I got a 4'X3' pieces of lexan (clear transparent plastic about 1/8" thick) at home depot. I was able to use that for the joystick face panel, the marquee name plate, and the monitor bezel (the border to cover the TV). I tried to cut it with a skill saw but it shattered when I cut it. My friend had a hand held router which worked much better at cutting the lexan. I also tested out a drill on some of the scrap. When I used a normal wood/metal drill bit, the lexan also shattered. I found that a hole saw, the one with wide flat wing and a pointed drill piece in the middle, did not shatter the lexan if I went slow enough.



This is the kind of screw I used to fasten the lexan on the joystick face panel.



I used Velcro to fasten the marquee and the monitor bezel to the cabinet.


I put the soft side of the Velcro on the cabinet and the rough side on the lexan.


I printed out the letters for the marquee at the size I wanted and attached them backwards to some removable self-adhesive vinyl. I cut out the vinyl in the shape of the letters and put them on the lexan. I used blue painters tape to get the letters straight. I then painted the lexan black. When I pulled off the vinyl, they left the outline of the letters.


I got some blue and yellow construction paper to put over the back side of the marquee. I tested the paper to see if light would shine through.





I found some small stickers at the local scrap booking store. It did not have any squares or triangles so I used parts from left over letters to fabricate them.



I did the same thing on the monitor bezel and taped up what I wanted to stay transparent. I then painted everything else black. I pulled off the tape and had the exact shape of the monitor.


I drilled a hole in the bottom just above the bottom shelf for the power cord.


Although the trim is not perfectly straight, I think it matches the painting.




I believe this turned out extremely well. My friend was worried that his painting would not look right. The paint job is the first thing you notice and it does not disappoint.


When I look at this arcade machine, I see all the imperfections and problems I did not have time or knowledge to fix. My friend says the same about his painting. When I look at his paint job, I see a great piece of work. I am sure the same thing applies to my work. No one sees the mistakes just a nice machine.





This is my friend Chris who did the painting.