Most inspirational, period:
Mr. Salty: for all his technical info.
Roswell: for perfect execution. A clean, professional cab.
Lucid: for excellent plans. The quantity of cabinets built with his plans proves this.
Scott's Unicade: another great set of plans, you could build a house on that cab!
1Up: A technical breakthrough. It really jumpstarted the current trend of perfect cabs. Artwork, overall asthetics and solid design all come together to show you don't have to have a "frankenstein" anymore.
My personal inspirations:
The Gemini Project: I wanted a cocktail but I wanted to play a vast majority of games. Having 2 players face each other limits many games, then it came to me one day.... side by side controls on a cocktail! That very same day I found The Gemini project. This finalized the final plans and even gave me some dimensions! I can't thank Kelsey enough. Since then I've seen commercial plans that have built upon the side by side concept as well as Smack's cabinet uses the side by side design. It's the cabinet that got me started.
Scott's Unicade: For showing me by his own example that I could pull off using laminate for the first time. Thank's Scott, mine looks great!
AJM Mame: One of the first cabinets I remember having a complete set of classy artwork.
1UP: The cabinet that made my jaw drop open. I have to have this. This will be cabinet number 2. I've collected 90% of the controls, I just need the final funds to make this happen.
Frosty: To show subtle modifications of 1UP's design and that repeating that design CAN actually be done.
Carlos' Centipede: A classic reproduction packed full of technical innovations. A slick, motorized rotating monitor that's still pretty! An overlooked cabinet! My inspiration to make a classic reproduction (Defender) and pack it full of technical innovation (a 1UP and Frosty Hybrid)
And of course BYOAC for bringing it all together.
Why do I feel like I've just made a speech at the OSCAR's?
"I'd like to thank all the little people that made all this happen......"