Southend-on-Sea - Part 1: Seaside Amusements

October 23, 2014, 2:38 pm

≫ Next: Southend-on-Sea - Part 2: Astro City

The arcades along the seafront still have a lot of video games, and the video game to fruit machine ratio is pretty good, especially compared to other seaside towns.

Happidrome

This arcade has some real classics, including original Pac-Man and Track and Field cabinets, and the awesome Metal Hawk.

I also enjoyed a few credits on GTI Club and Landing High Japan, and it was cool to see Heated Barrel running in an Electrocoin Xenon cabinet.

The arcade had a nice selection of pinball tables. I had a real blast playing Doctor Who!

I had a great time in Happidrome. It’s really nice seeing a seaside arcade with classic arcade cabinets in good working condition being played and enjoyed by the public.

Unfortunately the weekend after our visit the arcade was flooded out following a storm. The arcade suffered similar problems last year. The Happidrome facebook page states that they plan to re-open again in a temporary capacity in a few weeks, and then shut down for the next revamp. Check their page for updates.

Sunspot Amusements

This arcade has a nice selection of dedicated cabinets.

I first saw Brave Firefighters in an arcade in Chiba, Japan around the time of its release in 1999 and for years regretted never playing it. Then in 2009 on a weekend in Southend I was very happy to see a Brave Firefighters machine again.

It’s good to see the game still up and running. The game is powered by the notoriously fragile Hikaru hardware, the same system as Planet Harriers. This is still the only Brave Firefighters machine I’ve seen in the UK. I really like this game. Its fun, the hose controller, complete with adjustable nozzle is pretty unique and the graphics still impress today.

More pictures from various arcades along the seafront

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Southend-on-Sea - Part 2: Astro City

November 9, 2014, 2:29 pm

≫ Next: Halloween at The Four Quarters

≪ Previous: Southend-on-Sea - Part 1: Seaside Amusements

I really enjoyed my visit to AstroCitylast year, it was great to return and see what’s new.

Since my last visit there have been a number of changes. I was sad to see the Cave shooters and G-Darius have now been removed. On the upside there are some awesome new additions, including Final Fight, Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future, Super Street Fighter IV and Hyper Bishi Bashi Champ.

It was awesome seeing Final Fight, one of my all time favourites back in a UK arcade.

Hyper Bishi Bashi Champ was my personal highlight. My wife and I enjoyed quite a few credits on this, great fun!

It was cool seeing the original Gauntlet cabinet and Gauntlet Legends side by side.

For fans of music rhythm games the arcade now features Beatmania IIDX, Pop’n Music and Dance Dance Revolution. My wife had a few credits on Pop ‘n Music and once again you can check out her gaming skills on the video! I’m not familiar with the game, but the Gradius and Super Mario Bros themed stages were pretty cool!

Crazy Taxi and Eighteen Wheeler cabinets were in the entrance awaiting set up. I’m already missing Bishi Bashi and can’t wait for my next visit!

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Halloween at The Four Quarters

December 5, 2014, 10:55 am

≫ Next: Christmas Crackers 2014

≪ Previous: Southend-on-Sea - Part 2: Astro City

The Four Quarters is a new arcade bar located in Peckham, South-East London.

I was really impressed by the awesome selection and variety of games. I played and enjoyed all the titles, but these were my highlights:

Final Fight and Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition

Two of my all time favourites.

R-Type

So good to see and play this Irem classic again in a

arcade, with the Bydo Empire proving to be just as unforgiving as ever.

Smash TV

Big money, big prizes, I love it! I remember playing this down the seafront and then spending hours playing the Super Nintendo conversion. It’s been years since I last played it. Unfortunately my game hasn’t improved and I’m ashamed to say I had to credit feed to get to MutoidMan.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I remember when this was released and spending all of my pocket money on it, it has a lot to answer for! Still just as much fun today, the game was played pretty much non stop the whole time I was there.

Tron

I’ve actually wanted to play this for a long time. I don’t recall ever playing or even seeing one before. The first thing that strikes you is the aesthetics - the artwork and sharp luminous lines, the backdrop and backlight between the screen and controls, the joystick and spinner, it’s stunning.

The game comprises of four subgames:

IO Tower Game – destroy Grid Bugs to clear a path to the flashing circle, which must be entered before the timer expires.

MCP Game – shoot your way through a multicoloured wall and enter the master control program cone without touching a block.

Tank Game – navigate a maze and destroy the enemy tanks before they destroy you.
Cycle Game – guide a light cycle in an arena, avoiding walls and the light traces left behind by the cycles and trap and destroy your rivals.
The four subgames have to be cleared in order to move on to the next level. The games were fun, however I seemed to struggle with the cycle game, only managing to complete the first level once.

It was great seeing people play and enjoying these classic games. Turtles, Street Fighter II and Point Blank proved among the most popular, with these machines played pretty much non stop.

Pac-Man wasn’t far behind though and proved particularly popular with the ladies!

Halloween – the perfect time for killing Zombies.

Even the toilets paid homage to gaming, with pages from nineties videogame magazines decorating the walls.

A few of the magazine covers looked very familiar. I’m sure I picked a couple of these up back in the day!

There was a multi-console set up in the upstairs chill-out lounge. Of course all of the games were horror themed, and included The House of the Dead 2 (Dreamcast), Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (Mega Drive), Zombies Ate My Neighbours (Super Nintendo), Resident Evil 2 (PlayStation) and Maniac Mansion (NES). Horror movies were screened down stairs in the ex-butcher’s basement.

