Hypothetical restorations

gregbl

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Hi all,

I'd like to get some expert opinions on this. I've been offered a few cabinets with functional but junky games in them for $50 each. The cabinets are good condition Galaga-style that were repainted, the control panels hacked up for the new games, and all artwork replaced with either something generic, nothing, or the new junky-looking artwork. In a couple of cases, the 19" monitor works in the game too. In others, the monitor has an issue and the game plays blind.

Is it worth the effort to snag these cabinets at that price and spend the time to strip everything, then either put an original game back into that cabinet (or potentially a multi-cade)? It'd be a lot of elbow-grease to get them back into near-original shape, but the cabinets are in good physical shape except for the cosmetics.

Also, I've got several existing games in my restoration queue that are destined for my finished rec room. So, these would have to be stored somewhere offsite until I get to them.

Thoughts? I hate to see good and solid cabinets go to waste, but it'll be a while before I get to them. Or I could get them and offer them up to someone here for what I paid for them.

Any and all input is appreciated...

Thanks,
Greg
 
What is the eventual goal? To fix up and enjoy them yorself? Or flip them for profit?
The margins seem to be REALLY thin on flipping games these days especially ones in the
condition you are describing.

Are you going to end up paying to keep them offsite? Or is this free storage basically?

Are any of the cabinets recognizable as what they used to be? Example.. you can spot an asteroids cabinet a mile away.

Malice95
 
What is the eventual goal? To fix up and enjoy them yorself? Or flip them for profit?
The margins seem to be REALLY thin on flipping games these days especially ones in the
condition you are describing.

Are you going to end up paying to keep them offsite? Or is this free storage basically?

Are any of the cabinets recognizable as what they used to be? Example.. you can spot an asteroids cabinet a mile away.

Malice95

To restore a game well, flip, you might be making like $0.50/hr
 
A working monitor is worth more than $50, each.

Can you give us a list of the dedicated games before they were all converted?

Pick one that you would like to restore, perhaps part out the conversions to make enough money to restore your favorite. If you have the space, money, and dedication to see it through, then, why not?

Or you could try and pass them along to a couple of new collectors for cheap, maybe help someone get their first game.
 
What is the eventual goal? To fix up and enjoy them yorself? Or flip them for profit?
The margins seem to be REALLY thin on flipping games these days especially ones in the
condition you are describing.

Are you going to end up paying to keep them offsite? Or is this free storage basically?

Are any of the cabinets recognizable as what they used to be? Example.. you can spot an asteroids cabinet a mile away.

Malice95

If I were to keep one, due to space issues, I'd likely have to make it into a multicade of some kind. Otherwise, I'd restore and sell.

Offsite storage is storage that I already have and am paying for, I have just a bit more room there.

Yes, the cabinets are definitely from the Galaga series, they look just like that cabinet. Anything that used that footprint could have been in them.
 
To restore a game well, flip, you might be making like $0.50/hr

My thoughts exactly, it would be more for the experience of doing a full restoration from the ground up, and for learning.
 
A working monitor is worth more than $50, each.

Can you give us a list of the dedicated games before they were all converted?

Pick one that you would like to restore, perhaps part out the conversions to make enough money to restore your favorite. If you have the space, money, and dedication to see it through, then, why not?

Or you could try and pass them along to a couple of new collectors for cheap, maybe help someone get their first game.

Not sure exactly what was in the cabinets, but it was something that used the Galaga footprint, because the cabinets are exactly the same size and shape as my Galaga machine.

Yeah, I was wondering if anyone in the Chicago area would want a few good condition cabinets. And I would definitely part-out the conversion stuff.
 
Hard to tell without seeing them to know but it seems to me like the only ways to make cash on them would be to either a) sell parts or b) fix up the monitors and throw a multi-kit in them.

Option b may or may not actually make you any money.
 
i would grab them for that price, but then again, i have a big mostly empty barn on the back side of my property...
 
If you can store them,can afford them,want to restore them,and learn while doing so then do that.Otherwise I'd say pass on them.
 
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