What's been your favourite cab & what cab do you want next

[Paulie]

Thought it would be nice to try and get a bit of a cabinet discussion going

Just to get the juices flowing I've recently been going through photos and cabinet specs etc. I'm not actively looking for another cab ATM, although I do have a little space that I would like to fill at some point and there's no harm in doing a little research.

Even though there are lots of models out there, on these shores many are going to be neigh on impossible to track down / prize out of other peoples games rooms.

My choice like most peoples will most likely boil down to availability, cost, condition and location.

I don't think I have enough space for a 29"er but I really enjoy playing on smaller screened cabs anyway so that's not a big deal for me.

ATM I haven't got my heart set on any particular model although I do like angular cabs and have a soft spot for the 19" and under cabs (Candy 18, Cute, City, Pony, Status 18 & the little 19" consolette) but I know they are all uncommon, sought after and will most probably be a bit spendy. I must admit I quite fancy having a go at converting a mini Sega cab like Franco and a few others have done but even they seem hard to find for a reasonable price.

Anyway maybe you are or will be in the market for a new cab soon, so why not share what you fancy next.

and for all of you who are happy with your current cab line up, what's been your favourite cab/s and why?

[rancor]

I have:

Sega Blast City
Taito Egret II
Capcom Mini Cute

I have to admit that I'd take another Blast City any day. Easy to work on, plentiful parts, and that 29" screen is beautiful.
The Egret II is nice for bragging rights, but the rotate mechanism isn't all I had hoped for and finding parts for it has been a nightmare even here in Japan. I'll keep it, but I would never buy another one.
The mini-cute is almost useless, and sits in the corner unplugged and unloved. Every time I see it, I think of the ~Y200,000 they fetch on YAJ and find myself ever closer to selling it. While the monitor is dead-on easy to rotate, 18" is just too small for my tastes. Not to mention that darkened plastic panel that fits over the monitor that takes away from the brilliant colors PCBs have to offer. It's an interesting curio, but it ain't much fun to play.

[ArcadeSTG]

Either a damaged or with missing bits cab is going to disappoint you eventually.

My advice is to target for a close to mint one.

[jase]

Great topic Paulie.

Its hard to pick a favourite, they all have there pros and cons. Here's my mini run down:

New Astro City - the Astro is a brilliant all rounder. I use mine as a dedicated vertical shooter cab. Spares are readily available and its nice and easy to disassemble and take up the stairs.

Sega Naomi - this is my 31Khz gaming cab. NOS parts are getting hard to get hold of now. Can be disassmbled and taken up stairs without too much trouble.

Capcom Status 25 - an awesome metal bodied cab similar appearance wise to the Jaleco Pony Mark III 25. I use mine as a dedicated hori cab. I put Alien Vs Predator in when I got it and its still in there!

Mini Cute & Neo SC-19 - I love these, the smaller screen size makes them great for older Jamma/MVS games. Spares very difficult to source tho.

Namco Cyber Lead - monitor can't be tated, its a large heavy cab, and its JVS with a 15KHz monitor. I miss mine tho, the LED marquee display was awesome!

Sega Aero Table - this was my 'grail cab', I love the aesthetics. PCB space is pretty tight, and the monitor viewing angle takes a little bit of getting used to and is probably not for everyone.

I think I'd fall into the 'happy with my current set up' category. If I had more space I'd love an Irem Madonna or maybe a Domy Jnr, but these pretty much never come up for sale.

[gundarN]

A cab is for life, not just for Cave.*
I like my two cabs and have no intention of getting rid, or of replacing. I do dread the day a monitor dies though.
Mind I'm rocking an Exceleena and a Cyber Lead, so who am I to advise?

That said, I do like a Blast City.

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*unless it is a woody. I've slaughtered two so far.

[monouchi]

My favourite is the Egret 2.
Bought one and love the rotate mech, I also like that there is so much space inside the cab.
Love the rounded corners of the cab and a 29" monitor is my choice of size for arcade gaming.
Later on i bought another E2, then a E3 and then a AWSD.
I was so fond of the rotate mech ( after fiddling with the monitor brackets in a Awsd... )
So i buillt two new rotate mechs for the other two cabs and fitted them with
Tosh PF.

I was satisfied with this as it covered all gaming....except HD gaming.
This thought was nagging me for a long time and I didnt like the look/function on the modern lcd cabs.

I tried to convert my awsd into hd...but I really missed having a Tosh in that cab and the hd conversion plan for a awsd was not optimal.

I have always liked the look of the NNC and especially the custom black ikaruga one.
I started to investigate the hd conversion capabilities in a naomi and later on bought a really cheap Wild Rider cab.
I sold all of the WR parts and the monitor so now i almost got the cab for free.
And now the Net City HD project is at full speed, and it will be a dark cab.....and finally I will get a Naomi style cab.

[Chempop]

While I see the appeal of small cabs, for me anything under 25" would be too small.
I'm happy with my blasts and astro. I'll admit the blast's monitors aren't perfect, but at least they are versatile. If a little bit of geometry and convergence imperfection is going to bother you, they aren't the cab for you. I also like the slightly more flat curve of the monitor. A curve of a vertical oriented astro is a little jarring, especially after nearly 15 years of using flat screen trinitron CRTs. Another small complaint about the blast is how the CP enclosure is not as structurally stable compared to cabs like the astro, where it is actually connected to the main body.