The arcade games were set at one quarter per credit, with quarters available from the bar or change machine priced at four for a pound. With a fantastic selection of arcade games, a great vibe and friendly staff, and an excellent range of cask beers, I had an awesome time at The Four Quarters.

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Christmas Crackers 2014

December 24, 2014, 12:03 pm

≫ Next: IGS PolyGame Master Cartridge Collection

≪ Previous: Halloween at The Four Quarters

Here are some of my recent purchases, ready for the festive season!

Razion MVS Gamecenter Kit Shockbox LE # 511

I love horizontal shooters and I’m really looking forward to playing the latest release from NG:DEV.TEAM.

SNK VS. CAPCOM: SVC CHAOS Kit

I recently picked this up on Yahoo Japan. It was a bit of an impulse purchase really, I put on a low bid and ended up winning it. The game certainly divides opinion, including my own! I was immensely excited when rumours of its release started to circulate, the thought of seeing Capcom characters on Neo Geo hardware was awesome. However the game was finally released and received a mixed reception. I think this jaded my enthusiasm for the game. I played the game for the first time during shore leave in

Japan

. It was a small arcade with a few AstroCity’s, I can’t even remember what town it was in. First impressions weren’t great. I found the game a bit dull and not much fun. Well since then I’ve changed my opinion. The character roster is excellent, although it would have been nice to have a bit more variety on the Capcom side. Initially I wasn’t impressed by the art style, particularly the desolate backgrounds, but it’s really grown on me. I was expecting more fan service with references to Capcom / SNK titles, however the bleak tone gives the game a unique look. The music suits the backgrounds and the Capcom sprites are awesome. Who ever thought we would see Hugo on the Neo? The game isn’t perfect, but I’ve been having a lot of fun with it and it’s awesome it exists.

Darius Odyssey Kōshiki Settei Shiryōshū Official Japanese Art Book
A very cool book featuring lots of nice art from the series.

Splatterhouse Pop and BokunoGameCenterVol. 2 - AstroCity featuring Fighting Vipers
I’m really pleased to finally get hold of a Splatterhouse pop after being outbid so many times.

Takara Transformers Sentinel Mega Drive Megatron
What an awesome idea, a Mega Drive Megatron transformer! Or “Fully Transformable Antagonistic Videogame Console” as it says on the box.

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IGS PolyGame Master Cartridge Collection

January 7, 2015, 12:53 pm

≫ Next: The Norfolk Broads, Arcades and the games of Masaaki Kukino

≪ Previous: Christmas Crackers 2014

I finally managed to track down the elusive Puzzli 2, completing my IGS PGM cartridge collection. Of all the titles, Puzzli 2 and SVG: Spectral VS Generation took me the longest to find.

I’m a big fan of the system, the games are a nice change from the usual Capcom, Konami, Sega and SNK ranges. In addition to the system favourites, namely Demon Front and DodonPachi II: Bee Storm there is an awesome selection of fighters, scrolling beat-em-ups and puzzle games. Happy 6-in-1 even features an arcade cooking game!

The system was popular in the Far East, but relatively obscure in the West. As far as I’m aware none of these titles were operated in UK arcades.

Here is a picture of my collection and a list of titles:

Square brackets - Chinese title / Round brackets - Japanese title

Left Row

1. Demon Front [魔域戰線] (デーモンフロント) (2002)
2. DoDonPachi II: Bee Storm [怒首领蜂II-蜂暴] (怒首領蜂Ⅱ) (2001)
3. Dragon World II [中国龙2] (中国龍２) (1997)
4. Dragon World 3 [中国龙3] (中国龍３) (1998)
5. Dragon World 3 EX [中国龙3EX] (中国龍３EX) (1999)
6. Dragon World 3 Special (中国龍３スペシャル) (2000)
7. Dragon World 2001 [中国龙2001] (中国龍２００１) (2001)
8. Dragon World Pretty Chance [中国龙Pretty Chance] (中国龍プリティチャンス) (2001)
9. Happy 6-in-1 [歡樂六合一] (2004)
10. Knights of Valour / Sangoku Senki [三国战纪] (三国戦記) (1999)

Middle Row

11. Knights of Valour Plus / Knights of Valour In Three Kingdoms [三国战纪正宗PLUS] (三国戦紀正宗Plus) (1999)
12. Knights of Valour Super Heroes / Sangoku Senki Super Heroes [三国战纪风云再起] (三国戦記スーパーヒーローズ) (1999)
13. Knights of Valour Super Heroes Plus / Sangoku Senki Super Heroes Plus [三国战纪乱世枭雄] (三国戦記スーパーヒーローズPlus) (2004)
14. Knights of Valour 2 / Sangoku Senki 2 [三国战纪2] (三国戦記２) (2000)
15. Knights of Valour 2 Plus: Nine Dragons / Sangoku Senki 2 Plus: Nine Dragons [三国战纪2群雄争霸] (三国戦紀２・武将争覇) (2001)
16. Martial Masters / Shin Ī Ken [形意拳] (シンイーケン) (1999)
17. Oriental Legend [西游释厄传] (西遊釈厄伝) (1997)
18. Oriental Legend Special / Oriental Legend Super [西游释厄传SUPER] (西遊釈厄伝スーパー) (1998)
19. Oriental Legend Special Plus / Oriental Legend Super Plus [西游释厄传群魔乱舞] (2004)
20. Photo Y2K / Real and Fake [大家來找碴] (リアルアンドフェイク) (1999)

