4 Cabinets Locally - Inspire Me!

[crpngdth2001]

I recently started work on building a mame cabinet / control panel from scratch (actually, just the CP so far). I couldn't really find any decent cabinets locally to start from.

Of course, I get an email and pictures today with 4 different cabinets that are about 5 minutes from where I work. I still have to go and inspect them, but I'm thinking I may buy 1 or all of them.

Here are some pictures, and some brief descriptions from the seller. Anything in the list below strike anyone as a good buy or good project (mame or otherwise)?

Cabinet 1
Its a Dynamo cabinet which is in good shape. It would be a sand & paint job only. Includes the 2 player panel in the picture, the 4 player xmen panel which is
in the bottom of the picture (its a direct bolt on), a coin door & a picture tube (no yoke).
$75

Cabinet 2
Another Dynamo cabinet, sand & paint only, no coin door, will hold 25" monitor. Includes green control panel in picture, not the one inside the cabinet. Its for cabinet 3. WELL BUILT & HEAVY. I have mamed one of these before, it a great cabinet.
$30

Cabinet 3
Simpsons style cabinet, wood is good, needs some putty around the base prior to painting. Will hold a 25" monitor. Includes 4 player control panel, 25" monitor frame & 2 coin doors.
$60

Cabinet 4
Make Trax cabinet, outside wood is good, control panel included, but it will need work/replaced. Includes coin & access doors. Smaller cabinet.
$15

I'm thinking both cabinet 2 and cabinet 3 might make good mame cabinets...

[More Cowbell]

I got the same type of offer last summer for 4 gutted cabs. I bought them and restored them all (sold one to help offset the others). It's nice to be able to buy things in bulk to save on shipping and you can quickly build an arcade with them. I say go for it.

[SavannahLion]

I'd figure do what More Cowbell has done. Buy what you can, repair/fix up and sell one or more to offset the cost of the others.

Not sure what to make of the putty requirement, but I'd shoot for the Simpsons cab for no other reason than that's what the initial design for my own MAME cab will be derived from.

[shardian]

Buy all of them, half-ass two of them into sellers, then make the other two into keepers with the profits.

[BobA]

I agree.  Buy them all and come out ahead.  Offer a bit less for the whole batch.

[Crowquill]

I'd definitely say to go for all 4. I'd probably try to keep as many as I could. You've got a pretty good variety there. You could make the 4-player Konami cab into a nice MAME machine, the Dynamo cabs are good all-purpose cabs for MAME or generic JAMMA, and I'd make a vertical classic MAME machine out of the Make Trax. Are you sure the X-Men panel doesn't go with the Konami cab? I can't imagine one of those on a Dynamo.

[spriggy]

I'd restore the 'Make Trax'.. especially if the sides are good.  It's not the most exciting game to play.. but it can still hook ya in.  And it is gettin on abit being from the golden era ('81)..

TNT Amusements sells a Cheap NOS Marquee and the Bezel.
Scott @ Mamemarquees might have the CPO file for printing (if the one sitting on the machine is shite). 
Arcadeoverlays.com (don't know anything about them unfort!) sells a digital print of the CPO..
http://www.usamusement.com/nos_list.html have a NOS CPO as well
Good Luck

[crpngdth2001]

Ok, you all have twisted my arm. I'm going to make an offer on all 4 of them, figuring i'll do something with them. I "might" use the 4 player cabinet for another Mame project down the road, and one of Dynamo cabs for a Jamma setup. The wife would love me if I made the Make Trax into a ded. vertical setup (all of her fav games are vert), but I might be leaning towards a resto on that one.

[ArtMAME]

The wife would love me if I made the Make Trax into a ded. vertical setup (all of her fav games are vert), but I might be leaning towards a resto on that one.

The dedicated vertical out of the Make Trax may be a good idea, anything to get your spouse on board and excited for this hobby... Can I get a "Amen" on that fellas...

The cabinet looks pretty much gutted, so it may take some $$$ to fully restore... Restorations usually cost more than you initially think, check out this thread:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64560.0

You may get more usage and enjoyment out of a dedicated vertical, not to mention tons of spousal approval!!!

You can always just pretty up the cabinet and use it for vertical multi games... then after you have bargain hunted for parts, you could restore the Make Trax internally...

Just some suggestions...

[spriggy]

Look's like Zorg's been at it again..  The Trax Bezel is up at the Arcade Art Library.

If you wanted to go the mame route... still keep her looking original, especially when the sides are done for you (quite easy to touch them up, since they were stencilled).. just run a decased 19"-21" monitor running an older PC and an older version of Mame.  Will keep the price down whilst still giving it that original nostalgic feel.  Looks like you'll have a few cabs to play with if you want to go a full mame themed cab!
IMO anyway