Just been down south for the weekend. Lots of fun, lazing and eating. In fact the only downside was me sitting next to the monkey from fucking Outbreak while on the plane, so I’m now a miserable dirty germ carrier. :(
On the plus side, I took advantage of the complete lack of sleep by phoning around American arcades on my quest for Robotron sticks. After a nice chat to Kim, from Mike’s Arcade, and a long discussion about Chinese imports, I eventually dialled my way to Eldorado Games where a friendly chap called John poked around in his warehouse and dug out a couple of NOS leaf switch sticks out for me.
Apparently, they’re in the post! :D
I also found a chap called Bob, who’s afraid of paypal (and credit cards, by the looks of things) that has a bunch of individual leaf switches up for grabs. So I’ve got a job lot of them on the way as well, just in case. So, if all goes to plan I’ll have new sticks and enough spares to ensure the cab enjoys at least another 25 years of love.
We have refunded your PayPal account for the above order. Our supplier just contacted us and let us know the joysticks will not be available for at least 2 months. Please accept our apologies.
I’ve just taken apart the movement stick from my Robotron machine and given it a bit of a clean. It’s a lot less grippy, but it’s still not perfect. There’s a bit of a hole in places and you have to use more force than I’d like, but it’s definitely better. So, I thought I’d share the oldest dirt that I’ve ever seen… This is just a smidge of the brown that has been removed:
Eeeow.
And in other, stick related news: I think I’ve found a source in the ‘States for a new pair of Leaf Switch sticks to replace the originals. Most places I’ve contacted seem to list them on their website as some sort of honey-trap, but this place has actually taken my order. Fingers crossed, but it’s looking good so far. (It’ll be cancelled as out of stock tomorrow…)
I have a Mac. And now I have games to play on it. Not only Valve’s lovely goodness, but Blizzard’s shiny new Starcraft. As Venkman put it, “dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria! ”
Either this is the future, or the world is ending.
My car is now the proud owner of some Michelin Pilot Sports. Bit gutted though, as I only wanted to replace the one tyre that was punctured, but ended up having to do all four corners. The driver’s side rear was so badly stepped it had to go and after getting a ruler out on the front two, they were described as “barely legal”. Much like my driving.
I’m currently debating hoovering, or going for a drive.
