I Made a Mistake! (NFL Blitz Arcade Machine Pickup) 

That Blitz machine looks great. Don't ruin it! Open Ice will come your way soon enough.

I’ve been a collector since 1999, I’ve come by many blitz and NBA jams, I’ve only seen a dedicated open ice in the arcades back in the days and another for sale in 2006. You’re right it’s a very rare cab. It’s my favorite midway sports game, I love 90’s NHL.

I'd combine options 2 and 4... FOR NOW Put Open Ice into the game and keep looking for the correct cabinet, then when you have it, turn it back into Blitz and sell it.

I had never heard of NHL Open Ice before this video, a NBA Jam style hockey game sounds amazing!

I’d go with option 4. You should have an easier time finding an Open Ice pcb you can play to tide you over. Good luck with the search! I remember playing a desiccated Open Ice back in 2000 at a local bowling alley. I already owned the PS1 home port and I didn’t realize there was an arcade version. Not too long after that, I bought an Open Ice pcb for my super gun system.

This is the reason why I love your channel. You're a honest content creator, that loves and preserves the Arcade Culture. You are a real treasure in a sea full of posers wannabe. Thanx! ♥️🙏

I’ll probably never get into this scene ( it’s so time-consuming and expensive) , but I’m glad I can live vicariously through your videos . I did watch the previous video, it was interesting hearing about the yellowing of the marquee on the last vid. Yeah I wouldn’t tear up that one just to make the artwork fit . I would probably go with option 4.

Should you go with the option to sell it, I'd buy that thing in a heartbeat as-is. It's beautiful. You will have no shortage of potential buyers.

Option 4, all other options are too big a compromise based on your ethics around preserving whatever is good enough.

Option 4 would be the ideal way to handle this. It's not worth cannibalizing a clean cabinet, to make some weird hybrid cabinet for a different game.

I’d do the half way conversion and then when you find what you’re looking for you can put it back and sell it.

I feel your pain on not being able to find the machine you really want. I have been looking for an Alien 3 The Gun by Sega for 3 years now and only seeing it in Asia once. Fix it up and sell it, it may be someone else's dream machine.

Just proceed as planned. Make yourself a custom NHL cabinet. Light up the buttons etc. Lol this is OCD central.

I’d go with option 2 for now UNTIL you find the correct cab to convert. Then you can still easily de-convert the blitz and flip it. Best of both options.

Option 4 does pose a risk, still. Whoever buys it may just strip it anyway. If it were me, and I had the space, I’d just add it to my collection and continue my search for the correct cab. If you really don’t want it in your collection, though, I’d turn it into MK or rampage. I just don’t see someone not destroying it and turning it into a raspberry pi cab or something. Unless you find someone in the community that wants it

My two options are the following. I would sell the cab and try to make my money back. The thought of not having the correct cabinet for open ice (my favorite sports game as well) would bother the heck out of me. The other option I would consider is why not make it a MK3 cab if you already have the board. You do have options no doubt. I'm sure you'll make the one that's best for you.

I've never seen Open Ice, but I LOVED NHL Hitz.

Sounds like you're probably gonna sell it and I understand. If you weren't doing that, I'd say the UMK3 conversion would have been the best option, artwork and marquee be damned. I'm sure they do look good but you didn't even have Blitz 99 in the cab, it was 2000 so in the end its still not 100% accurate anyway. Also Open Ice is such a fun game. I've only ever seen one in an original cab at an ice rink way back when the game first came out in the 90s. I also ended up with a board but sadly the audio isn't working and I haven't yet figured out the fix for that. fwiw I plan to play it on a head-to-head Astro City cab setup, which is also what I'm already doing for NBA Jam, the DnD Capcom games and several other 3-4 player games. Obviously not fully authentic but it's been a hit so far with everyone who has tried it.

I searched everywhere for an Open ice and found one after talking to a guy selling a different game years ago! I Loved the game too since I was a kid.

Option 4. I hope you get the game though. Great videos as usual

I think option 4 don’t force yourself to do something you don’t want to do and get what you actually want.

Those are some of the most awesome arcade cabs I’ve ever seen . You have a great collection 👍

Please save & restore the NFL Blitz cabinet. There are plenty of people who'll want that cabinet. You'd be surprised how life turns out. You've been trying for so long for NHL Open Ice & it'll turn up soon when you least expect it. Good Luck!!

What about option 5? Fix up the rough edges on the Blitz ‘99 art, then put the new vinyl art over the top of the Blitz art. You aren’t stripping it and it would be somewhat reversible

I'm jealous you got a NFL Blitz machine. One of my absolute fave arcade games of all time.

I am a HUGE NHL OPen Ice fan! way more than for NFL Blitz. But that being said, I personally would preserve the Blitz and return it back.

