Getting an old Space Duel Cab - advice needed.

[Santoro]

I am going to be picking this old Space Duel cabinet up this weekend (pics below) and I have a few questions.  

• It looks like the coin door has one opf the red plastic buttons missing.  Are these easily replaced? Who sells them?
• If, hypothetically, I wanted to restore it, does anyone make color XY monitors anymore?
• Assuming I can get some sort of monitor and boards, is there a market for old vector games anymore?
• Other than using goof-off, any tips on paint removal?  Looks like spray paint was used at some point. :-\

Thanks
Dave

[GGKoul]

OT:
Where are you located?  As I saw some interesting things in your pics.

[Santoro]

OT:
Where are you located?  As I saw some interesting things in your pics.

I'm in NJ.  Not my location pictured there, but that of the guy who is giving me the cab.

[maraxle]

3m Safest Stripper works wonders.

[SirPeale]

• It looks like the coin door has one opf the red plastic buttons missing.  Are these easily replaced? Who sells them?

You can get them just about anywhere.  Happs, Competitive, Wico, Betson, Mazzco...just note what kind of door it is.

• If, hypothetically, I wanted to restore it, does anyone make color XY monitors anymore?

Nope!  Damn shame too.

• Assuming I can get some sort of monitor and boards, is there a market for old vector games anymore?

Big market, because of their increasing rarity.

• Other than using goof-off, any tips on paint removal?  Looks like spray paint was used at some point.

Depends on what kind of paint was used on it.  3M Safest Stripper has already been mentioned.

[paigeoliver]

Also, a painted over stripped color vector is not worth restoring. Stripped ones with nice artwork, and complete dead ones are common.

Space Duel is a 600ish game, restoring that one would cost $1000. ($450 monitor, $50 wiring, $125 boardset, $100+ control panel, etc, etc, etc).

[Truz]

just a question but is that the free space duel cab that 1hookedspacecadet posted in Perth Amboy NJ.

If so thats a downer because i was thinking of contacting the guy who was giving it away. If it is, oh well good luck with it!

[Santoro]

just a question but is that the free space duel cab that 1hookedspacecadet posted in Perth Amboy NJ.

If so thats a downer because i was thinking of contacting the guy who was giving it away. If it is, oh well good luck with it!

Yeah, it's the one - Sorry.  I jumped at it a few minutes after he posted it.

[Santoro]

Also, a painted over stripped color vector is not worth restoring. Stripped ones with nice artwork, and complete dead ones are common.

Not sure I understand what you meant here.  If I strip it and get down to reasonable looking side art, it wouldn't be worth restoring? Or are you saying that if I strip it then paint it again, it wouldn't be workth restoring.  

Space Duel is a 600ish game, restoring that one would cost $1000. ($450 monitor, $50 wiring, $125 boardset, $100+ control panel, etc, etc, etc).

So the monitor is basically making it cost-prohibitive to restore?  In that case I would probably Mame it. Then I would probably get a lot flack rom the community about maiming a classic cab...

So what is the right thing to do with it?  Let it rot?  

[abrannan]

Also, a painted over stripped color vector is not worth restoring. Stripped ones with nice artwork, and complete dead ones are common.

Not sure I understand what you meant here.  If I strip it and get down to reasonable looking side art, it wouldn't be worth restoring? Or are you saying that if I strip it then paint it again, it wouldn't be workth restoring.  

Space Duel is a 600ish game, restoring that one would cost $1000. ($450 monitor, $50 wiring, $125 boardset, $100+ control panel, etc, etc, etc).

So the monitor is basically making it cost-prohibitive to restore?  In that case I would probably Mame it. Then I would probably get a lot flack rom the community about maiming a classic cab...

So what is the right thing to do with it?  Let it rot?  

I think he was saying that it's not worth the effort it would take to restore it to the original game, since there are easily available non-working but otherwise complete color vector games.  

The right thing to do is whatever you want to do with it.  If the artwork is still under the paint, it may be worth your while to strip it so you have some good looking sideart.  Otherwise, it's basically a free-for-all on what way you want to go with it.

