I find this very sad...

[UFO]

... and a little disturbing ... I know TNT have been active on here, but this is still upsetting! 



edit: check out the comments! 

[DHTech]

These guys are idiots, what a ---smurfing--- waste.

[CheffoJeffo]

Those idiots have given away (and saved) more stuff than anybody else I can think of.

I can see how it may be unpleasant, but, at the same time, lots of times they can't get people to pick up stuff for free.

[thatpurplestuff]

Whoever is posting for that company in their Youtube comments comes across as incredibly unprofessional.

[jdbailey1206]

This is completely stupid.  If you are that pissed off at them call OSHA and send in the dogs.  Otherwise, do as I am going to do and keep this close at hand when you are working on your cab and things don't go to plan.  Then you can watch with sadistic glee and not destroy your cab as I have almost done on numerous occasions. 

[nadcraker]

What the heck is the point of them doing this? This is supposed to make me want to give them business?

F them.

[opt2not]

Those idiots have given away (and saved) more stuff than anybody else I can think of.

I can see how it may be unpleasant, but, at the same time, lots of times they can't get people to pick up stuff for free.

^^ this.

I believe the story is that Todd was trying to sell, and eventually give away the whole lot of those cabs/pins because of storage issues, but  no one came along to claim them. He offered them up for a long while with no bites.

Personally I don't blame him, why not have a little fun with it if it's going to the landfill anyways? Also, it's probably fun to see the nerd rage.

He does have a lot of good looking restorations though, pins and cabs:
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70

[chopperthedog]

I love how much this vid pisses people off. Looked like a lot of fun IMO.



good day.

[CheffoJeffo]

When i was new to the hobby, I was at an auction listening to a couple of guys tell me how they put a chain on a cabinet and whipped it around behind a truck. I was incensed.

Then, as I saw more and more cabs offered up for free with no takers (and accumulated more and more projects in my basement), my thoughts on the subject changed.

Whoever is posting for that company in their Youtube comments comes across as incredibly unprofessional.

Maybe, but this is an amusement company that is still in business. Maybe they are not the idiots that you think they are.

[keilmillerjr]

I posted:

You guys are pieces of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. Very wasteful. I definitely will not be "having a party at tnt amusements." Even non-functional, people could have used those machines to convert them into something else. MAME, XX-in-one, or even used in a clever art piece.. They would be off to good use easily with a post on a forum. Instead, you guys trash them and post a video online. Thats poor marketing for you guys.

However, ratings are disabled and comments are moderated. I doubt my comment will be seen to the public.

[chopperthedog]

It should be known that this is nothing new. It has been beaten to death on klov for years.


good day.

[ark_ader]

Wasn't this posted last year on BYOAC?

[CheffoJeffo]

You guys are pieces of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. Very wasteful. I definitely will not be "having a party at tnt amusements." Even non-functional, people could have used those machines to convert them into something else. MAME, XX-in-one, or even used in a clever art piece.. They would be off to good use easily with a post on a forum. Instead, you guys trash them and post a video online. Thats poor marketing for you guys.

Again ... understandable feelings, but once you actually understand the market a bit better, I bet your tune would change.

"off to good use easily" is a statement made by somebody who doesn't know enough to know that they don't know what they are talking about (and didn't bother to read even this thread).

For those who don't realize it, the footage was shot for inclusion in an infomercial that TNT runs on local TV promoting their business. How many of you can say you have a company local to you that operates, let alone gives stuff away like Todd has?

I thought so.

For those who would call them pieces of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, how many cabinets have you either saved or given away?

Yeah, that's what I thought. 

[UFO]

I can understand people being upset at this - I was, but these people tend to be more like me with a low post count, and no doubt they are (like me) struggling to get to grips with their own builds. If only I had an empty shell of a cab to build on it would have saved me a lot of headaches.

The people who are indifferent have higher post count and may have their own builds - or even several.

I wonder if they have ever posted on here to offer "10 free cabs" - and I also wonder what the reaction would have been. I might even have been tempted to look into how the hell to get them to the UK!

I think these guys MUST have know the reaction their demolition would have, or they wouldn't have done it by throwing them off a building, filming it and posted it on YouTube.

I have an irrational fear that classic cabs are getting rarer and rarer, and this feels like how a record collector might feel watching someone smashing vinyl.

Don't know if this has done the rounds - and I wouldn't be surprised if its been here and elsewhere either!

