Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters

[Prinler]

I just picked up a Atari arcade cab at a garage sale. Its in working order and plays fine.

 

The game is cool and all but I was purchasing it mainly to use the cab for a Xbox 1 mame setup. I am now having second thoughts on ripping the guts out of this.

 

Can anyone tell me what exactly I am doing? I mean, Is this cab rare? Am i crazy to rip it apart? Is this taboo?

 

It seems to use a strange(to me) Hall effect joystick. I have all the parts except the screen for my new setup and well..... I dont wanna just kill someones dream if this is some how rare or highly wanted.

 

 

Can anyone give me some advice on this? Perhaps this is the wrong kind of forum for these?

 

 

 

Steve in Barstow

[UberArcade]

If it is in good shape then I would leave it as a dedicated game and find another cabinet for your mame setup. I don't think that game is super rare, but it is also not very common. The cabinet shape is also unique. It is getting hard to find any arcade games in nice shape these days because everybody wants to throw a 60 in1 board in there and sell it for a few bucks. Some of the many generic jamma cabinet are a better bet and not that hard to find. They usually have large control panels that can accomidate a mame setup well. The only time I have converted games is when I pick up a cabinet where the original is long gone. Art is messed up. Cabinet has been painted over, etc. If you convert a nice dedicated arcade game into a mame setup you will be on the shit list of many arcade collectors.

 

If you lookup this particular game on KLOV you will see there are 11 people listed as currently looking for one.

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7716

 

Nothing wrong with a mame setup on xbox 1. I have that same setup. Works really well. I just put mine in a old Dragon Spirit cabinet that had been completely stripped of parts.

[Deteacher]

Why destroy a perfectly working machine? EFTPOTRM is an AWESOME game and I'd leave it untouched and look for another cab for your MAME setup. There are people and places where you can get cabs that are already gutted. I wouldn't take it apart, but that's my $0.02.

[number six]

DO NOT MAME THAT GAME!

 

DO NOT MAME THAT GAME!

 

 

Escape is a rare game. I probably haven't seen one in 15 years and I goto a lot of auctions, sales, etc.

 

Location is Barstow, i'm assuming that's california? Unfortunately I'm over on the other side of the country otherwise I'd help you find a suitable MAME cabinet for next to nothing. Try over on KLOV, see if someobdy will either buy your Escape or trade you for a pre-made MAME. Just whatever you do don't trash that cabinet, its far too uncommon of a game for that. Plus a generic Dynamo (which is extremely common) would make a much better mame setup anyway.

 

DO NOT MAME THAT GAME!

[RJ]

I've only ever seen this game at the MN State Fair- ONCE. Don't ruin this game. Keep it intact. You can do a MAME cab out of an empty cab, or build one yourself.

 

The same thing happened to me when I got a dedicated Xevious, I went online asking about MAMEing it, everyone said DONT DO IT!!! I ended up putting a PS2 setup in an empty $40 Kangaroo cab.

 

Oh, & congrats on the find. Wish I could find coinops at garage sales!

Edited October 19, 2012 by RJ

[driph]

The most important question, is it a dedicated cabinet, or a conversion?

 

If it's dedicated, I'd definitely say to keep it as it is... but if it's a conversion, there'd be very little harm in tinkering and swapping things out.

 

With dedicated games, the cabinet, art, and controls are generally built around the game, while conversion kits were a way to add a different game to an existing older (or generic) cabinet. Since Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters is a JAMMA game, there's a chance that it's a conversion.

 

Can you post a picture of what the arcade cabinet looks like?

Edited October 19, 2012 by driph

[schuwalker]

Driph hit the nail on the head.

 

Dedicated versions are rare and a very low production run. Conversions kits (which is mostly I've seen), I don't want to say too uncommon but definitely not rare.

[atarian63]

if it has the big top on it, whatever the case it is still a very nice machine with dedicated hall effect joysticks, I wish I had never sold mine

[number six]

Even a converted Escape is going to be worth considerably more than a generic dynamo. If it was me and MAME was my goal i'd still float the cabinet on someplace like KLOV and see if somebody will trade. On a title like that I bet you'd get a nice offer. If you were closer I'd gladly trade you a much more suitable cabinet plus all the parts for an xbox/mame setup even for a conversion Escape.

 

If it is a conversion and you have to mame it, at least save all the robot bits. I'm sure you'd get decent coin on ebay for it. Possibly more than it as a whole given you can more easily ship the parts.

Edited October 20, 2012 by number six

[khu]

Prinler/Steve: first, greetings thanks for writing about your game. please would you take and post a photo of the cabinet, which might clear up the question of whether or not it's an original? it'd be appreciated, i'm sure. also, it'd be good to hear about the outcome of people's advice here, which suggest that you choose another cab. what do/did you end up using? regards