How to install side art and a control panel overlay CPO on an arcade game. Dragon's Lair Arcade CPO

[@lordbemylight]

It's quite relaxing listening to the attract modes of Pole Position, Tapper, and Track & Field.

[@matknox5954]

Prefer watching your vids to TV! Laughing at the screen/screaming at the screen...I don't even get this excited watching Die Hard...and I frikin love Die Hard! Good work fella. London, England.

[@OzoneArcade]

Nice work John. Looks great. You are a huge asset to the arcade community.

[@Johnsarcade]

Thanks, Torin!

[@dinkyflix]

Just dealt with that CPO residue when I was removing the old Road Blasters CPO for my Marble Madness. The laminate pealed off and left the same gunk that you dealt with. I started by trying Goof Off and Goo Gone, but in the end brake cleaner ended up working the best, so it was funny that you mentioned it. I'll have to try using that stripper on a future project.

[@Johnsarcade]

Yeah, I have used brake cleaner many times. I think this stripper stuff is my new go to chemical. :)

[@wm437]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech If you only knew the damage you are doing to your central nervous system and your lungs by not wearing gloves and respirator when handling these chemicals.

[@terrytees]

Using the 12 pack of soda to hold the screws before spraying them is a great idea. You are quite literally "thinking outside the box" on that one John.

[@InsidetheCasino]

Always work top down and from the middle out when applying large vinyl stickers like that. makes the application MUCH easier.

[@DJTitandigitalrevolutionradio]

Dude I Want To So Come Over to This Guys House An Relive My Childhood Playing All The Great Games I Played As A Kid

[@damiancordero3193]

Wow, John. That stuff you used on the CPO just made that job easier.

[@Johnsarcade]

That stripper rocked! I'll be using that stuff again for sure.

[@skyway73]

Phew! That was stressful for us all but what a great result, nicely done sir!

[@dpaslaski]

Love your show's man, your info is unbelievably helpful. I have a few projects I am going to be getting started on I'll be going back to your vids God knows how many times. The Chicagoland arcade market is the worst with all th resellers, I'm driving to 12 hours one way for a package deal in the next few weeks....Can't wait to get started.

[@sergiomeyer]

Can't wait to watch! Also, I like that you refer to it as "Our Dragon's Lair game" Makes me feel invested. We've got a pretty nice arcade. I sure do like our basement.

[@retrograded9184]

Well done sir. Exactly the kind of advice I need for when I restore my first machine. I have a teenage favorite of mine in Namco Assault that I bought at a Pinball and Arcade show last June. It needs a CPO graphic and side art badly. The CPO is not delaminated like your Dragon's Lair so I'm hoping to avoid some of the chemical. The plan is to get this thing looking a little better so I can bring it back to the same show this June. The machine is mechanically sound and I've turned it into a combo Assault/Assault Plus. As far as the Arkanoid conversion (Jungle Hunt) my son bought, well let's just say I don't think it could survive another 70 mile trip. I was begging him to spend an extra $50 and get the Chase HQ. Anyway, thanks for your videos.

[@NaturalProgressGames]

Dude... your arcade is really starting to become a top tier collection. Very well done man! Keep it up! (You need more pins though. xP)

[@nelsonantonio5870]

Very nice work ! Congrats John !

[@barrelroll_poopoopeepee]

That stuff you got the old overlay off with is amazing!!!!! If im ever in that situation ill use that immediatly

[@boomer2095]

Wanted to watch this in 2021 since I just bought my dragons lair mini replicade and wanted to see how authentic the side art is. I remember when the Japanese went the next step and had a generic cabinet that owners could easily switch out the marque for a new game and switch out the PCB and add/remove controls needed on the new game. The problem is it never took off in America, since we are nostalgic and get attached to the wood cabinet and the art that was as important as the game itself.

[@MrKevinp0]

OH...MY...GOD!!!! That side art is frikking AWESOME!!! It is so bright and colorful, and really leaps off the cabinet! It's almost surprising that the same people who gave you that, also did the CPO. Don't get me wrong, it looks great compared to what you had (which was essentially nothing), but it just doesn't have the same "WOW" factor that the side art does. Nonetheless, that machine looks amazing, and I'm really looking forward to when you put the additional monitor on it. I had completely forgotten about that feature! AAHHHH, I just want to jump right through my computer screen and start playing that game all over again!!!! Great job my friend, as always!!!! :)

[@PersHomeArcade]

Realy nice work John - always looking forward to see your next video.

