kalevan
Member
I wanted to share with everyone an example of the costs of restoring an arcade game from beginning to end, assuming you have little to no supplies on hand. This dose of reality might help others make informed decisions about whether they really want to pull the trigger on that beater cab to restore or leave it to some other collector and buy an already restored minty cabinet at a higher cost.
I purchased a game last year on Craigslist. A moment after getting it home, I became a member of klov and VAPS. I was looking for information about the game, and I wanted to see what it once had been, as it had a strange-looking cabinet.
Sooner than later, I realized I had a converted BurgerTime on hand. I decided to enjoy it as it was for awhile, then convert it back into a BurgerTime. Since the cabinet had already been jammatized, I decided to opt for the 60-1 route. A pm to a klover and $110 later, it arrived.
So far: cab $260
60-1: $110
I bit the bullet and decided to get stencils and kickplate art from another klover. Shipped, it came to approximately $300.
Running total, $670.
To avoid overly specific details, I'll combine what I paid for a reproduction CPO with the cost of 2 orange buttons, a new switchable 4/8 way joystick, 2 buttons for service and credits, 2 pull-and-vents for the back of the machine, 2 cam locks/keys, shipping (Oh, LORD, the shipping!) and probably a few other things I am forgetting:
Estimated: $100
Running total: $770.
Finally, the hunt for the remaining artwork began. Klovers came through for me again here, and I now have a marquee and bezel on their way, both of which are minty-fresh reproductions. Edit: As it turns out, the bezel deal fell through... still looking! We'll estimate here again:
Estimated reproduction art cost w/shipping: $120
Running total: Approximately $900.
Now, we need to factor in the costs of the minor details, such as paint, primer, bondo, sand paper, epoxy, etc., etc... Assuming you have none of this on hand, feel safe to estimate at least $100 here, and you'll see that your final costs can very likely land you in the neighborhood of:
Estimated final cost, start to finish: $1000+.
To save anyone the trouble, yes, this restoration could have been done at a fraction of the price with used parts, better connections than I have, etc. This is just an isolated example of what a nearly complete restoration could wind up costing from beginning to end.
To wrap this up, I paid a lot more than I ever expected to pay on this restoration, for sure. I'll be getting a LOT more out of this than I expected to, however. Over the course of my ownership of this cabinet, I've learned a TON about how these games work, how to troubleshoot basic problems, how to cap a monitor... the list goes on. When finished, I'll have a beautiful, new-looking BurgerTime cabinet that plays 60 games, a load of experience under my belt, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with resurrecting a classic that I enjoyed the hell out of as a kid.
Buying a beat-up cabinet: $250
Restoration costs: Approximately $750
The experience and pride that come with resurrecting a classic: Priceless.
I purchased a game last year on Craigslist. A moment after getting it home, I became a member of klov and VAPS. I was looking for information about the game, and I wanted to see what it once had been, as it had a strange-looking cabinet.
Sooner than later, I realized I had a converted BurgerTime on hand. I decided to enjoy it as it was for awhile, then convert it back into a BurgerTime. Since the cabinet had already been jammatized, I decided to opt for the 60-1 route. A pm to a klover and $110 later, it arrived.
So far: cab $260
60-1: $110
I bit the bullet and decided to get stencils and kickplate art from another klover. Shipped, it came to approximately $300.
Running total, $670.
To avoid overly specific details, I'll combine what I paid for a reproduction CPO with the cost of 2 orange buttons, a new switchable 4/8 way joystick, 2 buttons for service and credits, 2 pull-and-vents for the back of the machine, 2 cam locks/keys, shipping (Oh, LORD, the shipping!) and probably a few other things I am forgetting:
Estimated: $100
Running total: $770.
Finally, the hunt for the remaining artwork began. Klovers came through for me again here, and I now have a marquee and bezel on their way, both of which are minty-fresh reproductions. Edit: As it turns out, the bezel deal fell through... still looking! We'll estimate here again:
Estimated reproduction art cost w/shipping: $120
Running total: Approximately $900.
Now, we need to factor in the costs of the minor details, such as paint, primer, bondo, sand paper, epoxy, etc., etc... Assuming you have none of this on hand, feel safe to estimate at least $100 here, and you'll see that your final costs can very likely land you in the neighborhood of:
Estimated final cost, start to finish: $1000+.
To save anyone the trouble, yes, this restoration could have been done at a fraction of the price with used parts, better connections than I have, etc. This is just an isolated example of what a nearly complete restoration could wind up costing from beginning to end.
To wrap this up, I paid a lot more than I ever expected to pay on this restoration, for sure. I'll be getting a LOT more out of this than I expected to, however. Over the course of my ownership of this cabinet, I've learned a TON about how these games work, how to troubleshoot basic problems, how to cap a monitor... the list goes on. When finished, I'll have a beautiful, new-looking BurgerTime cabinet that plays 60 games, a load of experience under my belt, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with resurrecting a classic that I enjoyed the hell out of as a kid.
Buying a beat-up cabinet: $250
Restoration costs: Approximately $750
The experience and pride that come with resurrecting a classic: Priceless.
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