Dec 11, 2011- End of year John's Arcade All Access Video Tour!

It has been awhile since I have done one of these, and well... here it is! An all access video tour of John's Arcade as of Dec 11, 2011! Enjoy!

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Dec 9, 2011- John's Arcade takes 3rd place!

So, GameRoom Junkies Podcast (which is a GREAT podcast, BTW) just had a little "2011 Game Room of the Year" contest. And... John's Arcade took 3rd place!! Woot! How cool is that? Big thanks to everyone that voted and the guys at the podcast for doing this. Very cool.

Congrats to "Tranquility Base" which took 1st place.

READ ABOUT THE CONTEST HERE

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Nov 29, 2011 - Some video updates...

I posted a couple of new videos the last few weeks. One is for a new pin I picked up called "NBA FASTBREAK", the other is for the awesome Atari Cabaret Cabinet, Tempest. Check them out below!

NBA FASTBREAK PINBALL REVIEW VIDEO - WILLIAMS/BALLY

TEMPEST ARCADE REVIEW - ATARI CABARET

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Sep 4, 2011 - Popeye Instruction Sticker now available for sale!

So, Radarscope, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, Donkey Kong 3, and Popeye all share the same cabinet design. Nintendo released DK and Jr. with an instruction sticker that went across the cross member above the control panel. For whatever reason, they didn't continue this tradition with DK3 and Popeye. So, last year or so I made a (fictional) DK3 instruction sticker to fix this issue! :) And, now I have just finished my Popeye sticker! Both are available from Rich at thisoldgame.com - Go get them!

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Jul 10, 2011 - The Kill Screens, Science Fiction Movie, now available!

Hey, did you know I have a band? It's true! I have been in bands for a long long time. My current project is called "The Kill Screens". The band is basically me and my pal, Matt. We have been working on this CD for two years. And, well, it's amazing. It's the greatest CD I have ever been a part of. It really is that good. It's Indie Electronic Pop/Rock. Think Postal Service or Owl City. Plenty of synths, 8 bit sounds, guitars, and clean vocals. The album has 14 tracks and every song is a keeper. The album has been very well received. It has been the #1 new release on Amazon for its genre and in the top 75 electronic albums on iTunes.

Ayways, I made a little video for one of our songs in my arcade tonight. It's not the most amazing video but it's kind of cool. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Buy the album on iTunes here:

Purchase on iTunes

Buy the album on Amazon here:

Purchase on AMAZON

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Jun 24, 2011 - Moe's Tavern Mod for The Simpsons Pinball Party TSPP

I just installed the cool illuminated Moe's Tavern sign mod on my Simpson's Pinball Party. This is a light up sign mod that replaces the static plastic Moe's Tavern Sign. It's a piece of EL paper with printing. It's very easy to install and is completely reversible. No hacking or anything. It's plug and play. The mod is made by Niles from wolfpackpinball. You can order this sign from Niles by e-mailing him at nlrobert (at) earthlink (dot) net. The cost is $60.00 plus $5.00 shipping. Neat mod for sure!

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Jun 24, 2011 - Big Guns Pinball Video Review

I recently aquired a Big Guns Pinball game by Williams. I actually won it in a raffle. Crazy! The game had some issues though, and I have fixed them all. I replaced an opto board, a bunch of switches and targets, about 50 bulbs, and also did a quick shop job. Decent fun game with these cannons that fire the balls through the air! Neat!

I recorded a video for it a few weeks ago, check it out. I have since fixed that gate issue. It was a bad IC on the CPU board. Woot!

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Jun 24, 2011 - Fire Trap Arcade Game Video Review

For some reason I picked up a Fire Trap game by Data East. This was a game that showed up on CL for $60.00. I figured it was worth it just to get the monitor. Turns out, the game is actually pretty neat!

Check out the video here:

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May 15, 2011 - ZOMG! Street Fighter II CE Turbo Hyper Fighting!

