MOUSTACHE, BARREL, AND GORILLA

My son, David, has just completed his first original video arcade game restoration. It's "Donkey Kong" - remember that? It first appeared about 30 years ago. Of course, there aren't any "before" photos, because who has time to do that when you can't wait to dive right in and get your hands dirty. Trust me - he did a SUPERB job! He took everything apart - I mean every nut, bolt, screw, washer, e-clip, etc. Each and every screw and carriage bolt were soaked in lemon juice to remove rust, all the metal fittings like the door you see here were cleaned and spray painted. Every bit of dirt, dust and years of cigarette grime were scraped and sanded away.

Even the monitor and computer board were rebuilt. David also made a new base for the cabinet and the whole unit was sanded, scratches and dents were filled with a spackling compound and then the whole thing was painted the original blue - or as close as he could get to it. David took an original piece of paint from the cabinet and had it computer matched. This paint color is now officially called "Donkey Kong Blue".

The parts that had to be replaced new were the T-molding, side art, control panel and coin-op overlays (there was just no saving those cigarette burned artwork pieces). I had forgotten how much fun these games were to play. So, if anyone out there knows where Dave can get his hands on a Mario Brothers cabinet - you be sure to let us know!

S.W.A.K.