Restoring TOMY Daring Driver: The Most Challenging Mini-Arcade Fix Yet!

[@Ranger_Kevin]

It never gets less impressive to see the effort those engineers went to in order to create these fully mechanical, complex games that would nowadays probably be just two microchips and a screen. Truly a lost artform.

[@RandiRain]

It just makes you wonder how they even came up with these ideas.

[@Ranger_Kevin]

@@RandiRain I mean... people took a lot of drugs back in the day... 😜

[@RandiRain]

Still do.

[@AndreSjoberg]

@@RandiRainbest reply … *ever* :)

[@AndreSjoberg]

True :) And just imagine making X amount of prototypes of this thing *without* a 3D-printer for the mechanical parts, drawing everything up by hand for the technical drawings, then people milling parts and molds for casting and … it’s just mindboggling

[@jasontodd8071]

I can see this was a pain to restore, but it's satisfying to see it repaired!!!

[@ThriftyMint]

thanks for documenting this! so many hours!

[@RyanMercer]

Ahhh another good background noise video while I work.

[@RandiRain]

Glad it helps.

[@tarstarkusz]

Here's a hint for better replacement labels. I used to do this all the time. Get a transparency and print in reverse on the transparency. Then, take a white piece of paper and glue to to the printed side of the transparency. You get an extremely vibrant print which will never oxidize or smear or smudge doing it this way, though I sometimes would run the transparency several times. The printer does a remarkable job of printing the same image exactly in the same place. The first time I did it, I didn't think it would work and I was just wasting a transparency sheet. But it worked perfectly. For some applications, I would then glue the whole thing to the machine. But different applications needing a thicker label and so I would just glue it to a cereal box (though you still need the white paper backing to see the print) which is just the right thickness. Frankly, they looked way better than the original stickers. I mostly did this to the Coleco Mini Arcade machines. I still have a complete set up of them and 3 have these labels I printed on them. I fixed these things 20 years ago. I keep them on top of my desk and I'm a smoker. You can clean my labels without worrying about messing them up. The worst that can happen is they fall off. You can just glue them right back on. I sold scores of these things and never had a complaint.

[@RandiRain]

Very interesting.

[@TheTimPilot]

Don't know who's the biggest genious. The inventors of this, or you fixing it. Well done 😀

[@RandiRain]

Thank you. This was a challenge.

[@tarstarkusz]

Sadly, this tech is stuck in time. Today, this game would have an LCD and a PCB. This simply could not be cost effectively made today. Though, to be fair, there is a clone of Atomic Arcade Pinball being made today, so maybe it could. But this is mechanically more complicated than the Atomic Arcade.

[@thearchitect4726]

Thanks!

[@RandiRain]

Thank you... Very kind.

[@thearchitect4726]

i appreciate the instructional videos, they are very helpful, thankyou for what you do keeping these beautiful relics alive.

[@thearchitect4726]

@@RandiRain i appreciate the instructional videos, they are very helpful, thankyou for what you do keeping these beautiful relics alive.

[@wootofdoom]

Well done on the repair. This one just didn't want to be fixed, but you hung in there and forced it to let you get it working again. In the end, it's a fantastic repair. I never doubted you.

[@RandiRain]

Thank you. It fought me every step of the way.

[@billporter6592]

You did a terrific job as usual ! Very relaxing and exciting to watch.

[@RandiRain]

Thank you very much!

[@tarstarkusz]

Speaking of Pepper's Ghost, there is a new space invaders handheld with a Pepper's Ghost trick in it, just like the original arcade cabinet had. The original arcade cabinet had a Pepper's Ghost trick to make the invaders translucent and appear ghostly against the moon background art. It worked extremely well. Though I haven't seen the mini in person, I'm told it is very well done and makes the whole thing look like an original arcade cabinet.

[@CyBeRTRoNFLuX]

ohh wow that sucks cutting those original stickers !!

[@Kewrock]

To remove sticker glue and paper residue, Goo Gone orange oil works great. It lasts about an hour, then disappears when dry. It won't stain paper and printed cardboard when it dries. So it can be used to remove price tags and tapes when buying old games at the thrift stores. Get the name brand though. Dollar Tree has a generic version that has petroleum. That one DOES permanently stain paper and cardboard.

[@RandiRain]

Oh... Goo Gone, now why didn't I think of that? This is my fourth one to refurbish. You go try it on one of these and then get back to me.

[@Kewrock]

@@RandiRain I use it all the time. It's the only thing that works reliably and doesn't destroy printed cardboard.

[@RandiRain]

@@Kewrock I have used it, but it won't do anything to this. It's not an ordinary decal. It's a thick matt paper that is glued on with some super hard glue. Goo gone wouldn't touch it. If I had to pick something that was like the glue, I would say Liquid Nails.

