Finally finished: Tempest Restoration

franka098

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Tempest was always one of my favorite games. When I started collecting many many years ago Tempests were in high demand and were selling from $800-$1200. I seached for quite sometime and finally found one for about $200. My first vector game purchase, however it was in really bad shape. The game was complete but the cab had water damage (swelling on the bottom quarter), the coin door was not salvagable, the monitor arced to the frame, game boards didn't work etc...

I spent about a year rebuilding all the electronics to get the game working. Once it was playing well, I decided to restore the cab. It took A LOT of bondo, sanding and many coats of paint but here is the result of three years of work:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/TempestResto/Side2.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/TempestResto/Side1.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/TempestResto/Front.jpg

I also made a Tempest/Tubes switchable ROM for the game.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/TempestResto/Tubesswitch.jpg


-Frank
 
I've seen this game firsthand, minty fresh doesn't even come close to this one.
 
That's awesome Frank!

I really like how you have the switch on the chip
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wow... looks fantastic.

How are you cutting the edges on your sideart after application? Also, are you using the wet method on games that have full sideart?
 
I used both the wet method and the dry method to apply the art. First let me mention that the game was fully painted before art was applied otherwise using the wet method would have been a bad idea.
I started at the top of the cab and use the wet method on the first 1-2 feet of art to make sure I get everything lined up. Then I used the dry method on the rest. It took quite a bit of work to get the art to line up. I don't think I could have done it "dry" only. I did have to leave the art alone for several days before the glue on the "wet" part made a good bond.

As for trimming the art, I ended up wrapping it under the T-molding. This is the first time I've done that and it turned out really nice. Slits need to be cut on the bends (much like t-molding) to allow the art to wrap without folding. Did that make sense?

-Frank
 
Very nice Frank! Have any 'before' pix?
 
Nice Tempest! What would you charge to make another tubes/switchable rom and ship it to Michigan? I've always wanted to try the tubes out.
jim
 
I saw this in person last weekend and I have seen other tempest restorations with new side art applied and this one is by far the best job I have seen, it looks about as close to new as anyone could possibly get.
 
Thanks everyone. I uploaded a few before pictures below:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/Tempest%20Before/Side2.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/Tempest%20Before/SideDamage.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/Tempest%20Before/Coindoor.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/Tempest%20Before/Frontholes.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/Tempest%20Before/SideStripped.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/franka098/Tempest%20Before/SidePrimer.jpg

The water damage can be seen in the second picture - close up of the side. Notice the texture on the side art. That's supposed to be smooth. Water damage can also be seen in the 5th picture with the art work removed. The original coin door in the picture was not restored but is representative of the cabinet's shape. I ended up buying another and restoring that instead.

The paint for the front is Rustoleum Satin Black (spray can). I spent alot of time on the front and sanded the laminate down really well.

Jimmyjet (and anyone who wants a Tubes ROM), make sure your Tempest boardset has 12 ROMs. There are versions with only 6 ROMs that will not work. If you want one send me a PM. The price will be reasonable.

-Frank
 
Wow, that's an amazing transformation there. Very nice work! Inspired me to start working on my Dig Dug restoration again (now if I can only find a working PCB - suddenly they seem hard to find
frown.gif
)
 
Very nicely done! I don't do much cabinet restoration work to my games (partically because I don't have much ability for woodworking and because I'm also lazy
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) but I hope whenever I do that they can turn out like that. Looks awesome!
 
That game looks awesome! Incredible job. When you first mentioned water damage, I was thinking it would be a lot better to just replace the sides rather than repair them, but that water damage was far less than I was expecting.

I'm really going to have to get a vector game one of these days! That game looks so good, it's really inspiring.

Wade
 
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