Converting 720 into a 25" Major Havoc

m_mcgovern

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This thread will track my progress on finishing the great work started by Jon Raiford converting a 720 into a 25" Major Havoc. I picked up this unique conversion in January of 2010 and I have been chipping away at this restore since then. Twice my pickup plans for December 2009 got squashed by weather (24" of snow on one occasion), but eventually, I was able to grab it in early January on a day with a biting wind chill.

Since this is a special machine, I have decided to go the extra mile on the conversion to make this machine's looks live up to the idea of playing Major Havoc on 25 inches of vector goodness.

I started by unloading the cabinet and removing all of original primed/painted over vinyl. I thought about keeping it as is, but there were a number of scratches in the paint/primer down to the vinyl. While "removing all of the original vinyl" didn't take long to type, it sure took a lot longer to do. I followed Jedidentist's and esey01's footsteps here, using a heat gun and peeling the vinyl off section by section. It was very tedious and very slow, but it did the trick.
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When I was done, I ended up with particle board that was very much like Wade's 720. In many spots, peeling the vinyl from the wood took small pieces of particle board with it, creating lots of areas with pitting.

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Next I sanded the cabinet down using an orbital sander and 120 grit. Any areas with major pitting or with gouges or dents were first filled with bondo (for big fixes) or evercoat (for shallower fixes) and then sanded smooth to the surface. I got many of the larger pitting fixed, but there was still some left behind. Instead of fixing the smaller pitting, I decided to forge ahead. This ended up being a big mistake. More on that later.

Over the years, the front panel had come a bit loose near the bottom and the front sides were separating below the lower internal "shelf". To fix this, I clamped the sides and front back down into position, then inserted new 3/4" X 3/4" blocks which were Gorilla-glued and stapled with 1 1/4" narrow crown staples it to repair the broken seams. After the repair the lower cabinet is much more solid and it looks much better from the outside, even if there is a bit of Gorilla-glue splatter on the inside.
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I coated all the the surfaces that will get new vinyl using Minwax fast-drying polyurethane (again, following the footsteps of Jedidentist - link) and nash before him. I applied the first light coat of poly using a throwaway foam "brush", trying to get a nice, thin, uniform coverage with the poly. After the first coat, I hand sanded using 400 grit sandpaper. Make sure you sand in a well ventilated area and use eye protection and something covering your nose and mouth. Sanding poly creates a very fine dust that is easily breathed in. After each sanding, I vaccuumed up the dust, followed by wiping the cabinet with a damp sponge. Finally, I tacked the cabinet before the next coat was applied.

I let the final coat of poly cure for 72 hrs. After 72 hrs, I sanded and tacked the sides one "final" time, followed by wiping down everything with denatured alcohol. I did not get 100% of the pitting fixed, but I decided to go ahead with the vinyl application...I was hopeful the result would not be too bad...it certainly should have been better than the original paint job, right? Wrong!!

I applied new black vinyl from ThisOldGame, using the very method outlined by Rich @ ThisOldGame himself I had no problems with the boom box sides as they are pretty small and it is easy to manage the vinyl. Next I tried the left monitor side...this is where things started to get dicey.... My big issue was getting the initial edge placed down straight enough so that I got no bubbles and I didn't run out of vinyl at the end of the piece due to an initial misalignment. I got one of the monitor sides on okay, but I ended up having real problems with the side base the first time through due to its non-standard shape. I ended up removing the vinyl from the base sides as I ruined it....

Once the vinyl was applied, trimmed, and folded over the edges, I added new smooth black t-molding. At this point...well...the pitting was a lot more noticeable.

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I knew this side did not have the worst of the pitting...so...back to the drawing board.

I removed the vinyl from the monitor side (much easier than the old vinyl as the new stuff didn't want to keep ripping into many pieces. However, I will say that the adhesive residue was a real pain to deal with. I first tried sanding, but that didn't work. Then I tried rubbing alcohol...but that didn't work so well either. Finally, I was able to clean up the adhesive residue with Citristrip. To try to fill the pitting, this time I tried something new, Evercoat Slick Sand. It is supposed to be a good way to apply a polyester resin over large areas, which is difficult with regular bondo or evercoat due to a short pot life. Once mixed, Slick Sand has a 45 minute pot life, which is long enough for covering larger areas. Technically, you are supposed to spray with HVLP gun...but I don't have a spray set-up. So, I figured I would try to roll it on instead with a dense foam roller. I was hoping that this would do a better job filling in the pitted particleboard. While the Slick Sand did do a good job with some of the very shallow pits, it did not get rid of the deep pits.