[keilmillerjr]

You guys are pieces of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. Very wasteful. I definitely will not be "having a party at tnt amusements." Even non-functional, people could have used those machines to convert them into something else. MAME, XX-in-one, or even used in a clever art piece.. They would be off to good use easily with a post on a forum. Instead, you guys trash them and post a video online. Thats poor marketing for you guys.

Again ... understandable feelings, but once you actually understand the market a bit better, I bet your tune would change.

"off to good use easily" is a statement made by somebody who doesn't know enough to know that they don't know what they are talking about (and didn't bother to read even this thread).

For those who don't realize it, the footage was shot for inclusion in an infomercial that TNT runs on local TV promoting their business. How many of you can say you have a company local to you that operates, let alone gives stuff away like Todd has?

I thought so.

For those who would call them pieces of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, how many cabinets have you either saved or given away?

Yeah, that's what I thought. 

Well, I have given away damaged rotary parts for people to use as demonstration or decoration before. I just shipped a rotor housing out for cost of shipping so the guy can make a fish tank out of it. I would never take something some one could use and scrap it. The same could be done with arcade cabinets. If he said that he had them listed for sale or for even free, and no one would take them, so let's toss them off a roof, things would be different.

[CheffoJeffo]

I can understand people being upset at this - I was, but these people tend to be more like me with a low post count, and no doubt they are (like me) struggling to get to grips with their own builds. If only I had an empty shell of a cab to build on it would have saved me a lot of headaches.

The people who are indifferent have higher post count and may have their own builds - or even several.

I wonder if they have ever posted on here to offer "10 free cabs" - and I also wonder what the reaction would have been. I might even have been tempted to look into how the hell to get them to the UK!

I think these guys MUST have know the reaction their demolition would have, or they wouldn't have done it by throwing them off a building, filming it and posted it on YouTube.

I have an irrational fear that classic cabs are getting rarer and rarer, and this feels like how a record collector might feel watching someone smashing vinyl.

Don't know if this has done the rounds - and I wouldn't be surprised if its been here and elsewhere either!

It has made the rounds here at least twice before that I can think of. More over at KLOV.

You ask about an offer of "10 free cabs" and this is exactly why you find the more experienced (not necessarily higher post count) folks like me rising to Todd's defense (maybe I left out the part about them giving stuff away for free in my previous posts...)

They used to (and perhaps still do) put dozens of cabs up for free, multiple times per year. Pickup only (because shipping a 200lb wooden box is WAY more trouble than free is worth). Limited response, except for people flooding them with emails asking for more free stuff or to "hold" that one free cabient. ("Do you have any free coin doors? Free monitors? etc.). Far more trouble than free is worth.

There is a simple truth that new folks in this hobby don't see (and there are, to be fair, some old timers disagree) -- there is a profound excess of supply over demand for cabinets and many used parts, especially once you take the cost of "getting off of your ass, driving over, removing and then storing those poor, poor cabs."

[CheffoJeffo]

The same could be done with arcade cabinets. If he said that he had them listed for sale or for even free, and no one would take them, so let's toss them off a roof, things would be different.

I believe the story is that Todd was trying to sell, and eventually give away the whole lot of those cabs/pins because of storage issues, but  no one came along to claim them. He offered them up for a long while with no bites.

Do I need to blow up the font size on opt's post (is that the online equivalent of speaking louder when somebody doesn't understand you?)  ... or do I need to say "offered for free" more times ?

Please, tell me what I can do to increase your level of comprehension so that you cease calling them "pieces of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---" ?

[chopperthedog]

I can understand people being upset at this - I was, but these people tend to be more like me with a low post count, and no doubt they are (like me) struggling to get to grips with their own builds. If only I had an empty shell of a cab to build on it would have saved me a lot of headaches.

The people who are indifferent have higher post count and may have their own builds - or even several.

I wonder if they have ever posted on here to offer "10 free cabs" - and I also wonder what the reaction would have been. I might even have been tempted to look into how the hell to get them to the UK!

I think these guys MUST have know the reaction their demolition would have, or they wouldn't have done it by throwing them off a building, filming it and posted it on YouTube.

I have an irrational fear that classic cabs are getting rarer and rarer, and this feels like how a record collector might feel watching someone smashing vinyl.

Don't know if this has done the rounds - and I wouldn't be surprised if its been here and elsewhere either!

