STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 4/5/2000

How I got it:

Picked this game up at a local thrift store. Had a "City of Ft. Wayne" asset sticker on it. Must have seen some official government use. Maybe it’s a military version like the Military Battlezone 8^}

Recent repairs:

Had a little difficulty with the right player right turret button. Not sure what made it not work. I monkeyed with it for a while and it finally works. Also had to replace the light starter.

What it still needed when it left my collection:

It needs an instruction sticker for the cabinet. It goes right below the monitor, and must have been pulled off. The rubber treads could also be replaced if a new set comes along, but they are not that bad. They are worn where everyone obviously puts their feet when playing.

Who has it now:

Farmer Dave from Wisconsin. Came over after the auction was complete, during a very rainy afternoon. We wrapped the game up in more plastic than I’ve seen in one place, and on he went. Pretty friendly guy, and I hope he enjoys it.

Final Thoughts:

Not a bad game. Great sound. Would rather have a Xybots from the same platform, but this is a fun game none the less.

Links:

Vindicators

Screen Shots:

by Atari, 1981

STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 4/5/2000

How I got it:

I got this game from Brian Penzone through a trade for my Galaga cocktail. And for all of you who wonder why I would trade a Galaga away, I hate to tell you but I’m not a huge Galaga fan. I love Tempest, and they are just as hard to separate from their owners!

Recent Repairs:

Needed a monitor, so Brian put in a monitor from a Space Duel.

Installed a set of the Bronze bearings that used to be available online. I know there are replacement bearings available on the net, but I’ve only seen plastic ones. The bronze bearings are incredibly fast. It’s really taking time to get used to the speed.

Also installed one of Clay’s multigame kits. It’s pretty cool. Not nearly as cool as a Multipac or MultiWilliams, but adds some unique options to the game and is a great collectors’ item.

I had a problem with the monitor making a snapping sound and dropping all of the lines from time-to-time. Ended up putting in a cap kit, and noticed that one of the wires to the HV PCB had a broken connection that was arcing. Soldered it back into place, and it works GREAT!!!!!!!!

The game then played for a few months, then started showing a corrupted screen. The vectors would not line up properly and it became unplayable. Sent it out for repair. I decided I had enough of the headaches this game would give, so I decided to sell it.

Personal High Score:

203,744 (4/16/2000)

What it still needed when I sold it:

This game really needs a new marquee and control panel overlay. There is some slight water damage to all edges of the cabinet by the t-molding that will need repaired.

Final Thoughts:

The upright Tempest is one of the coolest and most distinctive cabs I’ve seen. They are so recognizable that I get upset when I see a Street Fighter that was converted from a Tempest! However, they are a pain to move with a hand truck from the front. I had to strap the truck to the game and pull with all the weight suspended by the strap. Always wanted one of these, but decided that it wasn’t one of my overall favorites. Definitely not work the maintenance headaches when I had space limitations to begin with.

Links:

KLOV Tempest Page

Screen Shots:

by Bally/Midway, 1980

STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 5/19/2005

Description of game:

Black and White Midway game. Very simple to play. You fire lasers from a center located base ship, trying to defend you base from attacks from four different directions. The game consists of five very large control buttons - one fire button and four aiming buttons. The game gets faster and faster as it goes, making it easy to approach but hard to get a very high score.

Different games that this cabinet plays:

Although this game is from the same platform as Gorf and Wizard of Wor, it only plays Space Zap.

How I got it:

Believe it or not, this was my very first arcade game that I owned. I got it when a skating rink that I worked at in college went out of business. If any of you went to Purdue, you may remember the old Skate-A-Way. I worked there for a couple years. This game was actually given to the owners of the rink by the local operator, and it sat in their private office for years. I remember the rink had a pretty good arcade. We had a great time playing Gondomania, but it was also the time that games were really getting lousy. Anyway, this game sat in my fraternity room for another couple years, and was one of the few things that came home with me after graduation (this game and my new wife). It sat in the basement for a few years, then I actually sold it to my next door neighbor’s son when he was in Jr. High. I needed to get it out of my house so I could work on my basement. Anyway, he grew up and I had children since then, so I decided to get it back into the collection.