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Ugh. So that meant more sanding. And this time, I'm sanding hardened Slick Sand so it is like sanding bondo. After sanding the sides smooth again, I finally listened to advice from both Wade and Jedidentist. This time I used joint compound to fill in the pitted areas. I covered both sides with the stuff, let it dry and then sanded most of it off. After I was done, you could clearly see the pit locations by the white joint compound left behind. Finally, with the sides devoid of pits, I covered with 2 coats of polyureathane, followed by more sanding after each coat. I was finally left with a surface that should take the vinyl better than before.

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This time, I applied black vinyl using dry method after asking a lot more questions of Rich from ThisOldGame. Thanks to Rich for his guidance. For applying pressure to the vinyl I used a combination of a hard rubber j-roller and my hand with a soft papertowel underneath as I slowly pulled off the backing, 1/2"-1" at a time. For the most part, I was able to get it down with few bubbles. The base of the 720 is a real pain to re-vinyl due to the unusual cabinet shape which causes the pieces that but up to the bottom and top edges. I placed a layer of quick release masking tape on the poly'ed base so the vinyl over-hang from the side didn't adhere too strongly to the poly and I could re-position the bottom edge until I got the vinyl firmly pressed into the corner, which worked out pretty well. Despite being a complete novice, the end result looks very nice. There there are some areas with small bubbles and some areas where I didn't get all of the voids filled or the poly 100% smooth. I will live with the end result as I think the finish looks much better than the previously painted vinyl.

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Next, I worked with Rich to modify his vectorized Major Havoc conversion artwork to fit the 720 base. Becasue of the extra deep base of the 720 cabinet, and the fact I wanted Major Havoc to be a bit smaller as he is on the dedicated Major Havoc cabinet, Rich needed to do a little modification to the art to get more maze visible on the sides. Rich was very patient with my change requests and he delivered to me exactly what I was looking for. When I received the artwork, I decided to trim the top part of it to more closely mimic the top of the 720 base profile using a metal straight edge and a fresh blade on an exacto knife. Once I had one side to my liking, I took the art pieces I cut away, flipped them over, carefully positioned them on the other piece of artwork and traced the new cuts for the other side. I ended up with two pieces of artwork with the same shape. The artwork was applied with the "dry method" very similar to applying the black vinyl. I used the same tools as before and went very slow. It was more difficult since the paper towel did not slide as well on the premasked artwork. Once I had the artwork down, I misted the pre-mask using warm water and used a bondo spreader to work out any bubbles I could see through the misted premask. Once satisfied, I pulled off the premask from the center to the outer edge, keeping my hands very close to the cabinet so that the premask is pulled off at an angle close to 180 degrees. As with the black vinyl, there were a few air bubbles that I had to poke a pinhole in to get them to lay flat. Again, I am very satisfied with the results for my first sideart job.

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In this picture you can see the black and white test print of the control panel overlay taped down to check alignment as well as the 25" monitor back in place.
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Next up -- a new marquee header panel, control panel artwork, and putting the electronics back in.
 
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Has to be one of very few situations where a conversion of sorts will make a VERY nice collector piece. I don't think this would work in any other 25" cabinet.. please post the progress and good luck.
 
Stay tuned...to keep the universe in balance I'll be converting a dedicated MH to 720 shortly.

Kidding of course. MH is an awesome game and it looks like this conversion is being done right. The black vinyl on the cab and MH art look fantastic. Can wait to see this done.
 
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JeffC said:
Stay tuned...to keep the universe in balance I'll be converting a dedicated MH to 720 shortly.

Good one. :D

When this is done...I'll need you to update your 720 Hellcade page...or maybe make a 720 Heavencade page? ;)

what you going to do about the monitor? part out a cockpit star wars?

Nope. Actually, when purchased the monitor was already put together. But, it is the same project as my deconversion of the SWCP I have, which is: 25" medium resolution monitor (came from the 720) + vector monitor pcbs + 6100 WG yoke. In this case, it was done using WG6100 monitor pcbs. The monitor is already working in this one, but I'll need to work on the convergence a bit.
 
Being a big MH fan and a dedicated MH owner, I think this is SWEET! Awesome idea, can't wait to see the final product!
 
Jedidentist said:
Don't know how I missed this. What's come of this project?
I'd like to know more too. It would be awesome if this project was completed!


I'd like to know more too. It would be awesome if this project was completed!

I've made more progress since my last post, but it is not done yet. Now that I have all of my videos working, it is time to go back and finish this one off. I will have another update soon!
 
