Step 1: What cab do you have? Original old school Midway cab like Pac-Man or do you have an Arcade 1up cab. If you have a 1up cab, which version is it? Each cab style is a little different.
Step 2: Pick out a pre-made design or you can design your own or have a graphic designer create one for you.
Step 3: Order.
Step 4: Get ready to install.
]]>Simple: a plexi version is a super-easy plug and play option. The product comes shipped to you and all you have to do is pop out 2-3 screws and pop it in. No fuss. Here's what Plexi-Glass Marquees look like:
Plex marquees are solid, Not flimsy. The graphic is printed on the back of the marquee and looks great lit or not lit.
Translites are made from polyester flexible film. They will need to be taped or sandwiched with a clear piece of acrylic (plexi) So, if you don't have a piece of clear plastic ready to go in front of the translite, buy the other version. Yes, it's cheaper than a plexi marquee but you'll need the plexi anyways. You can get a piece cut at Home Depot.
Translite Pic:
Translites look great with ether an LED light or old school 45 watt bulb. The film we print on absorbs the ink nicely and evenly for a rich matte look.
]]>We travel the US buying up arcade games and pins from the 70's, 80's and 90s.
We will come out and buy a single game or an entire warehouse of arcade games or pinball machines. If you have a game to sell, contact us today.
We Do Not Buy; Arcade 1Ups, At Games Legends Machines or Newly Built Multicade Game. We buy original old school games from the 1980's and 90s.
We travel the US buying up arcade games and pins from the 70's, 80's and 90s.
We will come out and buy a single game or an entire warehouse of arcade games or pinball machines. If you have a game to sell, contact us today.
If you're a an operator, we're the team to call to buy out your entire route. We don't pick and chose a couple cabs, we clear out your entire building.
Working or non-working we take them all. As long as they're old school games.
It is definitely worth picking up a copy, not just because of the interview with Dan but because of over 300 pages of full color arcade art pictures and a tutorial on how to scan and recreate artwork written by Escape Pod, the leaders in arcade art preservation.
Want to learn how to scan and recreate artwork long gone? There's a chapter in this book that takes you step-by-step the process of scanning, cleaning up, vectorizing, photo-shopping and color correcting arcade art for printing.
The book also includes a rare interview by Dan from Escape Pod where he discusses his personal collection and how he got into restoring art for these classic games.
This is the perfect book for any child of the eighties who grew up playing these arcade classics.The book is so professionally crafted by Bitmap Books with such care taken to bring these titles to life.
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Escape Pod was asked by Arcade 1Up to print all the parts of the giant game that is over 8' wide and 16' tall. The bezel is a massive 6.5' square and the marquee is 2' high x 6 and a half feet wide! It's a site to behold.
You got to walk up 8 steps, just to get play it.
Here's some size comps of the ginormous 6" buttons & joystick.
It all started with some plans from Vincent and some design work by Mike.
on the computer screen onto the table
Some before pics taken at Arcade 86 before paint and decals were applied.
The finished game is a sight to behold. Good luck gamers!
Follow Arcade 1Up Arcade 86 and Escape Pod on Facebook
]]>With all these spots opening, arcade games are becoming more and more difficult to come by. You have to hunt for months to put together a decent collection of titles. Or you can start an arcade by purchasing all the games you need from an arcade dealer like CLE Social. A one stop shop and you can find all the games you'll need to open an arcade.
]]>Do you want to serve alcohol?
Do you want to charge an admission or coins per game?
Is it going to be a family friendly place?
If you serve booze, you got to serve food - Do you want to run a restaurant?
What hours are you thinking about being open?
Who will fix the games when they go down?
How will you fill it with games?
Where are you planning on opening?
What are rent costs in your area?
Arcades are only becoming more and more popular and Gen X'ers are all wanting to own a piece of their past (even if for a few hours) Arcades can be a cash cow for owners and arcade bars are popping up all over and earn owners six figures in beer sales alone.
With all these spots opening, arcade games are becoming more and more difficult to come by. You have to hunt for months to put together a decent collection of titles. Or you can start an arcade by purchasing all the games you need from an arcade dealer like CLE Social. A one stop shop and you can find all the games you'll need to open an arcade.
Benefits of buying arcade games from a dealer like CLE Social:
For a complete list of arcade games for sale Click Here. Delivery can be arranged to any where in the US.
