The Beast As a teenager I spent literally thousands of dollars playing arcade games. I wasn't very popular. Not many friends. Not very athletic. There were only a couple activities that allowed me to feel even close to comparable with the kids around me. I was pretty smart - quick-witted and creative. And I could play arcade games pretty well. This was in the days of smoke filled rooms with echoes of various 8 bit sound effects bouncing off the walls. Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Centipede.......row after row of upright arcade machines - each with a kid trying to prove to the world that they had the fastest fingers....the quickest reflexes.... My brothers and I never had a game console at home. Most of our friends did but with only a black and white television (which received 3 channels - depending on the weather and which way the wind may be blowing) it was certainly not a priority. When I was about 10, I was shopping with my Mom and found $100 on the floor. I immediately turned it in to the cashier who told us that if no one claimed it within a week, it would be mine. Amazingly, no one did - and it was. Of all the things that I could buy I had only one desire. So I spent $80 on a tabletop version of Galaxian. This was AMAZING! I actually wish that I still had it haha  As an adult, I have spent a lot of time (and money) collecting those things that I missed out on as a kid. I have more than a few video games - as arcades have pretty much disappeared since home video gaming has become so popular. I have the following systems: Sony Playstation, Sony Playstation 2, Sony Playstation 3, Original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Wii, Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft XBox, and Microsoft XBox 360. I also have a few handheld systems: Nintendo Gameboy, Nintendo Gameboy Color, and Sony PSP (have three of these). Even with all of these working systems I still miss standing at an arcade machine. Not for too much longer! MEET "THE BEAST" In The Beginning I know she doesn't look like much......but I hope that will change. I bought this "Golden Tee Golf II - Strata" cabinet pretty cheap. It worked (mostly) although the monitor seemed a little flaky with prolonged play, the coin door was tweaked so wouldn't come close to closing and there was no light in the Marquee. Nothing big, but I didn't buy it to play golf anyway. Here are a couple photos to see where I started.  Here's how the cabinet appeared when I picked it up. Had a 21" CRT monitor - the trackball worked but was definitely showing it's age. You can see the bend in the coin door.  laminate (the white stuff) came off to give me perfect templates. One side cracked in a couple spots but this side came off perfect! I think that will be really handy in the future  but that may have been caused by the cold in my unheated garage. The control panel definitely not in great shape.  was a sticker added to the original Marquee. Could also see on the bezel that it had previously been set up for some different game. Changes Are A Comin'  spots where the glue holding the laminate may cause issues when I sand it down  a pretty good life! This particular game was made around 1992.  hole in the middle (where the coin door was) came from the spot at the bottom. Going to use it to help hold a new LCD monitor in place and replace the front panel with new plywood. Adding a piano hinge so the bottom front (which will include the coin door) will open. This will allow easy access to the computer inside. In With The New  Could have gotten the version that includes a trackball but couldn't justify the additional cost (or size). This thing feels really solid - can't wait to play with it!  work perfect  after all, this is an arcade cabinet. This 2.4ghz keyboard should fill my needs. The black square acts as a mouse  |