Missile Command Cocktail - I want to restore, where to start?

driggins

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Missile Command Cocktail - I want to restore, where to start?

There was an issue with vertical hold and I believe I got that fixed - sent the board to Eldoradogames for fix - but now I want to fix stratches on the glass, repaint control panel, repaint the artwork (or replace with repro) and repaint the cabinet. I'd also like to clean up the inside cabinet.

Where do I begin?

Thanks.
 
i have missile command cocktail.

cant say i restored it,i just had the legs and glass clips powder coated,i filled the big scratchs/holes on the cabs body with p38 car body filler (bondo equivelant) sanded and i then masked off the tmolding/speaker grills and rolled on satin black finish.

i had realy good art on this cocktail,theres not much realy you can do with scratched glass but,this cocktail had the wood grain top,so less artwork but,what was there only needed slight touch up with paint pen,it realy didnt need it.

i rebuilt the trackballs,i replaced the bearings/rollers and put white balls in (might swap them back to the off white ones when i get round to giving them a good wet and dry sand to clean them up/undecided!)

inside i just removed most of the things and soap and watered it,i didnt bother respraying anything.just fitted a new big blue and recapped the ar2,i bought the working board from a seller here on iam forum but,i am in uk so had them shipped to me from usa.

i got another cocktail with the wood grain on the glass that is ok but,it aint minty,i got a non worker coming (when thedeliveryman gets to it) so i can get another worker from 2 nonworkers,i have to get the 2 faulty boards i got here fixed,so i have a spare for this cocktail.

i just wouldnt go all out as theres not much realy you can do with them.if the tmolding aint bad dont replace it,if you have to its just standard smooth 3/4.

repainting the cps might be tricky,i kept mine as they were,they got the usual bubbly effect you get but,the art is in good shape.the white bit of paint on the cp you see in the pic is gone now.i think repainting them might make them look silly because what you gonna do for art?
 

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Missile Command Cocktail

thanks for information.

couple of questions:

where can i find the track balls for the MC Cocktail? I'd like to replace both
i want to raise the table and repaint legs - there are 3 large bolts on the side that hold it to the legs that appear to be allen wrench bolts - how do i get those off? the allen wrench doesn't work
what brand paint did you use to repaint the cabinet and legs?

thanks.
 
thanks for information.

couple of questions:

where can i find the track balls for the MC Cocktail? I'd like to replace both
i want to raise the table and repaint legs - there are 3 large bolts on the side that hold it to the legs that appear to be allen wrench bolts - how do i get those off? the allen wrench doesn't work
what brand paint did you use to repaint the cabinet and legs?

thanks.

I have a Missile Command cocktail too. I sanded down and repainted the legs and glass clips using Tremclad semi-gloss black (similar to Rustoleum satin) in a rattle can and it looks nice. I set out some paint cans on the floor with a towel over top and lifted the cabinet on top of them support it so I could remove the legs. Those hex bolts should come right out with an allen wrench. Are you saying that yours are stuck?

I only had to touch up a few scratches on my control panels; for that I used Testor's enamel which is an excellent match. Hopefully you can do the same, since I'm not sure how you'd re-do the white graphics/lettering if you had to completely repaint them.

Bob Roberts and arcadeshop.com both sell the trackball parts. I think it's the 2 1/4" size you want.
 
Last edited:
thanks for information.

couple of questions:

where can i find the track balls for the MC Cocktail? I'd like to replace both
i want to raise the table and repaint legs - there are 3 large bolts on the side that hold it to the legs that appear to be allen wrench bolts - how do i get those off? the allen wrench doesn't work
what brand paint did you use to repaint the cabinet and legs?

thanks.

If the bolts don't come out with an allen wrench, then they are just stuck. You might try penetrating oil or something from the inside, but be VERY careful not to get it on the electronics!

I repainted the legs on mine with simple krylon black. It's a pretty good finish, not as good as powder coating, but lots cheaper and very DIY.

RAM controls also have the trackball parts (you want new rollers, bearings and balls), and arcadeshop do sell the plastic end bits for the legs. Unfortunately, I find that that the end bits I got from them slip out a little more easily than I'd like.
 
just put a couple of dabs of hot glue on the cap ends that will keep them there for sure,wont stop you from removing them should you ever need to.i need 2 for that cab pictured and some more cap ends for another cocktail i have.i have a spare cocktail that is waiting for a donor cocktail i bought for spare parts for it,then i will have another missile command cocktail that i will flog.

i had new white trackballs in there when i took that pic,i changed them last night back to the original ones,they were well browned so i just used wet and dry sandpaper on them,they look better but,not perfect but,the white balls were too loud for the cocktail.

i used satin paint i had that was from other projects i bought it in wilkingsons in the city centre where i live,its johnstons brand,not expensive but,it looks ok.and yes i just used a big allan key that fitted the bolts that hold the legs in place.

the trackballs i had in the cocktails i got here were in bad nick,they were seized and full of all sorts of material (hair/fluff etc) they had been stood for what looked like years and had not been touched so they were rusty so i had to rebuild them with new bearings/rollers and clean them good.
:)
 
I have a Missile Command cocktail too. I sanded down and repainted the legs and glass clips using Tremclad semi-gloss black (similar to Rustoleum satin) in a rattle can and it looks nice. I set out some paint cans on the floor with a towel over top and lifted the cabinet on top of them support it so I could remove the legs. Those hex bolts should come right out with an allen wrench. Are you saying that yours are stuck?

I only had to touch up a few scratches on my control panels; for that I used Testor's enamel which is an excellent match. Hopefully you can do the same, since I'm not sure how you'd re-do the which graphics/lettering if you had to completely repaint them.

