Restore or keep original? The collector's dilemma

[p1899m]

I'm struggling with this decision on a Ms. Pac that I recently acquired. This particular cabinet has some severe graffiti, etched into the cabinet (down to the wood). One side is nearly completely filled with people's names, years, band names, etc. The other side isn't nearly as bad. It's not nostalgia, as much as just a cool epitome of the years that this particular Ms. Pac spent in the arcades. I'd almost feel bad removing it all, like you'd probably miss a tattoo that you got removed.

Then another part of me wants a perfectly restored Ms. Pac, and thinks that with the very small amount of cash I have into this one, it could be a decent candidate for restore.

Decisions, decisions.

That's a hard one. I'd have to see the machine but I might keep the graffiti look.

 

[Malice95]

There is a personal line we all draw and that can vary over time. When
I first started I wanted 100% factory fresh restoration. I stripped side
art that had small scratches and other minor things. Then after building up a
garage worth of 1/2 done restorations I realized that I dont need 100%,
but I do want the machine to look nice. Its going in my house.
I dont want a beat up POC in my house.

The burgertime I just got looks great. Everything is right about it except the one side..
the paint is cracking a bit. The old me would have parked it in garage and said I'll strip it
and restencil.. new me thinks... its really minor cracking, noone is going to notice,
I rather have it inside enjoying the game.

Now if the CPO was ripped on it, I would have ordered a new one in about 5 mins.
Everyone draws the line somewhere different.

 

[joemagiera]

We've all wondered it, is it best to give your cab that all new, right out of the factory look; or is some wear and tear a sign of character in an older game?

2.what's your pesonal preference/goal of a restoration (ie: to keep all original if possible, perserving arcade history; or restoring it to a near-new standard?

As a few others have said, it's what you like. But I'd glad to tell you my opinion. I used to be a "keep it all original" person. However finding mint flawless NOS parts for games is impossible and extremely expensive. Consequentally, my games are pretty much mostly all original. And several of them look like yuck.

The idea of a used game with wear and tear being a sign of character is a load of crap. Get anyone, anywhere with a mint brand new game and a used game with "character" and ask them which they'd take if they could have only one for free and see what answer you get. I absolutely guarantee you will get 100% to take the new game. Now that answer might be different if the used was all original and the new one was all repro with bad reproduction and bad restoration. But good restoration with good reproduction games look and feel great.

What changed my mind was a visit to Troy (takeman)'s place. He does fantastic restoration work. I liked playing the same game at his house better than my house. It looked better, and I can't explain why, but it felt better playing the restored one.

But like others said, it's what you like, you're the one that will have to live with it.

 

[Spyridon]

IMO beat up original is better than poor quality restoration.

but high quality restoration > beat up original

I'll take the restored Centipede in the second picture over any of these three Centi's (which most would consider to be in good shape)

 

[cleverlyj]

i generally leave the cabinets themselves alone, except in the case of severe water damage. or severe lock bar nastiness, where i'd bondo and paint. generally, i do a magic eraser, new t molding, and a new cpo. and leave it at that.

in the case of the ms pac cocktail, based on your memories of it, i'd keep it as is. if it were me getting one that was a conversion from a pac though, i'd deconvert it. personally, i'm not a cocktail fan but i prefer the pac over the ms pac when it comes to cocktails, as there's way too many ms pac cocktails around, and the pac cocktail art is pretty cool as well.