Today's Pickup: Red Donkey Kong - TRS-UP-US

Radford119

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Donor 2011, 2023
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Lucked out and was able to pickup a working red DK today. This is my first Radar Scope Nintendo cab and I was wondering if someone could shed some light on a couple things I've never come across. The joystick shaft doesn't look or feel Nintendo to me. It has a weird nut at the top below the ball, the base however is your traditional 4 way Nintendo. Anyone ever seen this? Also, the control panel feels much more slanted than previous DK's I've owned, is that just the Radar Scope design?

It has some minor holes in the laminate from a lock bar and on one side where someone did some shotty cab work on it, but overall it's nice, just incredibly dirty. It's missing the original 4 board PCB set. Has a more common TKG4 version, which was a bummer when I finally got it open. I told myself I probably wouldn't keep it, but it grew on me on the drive home. Can't wait to freshen it up and show it some love.
 

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Nice find. The operator did not follow the strict instructions from Nintendo when doing the conversion - removing the Radar Scope serial tag :). Based on the tag and the other cabinet details (Monitor in a box, PP-7A), this is one of the few cabinets that actually left the factory as a Radar Scope. It's not a factory conversion; it was converted to DK by the operator. Perhaps it will be worth it to deconvert back to a Radar Scope. I say this only because we know it's a factory Radar Scope and is therefore historically significant.

You should check the markings on the monitor chassis metal mount to see if it also says TRS or if it says TKG. If TRS, it's even more significant.

I would need more pics to judge the joystick, it is not a radar scope joystick, and that nut near the ball top doesn't look normal to me.
 
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Nice find. The operator did not follow the strict instructions from Nintendo when doing the conversion - removing the Radar Scope serial tag :). Based on the tag and the other cabinet details (Monitor in a box, PP-7A), this is one of the few cabinets that actually left the factory as a Radar Scope. It's not a factory conversion; it was converted to DK by the operator. Perhaps it will be worth it to deconvert back to a Radar Scope. I say this only because we know it's a factory Radar Scope and is therefore historically significant.

You should check the markings on the monitor chassis metal mount to see if it also says TRS or if it says TKG. If TRS, it's even more significant.

I would need more pics to judge the joystick, it is not a radar scope joystick, and that nut near the ball top doesn't look normal to me.
I think you're 100% right on all fronts. After inspecting the cab further, I feel like the DK parts were piecemealed. Would love to get a Radar Scope going, finding parts is gonna be a PIA.
 
I think you're 100% right on all fronts. After inspecting the cab further, I feel like the DK parts were piecemealed. Would love to get a Radar Scope going, finding parts is gonna be a PIA.
@SNESNESCUBE64 may have some stuff for you.

Also, please check the chassis mounting bracket. Would be cool to know if that monitor/chassis is also original to the cabinet. Yes it's an EZ, but often times if the monitor failed it may have been swapped out for a different one during it's life as a DK.
 
@Orlandu81 Is this what you wanted to see? From just looking at the patina of everything in and around the monitor along with the dust and dirt, it looks as if it is all original and unmodified.
 

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I think i have a Radar Scope Bezel that needs a lot of NOVUS work that i could be talked out of if thats the way you decide to go.

But Donkey Kong is more fun than Radar Scope...by a lot.
 
But Donkey Kong is more fun than Radar Scope...by a lot.
Eh I don't know about that. I'll happily keep my Radarscope over DK.
@SNESNESCUBE64 may have some stuff for you.
Unfortunately most of my parts have gone into other machines at this point. I have most of a boardset but it needs a sound board (which I have to repro). Only thing extra that I have extra for Radarscope right now are TRS2 speech board kits.

I hope that this gets done justice and gets turned back into a proper Radarscope.
 
I think i have a Radar Scope Bezel that needs a lot of NOVUS work that i could be talked out of if thats the way you decide to go.

But Donkey Kong is more fun than Radar Scope...by a lot.
I appreciate that, shoot me a PM with some pcis when you have time and we can probably work something out. I already own a DK with a Braze kit on it, so I think I'm going to start the arduous process of collecting Radar Scope parts. Funny how $200 is gonna turn into $1000+ real quick.
 
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