“Considering Buying an Astro City on AliExpress—What Are the Community’s Thoughts?

[yarios33]

I’d like some advice from the community. Has anyone purchased an Astro City from AliExpress? My main concern is whether the system is original. What other issues should I be aware of? Thanks in advance!

In USA has been imposible to find it

 

[Zepherino]

Fine. I'll bite.

To answer your question, an AliExpress Astro City is generally not a good idea. They are usually in poor condition, and poorly resprayed, plus it's a bit of a lottery in terms of what you get inside. You might not get an original monitor (it certainly wont be a burn free perfect geometry one), and since these cabs were in China, you may get a non-standard PSU in a poor attempt to convert back to 110/120V, since 220V is generally used over there.

From your other posts, I get the sense that you're a complete beginner in terms of dealing with candy cabs. Creating an account here with the single objective of obtaining a mint condition Astro City conveniently shipped to your front door is not a great idea if you have basic understanding of what you're actually asking for. This is probably why you aren't getting much of a positive response here, if any.

These cabs are going on 30+ years old. There's almost no such thing as a "collector quality" cab, and in the very rare times that one does show up, they go for tens of thousands. The last mint condition cab I can think of in recent memory was a Blast City, which had an asking price of $15,000. More often than not, cabs of this caliber are also usually sold in private, or maybe on YAJ where you need to find a reliable proxy that will ship such a large item overseas and bid against others.

You need to do more research and be more specific with exactly what you want, instead of just saying that you're a serious collector. From my point of view (although I obviously don't speak for everyone), the lack of some beginner knowledge and the vagueness of what you're asking for makes it difficult to take you seriously. If what you want is an actual perfect cab, at minimum you probably need to make it clear that you're ready to drop some serious cash, since I wouldn't be surprised if something like that demands 10x the cost of decent condition Astro. If you're gonna swing that kind of money, you should probably also indicate which Astro variant you want, since there are 3 (Astro, New Astro, Astro 2).

Hopefully I'm not sounding too harsh here.

 

[yarios33]

Fine. I'll bite.

To answer your question, an AliExpress Astro City is generally not a good idea. They are usually in poor condition, and poorly resprayed, plus it's a bit of a lottery in terms of what you get inside. You might not get an original monitor (it certainly wont be a burn free perfect geometry one), and since these cabs were in China, you may get a non-standard PSU in a poor attempt to convert back to 110/120V, since 220V is generally used over there.

From your other posts, I get the sense that you're a complete beginner in terms of dealing with candy cabs. Creating an account here with the single objective of obtaining a mint condition Astro City conveniently shipped to your front door is not a great idea if you have basic understanding of what you're actually asking for. This is probably why you aren't getting much of a positive response here, if any.

These cabs are going on 30+ years old. There's almost no such thing as a "collector quality" cab, and in the very rare times that one does show up, they go for tens of thousands. The last mint condition cab I can think of in recent memory was a Blast City, which had an asking price of $15,000. More often than not, cabs of this caliber are also usually sold in private, or maybe on YAJ where you need to find a reliable proxy that will ship such a large item overseas and bid against others.

You need to do more research and be more specific with exactly what you want, instead of just saying that you're a serious collector. From my point of view (although I obviously don't speak for everyone), the lack of some beginner knowledge and the vagueness of what you're asking for makes it difficult to take you seriously. If what you want is an actual perfect cab, at minimum you probably need to make it clear that you're ready to drop some serious cash, since I wouldn't be surprised if something like that demands 10x the cost of decent condition Astro. If you're gonna swing that kind of money, you should probably also indicate which Astro variant you want, since there are 3 (Astro, New Astro, Astro 2).

Hopefully I'm not sounding too harsh here.

Thanks for your detailed response. I genuinely appreciate the time you took to write it, even if I strongly disagree with several parts of it.


What I do find a bit ironic, though, is the idea that I apparently need to be an expert in arcade machines before I’m even “allowed” to ask for help on a forum like this. Isn’t the entire point of communities like these to help people learn?


