Griffin
Well-known member
/Me looks over at the Moon Patrol I bought from you…..
Ahahaahahaha I was waiting for this post.
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/Me looks over at the Moon Patrol I bought from you…..
To be absolutely honest? Cheyenne. I saw it pop up on Facebook back in 2020 for $650. In my mind at that time these games were at least worth 1700+, so this felt like a steal.This one was working and just needed some cabinet work. It was down in Iowa 3 1/2 hours one way so I had to prepare for a seven hour round-trip. Drove down and met the dude, picked up the game and drove it back. Now remember this is 2020. My kids were like 11 and 8 and I couldn't wait for them to play this wonderful gun game - something we've never had in the arcade. Each took a few turns playing it when I got it back and then I basically told them "OK, that'll be your last game for a while as Dad's gonna restore this one for the Arcade so you'll be able to play it in a few months."
Well months turned into years and here we are in 2025. I've got the cabinet restored and the gun restored, but the game doesn't work and I'm not sure what's wrong. Now my kids are 16 and 13. My youngest will be 14 in less than a month. They are losing interest in arcade games and the arcade in general, and by the time I figure this game out, the oldest one will most likely be out of the house.
Thanks for posting this! So much of it rings true for me. Hopefully some others will heed this as a word of caution, especially when entering a new phase in their life.I think I would enjoy this hobby much better if I could get rid of half my games and sort of reset the arcade.
You have a simple problem, you just need a bigger garage. Laughs.Gunblade NY (the huge projection monitor version). When I first got in the hobby I thought I had to snatch up all I could. Gunblade took up so much room in my garage (4 uprights worth of space). I never even messed with it. Ended up trading it for some PCBs. I was more than happy to make that trade.
Hmmmm why did I buy this Zaxxon? Said no one ever.
To be fair, it's the only game I've ever seen that was repaired using drywall compound. I don't know how many years it's been, one day I'll get around to restoring it.Ahahaahahaha I was waiting for this post.
This hit home. I don't have children, but became self employed last year, and that eats up most of my time. I've managed to hit the brakes on getting new projects and even got rid of a few I was never getting around to.Thanks for posting this! So much of it rings true for me. Hopefully some others will heed this as a word of caution, especially when entering a new phase in their life.
If it was me by myself, I would snag projects, buckle down and just get them done. But when you start sharing your life with a spouse and then kids, your free time shrinks, changing your priorities and the things you need to do vs. the things you ought to do vs. the things you want to do really start become a challenge to balance out.
Lately my regret is not getting already working games. I think when I get it all working it'll pay off, but right now, the ratio of time spent fixing vs enjoyed by others (and sometimes enjoyed by myself is really skewed).
Seems everything has been a project, even when I don't intend it to be. And since I don't have as much time, I can't pull out a game, run a bunch of wires and trouble shoot because sometimes I only have a few minutes. Half the time I get interrupted or the gaps of time become too large and I might forget I adjusted the voltage the last time but never set it back to where it was, or some other absent minded thing!
So yeah, to guys with kids, you only have a small window. Use it wisely! Maybe get one of those motion rides they can sit on while you fix the next arcade game you're working on!![]()

Yep, that's the key, just buy working games and enjoy them with your kids. I started fixing up and restoring these things when my daughter was like 2. She will be 21 in a month and so much of my time since she was little has been spent in the garage working on them. I tried to get her involved when she was little. I even had custom hello Kitty buttons made for a multi game I was going to build with her, for her. Well, time slipped away from me and that never happened. I still have the buttons in my button tote. My boys were born when I was still in the buy everything frenzy stage, so they grew up with it, but they never really got into helping me with the games either. Game after game had to be torn down and restored without their help. Hours and hours of time away from them that I can't get back. Then when I'd get the games done, they'd play them, sometimes fall in love and I'd end up eventually selling their favorites to acquire cash to start the cycle all over again. My oldest boy was devastated when I sold my TMNT pin, my DK cocktail and my DK cabaret. I always promised to replace them, but never did. He is now 16 and hates the arcade. He was getting into Circus and Popeye about 2-3 years ago, but hasn't wanted to play any games in about a year. He is STRONGLY suggesting that I get a pool table or he'll probably never go down there again. As many of you know, pool tables are heavy, take up a ton of real estate and are hard as fuck to get rid of. He's only got 2 years of high school left and then I'd be stuck with the damned thing. Not only that, but I'd have to sell about 10-12 games to even get one to fit. I want to keep my (kid)s happy, but this time I may just have to accept the fact that I may never get to enjoy a game night down there with him again. Which sucks. Yeah, I guess I have a lotta regret from this hobby.Thanks for posting this! So much of it rings true for me. Hopefully some others will heed this as a word of caution, especially when entering a new phase in their life.
