In-depth look at Ridge Racer Full Scale

[Guests]

Even if it's been left outside since June, I don't think it would be beyond saving.
Someone just needs to go and get it and store it. Unless there is a reason why that cannot happen?

This is true but the current owner refuses to let the PCB's go or dump the ROM's for preservation and has said to people he's already scrapped the actual machine shell, then he said he hasn't, then he says he has.

The guy sounds a little loopy to me so I don't see anyone getting far with him. I am more than happy to be proven wrong though.

Clearly he sold the leisure company (who i'm keeping nameless as i don't want them to get backlash for their intent which appears to be good from where im sitting) a story about how he would make it go to a museum but something threw a spanner in the works and now here we are with no clear indication of what's actually happened to it. Has it been scrapped? has it not? no one really knows.

The owner is the problem. As a community I know for a fact we could preserve it, hell I'd even help finance it or we could even do a Go Fund Me or something for it BUT the seller is being the way he is so there is no point even talking about going down that road.

It's all just sad, really sad.

drokz2021-08-24 10:51:51

 

[K1ngarth3r]

So am I understanding this correct?

- Leisure company sold

- New Owner promised the machine to Museum

- New Owner stored the big pieces outside and kept the PCBs inside

- Museum now not sure if they want the machine

- New Owner will not deal with anyone outside the Museum and mudding the water about it's current state.

Is that correct?

 

[qjuk]

Assuming the leisure company wanted to pass it onto the museum, did they not do any due diligence beforehand? It just seems odd that it appears it has ended up in the hands of a third party and sounds like it has effectively been dumped with the pcbs removed.

This whole story is quite depressing really.

 

[Guests]

Assuming the leisure company wanted to pass it onto the museum, did they not do any due diligence beforehand?

It would not surprise me. When i went to set records on this machine they did no research they just gave me the machine for the day absolutely free. They never asked if it was for Guinness or any form of proof that it was even a real record setting attempt. I could of literally just blagged myself a day on it for free technically with no intention of submitting records.

I would say they just wanted it gone (i got this impression even back in 2018 when i was there as the upkeep/cost on the machine was very high) but given my conversations about it with them when i was there they then knew it was the last one and seemed to have good intensions when finally letting it go.

They had a galaxian theatre once too but they simply smashed that to pieces so my chat with them could of saved it from that but even if that is true... it seems it not far off that fate anyway, just a slower demise.

So am I understanding this correct?

- Leisure company sold - sold or even gave it away yes.

- New Owner promised the machine to Museum - From my understanding yes, at the very least there were plans in place for it to go to the NVM museum.

- New Owner stored the big pieces outside and kept the PCBs inside - Yes, pictures have surfaced although i've not seen them of the parts outside and water damaged.

- Museum now not sure if they want the machine - My previous post about the Tweet they replied to seems to indicate that to me but it's not fact at this stage to my knowledge.

- New Owner will not deal with anyone outside the Museum and mudding the water about it's current state. - From what I've heard about the new owner... He's said many stories to many different people. He is talking but is always saying "I've scrapped it" "Now i haven't scrapped it" as i said previously he seems a little loopy or something. He's been open about the condition of it. The pictures of it in the garden likely came from him/her as who else would have access to it.

Is that correct?

I'm only going by what I've heard so don't take everything I say as fact as I'm not in contact with anyone involved. But from my understanding the above is what is going on.

The pictures of it in the garden are not out there only a few have seen them (i haven't and im not sure i want to to be honest.) perhaps he got in too deep and got in over his head. Had it delivered and found out he didn't have room. I don't know. But holding the PCB's hostage and saying its scrapped and all this really isn't helping anyone. Either that or he is just being a total jerk.

drokz2021-08-24 11:20:31

 

[John Bennett]

It’s not without a home. If it still exists, there are many homes for it, even if just for storage. I’ll gladly stash it, if it came to it.

Unless the game PCBs are in the car, I wouldn’t rule out the board stack being in the rain too. Anyway, whatever state it’s in, it needs rescuing. The undumped ROMs are actually duplicated in there 6 times, so it’s saveable. The rest of it is replaceable.

 

[paultje162]

Even if it's been left outside since June, I don't think it would be beyond saving. 
Someone just needs to go and get it and store it. Unless there is a reason why that cannot happen?

The thing is. Many people get scared by either rusty or "destroyed" cabs because they have been outside. This combined with the fact that the current owner doesn't seem to cooperate makes it really hard. I'm personally from an arcade museum in The Netherlands and would love to pick this machine up and restore it. But i highly doubt the guy will ever give me the chance to do so. No matter what state, we would restore it.