It’s also funny to be told that I’m not a “serious collector” when my current collection is already worth well over $50,000. My background is mainly in home consoles, not arcade cabinets, and yes — I openly admit I’m a beginner when it comes to candy cabs. That’s exactly why I came here asking questions instead of pretending to know everything.


What surprised me most is the assumption that lack of arcade knowledge somehow makes me impossible to take seriously. Everyone starts somewhere. Most people join hobby forums specifically because they want guidance from more experienced members.


I also disagree with the idea that finding an Astro City with a CRT in excellent condition is basically impossible. Two different friends of mine — both of whom recommended this forum to me — managed to get theirs with CRTs in excellent condition. One of them even got it through connections made on this very forum.


So honestly, the issue doesn’t seem to be whether these machines exist. It seems more like I happened to run into a certain type of response: older, elitist, and unnecessarily dismissive toward newcomers.


That said, I’m sure not everyone here shares that mentality, and I’m still hopeful I’ll meet people who actually enjoy helping others get into the hobby instead of trying to gatekeep it.

 

[djsheep]

It’s also funny to be told that I’m not a “serious collector” when my current collection is already worth well over $50,000.

How many sealed ones are on the shelf or in cabinets not getting played?

 

[Zepherino]

I never said you weren't a serious collector. What I'm trying to emphasize is that you have given very little information from your earlier posts, and it's hard to give a serious response if you aren't willing to put some more effort into your posts.

You're collection's total value isn't what I was calling into question. It was whether you understood what you were asking for, and if you were prepared to pay what that would probably cost... If you could even find such a thing. With what you posted prior, I have no frame of reference, and with lack of information, I'm left guessing.

If it seems like I'm trying to gatekeep, that is not my intention. Lacking knowledge doesn't mean you aren't allowed to own a cab, and I don't think I ever implied that.

What you originally asked for is a bit unusual, highly sought after, and commands a price an order of magnitude above what people pay for even well sorted cabs. Without anything to go off of on your previous posts other than that, I can only fill in the blanks on my own.

EDIT: On reflection, having my response be labeled as automatically coming from someone who is older, elitist, and unnecessarily dismissive is also somewhat insulting when you acknowledged that it took non-trivial time to write a post, a courtesy that you didn't give until you felt like I somehow wronged you with my response. To prevent the tit for tat arguments, I'll end my participation here.

 

[Zepherino]

I should also note that cabs in excellent condition and collector quality are totally different things.

Finding excellent condition cabs won't be as difficult since you can refurbish a cab to be excellent condition. Repaint a cab in automotive quality, put high quality repro parts like alberto's control panel and Hursuit's UV reactive graphics, take the original MS9 chassis but swap the tube/yoke with a BNIB consumer 27" tube, redo all of the wiring with brand new wire and Hirose JAMMA connector. All of these things would make for an excellent cab, but would totally disqualify it as a collector quality cab. When I hear collector quality, I assume you mean totally original, cream puff condition cab.

Again, lack of information means I don't know what you really want.

 

[yarios33]

Thank you for your kind recommendations. I’ll look for the most efficient path to getting my Astro City, and one of those paths is the restoration route you described.

 

[VxD]

Not a great start in the hobby huh?

Zepherino had the patience of a saint, even after getting insulted for speaking aloud what we were all thinking quietly.

You opened two threads two days in a row asking for a "perfect" Astro City when nobody would immediately answer you, flaunting your (allegedly) $50,000 collection of sealed, unplayable games in a glass cabinet, in a forum where people share their passion of actually playing them.

Since telling you what you don't want to hear is considered "gatekeeping", I'd say: do it, go and buy that AliExpress cabinet. They'll be happy to take your money. Maybe you'll learn one thing or two in the process. Since you probably won't be playing it anyway, who cares if the screen is shot.

If a NOS Astro City ever pops up again, I sure hope it goes to someone who will actually use and love it.

