Hi from Jersey

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mikeau

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Hi. I worked for Langley Automatics in Jersey in the mid 70s repairing and servicing (and playing!) jukeboxes, pintables and arcade machines. A lot of the arcades were cocktails in pubs etc. We were still running Space Invaders II colour and Moon Cresta, as well as a number of Ami Cadette jukeboxes and some (quite old even then) retro pintables.
A few years later I was a very happy chappy when I was at the local tip and found a Taito cocktail, which very quickly disappeared into the back of my van.
I fixed that and then caught a bit of a bug, and I now have a collection of arcade machines, Pin tables and jukeboxes, some of which are working fine and others needing some TLC (or more).
Ive just got the Taito Invaders II fixed and running again (logic boards repaired by Mark at Retro Clinic) and a new power supply. I recently bought another Taito cocktail from a friend which has been converted to JAMMA but I intend reverting this and fitting a Moon Cresta board in it. I will be popping in to seek help and information. Mike
 
Outrun2

Outrun2

Colonel Outrun
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Welcome Mike.

Been going to Jersey for the last 20 years or so - absolutely love the island. I think I was too late for any arcade action though, only visiting for the first time in 2005 - I believe there were a couple of arcades in St Helier in the 80s/90s, but they either closed or burnt down.

Do you know where the arcades were located back in the day - I wonder what they are now? I imagine there were quite a lot of cabs sited in the hotels/pubs back in the day - I sometimes watch Bergerac in the hope of seeing a cab or two!

I visited the new arcade that opened on the Waterfront in St Helier next to the cinema - it was great as a modern arcade, but I think it went out of business too. Hopefully the island will get one of the retro barcades that seem to do quite well over here on the mainland - but is there enough interest on such a small island I wonder..
 
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mikeau

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Thanks for the welcomes. (y)
Outrun2 said:
Welcome Mike.

Been going to Jersey for the last 20 years or so - absolutely love the island. I think I was too late for any arcade action though, only visiting for the first time in 2005 - I believe there were a couple of arcades in St Helier in the 80s/90s, but they either closed or burnt down.

Do you know where the arcades were located back in the day - I wonder what they are now? I imagine there were quite a lot of cabs sited in the hotels/pubs back in the day - I sometimes watch Bergerac in the hope of seeing a cab or two!
Click to expand...
The main one was Funland on the Esplanade in St Helier.
It was the most fun place to be when I was a kid. My parents used to take me there as a Sunday afternoon treat and I would play old electro-mechanical games (I wish I could track some down). As I got older I would hang out there with friends. It has a place in my (and many other people) heart. I still grieve the day when fire destroyed it, along with many of the old machines.
There was a for a few years a rival a few doors along, called (I think) Merriland. It was smaller and never a real competitor.

Outrun2 said:
I visited the new arcade that opened on the Waterfront in St Helier next to the cinema - it was great as a modern arcade, but I think it went out of business too. Hopefully the island will get one of the retro barcades that seem to do quite well over here on the mainland - but is there enough interest on such a small island I wonder..
Click to expand...
I took my kids there a few times. It was fun but lacked the soul of the old arcades.
 
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