Joyland Books

Hi,

Can anyone here confirm whether Dreamland had/has a Full Motion Sega Space Harrier in one of the Amusement Arcades?



If so, anyone know where it is now I'm trying to find one to purchase and restore.

Thanks

Nick

I take it no one knows the answer to this one.

Anyone have any ideas as to who I can contact or have any phone numbers so I can find out somehow, or is the Amusement Arcade likely to be open at all in the near future, if so I can pay a visit.

I apologise if this is the wrong place to post this but I have been so close so many times to acquiring a full motion deluxe Space Harrier only to find that I was just too late and the machine had been scrapped.

Thanks

Nick

hi i live in margate and ill look in every single arcade along margate seafront for you and tell you if i see a space harrier that your looking for then ill let you know what i saw.if they did have one im not sure if they would let you buy from them.but its worth a try if you want one

Thanks very much, I was told it was in the Dreamland Arcade by someone on another forum going by the name of Outrunner (original thread is here http://livepublishing.infopop.cc/eve/ub ... =405104297), I'm assuming if it's there at all and not a wind up that it's inside Dreamland, possibly where the old ice rink used to be which I beleive was converted to an amusement arcade. The guy reckoned he was playing the machine in october and that he had purchased a steering wheel for an Outrun Deluxe from Dreamland from a machine which they were scrapping.

I know it's not in Dreamland Amusements which is just to the right of the Dreamland Entrance as I drove up to Margate the other evening and had a peer through the window. I couldn't really see much looking into the Main Dreamland Entrance though other than a load of Crane Machines, Kiddie rides and Pushers.

Thanks for the help

Nick

From what I can rember there are none in Southend.

NOTHING IN FELIXSTOWE
BUT VERY INTRESTED IN UR PROGJET AND WHISH U WELL

nwhutt wrote: it's inside Dreamland, possibly where the old ice rink used to be which I beleive was converted to an amusement arcade. The guy reckoned he was playing the machine in october

Dreamland wasn't open in October- the last operating day this year was saturday, September 4th.

I've sent you a pm which you may find useful.

All the best in your search!


Vince

For all of those looking out for me, I've found one and purchased it.

It used to belong to a theme park in France where it was on free play, was then put in damp storage area for a few years before being discovered and rescued by a dealer, he then sold it to me.

I've ironed out nearly all it's probems and it's now playable and am now restoring it as best I can.

Heres how it arrived after getting it through the front door, not an easy task, the base is just unbelievably heavy, it took 3 of us just to tip it on end!!!



This is how it looked about a week ago.





Since then the marquee light has been fixed and the lights are now working in the back.

Enjoy

Nick

Well done Nick!

Incidentally, to anyone buying an old electric/ electronic arcade machine, it's a good idea to leave it in its new home at room temperature for a week before plugging it in, to allow it to dry out.

Don't forget to Hoover out the spiders before plugging it in too!

Vince

I can second this, I went through absolutely everything on it before I plugged it in, took it all apart and cleaned all the base out (took me about a week). Re-taped the power supplies for 240v (voltage in France is 220v), checked and tested all motors and switches, cleaned all the dirt off the game boards and then put it back together again and it wouldn't work!!!

Wound up having to fix the gameboard, fortunately the usual trick of removing and cleaning all socketed components and checking for bad solder joints fixed it (very lucky for me). It then wouldn't pass motor test and I thought the motor drive board was blown, turned out to be me wiring the pitching motor back to front, it worked after correcting this.

Each weekend I have gradually been working on another piece of it, I started with the control panel, rather important if you want to play properly!!! Will get it finished eventually but I'm in no hurry and am still looking for missing parts from it, mainly the black plastic monitor surround, metal TV Mask and the design sheets for the rear lights. Most of the other missing bits I have managed to find.

If any of you are interested, I will keep you updated as to how I get on and post new piccies to the board.

Regards

Nick

Hi Nick,
Great job! Many years ago I went through this to save an old Gottlieb mecanical pinball table that had been used as a chicken perch, so I do sympathize with all of your efforts.
From which park in France did you acquire the machine?

Jean-Marc

Hi,

I think the machine started it's life in Germany, not sure where though as both coin meters are labelled 1 DM and 5 DM. It then looks like it was moved into France to a place called the Stardust Palace, 23 rue de Venus, 94700 Maisons Alfort. From here I think it then went to the Paradis Jeux, 5 rue Rouget de l'isle, 93500 Pantin. It did have another plate screwed to the side of it with some sort of machine License on it, but I removed this and threw it away and I don't remember what it said.

To be honest I'm not 100% sure what theme park it last resided at as the guy I purchased it from didn't speak very good English and my French is even worse. He just told me it came out of a theme park where it had been on free play, the game went wrong and they stuffed it in a damp storage, I believe he then purchased it from them along with some other machines. Now if any one here is interested in the other machines I know he definately had 1 Metal Hawk Simulator (working) and 2 Deluxe Afterburners (both of which are extremely rare now), unfortunately both Afterburners are non workers, I don't have the room for them so am unable to save them but if any one here is interested I will put you in touch with him.

Regards

Nick

nwhutt wrote:Hi,

unfortunately both Afterburners are non workers, I don't have the room for them so am unable to save them but if any one here is interested I will put you in touch with him.

Nick, I collect old machines, but I'm afraid that those Afterburners would be a little bit too large for the Domestic Authorities....

I read Jean-Marc's posting with interest- I have restored over a dozen Gottlieb and Williams electromechanical pinball machines in the past.

I still restore machines, but mostly one-armed-bandits and Allwins nowadays (for the benefit of you youngsters this is an Allwin)



You may or may not find www.pennymachines.co.uk of some help in selling your spares or asking advice. Although the site *is* geared to older stuff, collectors tend to move in the same circles.


Vince

Nice site, thanks for the link.

Nick: I think "Stardust" and "Paradise" are just the companies that were leasing those machines to various Arcades. There are several warehouses in the area where I live (very close to Stardust, actually) for these companies. I found my Gottlieb "Jet Spin" in one of them.

I'm surprised that a park had the machine on free play. Usually, arcade games are a nice little source of added incomes.

Vince: cool work on these old games...

JM