Search Results for: thrill of the chase

The Thrill Of The Chase: Pinball Dreams

August 8, 2014 By ausretrogamer

This thrill of the chase is special. Well, all of the chases and hunts are special and exciting in their own unique way, but this one, this one tops them all (Ed: for now!).

You know that one item you had been lusting after for decades, but it was always out of reach? Yeh, that one! The latest thrill fulfils a life long lust for a pinball table. I can now cross off ‘get a pinball table’ from the retro gaming bucket list. The previous owner did warn me though – you can never stop at one pinball machine! I shudder at the thought.

Once PIN•BOT was in its rightful place and switched on, it was like I had traveled back in time, a time when I was young and carefree. The sight of the flashing lights, the sounds, the metal ball – there is nothing quite like pinball. Oh yeah, that robotic speech just sends chills down my spine!

The table has been set to freeplay and I can tell you, PIN•BOT is one punishing game. I definitely need to work on my twitch skills!

The Thrill Of The Chase: Gone Hunting

June 23, 2014 By ausretrogamer

There was only one thing to do on a cold and miserable Sunday – go hunting! No guns or ammunition were required for this hunting trip. We armed ourselves with warm clothing and a keen eye to find some retro gaming gear and other vintage items.

Once the target was found, we went in to prowl. It was clear from the outset that this hunting trip was not going to disappoint. Once we got past the usual household kitsch items, we found precious arcade machines from the 1970s, lots of comics, vinyl records and a number of classic video gaming systems and games.

The selection of retro gaming systems and games did get the nostalgic nerve quite excited. There was no way we were going to leave empty handed on this hunt. Sorry wallet.

Didn’t know where to focus on this collection of action figures. Daytona USA lurked in the background

Aha, there it is!

The perfect tube to play some Pong

Found hiding – some MOTU pals

These Atari games look lonely

RoboCop action figures!

Robie Junior would not have been happy if this guy came home with us

Alex Kidd tuned in on a proper vintage TV! Hells yeah!

Sega delights

Did someone say Sega, Atari and Nintendo?

Vintage vinyl!

Keeping it reel

Perfect price for a fighting game

Perfect price for an ice hockey game

KISS!

More KISS baby!

Can’t hide from me Mr Macintosh SE!

CIB Battlecat? No way!

The dreaded Castle Grayskull

LCD goodness in this cabinet

A throwback to the WWF!

More Sega goodies

I spy with my little eye something beginning with N

The holiest of holy, 1974’s Speed Race. And it’s in working order!
More old arcade beauties found!

The perfect ending to a great hunt

The Thrill Of The Chase: A Saucy Red

June 6, 2014 By ausretrogamer

There is something about the colour red. It invokes very raw emotions. As other thrill of the chase have come and gone, this latest chase was quite special. On one hand, I had found the exact Neo Geo MVS cabinet I had been lusting after (Ed: red = lust), and more importantly, I had my mum and dad in tow while I was criss-crossing the suburbs of Melbourne to pickup this red beauty.

The sun was searing, I was sweaty as hell and upon arrival, the seller was nowhere to be found! Alas, one phone call later, and things were sorted – the seller had gone out to the shops. The 4-slot MVS cabinet was easy to manoeuvre and get onto the trailer. I would have to say, it was the easiest cabinet I had transported. The saucy red is now sitting pride of place in the yet-to-be-transformed-into-a-games-room garage (more on that another time). Let me just say, anyone that plays on her, they are instantly smitten.

This chase was personal for me. Not only did my parents provide me with company, they provided memories, not just for being there on this occasion, but on plenty other countless occasions. My parents aren’t young like they used to be, so any occasion where I can spend time with them to create a memory, I cherish it. This chase is dedicated to you, mum and dad.

Now let’s play some NAM-1975!

The Thrill Of The Chase: MegaZone and Double Dragon

November 25, 2013 By ausretrogamer

Sometimes it is the little things that have the greatest value. I don’t mean monetary, but sentimental value.

