Sad Kombat

[Namco]

I hope nobody minds me starting these threads, but I just love making fun of bad arcade auctions.

Look at this filthy Mortal Kombat.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330198793565

It's stuffed into a bad Dynamo cab. I've never seen a security bar like that. It's like a security plate I guess.


A closeup of the controls reveals that this cab was obviously kept in an auto repair shop next to a salty beach and played my greasy mechanics on their coffee breaks between transmission replacements. Look at the screws holding the T-molding down on the left! 


The 10" monitor.... yes 10" monitor (wait, that's impossible looks at least 17" to me), sitting behind the warped paper bezel, somehow has vertical waves or giant vertical scanlines. A vertical monitor oriented horizontally perhaps? At least it doesn't need new capacitors. 

[shardian]

That isn't too bad of a conversion. I've seen much, much worse. The bezel is upside down though.

[TOK]

This is kind of the way I remember these games looking. Real games aren't supposed to have chrome joysticks, video marquee's or neon lights.

All hail the beater game that looks like its been through a war and smells like a deep fried hobo! 

[leapinlew]

This is kind of the way I remember these games looking. Real games aren't supposed to have chrome joysticks, video marquee's or neon lights.

All hail the beater game that looks like its been through a war and smells like a deep fried hobo! 

[Namco]

This is kind of the way I remember these games looking. Real games aren't supposed to have chrome joysticks, video marquee's or neon lights.

All hail the beater game that looks like its been through a war and smells like a deep fried hobo! 

That's certainly true. Nothing says arcade like cigarette burns, giant security bars to bang your knees against, and ugly conversions. After restoring one, now I know why quick conversions are so ugly, it takes forever to do them right. 

However, this guy's trying to sell the thing. Auction is for a "MORTAL KOMBAT - MIDWAY - ARCADE COIN OP VIDEO GAME ... in good working condition", but by the looks of it it's a "MORTAL KOMBAT CONVERSION in an extremely bad genric Dynamo cabinet". The poor sap who buys the filthy thing will pay around $600 total to get it home, then it'll still need a few hundred to restore it (sanding, filling, bondo, painting, artwork, etc). And even after all that, he's got an MK conversion, not even the original dedicated Midway cab.

Anyway, I'll shut up now, I'm sure I don't have to point the ridiculousness of this auction to this crowd. 

[FrizzleFried]

Can someone explain to me what a vertical monitor mounted horizontally is in comparison to a horizontal monitor mounted horizontally?

From my understanding a monitor is a monitor is a monitor.  I've yet to come across a single monitor with the anode hole on the vertical end of a tube.  The tube and chassis are identical....

[TOK]

That's certainly true. Nothing says arcade like cigarette burns, giant security bars to bang your knees against, and ugly conversions. After restoring one, now I know why quick conversions are so ugly, it takes forever to do them right. 

However, this guy's trying to sell the thing. Auction is for a "MORTAL KOMBAT - MIDWAY - ARCADE COIN OP VIDEO GAME ... in good working condition", but by the looks of it it's a "MORTAL KOMBAT CONVERSION in an extremely bad genric Dynamo cabinet". The poor sap who buys the filthy thing will pay around $600 total to get it home, then it'll still need a few hundred to restore it (sanding, filling, bondo, painting, artwork, etc). And even after all that, he's got an MK conversion, not even the original dedicated Midway cab.

Anyway, I'll shut up now, I'm sure I don't have to point the ridiculousness of this auction to this crowd. 

The Buy It Now is only $250. I wouldn't mind having it. I have a fondness for beaters though, since thats what I grew up playing at corner deli's and restaurant lobbies. Check out my old Twin Eagle. It used to be a Zaxxon. It has cigarette burned control panel, busted up edges, faded bezel, takes 20 minutes for the monitor to warm up and smells awesome, but the kind of awesome that requires it to live out in the garage, not in the house with the sissy MAME cabs. Its a combination of burning electronics, spilled beer, cigarettes and slutty bar chick perfume.

Its a time machine no MAME cab could ever be. 

[Namco]

Can someone explain to me what a vertical monitor mounted horizontally is in comparison to a horizontal monitor mounted horizontally?

From my understanding a monitor is a monitor is a monitor.  I've yet to come across a single monitor with the anode hole on the vertical end of a tube.  The tube and chassis are identical....

