Project Announcement: Super Spacefortress Macross - 100% Complete

[yotsuya]

OK, for ZapCon 14 this year, I want to take one of my games to be a part of the show, but since I've got newly rescreened control panels for my Missile Command and my Asteroids, those are out. My Moon Patrol cab needs some serious refurbishment, so that's out for the while. They had two Centipedes last year, so that's out. Everything else is running MAME, and MAME isn't allowed at ZapCon, so I decided to pursue something I've wanted to do for a long time.

As a kid, I was a big fan of the show Robotech, and as I got older I learned that it was a re-translated version of the anime Macross. I got to know Macross and became a big fan. There are a couple of Macross games in MAME, and I actually saw the original, Super Spacefortress Macross, in real-life in a mall in Yuma, Arizona about 20 years ago. Recently, I was able to finally procure an original Macross PCB (thanks for keeping an eye out, Neph!), and I've always wanted to build a cabinet for it. My goal was to use a Dynamo HS-1, but I haven't been able to find one for a good price.

Recently, I saw a Twin Tigers in a Centipede conversion that looked good. Also, I saw Opt2Not's Alpha One project, which is pretty much what I wanted to do. I was able to obtain a gutted, stripped Centipede cabinet that had no coin door, no metal parts, no bezel or marquee, just the wood and a monitor that the owner told me had no chassis. Last spring, I got another gutted Centipede cabinet and rebuilt that sucker from scratch (had to buy ALL the non-wood parts), so I feel I did my diligence in restoring a Centipede. This one will be a JAMMA cab that houses Macross, but allows me to really plug in any vertical SHMUP games.

More to come.

[BadMouth]

What are the legal ramifications?

[pbj]

Will you have to pay licensing fees?  What if you give away free slices of pizza or own Beavis and Butthead VHS tapes?

 

(I just found out about Goode Family.  Ick.  Wish I hadn't.  Big fan of that guy's work but he's stuck in the 90s)

 

[yotsuya]

Amended the first post. B&B gif was just a placeholder, but here it is because I love it:

[pbj]

Retheme it to Beavis and Butthead.  There's still time.

[Le Chuck]

I'm so glad this isn't a machine dedicated to those weird creepy-ass gifs of that one dude clapping.  *Shivers*

[yotsuya]

Retheme it to Beavis and Butthead.  There's still time.

I love B&B, but nah!

This one is getting the full custom treatment. The original PCB was a kit, and the artwork was ---smurfy---, so I'm gonna Griff it up and do my own thing.

[yotsuya]

Here's a mockup, first draft. BTW, the control panel is a Centipede, but this is a two joystick SHMUP. Also, the Marquee has changed.

[yotsuya]

Artwork:

Here's the original marquee that came with the JAMMA kit:



Not only can I not find one, or the image in high res, but I really don't like it. I decided to design my own, incorporating the original Japanese title rather than the English translation:



Once I am done, I will be more than happy to share the artwork. I do it for the community.

[yotsuya]

Side art:

I haven't been able to find any kit side art anywhere, so I made my own. This is a pretty iconic Macross graphic, so I made it into the side art, plus added the Banpresto logo since they made the game.

[yotsuya]

Community feedback time:

I was planning to do black sides, but the mockup model has these grey sides that I hadn't painted in Photoshop yet, but what do you think? I'm kind of liking the grey.

[PL1]

@ "Not By Mikonos" watermark.

In case you're looking for instruction cards, there are two of them available here and here.

 


Scott

[yotsuya]

@ "Not By Mikonos" watermark.

In case you're looking for instruction cards, there are two of them available here and here.

 


Scott

Bro, those were the first things I got many moons ago! 

[yotsuya]

Controls:

Way back when, I posted THIS about a joystick I used to play 1942 and found it performed really, really well for an 8-way. RandyT helped me identify them as MCA Australia joysticks. I have since sourced two of them, cleaned and rebuilt them, and will be using them for this project. They're black. I'm also going to be buying either some GGG True-Leaf buttons or Illuminated IL buttons for this. I'm going with red and blue per player, as shown on the cards Scott referenced. I'm trying to decide if I want to use my NephRings on this project as well.

Edit: Holy crap! I just noticed I'm like 57 posts away from 5000.

[Le Chuck]

Duder, you gotta go grey and red, it's original, it has a nice futuristic militant vibe that calls to the gundam robot thingymabobbers, nobody does it, and it looks baaaaaaaaaaaaad aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssss.  That is all. 

[yotsuya]

Duder, you gotta go grey and red, it's original, it has a nice futuristic militant vibe that calls to the gundam robot thingymabobbers, nobody does it, and it looks baaaaaaaaaaaaad aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssss.  That is all.

That's what I'm thinking. Bright red t-molding to match the red in the logo. Black for the front, and a grey for the sides. Light or dark grey?

[yotsuya]

Control Panel-

The cabinet came with a control panel that I am not going to use because I don't want to cut it up. I am using it, however, for measurements and angles, since I am lucky enough to have access to a metal shop. I've made and bent my own CPs before, so this should be pretty easy, too. Over the years, I've learned that I like using metal for CPs as opposed to wood.

There was no CP for the kit, apparently, so I'm going to do my own. I'm going for a minimalist approach, striving to design something that you'd see on a real machine. Here's is my first draft - the blue should be a bit bluer, less Cyan. Not sure why the .jpg I exported looks like that, but I'll fix it before I print it.

[wp34]

I hate to confess I don't remember this game.  I like your mock-up though it looks great.  Le Chuck is right the Grey/Red is the way to go.

[yotsuya]

Most people probably never saw the game, but I bet a number of you 80s kids remember Robotech, which is what Macross is based on.

[Nephasth]

Very cool, man! Zapcon is right around the corner, looking forward to the quick progress. I'll be taking notes for one of my new machines...

[yotsuya]

Thanks, Neph. I appreciate you giving me the heads up when the board showed up on eBay.

[Nephasth]

Anytime!

[pbj]

Now kiss. 

 


Go with light battle ship grey.  Gives it that military look.

 

[yotsuya]

Go with light battle ship grey.  Gives it that military look.

 

Yeah, light grey might be the ticket. I need to see if I can find that in an acrylic enamel.

[emphatic]

  @ watermarks.

[Le Chuck]

I'd do the sides in the light grey like PBJ said but do the front and interior panels in gunmetal, the extra tone will add depth

[yotsuya]

Hmmm..........  I was thinking black, but I'm intrigued by that color choice, LC. Do you know if I can get acrylic enamel tinted?

[Le Chuck]

Hmmm..........  I was thinking black, but I'm intrigued by that color choice, LC. Do you know if I can get acrylic enamel tinted?

If you call around to a real paint store rather than a big box I'm pretty sure they can custom mix any color you have a code for - either that or drop by and grap a chit off the wall.  If they can't any decent auto shop can, just tell them it's not for a car and they will leave out some of the hardener and thinners. 

You can also buy white base at Michaels or similiar craft store and mix your own but I'd try a paint shop first. 

[yotsuya]

Hmmm..........  I was thinking black, but I'm intrigued by that color choice, LC. Do you know if I can get acrylic enamel tinted?

If you call around to a real paint store rather than a big box I'm pretty sure they can custom mix any color you have a code for - either that or drop by and grap a chit off the wall.  If they can't any decent auto shop can, just tell them it's not for a car and they will leave out some of the hardener and thinners. 

You can also buy white base at Michaels or similiar craft store and mix your own but I'd try a paint shop first.

There's a Sherwin-Williams around the corner from me. I'll hit them up. Thanks!

[yotsuya]

Buttons:

OK, I'm planning on using one red and one blue button per user, for a total of 4. Should I stick with regular ones, or do you think LED buttons would be a nice enhancement? Either way, I'm going with leafs, but I've trying to decide if I want to add a little bling. Thoughts?

[Gamester]

Buttons:

OK, I'm planning on using one red and one blue button per user, for a total of 4. Should I stick with regular ones, or do you think LED buttons would be a nice enhancement? Either way, I'm going with leafs, but I've trying to decide if I want to add a little bling. Thoughts?

Maybe just do illuminated rings around the buttons to keep it subtle?  I've always liked that look.

[Le Chuck]

Get froggy and do some ninjasquirrel style buttons.  That'd be tight. 

[yotsuya]

Maybe just do illuminated rings around the buttons to keep it subtle?  I've always liked that look.

Yeah, I was thinking maybe that. Since there was never a dedicated game, the sky's the limit, but I don't want to overdo it as well. 

Get froggy and do some ninjasquirrel style buttons.  That'd be tight. 

I WISH I was that talented.

[yotsuya]

Just went outside to do the primer coat. Two coats, all done. The beauty of living in Arizona.

Monitor:

OK, I mentioned that the guy that sold me the cabinet told me that there was a tube in there, but no chassis. When I got it home, I looked closer and realize that the chassis WAS on the monitor. Since it was mounted horizontally, the chassis was UP in the cabinet where it could not be seen. Gleefully I hooked it up to a JAMMA harness and iso transformer, fired that sucker up, and got a nice picture. 

So I have two options- I can use this monitor (and I am leaning that way). There is some color burn in that you can't see during the game, but you can see during the all-white splash screen. It's not ideal, but hey, free working monitor.

The other option is to shoehorn in a 25 inch K7000 that I have! It will fit, tightly, and pretty much take up all the bezel space. But is it TOO big? This isn't a Dynamo made for a large rotated monitor. This would require some work on my part, which I'm willing to do, but I'm afraid it might be too much screen. It is a burn-free monitor with great color, though.

Thoughts?

[Nephasth]

Shmups on a 25" monitor > shmups on a 19" monitor

[yotsuya]

Shmups on a 25" monitor > shmups on a 19" monitor

I agree, but look at the mockup. Too big?

[Slippyblade]

I'd stick with the smaller screen.  If that mock-up is accurate, I think the larger screen would be overwhelming.

[yotsuya]

I'd stick with the smaller screen.  If that mock-up is accurate, I think the larger screen would be overwhelming.

Yeah, thanks, Slippy.

[Drnick]

Stick with the smaller, It just looks better.  (Proportion wise).

[Nephasth]

Stick with the smaller, It just looks better.  (Proportion wise).

