Arcademic Hall - Shrine/Wabac Machine/Old School

[z]

Finally putting online the cabinets I have built over the past 14 years.  The original cabinet (being genereous there) was called The Shrine and was built to house an Atari 2600.  The design definitely predates exposure to BYOAC and current techniques, just built for rematches of childhood classics such as missile command and asteroids.
http://www.theidolsofthetribe.com/jim/pages/shrine.html
Yes, the cab was built with sheetrock for sidewalls and Toyota Celica speakers up top...BYOAC wasn't there to advise me to just dump the scrap material in the rental house basement.  If nothing else style points for a cab using a TV with wood grain housing.

The next was the Wabac Machine, old theme with newer tech finally.
http://www.theidolsofthetribe.com/jim/pages/wabac.html

The last full cabinet I built was a cocktail named Old School, a tribute to 8th grade nights at the local Godfather's Pizza Joint
http://www.theidolsofthetribe.com/jim/pages/oldschool.html

The only design elements from my tinkering that might be of interest to anybody would be some cheap spinner design options
http://www.theidolsofthetribe.com/jim/pages/spinners.html
and an easy DIY clock face (bottom of page)
http://www.theidolsofthetribe.com/jim/pages/oldschoolconstructionphotos.html

Thanks to Saint for putting up BYOAC and everyone who contributes.  The designs are inspiring and the answers I find searching the message boards have saved me countless hours of frustration 

Z

[SavannahLion]

Heh, I knew a guy in high school whose name is Z. I don't recall talking to him much, different clique. Considerable given a school with no real cliques.

Moving along. Holy bejebus! That 2600 looks like... well... you already know. So....

Anyways, It's an interesting walk showing the evolution of your cabinets and cabinet building skills.

[Expressline99]

Pretty great stuff thanks for sharing. Kinda makes me want to get one of the coin op Pong stations and convert one...I know I shouldn't ruin history there but...ya I'd do it.

Nonetheless great collection 

[z]

No offense taken on saying the 2600 cab was ugly, there was a reason it stayed in the basement     At the time I remember thinking 'a big atari logo on the side would make this look great', apparently my vision, judgment and drinking were all pretty bad back then.

In the next few months I'll rebuild the control panel for the Wabac Machine, I finally got a Happ trackball and Ipac to replace the CompUSA crystal ball and hacked gamepads.  At that time I'll also touch up and add to the side art, open to suggestions on that front.

[Fordman]

I love the Peabody & Sherman art work! Also the figurines of Peabody & Sherman, also isnt that 'Bill' and  the 'Conductor' from the ABC School House Rock cartoons?

Fordman

[z]

Dead on Fordman, it is the Conjunction Junction guy and Bill, some day they will make their way to the front of cocktail cab.  Older people recognize them quickly, I always liked how the colors and lack of detail for them (along with Sherman and Mr. Peabody) blend in well with arcade art.  Bill was around in one form or another before Old School, in the rental house basement he was on a wall near the 2600 cabinet (pic attached).  Our landlord had to be puzzled by our basement, Schoolhouse Rock on the wall behind a horrid sheetrock cabinet.

[SavannahLion]

Heh, my cottage (rental) was comprised of off-white cinderblock that i got so sick of. So the last four years I lived there, I painted random colored paint "splotches" all over the cinder walls. Took me over three hours and three coats of color matched paint to get rid of it so I could get my deposit back... and that jerk still found something to gripe about.

Never thought of doing actual characters.

[z]

Did the drawing with chalk, when it was time to move we just brushed it off the walls.

This thread is getting me motivated to put Bill and the engineer on the wide wall of the cocktail cabinet.  Now I'm wondering whether to paint them on or make them with a few layers of colored foam board so they are a little 3Dish.

[Expressline99]

ooooo 3Dish! But could you protect the foam board from being scraped, kicked or bumped?

[z]

Foam cut outs of cartoon characters, why would a kid be tempted to grab at that?    My friends and I would avoid them but with kids around I think I'd have to make them out of something more solid than foam.  I may try a few test pieces out of foam and then if they look good do them with layers of 1/4" plywood so they are more solid.

[Expressline99]

I for sure want to see it.