[paigeoliver]

By "Stripped" I mean all the original parts are gone. Resto shops toss these cabs in the dumpster in mint condition if they don't have the insides.

Mame or a JAMMA conversion is your best choice for it.

And also, color vector cabinets (without boards or monitors) are actually one of the best candidates for Mame, since they are not truly restorable without resorting to idiocy that will simply keep another (better) candidate somewhere else from being restored.

[Tailgunner]

On the lower right side of the pics there's both a Gravitar and a Space Duel that look to be restorable, assuming they don't just need a bath.

On the one you're getting you might try to strip back to the original side art, but like Paige I wouldn't go to any great length to restore it. It'd be different if there were only 10 Space Duel cabs ever made, but they're not preticularly rare.

The point I assume he was trying to make is if you spend $1000 restoring the cab, and the end result is worth $600 at best, you're out $400 with nothing but a good feeling to show for it. I honestly doubt anyone would give you grief for MAMEing that cab, though were you to buy the other Space Duel cab in the pics and MAME it you'd likely catch hell for it.

[Tiger-Heli]

I honestly doubt anyone would give you grief for MAMEing that cab, though were you to buy the other Space Duel cab in the pics and MAME it you'd likely catch hell for it.

Agreed on both counts.  Your cab is MAMEable.  The OTHER Space Duel, well, if I had it, I would probably MAME it, BUT, I would save the original boards, CP, Monitor, etc., so I could put it back like I found it if I ever got rid of it.

[Santoro]

Thanks for the feedback all, I think that I will be Maming this cab, especially if the side art salvages well.

[RetroJames]

Dang!  What's up with the TWO Space Duels to the right?  Good to hear you are scooping up the free one.  Good luck and ask him about the other two when you pick it up would you?  I am curious (but just tire kicking).  

[Tiger-Heli]

Dang!  What's up with the TWO Space Duels to the right?  Good to hear you are scooping up the free one.  Good luck and ask him about the other two when you pick it up would you?  I am curious (but just tire kicking).  

I don't see two space duels - I see Ms. Pac on the left, something in the left foreground, StarWars or ESB on the Right rear, another Space Duel, and then a Gravitar, or Black Widow, (not up on early atari, probably Gravitar, though)

[RetroJames]

Dang!  What's up with the TWO Space Duels to the right?  Good to hear you are scooping up the free one.  Good luck and ask him about the other two when you pick it up would you?  I am curious (but just tire kicking).  

I don't see two space duels - I see Ms. Pac on the left, something in the left foreground, StarWars or ESB on the Right rear, another Space Duel, and then a Gravitar, or Black Widow, (not up on early atari, probably Gravitar, though)

You are correct, my mistake.  So what's up with the Space Duel!?

[Santoro]

Resto shops toss these cabs in the dumpster in mint condition if they don't have the insides.

This blows my mind.  Wouldn't any of us here pay $50 for a mint cabinet with nice side-art?  Why don't they sell these things? Or advertise on the internet/here?

[Santoro]

OK, so I picked up the cabinet.  I was drooling, this guy had an entire warehouse floor of classic games, working and non.  He really only seemed interested in selling retail though.

Looking carefully at the paint, swirl marks made me think that someone sanded the side-art well before painting.  I used some goof-off to remove a little of the blue and it does indeed look like all of the nice color has been sanded off.  (There is enough left to be used as a template if I wanted to re-paint the art, but given the complexity of the pattern, I will not be doing that.)

So, Plan B is this:  I want to make it look like a Centipede cab and Mame it.  I plan to sand down the sides and put white laminate on it with side art from ebay.  It even looks like I might be able to make one of the refurbed 25" K7400s I just bought fit in.

What do you all think?

dave

[paigeoliver]

I THINK it is the wrong cabinet to be a Centipede, but hey, it is your money.

A 25" monitor will PROBABLY fit, although it might poke out the back. Don't go the Centipede route unless you plan on having a trackball and a vertical monitor though.