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[OJdaKiller]

Figured I'd create a thread where owners, or potential owners can talk about their cabs. In short, candy cabinets/"candy cabs" are Japanese arcade cabinets. Here's a website than can give you some basics. http://home.insightbb.com/~ecousticforkris/blast.htm

Personally, I've owned two. One being a Sega New Astro City and the newest being a Sega Blast City (at top). Here's a New Astro for reference.

If you're interested in purchasing a cabinet, other than local buys, the only seller I can really recommend in the US is Ken from thegameroom. http://www.thegameroom.com/thegameroom/Pinball%20Page.html
He's based out of Utah, sells and ships a decent product, and is fairly good with communication.

If you're interested in some repro parts there's a few places I can recommend.

-Shawn at MCS is great for repro control panel overlays and other artwork-http://triplemoonstar.brinkster.net/mcs/
-Giz 10p-Located in the Uk. Decent stock, at times, but responsive with email. http://www.giz10p.co.uk/
-Akihabarashop-I like this place. A terrific stock and fairly responsive with email. Only problem is if you don't live in Japan, your order can take a couple of weeks. http://www.akihabarashop.jp/


Finally, if you're interested in simply learning more about candy cabinets and this wonderful hobby, Arcade Otaku is a great resource. http://forum.arcadeotaku.com/
I only started with this hobby about 1.5 yrs ago and there is a lot to learn, but nothing beats playing games in their original format as they were intended to be played. Hopefully there are some other candy cab owners lurking on this forum. Thanks.

P.S...Also One place to AVOID at ALL COSTS!!!! Coinopstore based in CA. Can't say I didn't warn you!! But hey, don't take my word for it, do your own research. You'll see he has the cheapest cabs on Ebay, and there's a reason for that. He shows a good cab, sends a junk cab, and based on Ebay policy, you as the seller have to pay return shipping in order to get a full refund..Well, when shipping is 400 bucks, you are simply out 400 dollars, so instead of doing this, most take a setllement with him at that point for about half the cost of the cab to rehab it...In the end, he gets rid of a junk cab, has half your money, and you have a project on your hands.

 

[Tain]

I still need a candy cabinet. I have three RGB monitors back at my parent's place, and nice Sanwa joysticks and shit, but I still feel like I'm living in the gaming ghetto without one. :[

A little bit apprehensive about buying one given the apartment setup I have going on, but it's probably going to happen sooner or later.

 

[OJdaKiller]

I still need a candy cabinet. I have three RGB monitors back at my parent's place, and nice Sanwa joysticks and shit, but I still feel like I'm living in the gaming ghetto without one. :[

A little bit apprehensive about buying one given the apartment setup I have going on, but it's probably going to happen sooner or later.

So what are you thinking about picking up? If I were to get another cabinet, I'd probably just get one for vert play, maybe an Astro City, or an Egret II, but those (E2) don't seem super easy to find.

 

[Tain]

I always hear great things about the Egret 2, but I haven't done a ton of research either way. All I know is that rotating the screen isn't exactly effortless with any candy cab, and I like the look of the Sega ones.

As far as build quality goes, is there much of a difference between the different Sega cabinets? Would I be fine with something old as hell if it were in decent condition?

 

[GrayFoxPL]

I came for candy and I'm not leaving without it!

 

[Rickenslacker]

My friend has a New Astro City. He was pretty hype about it when getting it, but nowadays it's sitting in the corner of his apartment shut off. He has the boards for X-Men vs. Street Fighter, D&D: Shadow Over Mystara and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo though so those get some play occasionally.

 

[OJdaKiller]

I always hear great things about the Egret 2, but I haven't done a ton of research either way. All I know is that rotating the screen isn't exactly effortless with any candy cab, and I like the look of the Sega ones.

As far as build quality goes, is there much of a difference between the different Sega cabinets? Would I be fine with something old as hell if it were in decent condition?

Well I'm not an expert by any means, but if you're looking for something that is older and is Jamma ready you have a few choices (by Sega as I believe they all have Nanao monitors which look great in 15k)....

-Aero City-The original-Tough to find in decent shape and I believe their control panels are a different shape than the Astro/New Astro/Blast, so finding a replacement isn't easy. They look pretty darn retro though, so I give them a bonus point for that. I don't know if they have wheels on the back like the Astro/New Astro/Blast do.

-Astro City-Lots of parts are compatible with this machine. I've read that the PSU can be a bit underpowered when playing Cave games though. I could be wrong, but I swear I read that somewhere.

-New Astro City-Just like the Astro, but with a different PSU and the speaker case. Good luck finding one without the yellowed speaker shroud. I think that would be near impossible. Most, if not all, need to be repainted (the shroud that is), unless that is, if you like the yellowed look.