[@countbananula]

Very cool. I hope I can get my hands on a Dragons Lair one day. Can't wait to see the spectator monitor install. Great Job!

[@drizzt186]

Awesome video John the game now reminds me of the way it looks on Starcade game show episodes you see it in.

[@1959blantz]

Awesome job and looks great! I have applied a few decal side art appliques to my machines but wasn't aware of "Rapid Tac" but will be ordering some soon. I picked up a large Rubber Roller that I purchased at a Home improvement store that is used to apply laminate to counters and it worked perfectly for me when I applied side art.

[@JeffWaldronArcade]

What I find works well on overlays like this is to start the adhesive where the buttons and better yet the carriage bolt holes are. I'll actually trim out a couple inches of the backing from right around the holes. Then I'll place it with buttons and carriage bolts, then press down the exposed adhesive portion to lock it in. After that just go from the middle out each direction with the remaining backing. Works great. Just a little trickier to position without sticking to the panel. If you only expose 1 - 2" of adhesive it will "float" suspended by the remaining backing until you press it in place.

[@Beaps73]

Been waiting for this one. Just got myself a cup of tea, kids in bed, and I am settling in to watch this

[@NERDmNERDf]

I like how you can tell with the left over black glue on the control panel showed most people played by using the attack button on the left. :) 35:44

[@bigupsurrey]

great video!! love watching you work. the cab looks awesome!!! well worth the effort.

[@etienneodk]

Great !, another feature length film restore vid :) Thanks for documenting everything !

[@Johnsarcade]

I can't seem to make shorter videos anymore. :) LOL

[@garymalarkey4626]

As someone who installs graphics like this for a living I must say watching you do this was like the visual equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. But hey, at least you got it on there, that's what counts.

[@Johnsarcade]

And it looks perfect, boss. :)

[@barrelroll_poopoopeepee]

Holy crap this is almost as long as robocop!! When i first watched that movie it was on vhs and i couldnt tell when it would end so i looked it up and it was 2 hours long

[@Chuck-RETROGAMECAVE]

I learned tons from this one . Great job showing the products to use and how to use them. (side art application)

[@Johnsarcade]

Thanks, Charles! Appreciate it. :)

[@tonixuk]

Really starting to enjoy these videos John. The cabinet looked awesome compared to when you picked it up.

[@jphillips4700]

I really enjoy your videos, love your enthusiasm

[@Johnsarcade]

Thanks, John!

[@theimortal1974]

one of my favorite side arts is rtype II. i had to google it to remind me what it looked like since i only saw it once. but it really stuck with me how serious the sequel was. a giant mechanical face covering the entire side.

[@theimortal1974]

here's what the side art looked like. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-Type_II#mediaviewer/File:R-Type_II_flyer.jpg. yeah i know that's the flyer but that was also the sideart as well. now that's badass.

[@theimortal1974]

Joshua Fraim never mind found the full picture and it says side art arcarc.xmission.com/Arcade%20by%20Title/R%20Type%20II/rtype-ii-sideart.jpg

[@theimortal1974]

Joshua Fraim apparently that's the picture of the first boss of the game. that's a bit disapointing. i always thought that was like the big boss of everything. though it makes sense since the first game had the first boss on the side. still looks badass up close like that.

[@jacksonmaguire5030]

Hey John I really love your videos great to watch on lunch break! Your videos are making me want to build my own arcade machine! Not as cool as the original arcade cabinets but it would be amazing for my office at home! Keep up the great work man!

[@Johnsarcade]

thank you, sir!

[@mattmanning4934]

Aaaannnnnddddd here weeeeee goooooo! Greatest arcade channel on KZbin right here!

[@Johnsarcade]

Thanks, pal!!! :)

[@Chuck-RETROGAMECAVE]

So I might be jumping the gun but at point: 1:01:34 . side art. One thing you could do is remove one bolt , slip in a short bolt from the inside to act as support-peg. Do this for all bolts on one side. Add the side_art and you can still pull the pegs from the inside of the cab. Just a thought. I hope my description makes sense.

[@Chuck-RETROGAMECAVE]

ok yeah If had watched another few seconds ... sorry.. :)

[@Johnsarcade]

Charles Smith Yeah, I figured it out. :)

[@mikegee6792]

Thanks for all the great vids. You helped me repair my asteroids cabinet. Keep up th good work.

