Dive! Dive! Dive!

After a lengthy repair job, I have fixed Sea Wolf and put it in the arcade. The game is in excellent original condition and plays great! The game had sat unused in a warehouse for many years and required quite a number of repairs including the replacement of a blown transformer on the Motorola XM-701 monitor. To make room for Sea Wolf I slightly rearranged the games making an “Early Midway Row” where all the games are either electromechanical or black and white. Torpedoes away!

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch today for the 135th and final flight of the shuttle program. The shuttle will be carrying parts and supplies to the International Space Station. Atlantis was first launched October 3, 1985 and is noteworthy for deploying both the Magellan probe bound for Venus and the Galileo probe bound for Jupiter. The space shuttle was the first orbital spacecraft designed for reuse. Six shuttles were built over the life of the program. With the end of the shuttle program the United States will now turn to Russia and their Soyouz spacecraft for future missions. Godspeed Atlantis! Godspeed!

Raise A Glass!

I pulled out my old Apollo mission commemorative drinking glasses that I collected as a kid and had saved all these years. The glasses were a premium at Marathon gas stations back when the attendant pumped your gas, checked your oil and washed your windows! There are four seperate designs, each one featuring a different mission - Apollo 11 Apollo 12, Apollo 13 and Apollo 14. I also have the decanter, some smaller tumblers and a unique 'Moonshot' glass that doubles as a shot glass when you flip it over! The glasses will make a great addition to the new lounge area as well as a fun conversation piece for those who remember them.

King Of Kong Arcade

I recently had an opportunity to stop by and see Billy Mitchell’s new King of Kong arcade located in the Orlando, Florida airport. Surprisingly the arcade lacks a Donkey Kong machine however the attention to detail and overall look of the arcade is excellent! I couldn’t leave without picking up a few bottles of hot sauce, which commemorate the King Of Kong arcade.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off today for its 25th and final flight. The shuttle will be carrying parts and supplies to the International Space Station. Endeavor is the “baby” of the fleet and was first launched May 7, 1992. Endeavor is noteworthy for helping to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993 as well as bringing the first American piece of the International Space Station to space in 1998. Upon landing Space Shuttle Endeavour is to become a permanent display at the California Science Center.

Contact Light - The Bar Has Landed!

I am finally to a point where the bar/lounge area can be considered just about done. A few minor tweaks remain but nothing of note. The epoxy is poured, the custom countertop has been assembled and mounted and the LED effects have been installed. Also installed are a unique glass faucet and vessel sink which visitors cannot resist trying when they first walk in! The 'glowing coasters' are huge hit as your drink can be blue one second and red the next! You and a buddy can engage in some friendly competition on the nearby Chexx Hockey or just kick back on a stool and listen to the game sounds drifting in from the arcade.

Michigan Pinball Expo

I attended the Michigan Pinball Expo today and had a great time! There were hundreds of machines to play ranging from a rare 1936 Bally Bumper to Stern's Avatar. I had the most fun playing Bally's classic Fireball but that Williams Space Mission sure would look good in the Tranquility Base Arcade!

50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight

Fifty years ago today Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut, became the first human to journey into space. His spacecraft, Vostok 1, flew a mission of 108 minutes and completed one orbit of the Earth. He landed safely and became an international celebrity. Thus, the Space Race began....

A full length movie titled First Orbit, which chronicles Gagarin's historic flight, was released today on YouTube.

1976 Midway Sea Wolf

After a lengthy search I recently acquired a 1976 Midway Sea Wolf. I vividly remember this game being larger than life as a kid and after moving it into the arcade with the help of a friend my back will never forget that it still is! Sea Wolf is historically important, as it is the first arcade game to display a high score. Since the game was in storage for decades and is not working it has been sent to the Repair Station for diagnosis.

Gameroom Junkies

Roger that...We read you loud and clear Gameroom Junkies!

I was fortunate enough to have Tranquility Base Arcade recognized this month by the Gameroom Junkies! Along with an article being written about my arcade I was also the recipient of their very retro 'Get Your Fix' t-shirt! Patrick and Preston do an incredible job with their podcasts and are keeping the spirit of video arcade game collecting alive!

Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off for its 39th and final mission today. It will be carrying spare parts and supplies to the International Space Station. Discovery is the oldest and most often flown shuttle. It was first launched August 30, 1984 and has traveled 142 million miles! Discovery is also noteworthy for putting America back into space after the Challenger and Columbia disasters. Upon landing Space Shuttle Discovery will make one last trip – to the Smithsonian!

Landing Pad

After pricing out various options for a countertop, all of which were extremely expensive, I decided to make my own. I acquired a used table from Craigslist and modified to fit the area. I plan to epoxy the surface just like my stools but in a satin finish so the 45 degree seam can be pieced together without it being visible. The countertop will have custom LED lighting as well! Buying something already sealed and with a routed edge gave me a head start. Plus, who needs a Corian countertop in the basement? More to follow!

New Gorf World Record!!!

Tranquility Base Arcade extends enthusiastic congratulations to John McCann of Altura, Minnesota who set the world record on Gorf at his very own Lost Highway Arcade! McCann, who played the six ship version of the game, finished with a final score of 1,153,710. McCann, who was the current world record holder, nearly doubled his previous score of 621,690 set on October 5, 2008. The game took about six hours and is the first time a score of over one million points has been verified on Gorf.

Space Shuttle Challenger

"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of Earth' to 'touch the face of God." President Ronald Reagan - January 28, 1986

Final Descent

I finally had a chance to resume work on the lounge area. Stainless steel cabinets have been installed and the NASA phone has found a home. Further updates will include custom countertops, a bar sink, a small bar area and special LED lighting features.

NASA Phone

For those of you old enough to remember using a rotary phone this is an old North Electric payphone. I wanted to put a working payphone in the arcade but was very disappointed to learn that my current service did not support a rotary dial unit. I wasn't keen on the fact of hanging a phone on the wall that did nothing but loved the old school utilitarian look of the phone. I imagine it is similar to something you would have seen at a government facility such as NASA in the 1960's. Thus, with inspiration from another collector and some elbow grease I created the "NASA Phone." I wired in a playback module with a USB port so you can download various WAV or MP3 files. Of course, I put the sound bite of when Apollo 11 landed at the Sea of Tranquility (Tranquility Base) on July 20, 1969. Now when visiting the Tranquility Base Arcade you can actually hear the astronauts as they land on the moon!

Doorways

I had been planning to add some LED features to the arcade and finally had a chance to do so earlier this month. Both doorways in Tranquility Base Arcade now feature custom lighting. I designed a custom cross section consisting of Plexiglas, white masonite, standard case molding and drop ceiling trim strips to make plain looking door jambs during the day turn into a spectacular light show when the arcade gets fired up. All components were custom fit including the LED strips. The lights are controlled via a wall mounted keypad. This allows for custom color mixtures, strobe lights, fades and more!

New Joust World Record!!!

Tranquility Base Arcade extends enthusiastic congratulations to John McAllister of Portland, Oregon who set the world record on Joust. McAllister, who played the game for over 53 hours straight, finished with a final score of 107,301,150. The mark eclipsed the previous record of 107,216,700, which was set by James Vollandt in 1985. In a great display of sportsmanship Vollandt joined a live streaming of the event to urge on and later congratulate McAllister on the new record.

1981 Atari Asteroids Deluxe

An Asteroids Deluxe has been added to Tranquility Base Arcade! This is the sixth and final game of the "time capsule games" I purchased a little over two years ago. The game was in storage since 1983 and the condition is simply amazing! Even though Asteroids Deluxe is considered to be a disappointing sequel to the smash hit Asteroids, it is a very fun and fast paced game...and most importantly...I am a HUGE fan of it! Asteroids Deluxe has been sent to the Repair Station for diagnosis.

Tank Undergoing Restoration

The Atari/Kee Tank I recently acquired is being thoroughly gone through before it is subjected to the rigorous environment of the many arcade enthusiasts who frequent the Tranquility Base Arcade. Board repairs, monitor rejuvenation, cap kit, cleaning, tweaking have all been completed .Nothing is being left to chance. Here she is just after I installed the rebuilt Motorola XM 701 monitor. Tank is almost ready for battle!