Interest Check: Repro Midway Coin Doors?

Takeman

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Anyone interested in reproduction midway pac style doors? All Im talking about doing is the frame and door panel itself. Die punched, powder coated and all. You would just have to clean up your existing parts and transfer them over to the fresh door. Estimating them at $65-$75.... Post up if interested.....
 
You should make 1000 of them and sell them for the next 5 years. Make a website to list all of the games it fits on and sell them for $20.

Do the math.
 
I would probably buy 1 x midway door from you

At present, in Aust, there is a discussion about nintendo doors. It started when someone offered to make nintendo cabs with a CNC.

There may be a huge interest in midway also, but not until pac and galaga hit the CNC later down the track
 
That would awesome but the logo plates will still be an issue. The repro stickers just don't cut it...
 
There may be a huge interest in midway also, but not until pac and galaga hit the CNC later down the track

Yeah, I forgot, they only made about 350,000 Pac/Gal/Mspac cabs, oh and all the other Midway cabs that use them...:D
 
Nintendo doors might sell, as nearly every one I've come across looks like someone tried to pry it open - the jamb is all bent up.
 
I would be depending on how soon they would be available, restoring about 20 midway games right now.
 
I'm interested. Would be even more interested in complete doors. Happ sold these things until 199*. Track down the original manufacturer maybe?
Also there is still a place that sells midway door parts. Can't remember the place...Paging Ken Layton.
 
I'm interested. Would be even more interested in complete doors. Happ sold these things until 199*. Track down the original manufacturer maybe?
Also there is still a place that sells midway door parts. Can't remember the place...Paging Ken Layton.

I dunno if thats possible or not. Happ does not share info & not sure who else to ask. I could probably have the entire door made, but pricing is gonna be the issue. Who wants to pay $150-$200 for a coin door??

My shop can do everything on there but the coin insert that is alwasy rusty or bent. I figured the door itself would be easiest ands it almost alwasy bent, rusty or has extra holes in it.
 
All the stuff from my files on the Midway coin door is over on Michael Roma's website:

http://home.comcast.net/~mtpacifico/_kenskorner/files/Midway Coin Door - Ms Pac Door.pdf

Yes, indeed Happ Controls bought the dies and rights to manufacture the door from Midway. Happ last showed the door (along with Happ part numbers) in their 1994 catalog. If you telephone Happ Controls, I'm sure they can tell you what they have left in stock for these doors if you give them the Happ part numbers. I'm sure if they get enough requests, they can rerun these doors as complete assemblies again since they already have the tooling and original dies & blueprints.

The history of this door starts around 1968 or 1969. It was originally contract manufactured by Coin Mechanisms, Inc. (http://www.coinmech.com/) for Midway Manufacturing to use on their electromechanical arcade machines. When the video boom started in 1979, some other companies bought the Midway door to use on their own machines. I can confirm that Ramtek used this door on their games. This Coin Mechanisms, Inc. assembly was used by Midway, Stern (classic), and Gameplan on their coin doors (I'm sure it will look familiar to you):

http://www.coinmech.com/product_profile.cfm?id=465

Happ was the last manufacturer to make this door, so remaining stock of parts would be from them. I'm pretty sure the patents on this door expired long ago even if the patent had been renewed. You should be able to manufacture this door and sell it, just don't use any copyrighted Midway artwork/logos/trademarks on it. Leave it up to the door buyer to finish it off with a Midway logo plate they "find" elsewhere if you know what I mean. ;)
 
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All the stuff from my files on the Midway coin door is over on Michael Roma's website:

http://home.comcast.net/~mtpacifico/_kenskorner/files/Midway Coin Door - Ms Pac Door.pdf

Yes, indeed Happ Controls bought the dies and rights to manufacture the door from Midway. Happ last showed the door (along with Happ part numbers) in their 1994 catalog. If you telephone Happ Controls, I'm sure they can tell you what they have left in stock for these doors if you give them the Happ part numbers. I'm sure if they get enough requests, they can rerun these doors as complete assemblies again since they already have the tooling and original dies & blueprints.

The history of this door starts around 1968 or 1969. It was originally contract manufactured by Coin Mechanisms, Inc. (http://www.coinmech.com/) for Midway Manufacturing to use on their electromechanical arcade machines. When the video boom started in 1979, some other companies bought the Midway door to use on their own machines. I can confirm that Ramtek used this door on their games.

Happ was the last manufacturer to make this door, so remaining stock of parts would be from them. I'm pretty sure the patents on this door expired long ago even if the patent had been renewed. You should be able to manufacture this door and sell it, just don't use any copyrighted Midway artwork/logos/trademarks on it. Leave it up to the door buyer to finish it off with a Midway logo plate they "find" elsewhere if you know what I mean. ;)

Damn, that's interesting. Thanks for sharing that.
 
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