-Blast City-A super versatile cab. Tri-sync, and if you get a 2931 model, it's an auto sync which makes life even easier. It's awesome being able to play anything from Jamma, Dreamcast, to the 360 on your cab just to switch things up.

 

[OJdaKiller]

My friend has a New Astro City. He was pretty hype about it when getting it, but nowadays it's sitting in the corner of his apartment shut off. He has the boards for X-Men vs. Street Fighter, D&D: Shadow Over Mystara and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo though so those get some play occasionally.

If he wants to sell DD: SoM, please let me know. I've been looking for that..

 

[RetroGreg]

Nice cabs

Candies are awesome, but I have to be truthful and say I prefer that multi-williams though.

 

[Tain]

Well I'm not an expert by any means, but if you're looking for something that is older and is Jamma ready you have a few choices (by Sega as I believe they all have Nanao monitors which look great in 15k)....

-Aero City-The original-Tough to find in decent shape and I believe their control panels are a different shape than the Astro/New Astro/Blast, so finding a replacement isn't easy. They look pretty darn retro though, so I give them a bonus point for that. I don't know if they have wheels on the back like the Astro/New Astro/Blast do.

-Astro City-Lots of parts are compatible with this machine. I've read that the PSU can be a bit underpowered when playing Cave games though. I could be wrong, but I swear I read that somewhere.

-New Astro City-Just like the Astro, but with a different PSU and the speaker case. Good luck finding one without the yellowed speaker shroud. I think that would be near impossible. Most, if not all, need to be repainted (the shroud that is), unless that is, if you like the yellowed look.

-Blast City-A super versatile cab. Tri-sync, and if you get a 2931 model, it's an auto sync which makes life even easier. It's awesome being able to play anything from Jamma, Dreamcast, to the 360 on your cab just to switch things up.

Thanks, seriously good info.

I like the look of the Astro City more, but tri-sync Blast City sounds great, unf. This thread is getting me hungry again, I'm gonna call thegameroom tomorrow to price some things out.

 

[jbueno]

Great idea for a thread. I have wanted a candy cab for a while now, but those are kind of hard to come by in Mexico, or even import them. I figured I was lucky when I found a local arcade that had about 20 Sega Aero Cities, some Astro Cities and a few Neo Candy 25, disgracefully running MAME and with crappy buttons and sticks to boot. I figured that since he had them in such poor shape he might have let go a couple, but he wouldn't sell them.

One day though I shall acquire one, I kind of want a Blast City, a Capcom Impress, an Egret II for diverse JAMMA PCB and 360 use and a NeoCandy 25 4 slots for some NeoGeo love.

 

[thetrin]

I hold the Astro City dear to my heart. I've been meaning to get a cab for my apartment, and I would probably get an AC Candy if I could.

 

[FrostuTheNinja]

I've had my Neo 29 for about 10 years now. Damn thing is near indestructible. Would love to get my hands on a Blast City, though. They look so great.

 

[shuri]

Japanese cabs are so well made. I just dont feel comfortable sitting at home because of my back, but they are very well done, clean and its very easy to work on them, unlike north american style cabs which can be annoying to work on.

I only own woody cabs

 

[OJdaKiller]

Thanks, seriously good info.

I like the look of the Astro City more, but tri-sync Blast City sounds great, unf. This thread is getting me hungry again, I'm gonna call thegameroom tomorrow to price some things out.

Yeah, calling Ken is a good idea. Just make sure you ask about all the details you'd need to know regarding the condition of everything. He's a busy guy and will give you a direct answer, but this way you won't be disappointed as nothing will come perfect.

I'd highly recommend the Blast. Looks awesome. I prefer the sound on it as the speakers are at ear level, osd (on screen display adjustments instead of having to fiddle around in the back with the chassis) and you can't beat tri-sync. I know some people frown on consoles in cabs, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay 4-5k for a SSF4AE setup instead of just putting a 360 in there with online capability...For 4k all you're getting is-"Insert coin."...lol...

 

[OJdaKiller]

Japanese cabs are so well made. I just dont feel comfortable sitting at home because of my back, but they are very well done, clean and its very easy to work on them, unlike north american style cabs which can be annoying to work on.

I only own woody cabs

I ever get a wood cab, there would be only one to me worth getting.

720. End of story. No doubt about it. Unfortunately they're kind of expensive atm.

 

[shuri]

Well there are erm, third party versions of of the SF4 boards floating around, for around 400-500$. They are coming in those big metal case too.

 

[To Far Away Times]

When I get my own place my first big purchase will be an Astro City cab and a Mushi Futari pcb.