That's what she said!


Not.

[pbj]

I'd probably go 19" CRT in that particular cabinet.  Slap some tinted plexi  in there and hide the burn.

[yotsuya]

I'd probably go 19" CRT in that particular cabinet.  Slap some tinted plexi  in there and hide the burn.

That was the plan. The cab came with a bezel that wasn't original, but I can make it work. Thanks, all!

[yotsuya]

Here's a little fun something I've already printed out and prepped... I love the stuff I have access to.

[yotsuya]

Control Panel:

When I bought the cabinet, it came with a Kangaroo control panel. The panel is in great shape, but it's not what I need for this game. I also don't want to cut it, but I DID want it in order to use it to help me fabricate a new one. I used it for measurements, and designed a new one in Illustrator. What I'm going to do is cut it out of metal, then use a brake to bent it to the same shape as the Kangaroo. I've done that for a Dynamo cab as well as my HaRuCoCkTaIl with great results. This CP is going to be almost 24 inches wide, with 4 bends. It's spaced for 2 players with two buttons. I also have the holes for the carriage bolts at the bottom so I can mount it using the original holes.

Interesting enough, to pay for materials I buy a 4x4 metal sheet. I'm usually left with extra material, and so I cut other parts like extra panels, shapes, signs, etc. This time around, I might have a LOT of material left. I only need about half a sheet for my own use. Anyone interested in something they need cut? I've made my own power switch plates for my cabs, the metal plate used on power cables in Atari cabs, a bracket that allows you to use a Turbo-Twist on an original Tempest control panel, Pac-Man and Space Invaders characters, and so on. If anyone needs anything, let me know. I plan to cut this panel in the next day or so, so if you need anything, PM me.

[yotsuya]

Paint Job:

Ok, here's a mockup using Gunmetal for the front and interior and Light Battleship Grey for the sides. Thoughts?

[Le Chuck]

Hurry up already!  I want to see paint on wood@!!!

Looks great brah 

[lcmgadgets]

Sweet! & the grey & red looks fantastic! 

[Vigo]

I am loving this.    Yes, I love the gunmetal / grey idea. I have had a thing for clean, classic and light colored ever since Echo Base. This is smelling of that kind of build.

[yotsuya]

Hurry up already!  I want to see paint on wood@!!!

Looks great brah 

That's what she said. 

Going to Sherwin-Williams today to look at paint (fingers crossed).

I am loving this.    Yes, I love the gunmetal / grey idea. I have had a thing for clean, classic and light colored ever since Echo Base. This is smelling of that kind of build.

Thanks, Bro! That's probably one of my top three favorite builds ever, so I appreciate it. 

Sweet! & the grey & red looks fantastic! 

Thanks, my friend!

[emphatic]

You have a winner on your hands!

[Locke141]

Looking good.

Robotech looks and sounds like a show I remember liking. I'll have to try to find some Macross episodes.

Good luck!

[Brian74]

WTH, we have a bunch of size queens lol. I would say, mockup something up. Then you could sit the monitor the same height as what it would be in the cab and see for yourself. I have a 27" in vert, I love playing shumps on it!

[Le Chuck]

WTH, we have a bunch of size queens lol. I would say, mockup something up. Then you could sit the monitor the same height as what it would be in the cab and see for yourself. I have a 27" in vert, I love playing shumps on it!

Size queens only go for the biggest, which would make you the size queen here bro 

[yotsuya]

OK, off to the paint store in about half an hour, but in the mean time, I've been working on this baby... any guesses as to what it is?

[yotsuya]

Ok, I learned the secret of getting a great finish - buy expensive paint.

[yotsuya]

Oh, and I finished this up...

[jdbailey1206]

Ok, I learned the secret of getting a great finish - buy expensive paint.

 

[yotsuya]

Ok, I learned the secret of getting a great finish - buy expensive paint.

 

No lie. I got Latex Acrylic Enamel from Sherwin-Williams in the colors I wanted for $22 a quart. However, it went on smooth, dried fairly quickly, and left NO streaks. I'm a believer. 

[Generic Eric]

OK, off to the paint store in about half an hour, but in the mean time, I've been working on this baby... any guesses as to what it is?

A manual?

[yotsuya]

OK, off to the paint store in about half an hour, but in the mean time, I've been working on this baby... any guesses as to what it is?

A manual?

Good guess. Custom Back Door sheet. I'm creative/anal retentive like that. 

[Generic Eric]

OK, off to the paint store in about half an hour, but in the mean time, I've been working on this baby... any guesses as to what it is?

A manual?

Good guess. Custom Back Door sheet. I'm creative/anal retentive like that. 

That is great!  I used to work on some equipment that had info similar to this on the inside of the top cover.  Memory is fuzzy as to what was actually there but anyway, that is a super cool idea. 

[yotsuya]

Memory is fuzzy as to what was actually there but anyway, that is a super cool idea.

It's fun for me, and a good way to sharpen my Illustrator skills. Everything you see on there was hand-drawn and vectorized by me.

[Nephasth]

Nice schematic!

[opt2not]

Good guess. Custom Back Door sheet. I'm creative/anal retentive like that. 

I like it! You should put some manufacturing labels on it as well.

[yotsuya]

Good guess. Custom Back Door sheet. I'm creative/anal retentive like that. 

I like it! You should put some manufacturing labels on it as well.

You mean like this? 

[opt2not]

Well...yes, actually... 

[yotsuya]

This is the fun part. I'm trying to make the game the way I think it should have existed. 

[yotsuya]

Buttons ordered today. I went with the ClassX with Leaf switches. I decided against lit buttons, as I want this machine to look like it came directly from 1992. Still have a few tricks up my sleeve, though. 

[Le Chuck]

Buttons ordered today. I went with the ClassX with Leaf switches. I decided against lit buttons, as I want this machine to look like it came directly from 1992. Still have a few tricks up my sleeve, though. 

Is it a hypercolor sleeve?  Because that'd be about the most 1992 thing evar!!!

[yotsuya]

Buttons ordered today. I went with the ClassX with Leaf switches. I decided against lit buttons, as I want this machine to look like it came directly from 1992. Still have a few tricks up my sleeve, though. 

Is it a hypercolor sleeve?  Because that'd be about the most 1992 thing evar!!!

HAHAHAHA! Yes, worn under my denim overalls and gold chains:



Word.

[jdbailey1206]

Buttons ordered today. I went with the ClassX with Leaf switches. I decided against lit buttons, as I want this machine to look like it came directly from 1992. Still have a few tricks up my sleeve, though. 

Is it a hypercolor sleeve?  Because that'd be about the most 1992 thing evar!!!

Spit my Crystal Pepsi all over my 3D stereogram after reading this cuz I LOL'ed so hard. 

[yotsuya]

Control Panel update:

Rather than buy a whole sheet and cut a brand new complete CP, I decided to use an old one that I had that fit my cabinet. It's beat up and looks like swiss cheese, so I cut a new top part for it. I'll cut out what I don't need on the bottom, then use this as the top, using JB Weld or something like that to keep it together. Once it's together, a little paint will make it look as good as new. I'll be wrapping it with an overlay anyway, so it should come out just fine. If not, I can go back to my original plan.

[rpgposer]

Yotsuya,
I have notified Harmony Gold of your copyright infringement.
psyche!
Their hack job of Macross was almost as bad as the hack job done to Nausicaa, that horrible "Warriors of the Wind".
Anyway, do you think you could ship the completed cab to my house when it's done?  I promise to give it back.... maybe.

Green With Envy,
rpgposer

[yotsuya]

Yotsuya,
I have notified Harmony Gold of your copyright infringement.
psyche!
Their hack job of Macross was almost as bad as the hack job done to Nausicaa, that horrible "Warriors of the Wind".
Anyway, do you think you could ship the completed cab to my house when it's done?  I promise to give it back.... maybe.

Green With Envy,
rpgposer

Haha! They can try! I'll just call it a Robotech cabinet, then!

[pbj]

Needs an INSPECTED BY JF SANTIAGO sticker on it.

[yotsuya]

Needs an INSPECTED BY JF SANTIAGO sticker on it.

Got a photo?

[Generic Eric]

Needs an INSPECTED BY JF SANTIAGO sticker on it.

Got a photo?

Memories

[pbj]

Right around the time I got thoroughly disgusted with the pinball "hobby" (circa 2005) I intentionally created this myth that games inspected by JF Santiago were of higher quality than the others.  This is when things were getting really stupid - serial numbers all had to match, everything had to be clearcoated, people were starting to make noise about LEDs.  His name was selected because it was on the inspection sticker on my Funhouse (and was actually JE Santiago but had partially worn off).

Yeah, well, some people bought it.  To the extent that vendors like Treasure Cove started selling reproduction inspection stickers.  It still crops up occasionally.  Hell, I just punched "pinball inspection sticker" into google and this thread emerged:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/list-of-what-inspectors-inspected-which-machines

(first time in my life I've been to that forum.  I see the hobby hasn't improved any)

At this point I'm unsure if everyone's in on the joke and teasing new collectors, or if people actually believe it.

[yotsuya]

Hahahahaha!!! Done!

[spoot]

(first time in my life I've been to that forum.  I see the hobby hasn't improved any)

Yeah........pinside is quite hit/miss.  Have to wade through a bunch of crap to get a few good threads.

[pbj]

My apologies for the thread hijack, but I decided to go a little further into the rabbit hole...

http://www.maaca.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10632

That's a new one.  I knew about the Pinball Life t-shirts.

Be careful injecting jokes into the mythos.   

[yotsuya]

I'm putting this inside mine... 

[pbj]

That warrants a t shirt for sure

[yotsuya]

I'm going to print out a ton of these and give them to HaRuMaN to hand out with every Weecade purchase.

[Vigo]

 

[opt2not]

That warrants a t shirt for sure

Speaking of t-shirts, when's the Konkey Dong shirts going to be available?

[pbj]

If you want one with just the text, I think those can be screened at any time.

LMK

[blueznl]

More!

[yotsuya]

Working on it! Going to recap the monitor this weekend.

[Nephasth]

Working on it! Going to recap the monitor this weekend.

There is no chassis on my workbench...

[yotsuya]

Working on it! Going to recap the monitor this weekend.

