Cactus FLACK'S

by **Flack** » Fri Oct 07, 2011 6:22 am

I paid more than I wanted to for that Commando machine ($250), mostly because it was complete and also because the seller told me that he had $250 into it and if it didn't sell for $250 that weekend he was going to convert the machine to a 48-in-1 and sell it for $1,000.

I have no idea if he was really going to do that, but what can I say -- the guy knows how to press my buttons. :)

With tax and/or auction fees I've had a few games surpass the $300, but by and large most of my games cost me $250 and less (and don't kid yourself; it shows) and several around the $100 mark (and don't kid yourself; it shows).

I have this theory that I've never really conveyed or written down but ... I think every game has a "sweet spot" at which point it would be perfect, like maybe $750 or even $1,000, somewhere around there. So my theory is that you can either spend $1k on a game, or you can spend less than that and then, if you're into fixing and restoring games, slowly work your way back up to that total number. And some people (like me) learn to live with not repairing things like side art or marquee lights (or joysticks and buttons) and end up investing less. So it's not that I get better deals than other people, it's that I buy stuff in worse condition and then learn to live with it, haha.

by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:46 pm

So, I took a photo of Gauntlet II when it showed up. Flack and I were going to do a "Spicy Blog Sandwich" sort of thing, which is the kind of inter-website blog post that involves two blogs of different races banging each other.

I wanted to give you all an update, as it's clear I have not held up my part of the bargain. My blog got scared and is now crying in the arms of a co-worker.

I'm waiting for an RGB cable to arrive. When that happens, I'll finish the blog entry and we can all forget this ever happened.

I'd like to also start discussing the finer points of Flack's Commando. It's fucking CHERRY.

by **pinback** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:22 pm

by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:11 pm

Your Commando is a gorgeous Commando. I would be happy to play the role of the guy you're supposed to ask permission from before you marry a person. Cos it would like be weird if a person arranged to buy it from you and THEN had to list all their good qualities as a provider, and mention dong length.

by **Flack** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 6:45 am

Unfortunately, they already have one.

I think they next game I'm going to sell is Commando, simply because it's like 99% there (need to fix 1 button).

by **pinback** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:47 am

You dudes should create a new below-the-fold base and have it turn into the internet's greatest old game forum, much as the Hugo base has turned into the internet's <s>only</s> greatest Hugo forum.

by **Flack** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:42 am

I honestly never checked (and still don't know) if the video cables are universal, or if the connectors are proprietary and you will need to splice new wires/cables into them. I'll be interested to hear how that goes. It seems like such a simple repair that I'm embarrassed to have never tackled.

I have had semi good luck with bending leaf switch leaves back into position. I say semi good because I've done it half a dozen times and it worked great, and I did it once and broke the god damn leaf off. A friend of mine actually took an additional leaf and magically soldered it to the broken one and it started working again (this was for my Karate Champ). I need to attempt the same magic with a couple of my 720 buttons. So many projects, so little time.

PS: I took some hi-res pix of the cabinet before I shipped it, and it looks like the power switch is located in the recessed circle on the back, right next to the power cord.

by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 11:35 pm

That's the thing. The money was gonna be spent driving it to Colorado. And since I don't have a truck, I'd have had to figure that expense in as well. I think it worked out well.

So far I have ordered some RAM I clearly don't need, and a couple video cables that I think I do. Hopefully, one should work great for my Moon Patrol monitor, and one should work great for this. It's a six-wire RGB cord. If it does not work right, I will see if I can stabilize the wire which is causing the sprites to appear interlaced.

I learned some things about the joysticks! They are all soldered, wire on connector. Nnngh! So I may harvest the joysticks of the control panel you gave me for the leafswitches. What I saw in virtually every case was that the leaf switches were either positioned too far from the joystick's shaft, or the leaf switches were always closed. Easy peasy.

It is looking like there's going to be a Denver/KLOV get-together for a re-showing of Ghostbusters this month, and I am hoping to have my arcade and home in good shape before that takes place.

by **Flack** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:41 am

That's more than I got. When I asked what time the pick-up guy would arrive, I could literally hear the woman's shoulders shrug over the phone. "Sometime between 8am and 5pm" was the final answer, although after requesting, she did tell me that she could have the driver call me when he was within 30 minutes of the house (which they did).

For all the goofiness that we went through on this ordeal, I still think $400 is a decent deal. It's roughly 1,200 miles round trip from my place to yours and back. In my truck (again, doing a lot of rough rounding here) that would be 80 gallons of gas at (approximately) $3.50/gallon, which works out to $280. Figure in food and a night at a hotel and you're creeping pretty close to that $400 mark, and that's with no shipping insurance, a lot of miles and wear and tear on my truck, and, if the trip took longer than 2 days, a day off of work. So while $400 initially sounded a little high to me, I guess it's not that high to pay for doing absolutely nothing in getting a game halfway across the country.

by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 3:44 pm

Yeah. I know. I know!

I got a call on Friday. The machine is destined to be dropped off between 7 and 9 tomorrow. That probably means 7:01AM, so I'd better get to bed early Sunday night. I'm sure I'll stay up till 2 and it will ruin my entire week, though.

by **Flack** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 4:12 am

I gave at the office.

