Q*bert Restoration

MackAttack

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Donor 4 years: 2014, 2016, 2018, 2024
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My son has wanted a Q*bert since I took my kids up to Flynn's Retrocede here in Utah https://flynnsretrocade.com. At an auction last January I spied a Q*bert operating incognito as a Strikers 1945. I scored the converted cabinet for $25 (if you can believe that)—and then sold the Strikers 1945 PCB to my buddy for $10.
I rebuilt the K4900 chassis, while my buddy (Rogaaron) did body work and repainted everything. I had found a bezel from a local operator, and a marquee from a local collector. I purchased new artwork for everything else, as well as a reproduction control panel. The Strikers must've been a conversion kit because the control panel was identical in size/shape but missing the button/joystick hole layout that would make it Q*bert. Luckily I had a joystick on my Dig Dug that fit perfectly in the Q*bert so I swapped in a red ball top Wico into the Dig Dug. I kept missing out on Q*bert PCB sets and harness listings. My son's birthday was coming up fast followed by Christmas. We straight-up missed his birthday, so I decided to pick up an Mylstar FPGA Q*Bert board and use the JAMMA setup that was already in the cabinet. The knocker was still intact, but I swapped out the solenoid with a 12V to match the power coming off the JAMMA harness. With a little rewiring we got the knocker and control panel hooked up about a week before Christmas. Phew!
Needless to say, my son was ecstatic to finally get a Q*bert.
 

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… a few more pics

Here's my son with his Q*bert collection.
 

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Looks great. $25 for a Q*Bert cab is a steal. They're generally much more than that.

Is that a Coin Controls joystick? I'm going to use a joystick like that in my Q*Bert restore, as they look and feel very similar to the real thing, but seem to be much more common and are alot less $. Maybe one day I'll score a real one.

Also, any idea what yellow paint was used? I've found that Sherwin Williams Safety Yellow is pretty close to the original (at least on my cab) but a little too shiny.

Nice work!
 
Is that a Coin Controls joystick?

Also, any idea what yellow paint was used?

Nice work!


jlpmauldin, it's not an original Q*Bert joystick, but it fits perfect. I can't remember what it said on the side. I agree the originals are a little pricey. It plays just fine and I'm cool with that. If I ran across a reasonably priced original—I have rebuild kit waiting for it. :)

I had Sherwin Williams mix oil-based paint referencing the yellow on the side art. It's just a tad lighter than I thought it'd be, but I'm happy with it. I would do something similar, take a swatch of artwork in and have them try to mix it for you. It was like $25 for a quart.

Thanks man!
 
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