Author Topic: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'  (Read 43800 times)

Superully

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[Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« on: August 02, 2012, 06:21:09 PM »


In order to fully understand this roadtrip, i have to take you back in time! more than three years ago, i felt the roadtrip frustration when i came home empty-handed after what had already been a done deal for a crazy climber cabinet!

here's what my failed roadtrip looked like in the summer of '69 2009 :arrow:



just to give you some more info: the guy who eventually bought the crazy climber back then had been after one for years (at least that's what he told me), because this has been THE arcade game of his youth. anyway, about a year ago, i contacted the buyer of the cabinet to see if he was already tired of his "childhood memories". i got no reply at all - and therefore i slowly but surely started to let go of the idea of owning a crazy climber deluxe. at least this one ...

flash forward a couple of weeks ago when out of the blue i was contacted by the exact same guy asking if i was still interested in the crazy climber machine. of course i was, so we started emailing / phoning / negotiating and eventually agreed on a price and a pickup date. the "funny" thing about this is: he NEVER EVER plugged the machine in after he got it (let alone play it), all he did was put it in his garage and let his daughter use the coin drawers as a storage place for rabbit food. honestly, that's not a joke (but more on that later)! and by the way, so much for "dream machine" and "reliving childhood memories" ...

before i get this roadtrip started, let me give you some more info on the game / cabinet: apart from the usual cocktail table and cabaret version, there are three different upright version of crazy climber. the manufacturer nichibutsu licensed the game to taito who released it in the usa in one of their generic orange taito cabs :arrow:



nichibutsu itself offered the game in two versions: a standard upright which (shapewise) looks somewhat like the taito cab ...  :arrow:



... and a taller, highly sought-after deluxe version with a very unusual full-color plexi control panel :arrow:



enough said, start the engines (well, as you can see, the engine was started almost two months ago)



not much of a roadtrip ahead this time, looks like i'll be home again early



my latest roadtrip companions are these babies :arrow:



what's that, you might be wondering! well, that's the cover of my favorite energy drink RELENTLESS which i've become quite addicted to. normally i'm no fan of energy drinks at all, but nothing beats RELENTLESS. ok ok, one thing does, but it comes from the same producer: coca cola. what i like about the drink (apart from the taste) is the fact that you can open / close the can whenever you want and as a seal that it hasn't been opened before there's this "arrow sticker" on top of the can. whenever i drink one in my car, i put that "arrow sticker" on the back of the sun shield :P



yeah baby, RELENTLESS with 140 km/h 8)



while taking a short break at a rest area, i spot a little dinosaur for my dashboard roadtrip collection



and then there's the usual german autobahn traffic jam ...



... caused by a construction site - this time it's the bridge which needs "an update"





hollywood is so close! ;)



"mr g., you have reached your destination city!"



the seller is the owner of a bar which - at this time of the year - is getting ready for the euro soccer championships (seems like an eternity that i took that picture, probably one of the last pictures of my car before i crashed it in an accient)



in the cozy backyard, there's already something waiting for me :)



there are two different version of the deluxe cabinet: one with white sides and one with woodgrain. unfortunately, that's the woodgrain version - but i can live with it. or can i? ;)



time to load the "rabbit food locker"



loaded up - don't you just love the colors and the graphics? :-*



view through the head rest



but just when you thought this roadtrip was over, i have another surprise in store for you - or better: for someone else, because pretty closeby is the famous ARCADEHALLE where i've set up a meeting with thorsten "luigi" to deliver some presents



one happy camper! :D thorsten was especially thrilled about the light disk which bela sent as a surprise along with the other stuff



after some nice chatting (and crazy climbing around in their container to inzzzpect a zzzzzzzapping game) i have to head home to be there in time for the evering soccer match. but before i bore you with roadtrip statistics, here's what i "found" on the road: ully's turkey farm right in front of me!



i'm sorry, but this is mandatory :arrow:





here's what a successful roadtrip looks like in the summer of 2012 :arrow:



one country, two counties, 361 kilometers, 6 hours 46 minutes on the road - this roadtrip is OFFICIALLY ALMOST OVER!