Right Row

21. Photo Y2K 2 / Real and Fake 2 [大家來找碴2] (リアルアンドフェイクＰＨＯＴＯＹ２Ｋ) (2000)
22. Puzzle Star [魔幻星座] (パズルスター) (2000)
23. Puzzli 2 [大渔方块2] (パヅリ２) (1999)
24. Puzzli 2 Super [大渔方块2SUPER] (パヅリ２スーパー) (2001)
25. Shiny 3-in-1 [閃亮三合一] (2004)
26. SVG: Spectral VS Generation [聖魔世紀] (スペクトラルVSジェネレーション) (2005)
27. The Gladiator: The Road of Sword [神劍風雲] (闘幻狂) (2003)
28. The Killing Blade [傲剑狂刀] (1997/8)
29. The Killing Blade Plus [傲剑狂刀加强版] (2005)

Spectral Vs Generation – Revision Differences

It took a long time to track down Spectral VS Generation, and then somehow I ended up with two cartridges. Interestingly the games were different revisions, one carts had V201 on the bottom right of the warning screen and was dated 10/11/05 and the other V202 12/26/05. There is also a V200 on cartridge format and the PCB is V100, so there are at least four revisions. Whilst researching the differences I discovered that Idea Factory, the developers were formed from former Data East employees, very cool!

Here is a list of changes made to SVG from revision V100 to V201:

1. No AMI logo on the title screen
2. Vocal track used every second round appears to have been removed.
3. The alt version of two of the characters are unlocked by default.

I contacted IGS (International Games System) to see if they could provide further information and was very pleased to receive a reply. The following questions and answers were originally spread over two emails and have been edited into one.

Have a nice day. This letter comes from IGS in Taiwan. It’s our pleasure to get your mail this morning.

First of all, thanks for your deeply support toward our PGM system. We had many popular and successful PGM games in the past.

However, because of different market trend, our PGM system had phased out for years already. In further, most of PGM team members had quitted.

We will try our best to answer the questions you inquiry. Please find them as below. Thanks.

1. Please could you confirm that there were 29 official IGS PGM1 titles released in cartridge format.

A: Frankly, I can’t confirm if it’s 29 official game titles for PGM system. PGM system divided into fighting, shooting, puzzle and etc. And it’s different packages and game titles by markets. So, that’s why I can’t confirm it. But, if you have game listed, I could help you to confirm if it was released by IGS.

2. I've recently been playing Spectral VS Generation and I see there are different revisions of this title. Do you have any information available on what the differences are between these versions?
China M68K Version 200 09/15/05 15:06:10 V200 A: fixing bug
China M68K Version 200 10/11/05 10:07:20 V201 A: 1) modify HP toward evil master by different level. 2) adjust AI toward some characters.
China M68K Version 200 12/26/05 16:15:36 V202 A: Fixing bug

3. Do you have any information or even pictures of PGM 1/2/3 titles which were planned but never released? For example, prototypes which were developed and put on location test, but for some reason never officially released. Or games in development, but never completed. Or even games you had planned which never made it into development. This interests me greatly, and I'd be most grateful to hear about any unreleased titles.

A: I am sorry that there are no many secrets toward PGM series.

For reaching high quality, our team spends 2 to 3 years in average to create a new PGM game.

Before developing a new project, it must be enforced with fully estimate by supervisors. So, as I know, there is no uncompleted case in development.

Here, we are thankful for your deeply support. And it’s our honor to bring excellent memory for you.

We are welcome to get your question toward our product in the future.

Happy New Year.

Best Regards,

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The Norfolk Broads, Arcades and the games of Masaaki Kukino

January 19, 2015, 1:22 pm

≫ Next: Arcades on the Isle of Sheppey, North Kent

≪ Previous: IGS PolyGame Master Cartridge Collection

Potter Heigham

Located next to a medieval bridge, this chip shop/arcade has a couple of machines. It’s the first time I’ve seen 500 GP by Namco. One credit lasted about ten minutes, there was no timer and the game finished when you completed a set number of laps. They also had The House of the Dead.

The Bridge Inn – Acle

This pub has a small games room with 2p pushers and three games, Battle Gear 4, The House of the Dead III and Guitar Hero. Although not a great selection of titles, we really enjoyed this pub. The food is excellent and it had a nice beer garden and children’s play area, we will definitely be going back!

Wroxham Miniature Worlds

Whilst there were no arcades machines here, this venue features a Japan themed railway model display. The model is supposedly based on the area around OsakaPrefecture.

It didn’t take me long to find the arcades.

The Lion Inn – Thurne

Now this pub really is off the beaten track, with us having to travel down meandering narrow country roads to get to it. It’s probably a lot easier to get to by boat! I wasn’t expecting much, but it turned out to be a pretty good find.

The games are in a barn at the side of the pub. It was great to see Lucky & Wild, it’s been years since I’ve played this. As I was playing I could hear heavy rain and thunder and a short while later water began dripping onto my head and the machine!

It’s a shame Rave Racer wasn’t working, but I enjoyed a couple of ~~pints~~ credits on all of the other games.

The New Inn– Horning

Similar to the other pubs featured here, this pub has its own games ‘shed’.