There is no chassis on my workbench...

This one doesn't have 200 different solder points! I can do this one!

[Nephasth]

 

[yotsuya]

Here it is, waiting for the t-molding...

[Nephasth]

Diggin' the paint job, dude.

[yotsuya]

Thanks, bro. Again, quality paint = smooth finish.

The coin door should be here tomorrow. As far as bezel goes, I'm going to create a Centipede-style one. I was thinking black. Any other color suggestions?

[opt2not]

Looks good! Makes me miss my Alpha One cab.   

[opt2not]

If you want one with just the text, I think those can be screened at any time.

LMK

$10 shipped to Canada? 

[Ond]

......, quality paint = smooth finish.

I've been saying that for years.  Nice work.

[jdbailey1206]

Thanks, bro. Again, quality paint = smooth finish.

The coin door should be here tomorrow. As far as bezel goes, I'm going to create a Centipede-style one. I was thinking black. Any other color suggestions?

I would go black.  Black absorbs light.  If you use any other color, especially a lighter color, it will reflect the light back to the eye and you will lose some of the detail on the screen.  That is why you never see neon orange movie theaters.  I feel like there has to be bezel artwork.  But this being such a minimalist cab I feel it might be too much.   

[pbj]

If you want one with just the text, I think those can be screened at any time.

LMK

$10 shipped to Canada? 

I think more like $15-20.  Let me poke my collaborator and see what's what.

[yotsuya]

Thanks, bro. Again, quality paint = smooth finish.

The coin door should be here tomorrow. As far as bezel goes, I'm going to create a Centipede-style one. I was thinking black. Any other color suggestions?

I would go black.  Black absorbs light.  If you use any other color, especially a lighter color, it will reflect the light back to the eye and you will lose some of the detail on the screen.  That is why you never see neon orange movie theaters.  I feel like there has to be bezel artwork.  But this being such a minimalist cab I feel it might be too much.   

Great feedback, jdbailey. I agree.

As  far as a bezel, there are two instruction cards that go with the game, one per each size of the screen. I'll do a mockup of what I'm planning later.

[wp34]

Thanks, bro. Again, quality paint = smooth finish.

My wife is the painter in our house and that's her credo as well.  I'm pretty much told to shut up and deal with it when we go buy expensive paint.   

Looking good so far yotsuya.   

[yotsuya]

......, quality paint = smooth finish.

I've been saying that for years.  Nice work.

Thanks, Ond. Anyone who doesn't listen to you should get a boot to the head. I'm a believer!

Thanks, bro. Again, quality paint = smooth finish.

My wife is the painter in our house and that's her credo as well.  I'm pretty much told to shut up and deal with it when we go buy expensive paint.   

Looking good so far yotsuya.   

Yeah, I paid $50 for the cab, and $42 for the paint, but it was well worth it in retrospect.

[Generic Eric]

*snip*
Be careful injecting jokes into the mythos.   

Did you hear about Pinball Jim's Pinball Jam?  It is in an old warehouse on FM518 on the 3rd Sunday in May.

[pbj]

Isn't that where that Brolyn (spelling?) guy has his stuff?  I met him briefly about a month ago.

[Generic Eric]

I never made any connections when I lived down there.  Can't say.  I went to one auction near the 10 loop, but that wasn't for me.  Otherwise, someone in Clear lake had a coin and collectibles store with some video games and pins that they restored. 

[pbj]

Ah, FM518 is was just eerily close to his location.  I used to go to HAAG stuff years ago but I don't know anyone in that group anymore, felt like a stranger at the last thing I went to.

[yotsuya]

Wife was out, I was home sick, got a lot done:

Cleanest wiring job I've done yet:


When Quality Is Job One:


So anal-rententive, I love it!:


New coin door:


Still a ways away, but closer:

[rablack97]

Well I'll be damned....

[yotsuya]

Well I'll be damned....

[Generic Eric]

What is the 3 digit display above the power supply?

[yotsuya]

It's a mini voltmeter. I added it to simplify making adjustments to the +5v.

[Nephasth]

It's a mini voltmeter. I added it to simplify making adjustments to the +5v.

Nice touch!

[yotsuya]

Got the idea from KLOV. Here's a link to the auction. I stocked up!

Voltmeter

[Generic Eric]

Got the idea from KLOV. Here's a link to the auction. I stocked up!

Voltmeter

Cool.  Thanks for sharing the link. 

[yotsuya]

Got the idea from KLOV. Here's a link to the auction. I stocked up!

Voltmeter

Cool.  Thanks for sharing the link.

Yeah, I bought three of them. Make sure you buy the 2-wire one. There are also three wire ones that won't work as easily. The one I linked to is a winner.

[wp34]

That wiring looks clean.   

Do you leave the mini voltmeter in place permanently then?

[yotsuya]

That wiring looks clean.   

Do you leave the mini voltmeter in place permanently then?

That's the plan, especially if I swap other SHMUP boards in there. They're cheap enough. 

[yotsuya]

Update: Buttons are in, courtesy of GGG...



Yes, I'm going with black player buttons.

Here's my attempt at making the new control panel using JB Weld...



As far as the control panel goes, I've designed something, but I also want to pay homage to the game's kit roots. I'm strongly considering my own button stickers like the ones below. What do you think? Mine would obviously look nicer.

[yotsuya]

Bezel-

I went to the craft store Friday night to find a black piece of poster board to make my bezel. I have the template for a Centipede bezel, and since this is the same cab, I was going to make the same thing...

... but they were out of black.

So this morning, I get a text from a buddy asking me if I wanted a spare Centipede bezel that he had! I got it, saw that it was nice, and put it in my Centipede. I took the recreation I made for my Centipede, spray-painted it black, and dropped it in Macross. I'm quite chuffed!

[yotsuya]

Looks like the control panel experiment was successful!

[yotsuya]

Button fitting!!!

[Le Chuck]

Wow, those things just fit right on in there don't they?


Looking great, keep up the swift progress!

[yotsuya]

Thanks, LC. It helps when you can plasma cut your own. 

[talkgeek]

looking good, can't wait to see the artwork going on 

[yotsuya]

OK, finalizing the artwork. Here is the original plan.



However... I saw this photo of a mockup cockpit. I've been wanting to incorporate the arcraft design in there somewhere...



So I took my favorite part of the design and added this to my mockup:



Thoughts? I'd probably paint on the black parts, then use a vinyl decal for the emblem.

[Le Chuck]

Option 2 for sure. 

If you could drop out the starfield background and blow the character and gundam up to full skin making the most of the negative space around them with that black bar across the bottom it'd be over the top sweomes. 

[jdbailey1206]

Option 2 for sure. 

If you could drop out the starfield background and blow the character and gundam up to full skin making the most of the negative space around them with that black bar across the bottom it'd be over the top sweomes.

+1.  I would also blow up your characters and gundam but keep them on a muted starry background.  And have the emblem in the same place.

Your bezel came out nice!  Mat board?

[Le Chuck]

Option 2 for sure. 

If you could drop out the starfield background and blow the character and gundam up to full skin making the most of the negative space around them with that black bar across the bottom it'd be over the top sweomes.

+1.  I would also blow up your characters and gundam but keep them on a muted starry background.  And have the emblem in the same place.

Your bezel came out nice!  Mat board?

Would also work.  Do both side by side so we can judge 

[yotsuya]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'd rather not go full size side art. I'm shooting for late 80s kit style. I wasn't even planning on doing the bottom part at first, but I really want to shout out to the original ship. Plus applying full size artwork sucks. 

I still need to finalize how I want to do the other stuff. I may have to leave out the numbers and just have a black bar if it's too much trouble. I like the look even without the emblem/bar, but this would be a bonus. We'll see.

Your bezel came out nice!  Mat board?

Yep. Traced from a thrashed Centipede bezel, then cut out and assembled. Fit like a glove. It was blue and in my Centipede. I took it out, lightly spray painted it, and it's good to go.

[yotsuya]

Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---! No pressure!

If you've ever wanted to get your hands on the long-forgotten arcade classic Turkey Shoot, you're in luck. The ultra-rare Williams-produced game from 1984, which involves wasting villainous turkeys with a light gun, will be available for play at ZapCon 2014. Ditto for similar rarities like the practically Paleozoic 1972 mechanical shooter Haunted House, the 1982 pinball game Thunderball, and the Japanese import Super Spacefortress Macross.

[wp34]

Option 2.  That thing looks bad ass.

[Le Chuck]

Boy the more I look at it the more I like that mockup cockpit, doing the sides with dark grey and white paneling with that black boarder and logo across the bottom would be pretty sweet, - you wouldn't even need the Super Spacefortress art, just maybe tuck in that banpresto logo. 

Also, I'm not certain that graphic from the mockup is actually round.  I know it's at an angle so perspective is off but it still looks ovoid to me and the round one in your graphic doesn't look quite right.  Might want to smoosh it a bit. 

[yotsuya]

Boy the more I look at it the more I like that mockup cockpit, doing the sides with dark grey and white paneling with that black boarder and logo across the bottom would be pretty sweet, - you wouldn't even need the Super Spacefortress art, just maybe tuck in that banpresto logo. 

Also, I'm not certain that graphic from the mockup is actually round.  I know it's at an angle so perspective is off but it still looks ovoid to me and the round one in your graphic doesn't look quite right.  Might want to smoosh it a bit.

Trust me, bro, it's round. I grew up on that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. 

Remember, not only is that cockpit at an angle, but the walls of the cockpit are curved as well, skewing it.

[Slippyblade]

Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---! No pressure!

Haha!  You got a New Times callout!

Last time I saw something like that, a group of my friends called the "Dark Ones" were planning a backyard kegger.  They got a "what to do on Friday" callout in New Times...  600 total strangers through my friend's backyard later the cops finally showed up.

[yotsuya]

+1.  I would also blow up your characters and gundam but keep them on a muted starry background.  And have the emblem in the same place.

For shits and giggles. Not planning to do this, though. 

[jdbailey1206]

+1.  I would also blow up your characters and gundam but keep them on a muted starry background.  And have the emblem in the same place.

For shits and giggles. Not planning to do this, though. 

Jerk.   

[yotsuya]

Well, you asked for one! 

