Ms Pac-Man

I purchased this in July 2006 off a RGVAC listing for $250. It was sold as complete but with garbage on the screen. As you can see the cabinet has seen better days.

I decided that the side/front artwork was beyond saving and that I would just paint the cab Ms. Pac blue. I found the paint codes on www.appolo.com. I stripped the game, patched any holes, dings, etc with Elmer's Wood Filler and sanded the sides. I then painted the insides black. Next I followed on the outside with a coat of KILZ primer. That dried fairly quick (< 30min) and I applied the Ms Pac blue with a foam roller. By the time I put one coat on, the side that I started on was dry enough for a second coat.

While the cabinet was drying I turned my attention to the metal parts like the marquee mounts, control panel and coin door. I cleaned and sanded the metal parts followed by a coat of KILZ primer in a spray can. Two coats of Rustoleum Gloss Black Finish and a coat of clear acryic they were good as new.

A reproduction CPO was purchased off eBay for $20. I also ordered a replacement joystick and buttons from www.arcadeshop.com.

Reassembled and looking sweet in the gameroom...

The game worked well for over a year and a half but started giving me graphics trouble (see video below).

Thru KLOV and a local collector I met up with Riptor (Mike) who assisted with fixing this. I had two boards which he repaired and modded one with a 4n1 Pac/Ms Pac (http://www.souzaonline.com/Games/Hacks/4n1hack.htm). This involved removing all socketed ICs in rows 5 and 6 on the board and replacing them with 2 EPROMs which will allow for Pacman, Ms Pacman and the speed up versions of both. After about an hour's worth of work I had a working 4n1 board thanks to Mike.

The best thing about this version is that it doesn't require mechanical switches to change games. Simply pressing P1 and P2 will bring you to a menu system to select your game.

My brother-in-law visited for a week and renewed my competitive spirit. My Ms Pac fast hi-score as of 12JUL09... 217,260 points. A week after he left I hit 238,690

My older brother has always been a legend at Pac-Man. I remember my childhood dentist had a Pac-Man and Donkey Kong game in their office. While I was in the chair getting my check-up, I could hear commotion coming from where my brother was playing Pac-Man. Apparently, he was killing it and drew the attention of not only the dental assistants, but also the dentist himself. They all gathered around him and watched him play as I sat in the dentist chair. Truly one of my fondest memories.

As an adult, I decided to get my brother a Pac-Man cocktail arcade machine for his birthday. As siblings are ever so competitive, I decided to chide him on and send him a text with a decent high-score.

A couple of days he replied back with a score surpassing mine... but it wasn't over!

Then again he replied with a score of 488k... still not over though! Within 2 hours I obliterated his score and put up 659,700 (27JUN10).

Take that bro!!!

A few days later he sent another score that topped mine! Grrrr... I haven't been able to beat it since.

I have since sold the Ms Pac-Man arcade but I have a Pac-Man cabinet and parts that I plan on restoring. Soon... very soon.