Have you reached out to local OPs in your area?  I have, and my personality has lead me to some great free cabs from a couple, and there were many cabs that had no hope I would take off their hands just for the bezel/control panel and end up destroying the cab. As stated these were offered for free. And I'm sure many collectors came and looked and left empty handed even at the price of free. If the cab is beyond saving even for free, let it fly. Same thing with vinyl. If the record has been played over 300+ times than there's is nothing left in that groove. So let those fly too.


good day.

[CheffoJeffo]

To be fair ... folks on the fair island across the pond do not suffer from the excess of cabinets that we do here. But it is not economically viable to ship anything less than a full container of old cabinets ... and probably not even then.

[thatpurplestuff]

Whoever is posting for that company in their Youtube comments comes across as incredibly unprofessional.

Maybe, but this is an amusement company that is still in business. Maybe they are not the idiots that you think they are.

I definitely don't think they are idiots, as anyone that has been able to be successful in this industry for as long as they have are obviously doing something right.  That being said, that was a very poor way of interacting with potential customers via social media since the person posting for the company seemed to be intent on pissing people off.

Comments like "Mom won't let you bring any more games into the house" or "You don't have any money. (i.e. You don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of)" just seem to be things that you wouldn't want to post when you're representing your company.

[CheffoJeffo]

Whoever is posting for that company in their Youtube comments comes across as incredibly unprofessional.

Maybe, but this is an amusement company that is still in business. Maybe they are not the idiots that you think they are.

I definitely don't think they are idiots, as anyone that has been able to be successful in this industry for as long as they have are obviously doing something right.  That being said, that was a very poor way of interacting with potential customers via social media since the person posting for the company seemed to be intent on pissing people off.

Comments like "Mom won't let you bring any more games into the house" or "You don't have any money. (i.e. You don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of)" just seem to be things that you wouldn't want to post when you're representing your company.

While *I* wouldn't want to represent my company that way (so I agree with you there), those comments aren't far off the mark in many cases in this hobby. Sad, but true.

[UFO]

Have you reached out to local OPs in your area?

Yep. I've emailed / called in a 100 mile or so radius. I would love to just meet some people with the same interest tl- here will have to do though!

As CheffoJeffo quite rightly said:

To be fair ... folks on the fair island across the pond do not suffer from the excess of cabinets that we do here. But it is not economically viable to ship anything less than a full container of old cabinets ... and probably not even then.

There is little going on, even though the arcade "scene" was massive here in the 80's... All you find now are gambling machines here, nothing more really.

I wish it was different, but that's the way it is.

I totally understand all points of view here, and it seems that the guys who made the video do community work and maybe everything they can to get rid of obsolete cabs.

I really don't want to stir up controversy or hard feelings.

To me, it's just shocking more than anything!

[thatpurplestuff]

Whoever is posting for that company in their Youtube comments comes across as incredibly unprofessional.

Maybe, but this is an amusement company that is still in business. Maybe they are not the idiots that you think they are.

I definitely don't think they are idiots, as anyone that has been able to be successful in this industry for as long as they have are obviously doing something right.  That being said, that was a very poor way of interacting with potential customers via social media since the person posting for the company seemed to be intent on pissing people off.

Comments like "Mom won't let you bring any more games into the house" or "You don't have any money. (i.e. You don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of)" just seem to be things that you wouldn't want to post when you're representing your company.

While *I* wouldn't want to represent my company that way (so I agree with you there), those comments aren't far off the mark in many cases in this hobby. Sad, but true.

Haha yeah I'd imagine that those comments are probably applicable to a significant portion of our demographic, I was just thrown off that a business was directing those kind of comments towards potential customers.  Like you said though, they've been in business for a long time so they're obviously doing something right.

[CheffoJeffo]

There is little going on, even though the arcade "scene" was massive here in the 80's... All you find now are gambling machines here, nothing more really.

I wish it was different, but that's the way it is.

There were cabs built in the smaller island to your left, but I don't think it was much.

You suffer the effects of limited space (something we Norde Americanos don't appreciate) where everybody rolled over to what was popular and made money.

There are some very dedicated European coinop folks, including some who may have cabs for sale. I am thinking specifically of a group who wanted to open a big arcade in Edinburgh, but finally realized the economics. They may have some stuff available now.

Can't think of the name and am heading out the door.

[DGP]

While the cab's are theirs to do with as they wish it's still sad to see them come to their end in such a manner.

I know if I lived close and those were indeed available for free many would have been sitting in my garage.

