Newest, Uhh, Assembly? Project? Complete Game? WACKO!!

Phetishboy

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Newest, Uhh, Assembly? Project? Complete Game? WACKO!!

Can't really call this my newest acquisition as I picked it up literally the day after CAX. Bought it in pieces from Chris, who had begun tearing it apart for restoration. No monitor, but everything else was in a box, in some cases in triplicate. Extra Joys, wiring, power board, 3 trackballs, 2 rebuild kits, several tinted plexis, 2 full rolls of the purple vinyl, etc, etc, etc. Well, just looking at the shell and the heaps of parts that sat here for 6 months was a bit overwhelming, as I wasn't the one who disassembled it all. Well, the old man came up this past weekend for a play date and I asked him if he'd reassemble the damned thing while he was here. He agreed and spent most of Saturday doing just that. After we ran thru 3-4 monitors that wouldn't sync with this MCR game, we finally decided we'd have to build one. I had a vertical 4600 which would sync with the game, but the frame was oriented wrong. Well after some hymning and hawing we finally noticed that I still had 2 horizontal 4900s with severely burnt tubes up on the shelf awaiting tube swaps and cap kits. We disassembled one of them, pulled the chassis, tossed the tube and cleaned the frame. Next we drilled some holes in the frame pan and retrofitted it to accept the 4600 chassis/card stack. Installed the 4600 tube, hooked it all up, adjusted the colors and brightness and lo and behold, we had a nice horizontal 4600 with very minor burn that worked perfectly. As the repro artwork could be years from completion, I am just cleaning this one up, fixing the roof and moving it in to the Outer Limits as is. If and when the artwork gets finished I'll pull the game and do a full restore on it. What a great game. Here are some pics as she stands (bezel is still in storage, waiting til the game is in place):

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i think you put it togther a little croooked take it apart and do it again :D


hehe ... dude im one of the rare guys i dig that game.. cab is cool but gameplay is something almost anyone can do, fun game to play drunk.
 
Phet,

That's not the one I sold to Chris is it? IIRC Chris had one already before buying mine. I rebuilt my trackball prior to selling it so I'm sure you got his earlier Wacko.... It is a fun game, the cabinet design is the best part of the IMHO but the game play is a close second.
 
Looks nice. I played Wacko for the first time at the Seattle show last year.
 
Phet,

That's not the one I sold to Chris is it? IIRC Chris had one already before buying mine. I rebuilt my trackball prior to selling it so I'm sure you got his earlier Wacko.... It is a fun game, the cabinet design is the best part of the IMHO but the game play is a close second.

Yes this was your game, there's parts of the first incorporated with yours.
 
Looks like a worthy project. I remember playing that game somewhere BITD. The control panel was something I just couldn't get used to. Congrats, it will be a nice addition to the Outer Limits....
 
Such a kick ass cabinet. I need to play this game someday.
 
Such a kick ass cabinet. I need to play this game someday.

Yes you do. It'll be here waiting. And AG, the trackball that was in it was crap, there was a nice rebuilt one in the parts stash so I replaced it. I also replaced the joys. Perhaps this wasn't the original CP? Maybe I replaced the controls from a replacement CP with your originals? Not sure, but the rebuilt controls are awesome. Forgot to mention we rejuved the 4600 tube and I installed red 12V LEDs in the coin door. I need to figure out why the coin reject buttons are sticking (stuck in), fix the water damaged roof and install the bezel, then this will be ready for my Christmas party the 17th.
 
I sold Chris the first Wacko - the one that he completely dismantled - two years ago. I think that he removed the overlay from its' control panel. For that reason, I'm guessing that your control panel was from the 2nd game. (Plus, "my" control panel didn't have that missing chunk of art along the front edge.)

I had a fully rebuilt trackball in "my" Wacko - new bearings, ball and rollers, so that's probably what you just installed. I did that long before anyone offered rebuild kits. I had to measure the old rollers, re-create them in 3D CAD, generate detailed part drawings, and had a friend machine new ones out of stainless steel. (I later provided those detailed part drawings to the guy who ended up selling rebuild kits. I never even got a thank-you from him.)

Rebuilding that trackball did make a tremendous difference to the gameplay.

Sometimes, I miss my ol' Wacko...

BTW, mine had a G07 monitor in it.

Alan

Yes you do. It'll be here waiting. And AG, the trackball that was in it was crap, there was a nice rebuilt one in the parts stash so I replaced it. I also replaced the joys. Perhaps this wasn't the original CP? Maybe I replaced the controls from a replacement CP with your originals? Not sure, but the rebuilt controls are awesome. Forgot to mention we rejuved the 4600 tube and I installed red 12V LEDs in the coin door. I need to figure out why the coin reject buttons are sticking (stuck in), fix the water damaged roof and install the bezel, then this will be ready for my Christmas party the 17th.
 
I sold Chris the first Wacko - the one that he completely dismantled - two years ago. I think that he removed the overlay from its' control panel. For that reason, I'm guessing that your control panel was from the 2nd game. (Plus, "my" control panel didn't have that missing chunk of art along the front edge.)

I had a fully rebuilt trackball in "my" Wacko - new bearings, ball and rollers, so that's probably what you just installed. I did that long before anyone offered rebuild kits. I had to measure the old rollers, re-create them in 3D CAD, generate detailed part drawings, and had a friend machine new ones out of stainless steel. (I later provided those detailed part drawings to the guy who ended up selling rebuild kits. I never even got a thank-you from him.)

Rebuilding that trackball did make a tremendous difference to the gameplay.

Sometimes, I miss my ol' Wacko...

BTW, mine had a G07 monitor in it.

Alan

Nice work, that trackball is like butter. This game is a lot of damned fun. Am I correct to assume that there are 2 ZAP joys only for whether you are left or right handed? I feel your pain on the sharing with the community and not even getting a thank you thing. That's why I stopped sharing my vector files with the public long ago. Just look at the Pole Position topper I vectorized over the course of 3 years, then gave up the file for repros. I can't even get anyone to post of pic of theirs installed, which to me would be thanks enough. And just like the system 1 side art project I started years ago, I somehow got cut out of the 'credits'. This community has a very short memory.
 
Just look at the Pole Position topper I vectorized over the course of 3 years, then gave up the file for repros. I can't even get anyone to post of pic of theirs installed, which to me would be thanks enough.

Us in the biz don't do these things for "thank you's" we do it for the LOVE OF THE HOBBY.
 
Nice work, that trackball is like butter. This game is a lot of damned fun. Am I correct to assume that there are 2 ZAP joys only for whether you are left or right handed?.

Thanks. That trackball is a bear to disassemble and reassemble. Over-engineered, to say the least!

I always assumed that that was why it had two joysticks.
 
Isn't it kind of strange that they didn't produce a larger piece of side art for the 'high' side?

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I mean it looks fine on the side it fits (the other side) but this side doesn't look 'Wacko', it just looks whack. Not sure if it was a money saving thing or not, but it kinda sucks. I also am not a fan of the CP angle, but ima gonna try to get used to it. The game is simple and fun, and it will frustrate and delight my daughter for hours. I can't wait to put the bezel on and take pics of the complete, if not yet restored cabinet.
 
Dont worry about the resto for now. Get that bitch complete and PLAY it.

PLAY THEM.

NOW!
 
It looks like the art was meant to be placed higher, doesn't it? If you look at all the angles, it looks like it should fit snug in the cp notch and marquee area.
 
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