Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Official Tranquility Base Arcade Logo
I could think of no better way to represent the Tranquility Base Arcade than to create a logo based on the Apollo 11 emblem. First, Photoshop was used to enlarge and modify a copy of the original emblem. I then removed all the blemishes, flaws and other imperfections from the artwork. This was a painstaking and lengthy process but necessary in order for the logo to look clean and presentable when printed in a large format. Once the artwork was complete I used a Hewlett Packard Designjet 4500 printer to print the image on plain white paper. A commercial laminator was used to seal the artwork with 3 mil gloss laminate. Next, I carefully cut out the artwork and traced it on a piece of black foam core board. I then cut the foam core board freehand with a sharp Exacto knife. Finally, a spray adhesive was used to mount the artwork to the foam core board. The logo was hung on the wall with Velcro strips around the perimeter. I specifically made the logo with white letters so that when the black lights were on, it would still be visible. “Houston…Tranquility Base Here…The Eagle Has Landed!”
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Rare Control Panel Found
I recently acquired an original Williams Paddle-Ball control panel.
I was thrilled to get this, as parts for Paddle-Ball are virtually non-existent. Besides my game, I know of only one other. I plan on mounting the control panel on a plaque along with a copy of the flyer as well as a brief history of the game.
I was thrilled to get this, as parts for Paddle-Ball are virtually non-existent. Besides my game, I know of only one other. I plan on mounting the control panel on a plaque along with a copy of the flyer as well as a brief history of the game.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
1980 Midway Space Encounters
I pulled Space Encounters out of storage and added it to my row of black and white games. I repaired the game several months ago
but still need to make a few minor adjustments. You can read the Repair Log here. Space Encounters was one of the last black and white games made and by most accounts it's late release date of 1980 made it largely unsuccessful. The game's obvious Star Wars tie-in, strange sound effects and flashing strobe light all make it
a classic appreciated by video game collectors everywhere!
but still need to make a few minor adjustments. You can read the Repair Log here. Space Encounters was one of the last black and white games made and by most accounts it's late release date of 1980 made it largely unsuccessful. The game's obvious Star Wars tie-in, strange sound effects and flashing strobe light all make it
a classic appreciated by video game collectors everywhere!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Coins Detected In Pocket
At last! I have been working almost two months to hear those words! Finally, after an extremely difficult and lengthy repair job,
I have fixed Berzerk and put it in the arcade. The game is in excellent condition and has the original “Opto-Bat” joystick. I would like to take this time to give a very special thank you to fellow collector Steve M. Without Steve’s contributions, help, encouragement and assistance, this repair would not have been possible. Thanks to local collector Scott Z. for allowing me to test my Berzerk boards in his rare and working Frenzy. I would also like to thank my Dad for accompanying me on the 500 mile round trip that was necessary to acquire the game. Last but certainly not least, many thanks to my wife and family for allowing me to spend all hours of the day and night working on “some video game.” Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!
I have fixed Berzerk and put it in the arcade. The game is in excellent condition and has the original “Opto-Bat” joystick. I would like to take this time to give a very special thank you to fellow collector Steve M. Without Steve’s contributions, help, encouragement and assistance, this repair would not have been possible. Thanks to local collector Scott Z. for allowing me to test my Berzerk boards in his rare and working Frenzy. I would also like to thank my Dad for accompanying me on the 500 mile round trip that was necessary to acquire the game. Last but certainly not least, many thanks to my wife and family for allowing me to spend all hours of the day and night working on “some video game.” Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!
