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Brand New Pinball Cabinets?

Judge Dreads

Judge Dreads

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Hi all, toying again with the idea of supplying new Wms pinball cabs, these would be made to top spec, what do you think is the demand for such an item and a fair price for a new cab blacked and ready for decals etc?, obviously a decaling service would also be available.

Is this a waste of precious time and resources or a possible worthwhile venture and service?

Be as blunt as you want, truth is preferred ;) .
 
Is it possible to do it cheaper than Manny? His do look the business on ebay. What are they £699 for the bottom cab? with decals.
Hmmm, suppose 2 sheets of wbp(decent) ply £70 and paint, £100 tops ;)

Suppose it could be possible and if someone's cab was bad enough, if they knew for say £3-400 they could buy new, then why not go for it.

Perhaps build 1, paint it up and offer it out. If you get inundated at the price stated, your onto a winner surely.

Si
 
geardownthreegreens said:
Is it possible to do it cheaper than Manny? His do look the business on ebay. What are they £699 for the bottom cab? with decals.
Hmmm, suppose 2 sheets of wbp(decent) ply £70 and paint, £100 tops ;)

Suppose it could be possible and if someone's cab was bad enough, if they knew for say £3-400 they could buy new, then why not go for it.

Perhaps build 1, paint it up and offer it out. If you get inundated at the price stated, your onto a winner surely.

Si
Click to expand...
Think again on the price of a cabinet from Manfred.
They are a lot more expensive than they appear.
I will leave that there.

Dreads. You might be better supply on demand as I can't see much call for it myself. Plus there is a lot of work involved to produce a top rate cab.
Good luck if you do go forward with it and I am sure the workmanship will be way better than the competition.
 
Flatpack service is an idea (MFI) these would be very cheap I should imagine, I would not consider the venture if they could not be made to the same standard as original for considerably less than what is currently available, some idea on pricing would be good, what would someone be tempted to pay for a cab or backbox? that pretty much dictates if it is a non starter.
 
I am a pro's and con's sort of guy so particularly enjoy prostitutes and convicts but that is for a different thread.

Pros
You can carry on playing your machine until you have decalled the new one, then a swap over is quicker.
It will then release some 2nd hand cabs back into the market for those who don't mind DIY
Gives a chance of a top quality cab for a better decal

Con's
Size of cabs not easy to store
Costs

If you said you had for £300 a cab and backbox I would be driving over to collect a set. £500 might be my upper limit subject to funds.
Fully braded with decals would be higher still.

Can you make money out if it to make it worth your will with the space you would need for parts?
 
I stated the costs earlier. Around £70 for ply, small amount of paint, glue and braids for nail gun, around £100 ish.

For that I'd have thought you could build the basic lower cab, and undecaled sell for around £250-300 perhaps.

Lots depend on the size of your workshop and whether this is a money making scheme(wages) or extra pocket money.

Go and build 1 if you think you can( are you a carpenter) and then list on here or ebay and see where it takes you. I wish you all the very best.

How many machines have been parted out just because the cab has rotted out. You could save a few machines this way.
 
Like some of the others have said, if you already have the equipment and skills then make one (or a couple) and see what they'd go for. I suspect you'd also have luck selling them for Virtual Pin cabs. In the US, something like this is a kit would appeal, but shipping to the UK would kill it..

http://virtuapin.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=78

Maybe something like that, if you were to offer flat pack then it would be easier to store more on your side..
Mark
 
Flatpack with good finishing instructions seems like a good way to go, delivery becomes a breeze and most people would be capable of assembly, (it's a wooden box after all) may be worth investigating the costing, the biggest unknown is demand, that is the factor which determines if it is worth the time, if a blackened flatpack became available for £200, would that be a hot potato? are there enough people out there who would want a peachy cab even if it was cheap as chips? maybe most pinheads just like banging a silver ball around and would not be bothered even for the price of the wood.
 
Well I think there is room for flat pack and fully constructed.
Imo, I think you'd sell more constructed cabinets than flat pack. Once again imo, a chap wanting a new cabinet is more likely to drive to your place to collect than have couriered. I would.
In order to build the flat pack, you would still need a little knowledge and be handy on the tools. I would have thought you would need to buy clamps to hold the thing together whilst the glue sets etc etc and so the individual could get in a right pickle. The American market is out due to costs but there could be a European market for you also.
Imo again I think a fully workshopped cabinet would be best over flat pack.
I hope you make a success of it.
 
Always good to get peoples opinions, maybe ready to go is another option, basically decalled on the shelf with no lead time.
 
