Neo Geo MVS Refurb Part 4: Lets Get Pretty!
Painting this cabinet wasn’t too tough since I was using (as close as I could get to) the original colors. No tape was needed since I was replacing the molding anyway, just a semi-careful hand. Using a small roller and edging tool, I painted the lower black area quickly and was able to make things look great with only two coats. The red took a whole six coats before the color was uniform and properly blended the patched areas. Primer would not have helped in this case, I have just found that red is hardest to get right. However, in the end, the Behr Grenadine is a near perfect match for the original red and looks fantastic. For the metal, I used the hammered texture spray on the coin doors and marquee with the semi-gloss on the control panel. Nothing too fancy here as I was able to get a clean finish with only two coats.
Once everything was dry, I went about applying all of the new graphics needed. The cabinet graphics were standard white vinyl, so with a picture of an original cabinet, a leveler, and slow application I was able to get everything on to the cabinet without issue. For the marquee, the 4 “windows” had to be cut free hand using a razor for curved edges and scissors for long and straight. The sticker was then applied to the new plexi and screwed in to the marquee. For the control panel, I used the carriage bolts to line up and attach the overlay then a razor to cut out the holes. I also cut out the two player credit windows and carefully replaced them with the original transparent red overlays from the old control panel. After than I just placed the new plexi over the top and replaced the bolts and controls. The coin mech was replaced with blue jewels (to match the blue of the speaker system’s power LED) and placed back in the cabinet. The new locks were added at the same time. Finally, some heavy-duty velcro was attached to the side of the cabinet to tack on the audio controls. The cabinet is done!
Now it’s time to dig in to the electronics.
The Lifespan Project 