Parting out games, at what point does it become acceptable?

The correct answer is "it's your property, do whatever you want with it."

But don't expect people not to give an opinion on parting stuff.

I'm bummed about all those Baby Pacs that were parted out cause no one would take the lot. And I think recently the Popeye part out is what set this thread up; I think the bad reaction here is that he went straight for part out instead of offering it as a whole.

As the patron of lost causes (see my Missile Command Cabaret restore thread sometime), you can spend months or years trying to get these fixed up and working again. That's a lot of commitment many folks don't have.
 
The correct answer is "it's your property, do whatever you want with it .

I'm bummed about all those Baby Pacs that were parted out cause no one would take the lot. And I think recently the Popeye part out is what set this thread up; I think the bad reaction here is that he went straight for part out instead of offering it as a whole .

That was a shame because it was all three baby pacs or nothing . Could easily have sold them off as individual projects instead of parting them .
 
The correct answer is "it's your property, do whatever you want with it .

I'm bummed about all those Baby Pacs that were parted out cause no one would take the lot. And I think recently the Popeye part out is what set this thread up; I think the bad reaction here is that he went straight for part out instead of offering it as a whole .

That was a shame because it was all three baby pacs or nothing . Could easily have sold them off as individual projects instead of parting them .


Well to answer your question on the Baby Pacs...they all went to one buyer minus one monitor, set of wheels, coin box and lock down bar. He got everything else.

My theory as far as preservation is concerned if someone parts out a machine doesn't help more machines make it back to complete working order rather than fixing one machine?

Having said that I prefer to keep games together and sell them as a whole but sometimes being isolated in Arkansas there are fewer buyers within driving distance to pick up mediocre games. I just like most people on forum have limited amount of space allotted for games and can't keep every project I come across. Games like a fully working decent condition Ms. Pac Man barely brings $400 around here and no one wants to pay the expense for shipping.
 
Thanks to part outs, my games have been restored to "used arcade clean" quality which I'm ok with. If every part of a game was to be considered trashed before parting, there would be no choice but to buy new or refurbished.

I wouldn't hack a decent game, but I'm glad others did because it benefited my games.

But to answer your question directly, the point at which they accidentally fall of your two story roof is when you should part it out...or perhaps ArcRevival would know best.
 
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Well to answer your question on the Baby Pacs...they all went to one buyer minus one monitor, set of wheels, coin box and lock down bar. He got everything else.

Very happy to hear that story had a happy ending... They were given it a solid amount of time before pulling trigger on parting it out.

I'd say most folks on the board here wouldn't complain if you gave it a real attempt at selling it whole to someone who has time/resources/desire to restore it before parting it out.

ElectricDreamz has it summarized right:
-Do whatever you want, it's yours.
-Expect people to have an opinion about not keeping it together (if possible).

Most people hate having their decisions questioned by internet strangers, but here we are...
 
Here is my take on this topic since its clear I been mentioned in this thread.

I am a firm believer if something is not to far gone it can be restored. There does come a point tho when a machine is not worthy of a restore or rebuild. In recent times I have seen perfectly good cabinets (retro unique cabs not generic jamma cabs) be completely gutted to make way for newer technology (multicades) to take their place. I find that to be very wrong. But then on the flip side of the coin the story of why they are gutted never is asked. I tend to play life in the neutral zone and try to understand all angles before I pass judgement. A little story I seen play out years ago was a Star Wars cab that was turned into a multicade. I was kinda taken back because it being such a unique game to rip apart for a mulitcade, one which doesn't even include the game in question. Just another 60-1 conversion. I asked the seller at the time what the story was behind the cabinet and he informed me that he had purchased it as a conversion already......to a Capcom bowling. So some operator back in the day took everything out of the cabinet and put in a regular monitor and put a bowler in a classic game. He tried to track down the guts and couldn't get everything within his price range. For what he had in purchasing it , restoring it was out of the question. He had the right intent but became overwhelmed with the process to restore it. He said he couldn't possibly sell the cabinet because he would take a loss. It sucked to see the potential in the cabinet but I understood where he was coming from. Then you have cabinets that have been destroyed for whatever reason and complete guts that can be used to help another person fix their project. What it all boils down to is we all chose our battles in life and money happens to be something that everyone has to deal with. We all chose to spend our own money however we want and people tend to need to make money sometimes on losses due to unforeseen issues.If a cabinet being parts out wasn't an option then we would all have to look for doubles of games we may own to fix one. Sometimes its better to sacrifice one to save another and that's what drives people to seek out help to fix their own games. Its better to come to a place like this with like-minded people and offer up whatever you may have then to list in a more open enviroment like ebay and craigslist. I feel this is the perfect place to not only help a fellow collector but to make friends in a hobby that has in most ways died. It hasn't died in the hearts and mind of collectors like us but the business hasn't been the same since the 80's and 90's with home video game technology really taking away the interest of the new generation. Now to address myself.