[talkgeek]

I like it (though would remove the chick in the centre [that way can see more of the spaceship), slide the guy to the left a bit, and drop the red head a few inches so her elbow was inside the console section) - shame you aren't using it 
 
.. in fact if you don't plan too - would you mind if I used as a theme on an old cab (similar shape) I just scored ?   


.. yes this is an attempt at reverse psychology 

[yotsuya]

Not at all! I do all this for the community. Once it's done, you can certainly have it.

[Le Chuck]

You have my address.  I expect the starfighter patch to be on its way.  I'll be by my mailbox. 

[yotsuya]

You have my address.  I expect the starfighter patch to be on its way.  I'll be by my mailbox.

Hahahaha! I have some spare 10"x10" Starfighter decals from my first cab...

[yotsuya]

OK, been in contact with Lucian045 on here to do some printing for me. He's created a proof, and it looks great.

[yotsuya]

It's raining here in Phoenix, so I got to stay inside and do some stuff...

[BadMojo12]

Nice work; I have to fill in some buttons on the very same type of CP; what is the JB weld method that you did?

[yotsuya]

Nice work; I have to fill in some buttons on the very same type of CP; what is the JB weld method that you did?

Hey there!

What I did was create a new panel layout in Illustrator, plasma cut it out of sheet metal, and then JB Welded it to the old panel. On the old panel, I cut out holds big enough to accommodate where the new controls would be, so that way they would be directly attached to the new plate without obstruction. My next step will be to use Bondo to eliminate the edge/seam from joining the two panels together.

[yotsuya]

Bezel:

OK, so I wasn't planning to do a bezel, but I took some guidance from the Centipede bezel and made a minimalist one using some assets from Macross. I worked in the instruction cards (after cleaning them up), replaced the Centipede logo with the UN Spacy logo, retained the shape of the lower part of bezel, and added screw elements that are Macross-centric. I'm chuffed enough by it.

[pbj]

That looks like black Domo Kun with a bowtie

[yotsuya]

Once I cut out the green, it'll look tight.

[pbj]

It's your money...

[jdbailey1206]

 Quit playing with your joystick! 

[yotsuya]

It's your money...

I prints for free, homes. 

[yotsuya]

What I like about this community are the suggestions people offer. Sometimes they're great. Sometimes they're best left unsaid. I have a definite vision for this cabinet, but I've also listened to feedback. My homeboy jdbailey1206  suggested bezel art, and while I wanted to keep it simple, it did get the wheels turning. I took some elements from the Centipede bezel, worked them into how I wanted an original simple bezel (and I mean simple, it was going to just be two instruction cards, and that was IT), and went with it. I had some time today, so I put it together...

[yotsuya]

I'm pleased with how it came together. Home Depot had a 24x24 piece of 1/8 whiteboard for ONE WHOLE DOLLAR. I used it, fleshed out how big I wanted the opening to be, routed it out, used some Easy Tack I had to put the print on the board, and I was set. So my bezel ended up costing me $1.

BTW, it looks a little hazy in the photo above because I still have the protective covering on the plexi.

[opt2not]

Oh man, I really love the way this is turning out. 

[yotsuya]

Thanks, bro. ZapCon is about a month away, but I should have it done well before that.

[talkgeek]

I think you've nailed the look you were wanting - well done! 

[yotsuya]

I think you've nailed the look you were wanting - well done! 

Thanks, my friend. I'm quite chuffed so far.

[yotsuya]

Been a fun few days. I've been messing with the monitor setup since I finished the bezel, and I noticed an issue. After Macross would run for a few minutes, the K4600 monitor would develop a wave to it. The wave would come and go in intensity, but it was always there.

I took the monitor to a repair party a few weeks ago to get recapped, but that didn't fix it. Interesting enough, I put in a different JAMMA board and it was solid. Also, when I hooked up the Macross PCB to The Troubleshooter, it was solid as well. I even reflowed all the solder points for the connections on the K4600, but no luck.

I shot an email to Buffett at KLOV, who's a monitor guru, and he told me that some games just don't like certain monitors, which I had heard before. He suggested trying a different monitor, so I took the K7000 out of my Centipede, recapped it (I'd been sitting on the cap kit for months), and put it in the Macross cab. I put the K4600 into Centipede and hooked them both up. I'm happy to say that after a little tweaking, both of them look great! Macross is solid, and so is Centipede. I really lucked out there.

I put in my order for the Side Art with Lucian on here today, and I started the Bondo work for the control panel. Almost there!!!

[orion]

Did you check the edge connector at your game PCB? Replace fuse holders? Pac cabs are notorious for this and the wave you are describing sounds like it could be power related. Enjoying this thread, used to enjoy this show back in the day.

[yotsuya]

Did you check the edge connector at your game PCB? Replace fuse holders? Pac cabs are notorious for this and the wave you are describing sounds like it could be power related. Enjoying this thread, used to enjoy this show back in the day.

Thanks, my friend. It's a JAMMA cab with brand new wiring and no fuse holders. The monitor swap worked all good, so I'm pretty happy.

[orion]

I see! Kinda an odd problem then, but I'm glad you got it sorted.

[yotsuya]

Thanks, Orion! I'm glad it worked out, too. It was either that or source a different monitor locally or via eBay.

Bondo dried, so I went ahead and sanded the control panel, then primered it. I hope to paint it tonight, then put the wrap on tomorrow. Good times!

[Vigo]

The monitor swap worked all good, so I'm pretty happy chuffed.

FIFY. When you use the word "happy" it just feels out of place.

[yotsuya]

The monitor swap worked all good, so I'm pretty happy chuffed.

FIFY. When you use the word "happy" it just feels out of place.

HAHAHAH! Then you need to substitute "quite" for "pretty". 

[Nephasth]

That control panel is so... METAL!!!

[yotsuya]

Metal control panels all the way!

Got word my side art is getting die cut today. Should have it in hand soon. So exciting!

[opt2not]

Bondo dried, so I went ahead and sanded the control panel, then primered it. I hope to paint it tonight, then put the wrap on tomorrow.

That turned out nice and clean. Keep up the great work 

[yotsuya]

 

[opt2not]

Hell yeah. 
I'm liking this pace!

If you're looking for more details, might I suggest getting creative with that bezel: Cut out, and glue Silver Foil Craft Paper to the screw-head graphics.
http://www.amazon.com/Grafix-Silver-Metallic-26-Inch-6-Feet/dp/B006Z1FWCO

Heck, I'd even try to incorporate it into the CP somehow.  
Just a suggestion...

[yotsuya]

Thanks, bro.

I've got some things up the hypercolor sleeve for the CP... don't worry. 

[yotsuya]

Some subtle joystick lighting.... God bless Nephrings!

[yotsuya]

Oh, and I got word from Lucian045 that I should have my artwork by Friday! Chuffed ahoy!

[opt2not]

Hella chuffed. 

[wp34]

That looks fantastic so far.   

[jdbailey1206]

...My homeboy jdbailey1206  suggested bezel art, and while I wanted to keep it simple...

[yotsuya]

[TKW4rr10r]

Some subtle joystick lighting.... God bless Nephrings!

Where these old ones you bought or the latest batch? Didn't hear word on the "last EVA" batch so was just curious.

[yotsuya]

These were ones I had from the first run.

[AlienInferno]

Good job on the theme and the cab man.  I'm liking it.  Didn't run across this game until I got into Mame but it is a fun one. 

[yotsuya]

Thanks, my friend. I appreciate it.

I got the artwork from Lucian045 today. Wow. Just wow. My wife is making me go to happy hour or I'd post more, but let me just day I'm so chuffed that I ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- a brick. Awesome stuff! More tonight!

[Slippyblade]

Thanks, my friend. I appreciate it.

I got the artwork from Lucian045 today. Wow. Just wow. My wife is making me go to happy hour or I'd post more, but let me just day I'm so chuffed that I ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- a brick. Awesome stuff! More tonight!

Making you go to happy hour?  Rough life man!

[yotsuya]

Well, it's all her work friends, so.....

Drinking a beer, eating shrimp, and feeling chuffed.

[yotsuya]

Hey, Slippy, you going to the repair party tomorrow?

[yotsuya]

Man.

Oh man.

Side art installed. Pants wet. Quite chuffed.

See photo.

Check out Lucian045's stickied thread for installation details. I'll go into more detail later, but I just had to share.

[TKW4rr10r]

 

Awesome work!!!

[opt2not]

Oh man great job! It looks really awesome, and I'm quite impressed by your artistic choices. The cab looks like a dedicated!
I love how the red t-molding and the red in the cp front really accent the contours of the cab. Then it ties together with the side art logo...this is how you do it folks!

Great theme, great execution, and I was really impressed by your project pace.
I think we got our first entry to the Stand-up award for this year.

Looking forward to more pics!

    

[Slippyblade]

Can't wait to spend some time playing it at Zapcon!

[harveybirdman]

It's beautiful and extremely well executed. 

This sort of makes up for not seeing Opt2Nots Alpha One completed.

[opt2not]

This sort of makes up for not seeing Opt2Nots Alpha One completed.

  One day...it'll happen.

[Nephasth]

This sort of makes up for not seeing Opt2Nots Alpha One completed.

Almost... But not really. He still needs to deliver.


And to clarify... Beautiful job on this project yotsuya!

[talkgeek]

Totally backing opt2not's comments
 - it's Mint, seriously a full on mint job, well done! 

wish I could see / play it in person!

[yotsuya]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys! It's appreciated.

I'll do some final pics soon. I'm waiting on one more part to make it 100% complete.

[AlienInferno]

   

[jdbailey1206]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys! It's appreciated.

I'll do some final pics soon. I'm waiting on one more part to make it 100% complete.

A Tron stick right dead center?   

[yotsuya]

A Tron stick right dead center?   

[yotsuya]

But serious, BYOAC Brother rhys here is assisting me with the final piece of the puzzle.

[yotsuya]

Still working on some of the control panel design elements, but one thing I did was add some clear dustwashers. I'm pleased with the results. Nephrings + Clear Dustwashers = #Winning

[Vigo]

Nice! Did you make em or buy em?

[yotsuya]

I bought them a while back and remembered that I had them. It looks great and protects the NephRing chamber.