The MegaZone magazine was Australia’s attempt to emulate the big gaming publications from the UK. Since it was Australia’s first multi-format video gaming system publication, it holds a very dear place in my heart. I remember being excited and quite proud of knowing that this was home made. Pity I turfed issue one back in the day as it is worth a kidney nowadays. Damn you hindsight!

Am I a Double Dragon fan? If you have known me for longer than five minutes, you would know the answer. If I find anything remotely connected to Double Dragon, I give it some serious consideration. When these Tyco action figures of Jimmy Lee (Ed: why is he blonde?) and a few of the Black Warrior henchmen were found for a few dollars, I knew I had to snap them up. Now, I am off to find Billy (not Bimmy!) Lee.

The Thrill Of The Chase: The Holy Grail

November 14, 2013 By ausretrogamer

Does one ever stop hunting once their white whale or more accurately, their holy grail of video gaming has been conquered? I face this question having fulfilled the last of my holy trinity of retro gaming systems, the Commodore “Executive” SX-64. In case you were wondering, the other two that make up the trinity are the Vectrex and PC-Engine (CoreGrafx).

After securing the SX-64, I am left feeling flat and empty. There is a void inside my retro gaming heart. I am left wondering if it was all worth it (Ed: of course it was! Suck it up sunshine!). What is next? Do I now chase a new holy grail, one that will take years to find and conquer? What will happen after that? Am I addicted to the ‘thrill of the chase’? The answers are quite simple – enjoy what I have for now, and yes, I am addicted to the thrill of the chase.

A retro gamer is seldom fully satisfied that their collection is “complete”. I can safely say, my collection will never ever be complete, there is always another system or game to chase and obtain. The retro gaming bug has bitten hard and I must oblige. What will be the next retro gaming holy grail?

The Thrill Of The Chase: Cocktail Table

October 27, 2013 By ausretrogamer

The nostalgia bug can bite at a moment’s notice! As a kid, playing an arcade game on a cocktail table was awesome. There was never any worries in reaching the controls. When an opportunity presents itself to get that ‘sit down and play an arcade game on a table‘ feeling, you must act fast!

table_pickup — Transporting the precious cargo in style

I recently found a restored Leisure & Allied Industries (LAI) cocktail table on eBay. Controlling my emotions, I set a limit on how much I would spend to get the table. I was prepared to miss out, even if someone bid a dollar more. To my surprise, I ended up winning the auction.

table_coin — No free play here buddy! It is 20c per credit!

I couldn’t wait to pick up the cocktail table, so I messaged the seller and asked if I could pay and pick up the table that day. In the cover of darkness, I ferried the precious cargo back to my abode. The table currently sits proudly in the family room, begging to be played at every opportunity.

table_glory — A sight for sore (nostalgic) eyes

There are a few few things I would like to modify on the table – the artwork, buttons and their layout, and then the MAME setup (yes, I know, it is MAME’d!) . Apart from that, the table is in great condition and the restoration looks like it was done by someone that loves giving some TLC to heritage listed arcade machines. This will look great next to the Space Invaders cabinet. Time for some Galaga!

The Thrill Of The Chase: Garage Sale Loot

October 8, 2013 By ausretrogamer

Last Saturday I set my alarm for 6:30am. Had I lost my mind? Why would I do such a thing on the weekend? I’ll tell you why – I wanted to get to the once-in-a-blue-moon Lobo’s Collectables garage sale. The garage sale was slotted for a 7:00am start. Knowing that the best items go first, I wanted to ensure that I was the early bird that caught the worm. Upon arrival, I could see the back alley garage sale being manned by two Star Wars heavyweights, Darth Maul on one side and Jar Jar Binks on the other. As I approached, I noticed that I wasn’t the only early bird trying to snag the worm. To say the place was packed, would be a gross understatement. I started my surveillance of the area, looking for all things related to retro gaming and vintage toys – Star Wars and Masters Of The Universe (MOTU) in particular. Once the reconnaissance was completed, I devised my plan to squeeze past the hordes and get to my targets.