Well, how times have changed. When I joined this hobby, community, and forum it was filled with the warmest people I have had the pleasure to talk to. Honestly, it was a family atmosphere. In the short time I started on here I got quite the collection in such a short time. I purchased all sorts of projects and very few fully working machines. Most projects required more then one issue to be addressed. Very few required just a slight rebuild of a power supply or a cap kit on a chassis. It was my drive to find these machines that were in dire need of some care and bring them back to life. It was FUN. I would come here to ask stupid questions that might have been asked a million times and i rarely was taken over the coal for asking them. I would pm users and have awesome conversations about the most rediculous aspects of this hobby. It came to a point where I had to just walk away. When you start running out of room and actual games you want you tend to need a break, which is what became of me. I went cold turkey, I didn't sell any of my stuff thou. I returned here and was kinda bullied in a way. I have thick skin but it was a shock to see what seems like quite a change in the culture here. I was being told I was wrong for parting it out. It was implied I wasn't selling the parts for a friend, but using that as a excuse to sell them myself and not get grief. I was even told I don't even have the machine in question. Being in the mindset of how it used to be playful on here I seen someone share a gif of Christian Bale and Kermit nodding at each other. So I went and took a picture of myself with kermit in front of the very cabinet in question. This lead to bewilderment. The fact is as of this writing the friend i am helping move these parts for and myself agreed the cabinet isn't worth saving. The base is non existent, the side panal are rotted and roached out. I didn't think i needed to explain that in my thread but maybe I am wrong. I didn't post prices because quite honestly since I been out of the hobby I don't know what the rates are for many of these things. I figured those who are in need of parts would contact me and throw their value on those specific piece. Once again maybe I am wrong. Being the middle man I been taking those offers thou and letting my friend make the final call on sales. I may be wrong for doing that as well.

I am not angry with anyone. Your all entitled to your opinions on all different matters. Just everyone needs to remember were all on this forum for a reason. We all have a similar interest. This is a family. With this one machine being parted out it will be helping a dozen people restore their own. I don't see anything wrong with that. If the machine wasn't rotted out I would have certainly convinced him to restore it. Its what drove me to this hobby. Be peaceful everyone. Arcades back in the day brought people together. Whether it was a battle to get the highest score, working along side a friend to take out a common enemy, or challenging someone else in a fighting tournament, it brought people together. That's what these forums are for and how they should be used.
 
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lol jokes on you, pal ... i'm illiterate

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Here is my take on this topic since its clear I been mentioned in this thread.

I am a firm believer if something is not to far gone it can be restored. There does come a point tho when a machine is not worthy of a restore or rebuild. In recent times I have seen perfectly good cabinets (retro unique cabs not generic jamma cabs) be completely gutted to make way for newer technology (multicades) to take their place. I find that to be very wrong. But then on the flip side of the coin the story of why they are gutted never is asked. I tend to play life in the neutral zone and try to understand all angles before I pass judgement. A little story I seen play out years ago was a Star Wars cab that was turned into a multicade. I was kinda taken back because it being such a unique game to rip apart for a mulitcade, one which doesn't even include the game in question. Just another 60-1 conversion. I asked the seller at the time what the story was behind the cabinet and he informed me that he had purchased it as a conversion already......to a Capcom bowling. So some operator back in the day took everything out of the cabinet and put in a regular monitor and put a bowler in a classic game. He tried to track down the guts and couldn't get everything within his price range. For what he had in purchasing it , restoring it was out of the question. He had the right intent but became overwhelmed with the process to restore it. He said he couldn't possibly sell the cabinet because he would take a loss. It sucked to see the potential in the cabinet but I understood where he was coming from. Then you have cabinets that have been destroyed for whatever reason and complete guts that can be used to help another person fix their project. What it all boils down to is we all chose our battles in life and money happens to be something that everyone has to deal with. We all chose to spend our own money however we want and people tend to need to make money sometimes on losses due to unforeseen issues.If a cabinet being parts out wasn't an option then we would all have to look for doubles of games we may own to fix one. Sometimes its better to sacrifice one to save another and that's what drives people to seek out help to fix their own games. Its better to come to a place like this with like-minded people and offer up whatever you may have then to list in a more open enviroment like ebay and craigslist. I feel this is the perfect place to not only help a fellow collector but to make friends in a hobby that has in most ways died. It hasn't died in the hearts and mind of collectors like us but the business hasn't been the same since the 80's and 90's with home video game technology really taking away the interest of the new generation. Now to address myself.

