Neo Geo MVS Mini/Cabaret minor restoration

[orlandu81]

Hello AP -

I just completed a partial restoration on my Neo Geo Mini I've had for about a year. I am in Southern California and don't have a lot of space for my arcade, so I am generally maxed out on machines at any given time. This will probably be my last project for another few years as a result. I wouldn't hesitate to trade this machine plus a good amount of cash in a hot minute for an SC19-4 to partner with my Mini Cute....but I dare to dream.

Quick background, I actually acquired this Neo Geo Mini in a cash/trade deal with a local collector in my town about a year ago. Overall it was in decent shape, but had some areas that needed attention.

• Poorly made repro marquee
• Finicky marquee light -- wiring is a mess behind the marquee
• Top marquee holder is missing -- a piece of L plastic is being used in the meantime
• Black spray paint residue on the vinyl
• Minor CPO damage
• Monitor has colored burn for some reason
• Monitor needs servicing
• Filthy all over (first pic is AFTER I spent a few hours cleaning)
• Front of the cabinet was painted red with latex paint by someone who had vision problems most likely

These issues do not seem all that bad, and I enjoyed working on all of them EXCEPT the last one.

 

[orlandu81]

Immediately when I got the cabinet, I knew I needed a proper marquee and front artwork so I bought them from Szabo along with a new CPO. They took a long time but they eventually arrived and they were of good quality. I believe he is the only one who makes artwork for this machine but I could be wrong.

Day 1 -

• Removed the coin door -- looked good. Leaving it alone
• Removed control panel -- stripped off all of the parts, and painted it. It's not about being cheap, it's more about doing it myself, so I use a spray method whereby I do many many quick coats. It's no powder-coating but its good enough for me.
• Removed marquee bottom bracket -- painted it
• Cleaned the vinyl and insides of the cabinet
• Prepped for sanding

 

[orlandu81]

Day 2

• Brought the cabinet to my neighbor's house where he does carpentry as a hobby out of his garage. He has some cool stuff there, but I'm not carpenter so I don't know what any of it is. We took off the many layers of latex paint that the previous owner brushed on there, with no primer, on top of the existing vinyl. Repaired the chipping on the bottom.
• Re-assembled control panel
• Installed LED bar to replace the nasty original bulb
• Primed the front of the cabinet.

 

[orlandu81]

Day 3

• Installed freshly capped monitor with new burn free tube
• Brought the cab back to my neighbors to get sanded down again, and so he can help me apply the artwork on the front.
• Reinstalled all metal parts that I had removed in order to paint (corner feet, marquee holders, CP).
• My machine didn't have a top bracket so I grabbed an L bracket from Home Depot and cut it to size. Looks original now.
• I scrubbed the hell out of the original T molding, I could not believe the grime that had seeped into it over the years. Novus 2 plus a lot of muscle and I was able to make the T molding shine again.