So, I have been wanting to add a dedicated fighting game to the arcade for some time. I kind of thought I wanted to go with a variation of Mortal Kombat but Street Fighter II kept calling my name. I don't know about you, but most people I know consider Street Fighter II the standard. And, well, when a local collector offered one up for trade, I had to jump on it. I am pretty happy I grabbed it, it's pretty bad ass!

Check out the Street Fighter II Champion Edition Turbo Hyper Fighting Video Review below!

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Apr 14, 2011 - A pair of Gottliebs FTW!

Hey, I just picked up a Mad Planets arcade game by Gottlieb. This was a crazy game that shared the same cabinet as Q*bert. I put up a video and also did a Q*Bert video a week or so ago.

Anyways, here are the video reviews of these classic Gottlieb games! Enjoy!

Gottlieb Mad Planets Video Review:

Gottlieb Q*Bert Video Review:

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Mar 30, 2011 - The best racing games of 1981 and 1982

I put up a couple of videos of the two best racing games of 1981 and 1982. The first is 1981's SEGA's Turbo which was the first racing game to feature a third person perspective behind the car and with a "vanishing point" perspective. It was pretty bad ass back then. A lot of people said it was the most realistic driving game to date. Nothing could touch it. That was until 1982 when NAMCO released Pole Position (distributed by Atari in the USA). They upped the ante with killer graphics, sounds, and insane controls. It was the game of the year.

They are both very different games. SEGA's Turbo features fast and twitchy gameplay that takes place in many different locales. You'll drive through the city, tunnels, snow, near the ocean, etc. Pole Position is a straight F-1 style driving game that takes place on a single closed track. Both are very fun to playand both were the top dogs in their day. Love them!

SEGA'S TURBO VIDEO:

NAMCO ATARI POLE POSITION VIDEO:

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Mar 6, 2011 - NO GOOD GOFERS!

Here's a quick little video of the awesome Pat Lawlor designed pin, No Good Gofers. No Good Gofer's features this almost CaddyShack type style, it is a golf themed pin. This game has tons of flow and is a really fast pin. Anyways, check out the video below!

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Feb 20, 2011 - Vs. Red Tent Instuction Cards added!

Some folks over at KLOV have been hard at work reproing some hard to find Nintendo Red Tent Vs. instruction cards. Raikus, OldTymeToys, and Modessitt have managed to create some bitchin' instruction cards for Vs. Balloon Fight, Vs. Wrecking Crew, Vs. Pinball, and Vs. Soccer. I have added these to the site and they are here. Huge thanks to these guys for createing these, they rock. I also added a bunch of other instruction cards that I found at ARCade ARChive! Hopefully these guys are cool that I did so! :)

Check them out here

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Feb 9, 2011 - Stern The Simpson's Pinball Party Review Gameplay Video!

Wanna know what my favorite pin is? Well, at least the favorite pin out of my collection... It's The Simpson's Pinball Party! Seriously. This is a pin that Stern put out in 2003 and it's just crazy. Crazy deep. Crazy awesome.Crazy amazing. Crazy fun! I personally think it's the best pin that Stern has ever made. Have you seen the crap pins they have made lately? Nothing compares to the amount of toys, rules, depth, features, ramps, shots, gizmos, gadgets, etc. that The Simpson' Pinball Party has. So, after many requests, I finally did a video review of my Simpson's Pinball Party. Check it out below!

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Feb 7, 2011 - Forum added! Whoa.

I get a TON of messages asking me for help, advice, etc. So, I figured a forum could be a good way to communicate with everyone and we can try to help each other out. I think there is a need for this and a lot of the other forums out there are pretty intimidating for new or would-be collectors. So, let's give this a shot. If people like it, and use it, I'll invest the time needed to make it kick ass.

Also, I want to use this forum as place to discuss all things Nintendo Vs. So, if you have questions about this or need help, please post in the forum. It should be a good place to get a hold of me if you have questions.

Check out the forum here (main forum index)

Nintendo Vs. Forum

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Feb 7, 2011 - Jungle Hunt / Jungle King Video Review!

I just posted a video of one of my favorite games from the 80s, Jungle King! This game was actually changed later to Jungle Hunt because the Tarzan folks didn't take too kindly to the main character and his jungle yell. He looked and sounded exactly like Tarzan!