You could just cut out your own cab and keep the blitz cab intact

Dang that's a bummer man. I think I'd just touch it up a bit and re sell it original, then look for the right style cab

I say option 4 my friend. Someone will love it and it’s honestly in pretty great shape. I didn’t know that about the open ice cabinet being a different shape, pretty cool!

Oh man, I'm sorry you went through all of this ! Personally, if I REALLY wanted Open Ice, I'd use your last option... Clean up the Blitz and sell "as is" working, then find an NBA jam cab for Ice. Good luck with your choice !

Im not too much into hockey these days but my first game I went to was a 1996 Avs game when they were still just basically the Quebec Nordiqs, and I got to witness a slaughter of the Ny Rangers 10-1

While I dont think the game is that "important" to preserve like say, an original Baby Pac, or Big Red Neo - I can't blame ya man. I like cabs that are nice and stock. And hey, you can always sell it for some $$ to find that Open Ice.

Option 4 seems the more reasonable decision to take and start again from the get go in your quest for your NHL Open Ice Cab.

Hey I'm late to see this but I have an open ice cab that was painted black. The artwork under is faded which seems common for those. Anyways I can confirm it is NOT an NBA jam head but rather the same MK cab head. Oddly enough I'm converting it from an area 51 to Blitz 2000 gold

Definitely Option 4. And at least now you know what more common cabinet styles to look for.

As soon as you mentioned wanting to make it an Open Ice cab I knew the cab wasn't the same. I always called the NBA Jam cabs "Ted Danson" cabs since I viewed them as having a big forehead lol! I guess the Gauntlet Legends cabs are really more Ted Danson...but anyway. I'm sure you've done some work to the cab so far, the 49 way sticks probably needed a cleaning and maybe you can do a fix here and there to resell it at a slightly higher price. I'd try that route or breaking even first. If it doesn't sell within a reasonable time frame, you've done what you can and I doubt anyone would have a reason to be upset with you. Also, I know there's an arcade in Des Moines, IA (Up Down DSM) that has an Open Ice. Its a long shot but you could see if they want to sell!

Hard to say you won’t do option 4. The rest will require work and leave you unsatisfied. And a flip could better justify your next purchase. But the conversion option I guess you could grow to love. And I wouldn’t know the difference. Like a lot of folks, I’ve never seen an Open Ice anywhere.

Now you told everybody, nah nah nah! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I assume you will sell it at cost and lick your wounds. But I suggest making it an MK cab if you don't already have one. That's a great addition to any arcade for casual visitors. But maybe those are easier to come by without investing a ton of time and effort into? Also I love Open Ice as well. Fun game and that Referee animation for the puck-drop still stands out in my mind. So good.

Yeah I would go with option 4 put it for sale and/or offer a trade for an open ice cab. Maybe some one has one not for sale but would consider a trade.

Tough decision, bud! Look forward to see what you decide to do.

ya option 4 would make you happiest and just wait for correct cab for open ice 😎

Option 4 sometimes you've got to take one on the chin and move on

Option 5: Clean up and re-sell Blitz, put money towards either buying Open Ice or building one from scratch.

If I were you I'd go option 2. If not then option 4 but only if you knew that the buyer wasn't going to hack it up into something stupid like a 60 in 1. ie: sell it too a collector

I have an Open Ice sitting next to my NBA Jam TE. I got a good deal on it almost 10 years ago and have loved it ever since. Gets a lot of playing time when people are over.

For me options 2 and 3 are the correct ones.

Option 4 all the way. That's too nice to destroy.

#4 all life long, mate. Get your money back, save the cab, go back searching… all hopefully leading to a new video with a proper Open Ice cab!

Update: At least the software wasn’t sanitized.

There's one for sale on ebay for like $4000. Says it's in excellent condition. Crazy price tho, but might be worth it to you.

Not sure if you ever found an open ice arcade but there is one for sale on market place in spring grove Illinois by my house. Its underHome use only midway open ice arcade game Its mint too

the memory card slot allowed you to use the plays you drew up on n64 blitz on the arcade machne. pretty novel idea for the time.

I’d go with option 4, saves the original art and gives you another shot at a proper open ice.

I believe I have the correct Midway cabinet your looking for I been trying to figure out out what it was from I knew it was midway! I can send some pics of it

Funny enough I've seen NHL in Canada, pretty pricy, but it's here! hahah

Option 4 seems to be the best option for the end goal; I’m guessing that compromising on authenticity of the cab style with a conversion will be something you’ll never be fully comfortable with….keep searching and when you get the real-deal it will feel that much more rewarding! 🥳

Look I know this video is supposed to be about the cabinet but that Batman Hoodie is Sick my man!

Option 4 for sure!

