Converting a Sky Shark cabinet

[dcsgguy]

Hello all.  Well today is huge day for me.  After 18 months of waiting I have finally begun to tackle my first MAME machine today.  A local guy where i live is selling me a Sky Shark cabinet for 100 bucks.  Before I make the trip to get it though, I have some quick questions on conversions. 
While looking at pictures of the cabinet on KVOC it seems that the control panel isn't that deep.  I want to build and install Saints control panel onto the cabinet.  Is that possible or does the main cabinet itself need an overhang long enough to support it or can it be mounted somehow?

Thanks and any other advice would be appreciated!

[Q*Bert_OP]

This game was only offered as a kit to convert older games, all cabinets used will vary.

[Ken Layton]

Sky Shark was never a dedicated game. It was only offered as a conversion kit. It could have been put in any cabinet. I did several in Gorf cabinets years ago.

[ArtMAME]

Well, in this hobby, anything is possible... sort of...

It really depends how handy you are with tools and woodworking... I am sure you could figure something out whether the cabinet looks like the one in KLOV or not...

I just installed a monster control panel in a NEO GEO similar to the one in KLOV, which is narrow and did not have much overhang either.

If you get stuck, just post some pics of the cab when you get it and I am sure some of us can offer some good suggestions.

Good luck

[dcsgguy]

Well it turns out the cabinet was an old Zaxxon cabinet.  The cabinet wasn't in bad shape at all and I paid 100 bucks for it.  It doesn't look like any of the cabinets that KLOV has for either Zaxxon or Sky Shark.  I will get some pictures and post.

There is some repair that needs done though  Do you suggest I bondo the bad parts first, wait a day, then sand it down completely?  After that I plan on painting it all black to start with.  Should I use some sort of primer first?  Sorry for the completly stupid questions but I am prety new with this stuff.

[Kevin Mullins]

Don't forget to check out the "Woodworking" section...... that may help on some ideas to get ya started.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/board,32.0.html

[dcsgguy]

Here is the picture of the cab I bought and the CP.  I am pretty sure I can get all the controls I want onto it without it looking like a mess.  I've seen examples of others who have done it.  The only real problem with this cab is there is a chunk missing from one of the corners.  Guess I have to bondo that.

[Crowquill]

Um...that's definitely not a Zaxxon cab. The Atari stickers should be the first tip-off. A side view would definitely help, but it looks like you have a Tempest cab.

PLEASE! DO NOT PAINT IT BLACK UNTIL YOU SEE IF YOU CAN SALVAGE THE SIDE ART!

There are a lot of people who would like to have that cab. At least post some more pictures. From the way the marquee is stuck on there, it doesn't look like a very clean conversion.

Here's what Tempest looks like:

[Kaytrim]

I agree with Crowquill  That defiantly looks like a Tempest cab.  If you ask for it there should be plenty of help if you choose to try and restore it.  That is one of the cabs that quite a few here on the boards would rather see restored to it's original state if at all possible.

I have an Oscar Vortex Spinner.  It was designed to be a copy of the spinner that should have been in that cab.   It even has the same style knob.  I might be willing to sell it to you if you are going to restore this cab of yours.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[dcsgguy]

Here is a picture of the side of the cab.  The side art is for sky shark.  As far as I can tell, the blue is the original paint on it.

[dcsgguy]

It does look pretty similar to what the Tempest cab looked like though eh.  Are these types of Cabs rare or something?

[TOK]

Its definitely a Tempest cab thats been repainted. That said, if you have no special love for Tempest like many do here, I wouldn't bother trying to "unconvert" it. I'm partial to vert shooters, so my biggest issue with it other than the cosmetics is that the panel only has one stick. Its also a relatively narrow cab to try to install dual sticks to without mangling it.

[koolmoecraig]

100% hacked up Tempest.

Sad really.

Give it a good new life.

[Hounddoggy]

Mine is definitely an old Zaxxon. It had the Sega/Gremlin sticker inside too. It was converted to Mega Zone before I got it. Here's a before and after:

[paigeoliver]

Do whatever you want, a painted over converted common vector title isn't worth fixing, and even trying to do so just guarantees one more working machine will be parted out to supply that demand for yet another full set of vector guts.

Here is a picture of the side of the cab.  The side art is for sky shark.  As far as I can tell, the blue is the original paint on it.

[Paladin]

Yea, but restoration can be fun!
BEFORE:


AFTER: