry it with the help of the handle bars on the left and right hand side of the cabinet!



but this game is also by far the dirtiest!



let's start the inspection on the very back of the cabinet. two license plates here: an american one ...



... and a german one! i wonder what the story of that cabinet is. the seller told me he got it from an old pub where it was standing around in a corner without getting any love :'( now it will :-*



on the front, the coin insert piece has been damaged - someone scraped off the 25c message >:(



the control panel itself shows some wear, i'll try to get a replica made of it with engraved lettering (if i ever manage to get those stupid knobs off)



the left knob has been replaced - does anyone know where to find nice silver knob replicas?



in the middle, an ugly white plastic player select switch - don't know if i'm going to keep it or try to find a fitting metal replacement



the rails on the side of the cabinet - they are missing the protective plastic feet covers! should be easy to find replacements though



and of course they're full of rust - i'll have those rails chrom-plated to make them shiny again 8)



rails removed :shock:



a first peek inside



the power supply box



extremely clean inside



the cabinet with the fiberglass bezel removed - don't you just love it how that black & white tv hangs in there? :D



wanna watch a round of television?



view from the top



the coin counter - not many rallies played



the pcb removed from the cabinet



what a coincidence: 37 years ago to the day - happy birthday rally pcb





shipped! shipped? shipped to where? ???



there's a switch on the pcb!

question: does anyone know what the function of that switch is and the position it has to be in?



i'm thrilled that the game also came with the original manual - those are as rare as the cabinet itself!



aren't those old manuals simply amazing?



btw, i plugged the game in yesterday evening to see what's happening - no reaction at all! i'll have to do some further investigation, but for now i'm already in love with my RALLY - so glad i decided to get it!



all i need is ... PONG - and a select few others: TOUCH ME, DRAGON'S LAIR, JOUST, ROBOTRON, MR DO, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH THE ROCK!!!

Vnera

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2010, 07:02:39 PM »
Lovely game. I think its a real buttie! i will keep my eye's open for a the same BW tv for ya. I just love the BW stuff so i check for it daily!

Superully

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2010, 07:29:18 PM »
i will keep my eye's open for a the same BW tv for ya. I just love the BW stuff so i check for it daily!

thx a lot, i love those b/w games as well. while they probably aren't the greatest around gameplaywise, they sure make up for it designwise. well, in the case of RALLY people think it's either totally cool looking or damn ugly - i guess there's nothing in between. for some weird reason, i've fallen in love with that cabinet - must be the golden fiberglass which is blinding me 8) ("wake up, ully, this is not real gold!" ;))
all i need is ... PONG - and a select few others: TOUCH ME, DRAGON'S LAIR, JOUST, ROBOTRON, MR DO, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH THE ROCK!!!

DarthNuno

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2010, 08:11:26 PM »
Fantastic catch Ully  :-* :-* :-*

I really love that cabinet... so 'Computer Space' like... as you say, you love it or you hate it... I LOVE IT  :-*
1973 is my year! Hope you'll resurrect this 70's baby  ;)

Great pictures (what is your camera model by the way?), great story, thanks for sharing it with us.

All the honors of course  :)  :arrow:



 :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:

 

scr33n

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Re: [Roadtrip] It's not a race (anymore), it's a RALLY
« Reply #14 on: December 06, 2010, 08:37:01 PM »
Yes ... awesome catch Ully!!! Congratulations !!!  :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:

1973 is my year, too ... now we want to see a great restoration  8)

PS: nice banner Bruno  :-*
PROJECTS FROM SCRATCH:

Galaga - PacMan - Donkey Kong Red Cab - Track & Field Upright - Tempest - Burgertime - Gyruss - Defender - Track & Field Cocktail - Robotron 2084

RESTORATIONS:

Q*bert - Timber