10 Games every arcade should have:
Every arcade should have a couple shooters; Area 51, Site 4, CarnEvil, Buck Hunter, Rapid Fire. As well as some drivers; Cruisin' USA, Pole Position, Outrun, Off Road. The most popular games always seem to be shooting games and driving games at the arcade.
10 Games every arcade bar should have:
Why are there 2 different game lists? Simple, barcades do well with 4 player games. Beer drinking buddies like play with each other and happy drinkers buy more beverages. Konami games are perfect for arcade bars; you can fit 4 people on one game (taking up one small piece of real estate) and the games are pretty simple (even when inebriated ) with just a 2 button layout of 1 attack and 1 jump button.
An arcade has it's own advantages over an arcade bar. It's a family friendly place where you can bring your kids and not have to hear a day drinker drop an "f-bomb". It's a return to the classic vintage arcade that were around in the 80's. It's a cool place to have a kid's birthday party or meet friends. It doesn't always have to be about drinking.
It's best to charge admission for if you're not serving booze. for a few reasons:
You have 5 options for your art:
1) Stencils - Ths is the way they came off the production floor, painted with stencils. Stencils are tough and may take several weeks but die hard collectors will spend the time to do it the way it was done in 1981.
2) Version 1 Decals - Standard set of art that looks like most of the Ms Pacs made and way easier than stencils.
3) Version 2 Decals - Towards the end of Ms Pac manufacturing, they went to decals and printed it on white vinyl. This art set has some of the white of the vinyl showing through.
4) Custom Pink - Here is a custom monochrome pink kit that can turn your regular cab into the talk of the town.
5) Don't do anything - Just enjoy the game and all it's glory. I love when a machine is worn down and the paint rubbed off on the sides where people have been hanging on for dear life for almost 40 years.
Grab some Ms Pac merchandise instead, like a candy tin or poster or some car stickers
**Bonus Option - You can turn your Ms Pac-Man cab into a different game on the outside all together. Ms Pac cabs are almost identical to other Bally/Midway games like; Galaga, Pac-Man, Galaxian, etc... Burgertime is different but you do have choices.
]]>We travel too, we'll drive to pick up a single game or an entire warehouse collection. We also buy arcade parts; joysticks, buttons, pcb boards, coin mechs and more. Drop us a quick note here and tell us what you got and what condition it's in and what you want for it and we'll get back to you ASAP.
If you want to sell anything arcade related, we're interested in talking to you. If you're in the market to purchase an arcade game or pinball machine, we are the company to talk to.
Get started no by visiting our Custom Printed Arcade Art Page now
Escape Pod prints the best custom art. Using the latest print technology, let’s look at the numbers:
Our Printers:
Our Vinyl & Laminate:
What’s this all boil down to? We use the best wide format printer, the highest quality film and lam to produce the highest quality art for your machine.
If you want us to design the art for your Mame build, we have a team of graphic designers standing by (well, not standing they're in their ergonomic chairs) to custom make a design that will blow you away. Click here to Contact Us and get a free estimate in a few hours.
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Here is a quick look on eBay for some Donkey Kong Jr side art. Pretty simple yes? No! Every single DK Jr side art for sale above is incorrect. It's like that old magazine in the Dr's office Highlight's that you'd circle what was wrong in the side by side pictures.
What's wrong? Well for starters, the birds wings should be purple not yellow, the border is wrong, the colors are completely off (why is Junior orange?)
The real question is; Why would you spend hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours restoring a classic cab only to cheap out on the art? You can get the real deal, fully color corrected reproduction for a few more dollars.
Here is a picture taken from Jenn M on Facebook that shows NOS art, can you spot the differences? Keep in mind this art has pre-mask on top of it so, the colors appear a little different but you get the picture.
NOS - short for New Old Stock The term refers to merchandise being offered for sale which was manufactured long ago but that has never been used. Such merchandise may not be produced anymore, and the new old stock may represent the only current market source of a particular item. (1)
NOS art is really not any good for the regular buyer. For instance this art was made in 1982 making it 35 years old. The adhesive on the back of it is most likely no longer sticky. You're better off buying reproduced arcade side art from an online vendor like Escape Pod.