ALMOST OVER? he? well, on my way back i heard strange noises coming out of the cabinet every time i had to negotiate a tight turn with my car. after unloading the cabinet, i immediately open up the back with a screwdriver only to find this inside  :arrow: :shock: :o :shock: :o :shock: :o



rabbit food - FREAKING RABBIT FOOD!!! i can call myself lucky that the box didn't "neck" the monitor, but it left a real mess inside the cabinet!!!

anyway, to come to a close, it took me three years to get the cabinet, but crazy climber deluxe has finally returned h-o-m-e :)
« Last Edit: August 02, 2012, 10:57:26 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!!!

slowcade

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2012, 06:35:45 PM »
Hehe, that rabbit food picture is priceless! :D

It's gives me a strange feeling to see that you picked up the cab in Neustadt. I spent a week in hospital there when I was two years old, after I got sick during our summer holiday in Germany. It's not a happy memory, because I was not allowed to have any family present, I was all alone in a country where I didn't even understand the language. It's strange that one can remember what happened at such a young age, but it's burned into my memory.  :shock:

Anyway.. Congratulations with this great game! Finally! And it's nice to see you writing roadtrip reports again. ;D

ataritoobin

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2012, 06:36:25 PM »
Nice pickup!  :)

I think the woodgrain version is a bit rarer than the white side version.  They probably used left over Moon Quasar cabinets.

There's another variation of the "regular" upright that has a different shape and brown molding, the one I have.  The one shown is in a Frisky Tom type cabinet after they did away with the lower door system all together (has a bigger coin door and CP mounting system than the earlier types) - so I imagine there was yet another type with orange molding and a lower front door!

Not mine, but the same type:

« Last Edit: August 02, 2012, 06:42:14 PM by ataritoobin »

ckong

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2012, 09:19:51 PM »
Nice story, Ully. Did you have rabbit for dinner?

It´s good that you are back again with your road trip reports. This section of the board was getting a bit dull without your contributions.

And that pep soda looks spectacular.  :)

By the way, what model is your new car?

Muerto

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2012, 09:41:35 PM »
Congrates on the game Ully!! Though its a while ago.
Looks really cool!!

Belike

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2012, 09:56:14 PM »
Lol, uniqoe interior with that rabbit food.! :D
It is a great game and the artworks from that unusual angle looks awesome! :spaceace:
Also nice to see that  Luigi was so happy with the Tron toys, they travelled lots of kilometers to reach him, thanks for the delivery. :spaceace:

DarthNuno

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2012, 10:59:16 PM »
Great story, great pictures ...and a rare cabinet!

Thanks for sharing this story!  :)

Headline of course!  ;)

 :spaceace:

level42

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2012, 11:21:06 PM »
Congrats, that is a really pretty rare game here !!

What I don't understand is that Thorsten missed this one ?!?!? ;)

About this bridge:



We crossed it yesterday while driving home from a great holiday in Germany/Italy/Germany again and wondered what the hell they were doing because of the insanely large scaffolding there.... This bridge crosses the Rijn (or Rhein in Germany). The big thing is you have to go to one lane only, that wasn't to bad yesterday (only 2km STAU) but it seems everybody is looking at the construction/work going on....

By the way....there was a time when driving through Germany was fun. Now you have a freaking BAUSTELLE every 5 km's. JUST when you hit 150 comforatbly you have to break again...  :twisted:

The worst thing is that at the entry and exit of a Baustelle (road works) you are only allowed to drive 60 km/h. What kind of an insane speed limit is that on a high-way ?!?!
Of course we have road-works too but the limit is usually 80 (sometimes 70 or 90) but at least the same from beginning to the end....

O well....I'm totally de-railing.... Love the cab ! Keep the woodgrain ! (heh-heh ;)) Is it running ?

Better be happy mice or rats didn't find the rabbit food ! :)

And again....open the cab before transport....remember breaking necks etc..............