[@brianbirkinbine2054]

Thanks for the video, will have to try out the Rapidtac stuff, I've always just put on sideart dry and hoped for the best (and usually end up using a pin to fix up an air bubble or two).

[@Johnsarcade]

I used to use the dry method and it was really hit or miss. I highly recommend the Rapid-Tac method. I always get top notch results.

[@Yesterdays92]

I know this video has been out a while, but I just saw it! :-) Just a little tip... Try not to move the Dragon's Lair while on, it could mess up the LaserDisc Player's alignment. I'm still running on an LDV-1000 as well, since 1995! I want to bulletproof my Dragon's Lair with the new Dexter board ASAP! :-) Great Videos! Keep up the great work!!

[@aziz_light]

Thanks for the link for the album on the last video. As for the stripper, I used some when I refinished a dresser and it are through the chemical rated gloves I was using! Harsh stuff.

[@lmiddleman]

Side art looks great. Three word suggestion on using the chem stripper: disposable latex gloves.

[@Johnsarcade]

I don't disagree. I didn't have any and I was careful. :)

[@TheTerrenceMaddox]

John at my home town arcade in Hudson, Ohio in the early 80's we were fortunate to have a Cliff Hanger laser disc game at the arcade prior to it closing down. I was ok on it and could get to the section of the game with the ninjas in the tunnel with memorization and actually remember one high school kid bringing a spiral notebook so he could write down every joystick motion in the game....

[@Johnsarcade]

Jonathan Elson Sweet! Cliff Hanger is pretty cool, too. Pretty rare as well. I played Funspots.

[@lacerta1974]

"...tip of the butt cheek". That may be the best line I've heard and some great advice.

[@junbugdoe3930]

another job well done ,made me go down ta ma basement and play dragons lair on my Hyperspin cab.

[@ArcadeSchool]

25:39 - "So it's taking it ALLL off!" Yep, that's what strippers do, especially the premium ones.

[@Phaegian]

John, I've had good luck with bolts through the side art by cutting an "X" where the hole is, instead of just punching the bolt through. Also, if you put some grease on the underside of the bolts (crisco w/e) it'll slide on the vinyl instead of gripping.

[@Johnsarcade]

I like that grease idea!

[@Bobaflott]

Great video as usual, thanks! They should have had square holes in the cabinet and square neck bolts.

[@rj8254]

what song was playing while you were sanding the cp? Great tunes always in your videos...

[@jbmotorcoscotland1639]

Top tip for CPO removal - grinder with twist knot wire brush. Takes litterally minuintes, no chemicals, no real effort and leaves a perfect keyed finnish ready for primer.

[@BigScreenLife]

Would taking the monitor out and then letting the side art fully cure on both sides not help to avoid the bunching around the bolts?

[@jsenigaglia]

Great work, pal. Love it.

[@PaulKostrzewa]

That Kleen Strip really did the job but how was it, fume wise?

[@SlickEnz]

BTW~ I approve of the control panel. Looks great!

[@geordiebatt]

Lighter fluid takes glue off very well. Just squirt it on and wipe away.

[@dodoubledragon]

I'm looking forward to the COMPLETE play-through of DL from John's Arcade :)

[@Johnsarcade]

No idea when that's gonna happen. I AM HORRIBLE. :)

[@dodoubledragon]

I wasn't expecting it any time soon... never come close to finishing it myself. John, I hope you don't leave DL running on too long? because If I had it, I'd only turn it on when I want to play it, I'd be worried about the laserdisc too much.

[@ZcatSix]

Dude, just found your channel. What a great collection! Do you ever give tours or do you run a retro arcade biz? Where are you located??

[@Riz2336]

Good work, looks a lot better.

[@Replikant47]

I'm no expert, But I think if you put washers under the bolts on the side first. It would keep the bolts from twisting the side art. Maybe take one out and take it to the hardware store with you to find the right size. I would hope you could find one that's no bigger than the head of the bolt. Just a thought.

[@SjoerdBeukers]

John, do you know that there is a protective layer (of zinc) on steel. If you sand that you expose the iron. You should protect any sanded material with zincspray or paint. Great video again! thanks!

[@johnmiller7182]

Great video. Have you thought about putting these DVD I would buy them ?

[@Johnsarcade]

I have thought about this. I want to do it but need to find the time. :)

[@johnmiller7182]

You'll find the time ;)

[@WilliamsIndustries]

Thanks for this great video, very helpful! What watch are you wearing in this?

