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The beginnings of my mini arcade.


simbalion

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My mini arcade is slowly starting to come together. Got two of my machines shoehorned into the room already. One is of course my Centipede, which has the monitor removed for rebuild right now. And the other is the new addition: a 1976 Midway Sea Wolf in full (sometimes contankerous) working condition! I still need to move some radios around and a dresser to make room for my Pac-Man Caberet with the 9 in 1 multi-game conversion and for a future two more uprights. Unfortunately, I won't have room for a cockpit style game like I thought.

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Nice. I keep dreaming of the day when (1) my wife lets me, and (2) we have enough space for me to collect arcade machines. I look forward to seeing your progress :)

 

Thanks! I am really crammed even trying to do this, but I'll get it done somehow. One thing to know about these old machines: Every time you move them, expect troubles! Those edge connectors don't quite have the grip on the contacts they did when they were new. Most stable machine connector-wise seems to be my Centipede. Though it had an issue with the pins on the monitor. I know a guy with a classic arcade party room and he was excited, but also dreading getting the new carpet in. Why? Because he knows he will probably have to coax all the machines into working properly after they are moved about! :D

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Thanks! I am really crammed even trying to do this, but I'll get it done somehow. One thing to know about these old machines: Every time you move them, expect troubles! Those edge connectors don't quite have the grip on the contacts they did when they were new. Most stable machine connector-wise seems to be my Centipede. Though it had an issue with the pins on the monitor. I know a guy with a classic arcade party room and he was excited, but also dreading getting the new carpet in. Why? Because he knows he will probably have to coax all the machines into working properly after they are moved about! :D

 

Yeah, I've had some experience with cabinets. They are definitely a labor of love. Every time I see an amazing room with many cabinets in it, I know how much work it is, and appreciate it that much more...

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My mini arcade is slowly starting to come together. Got two of my machines shoehorned into the room already. One is of course my Centipede, which has the monitor removed for rebuild right now. And the other is the new addition: a 1976 Midway Sea Wolf in full (sometimes contankerous) working condition! I still need to move some radios around and a dresser to make room for my Pac-Man Caberet with the 9 in 1 multi-game conversion and for a future two more uprights. Unfortunately, I won't have room for a cockpit style game like I thought.

I used to to play Sea Wolf at the Pizza Caboose in Tigard. Great memories. I remember having a hell of a time hitting that little boat that raced across the screen. Great start on your collection.

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I used to to play Sea Wolf at the Pizza Caboose in Tigard. Great memories. I remember having a hell of a time hitting that little boat that raced across the screen. Great start on your collection.

 

My local bowling alley had Sea Wolf and I played it all the time. I haven't played that game on a Sea Wolf cabinet in over 30 years. But, if the one up at FunSpot is operational, I'll be playing it in two weeks.

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I used to to play Sea Wolf at the Pizza Caboose in Tigard. Great memories. I remember having a hell of a time hitting that little boat that raced across the screen. Great start on your collection.

 

My local bowling alley had Sea Wolf and I played it all the time. I haven't played that game on a Sea Wolf cabinet in over 30 years. But, if the one up at FunSpot is operational, I'll be playing it in two weeks.

Lucky bastard. I was stationed in 4 different army posts (US) in the army and never once was I close to Funspot. The closest was Ft. Knox, KY. And that was Basic and AIT, so not alot of traveling was allowed. Have fun there and tell us about it.

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I remember seeing Sea Wolf at Tigard Pizza Caboose too.. my most fond memories were playing it at Oaks Park back in the 70s.

 

It might be kind of cool to start a thread where once a week (or 2 weeks) we pick a different game and ask where you had your fondest memories playing it. Just throwing the idea out there..

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simbalion:

 

Are you able to see the PCB on Sea Wolf just by opening the coin door? I'd like to do a WR attempt on Sea Wolf at Funspot and curious if this is visible without having to open up the back of the cabinet.

That's a big negative on that. You open the coin door and get a nice view of the outside of the 23 inch picture tube. I wish I could reach through the coin door because I had to do the connector jiggle for about 10 minutes to get my control functions working again this evening! The one connector on the mother board that controls the functions and action lights is just not quite right. Need to eventually come up with a permanent solution. On a plus note, I scored 8100 points on it last night and 7900 on it this evening! :D

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I remember seeing Sea Wolf at Tigard Pizza Caboose too.. my most fond memories were playing it at Oaks Park back in the 70s.

 

It might be kind of cool to start a thread where once a week (or 2 weeks) we pick a different game and ask where you had your fondest memories playing it. Just throwing the idea out there..

Thats a good idea. Sorry you can't make the show next month.

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icon_thumbsup.gif

 

 

 

I half expected a grammar school style shoebox diorama full of these guys:

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Oh, I COULD have done that I suppose. I do have the complete set of Coleco Mini Arcades and some from Epoch. But, I just could not settle myself until I had at least a few true arcade cabs. Alot of people around here see me as foolish for just not doing a MAME cab. Can Sea Wolf be "truely" played in MAME? NO!!! :twisted:

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Okay then, we'll see a scale model arcade for your next "Miniature Arcade" post. No matter how many times I read this posting title, that's the image that kept popping into my head.

 

Oh, and no, I can't see playing Sea Wolf on MAME being anything like playing the real deal. The "periscope" is a key part of the experience.

Edited by BigO
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  • 2 weeks later...

A little update: The monitor for my Centipede is repaired and the guy reinstalled it this evening! Now I have two original dedicated machines up and running in the room! If it is behaving tomorrow, I will get a picture of everything on. The guy is going to find me a spare picture tube for the Centipede too as the one in mine is starting to show its age. Only mistake we made is we got gabbing and forgot to make out a receipt! d'OH! :ponder:

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  • 1 month later...

Sea Wolf brings back some memories for me. I remember playing that one back in the day. Nice start to your collection. I've always wanted to build a game room but it will have to wait until my next house. The one I'm in now is big enough, but it was built in 1928 and the basement (the only place to really put a game room) is a bit damp. Plus it is used as our attic since we converted the 3rd floor attic into a master bedroom suite. I guess I could start off with a MAME cabinet though....

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Funny that Sea Wolf should be brought up just now. I was at the Clark County Fair today and was lamenting to my wife how back in the good old days there was at least one arcade tent at the fair, if not two. This jogged my memory and I remembered Sea Wolf for the first time in a long time. I played the hell out of it at the fair in '79-82 or so It is also where I played Donkey Kong for the first time. I would typicaly be at the fair the whole 6-10 days and do odd jobs for more arcade money. Good times! Morgan

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Nice room! Small but reminds me of the little backrooms pizza places used to have with a few uprights and maybe a pinball machine. I have still never seen a working Sea Wolf around here. I saw one back in the 80's (dead) and I saw one for sale on Craigslist (also dead) that was only $50. I should have nabbed it for parts for other people. I think the only reason I even remember this game is because of the unique cabinet shape/art.

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