So, my new best-friend James offered a Defender Cabinet for a quick sell on the rec.games.video.arcade.collecting about a week before I collected it. Having pleaded and begged my way into the running, I sent a cheque and bought the machine sight-unseen (James did check I was happy upon collection) and organized to borrow a van for a trip to the Welsh/UK border. So, 24-Apr-99 arrived and I set off in the van - 3 hours later I met James and we headed to the garage where my new baby was housed.
The garage was stacked with Arcade equipment - cabinets, tabletops, PCBs etc. and we soon started hauling kit out to get at the two defenders (I was to choose which one I wanted) which were typically at the back of the garage. Soon we'd pulled on out and onto the drive, and the other was fully visible in the dim half-light. Both showed obvious signs of needing refurbishment - which I knew about upfront - but the one we'd dragged out looked equal to the other. So I loaded it (along with a Tabletop, 11 JAMMA PCBs, 14 Other PCBs and a complete Sinistar boardset!).
Pleased as punch, I took my goodies home for the beginning of the restoration project. Okay... I admit it - after unloading the goodies 7PM Saturday, I spent the Sunday examining and testing the PCBs and tabletop with a decent hangover developed from a impromptu celebration - I knew I needed to spend time on the Defender and once I started checking out the PCBs, well the whole day disappeared. The PCBs I have got going are listed on my For Sale/Trade Page.
Its now 26-Apr-99, I've finished work - got a Digi Camera as we need SNAPs before and after don't we? So here's the Defender, in my Garage as is (you might make out the 60 foot of bubble wrap in the background).
In summary, the Cabinet is in pretty good order - the sideart is near-perfect which is the important bit. I've decided not to go the 'brienk' strip-and re-paint start and build up - I'm going to replace everything (notwithstanding the Monitor as it's still unchecked) that's not 'base cabinet' - this will be the wiring, Control Panel (James also gave me a Fabulous Fantasies Overlay as part of the deal), Marquee, Bezels, etc. etc.
Okay. I've done a detailed breakdown of exactly how the cabinet looked at the beginning. it can be found here...
Perhaps its better if I breakdown the cabinet into its raw components so you guys all know whats going on. Lets Start With the sides...
Left Side |
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Although this Looks great, there is, however, so green paint
scratched on, presumably by another cab. The trick will be to find a
yellow to match, or a way to lift off.
Okay, fellow restorers, over to you for tips. |
Front |
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The front is good and clean, could do with a good clean before I fully comment (that's Job 1 of the restoration project) |
Right Side |
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Okay, now onto the Front 'extras'...
Marquee |
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Argh! The bezel has been covered in the past with a "Multigame" vinyl Marquee in a nasty Cyan. James demonstrated that this flakes/picks off easily, and whilst I watched I saw that the marquee beneath was indeed a defender - upside down. Having got home I flaked more off (till you see it now) - The glue as moon-cratered the surface and although this might clean off with white spirits or something But I've opted for a more serious solution - a "WTB: NOS Defender Marquee" posting to RGVAM which I did on Sunday. Within 24 hours a deals been struck and the Marquee should be winging it's way from the US of A... |
Monitor Bezel |
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The other Defender was missing the plastic screen (and there's
my memory telling me it was glass) - though this wasn't a reason for
choosing this cab - this is grubby, scratched, faded, worn etc. and being
plastic, unrepairable...
So... a jolly decent guy Steve at Swallow Amusement Machines has had listed for months 2 X New Defender Glasses - and he's on the way home from work! So I stopped and picked it up. Easy hey? And its Brand New... |
Control Panel |
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In true UK fashion, the Control Panel has been replaced
with a 'Mr. Ugly' style generic vinyl wrap to compliment the Barcrest-tacky
yellow buttons (see below).
The wood can just been seen to poke through, looking a bit sad and tired - especially as there's another 'Mr. Ugly' vinyl underneath. This needs stripping then re-evaluating to see if replacement is needed - I'm concerned that a) the buttons will need new holes and how to fill the old one, and b) how to cut a new T-molding slot in a fresh piece of timber... |
Joystick & Buttons |
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As I've said, the current panel has standard issue UK buttons and joystick that will be re-utilized on my other generics no doubt - but here we need proper buttons - anyone care to tell me the original Defender colour-scheme for the buttons? |
Coin Door |
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James told me this wasn't original, and after bumming around the web I can see this needs to be changed for an original - he tells me he has six kicking around and will send me one. Steve at Swallow (again) has all the bits necessary to restore the door... Could be worth snapping those up right now... |
Finally, a section for the guts...
Monitor |
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Hmm. I've not powered this up yet, so hard to gauge what its like - i.e. screen burn, fading, etc. etc. Seeing that cabinets JAMMAed I may as well try it out with a JAMMA board - now which one should I choose? The wrestlefest or the Mug Smashers... |
Coin Mech. |
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Err.... Is the coin mech. here? Actually its a non standard
door, so it wont be original. I'll have to check whether I want to restore
something like this.
The coin-collection galvanized steel container is in here though... |
Power Supply |
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Okay, I'm not the worlds greatest electrician, and James
assures me that it works Okay (Now where is that Wrestefest PCB...).
I however, intend to replace with a brand new one, again, courtesy of Steve at Swallow. This should be tidier and hopefully more reliable - don't want the cab burning up on me now do I? Actually, I have a Defender PSU in my Nintendo R-type Cab that may be handy to me or another fellow restorer... |
Wiring |
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Well, this seems to be fine, it even has a JAMMA connector, at a weird angle, but still. Maybe I'll change this, maybe I wont.... Have to wait and see if the Wrestlefest fries... |
Speaker |
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Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Whether someone's been doing a Maxell advert, or took a sledgehammer to it, but the whole speaker is well and truly blasted. Even the grille on the outside is smashed so the hammers the best bet. I guess the grille plastic can be bought from Electrocoin or someone... Have to find out - worst comes to worst I'll use speaker cloth. |