Which is the correct Donkey Kong Side Art? Only one of the 4 above images was color matched to the original game. Spend a moment looking at ebay arcade art vs Escape Pod art. Printing isn't easy. Let me rephrase that, Printing is easy but printing correct art very difficult. Look at the greens..... Look at the pinks (see how washed out some are?) Look at the browns (which DK looks best)
Ebay is great for buying old shoes or a fishing reel but when it comes to buying arcade art, there is one choice only; Escape Pod Online. Hands down the best arcade art printer in the world. Great customer service, great 3M vinyl products, and just fantastic reproductions of America's favorite arcade games.
This is your Winner!
(1) Wikipedia
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When we acquire art, we scan it, recreate it, color match it and then release it back into the wild for collectors to enjoy. Here is a bunch of original arcade marquees, side art, CPOs and bezels for you to buy.
If you have arcade art you'd like to sell us or trade or just scan, we'd love to hear from you! Hit us up on our Contact Us page.
Take a good look at the pictures cause some pieces are beat up, have holes or are cut off. That doesn't mean they don't make great wall art for your arcade, game room or man cave. I mean this art is freakin' RAD!
Some of this video game art is over 30 years old but looks great. Pieces are from some of the greatest manufacturers of all time like; Atari, Taito, Romstar, Capcom, Williams, Nintendo, Data East & more!
What are you waiting for? Go visit Arcade Art Garage Sale Now and snatch up these pieces of history before they disappear forever.
Most marquees are on acrylic and some (like Elevator Action and Kangaroo) are on glass. Bezels are on heavy card-stock and most have been broken in half. Hey, they still make fantastic art.
If you have some old, original arcade machine art that you'd like to get rid of, Contact Us today and let's make a deal!
Go visit Arcade Art Garage Sale
]]>A lot of prep goes into getting a cab or cpo ready for art. it's a blank canvas that needs filled with love and bondo first so that control panels that look like swiss cheese can be filled and turn out like these before and after restoration pictures.
Once you've labored sanding and priming the side, it's time to lay down some fresh arcade side art. You'll want the best so make sure you get the highest quality prints on the best 3M film and always make certain that film is laminated, I can't stress this enough. Without lam, the colors can scratch off.
Lie the machine down on it's side and apply the art letting gravity help.
Start in the middle and work your way out with a felt squeegee, overlapping your strokes.
This was a custom Pink Ms Pac-Man we made. No original side art was hurt during this process. The original stencils are safe underneath.
Escape Pod has complete kits to restore your beaten game to it's original glory. They take all the guesswork out of it and you get everything you need to make your game look like new again. Kits include; side art and kick plate, plexi bezel and plexi marquees and a new CPO. Everything color matched and perfectly measured to fit your game.
Pro Tip - Always buy all of your art from the same place. All printers are calibrated differently and you want to make sure all the colors on your game match.
and now for some obligatory before and after arcade restoration photos. If you have pics of your arcade repair and rebirth you'd like to share, please email us.
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We are very honored to be working with Atari to bring this classic game back to homes everywhere.
The game is 1/6 scale and is the actual shape of the full size Centipede arcade cab.
Did you know that Centipede was invented by a woman? Dona Bailey who, along with Ed Logg in 1981, created the arcade video game Centipede.[1][2]
As a young programmer Bailey was hired by General Motors and trained in assembly language programming. She worked there for two years on displays,[3] and microprocessor-based cruise control systems.[4] She became interested in Space Invaders and the world of arcade games, another application of the work she was doing at GM.[3] She found out that Atari was using the same microprocessor in its games.[2]
In 1980, Bailey joined Atari's coin-op division, where she was the only woman.[4] In an interview Bailey recalled that Atari had a notebook of possible game ideas at the time. Of the 30 or so entries the only one without "lasering or frying things" was a short description of a bug winding down the screen. "[I]t didn't seem bad to shoot a bug".[5]
Centipede does have some of the best art Atari ever made with the exception being Tempest.
]]>We've accepted that challenge and have created a new Super Mario Brothers custom art kit for a VS SMB board.
We'll let the pictures do the talking:
The original design wasn't anything Special. Nintendo used the same side art and Control panel for all of the Vs. games. We wanted something unique!
The old, boring design on the left and our fresh, re-imagined artwork on the right
The artwork pictured is made to fit a standard Nintendo cab. If you're interested in using this kit on a different cabinet, email us at sales@escapepodonline.com. We have a fantastic art team who can bring any idea to life for you next project!