I've made more progress since my last post, but it is not done yet. Now that I have all of my videos working, it is time to go back and finish this one off. I will have another update soon!

Woohoo! I'm looking forward to this a lot. Major Havoc is great, but with a 25-inch amplifone? Holy Crap that is heaven.

Change it back to a 720 :)

Don't listen to this guy. Haters gonna hate. :p
 
Back after a long hiatus!

With the new vinyl applied and t-molding installed, time to move onto the control panel. I was able to track down a vectorized control panel overlay done for space duel conversion from someone on vectorlist. I resized for the new 720-sized reproduction control panel from the previous owner. Here it is clamped on the metal panel after being applied (I also used the installed button technique to hold it in place during application):
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This is how it turned out:
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I built a new Major Havoc marquee box since a giant 80s-style boom-box doesn't really reflect the Major Havoc theme very well. :) I decided to construct it the same way as the 720 panel, i.e. a wooden backing to mount the speakers, covered with a metal face. Both the metal face and wooden backing will have a hole covered with clear lexan/plexiglass for the lighted marquee. I tried to go with a more futuristic space-look compared to the original 720 design. A special thanks goes out to BubbaK a few exits north on the NJ turnpike from me, who fabbed the new metal marquee panel to take the place of the old 720 version. He has a great set-up at work and was able to work from a Visio drawing of what I wanted to create. To get the futuristic slotted speaker openings I wanted, BubbaK used a computerized plasma cutter. He really did a top notch job and produced a replacement metal panel that matches the dimensions of the 720 panel it is replacing.

With the metal panel in hand, I went to work and built a new wood backdrop to replace the original 720 version since I will not be re-using the giant 8" speakers. I cut a new piece of wood the correct size on my table saw using the 720 boombox panel as a template. I ended up with something a little too big width-wise, so I tried to do a quick trim down job and cut it too short so the boom box sides did not sit flush. Instead of cutting a whole new piece, I doweled in an extender and then re-cut to the correct length. Since this will be sitting behind the metal panel, it is not too big of a deal. Next I cut out the hole for the marquee and speakers using a jigsaw, taking my time. Despite just being hand-held the cuts came out nice. Once the holes were cut, I routed out around the speaker holes so the speakers will sit recessed from the front. I also routed a lip around some of the marquee hole's edges for the lexan to sit on. Here is how it turned out:
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As well as a test fit on the cabinet:
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Done!

Finally, for the artwork, I went away from the traditional Major Havoc "Rex-in-maze" marquee design. Since this is a unique conversion, I decided to use something unique and instead drew up an homage to the great and rare Major Havoc poster, merging it with the lettering from the production dedicated cabinet. Here is the poster I am talking about, along with my first attempt...please...no laughting:
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Since I was not too happy with how mine turned out (an art-teest I am not), I found someone over on BYOAC that offered up his artistic services. It turns out, he is a member here as well. Anyway, from the first sketch working from my attempt, it was clear I made the right decision leaving this in the very capable and talented hands of opt2not. After a few rounds of hand drawings and minor tweaks, I had in my hands exactly what I was after. Opt2not vectorized his work and this is what I ended up with, quite an improvement over my feeble attempt:
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With the running Major vectorized, I merged him with a header design that I put together with a custom maze element and stary background along with the standard MH lettering. Once it was completed, off the file went to Rich at Thisoldgame.com who did a fantastic job helping me with color matching and printing up a beautiful marquee. We printed it on adhesive material similar to a control panel so it would stick to the metal panel + lexan backing that covers the hole. I ended up installing an additional flourescent tube to light up the wider opening as compared to the original 720 design.

Finally, for the speaker grills, I got some fabric that matched the Major Havoc blue and taped them to the back of the metal panel. I will need to come up with a better way to get them in place so they don't wrinkle, but I do like the way it all turned out (the list up photo got washed out by the camera).
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So, here she is, what I belive is the only 25" Major Havoc that exists in the world:
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Down the road, I plan to build another control panel and use this cabinet as a 25" Zektor ZVG multi-vector set-up. The 25" monitor is large enough so that vertical games will be nearly full 19" in size (hell-looo, Tempest) .But for now, I'll stick with the Major.
 
I love it!!! However, with such a beautiful cab...don't you think you should at least paint the coin door? ;) For the speaker cloth, don't tape it onto the back of the metal cover, pull it taught over the wooden speaker enclosure and staple it. That's going to be the only way you'll get that tight enough.
 
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