Yeah, you got me, I know squat about monitors. But what's causing the vertical lines in those screenshots?

[CheffoJeffo]

Can someone explain to me what a vertical monitor mounted horizontally is in comparison to a horizontal monitor mounted horizontally?

From my understanding a monitor is a monitor is a monitor.  I've yet to come across a single monitor with the anode hole on the vertical end of a tube.  The tube and chassis are identical....

Yeah, you got me, I know squat about monitors. But what's causing the vertical lines in those screenshots?

Methinks he was mocking you ... he knows full well there is no difference ... 

I'm not sure what your issue was with this auction ... a $250 BIN on a decent cabinet (you say crappy Dynamo ... I say Dynamo cut-corner that looks like it is solid ... they tend to be popular) with a decent game at Christmastime is rather reasonable. Other than the 10" typo, the ad seemed pretty darned honest to me.

Maybe you just love the MK a bit more than I do ....

 

[Namco]

Methinks he was mocking you ... he knows full well there is no difference ... 

I'm not sure what your issue was with this auction ... a $250 BIN on a decent cabinet (you say crappy Dynamo ... I say Dynamo cut-corner that looks like it is solid ... they tend to be popular) with a decent game at Christmastime is rather reasonable. Other than the 10" typo, the ad seemed pretty darned honest to me.

Maybe you just love the MK a bit more than I do ....

 

Maybe it's just me then. Maybe the fumes from hours of scrubbing oxidation off the coin mechs of my cab got to my head. I must've missed the beater section the last time I was at California Extreme. 

[CheffoJeffo]

Maybe it's just me then. Maybe the fumes from hours of scrubbing oxidation off the coin mechs of my cab got to my head. I must've missed the beater section the last time I was at California Extreme. 

If everything were pristine, then this wouldn't be much of a hobby ... if you don't like that cab, then you would despise the Atari football project I just picked up !

Different strokes ...

 

EDIT: I guess I missed the joke because I was just in PA and looking at your thread. Since you have the same cab and it wasn't much better when you started, I must have missed something. Mea culpa.

[knave]

I don't know...It doesn't look all that bad to me...

I think it's pretty much the monitor/bezel that makes it look crappy, the art on the one side is worn but not horrible and the CP while dirty is fairly intact.  The security plate is a bit unusual but at least it's still there.  All the cabs I have just have the big ugly mounting holes.

There is some damage to the cab but it looks repairable. In the end $250 is a bit more than I'd pay, but if I need/wanted it/really liked MK I'd pay $150-200 if I could drive there and pick it up.  Nothing like having your buddy's over to your garage to play the crappy arcade you just picked up.  I'ts really nice when you can play them out of the box...even is the monitor has issues.

[Malenko]

I thought I already posted in here....


anyways. I've seen much worse , costing much more, and be touted as an "original mortal kombat" instead of "the original mortal kombat" I have no luck with Ebay. I have a REAL dedicated MKII cab, converted to UMK3 with MK1, MK2, and UMK3 boards, a spare MK3 metal CPO and I cant get rid of it for $750  I just capped the monitor, replaced the buttons, plexi, etc  no dice

[Zeno]

This guy is in SoCal and I see his auctions come up a lot on Ebay.

I have talked to him on the phone once or twice and seems like a good/honest guy.

I think $250 is pushing it a bit, but not unreasonable.  Actually, looking at all his auctions, I think he puts a fair price on his machines.

The biggest problem is that the prices are priced just right in order to tempt me once or twice.

[Wade]

The monitor lines are just due to the photography.  My WG D9200 photographs the same way for some reason, but the lines are not visible to the eye and it most definitely doesn't have a display problem.

Wade

[WareWolF]

Maybe it's just me then. Maybe the fumes from hours of scrubbing oxidation off the coin mechs of my cab got to my head. I must've missed the beater section the last time I was at California Extreme. 

If everything were pristine, then this wouldn't be much of a hobby ... if you don't like that cab, then you would despise the Atari football project I just picked up !

Different strokes ...

 

EDIT: I guess I missed the joke because I was just in PA and looking at your thread. Since you have the same cab and it wasn't much better when you started, I must have missed something. Mea culpa.

Is that the one in PA that was on Ebay with 2 other games?   I despise you if you got it !!!