I need another project right now like I need more band T-Shirts (I have a lot just so you know) but checking Craigslist every day like a addict looking to score another whatever, I keep on stalking those sweet on-line ads. I am currently going back to college (for like the 5th time or something) and classes don't start for like 4 weeks... idle hands and whatnot... ANYWAY I BOUGHT THIS THING.
Spoiler alert, I don't really like Final Fight. Some people think it's a 90's classic side scrolling beat 'em up. To me this pick up was all about the sweet cabinet it was in.
Ahhh that's right. That sweet orange doesn't lie or tell tales. Or something. That is a genuine Nintendo orange Donkey Kong Junior cabinet. And despite a few zits here and there (and that it is currently the wrong game) it is a fantastic example and should make a wonderful restoration back to its Donkey Kong Junior glory.
For some reason, traffic was tense getting home, turning a relatively easy 80-mile trip into a loooong afternoon. And the fact that everyone in Washington State seems to drive like the speed limit still means something in this cold dark world, did not help matters at all. I desperately wanted to see how much of a score we had gotten ourselves, once I could look at the game more closely.
The sides were blissfully not painted over, but simply covered with some very easy-to-get-off vinyl sticker paper. The orange laminate was mostly protected and looking fantastic, considering it was now 37 years old.
Peeling the black vinyl sticker stuff from the sides reveled a previous conversion from Donkey Kong Junior to some sort of Vs. Unisystem game, a pretty common fate for a lot of these cabinets. I was pretty surprised at how the Vs. stickers held up after all those years under the black vinyl.
Someone had even taken the time to change the serial number plate during the conversion to a Vs. system. The cabinet, however, is a made-in-Japan plywood version despite what this plate says. US-made cabinets were made right here in Washington state, but out of particle board.
Here we see the original Sanyo 20 inch monitor is still there, although it will need a major going over. It works, but seems to be heavily blue biased right now. Luckily for restoration there are a number of cool goodies still in the cabinet. The audio board next to the monitor is still intact and complete. The bottom transformer and power supply cubby thing is also still in the bottom. The overall condition of the cabinet is actually pretty amazing. Nintendo cabinets are not known for their amazing build quality, but this game still has the original base, wheels, no water damage, and is pretty solid overall.
We took this huge metal extra protection plate off the coin door. Someone at some time in its history attempted to pry open the coin door. The operator cut a huge piece of aluminum to cover the coin door with a lock bar. It is an impressive piece of work, although there is probably more weight in the lock bar and plate then in the rest of the entire coin op mechanism.
A few arcade auctions ago I bought a big box with two Donkey Kong Junior CPU sets and this control panel. I originally bought these items with the hope someday I would find the perfect donor for them... and restore a Junior. And that day starts ... well, tomorrow maybe. I'm pretty tired for today. Thanks for reading and happy hunting.