My first restoration.
Disclaimer: This restoration actually started a year ago. I would do several things differently now, but I thought I would share my learning experience with others. Unfortunately, I don't have much time for this hobby, so the restorations are slow as are the posts.
Anyway, here we go:
This was a CL pickup and my first game. This Mario Bros was a DK conversion. I remember when I use to ride my bike down to the local "food, beer, ice" and play Donkey Kong. Now that I think about it, it was odd to have an arcade game sitting in the entrance to a convenience store. But the arcade at the mall was too far for the bike. One day I showed up to play my favorite Donkey Kong and found a Mario Bros there instead. I played it a few times, but left sad to see my old friend gone. Little did I know back then that it was actually my Donkey Kong, with a new brain and clothes. I never got into Mario Bros. It was probably a game of the next generation. One that my little brother liked. But now I find myself as the proud owner of a 30 year old game that once was the DK I loved. So the question is, do I revert it back to its original state or renovate it to its prior Mario Bros glory days? (I know some are screaming DK, DK, DK) But I chose to go with leaving it as a Mario Bros.
The bezel and marquee look good. The controls are ok but will need some work. Everything was working. I brought the game home, played it for about 15 minutes and walked away. When I came back, it was dead. The marquee light was on, but that was it.
So here is what I have to work with:
The cab is in pretty good shape. Some deep scratches and dings. The side art is trashed. T-molding needs replaced.
Controls look ok, but there is substantial wear on the cp. Cig burns on the buttons.
Side art. Yeah that will need replacing.
The bezel is good. No deep scratches, just needs to be cleaned. Slight burn on the monitor.
Marquee is in good shape.
Disclaimer: This restoration actually started a year ago. I would do several things differently now, but I thought I would share my learning experience with others. Unfortunately, I don't have much time for this hobby, so the restorations are slow as are the posts.
Anyway, here we go:
This was a CL pickup and my first game. This Mario Bros was a DK conversion. I remember when I use to ride my bike down to the local "food, beer, ice" and play Donkey Kong. Now that I think about it, it was odd to have an arcade game sitting in the entrance to a convenience store. But the arcade at the mall was too far for the bike. One day I showed up to play my favorite Donkey Kong and found a Mario Bros there instead. I played it a few times, but left sad to see my old friend gone. Little did I know back then that it was actually my Donkey Kong, with a new brain and clothes. I never got into Mario Bros. It was probably a game of the next generation. One that my little brother liked. But now I find myself as the proud owner of a 30 year old game that once was the DK I loved. So the question is, do I revert it back to its original state or renovate it to its prior Mario Bros glory days? (I know some are screaming DK, DK, DK) But I chose to go with leaving it as a Mario Bros.
The bezel and marquee look good. The controls are ok but will need some work. Everything was working. I brought the game home, played it for about 15 minutes and walked away. When I came back, it was dead. The marquee light was on, but that was it.
So here is what I have to work with:
The cab is in pretty good shape. Some deep scratches and dings. The side art is trashed. T-molding needs replaced.
Controls look ok, but there is substantial wear on the cp. Cig burns on the buttons.
Side art. Yeah that will need replacing.
The bezel is good. No deep scratches, just needs to be cleaned. Slight burn on the monitor.
Marquee is in good shape.

