Taitronics Lupin III Conversion

DZA

Well-known member

Donor 4 years: 2013, 2020-2021, 2025
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
2,456
Reaction score
1,621
Location
Malden, Massachusetts
Ok. I picked up this generic Japanese Taitronics cab a while back from @6lucario

It had a Birdie King 2 in it but it was missing a monitor and a back door.

Anyway, my plan is to change it to a Lupin III. This cab is not exactly a match (it is a slant top and not a flat top) but everything I do will be reversible anyway (I am not going to have side art on it; I don't even know if this exists).

I do NOT like Lupin III the game, but I LOVE the artwork. The Lupin III PCB is impossible to find so, in all likely hood, it will house another game but will have the Lupin III artwork.

Here is the progress to date. Thanks to @Alpha1 for the NOS marquee.
 

Attachments

  • 2022-04-09 15.16.27.jpg
    2022-04-09 15.16.27.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 59
  • 2022-04-09 15.16.37.jpg
    2022-04-09 15.16.37.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 46
  • 2022-04-12 18.58.03.jpg
    2022-04-12 18.58.03.jpg
    3 MB · Views: 52
  • 2022-04-14 15.36.36.jpg
    2022-04-14 15.36.36.jpg
    3.2 MB · Views: 56
  • 2022-05-12 09.15.19.jpg
    2022-05-12 09.15.19.jpg
    3.1 MB · Views: 65
  • 2022-05-12 09.30.53.jpg
    2022-05-12 09.30.53.jpg
    2.7 MB · Views: 66
  • 2022-05-12 09.28.26.jpg
    2022-05-12 09.28.26.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 64
Some more pics. Various stages of the restoration.

So far I have painted and cleaned up the base. Pulled the coin doors and removed the bezel. I have to build a new back door and get the CPO and bezel printed.
 

Attachments

  • 2022-04-09 16.39.04.jpg
    2022-04-09 16.39.04.jpg
    3.6 MB · Views: 24
  • 2022-05-06 09.16.33.jpg
    2022-05-06 09.16.33.jpg
    3.3 MB · Views: 13
  • 2022-05-04 15.51.18.jpg
    2022-05-04 15.51.18.jpg
    3.3 MB · Views: 14
  • 2022-04-20 09.21.51.jpg
    2022-04-20 09.21.51.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 15
  • 2022-04-20 09.08.02.jpg
    2022-04-20 09.08.02.jpg
    3 MB · Views: 17
  • 2022-04-09 17.04.40.jpg
    2022-04-09 17.04.40.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 24
  • 2022-04-09 16.38.49.jpg
    2022-04-09 16.38.49.jpg
    3.1 MB · Views: 23
Here is a snap shot of @Alpha1 's CPO. I am going to have to repo this.

The bezel artwork is available. I just need it reverse printed on plexi.
 

Attachments

  • LupinCPO.jpg
    LupinCPO.jpg
    324.2 KB · Views: 46
  • LupinInstructions.jpg
    LupinInstructions.jpg
    317.1 KB · Views: 47
@coleco1981 - how is your game going? Are you going to keep it as a Birdie King 2? I need to get pics measurements of the back door to repo. Are you able to help?
 
Any progress on this? I am about to start the exact same project with a Birdie King 2 as well. Any art sources out there?

Thank you
 
I haven't picked this back up.

One annoying thing is that many of the screws on mine are "thread locked" so I was having a hell of a time just getting the cab stripped to clean up. Got sidetracked.

My next "simple" step would be to get the bezel printed. You can see the artwork here - https://www.arcadeartwork.org/picture.php?/100190

Retrocity arcade shop used to make artwork - https://forums.arcade-museum.com/th...orders-over-40-ship-free.504840/#post-4487074 - now they don't seem to have art now when I go to the site. I ordered a bezel from them but it was a regular "sticker" to put on plexi. It was not reverse printed. Wouldn't work for me.

Anyway, if you get a bezel printed, let me know and I will order one with you.
 
I haven't picked this back up.

One annoying thing is that many of the screws on mine are "thread locked" so I was having a hell of a time just getting the cab stripped to clean up. Got sidetracked.

My next "simple" step would be to get the bezel printed. You can see the artwork here - https://www.arcadeartwork.org/picture.php?/100190

Retrocity arcade shop used to make artwork - https://forums.arcade-museum.com/th...orders-over-40-ship-free.504840/#post-4487074 - now they don't seem to have art now when I go to the site. I ordered a bezel from them but it was a regular "sticker" to put on plexi. It was not reverse printed. Wouldn't work for me.

Anyway, if you get a bezel printed, let me know and I will order one with you.


Awesome... thank you. I will keep you posted on progress. Your cab is in nicer shape than mine.

Brian
 
Cool. What do you have for the game so far? Any pics?
So, you are building a game you don't love or want?

I too take on interesting technical challenges. Can you share why you have the passion to do this? I may be a little thick this morning, and it isn't making sense to me reading this thread.

I do enjoy the Lupin character - the incorrigible womanizer thief. And the music from Castle Cagliostro is so good it's amazing.
 
So, you are building a game you don't love or want?

I too take on interesting technical challenges. Can you share why you have the passion to do this? I may be a little thick this morning, and it isn't making sense to me reading this thread.

I do enjoy the Lupin character - the incorrigible womanizer thief. And the music from Castle Cagliostro is so good it's amazing.
I love the artwork for the game, the look of the Japanese Taito cabs in general, and collecting unusual games. I also have Cliff Hanger which will make a nice companion piece.