This game is really light compared to most full size uprights. Before I started collecting I thought it was heavy. It’s nothing compared to an Atari cabinet. Moved it very easily down into the basement gameroom.

Here are some more pictures of the game itself. I love how there is a mirror above the monitor to make the graphics flash even more!

Recent repairs:

Nothing for years. Installed a monitor bezel I picked up for it about five years ago. Also just added a cap kit. Really made the picture look much better. Also media blasted and repainted the control panel, but I don’t have a picture of that on here.

Final thoughts:

Fun and challenging game. Thought I was going to keep it for a long time, but it just was never a big hit for the kids. Had a chance to trade it for a Space Invaders Deluxe, and jumped for it. Love SI, so I couldn’t say "No."

Personal High Scores:

Nothing really notable. This game really wears you out after a couple hundred thousand points…

Links:

href="http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=S&game_id=9692">KLOV Space Zap Page

Screen Shots:

The top picture is from the actual game, with color overlays built into the bezel. The other screen shots are from the MAME emulator, which incorrectly shows the game as a color game. Maybe this is what it looks like with a color monitor installed. I don’t know. But, it is a black and white game with a translucent color overlay on the monitor bezel to give it "color".

by Data East, 1985

STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 1/21/2004

Description of game:

Nice dedicated Shootout cabinet. Game is a "third person" view shooter, where the player remains along the bottom of the screen and aims to different locations to shoot Mafia gangsters or bonus targets.

Different games that this cabinet plays:

Dedicated cabinet, but shares same wiring configuration as Commando and a few other games. Must rotate monitor to vertical position for Commando.

How I got it:

Got this game along with a few others in my bulk buy of Feb 2003. This was the only game I got that was original, and ironically I thought about converting it to a Commando. The game worked great when I got it, other than some necessary adjustments to the leaf switches on the joystick. One cool thing about this game is that it has the cleanest monitor chassis I’ve ever seen. Too bad it has burn in on the tube. I thought about trying my first tube swap with this. Look how clean the cabinet is on this game!

Recent repairs:

Installed locks and adjusted the leaf switches on the joystick. I also turned off that awful attract mode sound.

What it still needs:

Needs a small patch of black paint replaced on the side where it is bare wood. Could also use a better control panel overlay and joystick knob that looks new.

Final Thoughts:

Not really a big Shootout fan so I sold it to free up some valuable space.

Links:

KLOV Shootout Page

Screen Shots:

STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 4/5/2000. This is the first of my THREE (so far…) Pole Position cabinets that I’ve owned.

How I got it:

Picked this game up from a local operator while picking up some other supplies. It did not include the boards, but had everything else. I eventually traded an old monitor for a couple of boardsets (including a PP2) that did not work, and found a replacement dash cover since this one had too many burn marks in it. One quick note - check out the mouse nest I found behind the marquee in the 3rd pic to the left. Luckily, the occupant moved out quite a while ago.

What it still needed when I sold it:

After looking into the difficulty of fixing a Pole Position, as well as the bulk of the game (WAY too heavy), I decided to sell it as a project. I’m glad I did, because I ended up selling it to Jeff Bovee from Hastings, Michigan. Jeff and I have started to work together on other projects as a result.

Who has it now:

Jeff got the game running after finding another boardset. He still has to get the Pole Position 2 boardset working, but hasn’t been able to since his daughter won’t let him shut the game down to try it out. It’s her favorite!

Final Thoughts:

Fun race game, but a little too big for me. Also heard that they are a pain to keep running. Don’t need another game that is broken more than it is playable.

KLOV Link:

Pole Position

Screen Shots:

by Atari, 1976

STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 2/29/2004

Description of game:

Old B&W driving classic. Instead of a road to navigate, you have to stay within the reflector markers on the left and right. Was a really ingenious way of making a driving game back before good graphics were in use. This also was a hit on the Atari 2600 because of its graphic limitations.

Different games that this cabinet plays:

Dedicated cabinet only for Night Driver

How I got it:

My Mom actually bought this for me! She picked it up at a yard sale for $15. The guy she bought if from said it worked fine until one day when it went "poof!". Turns out it was a bad monitor. As for the cabinet, it looks like it took some water damage. The cab is actually falling apart at the bottom (that’s why there is twine around the base in the pics). Hopefully it can be repaired without too much effort. The sideart looks pretty good, so I didn’t want to screw it up too much. Check out the third pic on the left. Looks like a racoon lived on it for a while. At least that is what the footprints look like.

