View Full Version : Is this worth picking up? Original Ms. Pac-Man Upright unit
8-bitNesMan
11-19-2009, 04:23 PM
http://images.craigslist.org/3n93k23p45Pb5R55S89be2e5c1e6a126c16b6.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/3p13o83l65O35T35R99beaf9bf4cbffac13ec.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/3nc3oe3l15Oc5Pe5R49bef6a0a10cc4a41896.jpg
This machine is about 15 -20 minutes from my house. They want $200 obo for it and the only listed problem is a non working screen. I've never owned or worked on an arcade machine before but for the price I thought this might be a good place to start. What do you guys think, is the juice worth the squeeze on this one?
Flack
11-19-2009, 05:01 PM
"Non-working screen" is like saying "car doesn't start" -- it could be anything from a 10 cent fuse to the cabinet it completely gutted. Those are the two extremes and the problem is most likely something in the middle.
If you want a Ms. Pac-Man cabinet to work on, $200 is a good deal. It's faded (most of them are) so that brings the price down. Sadly Ms. Pac is one of those games that was worth 5x as much before the x-in-1 boards came out. They used to sell for $800-$1,200, now they sell for a pittance of that.
Clownzilla
11-19-2009, 05:14 PM
Pretty much what Flack said. I would say $200 is a little high though. Offer him $150 cash and walk away from the deal if he want's any more than $160.
8-bitNesMan
11-19-2009, 09:31 PM
Thanks for the advice guys. I offered him $100 via an email thinking perhaps we could meet somewhere in the middle. He responded with a friendly e-mail and said another local buyer was coming by to look this weekend and he had one other online offer of $100. I guess he was giving the other local guy first dibs but he said if he didn't offer more than me he would let me know. I don't want to buy it to flip, I would like to fix it up and put it in my garage. How hard would it be to get new decals and what size monitor would it take? I talked to a buddy of mine with some cab knowledge and he said if I didn't know what I was doing "under the hood" that the capacitors could fry me. I would probably take it on as a weekend project and try to fix what I can and pay someone with the know how to do the other 98 % :)
kai123
11-20-2009, 12:56 AM
Yea be careful of those tubes they are a killer...literally. lol There are tons of tutorials online on how to get that charge out safely.
TheDomesticInstitution
11-20-2009, 09:23 AM
A little info for you.
Ms. Pac-Man has stenciled art, meaning it was painted like that at the factory and it's not a decal. There are stencil packages available online if you look, and also paint color codes. There are full decal packages, but it won't quite give it that authentic look. The decals are probably a real time saver though.
As far as monitors go, it's good to have a healthy fear of them, and to be careful where you touch when sticking your hand around in there. But after you learn how to properly discharge them, you'll feel way more comfortable. It's no big deal anymore to me.
I was just as green as you a few months ago, but I'm getting a handle on the basics. If I were you I'd be patient, sometimes good deals take months to come along. $100 or $150 is a good price for your first cabinet. There are plenty of Ms. Pacman photos around the internet. Find some good pictures of the insides of a complete cabinet, so you have a frame of reference when (or if) you go take a look at the cabinet.
98PaceCar
11-20-2009, 11:47 AM
A little info for you.
Ms. Pac-Man has stenciled art, meaning it was painted like that at the factory and it's not a decal. There are stencil packages available online if you look, and also paint color codes. There are full decal packages, but it won't quite give it that authentic look. The decals are probably a real time saver though.
The later cabs came with decals from the factory and not painted sides. I used to have one, but it looked like crap so I swapped out for a more traditional painted cab. They are out there though.
8-bitNesMan
11-20-2009, 12:56 PM
Again I thank all of you for the helpful info. I'm hoping to hear back from the guy that he wants to do business. I have plenty of consoles and games already, I need some new ground to explore and learn...
TheDomesticInstitution
11-20-2009, 02:29 PM
The later cabs came with decals from the factory and not painted sides. I used to have one, but it looked like crap so I swapped out for a more traditional painted cab. They are out there though.
You're right I see some in restaurants and bars occasionally that have decals. But the original early 80's production ones are stenciled. Just like Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man.