Our Arcade Odyssey: A Trip Through the Archives
Here we catalogue a bit of our own history. We scoured the archives to bring you our selection of owned machines. Some of the pics are sketchy, some are the originals from the listings. We didn't really think all those years ago we'd be writing a blog about them, but here we are!
Playchoice Cabinet?
If you know what this cab was let me know, I think I saw a picture of this exact design once but this has been lost to time. This is where it all started. The nostalgic bit of me remembers watching the film 'Big' where he had an arcade machine in his play area at home. I'd always had this ambition to own one and this came up locally. It was all very beat up, no internals. This seems to be a common starting point for people wanting to get into the hobby—if you're on the fence, do it! (But there will be consequences).
The MAME Project & The Trinitron
After a bit of a spruce up, the MAME cabinet was ready. It was enjoyed, but this was 2005 and emulation was a bit janky on the kit I had in it at the time. Still have this and the much sought after Sony Trinitron/Diamondtron P1110. I didn't know what I had at the time, I got it when CRT's were all so last century and they were cheap as chips.
Moon Base Cocktail Table
This was in some really bad shape, none of the internals were working after a spill. We restored and modernised this tastefully, if you want to know more let us know in the comments and we'll post the restoration!
The Finished Article (Batocera)
Here's the finished article, running Batocera. If you haven't already checked it out, please do, it's a solid OS for emulation and moves faster than I can keep up with it.
Tekken 3 Arcade Cabinet
I just loved Tekken 3 at home on the PlayStation, when I saw this I had to grab it. Steve had a van so whenever I saw something like this I'd ping him, borrow the van for a weekend and go do a round trip.
Operation Thunderbolt
I just love shooters and used to play Operation Wolf at the arcades the moment I saw it. Operation Thunderbolt was the sequel, and featured 2 guns and some great haptic feedback. I didn't keep it for long, it was actually a little too big and after I played through the game a few times I found I was using it less and less. It did come with spare guns (which work like analogue joysticks) so I have kept them for a 'one-day' project. This was by far the heaviest badboy I ever had to transport.
Sega Naomi Cabinet
I still have this! It was on an American airbase at a price I couldn't refuse. What I didn't know at the time is that the US version didn't have tri-sync VGA screens, so annoyingly I can't use 15khz SCART on this and connect my PS2 and light guns to it. Still, it scrubbed up really nicely. Booting with a Naomi-PI I can load any game onto it. Ironically, the Pi can now emulate the Naomi really well—how the tables have turned!
The Kiosk Collection: Vita, Dreamcast & PS2
I used to work for Play.com. When they closed down, I gained their retail kiosks! This included the first of a few, plus an XBOX 360 kiosk. The Dreamcast was a random find and a trek across the country to pick it up (Thanks Steve!). The PS2 kiosk was bought from Datel Electronics; they had 2 in the lobby, and budget limited my brain so I only came home with one...(Sob!).
OG XBOX Kiosk
Random find, and I couldn't borrow Steve's van this time. I arrived in my Peugeot 306 and the owner said there was no chance, but I made it work (though I was pressed against the steering wheel for 150 miles). Worth it. The Splinter Cell exploit worked a treat to crack it open, and paired with a large format hard drive, this made for the ultimate OG XBOX experience.
US Galaxians Cabinet
My pride and joy. Still here in my house in 2026, annoying my partner no end. It was imported from the USA, hence the black T-Molding and 25c coin slot. It's only 2 years younger than me—stamped 1979. It was found rotting under a leak in a warehouse, but we did a full, no-expense-spared restoration. Happy to blog the full process if people are interested!
Final Thoughts & Community
Looking back at these photos reminds me that this hobby is about more than just the games—it’s about the hunt, the restoration, and the community. Some of these machines had to move on to new homes (like the ones that went to the Isle of Wight), but they all left their mark on our history.
We want to hear from you!
- Which of these machines is your "grail" cabinet?
- Do you have any crazy stories about fitting a full-sized cabinet into a small car?
- Should we post the full restoration logs for the Galaxians or Moon Base?
Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!