I was warned by those on the BYOAC Forum that you could end up with more than one machine..
My Mame cabinet – Lakeside Arcade – was fun to build and gets considerable use. But it’s at a summer home and isn’t all that available in the winter. My game is Centipede – it has been since college – it was the break between dinner and the library that I enjoyed.. Two quarters and about 45 minutes..
Recently I started keeping an eye on Facebook marketplace for a *real* Centipede machine.. Some showed up, $700, $900, $1,200 – but all were 2-3 states away..
Then this machine appeared locally for $450 – however the screen showed a test pattern.. Asking some friends who know better then me… they said.. “I’d keep looking..”
So I did, and after about 2 months.. It popped back in for $300. Now they said “Go take a look!” (agreed)..
My wife says I lead a charmed life..(I’ve had some weird luck now and then).. On the way to pick it up – the owner plugs it in and it boots into the game. He told me that had I not been on the way (we had been texting).. He would have pulled it down and doubled the price..
So here I go – my first (last?) original arcade machine – and my personal holy grail.. Centipede.
Restoration Posts:
Lakeside Arcade 