I totally agree that they likely did more damage to their reputation than good with that stunt and YouTube response.

Jason

[UFO]

There is little going on, even though the arcade "scene" was massive here in the 80's... All you find now are gambling machines here, nothing more really.

I wish it was different, but that's the way it is.

There were cabs built in the smaller island to your left, but I don't think it was much.

You suffer the effects of limited space (something we Norde Americanos don't appreciate) where everybody rolled over to what was popular and made money.

There are some very dedicated European coinop folks, including some who may have cabs for sale. I am thinking specifically of a group who wanted to open a big arcade in Edinburgh, but finally realized the economics. They may have some stuff available now.

Can't think of the name and am heading out the door.

Thanks buddy...

Just did a search for UK BYOAC'ers and found one! Seems like a pretty interesting thread and for us here in the UK, it's definitely a place we can share our woes!

[Malenko]

For those who would call them pieces of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, how many cabinets have you either saved or given away?

Yeah, that's what I thought. 

Saved? 11. Given away? 2 working, 1 empty Pole Position. Tons of PCBs I didnt want anymore.

I tried to do business with them in the past, but it just has never worked out. They had some pinball shells up, I was gonna get one, but they wanted like $300 MORE to include the legs , lockdown bar, and glass. I couldnt justify $450 for an empty pinball cab.

As for giving cabs away, Ive seen what they put up on Craigslist, and its a stretch to call it a cab. The stuff they put up for $50 on eBay is what I'd expect a free empty cab to be.

[shponglefan]

TBH, didn't bother me, just like stuff like "Smash my PS3" and other gimmicks doesn't bother me.  People can do what they want to their property; even wreck it.

That said, it seems really odd that a business would do this.  It seems like a goofy publicity stunt, but it's the kind of thing which would piss your customer base.  So I don't get it. 

[Turvey]

I am thinking specifically of a group who wanted to open a big arcade in Edinburgh, but finally realized the economics. They may have some stuff available now.

Can't think of the name and am heading out the door.

http://www.screwattack.com/news/epic-arcade-project-aims-kickstart-3-floor-arcade-scotland 

[chopperthedog]

Have you reached out to local OPs in your area?

Yep. I've emailed / called in a 100 mile or so radius. I would love to just meet some people with the same interest tl- here will have to do though!

Calls and emails will get you no where. OPs can be a hard group to befriend. I've tried 5 places that were local to me and 2 became great go to's and friends. I first just kinda walked in the office and inquired about maybe purchasing some used buttons or a joystick. Now this is where the personality and sales skills come into play with being personable and selling yourself. Got my first cab free from an op for doing a bearing job on his pool pump motor (saw it sitting on his floor probably on my second or third time visiting. I was like "what's up with your 3/4 horse hayward on the ground here?" he says ehhhhh, grinds bad when it runs, from the prices I've been quoted to fix I might just buy new. I said, I'll have it back in 2 days fixed. I worked at a pool store and had done many bearing jobs but the moron didn't know we were 1.5 miles from his shop. Spent 30min at work doing his bearing job while getting paid and took it back to him and boom friends for life. My other op friend I ended up doing demolition work on his 6000sq ft building as he was turning his op business into a furniture store and for 2 months got paid good cash and some cabs and parts along the way. The other 3 ops I stopped into, within' the first 2 minutes I knew I had no chance. So 2 for 5 ain't bad in the world of cold call sales. Your odds are way worse via email or phone.


good day.

[UFO]

Have you reached out to local OPs in your area?

Yep. I've emailed / called in a 100 mile or so radius. I would love to just meet some people with the same interest tl- here will have to do though!

Calls and emails will get you no where. OPs can be a hard group to befriend. I've tried 5 places that were local to me and 2 became great go to's and friends. I first just kinda walked in the office and inquired about maybe purchasing some used buttons or a joystick. Now this is where the personality and sales skills come into play with being personable and selling yourself. Got my first cab free from an op for doing a bearing job on his pool pump motor (saw it sitting on his floor probably on my second or third time visiting. I was like "what's up with your 3/4 horse hayward on the ground here?" he says ehhhhh, grinds bad when it runs, from the prices I've been quoted to fix I might just buy new. I said, I'll have it back in 2 days fixed. I worked at a pool store and had done many bearing jobs but the moron didn't know we were 1.5 miles from his shop. Spent 30min at work doing his bearing job while getting paid and took it back to him and boom friends for life. My other op friend I ended up doing demolition work on his 6000sq ft building as he was turning his op business into a furniture store and for 2 months got paid good cash and some cabs and parts along the way. The other 3 ops I stopped into, within' the first 2 minutes I knew I had no chance. So 2 for 5 ain't bad in the world of cold call sales. Your odds are way worse via email or phone.


good day.

