Since so many 90's dedicated arcade cabinets have been converted to other games during their life it can be tricky identifying what they initially were. A lot of times the main serial number id tag on the back will be missing or even painted over. There is another one located inside the cabinet on the side but that doesn't help when the cabinet is locked and there's no key or you are purchasing it site unseen and you only have photos to go off of.
There are still ways to identify the cabinet even if the two main id tags are missing. There are much smaller model number and serial number tags that are placed on the monitors, power supplies, pcbs, and control panel that can identify what the cabinet was, it will be a 5 digit number.
Another way of narrowing down the possibilities is by looking at the t-molding. If the t-molding is banged up then it more than likely is original.
Most operators just reused the original control panels when they converted a game. A lot of times they will have new artwork installed on them and may have additional holes drilled in them or even a huge trackball hole in the middle. You may see original holes that were reused and can help in identifying the original layout.
Listed below is the 5 digit model numbers for 90's Midway cabinets and the color t-molding that they originally came with. Pictured will be the original control panel layouts.
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Killer Instinct |
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Killer Instinct 2 40064 Dark Red T-Molding |
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Mortal Kombat ID tag will say MORTAL COMBAT 40025 43725 Bright Red T-Molding |
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Mortal Kombat II ID tag will say MORTAL KOMBAT II 40029 |
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Mortal Kombat 3 ID tag will say M. K. III 40039 Bright Red T-Molding |
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Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 ID tag will say M. K. III 20313 Bright Red T-Molding |
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Mortal Kombat 4 Black T-Molding |
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Rampage World Tour 20286? |
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NBA Jam ID tag will say NBA BASKETBALL 40023 Black T-Molding |
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NBA Jam Tournament Edition ID tag will say NBA TOURNAMENT 40043 Black T-Molding |
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NBA Jam Tournament Edition Nani |
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NBA Hangtime |
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NFL Blitz 2 Player |
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NHL Open Ice 20286 Combination of Red, Black, and Blue T-Molding |
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NHL Hit the Ice ID tag will say HIT THE ICE 30003 Combination of Red and Black T-Molding |
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Power Up Baseball ID tag will say POWER UP BASEBALL 43362 Bright Red T-Molding |
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Smash TV (25" model) 3044U1 Bright Red T-Molding |
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SportStation 40023 Black T-Molding |
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Strike Force ID tag will say STRIKE FORCE 40013 |
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Super High Impact Football 40017 Combination of Red and Black T-Molding |
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Total Carnage 40010 Bright Red T-Molding |
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Trog 40003 Black T-Molding |
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Wrestlemania 40030 Black T-Molding |
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War Gods 19510 Black T-Molding |
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2 comments
XLArcade
There’s two differen’t shades of Red T-Molding produced. Neither is 100% a match to the original shade but the modern bright red one is a much closer match then the darker red. IE: https://www.t-molding.com/3-4in-bright-red-t-molding.html
The site you listed just simply created the name “blood red” for the brighter red one. All sites sell the same, I’ve gotten samples from multiple places and they’re identical.
Rickyboy
FYI all Mortal Kombat cabinets original came with “Blood red” t-molding, not bright red. ie: https://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=219