Anyways, check out the video here and let me know what you think!

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Dec 19, 2010 - Ho! Ho! Ho! Moon Patrol and arcade vid!

It's been over a year since I moved all my games into my basement. In that time I have never once had EVERY SINGLE game working. I would fix one, and the next would break. These games are tempermental! Well tonight I managed to get Zoo Keeper working (picked up a new PCB and then replaced all the RAM on it) and that meant every game was now working. w00t!

So, to celebrate the event I filmed a quick video of Moon Patrol! :) Enjoy!

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Oct 30, 2010 - Rapid Tac Rocks!

The last two side art applications I have done, I did using Rapid Tac. Prior to using this stuff, I have had mixed results and often air bubbles and sometimes creases. This stuff just works and it really makes it amazingly easy to do. I HATE PUTTING ON SIDE ART. It's sooo stressful. Not with this stuff, it makes it a breeze!

I have no idea what is in the bottle. Maybe it's just windex. I don't know. But whatever it is, it just works. I will never put on side art again without it.

It's easy too!

1) Clean the side art area of the cabinet with Rapid Tac. Spray it on and wipe it off with a paper towel.
2) Spray the cabinet again with Rapid Tac (where the side art is going!)
3) Now, take the wax paper off of the side art and start lining it up where it needs to go. Since the cabinet is wet with Rapid Tac, you can easily remove and readjust where the side art goes. This is the best part!
4) Side art looks good? Now, take a squeegee and push all the liquid and air bubbles out. Rub the hell out of the art with this thing until it is silky smooth.
5)  Wait 30-90 seconds. Now, spray the pre-mask with the Rapid Tac. Get it nice and wet. Now, remove the pre-mask and gaze at your beautiful side art with no bubbles, creases, etc!

I bought my stuff here:

http://www.rvinyl.com/application/tools/rapidtac.htm

http://www.rvinyl.com/squeegee.html

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Oct 3, 2010 - Zoo Keeper arcade game added to the collection!

Hey, I picked up a Zoo Keeper! Woot! I filmed a quick little preview video.. Check it out here!

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Sep 25, 2010 - MY COLLECTION and OTHER STUFF pages updated!

I quickly updated the MY COLLECTION and OTHER STUFF pages tonight. I still need to add thumbnails to the MY COLLECTION page, but I did list all the games in my collection and the related links. I think it's complete.

Added some more current commentary to the supplier links on the OTHER STUFF age. Also added a few more links to that page.

MY COLLECTION PAGE

OTHER STUFF PAGE

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Sep 25, 2010 - Q*Bert photos!

I spent a good chunk of today cleaning up my Q*Bert and tidying up a few things. The first thing I did was clean the hell out of the cabinet. I used a magic eraser on the sides and it turned out pretty great. I really should be painting these sides but for some reason I am not motivated to do so. I might touch up the yellow and then put new side art on. There is something about having an original cabinet that has all the battle scars. Or, that's just me being lazy. :) Anyways, side art was ordered from ArcadeShop and I hope to have it soon!

Overall, the cabinet is decent and it looks very presentable. It's gonna look really sharp when I stick side art on it! I also cleaned the heck out of the control panel overlay with a magic eraser and it's looking like brand new. The CPO has some minor issues and tearing around the bend but I think I am ok with that. Again, it's original and looks very presentable.

I replaced the rusty CPO bolts with new ones from Home Depot and also got to the bottom of my coin door light issue. Turns out there was a ground wire that was off. So, I soldered that back on and now I have coin door lights! Sweet.

The last thing I need to do is rebuild the "legs" on the bottom of the cab. It's nothing more than (2) 2" x 3" pieces of wood attached to the bottom. I'm gonna do that tomorrow.

Lastly, I ordered the Q*Bert "swearing" marquee from Phoenix Arcade, I really think that's a cool marquee and can't wait to get it.

