Defender Reproduction

WOW!, that's starting to look the part, well done.

Are you going to do stencils or vinyl wrap?
 
WOW!, that's starting to look the part, well done.

Are you going to do stencils or vinyl wrap?

I'm not really sure yet. I'm leaning towards this from XL Arcade which would cover the entire side and we'd just have to trim it to the cabinet. So a full wrap which has its appeal.

Second, as I've never built a cabinet or even restored one I'm hesitant about using a stencil especially as it would run me nearly $300cdn while the wrap is about $200cdn.

But we don't need to decide just yet so any advice or opinions are welcome.
 
Decided to do another coat of paint because I had one more can of Rustoleum semi gloss and figured might as well.

So here it is with the final coat. It's presently drying in the garage.

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The eagle eyed can see where I hit the garage floor because I painted the side opposite the one I'd places the cardboard down on. I'll blame it on a senior moment as I am retired … :). No harm. Just my garage floor.

Once my son is free we will begin on the electronics, wiring, etc. I'll try to post a pic of the boards and Ken's lovely harness as it stands now on my test bench this week. I'll also take pictures of the other harnesses as they will be used and are works of art. Ken is a true artist.
 
I'm not really sure yet. I'm leaning towards this from XL Arcade which would cover the entire side and we'd just have to trim it to the cabinet. So a full wrap which has its appeal.

Second, as I've never built a cabinet or even restored one I'm hesitant about using a stencil especially as it would run me nearly $300cdn while the wrap is about $200cdn.

But we don't need to decide just yet so any advice or opinions are welcome.

If you're going for a wrap, try and get one that has breathable vinyl. It's a lot easier to get any trapped air pockets out, as it's able to escape through the vinyl, rather than having to pierce it.
 
I'm not really sure yet. I'm leaning towards this from XL Arcade which would cover the entire side and we'd just have to trim it to the cabinet. So a full wrap which has its appeal.

Second, as I've never built a cabinet or even restored one I'm hesitant about using a stencil especially as it would run me nearly $300cdn while the wrap is about $200cdn.

But we don't need to decide just yet so any advice or opinions are welcome.
With all of this work you're putting in I dont see how you could NOT do stencils like it was done originally. Just fyi @mneubey runs arcadestencils.com and he has a practice stencil for only $10. You could use that on a scrap board that's finished like your cab to get a feel for it to see if its something you'd want to pursue.
 
And this is why I'm torn. I want to do a really good job but at the same time I don't know which route I should take as both have pluses and minuses.

I'll check out arcadestencils.com and get the trial stencil. There are a lot of off cuts I can paint the same. Another rattle can is only $13cdn so not a big investment.

I appreciate all the advice and recommendations. And my son and I are trying to make it as close to original as possible save for some weight saving measures like the LCD. Just glad I'm not in a rush or under a deadline :).
 
And this is why I'm torn. I want to do a really good job but at the same time I don't know which route I should take as both have pluses and minuses.

I'll check out arcadestencils.com and get the trial stencil. There are a lot of off cuts I can paint the same. Another rattle can is only $13cdn so not a big investment.

I appreciate all the advice and recommendations. And my son and I are trying to make it as close to original as possible save for some weight saving measures like the LCD. Just glad I'm not in a rush or under a deadline :).
Oh, I missed the part about using an LCD. In that case sticker side art is fine. Not sure why I was thinking it was all original electronics.
 
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Oh, I missed the part about using an LCD. In that case sticker side art is fine lol
LOL. Yeah. I've been diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis so need to keep things as light as possible in my life.

That said, I have made the cabinet so it'll accept a CRT and my son has said he'll ultimately hunt one down for me. He said he figures he'll ultimately inherit it and wants to make it as close to original as possible. I told him that's fine and we can deal with it when he finds one. And yes, he will ultimately inherit it.

So the plan is get this working with the LCD. And if, ultimately, a CRT materializes we can swap it out.
 
Son won't be over until Friday, he took the day off to take his car in for some work and will come over for some more time with me on the cabinet while it's in the shop.

As I had a bit of time today I did the speaker grill. Used black metal patio door mesh. I think it looks good. The mesh was a few bucks, probably used more money in spray paint than the mesh cost :). Here's a couple of pics.

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Looks nice and clean.

I'm expecting some samples of perforated steel sheet this week as I'm looking to do mine as well.
 
Looks nice and clean.

I'm expecting some samples of perforated steel sheet this week as I'm looking to do mine as well.

Thanks!

I've noticed others use perforated metal sheets and they do look great. I just wasn't sure I could form it into the right shape as it seemed pretty rigid. Or maybe I'm just looking at the wrong type. I did buy a small piece which I'll cut into appropriate sizes for the rear vents.



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I see others just notch the corners and fold. This produces a square corner rather than the rounded style I'm going for.

Will see if the form I've made can cope.
 
I have a question regarding the side art. What is the dimension left to right, up and down? I've checked online and the dimensions I've seen are 56cmx76cm (22x30 inches). Is that right? I know there is dead space top and bottom.

I'm thinking of trying to 3D print a stencil in segments with jigsaw like connections so it can be stored in a smaller space. If I know the exact dimensions I can then figure out how to get the AI stencils from online into appropriately sized STLs. Thanks!!
 
Sorry for the hiatus between posts but my son's work has gotten very busy and he's been out of country on business as well. He said to get as much of the cabinet done without him as possible but he wants to help with the electronics o to hold off on that.

So here we are a month later and I opted to install the t-molding and begin fitting the various additional bits I have such as the bezel and the light fixture.

The bezel needs cleaning and I will try to buff out the minor scratches. I have an instruction card and will add that once I'm happy with the state of the bezel.

I pulled the light fixture I purchased a while ago out of the box and it needs a bit of work (see pic). The transformer is definitely not trustworthy with all that rust and I'll figure something out. Might just opt for an LED tube replacement. We will see. Other than that the fixture is in fine shape.

As for the t-molding, below are two pictures. In one you can see coils of additional t-molding that I will use for the control panels that will connect to the JROK as follows:

Red: Defender
Yellow: Stargate
Light Blue: Joust
Dark Blue: Multi-Williams

The plan is to store each in the back of the cabinet and the t-molding will make it easy to pull out the appropriate CP.

I'll be doing more work this week on the cabinet and hope to be a tad more regular in posts.IMG_5290.jpegIMG_5287.jpegIMG_5288.jpegIMG_5289.jpeg
 
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Sorry for the hiatus but my back acted up and then my son and his wife went on a vacation to the Maritimes. But we're back at it. Here's the latest update.

- Got the Vision Pro 19" LCD installed
- Polished up the bezel with Novus
- Installed the monitor shroud
- Installed the marquee light

I'll post photos shortly.
 
And now for some photos. You can see the old and tired control panel which will be refurbished. But for now is excellent to just keep ensuring things work even if the buttons are old and tired, too.

But it works and looks great IMO. The bezel looks vastly better but nearly 45 years of age has definitely left some scars. Novus did help and it looks way better. And I am perfectly ok with some patina :).

Will be wiring up the marquee light next as that's easy and coordinating the next stage of the build with my son. But it's so close now :).

Once the boards are installed it'll feee up the workbench and I'll start on the coin door.

And here are some shots.

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