[opt2not]

I'm a big fan of clear washers (mainly because it doesn't obscure the art!), but especially when the CPO has been properly installed and the hole-cuts are clean. Which looks like you've done.

Usually I put a black or coloured washer underneath the panel, so that you can see it through the clear. Like what I did with my candy cab panel:


But having Neph's lighting solution show through makes complete sense and looks very stylish.  Nice job bud.   

[yotsuya]

OK, I decided to overhaul my control panel, as I wasn't happy with the way the black overlay was adhering to the metal. The CPO was one I picked up on eBay, and when I got it, it was bubbling up from the backing already. You couldn't tell from the photos, but it was lifting and bubbling in spots. Well, that wouldn't do. I ordered some new material from TwistedQuarter.com and stripped the old material off. I'm rebondoing some areas for better shaping, will repaint and take my time with the CP as I wait for the finishing touches from the printer. I'm also swapping the Happ Competitions with a pair of IL Eurosticks that have original Cherry switches. Those sticks are great for casual 8-way games, plus they come with matching color dustwashers, which should pop with the NephRings and clear dustwashers.

In the mean time, I made a little something for the machine: a topper in the style of the one made for Galaga.

I designed it, printed it, and mounted it on foam-core board. It's held on with removable adhesive.

[AlienInferno]

Nice topper.

[yotsuya]

OK, with ZapCon a little more than a week away, it's time for an update.

After I posted the last round of photos, I wasn't happy with the control panel. The overlay I put on, that I got off eBay, was bubbling way too much for my liking. I ordered a new overlay from TwistedQuarter.com, stripped the panel, patched it a bit more and repainted, then applied the new overlay and stripe. Much better.

I'm still waiting on some decals to make this 100% complete, but I did get something today that is pretty awesome. I'm using NephRings and had clear dustwashers on, but something came along that I saw and had to add...



You can see in the photo one of ParadiseArcadeShop's custom dustwashers with the UN Spacy logo from Macross. Bryan, as always, was a pleasure to deal with, and he really gave me what I wanted.

[yotsuya]

Nice topper.

Thanks! That was fun to put together!

[Xiaou2]

Man.

Oh man.

Side art installed. Pants wet. Quite chuffed.

See photo.

Check out Lucian045's stickied thread for installation details. I'll go into more detail later, but I just had to share.

 Boring cabinet is Boring.

 Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

[Le Chuck]

Man.

Oh man.

Side art installed. Pants wet. Quite chuffed.

See photo.

Check out Lucian045's stickied thread for installation details. I'll go into more detail later, but I just had to share.

 Boring cabinet is Boring.

 Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

Don't be a ---meecrob---.

<admittedly it's like telling water not to be wet. Your douchiness is your defining characteristic>

[Warborg]

Man.

Oh man.

Side art installed. Pants wet. Quite chuffed.

See photo.

Check out Lucian045's stickied thread for installation details. I'll go into more detail later, but I just had to share.

 Boring cabinet is Boring.

 Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

You are now and forever more dubbed Sir Richard Cranium...

[yotsuya]

Man.

Oh man.

Side art installed. Pants wet. Quite chuffed.

See photo.

Check out Lucian045's stickied thread for installation details. I'll go into more detail later, but I just had to share.

 Boring cabinet is Boring.

 Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

You know you've arrived when Mr. Idea Man feels the need to give his two cents.

I like traditional, classic graphics. I wanted it to look like an updated conversion kit, which the game originally was. I'm very pleased with the results, and I've appreciated all the feedback and suggestions I've gotten from everyone here. Thanks for your feedback, X2, we can't all aspire to make stuff that ends up on CrapMame.

[Warborg]

Man.

Oh man.

Side art installed. Pants wet. Quite chuffed.

See photo.

Check out Lucian045's stickied thread for installation details. I'll go into more detail later, but I just had to share.

 Boring cabinet is Boring.

 Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

You know you've arrived when Mr. Idea Man feels the need to give his two cents.

I like traditional, classic graphics. I wanted it to look like an updated conversion kit, which the game originally was. I'm very pleased with the results, and I've appreciated all the feedback and suggestions I've gotten from everyone here. Thanks for your feedback, X2, we can't all aspire to make stuff that ends up on CrapMame.

LOL...  Anyway, don't listen to him...  I don't think the doctors were able to remove the corncob that was lodged in the unmentionables...   

I think it looks like a quality job, the topper looks great...  Not to mention great theme (yeah, you know I'm a Macross fan)... 

[opt2not]

Boring cabinet is Boring.

 Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

Funny there isn't the usual Xiouche verbal-diarreia in this post.  Ok there trolly, let's see your cabinets.

[yotsuya]

Now now, my good friends on here know that I am a firm believer in this place being a open and free place for ideas and criticism. I'd prefer open and honest criticism to it being circle-jerky. 

If X2 doesn't like my cab, I firmly support his right to typically sound like an ---uvula--- in saying so. X2 gotta X2, after all. 

[matt4949]

Man.

Oh man.

Side art installed. Pants wet. Quite chuffed.

See photo.

Check out Lucian045's stickied thread for installation details. I'll go into more detail later, but I just had to share.

 Boring cabinet is Boring.

 Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

You know you've arrived when Mr. Idea Man feels the need to give his two cents.

I like traditional, classic graphics. I wanted it to look like an updated conversion kit, which the game originally was. I'm very pleased with the results, and I've appreciated all the feedback and suggestions I've gotten from everyone here. Thanks for your feedback, X2, we can't all aspire to make stuff that ends up on CrapMame.

LOL...  Anyway, don't listen to him...  I don't think the doctors were able to remove the corncob that was lodged in the unmentionables...   

I think it looks like a quality job, the topper looks great...  Not to mention great theme (yeah, you know I'm a Macross fan)... 

Oh, Boy!!!! I sure have missed you guys. Glad to see everyone is still playing nice.

[pbj]

Not to encourage it but I think you should have either gone with the cabinet stenciling or the poster side art.  But not both.

 

Yes, your project is much nicer than anything I've done.

   etc.

(and give the crapmame thing a rest. That was 10+ years ago and we've all had our mistakes)

[yotsuya]

Not to encourage it but I think you should have either gone with the cabinet stenciling or the poster side art.  But not both.

I didn't stencil the bottom. It's vinyl side art printed and cut by Lucian045. The quality is outstanding, and it blends really well in person because it's clear it's the same material.

I like it, and everyone who's seen it likes it.

[rablack97]

Kinda late here, but did the guy rebound from the crapmame mistake?  I would think before you rip someone you would showcase what you've done to regain credibility.

To make it on that site, you've done more than make a mistake, you laid a massive terd.

Anyways negative opinions are good when relevant and helpful.  It's your vision so stick to it.  Regardless I like it, simple clean and playable, thats all that matters.

Keep it up bro

 

[opt2not]

I just think his comments were completely hollow and unwarranted. 

He states:

Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

How many licensed games based on movie/tv franchises had original artwork and not rehashed posters?  Look at T2, Moonwalker, Aliens, as prime major titles. The nature of these types of conversions is that you don't get the originality of artwork created from scratch. It was cheaper to use pre-existing art!
So to say he "just stuck" a movie poster on it, is exactly what he did.  So what? It works, and at least there is a bit of customization at the bottom sides that help tie the theme together.

Then the "bad conversion cab nightmare" comment  No no no, a bad conversion nightmare is throwing a mismatch of artwork on it (most likely capcom diamond patterned, or lighting/electricity) in most cases not even relating to the game installed...hacking up existing harnesses, cutting a billion holes in the CP rendering it like swiss-cheese, painting over existing side-art, and installing some kind of pseudo security measure like an alarm horn or a crap-ton of security bars.
The alarm horn was a funny one... I found that installed in a converted Williams cabinet, nearly shat myself when I opened up the back door.
I've seen nightmare conversions. This cabinet is definitely not one of them. Yots did a classy job here, and even the insides are clean and well installed. He even went through the details of adding the documents inside! 

And the aesthetic elements of this cab seem to go well together, though my only critique would be to have lifted the bottom side-art decal stripes an inch or two higher up because they feel a bit low to me. But that's just nit-picking.

My bet is Xiaou2 got miffed at something yots said in another thread, and decided to troll on this one. Otherwise he would have written a ton more. That's my guess.

[pbj]

Opt, if you're angling to churn up a good spittle flying diatribe you need to say his name three more times.

[zanna5910]

 Boring cabinet is Boring.

 Also, It looks like you just stuck on a movie poster to the side of the cabinet.   

 Like some sort of bad conversion cab nightmare.

Coming from the guy who adamantly defends all people's choices to do whatever they want to do in no fewer than 5,000 words per post.   

[Malenko]

other than the missing bingo ball dispenser on the front I think its a great little cabs.  X2s gonna X2, and all that jazz.

[Vigo]

  I wouldn't get so upset by X2 doing his thing. The best confirmation that you did an excellent job is that X2 bitches about it. 

[opt2not]

X2s gonna X2, and all that jazz.

I know I know, but it's Monday and I'm hungover and have a short-fuse right now. Time for coffee #3. 

Plus I felt the need to stick up for my homie yotsuya.

[yotsuya]

And the aesthetic elements of this cab seem to go well together, though my only critique would be to have lifted the bottom side-art decal stripes an inch or two higher up because they feel a bit low to me. But that's just nit-picking.

Funny you say that - I was just thinking the same thing myself last night. 

I wouldn't get so upset by X2 doing his thing. The best confirmation that you did an excellent job is that X2 bitches about it. 

I'm putting that bad boy next to the "Inspected by Pinball Jim" Sticker....

Again, I welcome all feedback and opinions. More fire, less circle-jerking is how this community will make itself better and evolve. I **like** that we have higher expectations of projects as far as quality. Sure, X2 is an ---uvula---, but he's our ---uvula---. He probably doesn't know what constructive criticism is because he's never heard it.

Oh, and to address the "slapping a poster on the side" comment - Opt2Not is right about the style. Conversion kits didn't have full-side art - it was usually a rectangle or circle with some elements to personalize the cab. That's what I remember on most of the games I used to play at the local convenience store. This cabinet, the way I designed it and built it, is the way I would have wanted to see it when I was 13: Some OP in the Phoenix area had an Atari cab that wasn't earning anymore, so he slapped a Macross kit in it and put it in the Circle K by my grandmothers house. I would have been there every day in the summer just to play that thing. In reality, he probably would have painted it black, and it would have either had a) no side art or b) a big FABTEK sticker and control panel overlay, so I did a little dreaming there.