Fairly confident that you'll likely be selling it to recoup costs, out of curiosity, you're wood working is fairly good from your other videos. Have you considered just building the desired cabinet from scratch? I get that you probably prefer originals, just wondering if it's a Ship of Theseus scenario with all the restoration you were planning to do. Love the channel btw!

Option 4 is what I’d pick.

I think the less painful solution for you is to sell the machine. To have the work to make a UMK3 machine that you didn't even want... or even worst, make the convertion, regret it and just end up selling it. It's just not worth it imo

Enjoy it how it is for a while and then clean it up and sell until you can find what you want.

Turn it into an ultimate mk3 or sell it. If u already have the board I'd do it

Keep it original cause it would go against Scarlet Sprites rules. I think it would make a perfect addition to the arcade room as well. Love that artwork on the cabinet! 😉

I adore UMK3 but I would preserve the Blitz machine. Nice video as always!

I vote option 4 too. Is there any reason you can't just use the dimesions of an Open Ice cabinet and get the wood cut so you can build a brand new one?

If it makes you feel better I made pretty much the same mistake. Except I have a gutted showtime cab I was going to turn into mk2. Just got the pcb a week ago and the art is on order…🤦

I say sell it... or you could cut new side panels that are the proper dimensions for Open Ice?

Although I have no interest in the Blitz games, it seems a shame to re-purpose something in such good condition that could go to someone who'd love it just as it is.

Sell it on. It would bother you to do anything else. Shame but here's hoping the cabinet you're after comes your way soon. 😁👍

Can you elaborate a little bit on the cabinet differences? The mk1 cab is totally different altogether, which was used in the video. So mk2-mk4 and showtime, nba jam, open ice are the same? While all blitz cabs are not as deep as the mk2 crew?

I’ll take the blitz board . I need it for my cabinet

There was an Open Ice in NJ listed on the Arcade Exchange FB group a couple days ago, looks like it already sold. Hope you were able to snag it!

I’d say keep it all original… even though UMK3 is my fav fighting game 🤣. Enjoyed this video man and learned a few things about Midway cabinet design!

Option 4 all the way. Get back in the hunt for that Open Ice cab.

I'd keep it as is. I have been attempting to make a scale replica of a Mortal Kombat cabinet and didn't realize that NBA Jam (who's measurements I found) were different than the Mortal Kombat. Good to know.

Option 4. It might take more time, but I'd prefer that over destroying the artwork. There will always be somebody who wants the Blitz cabinet as much as you want Open Ice. Just a bit more cleaning and selling to do, and you'll soon find the cab you really want, plus you'll have the extra space for it. ;)

Don’t destroy- just keep looking- once you modify it’s another can that no longer exists and has become extinct

I go with option 4 leave it clean it up and sell it. Greetings from Austria.

Tough one. I’d make it a MK3. But then you need some investment and a new CP. other option is to sell.

I say sell it but Rampage as a close second. It's hard to imagine stripping that nice art work, if it was more beat up then Rampage would be a no brainer though.

Man, I was thinking a Broken Arrow situation or you had a fire. Ended up being a Wuh-Woh Shaggy! Are you leaning option 4?

Option 4.

I did the same but opposite as you I got 2 nba jam cabinets thinking I was going to make a blitz from them. I would trade you but I’m sure you are no where near Minnesota

I made a somewhat similar mistake when picking out art for a Konami 4-player cab. Apparently the side for the TMNT cab (mono speaker) and Simpsons (dual speakers) has ever so slightly different dimensions on the sides as well.

I just bought an original midway blitz 99 cab with the n64 card reader for 200 just needs the cf card upgrade I just ordered

OPTION 4 !!!! You know this in your heart to be true.

Don't ruin the Blitz machine, I'd sell it at most and keep an eye out for a better Open Ice candidate! :)

Option 4

Option 5: Try to trade up for the correct arcade cabinet you’re looking for that way someone gets an awesome blitz cab and you get a correct version cab to convert.....everyone wins 🤷🏾‍♂️

Damn. U got a decision to make mann.

Could you clean it up and then sell it or would it not be worth the cost?

Where did you get your Batman hoodie it looks sweet Btw I would sell it

Get your money back! You'll always think about it when you play or look at it if you keep it.

Wow. I never even knew about NHL Open Ice. Being a recent hockey fan with the Kraken, now I want to try this! Go to option 4. Don't sacrifice the original dream.

I would say don't ruin the original artwork... but if you sell it, you just know it's going to get ruined 100x worse by somebody else turning it into a Mame frankencade.

sell it at cost if you can. that cabinet is gorgeous.

That is such a tough call… Ultimate MK3 is insanely tempting! But… I’d imagine it would cost a piece of your soul to destroy that original art.

Why don’t you cover the original art with something like a lamination or thin lexan and then apply the new art over the top. That way it can always be restored.