Here are a few of our favorite resources relating to Super Mario Bros:
Evolution of Mario
History of Super Mario Bothers
Nintendo's Revised History of Super Mario Bros
1) 60 in 1 Board from Mike's or High Score Saves you need art to go with it. A lot of multi art has characters on the art that aren't even in the board. Choose one of these that feature all the correct characters from a 60 in 1 pcb or 19 in Board - Horizontal Game Board Featuring horizontal games like: Mario Bros, Rally X, Defender, Super Mario Bros, Stargate & Joust:
5) Multi Taito Boards are for the Zookeeper and Qix kicker in all of us. Lots of games like Kram, Space Dungeon, Electric Yo Yo & More.
6) Pick a Name any name.... Multicade, Retrocade, Arcade Classics or use your name: The Capcom Themed Multicade is a fan favorite.
This is just side art, wait till you check out the Marquees & CPOs and full art kits to go along with all of these works of art. Your Multi Game Jamma PCB will thank you! The Best Multicade Art - Multi Game Jamma PCB Boards and Side Art kits
Escape Pod the #1 Source for Arcade Graphics.
]]>Stencils are a great way to keep it classic and original but they can also be a hassle. You need a lot of time and a lot of space. You need time for each layer to dry before adding the next color layer.
Decals are not original but do offer a simple, quick and easy solution for your restoration. The colors will pop and won't fade like paint.
Popular Stencil Sets for Arcade Games: Defender, Moon Patrol, Joust, Make Trax, Robotron & Sinistar all from Williams. Stern had Bezerk, Gyruss and a generic Stern and Taito also did a generic stencil. Gottlieb had Juno First & Mad Planets. Bally/Midway had Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man and BurgerTime just to name a few.
Which is best? That's up to you. It's a matter of personal taste but a matter of time, energy and expense. Sometimes, the best thing is to do nothing. Leave it worn out and beaten up. I like when the sides of a Pac-Man are rubbed down from years of hands holding on for dear life.
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After the scans, it's time to trace the image in order to create a vector image file. A vector file is crucial to color match. What can be hand traced with ipad and stylist pen is then transferred to Illustrator to recreate text and straight lines.
After the hand drawn lines are complete, we load it into Illustrator to make perfectly straight lines (like the rainbows and stars) in the above Arm Wrestling side art.
Color Matching - Once you retrace the art, you have to color it to match the original colors and sometimes taking into account the original you have may be discolored from cigarette smoke, sun etc... We print a color chart that we use to match the colors. CMYK, RGB, then exporting it as a jpeg or PDF to lock in the best colors consistently.
Here is a side-by-side picture of the Slither Bezel reproduction we created on the left and the original on the right.
We have great customers who want to see these pieces recreated to perfection and they send us art from their personal collection. We take great care with these items and when someone sends us a piece, we make sure they get a discounted reproduction.
If you'd like to learn more about restoring arcade art or if you have a scan or art you'd like us to scan Contact Us today.
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Complete restoration kits made to fit a dedicated cab. The kit includes side art for both sides, plexi marquee, plexi bezel, kick plate and CPO. This is the ultimate solution for restoring that classic arcade machine back to its original glory!
It's important to note that if you're buying new art for your game, buy it all from the same place. That way, all the colors will match. If you buy the side art from one place and the bezel from another, your blues will be be off. Every printer is calibrated differently so no two blues (or yellows or pinks) will match 100% unless it's all from the same source.
Complete kits are nice because you get everything you need to make your game a perfect 10. All the pieces are made to fit perfectly all you have to do is take the old parts off and install the new ones.
If you're flipping a game, this may not be the best option for you but if you're going to put a game into your Man Cave or Game Room, you're going to want to go the extra yard to make that arcade look pristine.
Best Part is you can save when buying a kit. Usually you can save 10%-15% by purchasing an Escape Pod Kit.
See Complete Arcade Kits by Clicking Here
]]>So when you're not 100% sure, here's some holiday shopping ideas for you.
Top 10 List of Gifts to Buy a Gamer - RetroGamer - Arcade Collector
These are all wonderful ideas for a Game Room or Man Cave or even in your garage. Every arcade enthusiast or collector can use one of the above items to bring a smile to their face!
