Atari System II (Paperboy & Championship Sprint)
Originally posted on the Arcade Crusade Website 10/16/08:
I picked up Paperboy for a decent price, though i was told the monitor worked. Of course, it didn't. The PCB's, however, did work somewhat (was told they didn't!)…video and controls were fine, but I only got a "click…click…" loop in the sound with an occasional "bong" sound. In any case, the cabinet itself was in pretty decent shape, but the left side vinyl was pretty bad with a nasty tear at the control panel. The side art on both sides were getting wore. I got a good deal on vinyl and side art…here's a comparison shot of the left side. As you can see, the right side wasn't so bad to begin with, but since the left was getting new vinyl/side art, the right needed it too. The vinyl came off much easier than I expected. Having pulled the vinyl off a Galaxian, I was pleasantly surprised when the sides came off with such ease. There was some slight edge damage that would need to be repaired on both sides of the cabinet before applying the new vinyl. Finding a medium resolution monitor has proven to be a real pain in the ass (at a decent price that is). I managed to acquire an A.P.B. locally that had one which I pulled to use in this project. The problem is that I liked A.P.B. after playing it for a while. That means I am still on the lookout for a medium resolution monitor so I can give this monitor back to A.P.B. and use the new one for Paperboy. In any case, I completed the project with a new set of blue grips (not Hunt-Wilde type, as I don't like the feel of those WX style grips, but at least the right color). I managed to pick up a Championship Sprint kit for the System II cabinet. The CP is in very good condition. The marquee is faded as usual for these kits and I had to pick up a Championship Sprint controller harness from a different source, but it came together nicely. I plan on installing both boardsets in the one cabinet eventually. It takes about 10 minutes to swap games as it stands…once I mount both PCB's in the cabinet it should only take a couple minutes or so. Unfortunately it will still require the cab be pulled from the wall to swap.
