one of the first arcade machines i bought (if i remember correctly it was #2) was an atari road blasters. i only bought that so that i could convert it into marble madness one day (that's one of the advantages the system 1 cabs have). i was lucky enough to find a complete marble madness kit (including daughter board, control panel and marquee) in england. although it was quite expensive, i couldn't have been more happy. after a lot of trouble with getting it up and running (in the end, it turned out to be a problem with the wiring harness), the conversion from road blasters to marble madness is now complete! here's in a few pictures what went down ...
back in the days, i didn't take roadtrip and restoration pics
, that's why i don't have any pictures of the cab in its original form. in case you have no idea what a road blasters machine looks like, i "stole" the following pic from bruno. come on, sue me
the gas pedal won't be needed for marble madness (although it would be a cool feature
), that's why i have to fill the holes where the pedal once was. i'm using dowels and wooden disks for a rough first "filling"
this is how the "ex-pedal area" looks like afterwards
preparing the front for a nice "coat" of new vinyl
done! no more road blasters signs visible
the whole cab receives the usual cleaning, here's the power block in a before and after shot!
the control panel itself isn't too bad, but not good enough
in detail
so off to my new best friend with it - the powdercoater
now all i need is a new overlay. got this from arcadeshop.com - top quality!
the application process
removing the protective paper
wow!!!
man, this is SHINY - you almost need sunglasses
! with the trackballs installed (where i replaced the bearings and rollers), it looks absolutely amazing!
of course, the coin door also got a new powdercoat. and as you can see, i copied phetishboy's idea (from the american klov forum) and replaced the dull black t-molding with the daring light blue version. it took me a while, but now i'm completely in love with it
i like the idea of setting the individual atari system 1 games apart, e.g. indiana jones will get the orange t-molding to fit the control panel!
there are only some minor things left to do like adding the backdoor sheet (once i get the original one from eric) or replacing a coin door light, but all in all this restoration is finished. now i can enjoy playing it! man, this game with the trackball control is way harder than the amiga version was ...
let the marbles roll, it's all downhill from here ...