Bob Roberts and arcadeshop.com both sell the trackball parts. I think it's the 2 1/4" size you want.

yeah, the bolts on the legs are stripped it appears. ill try some WD-40 and see what happens.
the control panels are in great shape. i doubt ill mess with those other than some deep cleaning. any recommendations on what cleaning agent to use?
 
yeah, the bolts on the legs are stripped it appears. ill try some WD-40 and see what happens.
the control panels are in great shape. i doubt ill mess with those other than some deep cleaning. any recommendations on what cleaning agent to use?

It's stripped, as in the allen wrench just spins around inside the bolt head? You could always try clamping some vice grips around the outside of the bolt head to see if you can get it to turn.

I use Simple Green to clean almost everything. For CPOs and scuff marks, etc. Magic Erasers work well, just be careful not to scrub off any graphics.

Saleem, I noticed that your MC has different graphics on the glass than mine, and a different type of coin slot/reject button. Yours has the more modern light-up button, mine has just a round metal button.

The replacement leg end caps that I got didn't fit snug into the square tubing on mine either. I just wrapped some electrical tape around the inside part of the cap before sticking them in, now they stay put.
 
you could also cut a stright line through the bolt heads with a drill and some kind of cutting blade,cut it so you can get a screwdriver in and remove the bolts,then replace them with some new ones so you know you are good for the future.
:)
 
you could also cut a stright line through the bolt heads with a drill and some kind of cutting blade,cut it so you can get a screwdriver in and remove the bolts,then replace them with some new ones so you know you are good for the future.
:)

Another (worse) option is a device called an 'ez-out'. It looks much like a drill bit with reverse threading and a lot of taper. It's normally used when one has sheared the head off of a bolt - you drill a hole INTO the bolt, then put the ez-out into a tap handle and screw it into the hold you drilled. Because the ez-out is threaded opposite of normal, when you do this, the ez-out tightens onto the bolt, which makes the bolt move in the proper direction for extraction.
 
Another (worse) option is a device called an 'ez-out'. It looks much like a drill bit with reverse threading and a lot of taper. It's normally used when one has sheared the head off of a bolt - you drill a hole INTO the bolt, then put the ez-out into a tap handle and screw it into the hold you drilled. Because the ez-out is threaded opposite of normal, when you do this, the ez-out tightens onto the bolt, which makes the bolt move in the proper direction for extraction.

thanks everyone for the advice. got the leg bolts off after wd-40 saturation. in the process of repainting the legs right now. plan to order new leg caps today.

took the cp apart and cleaned up. considering completely replacing the trackball assembly but will at least replace bearings, rollers, and the ball. lots of hair and nasty sticky stuff.

i would like to repaint the cp's but like other posters (saleen?) the fire button and city station buttons graphics/art would be a challenge to reproduce.

took off the t molding and will replace. 1 or 2 holes on cabinet i will bond tonight. using automotive bondo i picked up at ace hardware.

glass clips off and cleaned. will sand, primer, and paint tonight to match the legs and cabinet.

cleaned up the audio reg. noticed a blackened circuit. not sure what to do about that. i guess i will wait and see when i put all back together to see what issue there is there, if any.

took off the big blue cap and plane to replace. for $12 bucks, why not?

replaced power cord with pc power cord i had on hand.

the glass is pretty scratched up. i plan to buff and try to do my best to take out most of the surface scratches. and repaint some of the underlay artwork since i cannot find any replacement repro or new underlays. there is a small smoky plexi sheet that has some paint specs that i need to try and clean. any ideas how to clean paint from plexi without damage?

the coin acceptor mount is dented. anyone know where i could find a replacement? and faceplate (where the coin slot is mounted) is pretty dirty/scratched. i may need to replace that or restore. any ideas?

will post some pics as i get further along.

thanks all.
 
you might have a blown resistor on the ar2,thats common prob with mc,means that you could do with carrying out the sense mod and replacing the resistor,i am sure that is what has gone?i think its r30?also theres another one that tends to blow also.

my advice for you,get the bobroberts ar2 capkit,the bearing and rollers for the cps and a big blue.if you cant get off white trakball just get wet and dry and buff the existing ones with it (obviously wet the paper!) i found replacement white ones i got too loud and went and cleaned the original ones up a bit and they are better on the eye.

replace the 44 way edge connector for the board,get a solder on type as the blown resistor is due to the edge connector and the board pulling more voltage,the edge connectors are not the best that are on these games so replace.

it will help you in long run as prevention is better than fixing it down the road or having something blow at a crucial time.

as for the cps,i would leave them as they are if they are not too bad.

hows about a few pics and let us see what your baby is like then?
:)
 
thanks everyone for the advice. got the leg bolts off after wd-40 saturation. in the process of repainting the legs right now. plan to order new leg caps today.

I don't know what other folks do, but I actually bought stainless steel cap screws to replace the leg bolts on mine. They aren't black like the originals, but they shouldn't EVER give me corrosion problems.
 
mc cocktail pictures

here are some pics:

-the cabinet stripped down and cleaned
-cp cleaned and repainted on bottom; may do top
-replacing power cord and big blue in process
-legs off and painted, glass clips painted, will patch body and repaint in process
-audio reg with burn (any ideas what this may mean?)
-in process replacing t-molding, cleaning and buffering plexi, cleaning and buffering glass top and hopefully partially restoring underlay artwork
-cleaning trackball and replacing bearings/rollers or entire component
 

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thats a resistor at r30?its common with these boards and mc.you will get a replacement resistor for that location with the bobroberts capkit.remove and replace with the one he provides also do the sense mod.
http://www.stickycarpet.com/pinx/ar2mods.html

replace the edge connector as thats whats causing the draw of extra power and blowing the resistor.

dont replace the entire trakball unit,replace the bearings the rollers and use wet and dry sand paper on the balls and buff them a bit to get them nice and clean.
:)
 
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