I took a bunch of photos after I cleaned it today, check them out here:

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Sep 24, 2010 - My appearance on the ALL GEN GAMERS Podcast

Hey, did you know I was recently on the All Gen Gamer's podcast? It's a podcast started by YouTube superstars Pete Dorr and Gamester 81. Big fans of these guys and their YouTube Chanels.

Anyways, this podcast was all about Arcade Collecting and talking about my collection, etc. It was a great time and these guys are awesome!

Be sure to check it out here:

http://www.allgengamers.com/home/2010/9/8/episode-6-tales-of-arcade-collecting.html

Also, not sure if you are aware, but I have been podcasting for going on six years now with my podcast Video Game Outisders. Check it out!

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Sep 24, 2010 - Q*Bert added to collection! WOOOOOT!

This has to be one of my best pick-ups EVER. So, I have been looking for a Q*Bert for a LONG TIME. These games are hard to come by. I have been talking to this guy for about a month trying to make a deal for his game. His game is nice looking, complete, etc. However, it is BROKEN. It's totally dead and doesn't work. The seller told me that the sound went out on the game but it still played for awhile. Then, one day it just stopped working altogether. I had faith in the idea that I could fix it. As long as everything was there, I would take the chance.

So, I go to pick it up tonight and the game looks great. Real clean inside. The sides are a tiny bit rough and most definitely not perfect. Not perfect but presentable. The particle board has swelled in spots. I could live with it, I think. And yes, the game is broken. No signs of life. I get it home and plug it in. DEAD. So, I start checking the fuses and the interlock switches. The interlock switches basically kill the power to the game when the back door is open. These are also sometimes on the coin door. But, I didn't see one. This is an annoying safety measure so you didn't open the game and start touching live circuits. All fuses on the power supply are GOOD. The interlock on the back door is on as it should be. But, no life. So I start looking around the inside cabinet trying to figure out why this thing isn't powering on. Even the monitor is not coming on. This is actually a good sign. Cause if EVERYTHING IS DEAD then it could be something VERY simple. Well, I discover that the operator or previous owner or someone moved one of the interlock switches to inside the cabinet and on top of the coin door. It was CLOSED! I opened it open and BAM! The game fired right up! WOOOOOT! The monitor was crisp, the game played great, everything was perfect. But, NO SOUND. I remember the seller telling me that at some point the sound went out when he owned it. So, I start checking the sound board and the sound amp. And, guess what? I find a dead fuse on the sound AMP board. Wanna know something? It looked like a good fuse. You couldn't tell it was bad. But, I always check my fuses with a multimeter. It's the only way to know if a fuse is good or bad. And, well, this fuse LOOKED good but it was BAD. I replaced it and BAM! I got sound. THIS GAME LOOKS AND PLAYS AWESOME! W00t!

Like I have said in one of my videos, don't be afraid to buy broken games! Cause you never know what is really wrong and it's always a learning experience. Tonight was a good night. Really happy to own this Q*Bert and the seller was such a cool guy. Really great guy. You meet so many awesome people in this hobby and tonight was no exception. Big thanks to the seller of this game! Great guy.

Also, big HUGE thanks to my friend Pete for coming with me to help move this game out of the guys basement. It was a serious chore and I couldn't have done it without him. Thanks, Pete!!!

Here's a quick preview video (I'll be posting a full video soon!):

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Sep 24, 2010 - All access video tour!

A week or two ago I did an all access video tour of my little world over on YouTube. If you didn't catch it, here it is!

PART 1:

PART 2:

PART 3:

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Aug 15, 2010 - UPDATES! UPDATES!

Wow, I have been SLACKING. I have actually been putting up YouTube videos but not updating this site. I SUCK! Sorry about that!

So, what's new? Hmmm.... Well, I picked up a Frogger. How awesome is that? I LOVE me some Frogger. And, well, I picked up a second Frogger too. I plan on making one bad ass Frogger from two cabs... stay tuned.

Well, I did manage to shoot a Frogger video from the one Frogger cab, check it out here:

And, I also picked up an Ice Cold Beer. Ice Cold Beer you say? Pretty neat and unique game. I LOVE IT. LOVE IT.

