Early Galaxian

SRS

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So I found a guy who has an old full size Galaxian buried in his garage. He told me that he didn't think it worked but he really didn't remember.

It actually looks really good cosmetically (other than being really dirty). It has two buttons to control the left to right movement rather than a joystick, so I am assuming that it is an early model. I already have a Galaxian and the artwork and the marquee look different from the one I have as well.

I offered the guy $50 for it and he jumped at it. Unfortunately, he has a mountain of crap blocking it in his garage, so I am going to help him move some stuff to get it out this weekend.

Do these all button control models hold any more value than the models with a joystick?
 
Huh. I've never seen one with button controls. I have seen a real early Galaxian though - the original ones had a 25" monitor instead of 19". It was an odd Electrohome monitor. It's always possible that someone swapped the control panel on the one I saw, but it had a joystick.

Could also be a bootleg. Doesn't matter though, for $50, it's worth it, whatever it is :)

-Ian
 
Cool. Don't think the buttons are any better than the joystick. Love the kick plate art on the old style too. Post pics if you buy it.
 
Huh. I've never seen one with button controls. I have seen a real early Galaxian though - the original ones had a 25" monitor instead of 19". It was an odd Electrohome monitor. It's always possible that someone swapped the control panel on the one I saw, but it had a joystick.

Could also be a bootleg. Doesn't matter though, for $50, it's worth it, whatever it is :)

-Ian

My Galaxian is an early one with the 25" monitor. It has a joystick though.
 
My Galaxian is an early one with the 25" monitor. It has a joystick though.

I still have yet to see a picture of a Galaxian with a 25" monitor...and this is after nearly a decade of trying to find one (a picture, that is). Do you have any?

And were the 25" monitors on early units, or did they put them in there after they ran out of 19" monitors?

(Also, to the OP - if you get pictures of your button control panel, please post them. Sounds very interesting; want to see what the overlay looks like.)
 
My Galaxian has a 25-inch Electrohome G02 monitor in it.

I've never seen any control panel with buttons versus the joystick either.
 
Yeah, I was going to say the Namco version. The Japanese cabinet looks a bit different, IIRC. That one on KLOV may be the Euro version.

Tom
 
Namco version

It was a Namco - Namco was plastered all over it. It said Namco right above the G in Galaxian on the marquee, on the control panel overlay under the fire button, and on the center bottom of the sideart. Also, I'm not sure if the front artwork was installed correctly because it was almost completely obscured by the coin door - seems to me like it should have been applied lower on the front.

So I'm new to this hobby...did Namco make the game initially then sell the game rights to Midway or was the game licensed to both Namco and Midway at some point with Namco selling in some areas and Midway selling in others? I'm confused.
 
It was a Namco - Namco was plastered all over it. It said Namco right above the G in Galaxian on the marquee, on the control panel overlay under the fire button, and on the center bottom of the sideart. Also, I'm not sure if the front artwork was installed correctly because it was almost completely obscured by the coin door - seems to me like it should have been applied lower on the front.

So I'm new to this hobby...did Namco make the game initially then sell the game rights to Midway or was the game licensed to both Namco and Midway at some point with Namco selling in some areas and Midway selling in others? I'm confused.

Yes, Namco in Japan developed the game and Midway licensed it for the U.S. markets.

If the cab has buttons for the direction, it's likely the Italian Bertolino licensed version which is closer to the Namco version of the cab (still says Namco all over, but also has small text indicating it was built by Bertolini and no Japanese). This is the first pic shown on the KLOV entry.

The original Japanese Namco machines (mfd. in Japan) used joysticks and had a greenish single-slot coin door. They also had large rectangular light-up start buttons.
 
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Re: Buttons vs 2way joystick, it's probably psychological, but I can't play Space Invaders with a joystick, I HATE it, but it's kind of fun with the buttons. I'd probably feel the same way about Galaga/Galaxian with buttons instead of a joystick. Dunno, still it's a cool find, esp for $50. Let's see some pics.
 
Re: Buttons vs 2way joystick, it's probably psychological, but I can't play Space Invaders with a joystick,

It isn't psychological, it's a physical fact. There is a timing delay in moving a joystick back and forth that doesn't exist with buttons. I don't claim to be great at playing video games, but Space Invaders and Deluxe Space Invaders were two games I was great at. I played a joystick version one time and it was horrible.
 
Wow...I think some of our European friends on here were looking for this particular version of Galaxian so they could get the artwork repro'ed but they couldn't find a cab anywhere, just a pic they came across on Google.

imag1975.jpg


imag1928.jpg




You mind scanning the artwork after you pick it up?





.
 
It isn't psychological, it's a physical fact. There is a timing delay in moving a joystick back and forth that doesn't exist with buttons. I don't claim to be great at playing video games, but Space Invaders and Deluxe Space Invaders were two games I was great at. I played a joystick version one time and it was horrible.

Well yes but by that logic games like Galaxian/Galaga/Mario Brothers/Any 2 way game would be better/preferred with buttons instead of a joy. But I can't imagine playing any of the three of those with buttons, even if it would be "better".
 
Well yes but by that logic games like Galaxian/Galaga/Mario Brothers/Any 2 way game would be better/preferred with buttons instead of a joy. But I can't imagine playing any of the three of those with buttons, even if it would be "better".

I agree with you but I think some of that is "what you grew with". If Galaga came out with buttons first and we got used to it, we'd be screaming at a joystick. And vice-versa. If Space Invaders came out with a joystick, we'd be screaming about a button version.
 
I've never played Galaxian with buttons, but have had to work on the early WG4500 series monitors in early Galaxians. Just horrible, horrible monitors!

Scott C.
 
I thought that the 25" monitor was an optional upgrade. I have seen one. The monitor did not work. It was easy enough to mount a regular 19" monitor in it. It did have a standard control panel on it as well.
 
I agree with you but I think some of that is "what you grew with". If Galaga came out with buttons first and we got used to it, we'd be screaming at a joystick. And vice-versa. If Space Invaders came out with a joystick, we'd be screaming about a button version.

So like I said, it's psychological. :p Sheesh.
 
Namco Japanese: Joystick and rectangular P1 and P2 buttons:
imag1975.jpg


imag1927.jpg


Namco European (Built by Bertolino): button control (SUCKS !) and regular P1 and P2 buttons. Berolino-Italy is mentioned on the side-art and marquee:

This is a Euro Namco cab which has a joystick hacked in in place of the left move button. I played a button version once back in the 80's and have always remembered how unplayable it made the game !!!!:

g01.JPG


g02.JPG


Midway (US only): Joystick and completely different artwork all over the cab.

My friend (from the same place I live in) Robin has serial nr. 171 Midway and it has a 19"
I have serial nr. 815 Midway and it has a 19".

The side-art from Robin's is different then mine (It has blue in the top part of the word Galaxian, this is the only Midway Galaxian I've seen so far that is 100% like the one on the flyer). Both originally had black-leathered T-molding, not the green.

I too would love to see pics of an original 25" set-up ! The manuals also mention the 25" version.
 
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