New Project: Tetris Cabaret

Phetishboy

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So I went to a video game show in the Twin Cities probably five years ago. While there, I played the shit out of a Tetris in a Ms. Pac cabaret. I had so damn much fun playing that machine, that I decided I needed to build one. My first goal was to secure an Atari Tetris PCB, which I finally did probably about 3-4 years ago. My next task was to find a cabinet to put it in. I made the mistake of sticking it in my multi JAMMA cabinet and then put the cabaret project idea out of my mind. Recently going back to my storage shed, I remembered I still had an old painted over Space Zap cabaret that I've been sitting on for about 12 years. It had been converted at least once to Arkanoid, and as noted by the sharpie message on the inside of the cabinet, this was done in 1987.

Early on, I had attempted to reveal the original screened side art, and to try to find Space Zap mini parts. I was only ever able to locate a control panel, but the member who located it for me seemingly disappeared from the face of the Earth when I tried to buy it. Ever since then, the cabinet has been sitting in my storage shed, doing nothing. Last year, I decided to have a blank metal control panel bent for this game. At the time, I was thinking about doing a Capcom bowling or other track ball type game. But as time went on, I realized that the 6 inch wall above the control panel on this cabinet would make a trackball game kind of tough.

That's when I decided that rather than wait for a Ms. Pacman cabaret, I'd just make this a Tetris. I'm currently talking to two different vendors about custom artwork. I went to storage and picked up the cabinet and the control panel blank last night. I also grabbed a 13 inch monitor from an old Draw Poker machine. The tube has some card burn, but has been capped and works great. Here's where the project is starting:

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What's nice is I had the bracket that sits above the control panel powder coated probably 10 years ago and it has been wrapped in padding and stretch wrap ever since. I unwrapped it for the first time last night and it looks beautiful. No pictures of it yet unfortunately, but I will post some when I get home this evening.
 
My first order of business is to strip the rest of the artwork and paint off the game and then sand everything down nicely. I started the paint stripping and Bondo process probably 10 years ago, I just never finished it up. Since this game was originally a space zap with a black-and-white monitor and the original mounts have been ripped out, I also need to figure out a monitor mounting solution. I probably will use 2 inch aluminum angle. I test fit the monitor in the machine last night and was pleasantly surprised to see that I will not need a bump out on the back door.
 
I'm super curious to see what art style you go with! Replicating the full size or doing something more one-off. I'll be following.
 
Going through my laminate inventory, I realize that I've got quite a few red, black and yellow scraps left. Since those seem to be the main colors in the artwork, I think I'm going to use those colors on this cabinet. Most likely, predominantly black, but with red and yellow accents.

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Going through my laminate inventory, I realize that I've got quite a few red, black and yellow scraps left. Since those seem to be the main colors in the artwork, I think I'm going to use those colors on this cabinet. Most likely, predominantly black, but with red and yellow accents.

View attachment 806991
So I guess chrome T-molding is out though?
 
Due to the width of the smaller CP, and the fact that I have to fit 2 sets of controls on here, I'm thinking about using skinny 4-way Wicos for the joysticks and I'll probably use standard short leaf buttons. Like I mentioned, I had the metal control panel blank bent and created for this, but now I will have to fab my own wooden blank underneath (think an original Pacman CP). I didn't really want to use an original Pac cabaret wooden blank, as I'd have to replace all the wood and then recut it. So unless Tony Arrowwood is able to do a blank one of these, I'm gonna have to do it myself.
 
Oh, and since I discovered I still have a working Sega Columns board (thought I sold it years ago), I'm gonna put a 2 in 1 Jamma switcher in this baby so that puzzle game fanatics will have 2 options in this cabinet. I actually had something similar to this for a while with one of Mark Spaeth's Vs switchers, Dr. Mario and Vs Tetris, but I absolutely hated the graphics on the Nintendo Vs Tetris. The Atari Tetris graphics are so much better.

Columns

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Atari Tetris

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Nintendo Tetris

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Oh, and since I discovered I still have a working Sega Columns board (thought I sold it years ago), I'm gonna put a 2 in 1 Jamma switcher in this baby so that puzzle game fanatics will have 2 options in this cabinet. I actually had something similar to this for a while with one of Mark Spaeth's Vs switchers, Dr. Mario and Vs Tetris, but I absolutely hated the graphics on the Nintendo Vs Tetris. The Atari Tetris graphics are so much better.

Columns

View attachment 807022

Atari Tetris

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Nintendo Tetris

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Could add a Klax board, round out the 90's puzzles. Though probably pushing getting three PCB's mounted in there, lol.
 
Very cool! Will be fun to see what you end up with. I need to find a home for my Tetris board as well, so this is very interesting!
 
I like everything you did here so far, everything you're planning to do and everything you have yet decided to do. I'm just that type of free-wheelin', easy-goin' kinda guy.
 
Going through my laminate inventory, I realize that I've got quite a few red, black and yellow scraps left. Since those seem to be the main colors in the artwork, I think I'm going to use those colors on this cabinet. Most likely, predominantly black, but with red and yellow accents.

View attachment 806991

Not really possible, but it would be interesting to use those laminate scraps to make Tetris shapes to serve double duty as the laminate sides and the artwork
 
Oh, and since I discovered I still have a working Sega Columns board (thought I sold it years ago), I'm gonna put a 2 in 1 Jamma switcher in this baby so that puzzle game fanatics will have 2 options in this cabinet.
Man, I absolutely LOVED Columns as a kid. I probably chewed through a mountain of AA batteries playing the hell out of that game on my Game Gear.
 
I like everything you did here so far, everything you're planning to do and everything you have yet decided to do. I'm just that type of free-wheelin', easy-goin' kinda guy.
Hey Jimmy we got a live one over here! Someone get this guy a ball gag necktie.
 
Hey Jimmy we got a live one over here! Someone get this guy a ball gag necktie.
Woah, wait a second here... I think you misread my free-wheelingness as some sort of pass at you. I can assure you, it was not. *slowly walking backwards, eyes darting around for the exit*
 
Tetris is great and I like the play concept on the atari arcade version. However, I think it was a failure to only have one rotation button. I dont know if nintendo innovated that, but when I play the arcade version it seems missing.
 
Tetris is great and I like the play concept on the atari arcade version. However, I think it was a failure to only have one rotation button. I dont know if nintendo innovated that, but when I play the arcade version it seems missing.
What would the other button do? Rotate it the opposite way? Yeah I can see how that might help, but I'm fine with one.
 
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