Ok.. Heres's the tale, As I was saying in the first post, I love everything about videogames, including all the collectible items that have came out. I'm kinda like a crack addict lol
when it comes to a videogame. And I can never get enough of them.. As much as I love Fullsize Standup Arcade Machines, I also very much love Home Videogame Systems.
In 1991, My favorite videogame hero, (besides Dirk lol) Sonic The Hedgehog arrived on the scene!! It caught my attention... With the awesome graphics and outstanding Stereo Sound!! I played it again and again!.. Then in 1992, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 arrived.. Even Better!!! It was that same year, I went to the store and saw a cool little Sonic The Hedgehog character bubblegum container. Wow, I snached it up and took it home and placed it on my Sega Genesis!! Not long after, I began to see more Sonic related stuff, posters, toys, cans of Spagettio's,. I also drove store managers CRAZY untill they let me have any and all Sonic The Hedgehog posters and displays!!!
As the years went by, My collecting spread out to include every videogame I've ever liked, wheather it be a Arcade or Home Videogame.. It's pretty cool to have a Dragon's Lair Poster next to your Dragon's Lair Machine, Or Banjo-Kazooie posters next to your Nintendo 64!!!
What made me happy is how easy it was to find most of the collection I have.. Most of the items (except store bought items) I got for FREE... When a Store would do a remodel or relocate, they would just throw everything away.. Forgive me for the complaint I'm about to make.. but I hate eBAy for this reason.. Now, any videogame poster or display for any CURRENTY videogame I cannot get, due to the fact of store employees taking them soley to sell on eBay!!
And, It's WAY harder to find the stuff I used to get easily for next to nothing/ free
Anyway Anyway.. After 15 years of collecing everything videogame related besides Arcade machines.. I've amassed a large collection, and I was worried on where am I gonna put all this stuff?? I don't want to put the goodies out on open shelves, I don't want to be dusting them all the time...
In 2003, the store known as K Mart was closing it's doors in all of TEXAS, As soon as I heard of the closing, I immeadately wet to the store and put my name down on the Store Fixtures Request List. This was to get all of the Videogame Display Cases... S C O R E... I Got them!! From 2 different stores in the Baytown & Houston locations.. So, I set out to get them...
2-22-2003 : Here they are!!!
Just Can't Wait to get them outa here!! Wow... Soo Cool, as you can see, Nintendo and PlayStation is ETCHED into the Glass!!!!
Ahhheemmm... Sorry litte girl, I'm afriaid I'm gonna have to ask to to stop playing my Game Boy Advance, Please, Thank you.. LOL
(I didn't do that, J/K)
3-22-2003: Joy!!
The deal has been made.. As you can see the store is already closed and the merchandise is gone.. Now I can start to take them apart!!
4-14-2003:
Here I am at another Kmart location, getting their cases, Boy, I'm glad I did, Now I have 40' of Display Cases.. That's 32 Glass Doors, Man It was hard to get all this home.. Glass is scary.. If it were not for this store closing, I don't know what I would've done.. To buy this stuff new, the price would've been unreachable...
You can see why I'm sooooooo Happy!! The Cases are a PERFECT MATCH!!
Exaxtly the colors of Sonic The Hedgehog!!!!
12-15-2006: Here is where they sat for 4 years!!!
12-16-2006: Figuring It Out...
Now that the gameroom construction is underway, I have to figure out how to recreate the store shelves.. I would've took them, but they were too shallow.. So with the help of my best friend out at work, we banged our heads together & got a plan.. Here is a Test Run of the cases to make sure the idea works...
As you see in the picture, I chose to put the cases back to back 20' on each side with 40' total, This will allow a great view on each side of the game room, and will not take up the wall space.
Time For Prep & Paint!!!
These are the tops of the display cases, This is where I made the adjustment to make the cases deeper, I simply added a 2X6 to the top and followed on from there on the dimensions!
The Final Colors!!!
1-26-2007 :
Finished and ready to be taken to the gameroom upon completion:
5-08-2007 Assembly BEGINS!!!!!
As you can see here, the colors I chose just POP out at you!! Perfect!!!!
One Side Finished... Now to the other..... You can see Sonic The hedgehog & Tails the Fox in the background here.. Just waiting to get on their display stand!! (more on this lucky find later )
Another View:
They're coming together very well:
Current Progress: It's now 10:30... Gotta take a break for today..
Next up, Finishing the sides, and Hanging The Glass Shelves.. Stay Tuned!!!
UPDATE: 5-23-2007:
Yes, the progress seems to be slow, there are many tedious little steps.
The first was to measure, paint & hang the shelf brackets... as you can see they tured out great!!
Also, While I was hanging the brackets, My wife, Stacy was cleaning all the glass doors! Just look at 'em SHINE
Next up: The light panels. This was a potential problem.. The top of the cases was made like a 'cage' I didn't want dust to settle down in the cases, so I thought it would be a great idea to cover it with plexiglass... but it was sooo expensive.. while I was looking around at the Home Depot, I found plexi made for 4' commercial fixutres.. PERFECT!!!
I used a scoring tool and cut them to the size of the opening and this is the results:
Since these are made for flourescent lights.. it will work out great! It will balance the light as well!
Now, It's time for the light fixtures:
Had to buy alot of bulbs!!!
You may not have noticed, but the light tubes have a special UV Protective sleeve around it to prevent fading. Just a FYI: Flourescent lights will fade things rapidly.. If you use them for stuff like this, be sure to take the same precautions.
Now to place the light fixtures on top!! (still some final electrical to be done up here)
Here is a test run on the lights:
Now It's time for the display case footplates mounting:
Just used some LIquid Nails & special painter's tape to hold them untill the adhesive cures.
In the next pix you can see more of the same with the finished side trim:
And after a long night of cleaning glass, My wife Stacy, Crashed on the recliner while I finished up.. (she's gonna be pissed when she sees this) LOL
"don't fall asleep in here"
If It were not for my loving wife, My dream game room would forever remain a dream. Thank You Stacy
!!!
More Updates Soon.... STAY TUNED
PREVIEW: It will be time to open all these BOXES!!!
UPDATE !! 06-07-2007:
Opening all the boxes...
A SPECIAL NOTE TO COLLECTORS:
There are some things that you CAN NOT save, as I've learned here:
Oh, NO.. I lost my cans of Sonic The Hedgehog Spaghettio's..
As you can see, the cans are rusting through... the food inside has long gone bad... (expired in 1997, bought it in 1995)
Luckily they did not leak beyond the bubblewrap. I reallllly hate to loose these.. It's the unusual stuff like this that make a cool collection.
Now, with all the boxes opened, Time to sort, and place in the display cases.. Now you can see what I've been upto for the past 15 years. No, I'm NOT the 40 year old virgin!. (almost was)
Here is something interesting!!!... I found my original artwork from art class at school... I made this in 1984!! I never throw anything videogame related away, and I'm glad I held on to this!! Now you know that Dragon's Lair was always on my mind!!! Actually, for many years, my sister had this hanging in her room!! Now, before you see the picture, let's keep the laughter to a minimum....
I'm definately no artist, and it surely wouldn't get me past the front gate at Don Bluth's Studios!!
I will be proudly hanging this next to my Dragon's Lair machine soon!!!
More Updates soon!
Please check in for updates in the "Final Part" posting. Thank you very much for reading my post on my dream coming true!!
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