Check it out:

And, lastly, I just got a new monitor for my PaperBoy and filmed a quick video here, check it!:

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Jun 27, 2010 - OMGWTFBBQ 2010!

This past weekend was the OMGWTFBBQ 2010. Check out the photo album below. We had a killer turnout, maybe 80 people. Coolio!

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Jun 2, 2010 - Domino Man Restore - DONE!

Last winter I picked up a project Domino Man. It was an absolute mousey disaster. The outside wasn't that bad, but man, the inside! It was explosion of mouse hair, poop, dirt, mud, grossness, sick stuff, and other horrible things. It took a very strong stomach to clean and restore this cabinet. Once I got into it, I stopped thinking of the filth. And, well, it was worth it!

Anyways, check out the photo album and video below!

Click below for photos:

Video:

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May 23, 2010 - Asteroids Deluxe

This is the first of a few videos I will be posting over the coming days. I need to get caught up!

The first video is of my new Asteroids Deluxe. GREAT B/W vector game. I have been looking for one for some time. I finally grabbed one and couldn't be happier. It's such a cool cabinet. It has a projected (mirrored) floating image that hovers over a cardboard asteroid field with a black light. It's totally nuts.

Anyways, check out the vide here:

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May 23, 2010 - Dear John... Where do you get your games?

It seems like lately, a lot of people keep asking me questions like, "Where did you get your games?" , "What website did you buy game x?". "Are they expensive?", etc. etc. Well, the answer is... get your butt out there and meet people! This hobby has some of the nicest and coolest people you ever will meet. They also might tip you off to a local warehouse, an old time collector, or other resource. You need to meet people and get active in your local scene if you want to grow your collection without going broke. There are some good deals out there.

Be warned, there is no question, this hobby can be an addiction. When you meet so many awesome people in the hobby, you get so many more opportunities to buy great games at great prices. Games have been falling out of the sky lately - this is a great time to be a collector.

And, one word of advice... Don't buy games as an investment. I have never seen this work. This is a hobby. Have fun with it, and buy stuff YOU like and that makes you happy and that you want to PLAY. Isn't that the point? :)

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Apr 18, 2010- PAX EAST ACAM Video Tour!

I am a lot late posting this, but it's still cool...

Below is a quick little video I took at PAX EAST in the American Classic Arcade Museum exhibit. I volunteered to work the exhibit and it was a lot of fun. Long day, but fun. :)

Will Wheaton (Stand by Me, Star Trek, etc.) stopped by the exhibit as shown in the video. It was cool.

Video also features the ultra rare Crazy Otto game that was the pre-cursor to Ms. Pac. This game was never released and isn't even in MAME. ULTRA Rare.

Anyways, check it out!

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Mar 21, 2010- Richie Knucklez's Tournament Video and Photos!

I just got back from Richie Knucklez's annual tournament that is organized by CAGDC. It was a total blast. Equally, if not more fun, than last year. Richie is such a great host and overall good guy. I really enjoy attending his events.

As usual, I came nowhere near placing in the tournament but that's not why I go. It's just a great excuse to spend time with friends from the arcade world and play games non-stop for two days. Even though I collect games, I never get to play games like this. 12 hours straight of gaming really forces you to focus on a game and really try to get a high-score.

The tournament had its share of arcade gaming rockstars. Don Hayes, the new DK world record holder - Hank Chien, Twin Galaxies #1 guy - Dave Nelson, DK guru - Ben Falls, that guy from KoK that has the Mappy high score, Mark Apliger (the guy with the glove in KoK) and other notables were all there. I really had fun. Good times.

Big thanks to my pals that joined me down there, Matt, Brian, Scott, and Mark.

Anyways, here are some photos and a video!

Photos (click to view album):

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Feb 21, 2010- Tapper, Paperboy, and Centipede!

Hey, guys! It's me. Remember me? I hope so! :)

Anyways, I picked up a few things the last few weeks and also sold a game. Toobin' is no longer in my collection. I sold this to my good friend Dan to make room for a Paperboy. Sweet!

