Anyone else collect miniature arcade replicas?

[Andromeda Stardust | 9]

I have a boatload of them. It all started with the Basic Fun Pacman LCD. Then the Tiny Arcade (Super Impulse), My Arcade (NES ROMs). The cheapo units tend to be a mixed bag, containing either nes roms, or poorly programmed arm ports.

Then throw in slightly larger boutique items like the Replicade Centipede and Tempest (both of which are spot on replicas and highly playable) cabs, and now Ms Pacman and Galaga Quarter Arcadea by Numbskull.

The Ms Pacman has got to be the slickest thing I have ever seen. They spared no expense on the detailing. Galaga is still on preorder. Honestly despite the premium price tags, the Quarter Arcades are better IMO than the 3/4 scale 1up cabs. Absolutely gorgeous!

Edited December 26, 2019 by Andromeda Stardust

[T-Pac | 8,441]

I've always thought these were really neat, but there's just so many that it's hard to tell which ones are worth picking up. What are your recommendations outside of the high-end quarter-scale cabinets?

-CasualCart

[Teh_Lurv | 254]

The Numbskull and NewWaveToys 1/6 replica arcade machines are really slick, but I have a hard time justifying the $99-160 price tag for what is essentially a display piece.

Anyone looking for a cheap mini-arcade toy, I recommend is the color Pac-Man by Basic Fun. I believe it may be a Wal-Mart exclusive. The color screen and presentation greatly resembles the old Coleco Pac-Man toy.

[DefaultGen | 5,802]

The cheaper ones seem like junk and the nicer ones are too expensive for their novelty value IMO. I’d rather get some Game and Watches or Coleco tabletops personally, or a real cabinet instead of a shelf of minis.

I do have a licensed Taito countertop MAME thing which I can’t justify getting rid of because I think it’s neat that it has a tiny CRT in it.

[Philosoraptor | 489]

I've been tempted to buy these on a number of occasions, especially the sweet, sweet Neo Geo Mini. However, the only ones I own are the non-functional Street Fighter X Tekken mini arcade cabinet/coin bank from the special edition (ugh, why did I buy this?) and this old mini Pac-man arcade from my childhood:

 

I'm sure I'll end up with more. <_<

[Andromeda Stardust | 9]

9 hours ago, Philosoraptor said:

I've been tempted to buy these on a number of occasions, especially the sweet, sweet Neo Geo Mini. However, the only ones I own are the non-functional Street Fighter X Tekken mini arcade cabinet/coin bank from the special edition (ugh, why did I buy this?) and this old mini Pac-man arcade from my childhood:

 

I'm sure I'll end up with more. <_<

Basic Fun have some replicas with VFD emulation.

The Ms Pac version is pretty awesome as well. Actually way more nostalgic than poorly programmed arm ports. I do like the VFD emulation.

I still have the Donkey Kong and Mario Bros split screen Game N Watch things from my childhood. I may slip some batteries in them and play sometime.

 

Pity Nintndo won't license Donkey Kong. I'd buy a Donkey Kong Quarter Arcade in a heart beat!

Edited December 27, 2019 by Andromeda Stardust

[Tanooki | 5,189]

I have had a fascination with the tabletop arcade things since the early 90s when I was given a second hand Coleco Donkey Kong but that particular one is long gone.  I've let things come and go but I've retained a few from different makers and decades.  I did have all the original basic fun modern NOAC style mini arcades but sold them off, and I had all those tiny arcade keychain ones too up until the new wave with Tetris/Pole Position popped up too as they looked fun on a shelf but rarely touched the stuff.

Currently though despite the sell offs and trade outs here's what I do have.

• Coleco Tabletop: Donkey Kong w/manual, Pac-Man with perma power pack, and Donkey Kong Jr
• Basic Fun Rampage I kept, the rest $5 thrifts re-buys of Pac-Man, Q-Bert, and Frogger NOACs
• Tiny Arcade I kept the 2(really 3 Digdug hidden) Galaga/Ms Pac-Man, got Tetris for Christmas
• Neo Geo Mini International
• Tomytronic Pac-Man

Technically and it may be a stretch I do have a tabletop very late 70s Wildfire Pinball game you can play on a table or pick up as a handheld, uses red lights all over to simulate the ball and other junk, oddly quite fun and functional with good flow despite the looks of it.

I don't have any of those My Arcade ones, it was me being cheap/practical in protest.  I couldn't justify paying $35-40 for a NOAC system with no batteries when the same NOACs are used (and some games overlap too) from Basic Fun for $20 with batteries.  That said, while I don't intend to buy them going forward, I may have to relent, a new Spy Hunter one just came out (I think it's Basic Fun) and I'm super tempted. If it's Basic Fun recently they dropped using NOACs and started coding their own very good renditions of stuff, and if this is a new form of Spy Hunter I'd love that, but if it's the NES I may hold off on a thrift grab since I've always owned that cart.  The reason I kept Rampage, they hacked in RALPH the werewolf missing on the NES.

[Hybrid | 448]

Here is mine I found out I suck at q*Bert with it

[RH | 5,339]

I can't remember the maker of them but I love the mini arcade cabinet key chains that are about 4-5" tall.  I only have teh Ms. Pac-Man Galaga one, but I'd love to get one of each and create an old arcade diarama, complete with prize section, but where am I going to get a 1:20 scale skeeball machine?

[Tanooki | 5,189]

Nice factory defect there, the up side down Q-Bert label I did a double take on once I saw that.  The cool thing about that one it's the NES game but hacked.  They took out the terrible pic of a nerd that explains how the D-pad does diagonals which is still confusing with a generic loading screen.  But the trade off though is great, the stick on that one is diagonal by design so there is no confusion how to move so I can actually play that one better than the NES cart.

[Hybrid | 448]

LoL didn't take too long for someone to notice it's a part of my misprint/error  collection.