I'm still waiting on the one element to finish off the control panel. ZapCon is this weekend, so I'll post photos of it in action. Looking forward to it!

[Malenko]

Vigo, <3 that!

[Slippyblade]

I'm a total Macross whore and look forward to playing this bad-boy this weekend!

[Louis Tully]

.

[DarakuTenshi]

I love it! Great job bro.

[yotsuya]

OK, the last piece of the puzzle is sitting on my desk at work. So by this time tomorrow, the CP, and thus the cabinet, will be completely finished.

Oh, and here's a little piece I'm going to add to the back of the cabinet, next to the FBI and FCC stickers...

[pbj]

Sweet, I beat malenko.

[matt4949]

Sweet, I beat malenko.

PBJ beats  Malenko HEE HEE

[Nephasth]

It was awesome watching this project evolve from a PCB on eBay into what it is today.
Can't wait to hear about the reactions this machine gets at ZAPCON.

[Malenko]

Sweet, I beat malenko.

Just happy to be mentioned. 

[pbj]

This has been an eye opening thread in many ways.  First, I find out some Canadian that clearly doesn't get the original joke has made these:



It took them a month to arrive and came with a quintessentially hand written Canadian apology (pictured).

Then a guy I've known for 15 years decides to rip off the Konkey Dong artist and flake on shipping a t-shirt.  Opt2not got a rare pbj apology and refund.

Then I find out that Phoenix has over 4 million people.  What do they do?  How do they eat?  The mind boggles at the sheer collective lunacy of four million people living in the desert, and I fear the terrible acts they do to each other when the saguaro juice ferments.

[yotsuya]

This has been an eye opening thread in many ways.

Then I find out that Phoenix has over 4 million people.  What do they do?  How do they eat?  The mind boggles at the sheer collective lunacy of four million people living in the desert, and I fear the terrible acts they do to each other when the saguaro juice ferments.

As you can see, we're pretty spread out...

[yotsuya]

Sweet, I beat malenko.

Just happy to be mentioned. 

Of course! It was pretty much me going through the thread and listing them in order of posting, with one or two move-arounds to make things fit better. I remember pixelhugger giving people shoutouts in his Final Countdown video, and I thought that was a classy thing to do. This is my way of showing thanks. The color scheme, the side art, and the design (hell, even the dustwashers) all evolved from my original concept based on feedback and ideas from you guys. For that I am grateful.

[Vigo]

This is my way of showing thanks. The color scheme, the side art, and the design (hell, even the dustwashers) all evolved from my original concept based on feedback and ideas from you guys. For that I am grateful.

Thanks, Brother! You do great work, I am happy to be a small part of that.

[yotsuya]

You know, I think that face there personifies the saying "quite chuffed". 

[Vigo]

  Yes it does.

[jdbailey1206]

[yotsuya]

I tweaked the font a bit since it's going to be black on silver foil, plus there were a few people I wanted to mention. Finally, I added the Macross "screw" iconic imagery you see on all the fighters.

[yotsuya]

You're the one who suggested bezel art when I wasn't planning to do any, so to that I say...

[jdbailey1206]

You're the one who suggested bezel art when I wasn't planning to do any, so to that I say...

[jdbailey1206]

Damn it yotsuya you fixed your post.  Now I'm gonna look like a weirdo.

[opt2not]

Hey that's really sweet of ya. Thanks for the shout-out bro! 

Then a guy I've known for 15 years decides to rip off the Konkey Dong artist and flake on shipping a t-shirt.  Opt2not got a rare pbj apology and refund.

Haha, prompt too! That's probably the fastest I've seen you part with $$ 

No hard feelings buddy. Thanks for handling it proper.

[Le Chuck]

Classy man, very classy.  Consider that idea totally stolen 

[yotsuya]

Classy man, very classy.  Consider that idea totally stolen 

Steal away, homie. Hell, I've got enough silver paper that I'll make it for you!

[emphatic]

Wow! 

[Well Fed Games]

I thought when Opt shelved Alpha One I was done feeling shame at how long my Atari cab->SHUMP cab project was taking.

Thanks Yotsuya. 

[opt2not]

I still feel shame for shelving Alpha One, WFG.   
But, it's only on the shelf, not completely abandoned. 

[yotsuya]

Then I hope my project inspires you guys to finish!

My main goal was to have this machine ready for ZapCon. So I had a specific, hard deadline!

[yotsuya]

More photos in a bit, but here's a sneak-peek at my conversion control panel...

[yotsuya]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand with the final additions, it's done!

Remember, I'm going for a kit look. Many times, OPs just used stickers to show what buttons did. Here's a sample...



That's what I'm used to seeing with kit games, and that's what I wanted from Macross. Again, what I would have seen back in 1986.

So, I drew up my own, had my buddy print them, and tonight I applied them...

Guidance for players one and two, under the buttons...


Closeup of the buttons tags...


They go great with the dustwashers...


And with that, it's done. Fin!

I put the stickers on the back, dedication plate front and center. Thanks for the support.


Oh, and thanks for this one, Vigo. It has a spot of honor as well...


The next shots of it I post will be on it's way to ZapCon, and shots of it in action. Gonna try to get photos of Slippyblade and HaRuMaN while I'm there.

[Malenko]

love it! 

[Louis Tully]

.

[Vigo]

  That is awesome! 

[jdbailey1206]

Zapcon is in Phoenix eh?  Might have to go visit my uncle next year.

[yotsuya]

Zapcon is in Phoenix eh?  Might have to go visit my uncle next year.

Yep! You got time for this year. It starts Saturday. 

[TKW4rr10r]

I'm away for a couple weeks and this project takes it to another level 

I'm loving the topper and dust washers. and of course the dedication plate is too cool. That will be stolen for many other projects for sure.

[yotsuya]

I'm away for a couple weeks and this project takes it to another level 

I'm loving the topper and dust washers. and of course the dedication plate is too cool. That will be stolen for many other projects for sure.

Steal away!

Oh, and as promised, here are the art assets I used, in .ai format. If anyone needs them in a different format, let me know.

[yotsuya]

Moar art

[yotsuya]

Custom back door sheet!

[yotsuya]

The marquee is too big to upload, but I'd be happy to share it if anyone wants it. PM me!

[wp34]

A lot of awesomeness there.  Well done.   

[jdbailey1206]

The marquee is too big to upload, but I'd be happy to share it if anyone wants it. PM me!

Share some pictures of the cab!

[matt4949]

Que Padre!

[AlienInferno]

Still a nice cab man.  Wish I could see it in person but Pheonix is a bit of a drive for me.  Thanks for putting my name on the back.

[yotsuya]

Still a nice cab man.  Wish I could see it in person but Pheonix is a bit of a drive for me.  Thanks for putting my name on the back.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Looking forward to seeing Battletoads get finished! I'll respond to your PM later tonight with a link. 

[Generic Eric]

Your cab is a fine specimen.  I like all of the extra details you added.  Thank you for including me in your shout out plate.  A very chuffing gesture indeed!

[yotsuya]

Share some pictures of the cab!

Since you asked, some shots before I wrap it for ZapCon...

[opt2not]

 

[Vigo]

 

[yotsuya]

Stuff I learned from this build:

A) The quality of paint really matters

B) Bondo is pretty cool to use

C) You guys are a great resource as far as refining ideas 

D) Games inspected by J. Sanitago are the best quality

Off to ZapCon today. I'll post some photos once I get there.

[pbj]

That came out really nice, great job. 

[yotsuya]

Thanks, James!

There goes my baby....

[harveybirdman]

Can't get over how clean this thing looks, you truly accomplished what you set out to do.... It may never have existed, but it should have.... mad props bro.

 

[Slippyblade]

Got to play a quicky game on it this morning.  LOVE it!

[rablack97]

 

[yotsuya]

Thanks, Slippy!  Great to finally meet you!

[Gatsu]

shemxy cab good sir. super shmexy.

[yotsuya]

Photos to follow later, but I was just awarded the Fan Favorite Video Game Award for ZapCon 2014. Best moment was getting a high-five from Slippyblade when they announced it. Slippy was my symbolic link to you guys.

[pbj]

When's your second date?

[yotsuya]

Slippyblade is my homeboy. Anytime he wants to hang out is fine with me.

[wp34]

Photos to follow later, but I was just awarded the Fan Favorite Video Game Award for ZapCon 2014.

Congrats. That's really cool.   

[yotsuya]

All right, some final thoughts on this project...

As I stated at the beginning, this project came into existence due to ZapCon 2014. I had the board, wanted to make a cab, and it went there with the goal to enter it into the show. That was my tangible deadline. And I was happy enough to make it, with the help of your suggestions and feedback.

There was a lot of cool stuff there, and I got a lot of compliments from strangers and from collectors whose opinions I value greatly. That in itself was nice, but when they told me it was named "Fan Favorite Video Game", that was awesome. Slippyblade happened to be right by me when they told me, and he gave me a high five, which was cool (BTW, Slippyblade IS a pretty cool guy IRL and I enjoyed meeting his kids).

I know the cheesy awards thing is to say "I couldn't have done it without you guys", but it's true. Having you guys as a sounding board for ideas and as a ruler to measure excellence is what drives me forward in this hobby. Mix the love I have for Macross/Robotech with the love I have for arcade games, and add the feedback, opinions, and experience of a group of guys whose opinions I value (well, most of you, anyway ) and some of whom I consider friends in real life, and this has been a great experience. Thanks, guys!

Paul
(yotsuya)

[opt2not]

Congrats!  The people have spoken!   

[Louis Tully]

.

[Generic Eric]

I request the highest of fives.

[emphatic]

That trophy is badass.

[Malenko]

That trophy is badass.

good thing X2 wasn't there to set the crowd straight.  I'm super happy for you Yotsuya the cab looks super pro and I cant wait to see what you come up with next   

[Locke141]

Congratulations.

[Well Fed Games]

Well deserved for a very cool cab.