[@Johnsarcade]

GoodAsh That's a NEFF watch. Cool stuff. :)

[@SlickEnz]

Great video as usual!

[@Johnsarcade]

Thank you!

[@geraldtom4237]

where would you suggest buying your first one

[@ivenom6740]

you shut these off at night? curious, i just got my first cabinet. what does something like that run for monthly? elec. wise i mean.

[@Penfold8]

I used the same stripper (just not in the spray can) for stripping paint off the over/under coin door I refinished. It was awesome stuff!! It's called Klean Strip or something right?

[@tyrem]

I loled when I saw Dirks new nose. :D

[@MaxxLegend]

What's the music at 57:30 ? Doesn't sounds like The KillScreens.

[@Johnsarcade]

That's me. The song is called "NACHO JESUS". It's from my "solo" project called Insane Sound System. Download the album here for free: www.videogameoutsiders.com/music/iss.zip

[@MaxxLegend]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Great track, man! I'm gonna listen the whole album!

[@TNT_Mancave]

Thanks John for helping me waste almost 2 hours of my work day today. Great stuff. Attract mode on the Journey has to go though :P

[@mawitstoukour8072]

What is that song played at 58m? Sound great!

[@Croy4306]

Is it just me, or does John really like his cleaning products lol?

[@Johnsarcade]

GOTTA MAKE THE GAME CLEAN!!! ;)

[@eyyojung]

Dragon's Lair isn't the best arcade game of all time. Not even close. lol edit: Wow that stripper stuff rocks! ...is it alien blood? Panel looks nice. Great job John.

[@Johnsarcade]

Did I say that? For me, Donkey Kong is the best arcade game of all time!

[@ZcatSix]

Okay, after watching this whole thing, what kind of result could you expect from an attempt to install OVER the side bolts? I hate to see holes punched through that magnificent side art!

[@jpape7650]

This is such a pain in the ass. I'm getting ready for my 4th attempt to set a decal on my Galaga cab because I keep having issues lining it up. The last overlay I got was just poor quality and it ended up with a bunch of air pockets all over it that I couldn't get out. Looks like garbage. Appreciate this video. Will try this approach.

[@SimplyJarvis]

I would love to get into arcade machine collecting, but i don't really know where to start in the UK, It seems quite difficult

[@thisusernameisblank]

Great stuff.. after you sprayed the mask with rapid tac let it sit for a few mins or even five..the rapid tac breaks down the mask glue and the mask will come off real easy when you wait. Man you need to get a real squeegee. I would hate to see you tear the art work. great work keep it up

[@rchaseio]

What is the song playing during the sanding sequence?

[@Arcadenblog]

Hi John! I have to ask you a question! (again.) Right now, I'm building an arcade machine, and I'm even putting my own game in there. I'm going to do what the Fix-it Felix Jr. machines did and put a computer in there with my game on it. I have been looking into getting another arcade cabinet and then replacing the control panel with a two button one. I'm also trying to replace the bezel, side art, control panel art and marquee, all of which are custom made. Do you have any tips? Thanks!

[@grimisti14]

The never ending quest of Dragon's Lair is about to start guys, poor Journey make a sad face

[@ColtSSR]

Zedai Skywalker got to wonder about the handle mostache though!

[@idonda]

wow where did you get the image files to print the art?

[@jamesrbrindle]

trust me, that Journey attract mode is going to get on your nerves in the basement. Now we have a few MCR games like Tron etc i'm starting to think they're more a great piece of art with a game embedded in them. Artwork looks great though on DL. People should be greatful there are replacements available.

[@vinmanr2d2]

john , this is vinny that bought big guns and firetrap from you . there is an open house at the jersey jack pinball factory this Saturday and I wanted to extend an invite to you pal ! if you can make it that's great ! sorry to be so late on this but I have been busy ! anyway keep up the GREAT work buddy ..... hope to see you soon . vinny in nj

[@hueyfann1]

do you have a video of replacement ms pacman overlay?

[@Johnsarcade]

should be pretty much the same as the pacman cabaret. same idea, just a little smaller.

[@MarioCoelen]

Yes, i was really waiting for this amazing restoring video John... Thank you!!! Wonder if i could find a dragon or space ace cab. Any tips?

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

Ahh shoot man, do the side art again because you were right, it really is unfortunate that one of the bolts went through the guy's nose, and it's too bad that the other one went through some of the logo outline. That should've been the main consideration for where to put the sticker (trying to match the bolts up with the most plain background that you can).

