A sega/gremlin Carnival kicked my ass

coleco1981

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Finally had a semi successful pick up today of a sega carnival. The cab is in decent shape but will need some corner bondo work and paint touch up. It's fully working and the monitor is crisp and clear. Seller posted on CL @ $700, threw him an offer at about 1/2 that and got it.

The seller is a cool dude, selling his house, just needed it gone, had some sentimental feelings about it since it's been in the family ever since his uncle who operated games back in the day brought it home. It has battle scars so it's def not huo but no moisture swelling and no rust. It was kept in a finished basement for most of its retired life. Big plus the seller respected the line and told other people who wanted to see it that I was coming. Bravo!

I showed up with my appliance dolly fully expecting that I'd be rolling it out without much problem, it was in the guys basement which was 6 or 7 stairs. No sweat right? WRONG.

I knew that Sega Gremlin cabs were heavy since I own a frogger and managed it DOWN the stairs without too much problems. It's a fairly small unassuming cabinet..

I have been doing pick ups solo throughout the pandemic and have been lucky enough to pick up most of them from garages at ground level. I usually have a buddy of mine ride along for my pick ups because it gives us a chance to hang out and having a hand is always helpful.

Well let me tell you that hand would have been really helpful today. The seller watched me strap the game up get it to the stairs and completely get owned by this cabinet. I was pulling it up and he was pushing. The angle was horrible and everytime he pushed it I just couldn't pull it up and it shoved me down to the ground. His wife was watching in horror. I had to take a breathing break on every stair and I was sweating like a pig about to pass out!

I have never been a strong guy I'm tall and lanky. But I'm either more out of shape then I thought or sega gremlin cabinets are heavier then I remember. It's also possible that all this time my buddy has been taking the brunt of the weight and I'm just learning this after picking up 40+ cabs.

I've seen some dudes move pins up a flight of stairs alone. What am I doing wrong?

If someone caught this on tape I'm sure it would have been viral. But anyway here are the fruit of my embarresment. 20210619_215712.jpg20210619_215809.jpg

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I showed up with my appliance dolly fully expecting that I'd be rolling it out without much problem, it was in the guys basement which was 6 or 7 stairs. No sweat right? WRONG.
I saved 2 sega /gremlin cabinet [Carnival / Astro Blaster] you would think with small cabinet would not be this heavy.....lol.
 

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I hear ya. I moved a Pengo a few weeks ago. I have several other Sega games including Carnival. This thing was WAY heavier than I thought or remember. Felt like a ton of bricks just trying to tip it into the van. I cannot imagine lifting one up a set of stairs.
 
Sega cabs are heavy in my experience due to the construction.

The Zaxxon I worked on had a "mid-deck" under the control panel (all heavy MDF) which housed the power supply and game boards.

All that extra MDF adds 50 to 70 lbs to the weight of the cabinet. It also turns the cabinet into a very robust structure, due to the cross framing in the middle.

That Zaxxon was a bear to move, and I just had to pivot it to get to the back side to check the monitor.

One trick I have learned - if I'm moving something, no "ED fun pills" the same day. I sweat a lot under high workload conditions as it is. The increased blood flow really makes it worse.

e.g., I felt the same way moving a 5 element shelving unit up 3 flights of stairs to an upstairs apartment. I had to stop and catch my breath a lot.
 
I don't remember Carnival to be heavy. A somewhat short game too.
I just went over to mine and tried moving it. It tilts forward easily. More weight noted when pushing it backwards.
Still, it ain't no Atari cabinet with respect to weight, IMHO. OP needs to go to the gym. LOL :unsure:
 
For the record, I just played my Gremlin/Sega Carnival and had an awesome time. :)

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Love Carnival. The design seems simple but there's more to it.. it takes accuracy or you lose points & shooting the pipes of the ferris wheel is a lot of fun. Nice pickup!
 
Beautiful grab. But Sega cabinets soak up ambient moisture like a vaporator farm on Tatooine. That's water weight you're feeling and I can tell you my Zaxxon weighs more that a pinball.
 
Oh, god. Yes. My Tac/Scan could be an anchor for a cruise ship. Fucking DENSE. Makes my Carnival a featherweight by comparison.
 
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