Should I get this cab...?

[knave]

I was going to pick up a working Carrier Air Wing Cab last saturday. The seller got held up and wasn't available.  We've made tenitive plans for me to pick it up this Sat. Now I'm having second thoughts.

Most of what I know about the cab is what's on KLOV.

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=7287

The guy says the game works and that he is selling it because he needs the space.

He's asking $125 for it.

This seems like a pretty good deal but I'm still not convinced that this is the cab for me. 

I love shooters but would get pretty bored with the same one once the novelty wore off and I beat it a few times.  I could Mame it but then would be modifying a working game and I don't like that thought.  The value of parts is well over the buck and a quarter.

It has a 25" monitor (dunno what kind) and two players each with a stick and two (possibly three buttons.) All of the coin mechanics are there and functional.

I saw a pic early on and the cab looks ok. Pretty normal for a unit that's been on location for a while.

Should I pick it up or wait for a more mame friendly deal.  I'm not in a hurry and the guy already told me that he has another buyer...?

Please tell me what you think...

[DrumAnBass]

That cab looks pretty generic (at least in the KLOV pic); I wouldn't feel too guilty about maming that game. $125 isn't bad if the monitor is in good shape... Depends on the shape of the wood - if there is no major structural or water damage, I would say go for it and mame it - turn it into something special...! My 2¢

[Chris G]

Sounds like you haven't totally decided on what you want.  Do you want a MAME cabinet or do you want a decidated arcade cab?

[RayB]

Air Wing is a conversion game. Just get it and MAME using a JPAC.

[Crowquill]

The biggest question is what the cab looks like. If it's in OK shape and the monitor works well, I'd definitely say to get it. Carrier AirWing was only available as a kit as far as I know so it could be in any cabinet. The fact that it has a 25" monitor leads me to believe it's in a generic cabinet such as a Dynamo and not some converted Centipede cab or something.

This is what the standard Dynamo "cut-corner" cab looks like: http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&id=4830

The "Z-back" cabinet shown in the KLOV listing is also a generic cabinet that was made to put kits in.

I love shooters but would get pretty bored with the same one once the novelty wore off and I beat it a few times.  I could Mame it but then would be modifying a working game and I don't like that thought.  The value of parts is well over the buck and a quarter.

It has a 25" monitor (dunno what kind) and two players each with a stick and two (possibly three buttons.) All of the coin mechanics are there and functional.

I always thought Carrier AirWing was a pretty good shooter anyway (although not quite as fun as UN Squadron/Area 88). And since it's JAMMA with a decent-sized horizontal monitor you could always put a different game PCB in it. JAMMA boards are VERY easy to swap out as long as they're not 4-player or have more than 3 buttons. Do a search for "JAMMA PCB" on ebay to find out how cheap some of these games go for. If you do decide to go the MAME route with it, then you could use a J-Pac for the connections to the cab and still have it reversible if you ever needed to.

The 25" monitor would definitely be nice for MAME or a swappable JAMMA setup. Either way I'd say it's worth the $125.

[knave]

Sounds like you haven't totally decided on what you want.  Do you want a MAME cabinet or do you want a decidated arcade cab?

I think ultimately I would want a MAME cab. I like to be able to play lots of different games.  My attention span for games seems to be pretty short.  There are only a few that I play more than once.

Using a JPAC was my initial reason for wanting a jamma cab like this.  Part of my hesitation is my buget.  First it's a Jpac, then it's an AVGA card, then a custom CP...

I have an extra $125 to spare but I don't have the funds to properly pour cash into a project.  I keep telling myself that the up-side is that the game works as-is so I can play it and wait, but is that enough...I like Air Wing well enough but I forsee this sitting in my garage for a long time which is a bit wastful.  And I secretly suspect that I like the tinkering, configuring and exploring of these old games much more than actually playing them.

That Dynamo "cut-corner" cab is exactly what it looks like, painted sky blue with the Air Wing Marquee. At the moment I can't remember if I saw three buttons or two. I'm pretty sure it's three.

[SavannahLion]

I have an extra $125 to spare but I don't have the funds to properly pour cash into a project.

I imagine that given enough time, the funds would make themselves apparent. Some of the projects I've been reading about take months or even a year to reach completion. Some of the projects have apprently never reached completion with all the tinkering they receive.

You have to start somehow and that money is going to go towards something. That's the case in my house anyways. Getting paid once a month really sucks ass.

[Aurich]

Buy it and keep an eye out for a new PCB, 25" horz monitor and 3 buttons gives you plenty of options. If you later decide you want to MAME it at least you tried to stay authentic for a while. I personally prefer MAME in scratch built cabs, but it's no real crime to hack that one up if it comes to it.

[Chris G]

If you want a Mame cab eventually (and can't or don't want to build your own) then I'd say your main consideration should be whether you like the cabinet itself - style, size, etc.  That's what you'll have to live with for the most part... everything else is replaceable.