A first build named Retroclash - DONE

[Brouhaha]

Hello everyone,

After lurking for a while now, the time has finally come for me to build my own arcade cabinet  The house renovations are all done and, more importantly, the basement room to accommodate it is ready!

The build started about a month ago. My wife is a designer crazy about vintage stuff so I had to go with something funky/retro to get spousal approval  Here came ARTIFACT. Absolutely loved the curves on that one so I decided to give it a try. I am modifying it slightly since mine will accommodate a 20'' 4:3 LCD so it can be thinner. It also won't be as wide since I am doing without a trackball.

So here we go...

The initial panel, ready to be sanded and used as a template for the other side:


Clamped and used for the second panel:


Second panel cut roughly, ready to be routed:


Frame and wheels:


And it's up!


Few panels on and satisfied with my simple CP layout:


Speaker panel (grilles are going over):


Sexy curves I liked so much about ARTIFACT I can now touch:


Screen panel routed and installed:


This is pretty much where I'm at I will be updating slowly as I go along from now on...

And really, a big thank you to all of you for this awesome community! It really motivated me reading all of you!!! Here's to hoping the worst doesn't happen and this thing ends up looking half-decent 

[keilmillerjr]

It looks good!

[Brouhaha]

Thanks  So far, I'm doing better than I thought. I'm about to start the artwork for the Marquee and CP to order from gameongrafix.com while I prime and paint the cabinet...

From what I understand, the CP artwork is Polycarbonate Laminate. Sorry for the newb question, but can this bend? I want it to go down on the CP front panel too in one piece. Is that feasible? I'd like to do without vinyl and plexi over if possible.

Thanks!

[yotsuya]

Are you going to cut a t-molding slot? If yes, you should do it now...

[Brouhaha]

Thanks for the head up Yotsuya! Yes I do plan to slot it for t-molding It's the absolute last thing I want to do before painting it. I figured it would make the corners weaker and I still have to move it around a bit (still missing a few holes in there).

Cheers!

[RxBrad]

From what I understand, the CP artwork is Polycarbonate Laminate. Sorry for the newb question, but can this bend? I want it to go down on the CP front panel too in one piece. Is that feasible? I'd like to do without vinyl and plexi over if possible.

The Gallery link on GoG shows a few CPs where the overlay is installed around curved surfaces, so I'd think you're okay.

EDIT: Their FAQ also linked to this post telling how to install their CPO on curved surfaces...

[Mamezilla]

Nice work !  Also nice to see someone else from Quebec city in here ! 

[Brouhaha]

From what I understand, the CP artwork is Polycarbonate Laminate. Sorry for the newb question, but can this bend? I want it to go down on the CP front panel too in one piece. Is that feasible? I'd like to do without vinyl and plexi over if possible.

The Gallery link on GoG shows a few CPs where the overlay is installed around curved surfaces, so I'd think you're okay.

EDIT: Their FAQ also linked to this post telling how to install their CPO on curved surfaces...

Thanks! Hadn't seen the flickr gallery. That Star Trek cab is exactly what I want to do. Wasn't sure if it was really polycarbonate laminate in that video 

Nice work !  Also nice to see someone else from Quebec city in here ! 

Merci With all that snow this spring, I get to spend more time in the workshop

[Mamezilla]

Nice work !  Also nice to see someone else from Quebec city in here ! 

Merci With all that snow this spring, I get to spend more time in the workshop

Bienvenue, et ça me fait plaisir ! 
You're right...  very nasty winter we had this year.  It won't melt as fast as I'd hope for...

[Mamezilla]

BTW, if you will be using and supplying your own artwork, I suggest you check with forum member stpcore.  He has done great some work for me and it came out beautifully.  His prices are reasonnable (cheaper than GOG I think), and he's using great quality vinyl.  He can do the polycarbonate laminate CPO you want, and can print your marquee with translite material (which looks awesome !)

Check his threads:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,143964.0.html
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,141355.0.html
His youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7yLjuNTVpGrtv04m9VgNw

Might be worth a shot.

I can PM you a couple of pics to show you what he did for my bartop cab if you want.

[Brouhaha]

Thanks for the infos Mamezilla Contacted him and will be doing business with him!
 

[Brouhaha]

Some stuff I received... I feel like a child at Christmas!

From Retroactive Arcade in Edmonton:

• Xin-Mo 2 player controller
• 12 Yellow Happ Buttons
• 8 Black Happ Buttons
• 1P & 2P Buttons
• 2 Yellow Happ Competition Joysticks
• 2 speaker grilles

From Groovy Game Gear:

• 6 Orange Happ Buttons
• 2 NovaGemCDR™ Coin Drop Replacement Pushbutton
• NovaMatrix LINX 2 LED Marquee Light

 

[Mamezilla]

Thanks for the infos Mamezilla Contacted him and will be doing business with him!
 

Good !     Ken is a great guy and a pleasure to do business with, you won't be disappointed

[Brouhaha]

So... CP artwork v1:


I want to keep it simple and clean, and so does the wife  The joysticks and buttons will do the rest... The Retroclash text will actually be on the front panel of the CP once bended.

[johnrt]

So... CP artwork v1:

I want to keep it simple and clean, and so does the wife  The joysticks and buttons will do the rest... The Retroclash text will actually be on the front panel of the CP once bended.