Recent repairs:

Just turned it on to see a bad monitor. The sounds (as bad as they are) indicate that it works properly. I can actually get it to play, until I hear the horrible crash sound.

What it still needed when I sold it:

Needed the monitor repaired, and I got rid of it before I learned how to repair them. One of my early collecting casualties! Also needed a bit of cabinet work since it was starting to come apart.

Who has it now:

Actually gave it away to another collector because I needed the space and repairing it was beyond my capabilities at the time.

Final Thoughts:

Kind of cool to get a driving game. I actually really like this game. Haven’t played it for about 15 years, so I don’t even know how good I am any more. Just a shame it had to go before I learned enough to fix it!

Links:

KLOV Night Driver Page

Screen Shots:

by Bally/Midway, 1983

STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 2/13/2004

Description of game:

Jr. Pac-Man was one of the many Pac-Man sequels that came out after Pac-Man was so successful. As you can see from the pictures, this game is a conversion of an original Pac-Man. I really like Jr. Pac-Man. It is one of the best versions of Pac-Man out there. It’s even good on the Atari 2600! Much of the original Pac-Man artwork was still on it, with just a few Jr. Pac pieces on the cabinet.

Different games that this cabinet plays:

Not really sure. The original Pac-Man harness was replaced when the conversion was done.

How I got it:

This was the first game loaded up in my March 2000 bulk buy. It was also the only game I brought home that did not work when I plugged it in. It’s in a Pac-Man cabinet, with just the front kick panel overlay, control panel overlay, and marquee changed. I was thinking about restoring this to a Pac-Man, and tried to find a Multi-Pac PCB for it. I ended up trading it for a couple project cabinets - Robotron and Berzerk.

Recent repairs:

As I mentioned it didn’t come up when I turned it on. After replacing the power supply, it still didn’t work. Finally figured out that one of the fuse holders by the isolation transformer was broken. I fixed that and Boom! Jr. Pac-Man! I removed the “speed up chip” by putting in a slow ROM to get it to play as it was intended to.

I then installed a new cap kit. The monitor is a WG 4600, and kind of a pain in the butt. I needed to spend some serious time adjusting the convergence but never got around to it.

What it still needed when I sold it:

The monitor could really use some adjustment to the convergence to get it tuned in better. It also needed to be repainted because it had better days. Could also use a full set of Jr. Pac artwork if it was going to stay a Jr. Pac.

Who has it now:

Made the trade with Pete Mathis. He got the better end of the deal, but I finally got a "start" on a Berzerk

Final Thoughts:

I’ve wanted a Pac game for years. Finally had one. Jr. is a really fun title in the series, but had to let it go for better games.

Personal High Score:

42,200 ( 07-24-2000) - Hard to get used to playing with the slow chip!

Links:

KLOV Jr. Pac-Man Page

Screen Shots:

by Midway, 1981

STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 3/02/2004

Description of game:

Old-time classic game by Midway. Made up of multiple screens per level, a couple taken from some other great Midway Licensed games (Space Invaders,Galaxian)

Different games that this cabinet plays:

This is a dedicated machine for Gorf only.

How I got it:

I purchased this game in a small bulk deal in March 2003. The deal came with Gorf, Super Breakout, a bootleg Donkey Kong Jr. cabaret, a unknown poker cabaret, and a Joker Poker converted from a Missile Command. This was the game of the deal that I wanted. Ended up getting rid of every game from this buy except one of the poker cabinets, which became my miniMAME.

Recent repairs:

Once I got it home I spent a long while cleaning it up. Tested it out and the PCB was not working (what else is new with Gorf machines?). Sent it to Commander Dave for repair. He checked it out and swapped out the pattern board and repaired the CPU board for me. This was all done for a fantastic price. I highly recommend him for anyone who owns a Gorf. He can be found roaming the RGVAC boards in Usenet.

