A Battlezone Upright, An Idea, And a Problem

[ArmageddonMan]

Hello, I'm sort of new here, and thought I might get some educated opinions. I've just become the owner of a Battlezone upright with the scope, and can't quite come to grips with MAMEing it..

The monitor is shot, however the game DOES power on (and makes some awesome noises when it does!). I wanted a cabinet to MAME over, and this was the cheapest thing I could get a hold of in my area, however making it more "normal" would destroy the unique feel of the scope and twin tank sticks. I considered simply removing the original CP and PCB's and storing them, or giving them to a collector, but the problem of the scope still remains (it's also the marquee , as yall surely know). I'd rather not have to play mortal kombat looking thru that thing:).

So, is it too great a sin to convert this unique beast? Even if I kept the original parts around just in case I ever wanted to re-Battlezone it? I'm going to bondo and repaint all the flaws in the cab itself, so it wouldn't be too much of a butcher job. Any thoughts?

[ArtMAME]

A Battlezone cabinet, I think, too unique for an all-purpose MAME.  Plus it would probably be more trouble than it is worth to rig up something for an all-purpose MAME.

If it is playing blind, then you can send the monitor boards out to Chad over at arcadecup.com and he will fix the monitor for $125 fee including shipping.  I brought an Asteroids back from the dead that way. 

If you look long enough, you should find a more normal cabinet to MAME...

If you are going to MAME a Battlezone, MAME it into a Battlezone...  heck, I have several dedicated MAME cabinets that are running just the original game.  And the only reason I did that was because I got them as empties or conversions.

As a general rule I follow, if a cabinet is complete but not working, then fix it and leave it as a dedicated.  If the cabinet is converted, missing a lot of original parts, or just plain hopeless, then it is a good candidate for MAME.  Even then, there are some exceptions, but generally, that is what I do.

Oh, and check out me website. There are some examples of what I do with my cabinets.

http://home.earthlink.net/~asumner/artsarcadelab/

[ArmageddonMan]

Well the modding part will actually be pretty easy, I know a machinist that can make me a new metal CP for dirt cheap, and the scope part could easily be replaced by nice metal bezel and plexi. It was more of a moral dilema:) This thing has survived since at least 1980, I'd feel a little bastardish just mutilating it. I think i'll keep it as original as humanly possible. Cash is a BIG problem right now, I was lucky to find this unit at basically a give-away price, so getting another cab is a big broke no no.

(the other problem is..I don't even LIKE Battlezone:), so restoring it to just play that would kinda be futile for me)

Thanks for your ideas though!

[abzman2000]

let me help with your dilemma, I love battlezone, and an original cab with periscope would be so cool, I'll pay you enough to buy a cab worthier of mame depending on where you are.  pm me

[Turnarcades]

It is a unique original. I'd reccommend restoring or cleaning up andselling as is to find a more suitable project, or build one from scratch.

[ArmageddonMan]

I think I've found my solution. The scope simply screws off, and the monitor is already in a nice protective case, so i'll just store the unique parts just in case anyone ever wants a real Battlezone cabinet ( or I can afford to truly repair it). But for the time being, the parts I'm getting machined will conform to the cabs existing screws, so it's just a simple part swapping job.  The computer I'd be using can fit in the cab without ever touching the original PCBs.

Battlezone gets to live another day, and I get to play Smash Tv. I think that works.

[ArmageddonMan]

On a side note, I'm getting some good offers for these parts I don't need, all thanks to this board...ah...how the Great Material Continuum provides