Wyo
Well-known member
Hey guys. I've been debating if I should post this since it's not really a "restoration"...but more of an "imaginative concept" and as many of you may know....my passion for this hobby, as an Artist...is to dream and imagine arcade games that never existed (many for obvious reasons)....but if they did....what would they have looked like? Obviously, I take that to the extreme in my builds...as a mass produced looking cabinet wouldn't be that much fun!
Anyways, a couple months ago I was contacted by High Scores Arcade in the Bay Area about the possibility of building them two Oregon Trail Arcade Games for both of their locations. My first thought was, WHAT A COOL IDEA! So together, we brainstormed ideas for their custom cabinets. They really desired a cabinet that utilized a keyboard for controls...and old style, "clicky" feel like the old Apple 2.
So I started designing. My concept for this cabinet was to make it look like it was being transported across the country back in the day....which meant a scratch build using wood hand aged planking (challenge for sure), faux leather t molding, handcut wagon wheel speaker grill, faux finished and airbrushed copper plating throughout, bank vault lock and even a custom made coin door with an old style bubble gum machine coin mech. If you look closely at the profile of the cabinet...it's shaped like the profile of a covered wagon....a subtle detail I tried to sneak into the build. I actually blended three cabinet styles to create this shape, a space invaders, donkey Kong, and Williams cabaret.
The artwork was custom commissioned by Artist Brandon Hovet www.worpedstudios.com. My concept for the artwork was that it was to look like an old 19th century newspaper advertisement that acts like a history lesson with details all over it like beavers, wagons, 49ers, and chimney rock in Nebraska....which was a check point in the game...and also a huge motivator and landmark for the pioneers as they crossed the country. The artwork is completely hand drawn and inked....the typography is done completely by hand as well....the Artist creates his own fonts!
Inside, is a Raspberry Pi programmed by Jonathan Williams of High Scores Arcades, has an Apple 2 theme, and it plays a selection of old computer games.
This was an awesome project...and a very humbling experience as I researched more of the history of the Oregon and California Trails. Chimney Rock, was a huge inspiration for this project and I happen to live a couple hours from there....so I took a few photos there where hundreds of thousands of pioneers and travelers used to rest on their way west.
Here are a few finished pics, I will post pictures of the actual build soon. Also, this project received some coverage by the San Francisco Chronicle last week...I have attached the article and video. I actually drove these cabinets out there from Denver...along parts of the old Oregon/California Trail....to one of the destinations of the trails...San Francisco! How cool is that!
Thank you Shawn and Meg of High Scores Arcade....what an adventure the last two months have been!
https://www.sfchronicle.com/art/article/Oregon-Trail-as-art-computer-classic-13008701.php
Anyways, a couple months ago I was contacted by High Scores Arcade in the Bay Area about the possibility of building them two Oregon Trail Arcade Games for both of their locations. My first thought was, WHAT A COOL IDEA! So together, we brainstormed ideas for their custom cabinets. They really desired a cabinet that utilized a keyboard for controls...and old style, "clicky" feel like the old Apple 2.
So I started designing. My concept for this cabinet was to make it look like it was being transported across the country back in the day....which meant a scratch build using wood hand aged planking (challenge for sure), faux leather t molding, handcut wagon wheel speaker grill, faux finished and airbrushed copper plating throughout, bank vault lock and even a custom made coin door with an old style bubble gum machine coin mech. If you look closely at the profile of the cabinet...it's shaped like the profile of a covered wagon....a subtle detail I tried to sneak into the build. I actually blended three cabinet styles to create this shape, a space invaders, donkey Kong, and Williams cabaret.
The artwork was custom commissioned by Artist Brandon Hovet www.worpedstudios.com. My concept for the artwork was that it was to look like an old 19th century newspaper advertisement that acts like a history lesson with details all over it like beavers, wagons, 49ers, and chimney rock in Nebraska....which was a check point in the game...and also a huge motivator and landmark for the pioneers as they crossed the country. The artwork is completely hand drawn and inked....the typography is done completely by hand as well....the Artist creates his own fonts!
Inside, is a Raspberry Pi programmed by Jonathan Williams of High Scores Arcades, has an Apple 2 theme, and it plays a selection of old computer games.
This was an awesome project...and a very humbling experience as I researched more of the history of the Oregon and California Trails. Chimney Rock, was a huge inspiration for this project and I happen to live a couple hours from there....so I took a few photos there where hundreds of thousands of pioneers and travelers used to rest on their way west.
Here are a few finished pics, I will post pictures of the actual build soon. Also, this project received some coverage by the San Francisco Chronicle last week...I have attached the article and video. I actually drove these cabinets out there from Denver...along parts of the old Oregon/California Trail....to one of the destinations of the trails...San Francisco! How cool is that!
Thank you Shawn and Meg of High Scores Arcade....what an adventure the last two months have been!
https://www.sfchronicle.com/art/article/Oregon-Trail-as-art-computer-classic-13008701.php
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