[@SlothyWoffy]

Is it meant to be a Matt finish I don't know?

[@F12024-i]

What did you do with your Commando game?

[@ajcrm125]

BTW.. your scraper is on the shelves by the door in a paint tray. ;) Spotted it there when I grabbed your compressor.

[@Johnsarcade]

ajcrm125 Ha. Thanks!

[@bryanbelshaw7725]

I know this is an old vid but is it not wise to switch off before working around anything electrical? Great stuff to watch though. A labour of love. If it were possible I would've smoothed down the old overlay surface and just stuck the new one over the top.

[@james42519]

think the screen colors/tint still looks messed up on monitor. don't know what it is but something is off on it. i thought the original cpo didn't look bad. guess there is some bad stuff but it was original.why you do this with rings on? i can hear them rubbing maybe scratching stuff. paint journey? why? i don't see any reason to paint it. it looks done to me.

[@Johnsarcade]

The front of the Journey cabinet is painted black!

[@rick83083]

Did some checking on EBAY after you got the dragon's Lair John, the Space Ace disc runs around 30-60 bucks on the low end $300 was the most expensive but you know EBAY.

[@Johnsarcade]

I think I got a disc!

[@rick83083]

Sweet

[@Johnsarcade]

Rick Beebe You saw them for $30-$60 on ebay?!?? What?!? No way. Really?

[@rick83083]

yep. but it was when you got the cabinet, now I can't find it again but I'm going to keep watching and let u know.

[@rick83083]

www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Leisure-Dragons-Lair-II-Laser-Disc-/271540144034?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f390dc7a2 heres one for a backup dragon's lair disc in case you ever needed one.

[@hmblkiraucretiniacmazszcaa3437]

57:10 Music name?

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

The CPO does look good! :-) But oops, still. I'd do it again because the somewhat middle black line was supposed to go over the bend. :-(

[@eyyojung]

If you are not sure about the sideart i would always go with the flyer of the game. Anyway looks like your pretty close. A lil low maybe. BTW the flyer shows all four buttons in red and a black stick!?

[@Johnsarcade]

The flyer is a render. It's not real! :) And, yes... I am closer to the flyer.

[@eyyojung]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Ah thats why it looks so strange. lol Just noticed, Dirk's clothes on your sideart is orange. Whats up with that?

[@Johnsarcade]

eyyojung That's correct! But, yeah... it's red in the game?

[@cowboycandyvending1574]

Love the vids

[@TheTerrenceMaddox]

John do you think you will eventually make a game play walk through for Dragon's Lair? I have Dragon's Lair and Dragon's Lair HD for my iPad but haven't spent much time playing them yet and could use some help. I liked hearing how you and your buddy would gamble $1 a game on high score.

[@Johnsarcade]

Right now I am really bad at the game. Still learning. I hope to get better and actually figure out how to finish the game. If i do, I'll make a video for sure. But, I'm a long ways away!

[@Johnsarcade]

Oh yeah, buck a game really makes it fun!

[@TheKillerqueen86]

you ever think about wearing some gloves maybe when you was cleaning the stripper off ?

[@Johnsarcade]

I pretty much mentioned that I didn't have gloves so I was being extra careful. :)

[@TheKillerqueen86]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech ok good cos that stuff look the dip from who framed roger rabbit when you was cleaning it off

[@futureshock7425]

TheKillerqueen86 lol

[@crydevoe]

When you where cleaning the control panel, why didn't you do it outside.. do you not have a hose to sprat it off instead of using paper towels? I mean the smart choice is obvious

[@pinguinamsuedpol2953]

You would be so surprised how much your power costs would be reduced by setting up a Raspberry Pi with Retropie installed... ;D

[@Johnsarcade]

Ha! I did a Retropie video. Check it out!

[@gb.recordings]

I didn't know that he had a Dave and Buster in his city we have one on 42nd St. and Manhattan in New York City where I live it

[@thepirategamerboy12]

Good job! I'm not sure if you know this because you don't seem to own any movie LD's (You should consider getting some, though because they're awesome. :P), but do you know what happens if you try to play a CAV side from a movie Laserdisc in a Dragon's Lair or any other Laserdisc game machine? And also, you really don't need to bother to clean the disc, as LD's are VERY scratch resistant (I used to have a really badly scratched copy of Back to the Future, and it played perfectly.)

[@kanan348]

Try using a rubber scraper next time )) that might work better