After all these years collecting arcade cabinets, digging through every corner of the web, and visiting countless operators and collectors across Europe, I still manage to stumble upon a few surprises.
And the surprise was even greater when I realized that this little curiosity I had just spotted on a sales website was only a few kilometers from my place... in my hometown
At first, it was more out of curiosity than genuine interest that I decided to contact the seller, just to figure out what this somewhat “Frankenstein” arcade cabinet really was, judging from the photos. An appointment is set...
Thursday, May 7th, 2026, after my workdayAlmost no preparation needed, just emptying the trunk and grabbing a couple of big cardboard sheets, in case I ended up bringing the cabinet back home.
The seller is less than 8 km from my place
Today clearly isn’t the day I’m going to boost my stats!
...a small glimpse of my countryside for the road...
…and here I am already arriving in the seller’s village - which happens to be the very village where I was born…
…the village where I spent my kindergarten and primary school years… and look at that, I’m driving right past it now
…and here it is, this small village square.
Funny how everything looks smaller than I remember, yet somehow larger inside my memory.
This is the place where it all began - where my love for arcade machines first woke up.
Every year, the travelling Luna Park would set up right here, unfolding its lights and sounds like a little miracle on the cobblestones.
I can still picture the first electromechanical machines, heavy and mysterious… then the games of the ’80s and ’90s, glowing like fragments of another world.
This is where my fate was sealed, discovering Galaxian, Pac‑Man, Xevious, Star Wars… and.. Dragon’s Lair that struck me straight in the heart!
I could name dozens, hundreds even!
I was unbelievably lucky: the Luna Park renewed its games every single year. And luckier still that I followed it from village to village
Well, this square isn’t what it used to be. New buildings have appeared, and the village fair -the one I grew up with- is gone from here :'(
Staying in this nostalgic mood, I’m now driving past the old Mathelin Castle.
Only the two towers remain today. The castle burned down exactly 47 years ago, on Saturday, May 19th, 1979.
I remember it as if it were yesterday: It was early afternoon. I came to see the tragic scene with my father.
The whole village had gathered, watching the firefighters struggle to save the castle from the flames… and slowly realizing they wouldn’t succeed.
Alright… and now here I am, pulling up to the seller’s place.
The seller is a few minutes late.
So I’m waiting for him in my car. And I start thinking again about all the memories I have from the 23 years I spent in this village… damn, getting older sucks! :'(
Wake up Nuno!
Here it is. Do you see this? In the photos it could’ve passed for a joke, or some kind of Frankenstein cabinet… but... no!
I’m standing right in front of what appears to be a genuine Pac‑Mania, officially licensed by Namco… built by Elettronolo!
After a careful look and a bit of negotiation, I load this little curiosity into the car.
And I do it rather quickly, the seller’s house is home to what feels like fifteen cats, maybe more
(my nose reminds me of my allergy the moment I stepped inside, that familiar sting rising like an old warning)
The cabinet is loaded. I’m heading back to base and with a lovely little curiosity in the trunk
What? Not even an hour has passed since the start of this roadtrip… and it’s already over.
For once, things didn’t drag on.
Trip : South Belgium <> South Belgium
Total length : 54 min - 17 km on road Alright, here it is, unloaded at last. And after removing the worst of the cat hair… I’m going to leave it outside for a bit to let the smell fade as well
As for the sides, they really are the original ones!
It’s not a hand‑painted black coat but a kind of laminate -similar to the one used on Nintendo DK cabinets- but super smooth and ultra glossy.
The Namco logo isn’t a sticker either, but a proper high‑quality paint job. That is a very good surprise!
The control panel has been hacked, since the cabinet now runs on a 49‑in‑1 board, but the original CPO still carries the Elettronolo stamp
The marquee is also signed by Elettronolo
Here’s the other side of the cabinet, and the back. There’s no identification plate here anymore, or it’s long gone?
The seller told me he had received it like this about 16 or 18 years ago.
This cabinet really is a mystery!
The side panels look original - or at least exactly as they would have been when the machine was first built. The black laminate and the Namco logo are far too clean and precise to be the result of a later conversion or homemade work...
The marquee and the control panel both carry the Elettronolo signature, and even the envelope inside the cabinet -the one that must have held the original documentation- is stamped Elettronolo as well.
The speaker grille section is almost identical to the one on my Dragon’s Lair II, also built by Elettronolo.
But the bezel… that one doesn’t feel original. It doesn’t match the vertical monitor currently installed.
I’ve dug around online and couldn’t find a single photo of a Pac‑Mania cabinet made by Elettronolo.
And if this is a dedicated Pac‑Mania by them, why on earth would they have chosen such a massive cabinet — the kind usually meant for two‑player games?
Personally, I adore those oversized Namco logos, but they do feel a bit “too much” for a game like Pac‑Mania.
I’d expect them on something like a Tekken cabinet instead.
And yet the evidence is right there: Elettronolo’s fingerprints are all over this cabinet. Truly strange...
And you… have you ever come across this cabinet?