I also managed to pick-up a Centipede Cabaret and a Tapper. Both of which I have been wanting for some time. I added the multipede kit to the Centipede and the Tapper is everything I ever dreamed of. I LOVE ME SOME TAPPER! :)

Anyways, I have some photos of the games below as well as a video of Tapper and how I installed a battery on the MCR Power Supply on Tapper. Enjoy!

Tapper and Centipede Photos

Paperboy Photos

Tapper video:

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Jan 30, 2010 - Revenge From Mars Pinball!

I have been looking and looking for my next pin for some time. I have had a mental list going that looked something like: The Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Funhouse, White Water, Attack From Mars, and Revenge From Mars. The more I looked the more I kept coming back to Revenge From Mars. There is just something about it that I love. If you don't know, it was part of the Pinball 2000 series of (two) games that featured a monitor above the playfield that projected targets, characters, and objects onto the playfield in a almost holographic kind of way. It's really cool. (It was also William's last ditch effort to save pinball. There is a terrific documentary about this called "Tilt", I highly recommend watching it.) Besides being really fun, it also seemed to be the least expensive of all the pins on my hit list. I think it is incredibily undervalued and now seems to be the time to get one. Based on how other pins are priced, I have a feeling that these are going to go up in value, and soon.

So, after some searching, I found a nice one near Boston for a fair price. It's an incredibily heavy game and thankfully my buddy Dan and my neighbor were able to help me get it in my basement. It was not fun!

Anyways, I have really been enjoying the game, it's loads of fun. It's by far the best pin in my collection. What's also great is that there is a nice community that still supports the game. The pinball 2000 games essentially have a PC in them. So, if you were to install a NIC card into the pin's PC it is possible to access a community created tournament server and upload your scores and download other players high-scores to your machines leaderboard! How cool is that? It's kind of like Xbox Live Leaderboards, but on a pinball machine! Sweet!

Anyways, check out the video below and click here to see some photos of my machine. Enjoy!

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Jan 3, 2010 - Domino Man added to the collection!

Oh, joy! Another mouse infested cabinet. This time, it's Domino Man. I picked it up from a friend that took it out of an operator's warehouse. It had been in storage for some time.

Overall, the cabinet is in pretty nice shape. The outside is doable. The marquee, CPO, and bezel are decent. The side art has some minor tearing which reveals some Lazarian side art. This was a factory conversion, which is somewhate common for these. Lazarian was a weak game and Bally converted them to the hopefully better performing game, Domino Man.

The inside of the cab? That's a whole other story. Mice crap, mice hair stuck to the PCB, mud, ugliness, disgusting stuff, you name it... it's inside this cab. The good news? It's all here. The cab is complete. So, it looks like later this year I'll be in the garage sanitizing this game and getting it ready for the basement. If you have any Domino Man parts for sale, please let me know. I would love to grab another PCB and Power Supply.

I am pretty excited to own this rare game. It was designed by a legenedary Toy and Game development company in Chicago named Marvin Glass. They designed countless toys and games we all know like the Milton Bradley board game staples Mouse Trap and Operation. And, they designed the arcade games Tapper, Timber, and Domino Man. They all pretty much feature the same character. I hope to someday have a Tapper and Timber. They will look awesome next to this cabinet!

Anyways, click the image below to see a gallery of Domino Man "Before" images.

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Jan 2, 2010 - "My Collection" page updated

I just finally updated the "My Collection" page on the site. On this page you'll find links to videos, photos, info, and more for all the games in my collection. Enjoy!

Look for some more videos to be posted this weekend too. I am thinking of doing one for my dart board and Megatouch. Should be cool. :)

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Dec 20, 2009 -Some new arcade photos and a Black Widow video

So, how are your holidays going? Haven't really been adding too much to the collection lately. But, I have been playing the heck out of my games. I took some photos tonight of the current state of the arcade. You can see them by clicking the thumbnails below:

I also filmed a quick Black Widow video. This is a conversion for Gravitar and it's pretty damn cool! Check it out here:

Merry Christmas!

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Nov 30, 2009 -NEO GEO MVS 4-SLOT VIDEO!