 

[K1ngarth3r]

From everything I've heard here and elsewhere, my conclusion is to give the owner the benefit of the doubt to do the right thing.

Ultimately it's their property now, and us slagging them off (for want of a better word) out of frustration probably isn't going to help matters if they see it. I know there are passionate collectors already working to try and get the best result possible with only the safety & preservation of the cabinet at heart (No matter where it ends up).

 

[Guests]

It’s not without a home. If it still exists, there are many homes for it, even if just for storage. I’ll gladly stash it, if it came to it.

Unless the game PCBs are in the car, I wouldn’t rule out the board stack being in the rain too. Anyway, whatever state it’s in, it needs rescuing. The undumped ROMs are actually duplicated in there 6 times, so it’s saveable. The rest of it is replaceable.

The game PCB's are located under the bottom right projector screen. They are not in the car as commonly thought in the past. So I very much doubt they are outside.

Under the bonnet there are just controls.

I have loads of pictures from the day i visited if you want to see them all i can post them.

drokz2021-08-24 22:27:16

 

[Brettster]

I feel fortunate that I actually got to play on this cab, many years ago, such a shame that it may never be played again, but hoping for a good outcome

 

[John Bennett]

The car was garaged. Everything else looked to be in the garden.
I’d take that over a skip though.

From everything I've heard here and elsewhere, my conclusion is to give the owner the benefit of the doubt to do the right thing.

Ultimately it's their property now, and us slagging them off (for want of a better word) out of frustration probably isn't going to help matters if they see it.  I know there are passionate collectors already working to try and get the best result possible with only the safety & preservation of the cabinet at heart (No matter where it ends up). 

I expect it was given freely in the belief of it going to a museum, but yes, if it’s not been scrapped (as claimed by the raider), then yes, some good can still come of this if they choose, and actually give a crap.

 

[Pinballgeek]

Jesus, from my original post to see if it was still there, I'm gutted I didn't go to see it again before it got held ransom and well potentially scrapped.

I really do hope there will be a happy ending and it could be seen the light of day again, who knows anything could happen

As a Eunos Roadster owner (mk1 mx5) I'll keep on the lookout if that shell ever pops up in any of the Facebook groups Pinballgeek2021-08-24 16:56:57

 

[Alpha1]

All

I've had a lengthy conversation with the National Videogame Museum today who were not aware of the removal and donation of the RRFS to them.

They were only contracted about a possible donation AFTER THE MACHINE WAS REMOVED.

They want to distance themselves from any involvement of this machine being removed, and I completely believe them. They feel really bad about the entire situation.

Please no bad mouthing this museum as they had nothing to do with the removal nor were they aware of the way it was stored in the interim.

When I have more information I'll share.

Please do not PM me asking for the pix of it. I'll share once it's the right time.

Thanks.

 

[John Bennett]

That is totally believable.

I think it’s fair to wish they’d ‘reached out’ to someone else when offered it, but we don’t know the exact reasons

. I suppose you don’t expect it to wind up scrapped rather than offered to someone else.John Bennett2021-08-24 22:53:05

 

[Tedward]

The whole circumstances surrounding this are such a shame. In some respects I think that NVM would've even been a great home for it - I understand Sheffield had one of the UK's other Full Scale setups at the Namco Wonderpark in Meadowhall, which was Namco's first arcade in Europe.

If things had been different I do think there could've been good collaborative efforts with them to restore the thing properly and keep it in a decent state, but that opportunity does seem to be long gone now

 

[Guests]

Not sure if there is any news on this as yet? But I finally got bored enough to put my old blog site back online which includes all the pictures i took on the day and information. I thought you all might like to take a look so here's the link..

https://www.jncp.co.uk/?p=121

Please do not use the pictures elsewhere without asking first but feel free to save them to your PC for private use.

 

[Pinballgeek]

I've not heard anything since , I still wish that there is light at the end of the tunnel

 

[robotech]

I'm guessing it got scrapped they were redeveloping the Blackpool arcade where it was a few years back
It was in such a poor state it was unplayable

 

[John Bennett]

It would’ve fixed up great.
No news on anything, so it’s either still scrapped or the lie machine has run out of hot air and it’s still festering in a garden.

 

[robotech]

Does no one know who has it then or where it's been stored supposedly

 

[Guests]

I think all has gone quiet on this so i guess the guy really did scrap it. A travesty but it is what it is i guess. Not much we can do now.

Hope I'm wrong of course. But seems to me like it's gone.