I am a little biased about Blast City because they were the first 2 cabs I bought. They look great side by side, and I had a very easy time cleaning, finding parts, and restoring them. I love designing custom marquees for my favorite games, easily being able to rotate the monitors, and being able to use a dreamcast or xbox 360 with the help of a padhack. I am probably in the minority saying this, but the colorful Blast motif was another draw for me, as it reminds me greatly of my own artwork.

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If I had the opportunity to get a 4th cab it would have to be a once in a lifetime score. I really don't need another cab, but for novelty value I still desire an Egret 29. For Aesthetic value I would like an Egret II (shmups look to "right" on them). For SEGA fanboy value I would also like to own an Aero City or Sega City.

[joeblade]

Funny thing is I liked my various cabs for different reasons....

If I had to pick one it would be the Blast City with a nearly new Nanao tri-sync auto!!
Picture was sublime and I dunno...sitting in front of a Blast City felt like a bit of an event to me!

[Chempop]

sitting in front of a Blast City felt like a bit of an event to me!

QFT

[trev1976]

I really love my Aero but i do want a chopped naomi aswell , id use that just for 31khz though

[Kretinou]

Not having an overflow of my passion in my flat and keep my marriage intact -> 2 Capcom Cute, it's just enough.

In my dreams, I'd love to have an Aero City or an Egret 29

[geotrig]

I find it hard to nail down a favorite cab ,but a couple that really tickle my fancy are the E29 ,consolettes (either size) ,madonna (think its the control panels and squareness i like on them) ,mt8 for curved flo tubes or older taito cabs in general and The Sega (****) city, really like the table pony as well but mainly for aesthetics and colour

I already now what my next cab is gonna be but after i'd love to get a consolette or a sega city or a madonna

[Milspex]

Already own a Naomi and a NAC. so I'd say a Lindbergh or a Viewlix are up next

[geotrig]

Id love a room full of dedicateds as well ,with afterburner ,daytona and sega rally and maybe a house of the dead and a virtua cop too....
i need a bigger house and wallet

[o1s1n]

After getting an SNK Candy 25 last year, old, boxier, full metal Japanese cabs completely won me over. They're so well made, much smaller footprint and remind me of Japanese cars from the 80s. Won't be going near 29 inch monsters ever again.

Bought a Jaleco Pony III 25 about 6 months ago. Definitely my favourite cab so far, if not my favourite cab of all time. I absolutely adore the thing. It's a dream for verts.

Unfortunately it's given me a real taste for cabs which are dead expensive and rare though. I'd love a status 25/Domy Jr/Sega City - probably never going to happen!

[cools]

If I had the space I'd not have sold any of them, bar the Aero Table I think due to it's uncomfortable seating position.

Favourites? Windy II, Pony III.

I'd quite like an Exceleena Blue or one of the Namco Consolettes.

Looking forward to getting the ridiculous Taito indulgence production that is the MT-8 though.

[muddymusic]

My 2 favourites are sat next to me in my office. My Egret 2 that gets played almost every day, when I first saw one I knew I had to have one, I love the artwork and shape of it and the monitor is it's lovely to sit at for a long gaming session, nicely laid out panel and room for a cuppa. Fits in very nicely with the house decor too so it was easy to get it past the wife.

Next to that is the opposing side of arcade game history, an original 1981 Donkey Kong. It's in my opinion the best looking and best designed wood cab ever made. The artwork is superb and the game is one of the best arcade platformers ever made.

My wanted list changes frequently, at the moment it's Initial D that I want to play and I've just bought a project cab to work on over the coming months. I've really got a hankering for an Afterburner Climax - I played the deluxe version not so long ago and it really seemed to have the spirit of the older Sega deluxe cabs, much the same as OutRun 2. Big beast though so I'd have to lose a few other cabs to fit it in.

[Scaffa]

I've only had an NNC but I'm so happy with it I would likely purchase another one.

The other item i'm looking for at the moment is a Versus City or New Versus City - but that's a long haul plan!

[TadCool]

Windy / Windy II. Perfect duo in my opinion.

Only sold my first Windy because, after the 2011 tsunami in Japan, my wife wanted to move out of the country asap. After that I had a few other candies and none hooked me as the Windy did. Reason? Not sure, really. I do love its beautiful design, that's for sure.

Not much long ago I've sold all my cabs (currently have none), decided to have a much smaller and meaningful selection - so the long dreamed Windy / Windy II duo is in the works.

A not-so-secret crush I have is the Capcom Q25. I hope to someday have one and make it my SF2 series dedicated cab.

[pubjoe]

Difficult question, and for me I have to weigh up practicality. I don't have lots of space so I'm looking for 'the one'.

Of cab's I've owned...

For comfort and solidity, I loved the Vewlix, I didn't play enough hi res games to justify it but I was very tempted to put up with 15k upscaling on the LCD as I loved it that much.

Egret II is a great cab. Good 'one cab' due to the easy tate. However I'm replacing it soon for a...

Pony Mk III. Can't comment too much on this before owning one, but the compactness and style make it one of the least horrific conspicuous cabs to put in a living area in my opinion. Photos don't do it justice. I'd always ignored it until I saw cools's with my own eyes.

Mushiking/Sega mini. Didn't get on with this. Sadly too small for me.

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Speaking of size, 29" CRTs are lovely but do spread outside of peripheral vision. Especially on a cab with a shallow CP. A lot of older games don't really feel right.

I've always fancied a Donkey Kong woodie for the oldies. It'd be a cab for a bit on the side though.