Well, how times have changed. When I joined this hobby, community, and forum it was filled with the warmest people I have had the pleasure to talk to. Honestly, it was a family atmosphere. In the short time I started on here I got quite the collection in such a short time. I purchased all sorts of projects and very few fully working machines. Most projects required more then one issue to be addressed. Very few required just a slight rebuild of a power supply or a cap kit on a chassis. It was my drive to find these machines that were in dire need of some care and bring them back to life. It was FUN. I would come here to ask stupid questions that might have been asked a million times and i rarely was taken over the coal for asking them. I would pm users and have awesome conversations about the most rediculous aspects of this hobby. It came to a point where I had to just walk away. When you start running out of room and actual games you want you tend to need a break, which is what became of me. I went cold turkey, I didn't sell any of my stuff thou. I returned here and was kinda bullied in a way. I have thick skin but it was a shock to see what seems like quite a change in the culture here. I was being told I was wrong for parting it out. It was implied I wasn't selling the parts for a friend, but using that as a excuse to sell them myself and not get grief. I was even told I don't even have the machine in question. Being in the mindset of how it used to be playful on here I seen someone share a gif of Christian Bale and Kermit nodding at each other. So I went and took a picture of myself with kermit in front of the very cabinet in question. This lead to bewilderment. The fact is as of this writing the friend i am helping move these parts for and myself agreed the cabinet isn't worth saving. The base is non existent, the side panal are rotted and roached out. I didn't think i needed to explain that in my thread but maybe I am wrong. I didn't post prices because quite honestly since I been out of the hobby I don't know what the rates are for many of these things. I figured those who are in need of parts would contact me and throw their value on those specific piece. Once again maybe I am wrong. Being the middle man I been taking those offers thou and letting my friend make the final call on sales. I may be wrong for doing that as well.

I am not angry with anyone. Your all entitled to your opinions on all different matters. Just everyone needs to remember were all on this forum for a reason. We all have a similar interest. This is a family. With this one machine being parted out it will be helping a dozen people restore their own. I don't see anything wrong with that. If the machine wasn't rotted out I would have certainly convinced him to restore it. Its what drove me to this hobby. Be peaceful everyone. Arcades back in the day brought people together. Whether it was a battle to get the highest score, working along side a friend to take out a common enemy, or challenging someone else in a fighting tournament, it brought people together. That's what these forums are for and how they should be used.
 
Everyone's threshold for parting is different. Time, money, space, damage, geographical location... whatever! I've thrown away good stuff (not arcade stuff!) that I should have kept in a time crunch when moving. I've scrapped classic cars because the township gave me days to remove them or face fines. (I saved the parts, but had no way to save the bodies.) We all have reasons for what we do. And each and all are unique and specific to every case, and is ultimately up to the owner to decide. But for all that, whatever reason a game being parted out... I too, am glad to receive these parts and revive my own games. It's what keeps us all going. We're one big family, all doing the same thing... preserving games... and that happens in many ways. Chastising, hating, or even threatening a person because they've decided to part a game is just not right. I get it. Sure, we'd like to see them ALL saved. But we also need parts to save them too, and they have to come from somewhere. The sacrifices of a few keep the many going. Save what you can, if you can. And the rest of us will use the parts of what you can't, to save ours. I'm just glad we get the chance. Without this forum, we've pretty much only got eBay... and who wants that. :(
 
As others have said, if you own it, you do what you want with it...

That being said, in my personal opinion... I'm going to say that parting out a game depends on a few factors:

- Condition of the game
- Rarity of the game
- Completion of the game
- Demand for the game
- Age

I mean I'm not going to cry if a Ms Pac gets parted out even if it's in just beat up shape... because there are thousands of them... Sure it's a classic but the supply is pretty damn high, and if parting out one happens to help complete 3-4 others... I think that's a winning situation.

Parting out stuff from the 90s and higher... I personally don't care... Neo Geos, Dynamo cabs... lots of generic cabs I really couldn't care less about. I'm not saying they don't hold value to anyone... but they are pretty easy to come by and also not in extreme demand.

Now in the example, seeing as how Sundance is a super rare game, an old game... an in demand game.... if there's anything left of it, it's probably worth saving instead of parting out.

Popeye definitely shouldn't be parted out... especially when it's complete or near complete already.. and in good shape. It's old, it's not super common, it's got enough demand... Now if the thing had been in a 3 foot flood and was totally water logged, I'd say okay maybe part that out... I'm not as quick to stop someone from parting out a water damaged cab... Water damage is mostly impossible to fix when it gets bad enough. The cab literally just crumbles apart... You'd have to build an entirely new cabinet and at that point I think it would be way better to just part out everything to complete a few other Popeyes in better condition instead of keeping it all for a newly cut cab.
 