There is nowhere in a wide distance that I can pop in to for a chat, and certainly noone has cabs or parts lying around doing nothing that I have ever come across in my job as a photographer over the last 15 years.

There are a handful of people (maybe five - and we know them all on this forum) in the UK that sell online - and that's it!

Thanks for the advice, but here is the UK not only do we not have pools, but there are no stores that readily sell arcade stuff that you can go for a browse.

Ask any UK BYOAC'er and he will tell you he orders online. Fullstop.

My odds are WAY better via email than wandering through my home town looking for arcade parts or someone to talk to about them!

And if you don't believe me, have a look at the "UK BYOAC'er" thread.

[Haze]

I think the sad part is that they look like they're enjoying it, and yeah, the YouTube comments from them seem very unprofessional.

It's a fact some things are beyond saving, and if nobody else will take them, not even for free then there is little else can be done with them because storage space isn't free, however the way they seemed to find it amusing and felt the need to put up a video of it is probably what rubs people the wrong way about it, it should be something done with regret if you actually care about those old things.

[Le Chuck]

These cabs are just objects. I believe in personal property rights. If they're the owner they should enjoy trashing them. Its not like they are tossing puppies. Life is too short to have to pull a frowny face when you get to do something fun. You expect them to have a funeral? Crunching cabs is work, I'm glad they found a fun way to pass the time.  Like their comments say, if you want to save the next batch go and get them. If not don't complain when they exercise their right to do with their property as they see fit.

[opt2not]

These cabs are just objects. I believe in personal property rights. If they're the owner they should enjoy trashing them. Its not like they are tossing puppies. Life is too short to have to pull a frowny face when you get to do something fun. You expect them to have a funeral? Crunching cabs is work, I'm glad they found a fun way to pass the time.  Like their comments say, if you want to save the next batch go and get them. If not don't complain when they exercise their right to do with their property as they see fit.

A'merrrrica. ---fudgesicle--- yeah! 

[Thenasty]

This is an oldie.

Last time I was in TNT, Todd told me that he spends money for the Cabs to get pickup by the garbage man. I guess by thrasing it into pieces, he put the garbage into the dumpster (saved him some money).

While I was there,I played some games in his showroom and gave me 2 cabs for FREE.

[Caparo8bit]

All they want is attention.... Mother ......

[HanoiBoi]

I often find their listings on Craigslist for cabs for $50 or $100.  Rarely do I see a listing for free and when I do its basically saying the cab is outside now - come and get it....and its raining.

Do they put as much energy trying to find homes for the cabs as they do destroying them?

 

[Jack Burton]

I've given cabs away, and listed cabs for free with no takers.  And I can still say I'll never willingly destroy them.  Once they're in my possession I consider them my responsibility, and that means I'll move them around and store them in barns if I have to.

I think cabs end up getting destroyed when people (or companies) get a bit too greedy and short-sighted with what they're going to do with them.  I've known people who went around and collected five or six free (or super cheap) cabs from old business and planned on "restoring" them "someday". 

The cabs that were doing just fine gathering dust in the back of the pool room ended up as kindling. 


So yeah, I get what TNT is doing.  But also, ---fudgesicle--- them!

[spiderpig]

I love TNT amusments and actually had my 37th b-day party there.  I remember back in the day any given night you could find their informercial on.

But thanks to this thread, I'll contact them to see if I can get a cabinet...

[jennifer]

     Smashing a cab down for the dumpster is a pretty big job, so dropping them off the roof and sweeping up the mess kinda makes sense... But filming it and creating controversy and awareness of the company, thats friggin GENIOUS. I thought they closed their doors, nice to see they're still around.

[paigeoliver]

I am just a backyard shed game dealer and I have torched or dumpstered probably 8 cabinets this year because I couldn't even give them away. You can sell the right empty cabinet for $150 even if it is nothing but the wood, but you can't even give away a lot of cabinets.