[yotsuya]

Thanks for the kind words, my friends. I appreciate it.

It was fun seeing men and women, fathers and sons playing on the game, some of them staying on to beat the game all the way though.* It's one thing when your friends and family play your games and tell you they like them - it's another when perfect strangers get enjoyment out of something you created. It was also cool connecting with fellow Robotech fans who loved the show back then and had memories triggered by the artwork, theme and game.





*Bonus Creepy PBJ Snapshot attached.

[Nephasth]

Congrats dude!

[yotsuya]

Thanks for the Neph Rings and the endless encouragement, brother!

[matt4949]

Great Job Homie

[yotsuya]

Great Job Homie

[SpaceHedgehog]

How awesome! Congratulations 

[Le Chuck]

Duder, this is chufftastical!  Way to go man! #winning #boss #poundsign

[yotsuya]

Duder, this is chufftastical!  Way to go man! #winning #boss #poundsign

Thanks, my friend!

Oh, and I love how the photo of the girl playing the cab has been viewed 428 times as of this post, whereas the other are around 27 or so. 

[jdbailey1206]

A true gentleman would have held her purse....Er...I mean....She's playing with yer joystick dude!

[Vigo]

Oh, and I love how the photo of the girl playing the cab has been viewed 428 times as of this post, whereas the other are around 27 or so. 

  Yes, I clicked...But I am one of the 27 on the other photos as well. 

[Malenko]

Ive looked at the blue ribbon picture multiple times, Theres a dedicated Wrestlemania cab next to the macross!

[yotsuya]

Ive looked at the blue ribbon picture multiple times, Theres a dedicated Wrestlemania cab next to the macross!

There was! They were up and down all weekend. The Killer Instinct actually died on Saturday.

[matt4949]

[quote

Oh, and I love how the photo of the girl playing the cab has been viewed 428 times as of this post, whereas the other are around 27 or so. 
[/quote]

[yotsuya]

"Boys... oh boys.... lookie wha I got heah!"

Love that movie!

[PL1]

Excuse me while I whip this out.




Scott

[matt4949]

" Run back to town, and get a shitpot of nickels!!!"

[AlienInferno]

Congrats man!  I don't think I would ever take that blue ribbon off that machine.  EVA!!!   

[yotsuya]

Congrats man!  I don't think I would ever take that blue ribbon off that machine.  EVA!!!   

It's still on there, but relocated to the bezel! 

Thanks, my friend!

[rockyrocket]

Late to the party, but reiterating whats already been said well done!.
I really appreciate the overall cleanness of the result and also for introducing me to a game I never knew existed  .

[yotsuya]

Late to the party, but reiterating whats already been said well done!.
I really appreciate the overall cleanness of the result and also for introducing me to a game I never knew existed  .

Thanks! I admired the clean lines and paint job on your MAMEY-nominated cab, so that was definately an inspiration.

[rockyrocket]

Late to the party, but reiterating whats already been said well done!.
I really appreciate the overall cleanness of the result and also for introducing me to a game I never knew existed  .

Thanks! I admired the clean lines and paint job on your MAMEY-nominated cab, so that was definately an inspiration.

And thank you back good sir.

So kicking the hornets nest  I think that cab will have to have a label too thanks to vigo.

[yotsuya]

Late to the party, but reiterating whats already been said well done!.
I really appreciate the overall cleanness of the result and also for introducing me to a game I never knew existed  .

Thanks! I admired the clean lines and paint job on your MAMEY-nominated cab, so that was definately an inspiration.

And thank you back good sir.

So kicking the hornets nest  I think that cab will have to have a label too thanks to vigo.

  I will print you one on silver foil and send it to you for your cab, my friend. My sticker sits proudly next to my "Inspected by Pinball Jim".

[Vigo]

 

I wouldn't doubt that X2 himself secretly got a laugh over it. 

[yotsuya]

I wouldn't doubt that X2 himself secretly got a laugh over it. 

Either that, or he's silently planning your death. 

It's all in good fun.

[pbj]

No need to be afraid.  Just like voodoo, the death touch doesn't work unless you believe in it.

[yotsuya]

I'm 100% sure my cab won because of the "Inspected by PinballJim" sticker. It's well-known in the industry that machines inspected by PinballJim are the best ones out there. 

[jmike]

 

Congrats Yotsuya, well deserved.

That trophy is killer!!!


 

[pbj]

I'm 100% sure my cab won because of the "Inspected by PinballJim" sticker. It's well-known in the industry that machines inspected by PinballJim are the best ones out there. 

Been a few years since someone threatened to kick ---my bottom--- at a Super Auctions and coworkers got obscene phone calls about pinball machines... figured the name recognition had faded by now.

 

[Brian74]

yotsuya, I dont know if I am friend or foe. Either way, congrats on a awesome looking machine 

[yotsuya]

yotsuya, I dont know if I am friend or foe. Either way, congrats on a awesome looking machine 

I have no foes here, bro. Thanks for the comments, my friend! 

[Generic Eric]

yotsuya, I dont know if I am friend or foe. Either way, congrats on a awesome looking machine 

I have no foes here, bro. Thanks for the comments, my friend! 

No foe, mo'fo!

[Le Chuck]

yotsuya, I dont know if I am friend or foe. Either way, congrats on a awesome looking machine 

I have no foes here, bro. Thanks for the comments, my friend! 

Is that a fact?

[yotsuya]

yotsuya, I dont know if I am friend or foe. Either way, congrats on a awesome looking machine 

I have no foes here, bro. Thanks for the comments, my friend! 

Is that a fact?

I like everyone here. Even the ---uvulas---.

[Le Chuck]

<that terrible feeling when the gif works in the preview but doesn't work in the post...just BYOACy things>

[yotsuya]

Yeah, I hate that too!

[Xiaou2]

LOL   

 Had a good few laughs at the comments. 

 Ohh, FYI, I just was returning the mud that Yotsuya had slung at me in another post...  one of which I wasnt even in, not provoked.

 The cab is decently done.. but hey, PBJ agrees...   The side art .. err..  I mean "Poster"  ..doesnt match the vector art.
Its your cab, do what you want.  But if you wish to sling harsh critism at others, especially when not even provoked... expect a negative response in return...  and then about 300 negative replies and arguments... etc...

 Constructively, I say that you can use movie art.. if its blended in a way that fades into and or matches the color scheme... such as cutting out the background, and just popping characters in.  And or using black as the base color of the cab.. and blending in the natural poster ... so that its border-less.. and doesnt look like a poster / picture frame.

 While its true that many areas had some pretty ugly conversion kits... IMO, one shouldnt want to duplicate lazy generica, as some sort of tribute.  As well as the idea that if you really Love Macross... then why not go all in.. and make the cabinet look mechanical, with real 3d parts put on it?   But thats just how I think / feel.  To each their own.

 Hence my point...  if you dont have anything nice to say about someone's personal creations... why bother to slam them?   And even go so far as to bash them on a dedicated website?  As well as continually bashing on a regular basis?

 All your doing is wasting your energy, spreading negativity, and fueling dark feelings and dark responses... such as seen here.

 Anyways, was fun proving my point.  Thanks for the chuckles.

 

[matt4949]

X2 is always gonna be X2.

[yotsuya]

LOL   

 Had a good few laughs at the comments. 

 Ohh, FYI, I just was returning the mud that Yotsuya had slung at me in another post...  one of which I wasnt even in, not provoked.

 The cab is decently done.. but hey, PBJ agrees...   The side art .. err..  I mean "Poster"  ..doesnt match the vector art.
Its your cab, do what you want.  But if you wish to sling harsh critism at others, especially when not even provoked... expect a negative response in return...  and then about 300 negative replies and arguments... etc...

Awwww........ I'm so sorry I hurt your feelings so bad in another thread that you felt compelled to troll my project. Good thing I didn't follow through with the idea I had to make the serial number "FU-X2". That would have really not have been nice of me.

Constructively, I say that you can use movie art.. if its blended in a way that fades into and or matches the color scheme... such as cutting out the background, and just popping characters in.  And or using black as the base color of the cab.. and blending in the natural poster ... so that its border-less.. and doesnt look like a poster / picture frame.

 While its true that many areas had some pretty ugly conversion kits... IMO, one shouldnt want to duplicate lazy generica, as some sort of tribute.  As well as the idea that if you really Love Macross... then why not go all in.. and make the cabinet look mechanical, with real 3d parts put on it?   But thats just how I think / feel.  To each their own.

You would think that someone who takes every opportunity to state he worked in an arcade back in the day would appreciate a desire to pay tribute to authenticity, but maybe you're just into gaudy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---? I wanted a cab that looked like it came from 1992 and not something trying to be front and center at Dave & Busters.

Hence my point...  if you dont have anything nice to say about someone's personal creations... why bother to slam them?   And even go so far as to bash them on a dedicated website?  As well as continually bashing on a regular basis?

 All your doing is wasting your energy, spreading negativity, and fueling dark feelings and dark responses... such as seen here.

I welcome all comments, suggestions, and criticisms. The input of the users here directly impacted my color scheme (thanks Le Chuck and PBJ), my art and design choices (thanks JDBailey, Neph, and Opt2Not), and others here inspired the overall project... then there's your "comments". At least those got me my "X2 Hates It" seal of approval, which I display proudly on my cab, near the "Fan Favorite" ribbon I won as chosen by the show attendees (and not, say, a panel of my buddies, but REAL PEOPLE). I'm glad they "got" what I was going for and didn't knock me down for not doing a bunch of gaudy useless ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.

Anyways, was fun proving my point.  Thanks for the chuckles.

 

Anytime, bro.  As long as you're around, there are always going to be chuckles.

[Nephasth]

Blows my mind... Gray_Area gets banned, Xhole2 sticks around...

[Malenko]

Come on now, lets try to stay more positive. I can appreciate that not everyone will love the look of his cab, but he had a look in mind, execution was superb , and he even won an award for it. I would be happy to have his Macross cab in my collection 

[rockyrocket]

Late to the party, but reiterating whats already been said well done!.
I really appreciate the overall cleanness of the result and also for introducing me to a game I never knew existed  .

Thanks! I admired the clean lines and paint job on your MAMEY-nominated cab, so that was definately an inspiration.

