School me on finding cabs

Griffin

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So i've started collecting cabs and I really did get off to a great start scoring a Paperboy and a Moon Patrol from a local guy I found on CL.

Needless to say I do still keep my eye on CL but that seems to be my only source right now and it's mostly filled with people trying to sell Ms. Pac-Man for $1,000 and a bazillion 'MAME CABS ZOMG PLAY 10,0000,90008,000 GAMES!!'

I'm sure that I'm going to need some better skills at rooting around and networking in order to find the more unusual gear that I am hoping to build into my collection, games like Ikari Warriors, Original Gauntlet, Space Harrier etc that don't come up very often.

Where should I be looking, who should I be talking to? I love the scavenger hunt part of this hobby, I want to get better at it.

Joel
 
It just takes time and lots of patience. I've been scouring area Craigslist sites daily for over a year now. I'm not always ready to buy, but I at least see trends. For example, Neo Geo's seem to pop up ever X months, Gauntlets every X months, etc.

The For Sale section here can be your friend, too - especially because you are in California. I always see TONS of games in California I wish I could buy for reasonable prices listed in the For Sale section. You might have to drive to get it, but they are out there.

Also, get to know people on the forum in your area. That, too, will take time - but good leads and prices might come from them.

I would also advise having money at the ready for stuff you want to buy - people don't typically want to hold things for you. I've even missed out on deals because I decided to stop at a bank on my way to a seller and someone beat me there. Having cash in hand is the way to go. Dealing with friends, though, would help this. So I again encourage getting to know other members.
 
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Posting here might help. Maybe post a wanted ad on CL. I would look on klov and email local collectors. Maybe they passed on/know of where the games you want are.

There is a guy I think still in SD area named Tim. He has been doing repair/collecting for a very long time. He probably knows where all the games are buried.
 
Yep I definitely want to catch up with fellow collectors although there don't seem to be many true cab-heads around the San Diego area, just a lot of people with the odd cabinet.

Who is this mystical Tim you speak of :D
 
Honestly, it's a mix of different sites (Craigslist, ebay, KLOV, Collectors groups on facebook..) and more. You need to be patient, figure out going rates and what you are willing to pay for a machine, and be ready to jump when something pops up. It's presistance, luck and tenacity...

Also, my biggest advice to a new collector.... Get to know what is a dedicated cab and what is a conversion. Stick to dedicated cabs, avoid conversions....
 
Griffin- I'm N of you by a few hours. (Bakersfield) I'm new to this too and check Cl everyday. I'm looking for local collectors to network with as well. If I come across anything priced fair or on your list I'll shoot you a PM. We have a $1500 Ms. Pac-Man here as well..

Post a want add (free) on ebay classifieds and I used to post want ads on ebays main site. Do you have Pennysaver or other free local classifieds you can post in?

Did a quick search on ebay classifieds and see a Galaga for $750 in Beaumont, Ms Pac-Man $500 etc.

If nothing else call these people. Maybe they have/know of others and not interested in selling but a handfull of cash always helps.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys.

On the subject of conversions, were all Ikari Warriors conversion kits or were there any originals? There's a really nice one on eBay for $999 but to be honest I would rather buy a rough one for a lot less and enjoy doing a full resto to my own standards.
 
space harrier

i will make a deal with you, any space harrier i find west of the mississippi i will let you know about, and any space harrier you find east of the mississippi you let me know about. i do a national search everyday for that damn game.....



So i've started collecting cabs and I really did get off to a great start scoring a Paperboy and a Moon Patrol from a local guy I found on CL.

Needless to say I do still keep my eye on CL but that seems to be my only source right now and it's mostly filled with people trying to sell Ms. Pac-Man for $1,000 and a bazillion 'MAME CABS ZOMG PLAY 10,0000,90008,000 GAMES!!'

I'm sure that I'm going to need some better skills at rooting around and networking in order to find the more unusual gear that I am hoping to build into my collection, games like Ikari Warriors, Original Gauntlet, Space Harrier etc that don't come up very often.

Where should I be looking, who should I be talking to? I love the scavenger hunt part of this hobby, I want to get better at it.

Joel
 
Thanks for the feedback guys.

On the subject of conversions, were all Ikari Warriors conversion kits or were there any originals? There's a really nice one on eBay for $999 but to be honest I would rather buy a rough one for a lot less and enjoy doing a full resto to my own standards.

According to arcade-museum.com...

Cabinet Information
The dedicated game housings were built by Dynamo, a third-party manufacturer that created the popular "cut-corner" cabinet. These enclosures became popular conversion cabinets for many later JAMMA games. Ikari Warriors was also released as a JAMMA conversion kit later on.

You can find out a lot of information on the game site.. I constantly use it to verify conversions vs. dedicated, check out gameplay and screenshots... an amazing resource.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys.

On the subject of conversions, were all Ikari Warriors conversion kits or were there any originals? There's a really nice one on eBay for $999 but to be honest I would rather buy a rough one for a lot less and enjoy doing a full resto to my own standards.

ikari has a dedicated cab. Its a dynamo hs1 style. If I remember correctly, ikari is jamma, but the dedicated cab is not wired jamma. there is an adapter board involved.

dedicated akari should look like this. It has a cut corner control panel.

1181242122375.gif


As for tim, I don't feel I should direct you to him as I don't know if he is looking for work. Thats why I would suggest you look around and maybe if you find him (CL listing or ebay selling), then he wanted to be found. Now if I did have a reason to contact Tim, I could ask if he wanted to help and it would be a different story.
 
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i found most of my cabs on the Dutch Craiglist, but other collectors and the for sale sections on various arcades websites are also good options. Finding cabs in the US can't be that hard, you guys have all the good stuff over there, so good hunting! ;)
 
Now if I did have a reason to contact Tim, I could ask if he wanted to help and it would be a different story.

Perhaps you could ask him if he knows of any Dynamo Ikari Warrior cabs or Space Harrier cabs lurking around as you know a new awesome guy somewhere in San Diego who's into refurbing and collecting? ;)
 
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