We had a couple of credits on Silent Scope Fortune Hunter, a gambling videogame version of Silent Scope from which cash can be refunded if a player can achieve a high score. Coincidently I’ve been reading ‘The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 1’, by Szczepaniak and there is an interview with Masaaki Kukino, the director/designer of SSFH. It turns out the game was developed for the UK market and was his last Konami title. Mr Kukino worked for Konami between 1986 and 2003, and his portfolio includes HauntedCastle, Crime Fighters, Asterix, Run and Gun, and Silent Scope. In 2003 Mr Kukino joined Gamewax and directed/designed Valve Limit, Akuma, and the awesome Chase HQ 2. In 2007 Mr Kukino joined SNK Playmore and produced King of Fighters XII and XIII, left in 2011 to work for a Chinese games developer Wahlep Tec, and in 2013 returned to SNK Playmore.

The Boulevard - Oulton Broad

This café/bar/arcade is actually located across the border in the county of Suffolk. The arcade had a small selection of games including Gun Bullet, Sega Touring Car Championship, The House of the Dead III and Time Crisis 3.

I’m a bit confused about the Gun Bullet cab. Gun Bullet is the Japanese version of Point Blank. Point Blank was very popular in the UKand lots of machines made it over to these shores, but this is the only time I’ve seen Gun Bullet. Also the cabinet itself is different. Maybe it was converted from a Tekken or a Soul Edge cabinet?

BroadFarmTouringCaravanPark& Campsite – Fleggburgh, Burgh St Margaret

This venue had an arcade with a nice selection of machines.

I was especially pleased to find Virtua Cop 2, it’s been a long time since I’ve played it.

The café area at the side of the arcade was being used as an arcade graveyard with a stockpile of old arcade and fruit machines. There didn’t appear to be anything particularly rare or interesting, although the Crazy Taxi cabinet looked in nice condition.

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Arcades on the Isle of Sheppey, North Kent

January 31, 2015, 2:21 pm

≫ Next: Article 2

≪ Previous: The Norfolk Broads, Arcades and the games of Masaaki Kukino

Leysdown-on-Sea

Leysdown-on-Sea is a coastal village on the east side of the Isle of Sheppey. There was not much of note here, the few videogames they had were mostly modern. I think the oldest game I saw was Manx TT Super Bike. However it was nice to see Chase H.Q. 2 Deluxe and GTI Club – Supermini Festa!

I was chatting to one of the arcade Ops and he said they had the Ridge Racer Full Scale arcade cabinet, but got rid of it last summer. Apparently some parts were scrapped, and some were put in storage? I think it was in in Mr B’s arcade. He was actually pleased it was gone as it kept getting vandalized. A real shame as I would have loved to play it, and I doubt I will ever have the chance now.

Sheerness

Sheerness is the biggest town on the island and is located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner. There was just one arcade here. I had passed by a couple of times before and seen the two jamma cabs near the entrance, but the arcade had always been closed. Maybe on previous occasions it was too late or out of season? It was nice to finally pop in and find out what games were running in the cabs.

The Street Fighter II cab had monitor issues, although it might just need some adjustment. The control panel button arrangement was certainly interesting! It was also cool to see Tumble Pop (Data East) in the other cab. The arcade also had a Revolution X cabinet.

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Article 2

March 5, 2015, 1:08 pm

≫ Next: Article 1

≪ Previous: Arcades on the Isle of Sheppey, North Kent

Capcom Mini Cute Restoration – Part 1

Back in 2012 I wanted a second Cute and picked up this Project Cute.

The cabinet needed a lot of work, including new monitor, new control panel and re-spray. Not long afterwards a very nice Yellow Cute came up for sale, which I bought with the intention of parting with the Project. However I still have the Project and I’ve finally started restoring it to its former glory!

Here was a list I made when the Project arrived:

The Good
1. It’s a Mini Cute!
2. The cabinet body is in relatively good shape. There is little rust and no dents or damages.

3. The screen cover is in good condition with no deep scratches.
4. All of the wiring is intact and original.

5. The cabinet has a full set of locks and keys, except for the coin box.
6. The cabinet came complete with an original marquee and has the two eye bolts. I’m especially pleased about these as they seem to be missing from most Cutes.

The Bad
1. The monitor has some serious screen burn from the game Rygar. Also the image is terribly washed out, and adjustment didn’t seem to improve matters. Interestingly the monitor is non stock, with a Hitachi tube and a Toei chassis, model TC-HV1B.

Check out that burn!

2. The stock control panel has been replaced with a home made custom panel. The control panel looms are also missing.

3. The cabinet body paint work has a lot of scratches and is in generally poor condition.

4. The Capcom side art is in poor condition with rips and tears.

5. The speaker grills are in poor condition.

It looks like some punk had poured coffee into the control panel!

To Do
1. Re-spray the external shell – cabinet front, control box and body.
2. Add repro side art.
3. Fit new control panel, complete with new sticks and buttons.
4. Replace missing kick plate rubber.
5. Internal clean. Clean all wiring.
6. Clean and polish screen cover and bezel with Novus.
7. Replace monitor.
8. Fit new lock to the coin box.
9. Strip and clean the PSU.

Removal / Disassembly of Front Section

Tools required:
Ratchet and sockets – 7mm, 11mm, 22mm
T20 Torx bit
A couple of small Philips bits

Here is the order I disassembled the front section:

1. Unplug the speaker four pin AMP UP connector. Remove the four M4 nuts on each speaker and remove each speaker, gasket and speaker grill.

2. Disconnect the two cable ties which hold the control panel loom and feed the loom through the hole.

3. Unplug coin mech four pin AMP UP connector. Note: the connector only uses two pins. Remove the Philips screw for the coin chute. Remove the three M4 nuts securing the coin mech and remove the coin mech and coin reject button.

