Building a cabinet for the Last Starfighter video game

[Lenny Space Commander]

Hi my name is Lenny, I see on this forum some people have made a cabinet just like from the movie The Last Starfighter video game. However that was many years ago and I would like to know if anyone would like to either build that for me or show me better steps in making it. In other words, if they would like to make one for me I live in Southern California, so if you live in any part of California that would be great less cost of shipping. But I could find some one who will built it for me if I knew of better blueprint drawings to go by. In other words, did anyone build a complete cabinet and would like to share this knowledge. Please let me know , I am a big fan of the movie and look forward to have a cabinet built and then add the game inside. I just need someone's help. Thanks Lenny   

[meyer980]

Hi Lenny, welcome to the forum! There may be someone on here willing to do the work for you as a job, but more often since this forum is titled Build YOUR OWN Arcade Controls, you'll find more people offering to give advice and such.

If your goal is to buy a pre-made cabinet, without electronics installed, you'll find a few in the Retail Vendors section. Google is also your friend, lots of vendors out there building cabinets with 60 in 1 boards or other things inside.

BUT if you're specifically wanting The Last Starfighter, I double its on anyone's prebuilt list. You can find links to the cabinet dimensions here: https://www.classicarcadecabinets.com/last-star-fighter.html
Which eventually lead here: http://www.roguesynapse.com/games/last_starfighter/resources/index.php

If you gave those plans to a proper builder they could put it together for you. Then you'd have to add electronics. I'm sure you could find someone to do ALL the work for you but as a complete custom job it wouldn't be cheap. Of course, I'd encourage you to do it yourself!

[slickam]

This thread on KLOV might also help. It's a build thread that also covers the electronics.

[Lenny Space Commander]

Thank you for the info about the drawings to make the cabinet for the Last Starfighter game. I did see those plans before and I can or they can download it. I don't need to do the electronics at this time but I would like the cabinet done. There is much to do not just building it but the painting and decals. So I was hoping someone would like to built it and I would pay for that. Now I will download it and find someone locally to do it. Just if they have the time, so I went on this forum to see who has the time and loves to make a cabinet, made just make the pieces of wood and we will assemble it here?
  Last search is find an already built cabinet that is very close to the Last Starfighter and just re-do it as that. Even find a used Video game and try that?? But it does feel good to start from a built to the end project. Thanks Lenny
     

[yotsuya]

Thank you for the info about the drawings to make the cabinet for the Last Starfighter game. I did see those plans before and I can or they can download it. I don't need to do the electronics at this time but I would like the cabinet done. There is much to do not just building it but the painting and decals. So I was hoping someone would like to built it and I would pay for that. Now I will download it and find someone locally to do it. Just if they have the time, so I went on this forum to see who has the time and loves to make a cabinet, made just make the pieces of wood and we will assemble it here?
  Last search is find an already built cabinet that is very close to the Last Starfighter and just re-do it as that. Even find a used Video game and try that?? But it does feel good to start from a built to the end project. Thanks Lenny
     

A) that’s a very complicated design, expect to pay a lot

B) there are no cabinets anywhere close to the design

Good luck!!


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[Ond]

I can do complete build plans for this cabinet.
 
Metric price will be ~ $1000 (US).
Imperial price will be ~ $1200 (US)
CNC cutting plans will be an extra $500 (US)

[leapinlew]

I can do complete build plans for this cabinet.
 
Metric price will be ~ $1000 (US).
Imperial price will be ~ $1200 (US)
CNC cutting plans will be an extra $500 (US)

Wait a minute.... I'll need to pay more for imperial pricing? Can you guarantee it will weigh less than 17 stone and be no greater than a fathom?

[JimmyU]

I can do complete build plans for this cabinet.
 
Metric price will be ~ $1000 (US).
Imperial price will be ~ $1200 (US)
CNC cutting plans will be an extra $500 (US)

Wait a minute.... I'll need to pay more for imperial pricing? Can you guarantee it will weigh less than 17 stone and be no greater than a fathom?

I hope that he doesn’t need a hogshead full of gold to pay for it.

[bobbyb13]

Usually takes at least 10 posts for a thread to go sideways around here doesn't it?
 

Looks like a fun cabinet to build really!
Hmmmm.....

[Ond]

Goodwill can carry you a long way in this hobby and some times things have their cost.  While I was partly joking about the "fees" I was kinda making a point as well.  Would that be a closer fee for actually building it for someone   
It did get me thinking though... (sorry, but that's what happens - you see what happens Lebowski?).

A playable scale model of The Last Starfighter arcade machine interests me.
It's a PC game right?  Haven't played it, but a quick search suggests the fan game would work with 1 digital stick and 1 analog stick.
Plans already exist online for the cab for free so no need to pay OND gazzilions to draw it.

I'll tuck this away for another day ... 

