Which empty cabinet should I get ?

[Mamezilla]

Hello

I went to see an arcade machine supplier this afternoon to see if I could find an empty cab that I would convert to mame, since i have no woodworking skills.

He had maybe 3 or 4 cabinets he was willing to sell.  There was a Marvel Super Heroes without the 19" monitor, a Joust cab that was converted to something else (recognized because it still had the Joust sideart on it) with also a 19" monitor, a Championship Bowling which also had a 19" monitor, and another one that I don't remember.  All of those still had their marquee, joysticks, buttons, trackball for the Champ Bowling,  and coin doors.

At first, my choice were between the Marvel and the Joust.  What do you guys think ?  Would it be better to get the Joust with the monitor at around $200.00 canadian, or the Marvel without it at $100.00 canadian?  Which one would be the best one for a Mame conversion ?  I believe both are Jamma, and there is no way for me to test the monitor on the Joust machine.  I believe that the Marvel is the most recent (1995 on klov.com), and I don't know (i didn't ask) if he had another spare 19" monitor he could sell me if I choose that one at the end.

Whatever the one I'll choose, I plan to redo the control panel, since I want it to be a bit bigger so that I could include a trackball, 2 sticks with their buttons, a spinner, and maybe a trigger stick.

I know some of you will think that they are expensive, but I do not have access to any other place near me.  That guy is also willing to sell me a used 3 inch blue trackball that looks like an Happ one.  It seemed to roll well, but I did not see any wires come out of it.  Wil I have any trouble to hack that for my cab ?  I was planning to get a mouse hack from Kelsey at Oscar.  

Thanks.

[DaveMMR]

Well my vote goes for not MAMEing the Joust cab.  Especially if you're going to be slapping on a large, 'all-inclusive' panel.  

[Paul Olson]

I would suggest holding off until you can find a cab with a 25" monitor.  If you mount a 19" horizontally, vertical games will be tiny.  A bigger monitor, I think, is a must if you are going with a larger control panel.

Paul

[Apollo]

I agree, I started out going the 19" way and had to change to 26" arcade monitor. 19" just didn't cut it.

[Mamezilla]

Thanks for your replies guys.   That supplier didn't want to sell any of his cabinets that had bigger monitors.

[telengard]

Hello

I went to see an arcade machine supplier this afternoon to see if I could find an empty cab that I would convert to mame, since i have no woodworking skills.

He had maybe 3 or 4 cabinets he was willing to sell.  There was a Marvel Super Heroes without the 19" monitor, a Joust cab that was converted to something else (recognized because it still had the Joust sideart on it) with also a 19" monitor, a Championship Bowling which also had a 19" monitor, and another one that I don't remember.  All of those still had their marquee, joysticks, buttons, trackball for the Champ Bowling,  and coin doors.

At first, my choice were between the Marvel and the Joust.  What do you guys think ?  Would it be better to get the Joust with the monitor at around $200.00 canadian, or the Marvel without it at $100.00 canadian?  Which one would be the best one for a Mame conversion ?  I believe both are Jamma, and there is no way for me to test the monitor on the Joust machine.  I believe that the Marvel is the most recent (1995 on klov.com), and I don't know (i didn't ask) if he had another spare 19" monitor he could sell me if I choose that one at the end.

Whatever the one I'll choose, I plan to redo the control panel, since I want it to be a bit bigger so that I could include a trackball, 2 sticks with their buttons, a spinner, and maybe a trigger stick.

I know some of you will think that they are expensive, but I do not have access to any other place near me.  That guy is also willing to sell me a used 3 inch blue trackball that looks like an Happ one.  It seemed to roll well, but I did not see any wires come out of it.  Wil I have any trouble to hack that for my cab ?  I was planning to get a mouse hack from Kelsey at Oscar.  

Thanks.

In general, a lot of it probably depends on the monitor you'd like.  I love the old school games so being able to house a 19" monitor was sufficient.  I wish I had waited to get the style of cabinet I really wanted.  My favorite styles are Centipede and Defender.  If you like the newer games a 25" cab may be a better match.

Those do sound expensive, but going the eBay route probably won't be much better when taking shipping into account.  I'd probably get the Marvel since it's a) cheaper, and b) not Joust.

[menace]

I would get the marvel and then see about a monitor later on or somewhere else.  My first machine was a 19" and the verticals aren't nearly as bad as you think--it looked fine.  If you are near toronto, you could also go to the next starburst auction and have a look there at the prices and machines before deciding.  Myself and others have picked up empty 25" monitor cabs for 150$ or less so thats something to consider.  

Also, building your own cab to match those would run you about 100$ in materials--but you could make it custom to fit your control panel--just something to consider.

[Mamezilla]

I would get the marvel and then see about a monitor later on or somewhere else.  My first machine was a 19" and the verticals aren't nearly as bad as you think--it looked fine.  If you are near toronto, you could also go to the next starburst auction and have a look there at the prices and machines before deciding.  Myself and others have picked up empty 25" monitor cabs for 150$ or less so thats something to consider.  

Also, building your own cab to match those would run you about 100$ in materials--but you could make it custom to fit your control panel--just something to consider.

Menace, I live near Quebec city.  Unfortunately, there are no auctions that I know of over here. Maybe in Montreal, but i have never heard about those.  

I know I could always build it myself, but my woodworking skills are very poor, and i do not have the tools necessary for big jobs like this.  My main concern about this is for the cutting of the different parts.  I could always have somebody else do it a some local shop, but this would make the price of the cabinet a bit higher, and make it much more expensive than buying the Marvel cab, i think.

What do you guys think ?

Oh, and thanks again for all the replies.

[paigeoliver]

I would get the Joust cabinet. If you want a 25" monitor, then sell the 19" and get a 25", it will fit (from memory, Joust, Stargate and Defender will all take a 25", while Bubbles won't, and I am unsure about Robotron).

If you do get Joust, then keep the sideart intact, do not cut into the cabinet for a larger panel, and get yourself a Joust or Multi-Williams marquee.

[Santoro]

My experience is that Space Duel cabinets are easily found due to the fact that the X-Y monitors they need are rare.  I picked up 2 for free locally.  They hold a 19" monitor, though I think if I get creative I can fit a 25" in it.  

[Gameboy.au]

I'd go for the Marvel cabinet.

It's a nice big cab and has lots of room inside to doing your conversion.  If your lucky enough to have a working monitor, it's an added bonus

(I bought mine and was under the impression it worked.  Mine was dead as a door nail and it's much cheaper to buy a new TV or Monitor instead.)