Ms Pac-man Restoration Artwork

[Zeno]

Okay... some quick questions before I make any decisions on the best way to restore my Ms. Pac-man...

1. Are there any stencils out there?  Yes, I have read everything on the forum and just emailed StencilsOnline.com.  They aren't doing them anymore.  If anyone has them, I would owe you my first born.

2. Does anyone have photos of the Twobits reproduction vinyl artwork?  It looks off from the original.  Any photos? The one photo on the website looks like the colors on the ghosts are off.  Crazy?

3. What is the general take on the twobits stuff?  I know its a tad expensive and not NOS, but is there any other issues?  I heard that the CP is not authentic because it has the Namco name on the lower left.  Anything else like this?

I know that there are a lot of people out there that have restored this beauty.  Can anyone give me and others in my position some good advice on what to do and what not to do?

[WunderCade]

Instead of giving you the history, if you can tell me what the color scheme of the big ghost on the side of your machine is then I can tell you a lot about what is available to restore it from an artwork stand point.

If the big ghost is white and pink, then you have a factory sticker version and your only replacement option if you like that version is an NOS factory side art set sometimes available on eBay, twobits don't offer the factory sticker version ghost color scheme variation. Here are what those NOS factories look like:






If the big ghost on the side art is yellow/pink then you can either stencil it and repaint it or buy the twobits vinyl reproductions and stick them on. Personally, I'd paint it...but that is a time consuming proposition. However, twobits stickers to me are cost-prohibitive, they're simply too expensive IMO. Here's an example of the color/artwork scheme that twobit's vinyl stickers look like. This is also what the original painted color scheme was:





My recommendation to you is to PM some of the artwork providers on this forum to see if they know of any potential stock of surplus artwork...sometimes they get lucky and can help you tremendously.

Okay... some quick questions before I make any decisions on the best way to restore my Ms. Pac-man...

1. Are there any stencils out there?  Yes, I have read everything on the forum and just emailed StencilsOnline.com.  They aren't doing them anymore.  If anyone has them, I would owe you my first born.

2. Does anyone have photos of the Twobits reproduction vinyl artwork?  It looks off from the original.  Any photos? The one photo on the website looks like the colors on the ghosts are off.  Crazy?

3. What is the general take on the twobits stuff?  I know its a tad expensive and not NOS, but is there any other issues?  I heard that the CP is not authentic because it has the Namco name on the lower left.  Anything else like this?

I know that there are a lot of people out there that have restored this beauty.  Can anyone give me and others in my position some good advice on what to do and what not to do?

[Zeno]

Thanks for your help on this.  It's starting to become clear. 

My cab was painted over in all blue.  I'm not sure what is under the blue, but I know that it is not sticker.  I know that this is an original Ms. Pac cab and not a conversion, so I'm sure it is stencil (plus it has the blk leather t-molding you discussed).

Looks like my options are as follows...

Best Case Scenario: Find some stencils to purchase and re-do this thing 100%.  Why can' I find any stencil?!

1. strip the top layer of all blue off and hope (fingers crossed) that the original art is good enough for me to re-paint over. That's a lot of time and TLC.

2. Strip it all down and buy NOS or twobits sticker art. That's fast and easy, but a lot of $$.

3. Sand down the blue and repaint the whole thing blue again. Then print the ghost and art on a large format printer and cut them out and stick them on the painted blue sides.  That's a good compromise, but not authentic.

WunderCade... In your expert opinion, what would you do (WWWD)?  I don't mind the time an energy spent on striping and trying to repaint the cab, but I'm not 100% sure about my fine motor skills when it comes to the fine details.

Why cant a brother get some stencils in this world? That's

[WunderCade]

Since we know that your proper artwork is the same as the artwork files at http://www.localarcade.com/arcade_art/ I would probably consider the files there as a frame of reference for restoration.

Speaking of files....I've noted that a lot of people attempting to do a similar restoration have had luck having Kinkos or other printer services print their files out on vinyl for them. But since that isn't the proper intended use of files from the above source, I'm not quite sure where they got theirs from.

Another option I would have is to print my (backup) artwork files onto transparency sheets. I'd probably print 3 sets. One each for the colors (pink,yellow and black) and use 3M temp-sticky spray to temporarily adhere them to the cabinet. Of course if I did this, I would make sure to cut reference squares into all three layers to assure proper alignment. But it would be a time consuming task, that's for sure.

But I would definately use my friends here at the forum who offer printing services to assist me, although I'd make sure to PM them first to make sure they offer the services I am looking for.

[amadama]

I can offer a complete set of Ms Pacman vinyl.
PM me for info.

[zorg]

My cab was painted over in all blue.  I'm not sure what is under the blue, but I know that it is not sticker.  I know that this is an original Ms. Pac cab and not a conversion, so I'm sure it is stencil (plus it has the blk leather t-molding you discussed).

I would go first, trying to remove the paint.
it's long but sometimes there's some really nice surprises under the paint. while covered during years the original art was protected and may popup really clean.

eg check this thread (in french) but pics talk by themselves.
http://www.gamoover.net/Forums/index.php?topic=10742.0

please only consider sanding after the first solution

[WunderCade]

Zorg is right on, try to use some stripping agent to remove the blue and see if the artwork is there, even if it is faded, you may be able to just touch up paint. ONLY sand if it's no use on the stripping.

My cab was painted over in all blue.  I'm not sure what is under the blue, but I know that it is not sticker.  I know that this is an original Ms. Pac cab and not a conversion, so I'm sure it is stencil (plus it has the blk leather t-molding you discussed).

I would go first, trying to remove the paint.
it's long but sometimes there's some really nice surprises under the paint. while covered during years the original art was protected and may popup really clean.

eg check this thread (in french) but pics talk by themselves.
http://www.gamoover.net/Forums/index.php?topic=10742.0

please only consider sanding after the first solution

[Zeno]

Zorg is right on, try to use some stripping agent to remove the blue and see if the artwork is there, even if it is faded, you may be able to just touch up paint. ONLY sand if it's no use on the stripping.

What product do you guys recommend for stripping a layer of paint off the cab?  I wen't to Lowe's and had no idea what product to buy for this application (gel vs. liquid, etc).

[amadama]

Hi guys,
I did another test run print of Ms Pac artwork on vinyl here's how this one came out:

As far as stripping the old paint, I tried Goof Off 2 at the suggestions of several BYOAC forum members. Be careful as it partially stripped away the real Ms Pac paint (see pic). My cab's artwork is pretty trashed so I really didn't care about this. When I finish my restoration I'll post the stgory on Project announcements (I have to first finish my Pacman and mini Dragon's Lair!!).
Good luck,
Alex