4. Support the front section and remove the nuts from the hinges – three nuts on each of the bottom, middle and top hinges, size M4. Now the front section can be removed.
5. Remove the control panel. Note: the panel should be secured by two M4 screws, but mine were missing. Once the screws have been removed, the panel slides out.
6. Remove the control box, secured by three M4 screws. Then remove the following from the control box a) Locking plates, two Philips screws per plate. b) Locks / cams. First remove the nut, then the washer, the cam, the securing nut and the lock. Both cams face outwards.
7. Remove the bezel assembly. Unscrew the eight M4 nuts securing the assembly, and the central top and bottom Philips screws to split it in two and allow removal.
8. Remove the two door locks / cams. First remove the nut, then the washer, the cam, the securing nut and the lock. On the bottom lock the cam faces upwards, on the top lock the cam faces downwards.
9. Remove the monitor screen cover by unscrewing the six black countersunk M4 Torx bolts. Some of the spilt coffee had found its way between the bottom of the cover and the cab body, gluing them together. I sprayed some Ambersil label remover, left it a while, and then carefully prised apart the cover and body by sliding a knife between them.

10. To remove the kick plate, unscrew the six Philips screws at the bottom and the two castor wheels – four Philips screws per wheel. Removing the kick plate reveals more of the coffee spilt over the cab at some point!

Here are the parts disassembled, before cleaning.

Once the front was disassembled, I gave all the parts a really good clean. I used the following:

1. Cillit Bang Power Cleaner – Bleach & Hygiene
2. Cillit Bang Power Cleaner – Grease & Sparkle
3. Sponge scourers
4. Kitchen roll
5. Huggies Pure baby wipes
6. Powder free blue nitrile medical examination gloves

First I sprayed the cab with Cillit Bang Grease and Sparkle and let it soak a while. Inside the control panel assembly and at the bottom of the cab / kickplate I used Cillit Bang Bleach & Hygiene. I have read reports of bleach stripping the paint off cabs, but as I was planning on having a re-spray I wasn’t too concerned. After scrubbing the worst area with the scourer pads, I wiped off the bleach with the kitchen roll and then gave the parts a good wipe down with the baby wipes.

Cute front ready for painting, with the speaker and coin reject surround stickers masked. I also fitted bolts to the various threads before taking the parts to the painters. I decided not to have the inner part of the door re-painted as the paint work was still in good condition, and masked off the serial number sticker to protect it from overspray.

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Article 1

March 12, 2015, 2:43 pm

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Article 2

Capcom Mini Cute Restoration – Part 2

Control Panel
The stock control panel had been replaced with a custom panel. Fortunately I managed to source an original panel complete with looms from Yahoo Japan. The panel is in nice condition overall.

I gave the overlay a clean using baby wipes and magic eraser, which was really good for removing small stubborn marks. However there were some small rust spots around the overlay, particularly at the front on the part which slides in to the control box.

To treat the rust I first masked off the overlay, and then I applied rust remover gel. Once the rust had been removed I used appliance touch-up paint on the metal spots.

I used the following:
1. Masking tape
2. Powder free blue nitrile medical examination gloves
3. Hammerite rust remover gel and brush
4. Hammerite radiator touch-up paint.

Sticks and Buttons
The stock sticks are Seimitsu LS-32. I’ve replaced the parts subject to wear and tear. The only tool required for disassembly is a pair of circlip pliers. First I removed the circlip. Then I removed the plastic parts, the spring and the shaft. After giving the internal part of the stick a good clean, I fitted the new parts and fixed them in place with the circlip.

The LS-32 refresh kit, and the parts they replaced.

I’ve fitted new buttons and ball tops, returning them to original stock colours.

P1 Ball Top Handle	Seimitsu LB-35	Blue	x1
P2 Ball Top Handle	Seimitsu LB-35	Red	x1
P1 Start	Seimitsu PS-14-D	Black rim/blue button	x1
P2 Start	Seimitsu PS-14-D	Black rim/red button	x1
CP1	Seimitsu PS-14-G	Black rim/blue button	x6
CP2	Seimitsu PS-14-G	Black rim/red button	x6

Here is the panel cleaned up with new buttons and overhauled sticks, and the spots of rust treated.

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Article 0

March 19, 2015, 11:38 am

≫ Next: Suffolk Coast 2 Coast

≪ Previous: Article 1

Capcom Mini Cute Restoration – Part 3

When it comes to arcade cabinets, I like keeping things original as much as possible. I can quite happily live with a couple of battle scars from a life inside a Japanese arcade and small imperfections on the body work. But in this case it was too far gone. The cabinet body had some really large scrapes and scratches, and the fading of the paintwork was uneven. I decided early on that a full re-spray was the best option.

I wanted a nice and as close to original colour match as possible. I took the parts to a specialist paint firm which deals with minor to major car body repairs. It was the same firm where I had my New Astro City speaker surround re-sprayed.

To colour match the front section, I used the paint where castor wheels had been fitted as reference.

Here are the parts of the front section back from the painters. The parts were stripped back down to bare metal, primed and painted.

I’m very pleased with the colour and finish.

Speaker grills before and after.

I’ve also cleaned up the screen cover, it was filthy!

First I gave it a good clean with baby wipes, removing the dirt and coffee residue. Then I cleaned it with Novus 1 Plastic Clean and Shine and a microfibre cloth. The cover has no deep scratches and cleaned up nicely.