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Come on over and have a drink on us, have some food, check out our shop, play a few games, pick up some misprints or order some new stuff. Big Discounts, Give-a-ways & More!
There seems to be a plethora of arcade graphic suppliers popping up online but how do you know whom to purchase from? Everything looks the same in a 72 dpi picture on your computer screen so how do you protect yourself and find the best deals and the highest quality product? Think of it as a buying guide for arcade artwork....Here are some things to keep in mind:
1. If something is too good to be true, it probably is. A $20 set of Donkey Kong Side art is probably not worth it.
2. 8 mil vinyl isn't better then 3 mil vinyl, it's actually worse. Just because it's thicker doesn't mean it will go on easier or cover any cosmetic damages.
3. If you don't see "actual" prints of the artwork, don't buy it. Anyone can download an image and put it up on a website. Know what you're buying.
If it's not listed, then ask:
What kind of vinyl do you print on? There's a big time difference between Oracal, Avery, Briteline and 3M.
Is the printed graphic laminated? If it's not, it's not the end of the world, probably decent for home use but not in a barcade.
How is it printed? Solvent? Screen? Latex? All have good and bad points just depends on what you're looking for. Do your homework, see which fits into your budget and what looks best.
How long does it take to receive my artwork? Some online places will take your money and leave you on the hook for months, get it in writing before you place an order and hold them to it.
Are their pieces color matched to NOS? NOS is an acronym for New Old Stock. There are a lot of free artwork sites out there but that doesn't mean the colors are corrected to match the colors of the classic cabinet.
What is their return policy? If they don't stand behind their product and offer a refund, then you might question their work.
Do they print their own stock or do they shop it out? Why pay a middle man? Anyone who's in the business can tell you if a company prints "in house" or pays someone else to do it.
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We get a lot of questions on how to apply a vinyl bezel decal to plexi, here's an easy "how to" video for you. Our bezels come in 3 different styles 1) card stock 2) vinyl adhesive backed or 3) applied to clear acrylic
We reverse print the bezel on clear 3M vinyl, back it with white vinyl, digitally die cut it and then apply it to a custom cut piece of .117 (1/8") clear acrylic and then apply iy to the back side.
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Screen shots above - in process pic below:
Here is an isolated pic of the new drawing without the background image.
After the hand drawn lines are complete, we load it into Illustrator to make perfectly straight lines (like the rainbows and stars).
Loads of layers and colors combine to make the final piece.
When the file is complete, we color match it and run test prints. When everything is perfect, we list it on the site and release it to collectors around the world.
Throw in a CPO & Marquee and you got yourself a complete kit
]]>No old school games were injured or damaged during the making of these games.
Here's a look at making them...
Graphics printed on JV300-160 using Mimaki Original SS21 Inks.
Media: 3M SV480Cv3 Envision Print Wrap Film
Laminate: 3M 8509 Scotchcal Luster Overlaminate
ISA 2016 Sign Show in Orlando, Florida
Links:
Mimaki - http://www.mimakiusa.com/
3M - http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Graphics/3Mgraphics/
Holland Computers - http://www.hollandcomputers.com/
Thank You for trusting Escape Pod for your restoration graphics!
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9754
From Annah's post: My Star Castle won Best-Looking Video Game at Zapcon 2016!!! I'd like to thank all my fellow classic gaming friends and the community for their love and support. And Dan at Escape Pod, of course, for providing the stellar side art and marquee.
]]>buttons are marked with a tiny dot for easy install.
https://escapepodonline.com/products/multi-williams-cpo-control-panel-overlay
Williams Multigame Side Art https://escapepodonline.com/collections/side-art/products/multi-williams-side-art-decals
]]>We sell a lot of kits for multicade builds and the Gen X'rs are begging for something that looks as good as it plays. They don't want to put a blank, boring cab in their man cave. These generations are finally getting some extra bucks in the bank and they want to spend it on high-end games that remind them of the old school arcades they hung at as teens. We can customize a kit your customer's likes.
These kits will command big money when you turn-over these games. Here are some pics:
Does custom arcade prints and decals increase your machine asking price? 100% Positively YES! Can we do custom prints for arcade games? Absolutely.
Visit https://escapepodonline.com/collections/multicade/products/multicade-side-art
]]>This is the only Star Castle CPO reproduction available, anywhere!
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