Ond, stealing other peoples ideas since 2009 

[bobbyb13]

As yotsuya said earlier... any one off cabinet built by anyone who knows what they are doing is going to be expensive.
Not sure the OP was planning on a $3,500 cabinet build but fidelity to the original would probably put the price in that neighborhood these days.

I have been waiting for inspiration for the inevitable vector cabinet and had thought this was a cool form factor to the purpose.

As shown in the film though it is a BIG ass cabinet.
Not necessarily very stable either.
Kinda looks like a Vindicators, Zaxxon, Major Havoc, Pod Racer and Star Trek cabinet all had a baby together somehow.

If Ond is gonna make one I want to too!!!

We'll have to see who can start umpteen more things first and put it off longer.

Cabinet looks really easy actually and the side art is really simple tape and stenciling-

A bezel and marquee that cool however is going to be the challenge- and art like that is certainly not my forte.

[Ond]

Just a final word on this idea.  I've done some deep research on the feasibility of building this.  My quote above for ^ for plans? I was half joking, but from what I know now, it aint enough!  A fellow Aussie has built a faithful replica of this to completion down to the last blinking light.  Asking figures of $15K for a shell build only (no hardware) were mentioned.  If your dream is big enough anything is possible BUT.... you also need to get real.

[javeryh]

Asking figures of $15K for a shell build only (no hardware) were mentioned. 

Wow really?  What makes it so expensive?  The cabinet looks complex but not $15k complex...  but I have no idea what's inside...

[pbj]

Weird posts about $15,000 cabinets... did anyone else have to double check the poster name?

[nitrogen_widget]

I can do complete build plans for this cabinet.
 
Metric price will be ~ $1000 (US).
Imperial price will be ~ $1200 (US)
CNC cutting plans will be an extra $500 (US)

Wait a minute.... I'll need to pay more for imperial pricing? Can you guarantee it will weigh less than 17 stone and be no greater than a fathom?

how many hands high is this cabinet?

also free download for the starfighter game if nobody had it.

http://www.roguesynapse.com/games/last_starfighter.php

[bobbyb13]

Asking figures of $15K for a shell build only (no hardware) were mentioned. 

Wow really?  What makes it so expensive?  The cabinet looks complex but not $15k complex...  but I have no idea what's inside...

That thing looks like it is a 2 month build- if you are not doing much else!
Between materials cost and the detail involved, unless you are willing to work for less than $25/hr on something like that, then why not $15k.

There are already 2 massively useful threads with enough detail to build one if you really want to.
I have my own ideas about this one already (as does Ond of course!) and will make one eventually now, just because.

[yotsuya]

Asking figures of $15K for a shell build only (no hardware) were mentioned. 

Wow really?  What makes it so expensive?  The cabinet looks complex but not $15k complex...  but I have no idea what's inside...

That thing looks like it is a 2 month build- if you are not doing much else!
Between materials cost and the detail involved, unless you are willing to work for less than $25/hr on something like that, then why not $15k.

There are already 2 massively useful threads with enough detail to build one if you really want to.
I have my own ideas about this one already (as does Ond of course!) and will make one eventually now, just because.

I am a big fan of the movie from back in the day, and my MAME cabinet is themed from the movie, but there’s no way this albatross is a “just because” cabinet. It’s much cooler when you’re 10.

When you start doing actual building and stuff like that, it’s clear that this was a movie prop. It looks cool, but that’s about it. And the more you learn about the dimensions of actual cabinets, the more you realize the movie is what made it cool.


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[Ond]

Yep, no argument about the design, from an arcade building 'best practice' point of view it's a poor design.  More than that the fan game plays just so so.  Anyone keen to build this IS building it for the cool movie nostalgia factor.  That's why I have no interest in building it full scale, it's damn heavy for one thing.  For now the idea just sits in my queue.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my Pac-Man Legion and RoToron builds in my term break!

[yotsuya]

Yep, no argument about the design, from an arcade building 'best practice' point of view it's a poor design.  More than that the fan game plays just so so.  Anyone keen to build this IS building it for the cool movie nostalgia factor.  That's why I have no interest in building it full scale, it's damn heavy for one thing.  For now the idea just sits in my queue.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my Pac-Man Legion and RoToron builds in my term break!

Yeah, someone took one to ZapCon one year, it was all CNCed, and it was just big and heavy. And you’re right, the game isn’t all that great either.

It’s funny, as a kid I never thought the game was a non-standard type of cabinet. It wasn’t till I got involved in this hobby that I realized it was so. :-)


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[bobbyb13]

Yep, no argument about the design, from an arcade building 'best practice' point of view it's a poor design.  More than that the fan game plays just so so.  Anyone keen to build this IS building it for the cool movie nostalgia factor.  That's why I have no interest in building it full scale, it's damn heavy for one thing.  For now the idea just sits in my queue.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my Pac-Man Legion and RoToron builds in my term break!

