Amazing the Difference a Bezel Makes.

In my previous entry, I tried to catch everyone up to speed on where my little MAME Odyssey was in the course of production.  The last pic showed obvious progress, but the glaring TV in the middle of the cab is a tough thing to see through on the way to a final product.

The TV REALLY needs to be hidden to make this setup look even CLOSE to authentic.  There are lots of different methods people have employed in the Build Your Own Arcade realm.  Foamcore board, poster board, painted cardboard, smoked plexiglass/glass, even plastic bezels from arcade suppliers such as Happ.  I've found a solution I like in the way of masked and painted plexiglass.

I apologize for the crappy cell phone pic.  But by cutting the laminate already on the plexiglass as purchased to the size of the TV display and spray painting the back of the plexi I get a very professional looking product.    The black border now gives me a nice little backdrop to put some artwork, like MK moves lists or something for example.

With that done, I'm waiting on my few coin door parts to arrive so that I can get everything lit and functional. 

The best part about doing this bezel was waiting for the paint to dry while playing all the way through Metal Slug.  22 continues was my final tally... time to get practicing.

One step at a time!