The funny thing about side artwork is, it's either 100% perfect or it's not, but people still usually refer to it in what percentage it is there or whatever. Like, the bad side of the Gauntlet II cabinet is missing half the artwork, and I think I even said at one point, "Well, it's half there." But it's not like that's a selling feature. When it comes time to fix it, it's not like you only half to buy the 50% you're missing. It's pretty much an all or nothing deal. One little swastika can ruin the whole thing, if you know what I mean.

by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:59 pm

I don't want to drag this thread into the dregs. I'm back on board the Gauntlet II pleasure train. I'm just hoping the weather stays nice for another couple of weeks so I can fix it up in the garage at night.

I did see that Arcade Overlays sells a complete set of Gauntlet II art, but they break the art up for the original Gauntlet. Argh! $203 for a complete set of Gauntlet II art is too much, but it is likely it will be on the edge of a row of games, so it would be seen. Curses; time to fake cancer on the Internet and get donations again.

by **Flack** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:17 pm

I'll do just about anything for a good story.

Tonight for dinner we went to "Captain Bill's Seafood & Steak Restaurant", mostly because the name made me laugh. Also, Captain Bill is the cook.

by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:40 pm

I just can't believe we went through all this for a goddamn video game.

I don't quite know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. Motherfuck. Hnnnn, whatever, not worth having an aneurysm over.

by **Tdarcos** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:40 am

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:Hey! What the fuck is that on the screen? Some sort of game?

REMEMBER THE AGREEMENT. Whyc an't anyone REMEMBER TEH AGREEMNTS

What agreement? To make sure the wizard gets food when he needs it badly? :)

by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:34 pm

Hey! What the fuck is that on the screen? Some sort of game?

REMEMBER THE AGREEMENT. Whyc an't anyone REMEMBER TEH AGREEMNTS

by **Flack** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:04 pm

Oh, and this is what it looked like BEFORE:

I look forward to the "after" pic.

by **Flack** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:03 pm

Oh, it hasn't been that big of a deal. Other than the fact that my kid's basketball goal now looks like the Red Car Commandos got a hold of it, no real harm has been done.

I thought it was interesting that the "local" mover (the OKC to Dallas guy) was sub-contracted, and that he himself had hired a guy from manpower to help him out. Susan said they were surprised that I had the game moved to the front of the garage and waiting for them, which makes me wonder what kind of shit they run in to on a regular basis ("oh yeah it's that game ON THE ROOF BITCH!" They did ask me on the phone if stairs would be involved.

Since we're planning on moving anyway, if they offer me more than about $50 for the basketball goal, I'm keeping the cash and sawing down that pole somehow.

by **ICJ** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 5:50 pm

Flack wrote:What I've learned so far is, NAVL didn't come get the game.

What the?!! This was supposed to be an ea-- right I said that already. God!

"God!" -- Andy Lonelyisland

NAVL will ship the game from Dallas to Denver. To get the game from OKC to Denver, they sub-contract that out. The guy who showed up to pick up the game was in a rented Hertz moving van -- one he, obviously, wasn't familiar with driving. And, THAT guy had hired ANOTHER guy to help him move the game. AND, according to my wife, they used MY DOLLY to move the game!

Christ. That wasn't the agreement at all. Why can't anyone remember the agreement? I am so sorry to put you through all this. God. GOD.

Susan said they did wrap it in plastic, but did not put it on a pallet. I took pictures of the cabinet (working) before they picked it up. We'll have to compare notes and see if it arrives in the same condition.

"We thought you ordered the rare two-player version." ** Half of the game is missing **

Also, the entire time the guy was there he referred to my wife as "Mrs. Sherwin", even after she explained to the guy what was going on.

If ... if you think of it, please ... ask ... ask her ... ask her how it sounded. :_^(

Apparently the pole is fine, btw, but they broke the Plexiglas backboard and knocked the hoop clean off.

Well, the good news is that none of your neighbors will believe what really happened, and they'll all believe you can dunk.

Thanks for doing this, Flack. I am sorry it turned into a debacle. I just wanted people to remember the agreement.

by **Flack** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:48 pm

ICJ wrote:So, the movers came by Flack's place to get the game. They ran over his basketball hoop. CHRIST. I am sorry Flack.

This was supposed to be an easy job. In and out. Easy peasy.

So, this has been an interesting experience so far. I wish I had been there instead of on the road.

What I've learned so far is, NAVL didn't come get the game. NAVL will ship the game from Dallas to Denver. To get the game from OKC to Denver, they sub-contract that out. The guy who showed up to pick up the game was in a rented Hertz moving van -- one he, obviously, wasn't familiar with driving. And, THAT guy had hired ANOTHER guy to help him move the game. AND, according to my wife, they used MY DOLLY to move the game! Susan said they did wrap it in plastic, but did not put it on a pallet. I took pictures of the cabinet (working) before they picked it up. We'll have to compare notes and see if it arrives in the same condition.

Also, the entire time the guy was there he referred to my wife as "Mrs. Sherwin", even after she explained to the guy what was going on. Right now we have 50/50 odds on whether or not they just deliver the game back to me in a few weeks. If that happens, hopefully they do it before we get the basketball goal fixed.

Apparently the pole is fine, btw, but they broke the Plexiglas backboard and knocked the hoop clean off.

Cactus FLACK'S

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