If it was me by myself, I would snag projects, buckle down and just get them done. But when you start sharing your life with a spouse and then kids, your free time shrinks, changing your priorities and the things you need to do vs. the things you ought to do vs. the things you want to do really start become a challenge to balance out.
Lately my regret is not getting already working games. I think when I get it all working it'll pay off, but right now, the ratio of time spent fixing vs enjoyed by others (and sometimes enjoyed by myself is really skewed).
Seems everything has been a project, even when I don't intend it to be. And since I don't have as much time, I can't pull out a game, run a bunch of wires and trouble shoot because sometimes I only have a few minutes. Half the time I get interrupted or the gaps of time become too large and I might forget I adjusted the voltage the last time but never set it back to where it was, or some other absent minded thing!
So yeah, to guys with kids, you only have a small window. Use it wisely! Maybe get one of those motion rides they can sit on while you fix the next arcade game you're working on!![]()
I dunno…when it's decked out with a complete Phoenix Arcade makeover, it's pretty delicious. Of course, the full size is killer too. I'll never my cabaret go.I picked up a Tron Cabaret in a haul once. You really don't realize how awful that game is until you take away all the pretty cab art, which the cabaret manages to do in spades. That left pretty quick, I think some guy shipped it all the way to Germany.

Man, when it comes to kids, I feel this 100%. Time goes way too fast, and I remember the excitement when it all started, and then one day, it sort of just stops. As a Dad that puts everything into this hobby, and how it affected the family in such a positive way, it's really hard when you have to manually try to jump start it now…especially when it doesn't start as often anymore.Yep, that's the key, just buy working games and enjoy them with your kids. I started fixing up and restoring these things when my daughter was like 2. She will be 21 in a month and so much of my time since she was little has been spent in the garage working on them. I tried to get her involved when she was little. I even had custom hello Kitty buttons made for a multi game I was going to build with her, for her. Well, time slipped away from me and that never happened. I still have the buttons in my button tote. My boys were born when I was still in the buy everything frenzy stage, so they grew up with it, but they never really got into helping me with the games either. Game after game had to be torn down and restored without their help. Hours and hours of time away from them that I can't get back. Then when I'd get the games done, they'd play them, sometimes fall in love and I'd end up eventually selling their favorites to acquire cash to start the cycle all over again. My oldest boy was devastated when I sold my TMNT pin, my DK cocktail and my DK cabaret. I always promised to replace them, but never did. He is now 16 and hates the arcade. He was getting into Circus and Popeye about 2-3 years ago, but hasn't wanted to play any games in about a year. He is STRONGLY suggesting that I get a pool table or he'll probably never go down there again. As many of you know, pool tables are heavy, take up a ton of real estate and are hard as fuck to get rid of. He's only got 2 years of high school left and then I'd be stuck with the damned thing. Not only that, but I'd have to sell about 10-12 games to even get one to fit. I want to keep my (kid)s happy, but this time I may just have to accept the fact that I may never get to enjoy a game night down there with him again. Which sucks. Yeah, I guess I have a lotta regret from this hobby.
Hey man if you love it don't let me yuck your yumI dunno…when it's decked out with a complete Phoenix Arcade makeover, it's pretty delicious. Of course, the full size is killer too. I'll never my cabaret go.
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Thanks,
Jason
At the end of the day, as long as we're all finding what makes our worlds go round in the arcade, it's all yum.Hey man if you love it don't let me yuck your yum