[thefox]

there is a profound excess of supply over demand for cabinets and many used parts

Reading through both sides of the argument on this thread, I think folks in the U.S. need to bear in mind that from a UK perspective, it may be seen as more upsetting. There are literally NO classic cabs left in public use in the UK, and there is certainly no excess supply of anything arcade related. I suspect this is because most places leased cabs from companies that then promptly trashed them years ago. In a country proud of its contribution to the gaming industry, it hits hard to see items that are considered a rare piece of cultural heritage being trashed. But that's the perspective from this side of the pond. If  any of you guys found a way to export such cabs cheaply to the UK, you'd have a good business !

[Haze]

there is a profound excess of supply over demand for cabinets and many used parts

Reading through both sides of the argument on this thread, I think folks in the U.S. need to bear in mind that from a UK perspective, it may be seen as more upsetting. There are literally NO classic cabs left in public use in the UK, and there is certainly no excess supply of anything arcade related. I suspect this is because most places leased cabs from companies that then promptly trashed them years ago. In a country proud of its contribution to the gaming industry, it hits hard to see items that are considered a rare piece of cultural heritage being trashed. But that's the perspective from this side of the pond. If  any of you guys found a way to export such cabs cheaply to the UK, you'd have a good business !

Yeah, finding UK specific stuff is very difficult these days, the number of UK pub quiz games there were which simply aren't dumped (and have come and gone over the last 10 years with no traces of anybody dumping them at all) is staggering, even for a lot of the ones that are dumped the question roms etc. are missing.

Those (and many of the less popular UK fruit machines) are simply nowhere anymore, sometimes people don't even have photos of them!  You're very lucky if you find a classic arcade with the games.

Unlike say Italy where we end up finding rare prototypes and other such things that have been sitting in warehouses since the 80s it does seem that here games were more likely to be recalled then trashed or recycled rather than stored somewhere forever.

Of course that doesn't help this situation because the shipping costs of such massive units is going to be more than anybody would be able to sell them for over here, even if there are probably hundreds of people who would happily take them for free.

[Minwah]

Even in the mid-late 80's I didn't see that many original machines in the UK. 90% were generic jamma type cabinets (most of them awful).

[McHale]

It is upsetting to see this but I will say, if they were offered for free for the taking I have to give them credit.  There's an amusement place out by me that WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LET ANYONE HAVE STUFF FROM THEIR GARBAGE.  I put that all in caps because it's been yelled at me so many times it's the only way I can remember it.  When I used to work near there, I snagged 2 complete Tron cabs, Carnival, Choplifter, a couple random empty cabs and a ton of parts.  When they found out, they started destroying them with a sledge before they put them outside. 

So yes, it happens but at least they offered them (and still offer them) for free before doing so.  I'll give them props for that.

[animatorJustin]

Been a long time since ive been on these forums  glad to be back.

Personal Experience. Ive gotten 3 cabinets off of TNT. 2 were free, my latest was $50, came with a coindoor, and very little wear. the people their showed me around the warehouse and it is packed. they do tons of craigslist post giving away these cabnets. while tossing them off the roof is not exactly what I would do, If they are gonna get chucked, they might as well get one last hurra out of it.

[Jack Burton]

I am just a backyard shed game dealer and I have torched or dumpstered probably 8 cabinets this year because I couldn't even give them away. You can sell the right empty cabinet for $150 even if it is nothing but the wood, but you can't even give away a lot of cabinets.

Pretty sad.  I don't know how you came across them in the first place, but I'd hope they were something you thought were sellable or 2 minutes from the dumpster. 

I think we all ought to be a little more cautious these days in grabbing unattended cabs.  Or there won't be anything left for the next generation to discover. 

[jennifer]

      Half of this generation wants nothing to do with them,   big, dedicated, with "sucky" res graphics. And the ones who do want them make Mame cabs, all but destroying them without the big flamboyant shove off the roof, Luckily howevever these games/art  have been quite well documented (in most cases), and building a clone isnt really that difficult.

[hypernova]

With all this being said, people also have to realize that TNT cannot possibly start offering every single cab that doesn't sell for free.  If they did, consumers would make that realization, then never buy anything from them at all, instead waiting for the free offer.

Not exactly going to make any profits that way.

[paigeoliver]

You buy out the contents of the barn, the contents of the shed, everything in the basement, etc. When I go to the auction I fill up the flatbed, which usually means 4 or 5 dicey dead row units after the good stuff has all been auctioned off. You aren't really picking and choosing this stuff so much as getting everything in the shed, and every item that my continual end of auction lowball bid actually snags.