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Suffolk Coast 2 Coast

April 9, 2015, 6:37 am

≫ Next: Elephant and Castle

≪ Previous: Article 0

We went on a trip along the Suffolk coast, checking out the arcades and holiday parks along the way. Fortunately there were some nice surprises in store.

BroadlandSandsHolidayPark - Corton

This holiday park had a nice selection of modern games, but the biggest surprise was Tekken 6 on the Namco Noir cabinet.

WatersidePark - Corton

This didn’t look the type of venue that would have arcade games, at least nothing old. I was pleasantly surprised.

To say I was shocked to find Turbo OutRun would be an understatement!

Lowestoft seafront

There are two piers with the usual selection of modern racing and shooting games. I was really pleased to see the awesome Star Wars Racer Arcade in Claremontpier.

There can’t be many of these about now. The game is powered by the mighty Hikaru board, the same system as Brave Firefighters and Planet Harriers. The machine was in really good condition.

Sailors Home Pub – Kessingland

My arcade machine finding senses must have been finely tuned this day! As we were about to leave Kessingland, I spied this pub and decided to check it out. The pub had a modern multi-game cocktail cabinet, but tucked away in the corner next to the quiz machine was something far more interesting.

The machine was in lovely condition, with a nice bright monitor and played really well.

ParkResortsHolidayPark– Kessingland

The first time I’ve seen a dedicated Soul Calibur machine.

Southwold Pier

The pier has an arcade, as well as ‘Under The Pier Show’, a collection of hand-built machines.

It was great to have a go on Airline Pilots DLX triple screen cabinet, although sadly the central monitor had a fault, having a green tinge.

The ‘Under The Pier Show’ machines certainly had some novel ideas.

Felixstowe

Our final destination along the coast of Suffolkwas Felixstowe. Walking along the seafront on a cold, snowy day in January really captured the melancholy of an out of season British seaside town.

The arcades along the seafront had the usual selection of modern titles. I was pleased to see Motor Harley-Davidson Cycles and Percussion Master, by IGS which I hadn’t come across before. My two year old daughter was a little alarmed by the stools!

The pier had the best arcade along the seafront with a good selection of modern titles, as well as some older ones.

I was really happy to find Tokyo Wars DLX and RapidRiver. The rear projection screens had been replaced with LCD. I’ve got no objection to this when it means these old titles remain in service and in good working condition.

Once again my wife demonstrates her awesome gaming skills! The ‘row row boat game’ was actually my daughter’s favourite game of the day. I love that ice slope bonus stage.

A video and some more pics of the arcade.

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Elephant and Castle

April 24, 2015, 12:45 pm

≫ Next: Arcades on the Isle of Wight - Part 1

≪ Previous: Suffolk Coast 2 Coast

During a recent trip to London, we had to change trains at the Elephant and Castle station and our train was delayed. There is a shopping centre and bowling alley adjacent to the station and my wife suggested we take a look to see if there were any arcade games. As it turned out my wife’s arcade game finding senses must have been finely tuned that day!

The bowling alley had a surprising number of modern arcade games.

However it was The Ocean Hunter: The Seven Seas Adventure which really caught my attention.

The Ocean Hunter was developed by Sega AM1, released in 1998, and runs on Sega Model 3 Step 2.1 hardware. The game is played by using two mounted turret-like Shock Guns on the arcade cabinet, and follows two underwater adventurers as they head out to defeat the Seven Great Monsters of the Seven Seas. I had only seen this game once a few years ago in Southend, but it was broken. It was great to finally play it!

I really liked the underwater / sea monster theme. The enemy creatures were well designed and the first two boss battles were great, unfortunately we didn’t make it to the third! I liked how the outcome of in game events would trigger certain actions. For example, on stage one Sea Dragon, a reptilian creature is only encountered if the diver chased by a great white shark is rescued. Also the soundtrack is very good and suits the game perfectly. I really enjoyed my couple of credits. It’s a fun game and still looks good today. I’m surprised so few were produced. It could be that Sega thought it might be a bit too niche like Brave Firefighters and Planet Harriers and were less prone on taking risks, especially in light of the late nineties declining arcade market.

The shopping centre also had a nice oriental supermarket so we were able to stock up on some tasty goodies.

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Arcades on the Isle of Wight - Part 1

May 12, 2015, 12:03 am

≫ Next: Arcades on the Isle of Wight - Part 2

≪ Previous: Elephant and Castle

During the Easter holidays we spent a couple of days on the Isle of Wight. We really enjoyed our stay, with the island proving to be a great family holiday destination. During our travels we checked out the arcades and found some real gems. Our first stop was Ryde, a vibrant seaside town in the North East of the Island.

Arcadia

This arcade is pretty unique and has some real classics.

OutRun DLX

The ultimate way to play OutRun! The movement of the machine, the illuminated dashboard dials, the positioning of the speakers and the subwoofer in the back seat – it’s awesome.

I first visited this arcade back in 2010 and at that time OutRun was out of order, so it was a nice surprise seeing it up and running. Unfortunately background graphics did have some corruption, but the game was still perfectly playable and it was a joy to play whilst whistling along to the sound of Splashwave in 2015!

Hard Drivin’

I remember playing this as a kid and never managed to do the 360 degree loop. With 3-D graphics and replays, Atari was well ahead of its time. I dropped a coin in, turned the ignition key and took the wheel. It was going well up until the first bend, suddenly feeling like I was driving on an ice rink. However after a few more credits my game had improved and after all these years finally managed the loop!

It was also nice to see Asteroids, Kung Fu Master and Operation Thunderbolt.

That Asteroids panel has seen some serious play!