Yeah, someone took on this app, one year, it was all CNCed, and it was just big and heavy. And you’re right, the game isn’t all that great either.

It’s funny, as a kid I never thought the game was a non-standard type of cabinet. It wasn’t till I got involved in this hobby that I realized it was so. :-)


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Quite true!
Once you have done some designing/building it is obvious that no company would decide that was a production cabinet.
I suppose that is the appeal for me, and the just because.

It will be a ---smurfette--- to build something faithful to that prop and have it not weigh 400 lbs plus.
So I want to try, eventually.

[Lenny Space Commander]

Hi everyone on this thread. I am new to this forum and so I read most of your responds. I understand most of what you all said and I am sure many other threads talk about building arcade cabinets. Since on this forum many years ago a fan made such a replica and I was trying to get in touch with that person recently. I don't know if anyone on this thread knows of them? However it was built once before and used in a documentary. Mainly that is all I wanted to see if that person or anyone else would like to make on as well. "Hollywood" film makers make props all the time and use their tools more for the craft of doing it and enjoy their output for a movie or even a fan built. Sure cost and time are factors but some builders want to make something they never made before and have fun doing it. So I want to thank all of you for your input and hope some day I can have this made. It might even be a project for a school or a fundraiser.  I would look into that also. Thank you all.

[PL1]

Since on this forum many years ago a fan made such a replica and I was trying to get in touch with that person recently. I don't know if anyone on this thread knows of them?

You're referring to fryed_1's Starfighter Build, right?

It's been almost 4 years since he logged in here.   
- If you send him a Private Message (PM), his account is configured to notify him via e-mail.


Scott

[Xiaou2]

While the movie has some flaws, I really do enjoy it.


 They should have hired an actual game designer to create an actual game, rather than that
poor excuse of a mock-up that was used in the final production.

 The cabinet itself is really not that good.

 I tried the game, and it was not worthy of a replay.  I also tried the prototype in mame.
StarWars (Arcade) plays far superior.

 I think a modified version of the concept COULD be exceptionally good.

 As such, if I had the money and talent behind me... Id make a Motion-Simulator
version of the game, in Stereoscopic 3d / VR.

 Either a Cockpit that is suspended and driven on metal cables...
Or a complete enclosed 360 degree Gyrosphere with a cockpit and controls (IE: Like "Lawnmower Man")

 The Gyrosphere would be great, in that it simulates the actual Starfighter Gunnery chair.
It would also be great for other games and experiences.

 A Simulator ship version, could also provide a similar experience, with reduced costs,
less space, and if using a few special axis drives... could produce motions that a gyro is incapable of.

 If one wanted to eliminate the electrical wiring issues with a full 360 degree Gyro, one could
create a partial-gyro, in which its travel is more limited.

 I Think I recall playing a similar Arcade game, that had a partial gyro, in which you shot enemies
that were running at you on a beach.  The enclosure was ball shaped, and it spun around. I cant
recall if it have a vertical change, or just a horizontal spin.

 Anyway...

 The real Last Starfighter in game concept, is very similar to Star Wars (arcade).  The pilots
movements are individual from the Gunner... And the Gunner can fire in a wide field of degrees.

 However, the arcade sim in the film shows different weapons, which could make the gameplay
a bit more in-depth than the mere simplicity of Star Wars.

 That said... Star Wars has places where you fly through narrow passages.  That gives a
much greater sense of speed, as well as challenge.  In TLSF.. the only things I recall seeing
is the Long Armada of Ships, and them flying through an Asteroid field.  Meaning, its not quite
as visually interesting... unless you added some non-movie elements, such as flying around
in / through  other planets.

 A CO-OP mode (LAN) could be incorporated, so that multiple Pilots could communicate with
each other to coordinate and cover each other + Dog-Fight modes.


 Additional feature potentials:

 - Bass Shaker Transducers (simulating hits, crashes..etc)
 - Possible xenon strobe light effects
 - Flashing Warning Control panels (proximity alerts, damage notices)
 - Possible Holographic LCD gunnery HUD
    *Either using half silvered mirror  or  remove an LCDs backing, creating a translucent HUD?)
    *Even just making an edge lit etched plexi panel might be cool
    *Ive also seen clear Projector paint, allowing for translucent projections in clear glass/plexi
 - Multi-Speaker Surround Sound, with audio samples that are recorded with 3DIO holographic microphones
     * Left + Right front and rears, Speaker mounted above the unit. under seat / under-unit speaker.  Sub.


 Could a cheap 3d Printer, be used as a foundation to control the cable-drive (or maybe chain-drive) motors?


 On this subject of Star Wars...

 Id also love to see the Starwars arcade have a stereoscopic 3d modification, using actual
emulation / hardware.  (LCD shutter glasses,  or just use VR glasses)  It would make flying through
those trenches a lot easier and more visually pleasing.

[pbj]

Welcome back, Steve.

[yotsuya]

So what happened to pixel?


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