What ends up being burned or dumpstered largely falls into three categories. Gambling games, non-working C-list classic / conversion games with water damaged particle board cabs and half parted BIG STUFF.

I literally can't sell the average video poker machine for what the monitor and power supply are worth (and I usually hold them for a good 6 months trying). The water damaged cabinets get sneered at by dozens of buyers before I finally give in to the people who have requested parts instead of the whole machines.

I am just a backyard shed game dealer and I have torched or dumpstered probably 8 cabinets this year because I couldn't even give them away. You can sell the right empty cabinet for $150 even if it is nothing but the wood, but you can't even give away a lot of cabinets.

Pretty sad.  I don't know how you came across them in the first place, but I'd hope they were something you thought were sellable or 2 minutes from the dumpster. 

I think we all ought to be a little more cautious these days in grabbing unattended cabs.  Or there won't be anything left for the next generation to discover.

[McHale]

But for heaven's sake, PULL OUT THE BOARDS if nothing else.  Everything else can be easily duplicated - cabs, artwork, marquee, etc. But the boards... not so much.  If one of my cabs had a board problem, I can't just order a new board.  I need to seek one out. 

-Mc

[paigeoliver]

But for heaven's sake, PULL OUT THE BOARDS if nothing else.  Everything else can be easily duplicated - cabs, artwork, marquee, etc. But the boards... not so much.  If one of my cabs had a board problem, I can't just order a new board.  I need to seek one out. 

-Mc

Nobody in the business is trashing cabinets with boards in them. When I burn or trash a cabinet there is usually nothing there but wood, t-molding and the feet on the bottom, and I'll take the t-molding and the feet too if they are in decent shape.

[McHale]

Nobody in the business is trashing cabinets with boards in them. When I burn or trash a cabinet there is usually nothing there but wood, t-molding and the feet on the bottom, and I'll take the t-molding and the feet too if they are in decent shape.

Rewatch the video.  PLENTY of boards getting trashed.  VERY sad.

[jennifer]

      Its an advertisment.... designed to get people like you and myself all worked up about saving some of there other games. They did this with a Ms pac a few years back "off the roof" in a Tv ad. It is effective however, and a very creative billboard. Its hard to say about those boards though, they may lightning strikes or some other form of distressed board, possibly not even related to the game in question... But, what you could do to find out is call them, They do have lots of other games and parts, And a awsome group of people to deal with. (Yes TNT, Jennifer gives you 2 thumbs up)

[paigeoliver]

Eh, I have seen the video and the others. It is just part of their infomercial. They can't strip the cabs down to the bare wood and still get any effect from what they are trying to show. There is still nothing but junk going off that roof. All the pins looked like trashed Gottlieb/Premiere ones. The few boards I saw seemed to fly out of the pinball cabs and they were likely either quite defective or a board type that is reproed and is replaced with reproduction as part of every restoration.

So to recap. Gottlieb / Premiere pins. Very little demand for these pins, any trashed one is basically a parts machine. Low demand also means that you can't even get a lot of the restoration bits for these machines without pulling them off parts cabinets.

Tempest cabinet. Atari color vector cabinets outnumber the monitors significantly. The cabinet had signs of physical damage. I am sure the rough control panel and coin door survived the fall. They tossed some sort of tube/incomplete monitor in it, but Todd is smart enough not to toss even a dead WG 6100 off a roof, it was certainly something else.

Omega Race. No monitors out there, no boards out there. Coin door and control panel probably survived the fall.

Afterburner, fell down in 2 pieces because the sucker had already been parted of everything worth while.

Toobin. That looked beyond saving to me. Toobin' used a 19" medium resolution monitor and if that is missing you might as well toss the whole game in the trash because 19" medium resolution monitors that aren't already in a game don't exist.

Todd has never been anything but great to the collecting community. It is absolutely impossible to operate as a game dealer without trashing some cabinets now and then. At least he makes it fun. I usually don't even take a picture.

[compute]

I watched the video once, and it killed me a bit.  But I recognize the bind that they're in, trashing cabinets.  Around here, there's always somebody looking for a free or cheap cab for a MAME build.  But the problem comes out to supply in an area.  Could I make it worthwhile to ship a truck load of empties that somebody is going to need to clean and paint just to be decent?  Probably not.  For the UK people, I'm sure that TNT would throw empty cabs in a container and ship them over for the right price.