I find it interesting how many people post that it's the game owner's "right" to do whatever they want with their game. Of COURSE they can do whatever they want with their property. I don't think anyone should expect others to make sacrifices. I think the original question implies what SHOULD people do.

My personal preference, offer up the game as-is first, and see if anyone else is interest in restoring it. If you don't get an acceptable offer, then part it out if you so choose. I think it's pretty hypocritical for others to expect the game owner to take a loss to save the game, if they themselves are not willing to take a loss (be it money or effort) to purchase and restore it.
 
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It just depends. Most people won't part out a game unless it nets them a lot more money, which is a rare situation. I've trashed a few games, don't feel bad about it at all.

Here are some I parted out:

A working Centipede.
The lower half was badly swollen, I didn't want to try to save it since there are plenty of others out there. I sold the "kit" to someone with a converted Centipede, he added sideart and my kit and had the game he wanted. I used the money plus $200 and bought a good working Centipede.

Working pair of Initial D v2.
No one wanted those games, they only way to get rid of them was to sell the parts. Naomi parts were valuable at the time, and I made $1000-1500 IIRC. It was a pain, but I basically took the game as a favor for a friend, so he was happy I was able to get some money out of all the effort. In the end I gave away a pretty nice single cabinet with VGA monitor to a MAME guy, hopefully he made a cool setup out of it.

A mostly working 720 degrees.
I needed a lot of the parts to complete my project. Smashed up the cabinet afterward, which was pretty crappy. I love 720 and don't feel bad about it at all. There was no other practical way to move forward with a beat up 720 that had some good working parts in it, and another cabinet that needed the parts.

Wade
 
I find it interesting how many people post that it's the game owner's "right" to do whatever they want with their game. Of COURSE they can do whatever they want with their property. I don't think anyone should expect others to make sacrifices. I think the original question implies what SHOULD people do.

My personal preference, offer up the game as-is first, and see if anyone else is interest in restoring it. If you don't get an acceptable offer, then part it out if you so choose. I think it's pretty hypocritical for others to expect the game owner to take a loss to save the game, if they themselves are not willing to take a loss (be it money or effort) to purchase and restore it.

> offer up the game as-is first, and see if anyone else is interest in restoring it.
Yes!

> If you don't get an acceptable offer, then part it out if you so choose.
Yes again. Or hang on to it for a while if possible. Or trade to someone else. Or carefully preserve its guts and non-destructively put a board in there that you want to play.

> I think it's pretty hypocritical for others to expect the game owner to take a loss to save the game, if they themselves are not willing to take a loss (be it money or effort) to purchase and restore it.

I think that sounds reasonable at first mention but is actually ridiculous.

As the OP said in their first post, this is highly subjective. Preserve the classics whenever/wherever possible and reasonable.
 
> I think it's pretty hypocritical for others to expect the game owner to take a loss to save the game, if they themselves are not willing to take a loss (be it money or effort) to purchase and restore it.

I think that sounds reasonable at first mention but is actually ridiculous.

As the OP said in their first post, this is highly subjective. Preserve the classics whenever/wherever possible and reasonable.

Sure, that statement was not directed at the OP. I understood, and agreed with his position. The hypocrisy statement is directed at those that insist a game owner should somehow be OBLIGATED to preserve games. I think most of us would prefer, but as many have stated, people can do whatever they want with their property. I would PREFER that your local mall pet store not be allowed to sell dogs from "puppy mills", but I can't stop them from doing so.
 
I wonder if anyone that is dead set against parting out machines can honestly say that they don't buy original parts for their machines?
 
Sure, that statement was not directed at the OP. I understood, and agreed with his position. The hypocrisy statement is directed at those that insist a game owner should somehow be OBLIGATED to preserve games. I think most of us would prefer, but as many have stated, people can do whatever they want with their property. I would PREFER that your local mall pet store not be allowed to sell dogs from "puppy mills", but I can't stop them from doing so.

Game owners aren't obligated to do anything. They own the games; legally they can do anything they want with them. They can even throw them off the roofs of buildings if they want.

But if you're going to be in a hobby collecting vintage anything, you (and I'm speaking generally here) owe it to the hobby to not wantonly destroy things.

Don't want to restore that beaten up Star Wars cabinet that you got in a bulk buy? I don't blame you a bit; that's a lot of hard work and a lot of dollars making it pristine again.

So don't turn it into a 60-1, sell it cheap to someone that wants to restore it. Hang on to it for a while if you possibly can. Put a 60-1 in it in a non-destructive manner and play it if that's what you want. Do the right thing for the hobby if it's at all reasonable to do so.

That's all I'm saying.

BTW, I lived in Missouri for years; it's king of the puppy mill states and I can say that we very much agree on your puppy mill point too. :)
 
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