Got My Grail! Is it a 1982 Atari Vector HUO? You be the judge!

smokinfish

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Got My Grail! Is it a 1982 Atari Vector HUO? You be the judge!

So Thursday night I get a text from DC2010 asking if I still want a Black Widow, (I have a WTB Thread on KLOV) because he knows a guy who has a "NICE ONE".

I said, sure send pics, he says it's in KANSAS. KANSAS, WTF? Turns out he's going to pick up a very rare pinball and the guy has a BW as well. I said let me know when you have pics.

Friday night at 11:30pm I get a mms of a BW front, and a BW side. Then a call from Darren (DC2010). He tells me this machine is near mint and I definitely should get it. After checking a few details, and one paypal payment later. My grail is in Darren's truck heading to Dallas.

Fast Forward to Saturday at Super Auctions in Mesquite. Darren shows up and he's got my Grail. So Gutsman004 (Greg), RickB68 (Rick), DC2010 (Darren) and I head out to the truck.

First out of the truck is the very rare Defender pinball. WOW! What a beauty!

Next out the Black Widow! HOLY SH*T! NICE? WTF? More like MINTY FRESH! I am not kidding you when I say the four of us stood around and looked at this machine for a good 15 mins. Just in AWE!

This machine looks like Darren got in to his DeLorean went back to 1982, walked in to the ATARI production facility and walked out with a brand new BLACK WIDOW.

Per Darren, here's the seller's story: the seller bought it from an Arcade who kept it in a store room the whole time they had it. The buyer has had it ever since. Could it be HUO?

The left side art has very small white scratch in the middle of the art, the right side is perfect. CPO is cracking at the bend as normal and the joystick shafts are tarnished other than that this thing is ridiculously fresh!

The Serial Number is 06958, number of plays on the counter 19,694.
If 28 years is 10,220 days. Then 19,694 divided by 10,000 is less then 2 plays a day!

So today I vacuumed out the dust, wiped it down and took some pics. By far the fastest, cheapest, and easiest restoration I have ever done! :D

I know, I know, no pics and it didn't really happen! Well here are the pics! I forgot to take close up pics of the right side art, but I promise you its in better shape then the side I did take close up pics of. I'll add those pics tomorrow.

Enjoy the pics and please post your verdict on HUO or not. Thanks!
In all honesty the pictures don't do it justice.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48400772@N04/sets/72157624964959339/


For more info on Darren's trip for a Defender Pinball and this Black Widow, check out his thread here:
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=153197
 
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Damn man, that is sweet! A friend of mine used to have one a few years back, and that was the first time I had ever seen one let alone heard of the game. Cool game, very tough gameplay.

Got yourself a nice one, congrats!
 
Nice game, but turn down your brightness. I can see the vector traces from here.

Brightness is the knob on the bottom of the flyback (screen). You turn it with a flathead screwdriver like tool.

Leaving it like that will burn the center of your tube.
 
Nice game, but turn down your brightness. I can see the vector traces from here.

Brightness is the knob on the bottom of the flyback (screen). You turn it with a flathead screwdriver like tool.

Leaving it like that will burn the center of your tube.

Thanks I actually have another thread asking why that's happening. I'm going to adjust the brightness in the am. Luckily I have not played it like that. It just started happening after I moved it.
 
I enjoyed drooling over that game,it looked so nice.About the only game that could even rival it was that ultra clean Omega Race cockpit at the auction.
 
One of the hardest games there is, IMHO and also very hard to walk away from. The gamplay is addicting. Just like Gravitar, only more so. Sure wish I had one.
 
It IS a VERY nice game!!! I got to see it and honestly it looked like it was un-crated and put into a residential home immediately and sat there until now. I'm still too new to drool over it, but I can very much appreciate the shape it was in. Super clean!
 
HUO? Technically, I'd say no because it was in an arcade. Even if it wasn't on the floor, it didn't go directly to a home.

But who cares. All that matters is that you have a beautiful looking game. Nice pick up! You won't find many games that look that good.
 
Wow.really nice find. That game is on my long term want list.. Very nice condition to..

Congrats!

Malice95
 
Nice! (but not HUO)

HUO? Technically, I'd say no because it was in an arcade. Even if it wasn't on the floor, it didn't go directly to a home.

But who cares. All that matters is that you have a beautiful looking game. Nice pick up! You won't find many games that look that good.

Clean cabinet but definatley NOT HUO. This game spent many hours on location. It is obvious with that many clicks on the coin counter and the phospher burns in the tube. I would also pick up a repro CPO for this machine.
 
Thanks for all the compliments guys. Yea I don't really care if its HUO, I just wondered because I have never seen such a clean game. I mean look at that power supply! Even the piece of paper that covers the fuses has a brand new look and feel to it.

The coin box does have some light scratching in the inside but not much.

New CPO is a must, as well as nos joystick assemblies. Then its done.

The only part that really matters to me is its in my house now! :D
 
Nice find, have to agree with you that is probably one of the most clean / new looking power brick I have ever seen in an atari cabinet before. The real question though is do all the serial #'s match, AR Board, main PCB, Monitor, etc. etc. ?.
 
Nice find, have to agree with you that is probably one of the most clean / new looking power brick I have ever seen in an atari cabinet before. The real question though is do all the serial #'s match, AR Board, main PCB, Monitor, etc. etc. ?.

Thats a good question, I'll look. Being that all Black Widows were converted Gravitar cabinets. (You can see the Gravitar art under the BW side art) I'm not sure what will match and what won't.

Anybody have more info on how that was done?
 
Ok went back and looked at the pics again for serial numbers.

Cabinet: 06958
Sound Board: 06958
Power Supply: 06958
PCB: all I can see is a 013132 stamped in black on the board
Monitor: 00697

Not sure what the PCB should have since they converted them.
Does the monitor serial number mean it was swapped out at some point?
 
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