Luigi

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2012, 07:23:21 AM »

What I don't understand is that Thorsten missed this one ?!?!? ;)



Same here  ::)  Only 5km away from me.....well, we don't have space for more cabs anyway  ::)  ::)

Bela, this is the time to say THANKS A LOT for the Tron stuff!! I already disassembled the disc and the cycle to have it powered by a regular power supply. I will make a stand for both + the little cab. It will have buttons so everybody can push them and see/hear the effects they make :)  I did NOT destroy them in any way, just soldered some new wires that go outside the case.

Also big THANKS for bringing the stuff to me!


oh, btw....nice cab Ully!!  ;D
Sorry, that I didn't have more time....


Alpha1

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2012, 11:43:52 AM »
As ataritoobin said the woodgrain version is a lot rarer than the white version. I always thought the white version was a USA build but maybe not. The flyer has the woodgrain version so it may be an early version. Yours is the second woodgrain version I have ever seen, the other one is mine  :spaceace:


Superully

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2012, 12:09:43 PM »
thx for the nice comments, guys, believe it or not, that was the last roadtrip i have done (so far) - so there's nothing else in store (for now). someone else has to step up ... ;)

What I don't understand is that Thorsten missed this one ?!?!? ;)

simple answer: because he didn't know about it :P 8)

to be more precise: the machine was NOT located in Neustadt, it's just that the seller's bar is located there and he agreed to bring it along because then i wouldn't have to travel that far!

And again....open the cab before transport....remember breaking necks etc..............

i would have, but we didn't have a screwdriver around and he assured me nothing was inside. well, another lesson learned! rookie mistake!!!

By the way, what model is your new car?

it's another opel (of course), i'll show you pics shortly

As ataritoobin said the woodgrain version is a lot rarer than the white version. I always thought the white version was a USA build but maybe not. The flyer has the woodgrain version so it may be an early version. Yours is the second woodgrain version I have ever seen, the other one is mine  :spaceace:

thx ataritoobin and alpha1 for the additional information, i will keep the woodgrain side FOR SURE, because i somehow like the contrast between the orange t-molding and the dark woodgrain stuff.

@oll: btw, who would have guessed that you have a CC Deluxe as well? :P Congrats, you really seem to have everything there is to have, no wonder you're after the obscure and bizzare cabs now!
all i need is ... PONG - and a select few others: TOUCH ME, DRAGON'S LAIR, JOUST, ROBOTRON, MR DO, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH THE ROCK!!!

Alpha1

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2012, 12:28:40 PM »
Yeah I won it on eBay.de in maybe 2005? It's exactly the same colour scheme as yours, hey maybe they shared the same container back in the 80's from Japan!

ataritoobin

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2012, 09:24:34 PM »
As ataritoobin said the woodgrain version is a lot rarer than the white version. I always thought the white version was a USA build but maybe not. The flyer has the woodgrain version so it may be an early version. Yours is the second woodgrain version I have ever seen, the other one is mine  :spaceace:


Nice  :) 

It seems like they used cabinets they had on hand.  I've seen some dedicated Nichibutsu Moon Shuttles that use that "brown molding/angled marquee" type cabinet like the flyer, and the one I have is somewhere between that and the Frisky Tom cabinet (orange molding, vertical marquee, smaller coin door, bottom access door).

I'm pretty certain Nichibutsu didn't produce cabinets in the U.S. until Roller Jammer, which used Hyper Sports-type cabinets. 
« Last Edit: August 03, 2012, 10:08:55 PM by ataritoobin »

Etienne MacGyver

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2012, 09:58:48 PM »
Missed this because of my holidays and just read the thread

funny you got the cab now after all

Its a great game, and an even better cabinet (love the woodgrain  ;) :D)

Nice to see that Thorsten is happy with his toys too !

The rabbitfood part is hilarious, i think this deserves "the most funny thing found in an arcade cabinet" award of this year  ;D

simplesi

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Re: [Superully's Roadtrip] Crazy Drivin' eh Climbin'
« Reply #14 on: August 09, 2012, 11:28:46 AM »
Love the cab and the thread. Have fun!