This is a slightly bittersweet story, but one that I hope will have a happy ending...
I'd read about the Astro City arcade in Southend and thought it looked like a pretty cool place, but sadly hadn't visited it up until recently. I saw a post for various cabs for sale at Jamma+ and obviously it piqued my interest.
Initially the Pacmania cab caught my attention as it was the cheapest of the lot and I loved playing this on my Amiga. Due to my addictive personality and being prone to moment of sporadic indulgence the Frogger and Ms. Pac-Man also became very attractive, and thoughts of getting a bunch of machines turned from a vague idea to working out if I could afford them, how I was going to get them etc. So I got in contact and went for a trip "darn sarf" (an hour and a half away) to go and have a look...
Astro City is a really nicely presented arcade with good facilities, when I walked into it I got that familiar "arcade" feeling: warm, dimly lit apart from the glow of numerous machines and sense of comfort for those that revel in these things. I wasn't aware of the classic cabs they had, I probably didn't read the post about them carefully enough but was pleasantly surprised when I saw a number of classics accompanying the dance machines and pool tables.
After having a look at the machines I was interested in I chatted to Josh and Paul for quite some time about all things arcade and gaming etc. and found out that the machines advertised just weren't making any money for them. Paul especially mentioned he loves the classic cabs but can't justify having them when they don't cover the cost of the floor space they take. Obviously I found this very sad but not totally unsurprising, but also a little guilty because I personally hadn't made an effort to visit the place...
So, jump forward a bit and I'm now on my way to collect my machines. I knew the layout of the arcade from my previous visit but wasn't sure about getting them from the building to the van outside. Eventually reality set in and me and my housemate (thanks Mark!) had to tackle this:
"They came for the Pacmania, they stayed for the Pheonix."
Due to my investigative efforts prior to the sale, I came across a game that I previously didn't know about but is a firm favorite and one that I would proper enjoy owning. Having had the opportunity to purchase this cab as well, my attentions were soon turned from the charms of the aforementioned yellow love Goddess (i.e. Ms. Pac-Man) to the dark brooding Avian allure of Phoenix. Of the 3 cabs the Phoenix was the heaviest... by far... It wasn't easy getting in down those four and a half flights of stairs I can tell you
Phoenix Down
Each cab presented it's own challenges, although the Pacmania was fairly light compared to the Phoenix it's also quite tall...
At this point my housemate is probably regretting doing me this "favor" I asked for
I'll have to make it up to him at Play Expo
Deal Done
So, after another jaunt back to mine here's the machines back at my place:
Okay on to the games themselves:
They are all "projects" of one kind or another, but are good solid cabs and I think great, very playable games. Most parts are original excepting the guts of the Pacmania which has PC hardware. Overall condition is pretty good; control surfaces, side art, etc. are all decent and show signs of wear rather than abuse. Phoenix is fully working bar a sound issue and needing a good service. After a bit of TLC they will all be very nice fun games to play and own and I'm looking forward to improving my overall paltry arcade playing skills.
"So what are you going to do with all these machines?"
...Mind your own business
I've had an amazing time since properly getting into the collecting hobby... met some cool people, played some amazing games and learned a hell of a lot!. My arcade "mission" so to speak is to encourage and indulge in more of the social side of gaming in my neck of the woods. Arc-Aid was an amazing starting point and I am totally up for people seeing and playing on my cabs. Practically, my place is tiny and I won't be able to keep all my machines in one place yet alone have guests staying round (I plan to play them "on rotation" whilst doing minor repair to the ones not being used at the time) but if any of you want to come round and have a play and a chinwag drop me pm.
Transporting these cabs to events would mean a large expense to hire a van, as my Golf isn't really up to the job. I'm sure I'm not alone with this issue, perhaps more of us could club together to share costs or find out if other alternatives exist.
Lastly, thanks Paul and Josh, it was really nice to meet you and I wish you all the best for the future for your place. I'll make sure it isn't too long before I come and visit again and have a proper bash at those very cool rhythm games.
How you got those (along with almost everything else) up to the arcade is nothing short of miraculous
If you haven't been, Astro City is a great arcade to visit even without the cabs I now own, there are plenty of cool games to play and the guys there are more than up for catering to groups of forum members, we just have to get off our asses and go and visit them, and make sure we are supporting the local arcades near us as much as possible.
ianski2014-10-04 08:33:55
I'd read about the Astro City arcade in Southend and thought it looked like a pretty cool place, but sadly hadn't visited it up until recently. I saw a post for various cabs for sale at Jamma+ and obviously it piqued my interest.
