Hello from North Wales

[KO007]

Hi

Unfortunate circumstances brought me to this forum, which I didn't know existed. Considering I'm in the arcade cabinet business, it seems to have eluded me until now. I'm Scott by the way.

I've had a look around and it's a cool forum. Hopefully I can contribute some of my cabinet making knowledge and help others. I'll probably start with a couple of scaled drawings and I have pinball wide body that I didn't end up selling mainstream as they're too big to post.

See you around.....

 

[69er]

Hi there Scott seems you could be in the right place now? I am in Cheshire but spent decades supplying and servicing arcades and pubs and holiday parks across north wales , now retired.but quite active on this forum from time to time ! 😁

 

[TheDaddy]

Hi Scott, Welcome to UKVAC !! Where abouts in north wales you from ?? We love Rhyl and go as often as we can.

There is some very clever & nice people on here , Oh and I am on here too !

Dave.

 

[KO007]

Thanks for your replies, our workshop is based in Kimnel Bay, which falls in Rhyl. 25% of our business was supplying AWUK with our arcade kits and the other 75% is in other wood made products not related to arcade items. If anyone ever looked on the back of the assembly manuals they would have seen manufacturered by Dust Shack, which is us. Now we quickly rebranded the kits to Knockout Arcades.

Hopefully I can provide some insight into cabinet builds here, not looking to push our stuff here. Just try to be helpful and all that.

 

[Stokers]

Hi Scott and Welcome!

 

[KO007]

Meant to say, if you're about locally just let me know before hand and you can pop in and see our workshop setup.

 

[ExZX]

Hi Scott,

Welcome to the forum.
Am originally from Colwyn Bay myself, so used to get to Llandudno and Rhyl a lot in the 80s and 90s. Last time I went to Rhyl there wasn't anything worth putting money in . Rhyl never been the same since 'The Mint' burnt down.
Weird that I probably now live 10 minutes away from @69er in Cheshire.... maybe I'm subconsciously stalking him?

 

[TheDaddy]

Meant to say, if you're about locally just let me know before hand and you can pop in and see our workshop setup.

I shall take up on that providing you have coffee ! lol

Dave.

 

[KO007]

There's coffee, we're tea drinkers. The workshop gets down to near zero degrees in winter so we get through industrial bags of the stuff to keep warm.

Yeah. We hang out in Prestatyn and Rhos on sea has revamped their promenade and it looks amazing.

 

[TheDaddy]

Hi Scott,

Welcome to the forum.
Am originally from Colwyn Bay myself, so used to get to Llandudno and Rhyl a lot in the 80s and 90s. Last time I went to Rhyl there wasn't anything worth putting money in . Rhyl never been the same since 'The Mint' burnt down.
Weird that I probably now live 10 minutes away from @69er in Cheshire.... maybe I'm subconsciously stalking him?

I found one small one in towyn with a few old ones a few years ago, It was called ' The Dunes ' ONly small but had House of the dead in. Not been for a while sadly so unsure whats there now :-



Dave.

 

[TheDaddy]

There's coffee, we're tea drinkers. The workshop gets down to near zero degrees in winter so we get through industrial bags of the stuff to keep warm.

Yeah. We hang out in Prestatyn and Rhos on sea has revamped their promenade and it looks amazing.

I tried to book up for August but because the kids are off its like 300% more !!!! Didnt realise when I boked the time off from work. Prob be next May now before we can return. Unless you know any cheap good caravan places ??

Dave.

 

[KO007]

I tried to book up for August but because the kids are off its like 300% more !!!! Didnt realise when I boked the time off from work. Prob be next May now before we can return. Unless you know any cheap good caravan places ??

Dave.

Sorry, not sure of anywhere. Even though there are a zillion caravan parks around here I don't take much notice of them.

 

[TheDaddy]

Sorry, not sure of anywhere. Even though there are a zillion caravan parks around here I don't take much notice of them.

Ah no worries , We will have to wait until kids are at school to get a good price ! lol. Just thought with being there you may be in know.

Dave.

 

[Akira99]

Hi Scott and welcome to the community

 

[tin]

Hi Scott welcome in! I'm in Chester so a bit local (and past frequenter of the North Wales coast!). Sorry about the circumstances leading you to find us, but hopefully that's a tiny positive side to the situation.

 

[ExZX]

I found one small one in towyn with a few old ones a few years ago, It was called ' The Dunes ' ONly small but had House of the dead in. Not been for a while sadly so unsure whats there now :-

View attachment 20311

Dave.

Yeah, Towyn had some bits and bobs left from the 80's and 90's along with a lot of the caravan parks. It's been 10 years since I last went there and I remember the Fun Factory on Sandbank Road had a Super Hang On and a Ridge Racer both non working. The Super Hang On was in the window and was probably sold as usually all the non working stuff was at the back in the 'dead' zone.

 

[ExZX]

I found one small one in towyn with a few old ones a few years ago, It was called ' The Dunes ' ONly small but had House of the dead in. Not been for a while sadly so unsure whats there now :-

View attachment 20311

Dave.

Arfon’s Arcade Expedition

Penny Fun Arcade, Pwllheli -North Wales 'then and now' You will recall my 39th Birthday Bonanza- 299th Blog Post Special back in Jan...

arfonjones.blogspot.com

Little blog there about arcades in Rhyl and Towyn from 2018.
Very interesting as I didn't know the Allwin machines ( cup and ball oo'er missus ) were produced by Parker Leisure who owned The Black Cat and Bright Spot arcades in Rhyl. I bet @69er knew that

 

[69er]

Fairly safe bet …above yes….. for a while I fixed Paul Appleyard’s machines at Dunes and in previous years we had hired his arcade but it never made much due to the poor frontage and better arcade in sandbank rd not least our own Seashells directly over the road and BlackCat2 next door and the Knightley’s arcade and fun fair at the bottom end towards the sea

Sadly that’s where the high tide broke the sea wall defence in 1990 and ‘Trigger ‘. pictured below who was manufactured in Rhyl by Parker Amusements Ltd met his doom tho with slight attention lived till about 1994 but eventually being in 3 foot of seawater for a week took its toll on the plywood base and retired him to the rear of my garden workshop 30 years ago to await a ‘refurb’ ….. may still happen ? But he has a sad look about him in our garden !

 

[TheDaddy]

Is the Dunes still going then now ?? I not been there for a while.

Dave.

 

[ExZX]

Fairly safe bet …above yes….. for a while I fixed Paul Appleyard’s machines at Dunes and in previous years we had hired his arcade but it never made much due to the poor frontage and better arcade in sandbank rd not least our own Seashells directly over the road and BlackCat2 next door and the Knightley’s arcade and fun fair at the bottom end towards the sea

Sadly that’s where the high tide broke the sea wall defence in 1990 and ‘Trigger ‘. pictured below who was manufactured in Rhyl by Parker Amusements Ltd met his doom tho with slight attention lived till about 1994 but eventually being in 3 foot of seawater for a week took its toll on the plywood base and retired him to the rear of my garden workshop 30 years ago to await a ‘refurb’ ….. may still happen ? But he has a sad look about him in our garden !

I remember 1990 very well and the flooding along the North Wales coast. At the time I was working for an Architect and went to survey a bungalow in Abergele / pensarn where the raft foundation had floated the bungalow and then settled causing quite a lot of structural damage. There was also the new Belgrano estate in Abergele that flooded which was one of our jobs. No doubt insurers had a busy time that year.