Speaking as a restorer I would only be interested in the assembled cabinet. If I've got to put a 'kit' together I may as well restore the original. Plus a 'flat pack' version will require a level of skill to finish, plus tools, clamps, glue etc. You don't want some numpty throwing it together, it looks like crap and he's telling everyone its your product.
I contacted this guy in the States to buy 2 complete cabs, but after a couple of emails he stopped responding. Not sure why as he didn't seem to have a problem with shipping.

http://www.letsplaypinball.com/cabinets.html

Nice cabs and a good way to sell them, offering plenty of pricing options.
 
Think it's a good idea I'd be intrested in a new cab n back box ready to go ....hell I've even got a set of decals ready!!
 
Sometimes I look at some of my pins and think it would be nice to put it in a new cab (Bally 6803 games are chipboard and get themselves into a right mess)

If there was a cheap and easy way of getting hold of cabs then I would be more likely to do it on some machines.

My thoughts :-

You need to be much much cheaper than that guy who's name rhymes with Tranny Van ;)

Don't just do WPC cabs, WPC cabs are better constructed than some others, surely there is also a market for Bally 6803's which are always in poor condition? I know you don't want to have 10 different types of cabs blocking up the place, but get the drawings done and maybe do others "made to order" ?

I don't see flatpack being a great idea. Surely 50% of the work is gluing the cab together and finishing it off properly. I'd think that fully assembled would be the best option (but hey, no harm in offering both)

Good luck to you
 
lukewells said:
Sometimes I look at some of my pins and think it would be nice to put it in a new cab (Bally 6803 games are chipboard and get themselves into a right mess)

If there was a cheap and easy way of getting hold of cabs then I would be more likely to do it on some machines.

My thoughts :-

You need to be much much cheaper than that guy who's name rhymes with Tranny Van ;)

Don't just do WPC cabs, WPC cabs are better constructed than some others, surely there is also a market for Bally 6803's which are always in poor condition? I know you don't want to have 10 different types of cabs blocking up the place, but get the drawings done and maybe do others "made to order" ?

I don't see flatpack being a great idea. Surely 50% of the work is gluing the cab together and finishing it off properly. I'd think that fully assembled would be the best option (but hey, no harm in offering both)

Good luck to you
Click to expand...

I agree more than just wpc you could even improve them slightly like instead of chipboard or mdf backs go all ply
 
My opinion ....I'm not entirely sure just how much demand there is. However this is from someone who is more than happy with 'players' condition games. I really am not fussed enough to go thru the whole new cab/decals thing . I have even turned down good opportunities to get 'better' condition examples of games I have because the ones I have make me happy and I see little to be gained from one that 'looks' a bit better.

But each to their own. There are plenty of folk on here who do like to upgrade cabs - but we are an obsessive minority. How many 'ordinary' pin owners will be interested. ?

Good luck with it dude if you give it a go.
 
Yup, I am pretty keen but am content with most of my cabs even with imperfections, great input on the older cabs etc, here is where you run into the same problem as with
modding, no pin = no mod or no cab as you need the machine for measurement, pics, instructions etc, the other aspect is copyright, no doubt these cabs are copyrighted so anyone reproducing a cab to exactly the same dimensions as an original is potentially breaching copyright.....just a thought.
 
Add or remove a strut or two - there you go - enough of a difference to deem it different - thats what all the manufacturers do!!
 
Can't see any probs in making a cabinet exactly the same.
There are no license holders offering the service so until there are go for it.
 
It is probably just plain silly trying to break into a ltd market when there's someone already out there providing an excellent service (doubt it has been easy for Manny as all new ventures are fraught with problems), no point stepping on anyone’s toes for the hell of it when there are so many other avenues that can be followed, will possibly put one/couple together to use up some of the decal sets I have in storage but doubt there would be much point in a commercial venture at this stage, always good to get feedback on here though, if nothing else it has come to light that there may be a demand for the older cabs due to build quality.
 
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Judge Dreads said:
It is probably just plain silly trying to break into a ltd market when there's someone already out there providing an excellent service (doubt it has been easy for Manny as all new ventures are fraught with problems), no point stepping on anyone’s toes for the hell of it when there are so many other avenues that can be followed, will possibly put one/couple together to use up some of the decal sets I have in storage but doubt there would be much point in a commercial venture at this stage, always good to get feedback on here though, if nothing else it has come to light that there may be a demand for the older cabs due to build quality.
Click to expand...
what decal sets have you got
 
Is this the same guy who threatened to lawyer up after someone commented that *maybe* his prices were a little steep?
 
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