Centipede added

WadeLanham

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My collection is to the point where I'm trying to narrow down my the "must have" list to one last purchase or two, literally. Frontrunners have been Centipede, Dig Dug, Paperboy, and Tron.

There's a new local retail shop that also sells games, and he had a pretty nice Centipede for $600, which was reasonable. It has a newer Hanatrex polo monitor and a new trackball, but is missing the overlay (the CP is just painted black). He also needed help with repairs, so I agreed to swap a monitor into a broken Mortal Kombat to have the option of the Centipede for $400.

Fortunately the monitor swap went fine. Sunday, I finally bit the bullet and bought this Centipede. I haven't picked it up yet. Getting it home and then getting it into the gameroom will probably be two separate adventures. Might be able to go get it this weekend. I look forward to getting it of course, but getting games into my gameroom is such a pain.

Only plans for this one is some minor cleaning and eventually a new CP overlay, which should be pretty easy since the old one is already removed. :)

Although I'm really happy to finally have this one (it has always been on my must-have list), I'm just not as excited as I used to get when I bought games. Has this hobby finally run its course??

Wade
 

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Maybe you're just feeling a little down because the searching and picking up part of the hobby is near its end. Its the same with me. I don't have much room left now. I can see the end but its not so bad. I've been doing things to the arcade itself to make it look/feel better. Hey you can always buy a beat up game cheap, restore it and then sell it. That can give you a lot of satisfaction, too. Just a suggestion. Don't lose your passion!!
 
I feel this way every now and then. Focus on your wall stripes. I did, and now I feel good about the game room and this hobby again. I am no where near finished with all of my project games, so there is that, though I still need to motivate myself to pick a project and commit to it every week. I can't see buying any more games for at least a year, as I need to finish up the 10 projects I've got. I'll still be buying parts though, that never seems to end.
 
I think you need to shake things up. Swing a big trade or something.

Honestly, I think you aren't excited because
A: You didn't get an absolute steal of a deal
B: You probably don't want Centipede near as bad as you thought.


I've brought in multiple games, even at good deals, and went 'meh' in short order. I've brought in other games and still walk by them and think "Damn, I'm glad I got that".
 
Nice pickup. Looks to be in good shape (other than the overlay)

Once you start playing Centipede, you'll be hooked again. It's a great game that never gets old to me.
 
Yeah, I'm sure it's just a lull right now. I don't really have time to work on the games or the gameroom like I want to. If I could get my stripes done, get new flooring, and some other gameroom related things accomplished, I'd probably get excited again. I might be able to do the stripes over a school break later this year...

I also have so many of the games I REALLY wanted that I'm just not sure there's much that would really pump me at this point, as far as picking up more games. Maybe a mint Tron for a great price?? Ain't gonna happen though.

Shardian, you might be right, if I got the game for dirt then I might be more pumped, but I'm not sure. I have really wanted a Centipede for a LONG time, so I'm surprised I'm not more excited. Maybe it's because I paid for it and then left it? Shoulda brought it home right then. ;)

I bet I'll be excited when I finally get it into the gameroom. I also need to order and install a RAM chip into my Missile Command to get my gameroom 100% functional again, and that might be a dark cloud hanging over my head. It could just be the timing too... I have a lot of other things going on, and school and work are pretty rough at the moment.

Wade
 
Okay, it's actually in my posession now, so one step closer. Now to try to get it down to the gameroom this week. Probably going to take Shardian up on his generous offer to help again. :)

Wade
 

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looks nice.. the one thing about those centipedes is that they are heavy mothers... i think Atari thought " hmm.. how much thick and heavy particle board can we put on one cabinet"
 
A: Get more space to house your dreams.
B: Get back into the hobby by picking up a project cab that you'd enjoy to restore
C: Take a break from buying and just take some time to play what you own and have some fun with it.

Nice centipede btw.
 
Finally got it down to the gameroom, and had some time to install a new control panel overlay and volcano buttons over the weekend. Actually got to play a few games on it last night. :)

Fixed the Missile Command a week or two ago, so the gameroom is 100% functional again!

Very good feeling to add another keeper game. This one could use some work on the coin door, and maybe even sideart. I'll take my time deciding on the sideart (it's very nice aside from some yellowing), so I'm leaning towards living with the "arcade patina." ;) It is really no worse looking than my Burgertime, both are pretty nice for being unrestored.

Wade
 

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I'm pretty sure I've seen a thread on here or byoac where a guy used magic eraser to remove the yellowing on centipede white areas.

Yup that Crystal Castles I traded to you Wade was really yellow until I cleaned it :) Magic Erasers will probably remove the yellow on your Centipede.
 
I used the magic eraser to remove some black rubber marring on the sides that happened when we slid it into the truck, but none of the yellow seemed to change at all. Should I use water or 409 or some other cleaner, and how hard should I have to bear down to get the yellow to come off? I will definitely give it another try before giving up, but the ME didn't seem to put a dent into it.

It occurred to me to mask off the painted areas and sand the white with a fine grit sandpaper. Has anyone gone that extreme and had success?

Wade
 
Something else you can try is spraying some orange cleaner on a spot and let it sit there for 30 seconds and wipe it off. I have had luck removing discoloration like that on CPOs but I never had to try it on the sides of the cab.
 
I used the magic eraser to remove some black rubber marring on the sides that happened when we slid it into the truck, but none of the yellow seemed to change at all. Should I use water or 409 or some other cleaner, and how hard should I have to bear down to get the yellow to come off? I will definitely give it another try before giving up, but the ME didn't seem to put a dent into it.

It occurred to me to mask off the painted areas and sand the white with a fine grit sandpaper. Has anyone gone that extreme and had success?

Wade

You are supposed to use a liquid when you use a magic eraser. I use alcohol. Just get the ME damp and go to town. I did the centi side you gave me, and it cleaned up a ton!
 
You are supposed to use a liquid when you use a magic eraser. I use alcohol. Just get the ME damp and go to town. I did the centi side you gave me, and it cleaned up a ton!

I TOTALLY missed the part where Wade asked about using a liquid. Yup use Alcohol since it evaporates easily. don't put too much pressure with an ME, it will destroy the surface. You should use light pressure. I typically have a ME in one hand and a clean dry cloth in the other. Wipe, dry, wipe, dry, etc.
 
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