Initially the Pacmania cab caught my attention as it was the cheapest of the lot and I loved playing this on my Amiga. Due to my addictive personality and being prone to moment of sporadic indulgence the Frogger and Ms. Pac-Man also became very attractive, and thoughts of getting a bunch of machines turned from a vague idea to working out if I could afford them, how I was going to get them etc. So I got in contact and went for a trip "darn sarf" (an hour and a half away) to go and have a look...
Astro City is a really nicely presented arcade with good facilities, when I walked into it I got that familiar "arcade" feeling: warm, dimly lit apart from the glow of numerous machines and sense of comfort for those that revel in these things. I wasn't aware of the classic cabs they had, I probably didn't read the post about them carefully enough but was pleasantly surprised when I saw a number of classics accompanying the dance machines and pool tables.
After having a look at the machines I was interested in I chatted to Josh and Paul for quite some time about all things arcade and gaming etc. and found out that the machines advertised just weren't making any money for them. Paul especially mentioned he loves the classic cabs but can't justify having them when they don't cover the cost of the floor space they take. Obviously I found this very sad but not totally unsurprising, but also a little guilty because I personally hadn't made an effort to visit the place...
So, jump forward a bit and I'm now on my way to collect my machines. I knew the layout of the arcade from my previous visit but wasn't sure about getting them from the building to the van outside. Eventually reality set in and me and my housemate (thanks Mark!) had to tackle this:
"They came for the Pacmania, they stayed for the Pheonix."
Due to my investigative efforts prior to the sale, I came across a game that I previously didn't know about but is a firm favorite and one that I would proper enjoy owning. Having had the opportunity to purchase this cab as well, my attentions were soon turned from the charms of the aforementioned yellow love Goddess (i.e. Ms. Pac-Man) to the dark brooding Avian allure of Phoenix. Of the 3 cabs the Phoenix was the heaviest... by far... It wasn't easy getting in down those four and a half flights of stairs I can tell you
Phoenix Down
Each cab presented it's own challenges, although the Pacmania was fairly light compared to the Phoenix it's also quite tall...
At this point my housemate is probably regretting doing me this "favor" I asked for
I'll have to make it up to him at Play Expo
Deal Done
So, after another jaunt back to mine here's the machines back at my place:
Okay on to the games themselves:
They are all "projects" of one kind or another, but are good solid cabs and I think great, very playable games. Most parts are original excepting the guts of the Pacmania which has PC hardware. Overall condition is pretty good; control surfaces, side art, etc. are all decent and show signs of wear rather than abuse. Phoenix is fully working bar a sound issue and needing a good service. After a bit of TLC they will all be very nice fun games to play and own and I'm looking forward to improving my overall paltry arcade playing skills.
"So what are you going to do with all these machines?"
...Mind your own business
I've had an amazing time since properly getting into the collecting hobby... met some cool people, played some amazing games and learned a hell of a lot!. My arcade "mission" so to speak is to encourage and indulge in more of the social side of gaming in my neck of the woods. Arc-Aid was an amazing starting point and I am totally up for people seeing and playing on my cabs. Practically, my place is tiny and I won't be able to keep all my machines in one place yet alone have guests staying round (I plan to play them "on rotation" whilst doing minor repair to the ones not being used at the time) but if any of you want to come round and have a play and a chinwag drop me pm.
Transporting these cabs to events would mean a large expense to hire a van, as my Golf isn't really up to the job. I'm sure I'm not alone with this issue, perhaps more of us could club together to share costs or find out if other alternatives exist.
Lastly, thanks Paul and Josh, it was really nice to meet you and I wish you all the best for the future for your place. I'll make sure it isn't too long before I come and visit again and have a proper bash at those very cool rhythm games.
How you got those (along with almost everything else) up to the arcade is nothing short of miraculous
If you haven't been, Astro City is a great arcade to visit even without the cabs I now own, there are plenty of cool games to play and the guys there are more than up for catering to groups of forum members, we just have to get off our asses and go and visit them, and make sure we are supporting the local arcades near us as much as possible.
ianski2014-10-04 08:33:55
About 5 years ago I had a mate pick up a NOS hantarex 28" chassis for me, and his lift had broken down, meaning the poor bloke had to carry it up 8 flights of stairs for me. Sucker!
