Can we please consider resurrecting BallsOfSteel.net for games made more than 25 years ago?
For those new to the hobby, this is how it used to work. People fortunate enough to have good plastics for old games scanned them, cleaned them up in Photoshop, and uploaded them to BallsOfSteel.net. People who were missing decals or plastics could use these while they were waiting for high quality reproductions (which were slim to none, until CPR came on the scene). I'll also give a shout out to Jeff McAfee (Classic Arcades), who used to do great work. Ah, the good old days...
If I recall correctly, most of the scans on BallsOfSteel were for pre-DMD games that had no chance of being reproduced. I uploaded scans for Space Station and Blackout. I was young and anxious to start giving back to this hobby that made me feel ALIVE again (anyone who's gotten married, moved to the suburbs and had kids knows what I mean).
Now I know that some people get anxious about IPR. I am not a communist. What I'd say is, let us share our scans of pre-1990 artwork, and you can issue a takedown request for those titles when you decide to reproduce them. YOU WILL MAKE MORE MONEY.
Case in point: I downloaded the artwork for the center plastic for Vector, which was destroyed on my game. I was lazy (like 90% of pinheads), so I printed it on plain photographic paper. I sold the game to someone who liked the game better than me. Will that guy buy higher-quality CPR plastics? You bet he will! And I would have bought the plastics if they'd been available in 2004.
We've embraced crowd-sourcing in the software world. Why can't we do the same for these 80's titles that deserve more? QUALITY should be what sells reproductions, and I know Kevin and Stuart well enough to know that they can do MUCH better than guys like me. If you've bought repro plastics from them, you know that they are worth the price (and more).
In the meantime, the unpopular and rare titles languish. In my collection, it's Hot Shots, Trident, Time Fantasy and Andromeda. These will NEVER be reproduced. Keep this stuff off the black market and let us share. You'll benefit because anyone who cares enough to scan these titles will do a great job.
BTW, Kevin, Stuart and Rick: you guys are the best. Thank you for making my Fathom, Whirlwind, CSI and Black Knight games that I can be really proud of (after hundreds of hours).
