After a very quiet 2016, and with winter approaching, I’ve finally been “re-bitten” by the arcade hobby bug. Flush with a little extra cash from lots of overtime at work, and having sold a few games in anticipation of trading for a pinball machine that never materialized, I decided it was time to add something to the collection. Collectors will recognize this as a very dangerous, but inevitable, mindset when collecting anything. It’s a quick way to end up with a bunch of junk you never wanted in the first place.
Fully aware of my stupidity, I went searching anyway. While I haven’t been as active in the hobby as usual, I still occasionally check Craigslist as a matter of habit. I had seen a Missile Command listed for going on a month, and apparently no one was biting. The seller had it listed at 700 or best offer. I thought, hey, I don’t have a Missile Command… and from the compressed, horrible quality of the Craigslist photos this looks to be in OK shape. So I shot an offer off at 400 and let the seller know that because the photos were a bit blurry, I’d want to check it out before confirming the offer but otherwise I was comfortable at 400.
He was receptive so we set up a time to meet. He was only about 20 minutes away from my house, a straight shot up the freeway, so no problem whatsoever. He had asked me to bring my dolly, but said I wouldn’t need any additional help and he could help me get it in the truck. Great! He had a walkout basement with curved stairs, so immediately as I’m making my way down I’m regretting the decision. Once he opened the door and I saw the game, however, that old pickup excitement hit me and my eyes were all stars. I told him it looked to be in great shape, handed over the 400 bucks, and we wheeled that sucker out. Getting up the stairs was not the funnest thing. I was battling a bit of a flu so still a little weak, and I’m not the strongest guy in the world anyway. Still, we got it in the truck and one short drive home later it was mine!
A little dusty at the top, but a quick wipedown later and it was looking great. It’s a true survivor. Someone tried to “fix” the lockbar hole on the left hand side, but it looks like they gave up after the poor job they did because the other lockbar is still present. A few battle scars on the side art and a little bit of rubbing on the screenprinted control panel notwithstanding, this Missile Command looks great. Will easily slide right into the basement arcade lineup.
Man is it HARD though! I have gotten on the leaderboard a grand total of… ONE time. My sister in law demolished my high score on her second time playing the game, so it seems my hand eye coordination leaves a bit to be desired. Still, a very fun game and an absolute classic. Welcome home, Missile Command!
Arcade '88 