Thanks everyone, I'm honestly blown away by the recognition this little project has received. I honestly thought this would get about a 50/50 love/hate reaction, so I never expected this kind of response.
On a daily basis I browse this forum and am impressed at the creativity of so many projects. Most of the time I'm looking at these projects wishing I had half the skill (or the money or time) to do such creative cabinets.
Having almost completed my fourth 'cabinet' and with two more already in my mind, I've learned there is a LOT of work between an 'average' build and 'real quality', and some times the hardest challenges or the finest details are the things that others take for granted.
So thanks to all of you who've posted projects before, you all deserve a pat on the back for the hard work and especially for sharing ideas and inspiration to so many others, including me.
This project was built from a spontaneous idea and used very little time or money... obviously it could be improved with fiber glass for rigidity or different button combinations but it still seems that its provided some inspiration. The fact I've been able to give something back to a community where it often feels like everything has been done before is the ultimate reward for me (although, some sponsorship from some arcade part distributors would sure help with the next project
)
I'd love to hear about it if anybody ends up building their own unique cabinet using this project as inspiration.
Thanks again for all of the kind words.