YES YES YES I'VE GOT A GALAXIAN !!!!

[Level42]

Sorry for being so quite lately....very busy with lots of other stuff......but I've GOT to share this with you:

I've got my first real classic:

Galaxian


After missing a couple classics jut by an inch, this time was my lucky time: I had only just sold my Double Axle a few days back and I searched the net for Galaxian's on offer and bingo ! We agreed on 175 Euro but because colors were way off when the seller demonstrated it (not when I got home !) AND the horiznotal sync was wacky I got it for 150 Euro, a very good price I think.

The strange thing is that I thought that the t-molding was not original because I always have seen the green t-molding on Galaxian cabs. This one has a black leather like t-mold on it, and while checking out http://www.galaxian.dds.nl/index.html I discovered a flyer with a cab with black t-molding, so I guess it's orignal. The joystick has a whit knob, I always thought they were red on galaxian, but this also is original on this version of the machine.

The sides are in OK shape for a 1979 machine, needs a lot of cleaning, the front art is a bit more damaged. The metal of the CP will need sanding and coating, the CP art is pretty good though. Needs a new fire button and joystick knob.... The bezel is not the one with the planets on it, this one is plain black so that's the only thing not original about it.

It's got starting-up problems that mostly disappear after warming up, but I think the monitor will need a new capkit...picture is wavey, I see shoot-back lines etc. Needs adjusting too.

Otherwise, it works great ! Sound and gameplay is 100%.

I'm so glad and proud. Galaxian is one of my favorits on my Mame cab, but nothing beats a real 1979 original !

[arcadefever]

  it is nothing better to own an original ...GALAXIAN is a great game, and the cab art work is incredible ..

cant wait to see some pictures 

[Level42]

Very true !

I just fired it up this morning and (like I had hoped) the start-up problem has disappeard. I bet it had something to do with temperatture and mostly the very humid air. The cab was in a workplace that was not very well heated when I bought it and the weather was really foggy. So good news about that

Forgot to tell that the marquee is in what I would call mint condition ! The lighting is very dim though, is there a TL inside or regular bulbs ? The look of the light is very warm so it looks like bulbs to me, but you can barely notice that there's any light at all so it might be just a bad tube....no time to open it now...

The game itself shows NAMCO by the way, was this normal for the Bally Midway cab ? Maybe the pcb has been exchanged in some place. I wonder about the bezel. I've got the bezel with it and there's a midway sticker on it (transparant with just some text). It seems very clumsely taped together with the black edges. Is the planet bezel on top on this one ?

Well real classics are pretty rare around here in Europe and I think I got a mega-deal on this one. Keyfactor was getting it out asap from the seller This will be a lovely machine when restored !



Will put up some pics soon

[RobinHolland]

Nice 
I have bid also , you won       lol
You live also in ridderkerk ?

Greetings Robin

[ChadTower]

I just fired it up this morning and (like I had hoped) the start-up problem has disappeard. I bet it had something to do with temperatture and mostly the very humid air. The cab was in a workplace that was not very well heated when I bought it and the weather was really foggy. So good news about that

Definitely means it has some flakiness somewhere in there.  Probably harness connections that are only barely made.  If the weather could affect it like that they're very close to failure.  It's probably still worth pulling the harnesses, retinning the edge contacts, and at least inspecting the harness pins.  Same with any socketed chips and take a peek at all molex connectors, of course depending on what the startup issues actually were.

[Level42]

Nice 
I have bid also , you won       lol
You live also in ridderkerk ?

Greetings Robin

Hiya Robin,

Sorry for you, but this time I was the lucky one
Don't tell me you're from Ridderkerk as well !!! If so let's meet !!!

Chadtower:
Sure thing this baby will be worked over from bottom to top ! Actualy, it is amazing how well it still works IMHO. This machine is freaking 27 years old and it still works. Everything works. Sure there are some issues on the screen. Maybe there's also a problem on the PCB as I seem to be missing some bits on the screen letters. But it'll be worked out

I was examining the pots and switches on the monitor couple of minutes ago and I noticed the service switch was not in either end-position. So I switched it and on one side I had a total black screen, on the other no horizontal (or should I say vertical in the monitor position ) deflection...I panicked a bit, but sliding the switch back into it's original postion restored the full screen. This shows how simple the problems  sometimes are.