And thank you back good sir.

So kicking the hornets nest  I think that cab will have to have a label too thanks to vigo.

  I will print you one on silver foil and send it to you for your cab, my friend. My sticker sits proudly next to my "Inspected by Pinball Jim".

That`s very kind - think I have some gold foil here somewhere though.

Can I though offer some very rustic coasters in return?.
Been looking for a excuse to try for a while and had mixed results- but fun trying.
Think they will improve with more sanding and varnish.

Hope this is taken in the playfull way it is meant, but if not hey its a forum and on the internet.
Would life not be dull and lack stimulus if we all thought the same - as long as a reasoned explanation  can be given for statements then they are all valid to me.

[Nephasth]

Those coasters are awesome!

[matt4949]

Those coasters are awesome!

agreed

[yotsuya]

Just tell me where to Paypal you some cash for those! 

[Generic Eric]

Those coasters are cool!

[rockyrocket]

Just tell me where to Paypal you some cash for those! 

Pm  an address and they are yours -  I have little interest in money so they are free .

Originally if I would of got a more consistent outcome then  I probably would of made maybe 20 or 30 and given them away.
But alas out of 10 disks only four are good, but since making those have spotted this other way that seems better.....




However not wanting to derail your thread any more I will though admit a new fondness for the X2 logo

[yotsuya]

Address PMed.... And that reject graphic looks AWESOME.

[Xiaou2]

 

 Thanks Gentlemen , you made my millennia   

 But seriously, why all the Hate YOY?

 You dish it out really well, but cant take a tiny ribbing in return?  Nice.

 I think you missed it when I said, I think the cab is done well.    The paint colors are good.   Its just that the "Posters" on it done match.

 And yeah, some of those conversion games were wretched.  I always cringed at how awful they were.
Im sorry that insults your Nostalgia for cheap generic garbage... that even the creators cringed and gagged at.

 Of course, by the time I was in that field, many of the new conversion kits had much more robust art packages...
Rather than a non-matching poster on the side panels.

 I understand that this is what you grew up seeing.. but to me, it takes an otherwise nice looking cabinet, and turns it Tacky.

 Buy hey, to each their own.   Glad you and your friends love it.   
Cause thats all that truly matters.


 (And despite my opinion, I dont hate it.   I think the only thing I really 'Hate', is the Prequels...  and nobody can fault me for that!     )

[Nephasth]

XoucheBag.

[Xiaou2]

PS: Rockyrockit...

 If I had a few extra bucks, Id buy a set of those.   
Thanks for the ribbin.   Love em.

 Man, maybe I should find a way to be more hated!  then start a side business selling anti-me stuff, under a different ID!   

 Anyways, thanks for the honor of your time and energies.

 Best Wishes,
 X2

[yotsuya]

X2-











That's what I grew up seeing, that's what I prefer. I don't see it as "cheap generic garbage". Personally, I'm not a fan of modern interpretations of full size side art. I'm not sure how the side art "doesn't match" the game. There are plenty of cutscenes in the game that include those 3 characters. If you're a Macross fan, you understand their importance in the mythos. Those three characters are as much a part of the game as the mecha.

Your "tiny ribbing" doesn't bother me. But I will answer you back, because you're trolling, not ribbing. Ribbing is me telling Nephasth he's a Spock. Trolling is you admitting you made your comments because I said something about you in another thread (which, BTW, I'd love to see). But we all know X2 gotta X2, so keep on keepin' on, bro. 

Now, kindly stop bumping my thread. I already know your opinion, no need to repeat it. Have a good evening, and I can't wait to see your next project.

[jaharr01]

Hey Yotsuya I really like your cab the colors look great. It has a real 80's feel. It has a look that is a little different from your normal generic MS Pacman and Galaga builds, which is good because they are overdone a bit.

                                              Jay

[yotsuya]

Thanks, Jay! Much appreciated. The community feedback was valuable to my process. 

[jaharr01]

You know Yotsuya you and I had some words on a post a while back about a guys artwork and I want to apologize. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,137849.0/topicseen.html I think I was the one starting conflict for no good reason. Anyway I hope we can be friends.

                                  Jay

[yotsuya]

You know Yotsuya you and I had some words on a post a while back about a guys artwork and I want to apologize. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,137849.0/topicseen.html I think I was the one starting conflict for no good reason. Anyway I hope we can be friends.

                                  Jay

It's all good, Jay, no need to apologize. I think we should have open conversations about thngs like art and design, and of course there will be disagreements. Hell, I've disagreed with people on here who I consider friends many times - and I think they appreciate honest feedback. The discourse makes us as a hobby stronger, and I think that's a good thing. As I stated before, I feel we're in a new "Golden Era" of design and art here on BYOAC, and the collective constructive feedback of our membership here wil help push us along. So no worries, my friend. 

P.S. the only time I have issues with people are when they don't know HOW to give constructive criticism, or if they fly off the handle when you give it to them.

[Slippyblade]

[ChanceKJ]

...I feel we're in a new "Golden Era" of design and art here on BYOAC...

He puts a "Poster" on the side of his Macross cab and calls this the "Golden Era".   Yeah.

  

[yotsuya]

...I feel we're in a new "Golden Era" of design and art here on BYOAC...

He puts a "Poster" on the side of his Macross cab and calls this the "Golden Era".   Yeah.

  

[ChanceKJ]

 

That made my day.

[yotsuya]

Be my neighbor, Chancie. 

[jaharr01]

I don't always apologize on message boards to people I don't know, but when I do I drink Dos Equis.

[yotsuya]

Your fly needs white sandals and jeans, brah.

[Nephasth]

Your fly needs white sandals and jeans, brah.

Oh snap!

[yotsuya]

I don't often drink in my gameroom, but when I do...

I make sure to use one of RockyRocket's kickass custom coasters!

[ChanceKJ]

Dope
— adj
1.   slang chiefly  ( US ) excellent.

"Those coasters are dope."

[Malenko]

Boring cabinet is Boring. Thankfully, that must be some other cabinet, I love this project!

[Vigo]

Yeah, this is awesome cabinet is awesome.

[yotsuya]

Thanks, guys. I enjoy it. My shmup-loving guests enjoy it. I actually even made a few friends at ZapCon because of it. The whole process was totally worth it.

[Rick]

Sexy. I'm jealous of two things. One, your project is done. Two, you've garnered enough attention to bring Xiaou2 out from under his rock.

Nice machine. STTP3 and she should have a play date one day.

[AzureKnight]

I'm a big fan of Robotech having grown up on it.  When I was working on art themes for my first build (finally starting) Robotech was one of the themes I was working with.  This cabinet looks great and I love the logo dust washers and the bottom side art.  You deserved that award.

Lastly, this thread in its entirety was really entertaining to read.

[yotsuya]

Thanks, my friend. If you ever do go Robotech/Macross on a future build, let me know. I can share plenty of assets. 

[dmckean]

I can't believe I'm going to be playing this, one of the coolest cabinets I've seen on this forum, in less than three weeks!!

[yotsuya]

I can't believe I'm going to be playing this, one of the coolest cabinets I've seen on this forum, in less than three weeks!!

Yep. It'll be there. I have to give it a tune up - gonna swap power supplies and check the power lines on e harness.

[wp34]

This is one of my all-time favorite projects. 

[yotsuya]

This is one of my all-time favorite projects. 

That means a lot coming from one of my favorite posters!

[Malenko]

This is one of my all-time favorite projects. 

Mine too. I aspire to one day to make a cab 1/2 as good

[yotsuya]

This is one of my all-time favorite projects. 

Mine too. I aspire to one day to make a cab 1/2 as good

Thanks, bro.

I upgraded the power supply in Macross today. I might play with the wiring harness, too, but she's in top shape and ready for some ZapConing!

[RetroGreg]

This is definitely one of my favorite cabs too. I played it at the last two ZapCons. Great job 

[KetchupNMustard]

Hi yotsuya,

I was wondering if I could get the art files for the marquee and topper from you. I'm new so I'm not able to pm you. My email is kvmustaine@gmail.com.

-Kevin

[Malenko]

This is one of my all-time favorite projects. 

Mine too. I aspire to one day to make a cab 1/2 as good

Thanks, bro.

I upgraded the power supply in Macross today. I might play with the wiring harness, too, but she's in top shape and ready for some ZapConing!

Playing that cab, and Zapcon:The Game were 2 of my highlights from Zapcon

[KLRinstinct]

WOW! Fresh outta the 80's! Nice work man! I used to like the Robotech cartoon too. I can remember it was on for a brief period here in Australia back when I was like 5 or 6 lol. Retro as bro.

[opt2not]

Excellent bump for the #MakeBYOACgreatagain series. Superb cabinet and extremely well thought out theme.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Here's the video walkthrough of the machine:

! No longer available

DeL

[yotsuya]

WOW! Fresh outta the 80's! Nice work man! I used to like the Robotech cartoon too. I can remember it was on for a brief period here in Australia back when I was like 5 or 6 lol. Retro as bro.

Thanks, my friend!!! Drop some coin and come out to ZapCon '17 so you can play it!

[Arroyo]

Just read through this whole thread today.  Can’t believe I didn’t know about this.  I’m on Tapatalk mostly and it doesn’t show the signature links so didn’t even know this existed until I was on the web page today.

Fired up this game with the kids tonight and they loved it.  For some reason I think of ball tops on this genera, but this works well with the bats.

Very well executed theme and the detail touches are impressive.  I would have thought this was original cab for sure.  Very nice build, definitely stealing some ideas on here.

[yotsuya]

Just read through this whole thread today.  Can’t believe I didn’t know about this.  I’m on Tapatalk mostly and it doesn’t show the signature links so didn’t even know this existed until I was on the web page today.

Fired up this game with the kids tonight and they loved it.  For some reason I think of ball tops on this genera, but this works well with the bats.

Very well executed theme and the detail touches are impressive.  I would have thought this was original cab for sure.  Very nice build, definitely stealing some ideas on here.

Thanks, man! This was actually the first year I didn’t take it to the show since I built it.

[Arroyo]

Would have loved to have played it.  2020?

[yotsuya]

Would have loved to have played it.  2020?

Just for you, bro!

[Arroyo]

Just for you, bro!