To finish it up, I replaced all the bulbs in it. I also put on a different control panel that did not have all the graphics worn off of it (the only panel I’ve ever seen with all the graphics!). Finally replaced the RGB PCB to get a better picture.

What it still needed when I sold it:

Could use some new graphics to freshen it up. Other than that it works great.

Who has it now:

Ted Davitian from West Virginia.

Final Thoughts:

I used to play this game all the time as a kid! I love how it is actually five distinct games wrapped into one. Probably would have kept it if I didn’t have space limitations

Personal High Scores:

Not good enough to publish

Links:

KLOV Gorf Page

Screen Shots:

by Cinematronics, 1983

STATUS:No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 1/20/2004

Description of game:

One of the first laserdisc arcade games! Sure made a splash in the arcades. Most of the one’s I saw when they first came out had an additional monitor mounted on top so that everyone could see the graphics. Hard to play. Basically a memorization of correct moves. VERY popular collectors’ item.

Different games that this cabinet plays:

Dedicated cabinet for Dragon’s Lair. Can play Space Ace with a ROM and laserdisc swap.

How I got it:

This is the jewel in the 2000 bulk buy. Really got a nice machine. The marquee looks new, there are only a few small nicks in the sideart, and the control panel only has a couple small burns and slight splitting at the fold. Checked the machine inside and out before turning it on. The game fired up right away.

Recent repairs:

Finished cleaning the optics in the LD-V1000 player, and it now works great!

What it still needed when I sold it:

Absolutely nothing! This was in great shape!

Who has it now:

A lucky Ebay buyer from Cleveland. I admire him, because he is rebuilding his favorite arcade from the 80’s. Great Plan!

Final Thoughts:

Unbelievable find! This was THE cutting edge game of its time, and still commands a devoted following. Hate to admit it, but since I’m not a huge Dragon’s Lair guy so it is now in someone else’s collection. Will play my "arcade accurate" PC version in my miniMAME cabinet.

Personal High Score:

None.

Link:

KLOV Dragon’s Lair Page

Digital Leisure - Makers of Dragon’s Lair home games

Screen Shots:

by Atari, 1983

STATUS: No Longer In the Collection

Post from old site last updated 1/19/2004

Description of game:

Game based on the movie that was a minor hit in the ’80s. Initially planned to be called "Agent X", but Atari wanted to tie it to the movie. Was a conversion kit for many different games. There were a few dedicated units made, but they are very rare. Fun game to play. Plays with the same controls as Robotron, where movement is with the left joystick, and you fire with the right joystick. This was in a Defender cabinet. Was converted very well, except that the front artwork was left intact.

Different games that this cabinet plays:

As far as I know it uses its own special wiring configuration.

How I got it:

I got it with a few other games from a couple ladies that purchased a building with a bunch of old games in it. Used to be owned by an operator. I repaired the wiring, cleaned it for 3 hours, and Boom…good game. The cabinet is an original Defender, with the front graphics still intact (see photos). The C&D graphics are clean and in great condition. I also found the manual and conversion manual inside the back of the cabinet. This game is in great shape, and is an excellent piece to add to a collection.

What it still needed when I sold it:

As I mentioned before, the game was in great shape. The only things this game really needed was a better cleaning than I gave it, a new piece of clear plexiglass to cover the marquee (corner was chipped off), and that ugly security bar removed.

Who has it now:

D. Wayne Hatcher, Baltimore. Sent it to him Forward Air. However that will be the LAST and only time I use FA for any shipments. I will never ship from there again. The story from FA is that they are a shipping industry handler, not a shipper for individuals. Even though I tried to sound like a business, they said they would only ship if I were another shipping company (this is the Indianapolis site). The only way I was able to use them was this one time since it was Midnight on a Friday when I got there, three hours from home, and they felt bad for me. I had to run to a 7-11 for a money order since they wouldn’t ship COD for me. Oh well. He’s got it now, and I’ve learned a lesson.

Final Thoughts:

I am actually one of the few people I know who remembers this game from my youth. I used to love it. Now, I’m not so sure. Was a great specimen, but I didn’t have the room to keep it.

Links:

KLOV Cloak & Dagger Page
Rotheblog’s Agent X Art Project Category Page
This Old Game’s Agent X Art Reproduction Project

Screen Shots: