Finished: 2/3 Scale Donkey Kong Cabinet

[melarky]

Back when I found out we were going to have a baby boy by november, I decided to build a 2/3 scale Donkey Kong cabinet for the baby room.

I practiced by building a lamp first (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=55628.0) which turned out awsome, so I went ahead with making the larger (but still mini) 2/3 scale Donkey Kong cabinet, and finally have time to post some pics of the finished cabinet (I forgot to take pics during construction again, and I really wanted to, but oh well).

Here are some pics of the finished cabinet:

[melarky]

I used a CNC machine for the sides and the front grill, and a table saw for the rest of the parts (it was just easier to cut the square parts with a table saw in the end).

I ended up bending some plexi for the marquee bezel area (on the real cabinets, that is 2 parts, but I thought it would be easier to just bend 2 pieces of plexi and sandwhich the artwork between the 2, and it was easy).  To bend the plexi, I just clamped it between 2 pieces of wood (after measuring where the bend need to be), and then took a heat gun and slowly went back and forth until it was bent to what I thought it should be.  I then held it in place to verify that it was good, and then did the same thing with another piece of plexi.

I also then put a piece of smoked plexi behind the bezel area (smaller than the other 2 pieces, just big enough for the bezel area only).  That way it hides the monitor case nicely.

I got the side art printed at CAG (too bad they aren't printing anymore, I was impressed with their work), and the other artwork I got printed at kinkos on various types of paper and vynil.

I know the blue is not a perfect match to Donkey Kong blue.  I decided to instead match it to the blue I painted the Donkey Kong lamp with (since they are both in the same room).  I just took the lamp down to Sherwin Williams and got them to mix up a match in some nice durable oil paint (that was the first time I painted with oil, and I don't think I'd do it again, but maybe I'll change my mind once I see how well this paint holds up).  I like how it looks, and my wife does too, so I'm happy with it.

I stuck a TV tuner box in the cabinet, and it's mainly used as a TV for now in the babys room, but I'm sure that will change as my son gets big enough to play it.

I was originally going to go with a 2 player control panel without the trackball, but I ended up changing my mind and making it the 1 player figher layout with the trackball.  I can always change the layout in the future and make a new control panel if I want to I guess.

It was alot of fun to make this cabinet, and I would love to make some more of these (a mini pac-man, crystal castles, centipede, etc... would be fun, you could line the wall like a mini arcade).  I don't think my wife will go for that until we get a bigger place (I already have my full size mame cab, a pinball, soda machine, and slushee machine in our kitchen/dining room, it was a real strugle to get her to allow this new cabinet for the baby's room )

This board was invaluable as I was making this and prior projects.  Thanks for all the help.

[Organic Jerk]

I love clean and well designed work like that...  That is such an excellent piece of work and your boy will most likely consider the machine a highlight of his childhood... 

You're passing on the love of arcades man.. be proud!   

[javeryh]

Amazing job!  How did you cut the front speaker grill?

Also, how did you convince the wife to allow that in the baby's room?  I'm trying to put the mini I'm building in my daughter's room but I don't think my wife will go for it.  My cocktail is collecting dust down in the unfinished basement of what I can only assume is her house. 

[ppilot]

That really looks great.  Any chance you would post plans/a more detailed writeup of how you built it?

[melarky]

I have access to a CNC machine, so the sides and the speaker grill were cut with that.  As for plans, I just used the plans from jakobuds site, it turned out better than I thought.

The only thing that I could probably document to help save people time and effort might be the marquee and bezel area (but that's only if people wanted to do it the way I did it, which isn't accurate to the real donkey kong cabinets, but worked better for what I was doing).  If you're interested in that, I could probably take some pics and write some details about that process...

[melarky]

As for convincing the wife to let me put it in the babys room, I let her tell me the requirements (couldn't be full size, had to be a somewhat mini cabinet, couldn't be all black (my first mame cab is just a big black lusid cab), had to be colorful and have artwork, and it had to work as a television too, so she could use it in the baby's room during feedings and such, and then of course, had to keep the cost down, so did most of the artwork at kinkos etc...).

She wasn't too excited once I was building it (she was still worried it was going to be too big still, and it didn't match her original "theme" of Honey Bees she had picked), but now that it's done and looks really good, she's just as proud as I am and shows it off to her family and friends when they come to see the baby.  I'm pretty lucky though, my wife actually really likes video games (maybe even more than me), she just wasn't sold on the idea of another cabinet since we already have a full size one in our kitchen I made a few years ago.  I now need to convince her that it's a tradition and that I have to make one for each subsequent kid so they don't feel left out of the personal arcade fun

I think I may be making a cocktail cabinet next, but it's probably to sell, not to keep around (but I would love to have one to keep around).

[MameMaster!]

SHE'S A BEAUT!...great job!!! 

[Dervacumen]

That's just awesome work!

I marvel at these smaller than life machines.  Congrats again, it looks great.  You've got some good skill, and obviously more patience than I.