macdlsa Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 It's about 15 years that I'm "inside" the cabinet restoring &/or building. First we had Jamma, MVS or other "generic" ready-plug-card-and-play cabinets... Then we had the emulators, which have significantly evolved during all these years. So, collectors want their original hardware in perfect working status and their respective cabs in perfect shape and other people simply want multi-emulator cabinets to have all the games they want in a "small" space. BUT it seems to me that since few years there's a new trend for ALL of those people, including collectors ! Some years ago I watched on the net some pretty nice "bartop" cabinets, then I immediately wanted to build one to put in the house ( and not in the garage ! ) and, of course, occasionally take it to the very few retrogaming&computing exhibitions we have in our little country ! Well, what I'm now watchin' all around the web is that MINI-ARCADE-CABINETS are increasingly populating the houses, taverns and lofts ! Friends of mine, collector and NOT, recently asked me for some works concerning little ( and also VERY little ) machines. ---and this is the story--- Months ago, in occasion of the Dragon's Lair 30th anniversary, I organized a meeting here in my little "arcade tavern" and just for that event I built a mini-cabinet which is now exposed at the "comPVter club" retro-computing association. As member of this club I went to a "expo" in September, where I exhibited something of my little Atari collection, included my Sears-Pong ( which was recently autographed by "the father" Nolan Bushnell :D !!! ) and, of course, also that mini-cab ! Well, I could say that it had a really great success, and that's the reason why I recently had to build THREE of those little things ! Of course, I made a much more accurate project before build them, because the "prototype" was built in 4 days, without a full-detailed project and with "recycled" material only ( wood, hardware and homemade-printings ! ). Yessssshhhh !!! 1:2.4 scale Dragon's Lair ( x 2 ) and Space Ace european-Atari versions mini-repro-cabinets, which have been commissioned to me by LaserDiscGames collectors whose are also friends of mine ( I also am a member of the Daphne emulator Team since years... so I know many of those people... ) ! [ you could see some Work-In-Progress picture HERE and a clip HERE ] Well, just yesterday one of those frineds came to "grab" his cabinets... I have to confess that when he leaved... :'( I miss those two pupppies !!! :'( But I still have the other !!! ... and here it is in such a family portrait together with my "full-scale" cab : 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[d2f]Iggy*SJB Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Very nice craftsmanship there. I'm not sure how I feel about these minis, though.... as far as if I'd want one or not. They are neat to look at, and no doubt fun to play, but the scale might be awkward for an old schooler like me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 How much??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchman2000 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 I'd love one of these on my desk at work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 I'd love one of these on my desk at work! My thoughts exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 (edited) Iggy, I think we all are olschooler, who more and who less... Personally, my "arcade-retro-gaming" stops much before the end of the '80s, with some RARE exception ! I didn't like bartops, but recently I've learned to appreciate those little things : portability, anywhere positioning... Small repro cabinet have their "charm", especially if they are accurately reproduced in scale and not with wrong dimensions. Yep, because I already ( and still ) see many craps around the net. I'm not very smart with woodworking, so I really could not reproduce such a thing but I always did my best to make the right things ! [ For one Dragon's Lair mini-cabinet there is around 400€uros only for materials ( wood, plexy, moldings, rails, controls, hardaware... GLUE !!! ) ! ] Edited January 6, 2014 by macdlsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1500 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 When posting these pictures, we need a banana for scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 http://youtu.be/wCkerYMffMo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimefighter Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 In truth, this is arcade gaming...kid sized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicGMR Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 The mini cabinets are kind of cramped for me. Don't get me wrong I love the detail that went into them. Personally my next MAME machine will be a full-sized bartop. I have this (not a true arcade cabinet conversion but I like it): And something like this will be next(small tv and easily moved): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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