What's your favorite Neo machine? (With pictures!)

What's your bar none, absolute favorite Neo Geo machine?

For me, the US big red six slot. Love how the buttons are set up straight (instead of how the button is farther away). And there's just something about the big reds that make you feel like you're at a dark crowded arcade.

My wall o' six slots:


My runner up would have to be the Japanese MVU-4, It's just a sexy machine.

Whichever of my MVS cabs I'm playing on at the moment

Super Neo 29 Candy, because they're awesome and I used to have one.

I do like the look of this one though:

gold cab. love the size, and the monitor is right in your fucking face. tinted glass is the icing on the cake.

I like the 4 slot big reds probably mainly for nostalgia. The Super Neo 29 is a really nice cab as well, probably my favorite sit down Neo cab. The golds look a little too 80s for me, but I can see how people like them.

See signature photo.

neo mini 2 slot.

Ukyo said:

gold cab. love the size, and the monitor is right in your fucking face. tinted glass is the icing on the cake.

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Goddamn that looks slick!

I'm with Ukyo, my goldie is by far my favorite cab and I'm pretty sure it will remain that way forever. Just as Ukyo my cab went through exactly the same restoration for the most part, except Ukyo got ambitious and added a bit of flavor and pride with the SNK black lettering and the panel paint, they look awsome, maybe one day I'll do the same.




You know, out of all the cabs I have played and own the goldie takes the cake on class alone, the rest it takes on how practical and user firendly it is. I don't think there's a better design that can blend into pretty much any home without looking cheap or too funky.

Second runner up: I dunno, maybe the 4 slot rev 1, I like the speaker placement on that better than rev 3, and the body cuts are better as well than rev 2 and 3. The 2 slot is also very nice if you can get used to the latches that hold the CP.

I still will like to get my hands on one of the old dynamos that can be rotated if need be, but Dynamo has a lot of ugly designs, the ones fabtek used to use are excellent, the dilemma is finding a 25" as most of them are 19", but it still kicks ass.

yeah, even after growing up playing on big reds in the arcade; goldie is still on top for me.

grave; did you cut a custom tint for your glass? or is it original? because no matter how hard I try, I cant QUITE match the look of your monitor. I was thinking your tint might be slightly darker than mine...it gives it that crisp look but keeping the contrast even across the screen. it also might be because i had a new cap kit put on my monitor. not sure. i remember when we were playing kizuna on your cab, and the backgrounds just looked incredible.

My recently bought 6 slot

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26500723@N03/

Ukyo said:

yeah, even after growing up playing on big reds in the arcade; goldie is still on top for me.

grave; did you cut a custom tint for your glass? or is it original? because no matter how hard I try, I cant QUITE match the look of your monitor. I was thinking your tint might be slightly darker than mine...it gives it that crisp look but keeping the contrast even across the screen. it also might be because i had a new cap kit put on my monitor. not sure. i remember when we were playing kizuna on your cab, and the backgrounds just looked incredible.

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I think your tint is just as dark, perhaps with a bit of tuning you can get that look. In the back of the monitor chassi there are 2 knobs they are usually on the left corner just below the tube's neck. One of this knobs runs the "focus" which is mainly the sharpness control and then you have the brightness knobs which in conjuction with the daughter board brightness knobs controls the overall brightness and dullness of the screen. Try working those 2 together and see.

Next time you're by I'm gonna make a point to open the cab and show you. I thought you're cab looked ace though, maybe I ought to visit sometime.

Agreeing with Man in a Box, my favorite Neo cab would have to be the Super Neo 29 Candy. It's got a large, super sharp monitor, excellent access to all of its guts, and tons of room inside to fill with any hardware you'd want to throw in it. The fact that it just looks great doesn't hurt either.



Also, I am a sucker for four slot Big Reds, especially considering they are what inspired me to get into the Neo, and are the embodiment of my early Neo nostalgia.

What's with all the power strips, can't get the switches inside the cabs to work?

So looking at all this pics makes me realize how fucking lucky we all are, but at the same time it makes me admire our dedication to something quite unique unlike anyother.

...keep it coming.

electricgrave said:

What's with all the power strips, can't get the switches inside the cabs to work?

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The strip is only for the big red. When I bought the cab the previous owner had this frankensteinian monstrosity in the cab.




the top PSU being used pretty much just for the control panel power switch.

If you look at the pic you can see where the actual piece that holds the power cable is busted loose and just sitting against the metal of the PSU housing. Needless to say one day while playing I found that out the hard way when the rear of the cab decided to belch some hellfire from the PSU.

Since replacing the power supply with a standard 300 watt ATX psu I never bothered to rewire the power switch, as it's just as easy to throw the switch on the strip. Besides, the only reason it's actually sticking out in the picture is I pulled it out to charge my phone, normally it's tucked discreetly behind the big red.

I have to second what you said though, this thread really is a great reminder to the fanatical dedication we arcade gamers seem to possess that most other gamers consider borderline insanity. I remember back when I was a kid hunting down MVS cabs all over the state to play games like Samsho II, World Heroes, and Sengoku. Trips to beachside boardwalks on vacation always were just excuses to get my Neo fix. God, I must have blown thousands of dollars in quarters over those summers.

Shit, I remember spending my first concert off to the sidelines playing the hell out of Samnsho II.

I never once considered the day I'd own my own Neo cab, let alone have the addiction to be one I'd feed regularly, sometimes multiple times in just a few months.

This kind of fortune and interest border lining on fanaticism makes me feel like one lucky madman.

Mine...





seriously, though, someday I'll get a red stand-up.

Of all the american neos I've owned (I've never owned a 6 slot), I would say I love my mini the most. However for competive play, you almost always want a 6 slot for the room. anything else just gets too crowded.

Ruell said:

Of all the american neos I've owned (I've never owned a 6 slot), I would say I love my mini the most. However for competive play, you almost always want a 6 slot for the room. anything else just gets too crowded.

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Yeah, I have a Japanese 14", and while it has 2 controllers, it's really a 1-person machine. The sit-down 29" is good for fighting games, but sitting down means I can't hip-check my friends.

4-slot big red... it's THE classic cab.

a super neo 29 (not "candy") would be my dream cab. i love me some mini marquees.

edit: oh yeah, i wouldn't mind your mini cab :P

m_bish0p said:

Mine...

seriously, though, someday I'll get a red stand-up.

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Very nice selection you've got there.

DeadPixels said:

Very nice selection you've got there.

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That's 1/3 of my collection. If you check the 'show 'em if you've got 'em' thread you can see the rest of the collection. If you ever want to check it out in person, I usually have people over just about ever Friday night for Pool, Rockband, arcade and beer.

Well, my fave machine has to be the Pacific Islands versions, they just look really cool to me. i have never seen one in person, never owned one, but if I ever build a custom cabinet and put a Neo into it, it would probably look something like that.



Minus the grunge of course. The 6 slots have a crummy looking marquee, the 2 slot reminds me a bit of the Gold 2 slot, but I think it's possibly cooler.

What's your bar none, absolute favorite Neo Geo machine?

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Definitely the AES.

Don't have any pics but I would have to say the the 50" Super Neo sit down cab. That is some major awesomeness.

m_bish0p said:

That's 1/3 of my collection. If you check the 'show 'em if you've got 'em' thread you can see the rest of the collection. If you ever want to check it out in person, I usually have people over just about ever Friday night for Pool, Rockband, arcade and beer.

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Thanks for the invite, I'll definitely keep it in mind. Friday's here are pretty much the same exact setup. We're right next to UD, so if you're ever in the area the same goes to you.

We might be trying to visit University Pinball soon just to get our mitts on some SFIV action too.