Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle

General Chat => Arcade Lifestyle => Topic started by: shrunkenmaster on January 10, 2013, 03:23:47 PM

Title: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: shrunkenmaster on January 10, 2013, 03:23:47 PM
Hello all,
Not really posted here before, but I've been over at the BYOAC forum for a few years now.

I'm looking to scratch-build a Battlezone and could do with some measurement help. Can anyone here please provide any dimensions?
Also looking for the cardboard bezel if anyone has a spare!

(http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y513/mexluthor/BZDimensionRequest_zpsa70b240b.jpg)
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Luigi on January 10, 2013, 03:56:47 PM
Doing some measuring should not be the problem....that card board WILL be a problem.

I can do the measuring when I'm back in our gameroom.

Meanwhile you might want to take a look at Google Sketchup and Gozers's Battlezone model (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=5019733ed3bc9d5f73b4ec5aa28d567a&prevstart=0).

Sketchup is free and you can get any measure you need yourself.

I will do the measuring, this is just a little hint :)
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Superully on January 10, 2013, 04:25:44 PM
why scratch-build when you can have the real deal? i have a cabinet for sale - contact me when interested ...
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: shrunkenmaster on January 10, 2013, 06:47:16 PM
Thanks in advance Luigi, I have Sketchup and the model now. I take it Gozer's dimensions are pretty accurate?

Thanks too, Superully, but I have parts for this already! However if you want to drive it over to England for me then maybe :)

Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Alpha1 on January 10, 2013, 10:35:47 PM
Shipping is normally around £150 from Germany to the UK
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: shrunkenmaster on January 10, 2013, 11:27:08 PM
Shipping is normally around £150 from Germany to the UK

For a whole machine?! Wow, now I must get on the German eBay! What company does shipping for this price?!
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Luigi on January 11, 2013, 11:22:09 AM
Gozer's models are very accurate (usually). I have measured the edges in your photo and will compare them to the real cab.

BUT if I were building a Battlezone from scratch, I would use the model to get all the measures. It looks very good and you can be sure to get each and every single measure you need from the model. Who cares if the original differs a few millimeters here and there if everything fits together :)

Or buy Ully's Battlezone ;)
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: shrunkenmaster on January 11, 2013, 02:22:34 PM
Thanks Luigi, I agree a couple of mm is no big deal!

I am banned from making a start on the construction until our house is sold and we've moved.
My wife has spent ages making everything look nice and knows what carnage I bring when the power tools come out!

Thanks to everyone here for being so super-friendly, I look forward to hassling you all some more at a later date  ;D
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Alpha1 on January 11, 2013, 06:45:08 PM
I'd just buy an original one. You'll need a vector monitor unless you plan to MAME.

Infact I have a vector monitor for it if you are interested - i'm based in the UK.
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: shrunkenmaster on January 11, 2013, 06:56:34 PM
I'd just buy an original one. You'll need a vector monitor unless you plan to MAME.
Infact I have a vector monitor for it if you are interested - i'm based in the UK.

Thanks for the offer, but I am going with MAME for this. I've got a raster setup in my Star Wars cab and it looks great, though obviously not as good as a proper vector.
Plus building stuff myself is as much fun for me as playing the games.
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Alpha1 on January 11, 2013, 10:53:50 PM
Do you make the mini ones?
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: level42 on January 12, 2013, 12:05:03 AM
I'd just buy an original one. You'll need a vector monitor unless you plan to MAME.
Infact I have a vector monitor for it if you are interested - i'm based in the UK.

.....I've got a raster setup in my Star Wars cab and it looks great
LOL !!! Good one !!!

Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: shrunkenmaster on January 12, 2013, 02:21:13 PM
Do you make the mini ones?

Yep...

(http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y513/mexluthor/ALL_zps83e4ed59.jpg)
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Alpha1 on January 12, 2013, 05:58:44 PM
yeah makes sense - I saw you over on KLOV as Mex.

There's uk forums too.

ukvac.com and also jamma+
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Luigi on January 12, 2013, 06:28:01 PM
I've done the measuring this afternoon. Some of Gozer's measures are very close to reality, others aren't  
I will upload your picture with the measures I found out, but... :-\

To be honest: building a Battlezone on your own is a very silly idea. It won't look good if you don't have that plastic bezel, for example. I stood in front of it and tried to imagine how it would look without that.....I couldn't. Plus this cab has lots of details.....did you recognize that the upper edges on the sides are lower in the front than they are in the back? (Sorry, I think I don't find the correct words)

This will be a hell to build and I repeat my suggestion: use Gozer's Sketchup-model if you really want to do this!! You will need lots of additional measuring...


my2cts :)



PS: What's the size of these cabs you built?
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: shrunkenmaster on January 12, 2013, 06:39:59 PM
Thanks for the links Alpha1, I need to ask a KLOV moderator if I can change my username to shrunkenmaster...

Luigi, I have the whole bezel plus other parts. I now have the cardboard graphics bezel too!

I know it's going to be a challenge getting the monitor/mirror/cardboard graphics to line up, but it'll be FUN! It won't be 'pixel perfect' but I will aim to get it as close as possible to the real thing.
Looking forward to the dimensions you have for me, it will be interesting to compare to Gozer's model.

My 'little cabs' are approx 5 feet tall by the way.
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Luigi on January 17, 2013, 08:57:37 AM
OK, here we are. Did a 2nd turn yesterday cause of two very different measures in Gozer's model. Confusing that it's at two points that are very easy to measure. Due to the very curvy shape at some points it's not easy to get some measures. I also added some detail pics....top, middle and bottom.

Hope this helps  :)


argh...I don't like the attachment rules  :-\

Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Luigi on January 17, 2013, 08:58:57 AM
one more pic
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Luigi on January 17, 2013, 09:00:21 AM
...who invented the "only one posting within one minute"-rule??

detail pic of the bottom..
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: Luigi on January 17, 2013, 09:01:58 AM
and detail pic of the middle section...
Title: Re: Battlezone help needed!
Post by: shrunkenmaster on January 17, 2013, 06:04:36 PM
Thanks a million Luigi, this is a great help!