In one corner of the arcade there is a graveyard of classic machines bordered off from the general pubic by fruit machines. I asked the owner about these machines and he talked about the cost of running and maintaining them. He was working on Space Invaders and keen to get it repaired and back in service.

The owner said the Hang-On board had been sent away for repairs twice, and failed after each repair within a matter of weeks.

A video and some more pics of Arcadia.

Pavilion / Superbowl

Just a short walk along the seafront from Arcadia, this venue had two very nice OutRun 2 SP DLX cabinets.

Peter Pans fairground

I had a walk around the arcade and didn’t see anything of interest. Then tucked away and very well hidden in a corner I spotted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The machine was in really good condition, and proved to be a big hit with my wife and daughter!

Outland

Not an arcade, but an awesome videogame shop with a fantastic range of titles across all formats.

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Arcades on the Isle of Wight - Part 2

May 21, 2015, 9:50 am

≫ Next: Arcades in Portsmouth Southsea – Clarence Pier

≪ Previous: Arcades on the Isle of Wight - Part 1

Ventnor

Located in the South of the Island, sadly it looks like Game Over for Ventnor’s only arcade.

Sandown Pier

Located in the East, Sandown Pier has a good selection of large dedicated cabinets. Unfortunately a few had monitor faults and hardware issues.

There was also another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, although the monitor wasn’t quite as nice as the one in Ryde.

Shanklin

Shanklin is a stroll along the Esplanade from Sandown. Seaside Amusements had a collection of vintage one arm bandits and two pinball machines.

Sadly the Terminator 2 machine which was here on my last visit a couple of years ago has now gone. On the plus side there are some very nice pubs in Shanklin. We stopped by The Village Inn and had an awesome seafood platter.

The Needles

Located in the West, The Needles has a small arcade. I was really pleased to see Lucky & Wild. The cab looked in great condition.

Taking the chair lift over the top of AlumBay cliff to the beach and going on a boat trip out to The Needles was great fun and a holiday highlight.

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Arcades in Portsmouth Southsea – Clarence Pier

May 28, 2015, 12:09 pm

≫ Next: Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Salamander 2, Ball Tops and Catalogues

≪ Previous: Arcades on the Isle of Wight - Part 2

On our way back home from the Isle of Wight we stopped by Clarence Pier. The arcade had all the latest releases including Time Crisis 5, JurassicPark, Showdown and the awesome Star Wars Battle Pod.

It was also nice to see this four player Daytona set-up, although the seat movement was not working.

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Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Salamander 2, Ball Tops and Catalogues

June 4, 2015, 1:19 pm

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≪ Previous: Arcades in Portsmouth Southsea – Clarence Pier

Here are some recent purchases.

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (de-suicided) - Capcom

Although I haven’t been actively searching for one, this has been on my wanted list ever since I’ve had a wanted list! This is the

USA

version.

Salamander 2 Daughter Kit - Konami

I picked this up on Yahoo Japan. Somehow this passed me by and I’ve never played it. I love Konami shooters and have heard lots of good reports about it. The Konami GX Type 2 motherboard wasn’t originally supplied with the kit, but was included in the auction.

The kit contains the following:

Salamander 2 Kit Box

Salamander 2 daughter PCB, Serial No. 751681
Anti-Static Bags
PCB Feet
Salamander 2 Manual
Stickers
2x Marquee Artwork – Serial Matches PCB
Moves List
Cardboard POP Artwork

Sanwa Denshi Briar LB-35 – 100% Textured Surface and Street Fighter III 3^rd Strike Ball Tops

Street Fighter III 2nd Impact side scroll, and SNK and Jaleco Catalogues

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Article 0

June 11, 2015, 1:31 pm

≫ Next: Arcade Club

≪ Previous: Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Salamander 2, Ball Tops and Catalogues

Capcom Mini Cute Restoration – Part 4

It’s now time to strip the main body, prepare it for painting and take it to the painters.

Tools required:
Ratchet and sockets – 7mm
T20H Torx bit
A couple of small Philips bits

Monitor removal
1. Remove back cover by unscrewing the eight black M4 Torx bolts.
2. Unplug the power cable and video connector. Note: It’s possible to unplug these from the front without removing the back cover, but I had to remove it anyway and it makes access a little easier.

3. Unscrew the four M4 nuts securing the monitor. The monitor can now be removed. Just take care that the leads don’t catch on anything when removing the monitor.

PSU removal
1. Remove wing nut and Philips screw, spring washer, washer, and spacer.

2. Loosen cable tie and remove wires.
3. Unplug four AMP UP connectors:

On left side:
1x 2 pin
1x 4 pin
1x 6 pin

On right side:
1x 3 pin

Filterboard removal
1. Unscrew four M4 nuts
2. Unplug two AMP UP connectors:

1x 2 pin
1x 4 pin

I then unclipped / removed the two plastic handles from inside the cab, and disconnected and removed the on / off switch at the top of the cab.

My wife and I spent a couple of hours giving the cab a really good clean, both inside and out.

We used the following:

1. Cillit Bang Power Cleaner – Grease & Sparkle
2. General purpose cloths
3. Kitchen roll
4. Huggies Pure baby wipes
5. Ambersil label remover
6. LPS electro contact cleaner
7. Powder free blue nitrile medical examination gloves
8. Plastic spoons

I gave the cab a clean with Cillit Bang Grease and Sparkle and general purpose cloths, removed any remnants with kitchen roll, and then gave it a good wipe down with baby wipes. The label remover was great for removing stickers and sticky residue. I used plastic spoons to scrape off sticky residue.

