RIP Akihabara SEGA Arcades (199x-2020)
One thing you couldn’t miss on any pilgrimage to Akihabara back in the day were the iconic red and white SEGA Arcades. Once filled with floors upon floors of every type of coin-operated machine you could think of from UFO catchers to arcade games, there was something magical about seeing the SEGA branding gloriously on display in such a high nerd traffic hotspot long after their exit from the console business.
Sure there were other arcades in Japan that have opened up shop, and maybe it’s just me looking thought rose-coloured glasses but to me they just aren’t the same.
Sega Arcade…on Wheels
So when I decided I needed a mobile stand for my CRT TV to retro game on, it thought to myself “why buy a stand when I can build one myself for 3 times the prince and 25 times the effort?” So that’s what I did. Why SEGA arcade themed? Maybe because as a 47th goth couple we have more leftover red and black paint than we can ever use? Maybe because I was playing Like a Dragon? Maybe I miss Japan? Who knows where ideas come from…
The build itself was pretty straightforward. This is only the second woodworking project I ever did solo. The first is the Miter saw sand you can see in some of the photos and the video. Before that I sorta helped build a MAME arcade machine but i wasn’t exactly the lead on that project.
I dunno, it’s a box on wheels it’s not rocket science. I did learn to make pocket holes using a pocket hole jog from MAASCA which was pretty fun. That way screw wouldn’t be visible. I’ve been a graphic designer since 1997 so you can imagine anything I can do to make it more visually appealing I’m all for. Probably to a fault.
CRT Shinobi
After years of upscaling various console hardware, I think I’ve just come to terms with the fact there really isn’t anything better than a CRT to play classic games. No matter how good your upscaler is, Policenauts simply wasn’t meant to be played on an 85 inch 4k Television, ya know?
I know most people like Sony Trinitrons but they’re not the only game in town. This Toshiba also has S-Video as well as RGB in. That’s a little pro tip for all you kids out there looking to grab a CRT…get one with S-Video and RGB in. Your SEGA or whichever other game consoles, will never look better. Not to mention your VHS and laserdiscs. Get those, those are fun.
House of the Dead Resin 3D Prints
I really love my resign printer, but for the life of me I couldn’t get it to do a satisfactory job with the SEGA logo. Print bed just isn’t big enough, and it’s just notthe right tool for the job. I called in backup from a friend with a high end filament printer who printed me 3 logos in the right colours within a couple of hours. Much appreciated!
Outrun & Space Harrier
By the end of their run the SEGA arcades mostly had giant outdoor ads for whatever horsegirl game was popping off at the time (no shade intended, I just don’t know what they are). I went with Outrun and Space Harrier, they speak to me and I also liked seeing the ads in the virtual arcade versions Kiryu would visit in Yakuza. Of all the SEGA arcades games ever, Outrun is probably the first thing I think of. I legit just found old flyers online and had them printed as 5″X7″s at Walmart.
I don’t trust my masking tape skills so for the outside of the SEGA arcade stand I elected to paint bamboo sticks and painstakingly glue them on, one by one. It was a hassle but I knew from building Gundam models that painting pieces separately always makes for a cleaner lines. At least in my case.
I then painted the inside black and added an LED light strip.
SEGA Amusements!
After a few days of waiting for paint or glue to dry, my new SEGA arcade themed mobile CRT stand was ready to go and ready for some SEGA Saturn. Stay tuned as we just got a crazy shipment of SEGA Saturn peripherals form Japan to celebrate including the Virtual On Twin Sticks, the shuttle mouse and the incredible Virtua Guns to play the incredible Virtua Cop 1 and 2. Unboxing video probably next week ( last week of July 2024)
Game over yeeeeaaaaah!
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