I don't think I will play the game a ton but I likely will use some adapter in the cabinet to play other games as well that I don't have a cab for. It is a conversation starter generally speaking (how many people really have these??).

I actually don't collect games that I like playing as much as I collect games that together, tell a story from a collector standpoint. For example, I have 6 Universal games (trying to get more) and have 3 Atari pins (trying to get all but Hercules). I don't love playing these games but again, they tell a story in my collection.

As many threads have discussed at length, there are different types of collectors. I am the type that likes fixing games (prefer that to working games), loves the artwork, their history/backstory, and is creating an "arcade ambiance" in a space. Playing the games is actually a very minor point of the hobby to me.

As you pointed out in another thread (the one with the Joust cocktail), I have mentioned I will have more space in 2025. I own 100 acres in Vermont. I am building an arcade building there that will hold 100s of games. I currently have about 70 but that limit is space imposed due to my "normal" basement North of Boston. That won't be an issue soon enough.
 
I love the artwork for the game, the look of the Japanese Taito cabs in general, and collecting unusual games. I also have Cliff Hanger which will make a nice companion piece.

I don't think I will play the game a ton but I likely will use some adapter in the cabinet to play other games as well that I don't have a cab for. It is a conversation starter generally speaking (how many people really have these??).

I actually don't collect games that I like playing as much as I collect games that together, tell a story from a collector standpoint. For example, I have 6 Universal games (trying to get more) and have 3 Atari pins (trying to get all but Hercules). I don't love playing these games but again, they tell a story in my collection.

As many threads have discussed at length, there are different types of collectors. I am the type that likes fixing games (prefer that to working games), loves the artwork, their history/backstory, and is creating an "arcade ambiance" in a space. Playing the games is actually a very minor point of the hobby to me.

As you pointed out in another thread (the one with the Joust cocktail), I have mentioned I will have more space in 2025. I own 100 acres in Vermont. I am building an arcade building there that will hold 100s of games. I currently have about 70 but that limit is space imposed due to my "normal" basement North of Boston. That won't be an issue soon enough.
Thank you for taking the time to explain what your thinking is. It is very interesting, and reflects the diversity of our collecting habits.

I appreciate it. I wish you success with your Vermont plans and your approach. Best wishes!
 
Cool. What do you have for the game so far? Any pics?

I have an old Taito board set labeled as Lupin that I picked up 20+ years ago (honest, I really don't hoard stuff). I need to do some digging and find it. Anyway, I stumbled across this cabinet about 2 years ago. It is not truly correct for Lupin in that the "correct" cabinet had a flat top and the side art was purple and blue as opposed to blue and teal...... but the Taito / Taitronics feels like they are in the correct ballpark for a Lupin. My understanding is that titles like Lupin were tossed into a bunch of generic Taitronics cabinets that in some cases had choice of color..... and the cabinet dates from the right time period.

As mentioned,.... I am not sure how great of a game Lupin is... but stumbling across a similar game cabinet to a board set I already have seems like it is calling to me to complete the project. Much of my collecting is around games that are tied to fond memories for me..... not so much the game themselves. Some games I have collected are the result of truly loving the games (Darius, Spy Hunter, and others come to mind), other games are from events in my life at the time. I also like to collect unique cabinets and unique concepts in games (Computer Space for example was before my arcade time). My collection is rather all over the place ranging from early 70s to 2010. (video here ...
) For example, Bonanza Bros. reminds me of a friend who is gone and when we went to the arcade together and stumbled on our first Japanese candy cab which happened to be playing Bonanza Bros. It was the first candy cabinet I ever saw and also the first memory of a large medium resolution monitor. The game has grown on me since then. Likewise, Lupin was one of a collection of Japanese shows I would watch at my friend's house as a kid. I am much more tied to the "Lupin III" license then this specific game.

Anyway, the cabinet is a working Birdie King II with a monitor in need of a re-capping. Cabinet is in fairly good shape as you can see in the picture below. I am currently tracing the cabinet to add to the website (also a PITA since it is metric and had DADO joints and hardware blocking everywhere). I have pictures of multiple cabinets, control panel, bezel, marquee etc... I am planning on reaching out to my graphic designer and see if she is willing to draw up a set of art based on the samples and the measurements I provide to her. If she does, I will need to get it printed up....... but I will share out the files like I usually do. I will have to dig up the board set and see if it works or if it needs to be repaired. Make a control panel and repair the monitor, etc... For the time being, I will probably use an arpicade type device until I can get the real board back in it.

For me.... this was just the next cabinet taking up space in the garage. I will have to work on the Cliff Hanger next.... and if I get serious about collecting, maybe see about importing a Lupin III The Gun.

Projects that I have most of the parts for (or work arounds) include the following

Darius (Japanese sit-down)
Cliff Hanger
EDOT
Cosmic Chasm
Reactor
Quantum
Major Havoc

Bunch of Cinevectron games to build as well.

Brian
 

Attachments

  • Taitronics.png
    Taitronics.png
    1.7 MB · Views: 18
  • Like
Reactions: DZA
@bdn103 - cool that you have a Cliff Hanger. So do I. I just got all the boards and the laser disc player. Another project :)

Anyway, it sounds like we should tag team getting the bezel made and well as using the pictures earlier in the thread to get the CPO reproduced.
 
Just an update, I have someone I know creating some art for the cabinet for me. I would regard it as "fan art" since it is being created off of pictures..... But they will be vector files and the correct size for the cabinet. I'll post them on the website for download once she is done. Marquee, bezel, CPO and a custom "round" that could be side art or next to the speaker.

Any recommendations for where to get them printed?

Brian
 
Back
Top Bottom