tugboat mini arcade

cmr1097cmr1097
in Price Check
I ran into a mini arcade called tugboat. From everything I have found about this arcade machine, I know its rare and it came out of chucky cheese. My problem lies in this cabinet is beat up and needs a restoration. I have never dealt with arcade cabinets before, is this worth restoring? Does anyone know if restoring it hurts it's value? I really have put myself in a corner here so if anyone can give me a idea on what the right moves for this machine are, it would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to invest in a restoration if its not worth it or if it will hurt the items original value. I am still deciding if I want to keep this since I dont know if I will have enough space to keep it. I appreciate any advice


Comments

  • cmr1097cmr1097
    sorry for my horrible grammar, it should have been "what the right moves for these machines are," sorry for being a idiot. My deepest apologies to the community.
  • krankcolckrankcolc
    If it's rough, restore it. Especially if you plan to keep it and want a nice looking machine for your house. It will definitely increase the value. Maybe not as much as you sink into it though. Hard to say as that is a really rare game. You don't see Moppet games come up for sale very often. Or you could just sell it to me
  • cmr1097cmr1097
    i think that is what is eating me up. I hate to sink money into something and not be able to recoup my money. I also just don't know if restoring a arcade hurts its value. I just don't want to be that person who would take a antique gun and decide it needs a good clean. Then it just killed any value it had. I find it crazy how so little information is out there on this machine.
  • WarbucksWarbucks
    Do you have any pics of the machine?
  • cmr1097cmr1097
    i do, but there on my phone
  • dewisp02dewisp02
    Those Moppet cabs are really hard to find, but Tugboat seems to be the most common one of them. Restoring them only hurts the value if the restore is poorly done.... you want it to look new if you restore it. There is definitely a market for them, but if you are looking to make money on the restore, you will want to make sure the price you pay for it is low enough because arcade restores seem to always have surprises.
  • cmr1097cmr1097
    I have 40 invested in the machine I really couldn't pass that up. do you know how much I should budget for the restoration?
  • dewisp02dewisp02
    Arcade restorations are heavily dependent on the individual cab. You want to factor everything that cab needs from wood hardener, bondo, paint, sandpaper, replacement side art/stencils, replacement control overlays, hardware [locks, bolts, nuts, screws, buttons, joysticks/rebuild kits, etc], cap kit, power supply rebuild kit/switching power supply, replacement T-molding, power cables, etc. to give you an idea. Some people start with getting the game working first, while others work on the body first. I personally would work on the monitor and then get the game working so I can take inventory on what buttons, joysticks need parts/replaced, if the monitor needs a cap kit, etc.
  • Professor FinnProfessor Finn

    Originally posted by: cmr1097



    i think that is what is eating me up. I hate to sink money into something and not be able to recoup my money. I also just don't know if restoring a arcade hurts its value. I just don't want to be that person who would take a antique gun and decide it needs a good clean. Then it just killed any value it had. I find it crazy how so little information is out there on this machine.

    Don't sweat it restoring an arcade cabinet doesn't hurt the value (as like as you do a good job). but I know what your talking about I worked at an antique shop and heard some horror stories, some guy was going to buy a bunch of coins from someone but they couldn't meet for a few days so they spent that time cleaning all the coins...




  • cmr1097cmr1097
    You have made my day by this post. Thank you so much, grant it 40 bucks isn't a lot of money but a restore can be. This scares me so much that I'm worrying about sinking too much money into a item that can't even fit into my game room. I don't want to sell a piece for much less than what i payed to never have it in my game room. I keep my games I love my games and that is why i battle with myself when i find a damaged copy. I always try to look at my collection as my legacy as if I have passed on. I want people too look at my collection more so as a piece of history than rather something i can turn for a 100 bucks. I trust the people i love to find a way to preserve the history of gaming rather than turn a dollar. So when i add a damage piece i always battle with myself do i need to find better. This is my first journey into arcade cabinets, so i will admit i am scared as $#^@. It was something I saw and fell in love with and I just don't want to be burned like anyone who loves anything. I apologize for being such a pain in the butt, anyone who loves video games like I do can understand this. I hate to sound pathetic but this is the passion i have for my games
  • Professor FinnProfessor Finn
    Well I wish you the best of luck with whatever you do with the Arcade, Here is my restoration log on the arcade machine I purchased last month and am in the process of restoring http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=147999 and actually I'm going to look at (and hopefully buy) a Change machine, Jukebox, and some arcade cabinets. If you need any advice or just someone to talk to about arcade stuff feel free to PM me I don't know the most about arcades but I like to think I know enough and I'm learning new stuff all the time.
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