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
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
nichibutsu itself offered the game in two versions: a standard upright which (shapewise) looks somewhat like the taito cab ...
... and a taller, highly sought-after deluxe version with a very unusual full-color plexi control panel
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
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
yeah baby, RELENTLESS with 140 km/h
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!
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
here's what a successful roadtrip looks like in the summer of 2012
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
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