By the way my cab has a note in it saying : Cabinet 0815. Would this mean that this is a very early version ?

There's no water damage anywhere which is nice too.

The original schematics are with it, even a single bag for the old Dutch guilders, quarters etc. probably from the company who imported it. I am always interested in the history of such a cab, but it looks like this one has been imported to Holland and never left the country....

I love this baby already !

[Level42]

Pictures !

Cabinet largely uncleaned yet, except marquee.

[Level42]

More pictures !

[arcadefever]

  thanks for all the pics... i have to say that it look great for is age !!! are you going to touch up the panel ?

send a picture of the game in action 

[Level42]

Yeah it looks very decent apart from the metal CP and marquee parts. But I will sand them and spray paint them.

I intend to keep it as original as possible. I don't care if it shows it's age a bit. But I will try to get it to look it's best.

I've got plenty more pictures at home but didn't have enough time to upload them this morning. Will do so later. I even have video of it in action, will upload to youtube and put up a link here.

I think I will replace the T-molding. I am tempted to use the green t-mold that is on most Galaxians since I think that looks great, but I will keep it original, so it will be the textured (leather-look ?) t-mold like that it has now. I also think I will replace the buttons and joysctick ball, that is, if I can find them.

I really scored a bargain on this one IMHO. Everything is there and original except the PCB which is NAMCO (at least that's what the screen says) and the missing bezel...

What serial numbers do other Galaxian owners here have ?

[cdbrown]

Looks great.  Well done on the purchase.  But please don't leave it up against the radiator, might find your t-molding melting to it.

[Level42]

Thanks !

Not to worry, the t-molding doesn't run through at the back on this one But it's a temporary spot anyway....(the kitchen isn't the ideal place for it   !)

On request, more pics !

The third one it the TL in it's current state....it's gone, but the edges still glow and get pretty warm....time to replace the tube

[Level42]

Screenshots....difficult like always. These are taken with the smoke plexi over it. It makes the picture pretty dim really.

I can see a couple of issues (not all visible on pictures):
1) there seem to be convergence problems or something else, giving the "Score Advance Table" text and High score text and credit text a nice looking, but not original 3d effect....
2)there are fly-back lines across the screen. Pretty light, but visible.
3)alines on the left side of the screen seem to have their wings moved to the side: also convergence ??
4) the red seems to be bleeding. Where is the yellow ?

Aw well, time to order a capkit somewhere....anyplace else than Bob Roberts ? (who regretfully still refuses internet payment...) Does anybody know what brand/type monitor should be in there. It looks like a 19" to  me. There seems to be no brand/model info. It looks very complicated constructed to me, but hey it was 1979 then.....jeezzz I was 13 !!!!!!!!!!!

[Level42]

And more pics....

[Level42]

Some marquee pics......great looking after some careful cleaning ! I love the colors vivid like new ! (The picture are actualy a bit more pale than the real live colors, artifiial light is to blame).

I very carefully cleaned the inside with a mild detergent (sounds like a user manual ) you can see some of the uncleaned and cleaned parts on the last pic....

[Level42]

Here's the video people:

[Level42]

Pictures of the monitor. I <think> it's a WG K4500 when I look at the pictures on Bob Roberts' site. However, it has "made in Japan"  marks all over it, thought Wells-Garnder was a US manufacturer ?

[Level42]

The seperate control pcb and the very large convergence board lead me to believe it's the WG K4500.

Also a pic of the game PCB. It looks near-mint IMHO. Weird thing: The board is saying Midway, but there's a NAMCO logo on-screen !

[Level42]

More PCB pics

[Level42]

First two pics: The power supply. Almost scary that it's still in working order.....bit of dust everywhere (cleaned it already) and hey look: a real Guilder (they don't make money like that anymore !!!) handy for the Guilder coin mech !!!. Also removed the loose bolts and screws and other stuff that could do harm.

Last two pics, DIP switch settings. And maybe the nicest one of all is the last picture. Cabinet nr. 0815 this MUST be one from the very first serie. I think I read somewhere that 20.000 Galaxians were built ? (Still seems a little low number to me).
It's interesting to see that they changed some things in the later version:
- The famous light green T-molding instead of the black textured on this one
- The white joytick ball instead of red
- The Namco logo on screen while the PCB is indicating Midway, maybe they didn't have time to change the software with the midway logo ?
- The low bonus ship scoring