 

[Tain]

Yeah, calling Ken is a good idea. Just make sure you ask about all the details you'd need to know regarding the condition of everything. He's a busy guy and will give you a direct answer, but this way you won't be disappointed as nothing will come perfect.

I'd highly recommend the Blast. Looks awesome. I prefer the sound on it as the speakers are at ear level, osd (on screen display adjustments instead of having to fiddle around in the back with the chassis) and you can't beat tri-sync. I know some people frown on consoles in cabs, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay 4-5k for a SSF4AE setup instead of just putting a 360 in there with online capability...For 4k all you're getting is-"Insert coin."...lol...

Yeah, being able to use my 360 in there is definitely appealing. I actually have a cheap tri-sync (I think, I've used it with 480i signals) arcade monitor I could probably use in the Astro City, but the image isn't the best. Honestly, if the monitor in the Astro City can't handle 480i, I can probably forget about it.

 

[galvatron]

I've had my Neo 29 for about 10 years now. Damn thing is near indestructible. Would love to get my hands on a Blast City, though. They look so great.

I've had a Super Neo 29" Type II (with the LCD at the top) for about 10 years now and it's great (though I do go through bouts of not playing for long periods of time).

A friend of mine got a Blast City and I was all set to be jealous until I saw it play low res...ugh, the scanline were thick like someone drew them in with crayon. The closest I've ever seen to scan lines that bad were on some of the old flatscreen sony analog tvs. After seeing that I kind of gave up on getting blast city or a net city and decided to get a kray custom vewlix. I'm still waiting to finish the custom cab since akihabara shop keeps delaying the PS360+ chips...

 

[Tain]

I've had a Super Neo 29" Type II (with the LCD at the top) for about 10 years now and it's great (though I do go through bouts of not playing for long periods of time).

A friend of mine got a Blast City and I was all set to be jealous until I say it play low res...ugh, the scanline were thick like someone drew them in with crayon.

D:

this thread has been very emotional for me so far

but i might like scanlines like that, shit, i dunno

 

[OJdaKiller]

Yeah, being able to use my 360 in there is definitely appealing. I actually have a cheap tri-sync (I think, I've used it with 480i signals) arcade monitor I could probably use in the Astro City, but the image isn't the best. Honestly, if the monitor in the Astro City can't handle 480i, I can probably forget about it.

Replacement monitors in these cabs (or most cabs) seem to be a bit of a problem unless you're pretty tech savy or handy. To my knowledge, this is due to the monitor bezel and the curvature=They are different. So if you put a replacement monitor in, most likely you'll end of with some spacing between the screen and bezel. Granted you can buy filler stuff, but imo, it never looks as good as if it were a stock fit. Also, the mounting brackets can vary, so you may have to do some drilling, which personally, is nothing I'd want to screw with. I believe Blasts, and Atomiswaves, are the first starting cabs if you're looking to do anything in VGA (480).

 

[Tain]

Thanks. After some googling, I guess I had what constituted as "tri-sync" wrong. Sounds like it's 480p and down. Nice.

But it sounds like you're saying that you can't hook a 360 up to an Astro City even if the picture is interlaced?

 

[OJdaKiller]

I've had a Super Neo 29" Type II (with the LCD at the top) for about 10 years now and it's great (though I do go through bouts of not playing for long periods of time).

A friend of mine got a Blast City and I was all set to be jealous until I say it play low res...ugh, the scanline were thick like someone drew them in with crayon. The closest I've ever seen to scan lines that bad were on some of the old flatscreen sony analog tvs. After seeing that I kind of gave up on getting blast city or a net city and decided to get a kray custom vewlix. I'm still waiting to finish the custom cab since akihabara shop keeps delaying the PS360+ chips...

Personally I like the look of the low res in my Blast. Maybe I don't know any better to know if it's bad or not. But I had a New Astro which is supposed to be great and now have the Blast and I didn't notice much, or really any, of a difference. Played MVS and a few Jamma boards and things looked fine. The only negative I saw was when I hooked a JammaGenesis to the Blast vs the New Astro...Looked okay/pretty good on the New Astro and really dark and washed out on the Blast...So no more Tecmo Super Bowl on the Blast =(....But really this just gives me reasoning to buy another cab...lol...

 

[galvatron]

D:

this thread has been very emotional for me so far

but i might like scanlines like that, shit, i dunno

My friend is happy with his cab and he didn't really notice anything wrong...Maybe its one of those things where if you don't play on a low res setup regularly you might think it was normal? I had to try not to laugh at the fat scanline going through Exchanger's face when I brought my 4-slot MVS over. DC looks great on it, though....I'd try before buying since you know how RGB is supposed to look.