Nah... it's too boring. Your arcade deserves better. But I see your point here. You didn't make the CP artwork template berfore cutting the button holes, and now it's a pain in the a** making it beacuse you will have to measure where every button and joystick are. But I would do it anyway. My first arcade also has a boring generic artwork, and I regret that today. If you gonna pay for the CP overlay in the first place, make it a good one! And the people on this forum can really help you on the way. They have been around!

[RxBrad]

Honestly, I like it. Curious to see how the rest of the art turns out.

[Brouhaha]

Thanks for the feedback guys  But it's really that I do want it simple. Wouldn't be a hassle at all to add stuff as the guides for pretty much everything on the CP are in my PS project.

The marquee will be a bit more "flashy" 

No side art on this one. I'm thinking matte black but I'm not settled.

BTW, the t-molding going on it is Pacman orange!

[yotsuya]

I like the CP idea, Brouhaha. Some people go way overboard on CP art, and really, it's the marquee that should pop.

[Brouhaha]

Thanks yotsuya I really like the sticker approach on your Macross cab also! Very authentic 

Did they survive the test of time?

[yotsuya]

Thanks yotsuya I really like the sticker approach on your Macross cab also! Very authentic 

Did they survive the test of time?

Yes, the ones on the CP have been fine. A gluestick has helped with any sticker curl.

I'm taking a similar approach with two cabs I'm working on with for ZapCon next week.  These will be covered with plexi.

[Brouhaha]

Thanks! I might just take that route for a few buttons

Been working on the marquee:


Or with bigger invaders?


Printing these is getting closer! 

[bfauska]

Big invaders.

[RxBrad]

Big invaders.

Agreed. And, awesome.

Be aware that your marquee retainer will probably cover some of the top and bottom of the art, so you may want to consider extending the background gradient color a bit more beyond the black border on the top/bottom.

[leapinlew]

Big invaders

I would flip your gradient to match your cp. I would also put some boxes around the controls on the cp artwork. List them as player 1 and  player 2. The cp is just a bit too generic. I get that you want to keep it simple but control boxes look nice.

[Brouhaha]

Good suggestions everyone I tried most of them, but here's what I'm sending off to print!

Marquee:


Control Panel:


Black invaders are more badass. The one on the CPO are right before the curve to the front panel 

[camperman73]

Looks great. Black is better. Looks meaner!

[Brouhaha]

Small weekday update. Finally made what I think are the last holes in the cab...

Coin drop replacement pushbuttons:


Almost time to slot for t-molding 

[ARTIFACT]

Heyyy Artifact here honored that you got inspired by my cab. Looking good so far I'll make sure to follow your progress 

[Brouhaha]

Thanks Artifact

Big week at work right now... But I just gotta paint that cab soon! So I took a small hour to finally cut the t-molding slot tonight:


So cool to be doing this myself after reading about so many projects! A bit of sanding then I'm priming 

[Brouhaha]

Friday night, kinda late. Everytime I think I'm about to prime, I think of something (which is good I guess). Today, I discovered t-nuts:


Pounded those in before I start painting so I can undermount my joysticks. Used a 3/4'' bit to drill what was necessary to hammer these in.

Getting the plexi cut tomorrow. And am also REALLY starting to prime (I hope).

 

[Brouhaha]

So I got around to priming... Only to realize I had done one crappy job filling and sanding imperfections. So it's back to sanding! 


Also wasn't satisfied with the screen panel bevel. Re-routed it to my taste. Looks real good (to me at least) now...

[grippie]

Nice work so far, I really like the simple and colorful artwork. I bet it will pop and look sweet.

[Brouhaha]

Thanks grippie! Can't wait to see the marquee backlighted. Ordered the prints from stpcore 

Small update, but i finally got that first real coat on! Semi-gloss black enamel using a foam roller. Sanding with 200 grit for the first two coats, then switching to 400 grit to finish it off 

[Brouhaha]

Received my prints from stpcore today! Wow!!!! Translite pops simply put on a window!!! 

[Mamezilla]

Glad you seem to be happy with stpcore's prints.  Yeah, this translite material just plain rocks !  And Ken has been a pleasure doing business with on my part.  A great guy and asset for our community

[reptileink]

How hard is it to cut the t-molding "trench" while assembled? I would think it 100 times easier when cutting the panels, no? Do you lay it down?

[Brouhaha]

Glad you seem to be happy with stpcore's prints.  Yeah, this translite material just plain rocks !  And Ken has been a pleasure doing business with on my part.  A great guy and asset for our community

Thanks to you for the heads up! It was indeed a pleasure and very straightforward doing business with him. Will definitly give him props in his marquee topic 

How hard is it to cut the t-molding "trench" while assembled? I would think it 100 times easier when cutting the panels, no? Do you lay it down?

Yep, I laid it down on each side, kinda like how you would laminate an assembled cab. Routing at 27.5'' height wasn't ideal but very manageable! And I didn't have to clamp it down and worry about the panels moving while slotting because it is quite heavy (thanks to my 2x3 frame). I will definitly do it that way again on future builds. 

[Brouhaha]

So, now that RV'ing season is over and that I have my weekends back, I'll be continuing work on this shortly.

Small question for you pros: I've come to think that the seventh button, well, annoys me. Would Bondo be the way to go to fill it up without having to start the panel over?

Thanks!

[Token]

Small question for you pros: I've come to think that the seventh button, well, annoys me. Would Bondo be the way to go to fill it up without having to start the panel over?

Don't start over. Bondo or wood-filler will work.

[mgb]

This cab is looking great.
I love the shape of the cabinet