[@Chainsaw1974]

Wow, this was really not an easy one, but awesome that you fixed it. Also I like the LED style of this driving game. Looks like Night Driver. And like the other people already said, it's a wonder, how they did this in the past. I think it also was not cheap to do such a construction with prototypes etc. until it was on the market.

[@RandiRain]

Yeah, there had to many different metal injection molds made before they got it right.

[@TinkeringJohn]

Hello Randi. Great repair! Glad it didn't become a projectile, LOL. I know WD40 works great on removing some stickers and glues. I had to repair some of my Wowwee robots (cracked gears). I really enjoy seeing how those arcade games work inside. Thanks for sharing.

[@RandiRain]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@floydp6217]

16:23 I laughed too loud 🤣

[@Digital-Dan]

Great and scary work. Although one has to marvel at the amazing engineering marvels that are Tomy devices, it's pretty clear why they don't make them like that any more. The results, however impressive the underlying mechanism, look pretty disappointing from a playing standpoint. But great fun to restore I'm sure. Impressive.

[@RandiRain]

Yeah, for the most part. There is some fun in them, it's just when you compare them to games today.

[@silentmodetv]

Seeing you cut those decals was painful to watch, but it had to be done.

[@RandiRain]

I know. They're not normal decals. They are glued on, literally squirted on there, and the glue is tough.

[@Segafishy]

Excellent find and work, it genuinely is like an old EM arcade machine as many used similar mechanics often to hide mechanical arms and make things seem far bigger than they actually were. PS sent a FB message to the Randi's Robot Refurbish page about that battery door, if not the right one let me know and where to message and I'll sort it.

[@Kewrock]

Looks like Atari 2600 Night Driver.

[@djservices-g9d]

Paraffin will dissolve the glue, and won't dry so fast.

[@PJamS_Vibes]

crazy👍

[@crushedcan5378]

so if you had made a robot and a animated portrait, will you ever make a mini arcade?

[@RandiRain]

It's in my head swirling around. It would have to be something original, and I have some ideas, but they are not fully flushed out.

[@generic53]

👏

[@Pazuzu-2048]

lighter fluid works very well to remove sticky residue

[@RandiRain]

Sure does. Won't take the sticker off though. It's on matt paper and it's not just adhesive. If I had to pick the closet thing you could buy that is like the stuff they used, I would say it's something like Liquid Nails.

[@javaking1000]

You've been doing this for a while so you probably know better than I do, but why don't you use glossy or semi-gloss paper for your labels? I'm guessing you're using an inkjet printer? BTW, you came up with some VERY CLEVER fixes to those problems. I'm going to store those away in the back of my mind in case I encounter something similar when I'm doing repairs around the house.

[@RandiRain]

I just have an inkjet, but sometimes I have them printed. Just depends how much money I want to invest in it. Usually as little as possible.

[@floydp6217]

21:30 I see wires being pinched. 😏

[@RandiRain]

You can't go by the clip. I took that thing apart so many damn times. If there was anything, it was fixed at some point.

[@Traxxbandit]

Hey Randi still loving your videso. It was one of the r/c trucks you did not sure which one it was. but i had asked if you would be interested in rebuilding my Nikko Pepsi trans am with modern electronics. you said you were way to busy and you would get back to me. now i have all the extra parts to modernize it. make it the speed demon that it should be. so would you be interested in doing this or should we just blow it off and i find some one else

[@RandiRain]

Email me through my website or something.

[@thearchitect4726]

Hi randy , greetings from Australia, just picked up a Omnibot 2000 for my collection, always wanted one, its missing a remote control, any chance you have one lying around you are willing to part with ? as long as it is reasonably priced. Thanks in advance. ,

[@RandiRain]

I do not, sorry.

[@thearchitect4726]

@@RandiRain Thanks for getting back to me, If one comes through if you could contact me that would be great. I will run a bluetooth tape adapter to control Mr Omnibot for now till an affordable one shows up with a bit of luck. have a good day.

[@Authoratah]

You TOMY too much

[@RandiRain]

Impossible. They're the ones people like. I build my own stuff, and no one cares.

[@Authoratah]

​@@RandiRain I was kidding.... It was supposed to sound like "You tell me (TOMY)too much"

[@gregmiller6924]

Amazing skill level to disassemble, repair, and get working. Would love to know your background. Just wake up one day and decide, this seems like it could be fun? Been repairing and building for 35 years but this is above my comfort level. 🫡

[@RandiRain]

My background is building stuff for the film business. Building props, sets, and doing special effects. In that work you get thrown a lot of stuff out of left field, and it's a sink or swim line of work. You either figure it out or you don't. Thanks for the kind words.