Should I convert this back to Donkey Kong.

djw90

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I have a nintendo cabinet. It has 2 tags on the back. It was first a Donkey Kong then a Mario. After that it was Converted to Chelnov.

I have started converting it back to Donkey Kong. I have read a little about Chelnov. It came out in 1988. I was hanging out in the bars not the Arcades by 88, so I never played it. It looks like a rare game. the VAPS shows only 2 people have this and 19 people with boards. Most who own it are in Europe.

The history of this game is pretty cool. The game came out at the end of the cold war era with Russia. The game was based on Chernobyl.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelnov

I talked to a guy yesterday that sold his board to a guy in Europe for around $200

I think the game is some what cool with its history, but really want to turn this back to a Donkey Kong. Is it wrong to Kill this rare game? Maybe I should put it in another cabinet? Or try to sell it in Europe??
So What would you do?

I might set the world record on it before I pull it out of the machine. There is no world record on the arcade version of this machine, just mame!!

Here are some pictures of starting the conversion back.

dkchel.jpg


dkchel1.jpg


chelnov.png
 
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I'd continue that conversion and consider putting the board in another cab. That looks just awful the way that it is. Baby Blue + Nuclear Soldier = :(

I like your idea about getting the record first. If you played it once, you've already done it, apparently.
 
They never bothered to install a video inverter!
The video in your pictures looks like a photo negative.
 
Set the world record and sell it. Then ill fire mine up and break the record :D

I would rather break one then set one.

Make sure the bar is set high!
 
I remember playing this when I was in college. Went to a hotdog joint at lunch every day and they had a handful of games, this being one of them, so they couldn't have been that rare ;) (they also had Alien Syndrome, Pengo, Dr Mario, and a Major Havok-Tempest conversion)
 
Set a satisfactory world record on the game and then put it the board in another machine. Keep doing your restoration; it looks like you're well on your way with it anyway.
 
That is one ugly frankenbeast, but it looks like it's well on its way to looking good again -- good work. Make it a DK, put the Chelnov in another cab or sell it.

But yeah:

Chelnov marquee
DK Bezel
painted over mario bros side art
Data East generic CPO
Non-inverted video...

It's just like the one I remember playing as a kid *dreamy far off stare* :)
 
Yes you should, Mine was a DK, then Mario Bros, and finally a Ghost's and Goblin's.
Now it's back to DK where it belonged.;)
 
They never bothered to install a video inverter!
The video in your pictures looks like a photo negative.

Yea I wondered what was up with the picture!!

Set the world record and sell it. Then ill fire mine up and break the record :D

I would rather break one then set one.

Make sure the bar is set high!

I emailed twin galaxies. They have the Mame version listed, but not the Arcade one. Im going to practice on mame for awhile.

I remember playing this when I was in college. Went to a hotdog joint at lunch every day and they had a handful of games, this being one of them, so they couldn't have been that rare ;) (they also had Alien Syndrome, Pengo, Dr Mario, and a Major Havok-Tempest conversion)

This game ranks a 13 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.

Man I would love to find a Major Havok conversion:eek:
 
Chelnov is not a rare game. I used to have a board. Kinda cool scroller. Nothing worth worring about. Sell the parts and deconvert. Somewhere out there is alot of homeless Donkey Kong parts waiting to be adopted. Do the right thing. You know you want to.
 
Donkey Kong seems to be the right answer. Not sure what to do with the Chelnov. If I cant find a cab for it, I might sell the kit. I played it some more this morning hard game!!
 
Donkey Kong seems to be the right answer. Not sure what to do with the Chelnov. If I cant find a cab for it, I might sell the kit. I played it some more this morning hard game!!

I'm sure it may be a fun and rarer game but nothing looks right in a DK cab other than DK to me, if it were in a lesser recognized cab I think it would draw lot's of attention.
 
I would go back to Mario Bros. if it was me. When I played it back in the day, that's what kind of cabinet it was in, so that is what I would go with. Looks like the side art on the right side may have been salvageable but the left was toast anyway.
 
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