 

[yarios33]

What makes you think I don’t play? I have 3 CRTs, several gaming setups, I own 2 Neo Geo systems — one for display and one for playing. I have 3 PlayStations — one for display and 2 for gaming, one dedicated to Japanese games and another for American games. I have 3 Famicoms: one sealed, one for display, and one for playing. I own 2 Sega Genesis consoles, one for display and one for gaming. I have 2 Super Nintendos, one for display and one for gaming. I even have a modern arcade cabinet connected to a Nintendo Switch in my gym so I can play while waiting 90 seconds between sets during workouts.

I have every generation of PlayStation connected and ready to play, an Xbox Series X connected and ready to go, Evercade systems connected and ready, and I also own 3 factory-sealed Evercade consoles. On top of that, I own 25 original Neo Geo AES games, including Metal Slug, all the Sengoku games, Blazing Star, and Pulstar originals.

What the fuck would you know about whether I play games or not? If anything, I’m the one making you look ridiculous, you fucking dumbass.

 

[yarios33]

It really catches my attention—I didn’t know this group was a pack of bullies, just waiting for the newcomer to step in to harass them. I’ll be very glad to leave here as soon as possible. You’re disgusting.

 

[ImportantBet]

I know you're feeling frustrated but if you ever try to pick up this hobby again, I recommend lurking threads and watching ALOT of videos on cabs/superguns

 

[sam jam]

You can check out a very detailed and committed restoration thread by @erzane and others have done similar great work.

There are importers who can try to connect you with a solid condition cab like the guys at cosmo-logi.com (@aperturegrillz)

The rarity or perhaps impossibility of the type of condition you're wanting out of a 30 year old arcade cabinet that sold to arcades for commercial use is such a high bar that you just have to understand where some members are coming from in response to your wishlist. At one point I wanted something like that when I first sought an Astro City but quickly realized after much lurking how unrealistic my expectations were. I didn't have time to do a complete restoration or the money to buy one with zero plays on the coin meter. And I've only seen the one Sega Blast City mentioned previously that was listed for $15K, and I think cosmo-logi had 1 brand new net city at one point.

All that to say, a pristine off-the-factory-line astro city, might not be impossible but you just need extreme patience and start asking importers to be on the look out for you. And that money is no object because that will be obvious in order to try and snag one if it ever popped up.

This is just coming from someone who is still inexperienced in the hobby. And had unrealistic expectations at the onset. My own 2 cents.

 

[yarios33]

You can check out a very detailed and committed restoration thread by @erzane and others have done similar great work.

There are importers who can try to connect you with a solid condition cab like the guys at cosmo-logi.com (@aperturegrillz)

The rarity or perhaps impossibility of the type of condition you're wanting out of a 30 year old arcade cabinet that sold to arcades for commercial use is such a high bar that you just have to understand where some members are coming from in response to your wishlist. At one point I wanted something like that when I first sought an Astro City but quickly realized after much lurking how unrealistic my expectations were. I didn't have time to do a complete restoration or the money to buy one with zero plays on the coin meter. And I've only seen the one Sega Blast City mentioned previously that was listed for $15K, and I think cosmo-logi had 1 brand new net city at one point.

All that to say, a pristine off-the-factory-line astro city, might not be impossible but you just need extreme patience and start asking importers to be on the look out for you. And that money is no object because that will be obvious in order to try and snag one if it ever popped up.

This is just coming from someone who is still inexperienced in the hobby. And had unrealistic expectations at the onset. My own 2 cents.

Thanks for being respectful

 

[yarios33]

I know you're feeling frustrated but if you ever try to pick up this hobby again, I recommend lurking threads and watching ALOT of videos on cabs/superguns

Thanks for being respectful

 

[DRAGONKZ]

There were 4 NOS NNCs doing the rounds in Japan last year, likely the closest thing any of us will ever see to a genuine “pristine” original cabinet.

For what it’s worth I bought one of them, it took me a lot of weighing up mentally, but I decided to as it’s essentially owning a piece of history and at the end of the day money comes and goes, opportunities to own cabinets like that are almost nonexistent.

Yes, they were a lot of money, and NNCs seem to be undesired by lots of people, but it does show that there’s always a chance of something existing out there somewhere. You just need to be extremely patient, looking everywhere, asking anyone in the know, and have a big pile of cash ready to drop in an instant if one does show up

Good luck.