 

[OJdaKiller]

Thanks. After some googling, I guess I had what constituted as "tri-sync" wrong. Sounds like it's 480p and down. Nice.

But it sounds like you're saying that you can't hook a 360 up to an Astro City even if the picture is interlaced?

I may be wrong, but to my knowledge, you could hook up a 360 to an Astro as long as you replaced the chassis with tri-sync or some other 31k (480p) chassis-Something than can handle VGA as the stock can't. There are replacements and I've heard the 15k is crap and the 31k is okay (on the replacements). Plus, remember to play your 360 on a Blast, the VGA is no problem to hookup, but getting the controls hooked up is something you have to do yourself or have someone make. If you're interested, I can point you to the guy who made mine. Works great.

 

[Solemn Nomad]

My friend has a New Astro City. He was pretty hype about it when getting it, but nowadays it's sitting in the corner of his apartment shut off. He has the boards for X-Men vs. Street Fighter, D&D: Shadow Over Mystara and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo though so those get some play occasionally.

Sounds like me. I've got a Blast City sitting in the corner of my living room that never gets played. All in all I put about $1200 into it having to import parts from Japan, replace the monitor and what not. For those wanting to get one of these know what you could be getting into. For what its worth, I recommend spending the extra cash and getting a tested and working unit because in the end "extra" bit of money will probably be less than what you'd have to put into a fixer upper anyway.

That being said candy cabs are cool as hell. Anybody wanna see pics of mine?

 

[OJdaKiller]

That being said candy cabs are cool as hell. Anybody wanna see pics of mine?

Of course...It's like cab porn...Unless it's some Mame monster...That's like scat porn. See below..Loving the Combatribes marquee..lol..

 

[pje122]

I'm looking at possibly picking up a Super Neo Geo Candy 29" cab. Would installing MAME on this thing be a feasible possibility or too much of a hassle?

 

[Jockel]

In like Flynn.

Edit: whoa there, I thought I was replying to a new thread.

 

[pje122]

Thanks, Flynn. Would you have any idea in regards to my question?
Seems like I can just buy Multigame JAMMA boards... is that they way to go?

 

[bjork]

There was a guy selling three Astro City cabinets for like $300 each awhile back on CL, but I don't know much about them so I talked myself out of it. Did I miss a deal?

 

[Emperor Bohe]

they're so sexy. if only I had a big enough place for one (and money)

 

[atomic moth]

Thanks, Flynn. Would you have any idea in regards to my question?
Seems like I can just buy Multigame JAMMA boards... is that they way to go?

Depends how accurate you want it. Most (all) multijammas have frame rate and sound issues. Nowhere close to mame. If you just want to play older games, just get a Pentium D or core2duo. You'll need a jpac for jamma connection and a program like soft15khz to downgrade the resolution.

It's honestly really cheap to get a real neogeo mvs these days though. I wouldn't waste a good neo geo candy on mame.

 

[Jockel]

Thanks, Flynn. Would you have any idea in regards to my question?
Seems like I can just buy Multigame JAMMA boards... is that they way to go?

These Multigame JAMMA boards are mostly pretty horrible, and getting MAME to work (perfectly) in a cab is a huge pain. Probably best to find somebody who's experienced with this sorta thing and let them help you.

 

[pje122]

Nice feedback, thanks!

 

[LaserHawk]

If you're interested in purchasing a cabinet, other than local buys, the only seller I can really recommend in the US is Ken from thegameroom. http://www.thegameroom.com/thegameroom/Pinball%20Page.html
He's based out of Utah, sells and ships a decent product, and is fairly good with communication.

I live about 45 minutes away from Ken and bought a candy cabinet from him directly after finding an advertisement from him on Craigslist. I just wanted to pipe in and lend my endorsement here, too. Ken was really nice and easy to work with, and he helped me get set up with a kick harness, too.

Right now my cabinet is set up to play Street Fighter Alpha 3, but with Vampire Savior 2 ready to be switched in any time I feel the need. They're a fun, durable cabinet that take up less space than the American variety.

 

[justjustin]

Yes, they are very special, but...

PM me if you live near Syracuse, NY and want to pick up an Astro City. I have some working boards, too: Tatsujin (JP), Rastan (US), Black Tiger (US), Snow Bros. (US), Flying Shark (US).

I just don't use it enough to justify owning it these days. I've been 100% certain about selling it for years but just never got around to it. We'll hash out the details via PM. I can provide ebay and shmups forum selling history to prove trustworthiness.

 

[atomic moth]

Anyone near Chicago can check out windygaming.com. The owner Chris helped me ship out a couple of candys down here to New Orleans. The quality requirements for any cab that passes through his shop are unmatched.