Storm City equal to Sega Blast City?

[dextercf]

Hi guys.

Don't know if this is the right forum, but I'll give it a shot. Some of you probably have candy cabs.

I'm in the process of getting my self a candy cab.
Right now I'm into buying a Storm City cab which is sold kinda locally atm. Seller and I have agreed on price and everything is layed out and ready for pick-up (except some keys he haven't recieved from the chinese yet).

Anyway.
I have been googling this cab for some days now, and there are so little information on this one.
Only thing I have seen tracks off are that it is mentioned to be a pirated Sega Blast City cab.

Can someone confirm this?
Could I order, say, coinbox or CP for a Sega Blast City and fit it in a Storm City?

[Franco B]

I would stay well away from clone cabs, you will only regret it and wish you had saved up for the real deal.

[dextercf]

I'd like to believe you, if you could supply your comment with some facts or atleast more information.

[Franco B]

Come over and have a look at arcadeotaku.com, it's a forum for people interested in Japanese cabs and gaming.

I know quite a few people have bought clones only to have regretted it afterwards. I nearly bought one myself.

Clones tend to be cheaply made and you will find you'll struggle to find parts for them or information on how to fix them.

The Blast is a nice looking and awesome cabinet. The Storm City looks similar but you can tell its a cheap knock off and it looks ugly.

[dextercf]

Hmmm.. Wish I could have them both compared IRL.
I get that a repro from china would seldom be a better choice, but how sheit could it be?

Being that I'm a Norwegian living in Norway. Parts a ---smurfette--- anywhich cab I get.

I'd have to hit up that forum for some more info I guess.


This is the one I'm looking at..

[opt2not]

Ugh, that thing looks like crap to me.  How big is that monitor?  Is it even tri-res?
There are still vendors out there that cater towards the Sega cabinets. Not many of them handle the chinese knock-offs, so repair and upkeep is going to be your main issue. And it is an issue, like all things made in china, you'll end up having to fix it faster than the originals.

Take Franco's advice and join AO. They live and breath candy cabinets, and you'll be sure to get enough information and warnings there that might help make your decision.

[Gray_Area]

Given your location, it may be the best you can do aside from possibly hellish shipping of something else. However, first run over to ArcadeOtaku, and search for other such places, and ask around. There may be something original in your region. At the very least, personally check out this one, and compare with the features and prices of originals.

[dextercf]

The asking price for this one is 3000 NOK (about $517) - This includes a King Of Fighters PCB and a 1-slot MVS board.
I could get a blast city for about 10000 NOK ($1.724).

Shipping a cab from JP/CH to Norway would be insane.
Could be around 10-12000 NOK ($1.724 - $2.068) just in shipping fees. Thats never ever gonna happen.

I would inspect it personally, if it where not a 5 hour drive away.
So I'm awaiting more photos, to give me a clue on the shape of the machine.
The seller has told it has yellowing of some plastic pieces, which I assume is normal on some plastics (ABS?).

[Franco B]

Put a wanted up on AO, you may be able to get something more local.

There seems to me some geometry issues with that monitor at least.

[emphatic]

I used to own a Chinese clone cabinet. It came straight from the factory to my doorstep.

* Crap artwork - check
* Rust - check
* Faulty wiring - check
* Incorrectly setup monitor - check
* Not 100% working controls - check
* Cheap toy plastic feel - check

Spare parts can't be found as the clones don't even get the measurements right. You can't buy a new control panel for the original cab and fit it to your clone, nothing will line up.

If the above points don't appeal to you, stay away from clones. I fixed most of my issues with the cab, then totally lucked out and got a call out of the blue from a guy who gave me an offer I'd be a complete idiot to refuse, so I almost broke even in the end. But it was lots of work. In the end, I was never near satisfied with it.

Sure, you can get it as it's cheap and convenient, but you'll regret it and getting it sold when you do is usually 1 chance in a million. Better to check out arcadeotaku and make contact with rklok there (he imports Japanese cabinets to the Netherlands and will ship to your door).

[opt2not]

You've got two of the biggest Candy cab enthusiasts on this site giving you really great advice. It's your money, so in the end do what you want. But for me, regarding candy cabs, I take these fellas word as gospel.

[dextercf]

I must be a schmuck if I where to buy one of these now.. 
My mind is settled.

This is not what I ultimately want anyways (candycab), but was an idea for a sitdown cab I could have "in-house" without being told it is ugly as hell by my better half. Also, for my kid.
But seeing there is so much against it by you guys, I'm going to drop this one.