I feel like I have been slacking lately, I need to update this site more often! The "My Collection" section is a bit dated. Eek!

Anyways, I got a new camera today that does HD videos and I finally filmed a NEO GEO video. Tell me what you think. Like the HD thing better?

Anyways, this is a cool video. I talk about how the NEO GEO works, the memory card, the games, etc. I also demo the bitchin' game NEO Mr. Do. Check out and enjoy!

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Nov 15, 2009 -Updates, Updates, Updates!

Ok, I have been slacking a little bit updating the site. I know. But, I have been busy. I posted a few new videos recently, and here they are. Enjoy!

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Oct 8, 2009 - Super Mario Mushroom World Pinball

I picked up this odd little pin by Gottleib called "Super Mario Mushroom World". It has a short playfield 2/3 size but everything else is full-sized. It's pretty neat.

When I purchased it, it didn't work . It had a bad driver board and a burnt up coil. I replaced all the bad parts and bam! It works.

Pretty fun little machine and it has a ticket dispenser too. As your playing the game it spits out tickets. Wild.

I guess about only 500 of these were made so it's not that common. I really like the artwork and the sounds in the game are really terrific. It's from the Super Mario 3 era of Nintendo. Good stuff.

Check out the video!

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Sep 30, 2009 - Cheapo Restore - Vs. Dr. Mario

I picked up this cheap Red Nintendo cab from a buddy (wickedbass) for like $50 and decided to turn it into a Nintendo Vs. cab. My wife loves Dr. Mario and my kids love Super Mario Bros. so I figured a cab that plays both would be cool. Didn't want to spend tons of time or money on this one and I think it turned out pretty cool. I kind of like the red cab with the Dr. Mario marquee. What do you think? I didn't repaint the red. Just sanded all theblack wood and metal parts and repainted and put some new t-molding on it. I think it will look great between two games in the Nintendo row. :) There is something to be said about not going crazy on every game since you'll never see the sides anyways.

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Sep 1, 2009 - TRON added to collection! Woot!

Here's a game I kind of never thought I would own. I always liked this game. The cabinet is beyond amazing. It has cool artwork, neat black-light effects, awesome in-game music, and some somewhat decent gameplay. Ok, maybe the cabinet is better than the game. But, it's not a really a bad game. It just gets pretty hard pretty quick.

Anyways, a local collector offered this up to me and I had to jump on it. Fair price, decent cabinet, it all works and it's all here. I plan on restoring it completely with new art, etc. But I think I'll do a little at a time. The TRON repro art is not cheap!

Anyways, click the photo to see it larger and here's a video! Enjoy!

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Sep 4, 2009 - John's Arcade Video Tour!

I filmed this quick video tour of my little arcade. Enjoy!

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Aug 22, 2009 - Whirlwind added to collection and video!

I actually got this a few weeks ago. I have been looking for a pinball to add to my collection for some time. I wanted a really good one but didn't want to spend a fortune. Pins can be quite expensive. I lucked out and found a local Whirlwind for a really fair and great price. Whirlwind is one of the better pins out there. I couldn't be happier. It has this cool fan on the top that blows when you activate the storm. When the storm is going, there are also spinners on the playfield that mess with your ball. It's a good time.

Check out the video!

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Aug 15, 2009 - I CAN HAS ARCADE PARTY!

Well, I just had my second arcade party this year and it was a huge success! Thanks to everyone that came. It rocked! We capped monitors. We applied CPOs. We fixed boards. We played games. We drank beer. We ate burgers. We enjoyed each others company. We had a cranky neighbor come over and tell me the music was too loud. We had FUN!!!!
HUGE thanks to PEALE and ADAM for helping me cap my Punch-Out!! monitors. They work great and it never looked better! WOOT!
Serious thanks to everyone that showed... Eric, Cartouche and wife, Peale and son, Brian, Adam and family, Cartouche's friend, John, Chip and Diane, Dane and girlfriend, Quin and family, etc. Sorry if I missed anyone.

VIEW THE PHOTO ALBUM HERE

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