Q*Bert - Is this too far gone?

monty_a900

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Donor 2011, 2013
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Before moving to the UK, I picked up this Q*Bert in Orlando. It spent quite a few years outside by a pool. As you can see by the pics, it looks like it spent some time in the pool...

Insides have been JAMMA-tised/ hacked (strangely with a bootleg Q*Bert) with only the original power brick and some wiring remaining. I have all the parts I need to get this working (minus a complete wiring harness) and would love to get this nicelly restored. I certainly want it electronically working..

Issue is, the cab is in *BAD* shape. What hasn't swelled is rusty. I dealt with some swelling before (STARGATE) and had good results grinding the swelled wood out, filling, hardener, paint etc... However, this is way beyond this.

I highly doubt I'll ever find a donor cab in the UK, and I don't want to take on a new build.

What do you think?
 

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More pics

A few more pics...
 

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You'd at least have material to use as a template. If it's hard to find that cab in the UK, you may not have much choice if you want to have a Q*Bert. If you have some materials on hand, maybe you could try and work on a small section of the cab and see if you can save it? It does look pretty rough. These Gottlieb cabs soak up moisture like crazy. :(
 
Sounds like you're really close to having a complete game. For the work involved in restoring that though, I personally would probably just dismantle it and cut new pieces using the old boards as a template.
 
I'd love to find a trashed one, in that shape, to use as a template for building a new cabinet out of MDF. Move over all the hardware, etc..could make a new looking one. Consider the cabinet a repro piece.
 
Wow.. Like others have said, I think it's a good candidate for the total transplant to a new cabinet. I'm not sure about tracing that cab, as the swelling may have messed with the dimensions a bit. You might be able to trace from that cabinet and then verify a few dimensions from folks with dry cabs to adjust your cuts a bit. The control panel area is the one that would be most critical for a good fit.

The thing that makes me say wow is the fact that cabs usually look a lot better on the internet than they do in person..
 
Wow.. Like others have said, I think it's a good candidate for the total transplant to a new cabinet. I'm not sure about tracing that cab, as the swelling may have messed with the dimensions a bit. You might be able to trace from that cabinet and then verify a few dimensions from folks with dry cabs to adjust your cuts a bit. The control panel area is the one that would be most critical for a good fit.

The thing that makes me say wow is the fact that cabs usually look a lot better on the internet than they do in person..

I know what you mean. I keep thinking I'll have a go at restoring it, take another look at the swelling and then walk away. :eek: The person selling it stated it had "a few water marks!!"

If I soak it in hardener, is it possible to salvage it? Oddly, the insides look to be in great condition, zero signs of water damage. I'm just not sure how I'd sand down the inner areas around the t-molding.
 
Ditto using it as a template to start over, it's too far gone. If you've got a wood router it's not that tough and you'll have a minty cab afterwards, I've been rebuilding a Centipede cocktail which is in just as bad if not worse shape and so far it's coming out nice.
 
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I'd part it. Qbert is a very expensive game to rebuild if you're missing the boards. PLUS, your cabinet is trashed. I would't take the trouble to try to deconvert one unless the cabinet was nice. You've got nothing to start with here, you might as well just build a brand new one. You've got a bezel, and a marquee. You need everything else.

BTW, like I've mentioned before, you're not destroying this game. Somebody else already did... all you're doing is giving it a respectful burial.
 
Started to unpick the horribly hacked wiring harness today. Looks like the complete edge connector portion is gone. Random wires cut all over the place, this is ugly. If anyone has a source for the PCB edge connector, I'm all ears...

Good news is the power brick and wiring seems intact!
 

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Dude, you have virtually no chance of finding a complete Q*Bert in the UK nevermind a donor cab.

Q*Bert has got to be in the top ten rarest in the UK, I believe only one collector in the UK had one.

It is beyond saving though, however I would go into the trouble of building a new cab, it will be easy for you as you have the original to use for reference.

Well worth doing, Q*Bert commands a big premium in the UK.
 
Dude

I just realised, DPtwiz can sell you vectored plans to get a Q*Bert cut by a CNC cutter, then all you have to do is assemble it.

DPtwiz sold me plans for a Space Duel, his work is top notch and well worth the investment.

Well worth doing for a Q*Bert, you picked the right cab to bring in with you dude. It is so rare here that the UK Arcade Collecting community was buzzing about the Q*Bert 'knocker' - most of us have never had the chance to experience it.

Is your knocker intact? If not repro's are available.
 
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