Once the targets were reached, I did not waste time in grabbing items out of boxes and off the shelves. I was clutching them tightly. My plan was executed flawlessly and I walked out with all the goodies I was after – Atari VCS/2600 game cartridges and retro gaming figurines, Star Wars items and Masters Of the Universe action figures. As a bonus, I latched onto a MOTU board game. It seemed that everyone missed it in the mad rush! It pays to keep your eyes open.

As I drove away, with my loot in hand, I was reflecting on what to have for breakfast. Bring on the next garage sale!

The Thrill Of The Chase: Vintage Market

September 23, 2013 By ausretrogamer

What does one do when all household chores are done and there is time to kill? I know, go hunting! I don’t mean hunting in the wilderness for ‘game’, I mean hunting for inanimate objects like retro gaming gear and vintage toys. Yesterday, while Melbourne turned on the charm, I made plans to go out and hit a few stores. I visited two vintage markets I had not been to in almost 10 months. A lot had changed in that time – lots of varied retro goodies were on offer.

Nice stash of Master System games. Too bad about the price

Who doesn't love Steve Urkel! — Who doesn’t love Steve Urkel!

These tabletops haven't sold in 10 months! — These tabletops have not sold in 10 months!

If this TV has UHF, I am tuning in the C64!

To check out the rest of the photos from this expedition, mozy on over to our Facebook album.

The Thrill Of The Chase: Space Invaders Arcade Cabinet

September 18, 2013 By ausretrogamer

There are times that I think to myself, “I am in the right place at the right time”. One lazy afternoon last week, I was trawling through a certain online site when I stumbled upon an unloved Space Invaders arcade cabinet. My retro senses went into overdrive. I had been looking for such a cabinet for a while, but had given up of ever finding one.

Reading the advertisement, the machine had all the original innards, but the outside of the cabinet had seen better days. The usual story in these online advertisements go something like this: “I don’t have room and the wife tells me I got to get rid of it”, or my favourite, “I bought this cab to restore it, but I now need the money, so it must go”. The seller of this particular machine fell in the latter.

The price in the advertisement was negotiable. I immediately sent an offer to the seller and sweetened the deal by saying I could pick it up on the weekend. I honestly thought the seller would negotiate up, but to my astonishment, he accepted it. To say I was excited would be a gross understatement. I could not sleep properly till I had the machine in my possession.

With a bit of loving care, she will be restored to her former beatuty

With the trailer in tow, I showed up half an hour early at the seller’s house. Once we made some small talk, money was exchanged and the machine was loaded securely and driven back to its new home, my garage.

The arcade cabinet needs some attention, including the control panel, which isn’t original. However, with lots of tender loving care, she will be restored to her former beauty. She is rock solid – they don’t build them like they used to.

The Thrill Of The Chase: Slaying the Vectrex

April 13, 2013 By ausretrogamer

Finally, the great Vectrex has been hunted down and captured!

What has seemed like a life time of looking for the elusive (and in working condition) Vectrex, it is now in my grasp. The actual hunt was nothing too exciting.

Last Friday, as I laid in bed checking my phone one final time for that last tweet, I got a pop up message from eBay saying that I had new items to check out. To my astonishment, I saw that there was a boxed Vectrex which had just been listed (who lists a Vectrex at midnight!). I quickly saw the price and noted that the seller had offered a “make offer” option on the auction. I ran through the description to ensure it was in working condition and I then put in an offer $50 under the “buy it” now price. My heart rate went berserk once the offer was accepted and I received the “Congratulations” message, followed by the “Pay Now” button. With quivering hands, I had no hesitation to pay immediately.

To say I was thrilled would be a massive understatement. Another rare white tiger is crossed off the list. Next target, the Commodore SX64.

Vectrex_boxed_ausretrogamer