Identify cabinet game (also question about paint removal)

The point as others have mentioned is to do small tests on INCONSPICUOUS areas of the sideart (not the middle), and find out what works best for that paint, before trying to do large areas on the actual art. Silkscreened art tends to be pretty tough, but depending on what chemicals you use, and more importantly what technique you use (i.e., how long you leave it on, and how/what you use to mechanically remove), you'll need to experiment to get the right combination down that will still look ok after, and not eat into the art. Magic Erasers are good because they're forgiving, and easier to control, even if they require more elbow grease. Better less harsh than too harsh.

Also, every option will work worse if it's cold. Get a heater and warm your garage and the cabinet up.

Test to find what works best on a small white-only spot where it won't matter if you strip too hard, and you'll have an easier time on the rest of the cab.

It's always best to preserve what you can (including t-molding, as repro is never exactly the same as original). Yes, you can strip and wrap the cab with new printed stickers and molding. But it won't be the same as original.
Wise words! I only worked in the one spot in the photo as it was the only spot where I could get some of the dark green paint up with my fingers and pull it off. Once it exposed the grey paint, the magic eraser/isopropyl alcohol was just an experiment.

I'll be working on the bottom of the side where there is supposed to be just white.
 
IMO, the end result isn't going to be good enough on this one. I'd buy new art and molding, strip the old paint with whatever is fastest/easiest, and restore this with new art and molding. Why spend 100 hours trying to get it back, I really think the end result will be 5 out of a scale of 1 to 10. But it just depends on what you want and how you value your time.
 
It looks like the paint may be removed by pulling away? I had the same issue with my Moon Patrol and I managed to peel the paint off with a glass scraper and some heat. Of course, I think Willliams cabs had a clear coat and that helped peel the paint off. That and the paint being Latex.


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It looks like the paint may be removed by pulling away? I had the same issue with my Moon Patrol and I managed to peel the paint off with a glass scraper and some heat. Of course, I think Willliams cabs had a clear coat and that helped peel the paint off. That and the paint being Latex.


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I don't think so, only because what appears to be underneath is a primer textured layer. The dark green latex easily peels away from the original black paint around the monitor with no apparent layer of primer. Once I used magic eraser and isopropyl alcohol on that "primer" layer it came up relatively easy and the black lines you see of the screen printed original side art started to appear. The more I used the magic eraser, that screen printed black was unaffected. There are hints of the mustard and blue colors from the original side art, but they were not on the back of what was peeled up. If these other colors show up elsewhere on the cabinet, I will assume they were worn off when primed and painted.
 
IMO, the end result isn't going to be good enough on this one. I'd buy new art and molding, strip the old paint with whatever is fastest/easiest, and restore this with new art and molding. Why spend 100 hours trying to get it back, I really think the end result will be 5 out of a scale of 1 to 10. But it just depends on what you want and how you value your time.
You are probably correct. This isn't my primary project so I will go slow with it and see what shows up. In the end, if I end up with a working Galaxian that looks old with terrible side art, I will be happy with that as it will be returned to what it was, rather than a dumb poker game.
 
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