To restore or not to restore, that is the question.

[Jeff AMN]

A few weeks back I picked up a Bubble Bobble machine locally for $200 that has a nice, working monitor and is in great shape. The game is in a Rally-X cabinet, that is also in good shape, except for that it had been painted completely black. I've stripped the black paint in anticipation of restoring it to Rally-X. However, I'm starting to second guess myself. Here are the options I have:

A) Continue restoring it to a Rally-X (even though the wiring has been hacked for a 2p Bubble Bobble setup)
B) Make it the best darn Bubble Bobble possible (fun paint and art)

I'm working with some limited game room space right now, so I'm not sure I'd even hang on to the Rally-X cab after the full restoration. I'd just be trying to make my money back and preserve a bit of history. Do you guys think I'd make more money with a nice Bubble Bobble cabinet as opposed to a Rally-X? It would save me the time/money/effort of hunting down Rally-X art, overlays, and a marquee. Isn't Bubble Bobble going to fetch more at auction or in local ads anyway? The Bubble Bobble PCB is genuine too. I know there are a lot of bootlegs, but it's 100% legit.

[ahofle]

That's a tough one.  Arcade preservation aside, Rally X was a pretty crappy game IMO.  I would probably go with Bubble Bobble.

[SirPeale]

I already mentioned this in your other thread, but...

B) Make it the best darn Bubble Bobble possible (fun paint and art)

[Jeff AMN]

I already mentioned this in your other thread, but...

B) Make it the best darn Bubble Bobble possible (fun paint and art)

Yeah, I remember you saying that... 

So what about value? If I'm not going to hold onto either one, is the Bubble Bobble the way to go? Would parting out the board, monitor, marquee, etc. get me more?

[SavannahLion]

I say go for the Bubble Bobble.

I only say that because my GF wants a Bubble Bobble and I'm figuring out the PCB side of it (eg what's a bootleg and what's the real deal or whether I should use MAME). I've got a great idea for a kick ass cab, just need to get the dough to get the raw materials

Side note: KLOV shows multpile cabinets. Was Bubble Bobble a conversion only?

[SirPeale]

Bubble Bobble *was* conversion only.  It seems to hold it's value, esp. if the board is NOT a bootleg.  There were a lot of the bootlegs, but it seems that original PCBs are HTF.

[SavannahLion]

There were a lot of the bootlegs, but it seems that original PCBs are HTF.

Besides the obvious such as Bobble Bobble and silkscreened company information, is there a resource to differentiate bootleg and original PCBs?

[Jeff AMN]

There were a lot of the bootlegs, but it seems that original PCBs are HTF.

Besides the obvious such as Bobble Bobble and silkscreened company information, is there a resource to differentiate bootleg and original PCBs?

I personally don't know, but the give away for me was that the cabinet not only had the manuals, but also a shipping receipt from the distributor inside.

[Rocky]

I personally like Rally-X.  I played it a lot in the arcades.

However, it is not a top dollar game.  If you fully restore it with original art, you won't make your money back.  You'll probably pay more for the CPO and side art (if you can find them) than you'd get for selling the game.

YMMV,
Rocky