Yearly arcade budget

[moogrum]

Every time I want to get a game or bring up something I saw on craigslist my wife gives me a bunch of crap, so this year we set aside a certain amount of money that is my arcade budget for the year.  I have $1200 to work with ($100/month, not too bad from a family budget, in my opinion). 

So, my question to you guys is this:  If you had $1200 to work with for the year, what would you do?

[moogrum]

So now that I laid out my situation, I'll tell you what I think I'd like to do.  I have a Cruis'n Exotica and a 4 player Konami Sunset Riders cabinet that I made a frankenpanel for with 4 control setups and a trackball.  I now realize I really never use more than 2 players, so I'd like to acquire a cheap Golden Tee and add 2 controller setups to the existing control panel, and make that my MAME.  Then I'd sell the Sunset Riders and that should increase my budget a little, as well as all the extra parts I acquired while building the MAME, so I'm hoping to realistically have about $1500 or more to work with.

My two primary goals for this year:

Get a Pin
Get a JAMMA cab for a 60 in 1 board I have
One other project cab, which will basically be based on whatever I find on craigslist.

[arcadefan1985]

What's your long term goal? A 4 player jamma cab would be cool to hang onto.
How much room do you have?

[mrdude]

$1200 is a good chunk of change. Depending on the room you have I would either buy a few working machines that need very little ($300-400 a piece). Or you look for projects in the $100-200 range or less. If you figure you buy 5 machines each at $100 you then have $700 for parts, artwork, etc.

Or you blow it all in one shot and get a pinball machine...that might need some work.

[arcadefan1985]

If you don't have room for a bunch of dedicated cabs. Build 1 each horiz/vert. Cabs with multi boards. Use the arcade shop programmable or Equivalent.

[iankellogg]

if you play it right you could get a decent haul of 4-5 games. sell the ones you dont want and try again.

[moogrum]

What's your long term goal? A 4 player jamma cab would be cool to hang onto.
How much room do you have?

I posted a basement video here. http://www.johnsarcade.com/forum/index.php?topic=1761.msg9936.msg#9936

[lesoleil70]

You'll never see another game again, .....well OK that might be a bit harsh...

If that was my house the kids would need shoes, wall needs painting, car needs fixing, that new coat, vets bills, you get the guilt trip anyway and you'd give up the money if it was in savings ready for the big spend.  I had this exact same conversation this time last year, but now she sees what I get from it, the kids love it, it's a fun hobby.

So...my proposal, and one I have dabbled in and done quite nicely from....

Flip the situation, sell the idea as an investment, if you have some basic skills do what every other bugger is going, buy crap cabinets, jamma it up, crappy TFT, 60-1 slam it on ebay =  profit, reinvest in your arcade.

You're not hurting anyone, some people will cherish a cabinet with a TFT and a 60-1 - look honey pacman....

It's gonna happen anyway, Mr 60-1 will buy his cabinet anyway, so why not from you.   Best money I made was buying a couple of beat up old cabinets and bootleg streetfighter boards, went like shit off a stick, honest cheapo flip that bought me 3 cabs, and the people that got them probably love them to bits.

Just don't hurt any classics along the way, Rush N Attack, Robocop 2 etc...

Do it right, you will have a free arcade, and £1200

[Otaku]

Just don't hurt any classics along the way, Rush N Attack

That's a board / conversion only game

[John's Arcade]

Every time I want to get a game or bring up something I saw on craigslist my wife gives me a bunch of crap, so this year we set aside a certain amount of money that is my arcade budget for the year.  I have $1200 to work with ($100/month, not too bad from a family budget, in my opinion). 

So, my question to you guys is this:  If you had $1200 to work with for the year, what would you do?

Go to the local Indian casino and put it all on red. If you are successful, you'll have $2,400. If not, wait until 2016 and repeat the process over again.

[lesoleil70]

Just don't hurt any classics along the way, Rush N Attack

That's a board / conversion only game

ya ;-)

[moogrum]

So...my proposal, and one I have dabbled in and done quite nicely from....

Flip the situation, sell the idea as an investment, if you have some basic skills do what every other bugger is going, buy crap cabinets, jamma it up, crappy TFT, 60-1 slam it on ebay =  profit, reinvest in your arcade.

Picked up a Heavy Barrel for $75 yesterday.  Vertical Jamma cab... hm.... what should I do with it....

[lesoleil70]

Nice one, that's a good looking bright cabinet.

Do you have the original controls, or has it already been converted etc?

[moogrum]

Nice one, that's a good looking bright cabinet.

Do you have the original controls, or has it already been converted etc?

It's actually got one regular joystick and one rotary.  Not quite sure how that happened.  I think I'm going to get multicade artwork and put 4-ways in it and sell it like you suggested.  IT's got generic data east side art, and it's missing the bezel.  It's a jamma cab already, so it'll be super easy if anyone wants to convert it back, but I doubt anybody will bemoan the conversion of a Heavy Barrel.