 

[AeroCity20XX]

Thanks for your detailed response. I genuinely appreciate the time you took to write it, even if I strongly disagree with several parts of it.


What I do find a bit ironic, though, is the idea that I apparently need to be an expert in arcade machines before I’m even “allowed” to ask for help on a forum like this. Isn’t the entire point of communities like these to help people learn?

I think most people's issue was you spamming stuff in the wrong boards.

I've been into arcade/pinball collecting for a while, switched over to candy cabs about a year ago. The main difference to US arcade collecting is that you just need a lot more patience. Candy cabs are a lot rarer compared to US arcade cabinets and imports of CRT cabinets are harder to get these days. People who have them in the US already probably spent a while finding them and don't wanna give them up so you just have to wait for the right cabinet.

A Sega Astro City in general isn't the hardest to find in the US, they're on of the most common candies after all as long as you're not expecting a 100% mint example. Searching facebook marketplace nationally I see a couple of them available now, just none in the southeast, so you'd have to pay for shipping but that's be for all of em unless GndZero has one for you.

 

[yarios33]

There were 4 NOS NNCs doing the rounds in Japan last year, likely the closest thing any of us will ever see to a genuine “pristine” original cabinet.

For what it’s worth I bought one of them, it took me a lot of weighing up mentally, but I decided to as it’s essentially owning a piece of history and at the end of the day money comes and goes, opportunities to own cabinets like that are almost nonexistent.

Yes, they were a lot of money, and NNCs seem to be undesired by lots of people, but it does show that there’s always a chance of something existing out there somewhere. You just need to be extremely patient, looking everywhere, asking anyone in the know, and have a big pile of cash ready to drop in an instant if one does show up

Good luck.

I appreciate that you shared your experience with this newcomer that almost everyone on this forum seems to bully. I only joined because someone recommended this forum to me, and so far I’ve found nothing but hostile people. Thank you for being different.

 

[yarios33]

I think most people's issue was you spamming stuff in the wrong boards.

I've been into arcade/pinball collecting for a while, switched over to candy cabs about a year ago. The main difference to US arcade collecting is that you just need a lot more patience. Candy cabs are a lot rarer compared to US arcade cabinets and imports of CRT cabinets are harder to get these days. People who have them in the US already probably spent a while finding them and don't wanna give them up so you just have to wait for the right cabinet.

A Sega Astro City in general isn't the hardest to find in the US, they're on of the most common candies after all as long as you're not expecting a 100% mint example. Searching facebook marketplace nationally I see a couple of them available now, just none in the southeast, so you'd have to pay for shipping but that's be for all of em unless GndZero has one for you.

Thank you for being kind sr

 

[GeekMan1222]

Yarios I got you bro just sent you a big ol DM to help out with everything your navigating.

I wrote up a helpful piece about everything and also provided a number of example photos I had laying around of what we have imported in recent years so you can get a better understanding of what conditions are usually like on machines.

PS: To keep on topic, but also not to try to detract from people buying from the competition, however as a collector my self, personally I would generally advise against purchasing full cabs from AliExpress. A number of those sellers are selling hastily restored machines that are of pretty poor quality and history and your after sales support will be minimal if at all to name a few of the many list of reasons I would not.

I think your choice of first machine is a smart one the Astro City line up is easy to work on and has a nearly bullet proof hardy monitor. Its what I started on.

I think things have been getting off to a bad start since I watched you show up unfortunately but its okay, shit happens.
Lets all just dial back our excitement, emotions, and expectations just a tad and I think we will find our place!
There is no need for anyone to be defending, fighting, or rushing decisions or judgements, you made it to the right place now its okay.

This should be a really fun and exciting moment of learning and discovery. This hobby is super cool and some the people in this community are very smart and very helpful. Theres should be no reason for people to be raising arms or trying to defend their selves over each other about this.

Lets all just focus on the journey of learning and the ownership of one of these amazing machines!!