I gave the wiring a good clean with baby wipes. The control panel loom connectors were covered in coffee residue. I gave them a good spray of electrical cleaner, and then used baby wipes on the wiring and connectors.

I found a few random nuts and bolts on the bottom and bizarrely a cocktail stick behind the PSU!

I measured the position of the Capcom side art, sprayed it with label remover and then peeled it off. You can see just how faded the paintwork is.

I also noted the position of the original manufacturer’s stickers and carefully removed them. They were mostly in poor condition and I plan to have repro stickers made.

Masking off and considerations for the re-spray
Once the cab had been cleaned, we started masking off the internals. I decided not to have the internals re-sprayed because it would be difficult for the painters to achieve a good finish, and also the paint was still in good condition anyway.

The following items were masked to prevent overspray inside the cab:
1. Back cover
2. Front, excluding the outer rim and the top marquee area.
3. Filterboard space
4. On / off switch space
5. 2x plastic handle spaces

I was concerned that if the ventilation holes were masked off inside the cab, there would be a chance of the paint building up inside the holes. To counter this we taped plastic bowls inside the cab around the ventilation holes.

I also fitted bolts to the various threads and asked to have the ridge at the bottom of the cab re-sprayed.

Off to the painters.

The result
The paint firm colour matched as close to the original yellow as possible. I used the paint where the Capcom side art had been as reference.

Even though the cab went in the back of the car ok, it was a little bit tight getting it in without touching the door frames and so I hired a van to collect the cab. I didn’t want to scratch that fresh paintwork!

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Arcade Club

June 18, 2015, 2:07 pm

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≪ Previous: Article 0

I recently visited Arcade Club, the largest Classic Video Arcade in the UK. Located on an industrial estate in Haslingden, Lancashire, we drove along the picturesque country roads to the venue. The flicker of light from CRT’s and electronic beeps emanating from the entrance confirmed we had found Arcade Club.

I was blown away by the sheer selection of games. They have candy cabs with SFIII and bullet hell shooters, rows of Electrocoin cabs just like how I remember from the early 90's, classic 80's dedicated machines, and an awesome selection of Sega Taikan cabs.

With machines from different eras it feels a bit like a 'best of' arcade, there really is something for everyone.

I don't recall seeing / playing the sit down version of Power Drift before. I can't believe how much it moves, it's a definite new arcade favourite!

Hot Rod was another definite favourite of the evening.

Entry was £10 including two snacks. I never thought I'd see something like this in the UK. An awesome night out, I can't wait to go back.

A video and some more pics of Arcade Club.

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Article 0

June 25, 2015, 1:38 pm

≫ Next: NERG 2015

≪ Previous: Arcade Club

Capcom Mini Cute Restoration – Part 5

Castor wheels
When moving the Cute around, movement was uneven and bumpy. The castor wheels were in poor condition, with chunks missing from some of the wheels.

The cab has six castor wheels in total, two on the front section and four on the main body. The back two wheels are fixed position, the other four are swivel type. The diameter of each of the six wheels is 38mm, central hole diameter 6mm and width 18mm.

I removed the castor wheels from the front section and managed to find replacements in Clas Ohlson, Article No. 30-9744, which were virtually identical to the originals. I bought six with the intention of renewing them all. However the castor wheels on the main body are different. The two front wheels have a locking mechanism, although the base plate profile is the same as those on the front section. The two back wheels are fixed position and the base plate is a different size.

I was unable to find replacements for the castor wheels on the main body, so I decided to keep all of the original castors and renew the wheels with those from the new castors. Taking the new castors, I used a junior hacksaw to cut the end off the pin, allowing removal of the pin and wheel. I then removed the wheels from the original castors using the same method, and gave the castors a good clean up using WD-40, cleaning cloths and foam tipped buds. I then fitted the new wheels to the original castors using clevis pins and circlips:

Clevis pins, Type ISO 2341 - Circlip
Nominal diameter 'd' of each pin 6mm

Material: mild steel, zinc plated

Grip length 'G1' from under the head to the inside edge of the groove:

1. G1 = 26mm x 4 pins for the rear and front wheels
2. G1 = 28mm x 2 pins for the locking wheels

Speakers
The original Tenvox speakers were cracked and started to fall to pieces as soon as I removed them. The stock spec are 10cm 4 ohm 15W. I picked up a pair of Monacor SP-10/4S speakers which are identical in spec and design. The new speakers also have the advantage of being magnetically shielded, unlike the originals.

Manufacturers stickers
Here are the repro set of manufacturers stickers I had produced (originals on the left).

I’ve now started re-assembly, it’s all coming along well.

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NERG 2015

July 4, 2015, 11:24 pm

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NERG 2015 was held at Gateshead International Stadium on the 20^th and 21^st of June. The event had an awesome selection of arcade cabinets, pinball tables and consoles.

Here are some of my gaming highlights of the weekend.

Space Harrier

Welcome to the Fantasy Zone. Get ready!

I last played the arcade machine a couple of years ago in Mikado arcade,

Japan

. One of Sega’s greatest arcade games, it was awesome playing it again.

Star Wars Racer ArcadeDLX

This was the most popular title of the weekend, with people queuing up to play it.

There is a cool story behind this machine. The cabinet was salvaged from a warehouse in Sunderland in 2014, and was formerly sited at Metroland at the Metrocentre in Gateshead. Easily the best thing to come out of The Phantom Menace, the game is loads of fun and the graphics still impress today.