Donkey Kong Side Art (PC Amusements)
Finding a Donkey Kong with Side Art fully intact is like finding the holy grail! Finding NOS side art is even harder. We've all been waiting for Reproduction Side Art for Donkey Kong for a long time, well now we have it.
I ordered a set from PC Amusements on 7/14/2000 and received them on 7/15/2000! Talk about fast service! Very nice people to do business with.
Now, if you are looking for a perfect reproduction of the Side Art, well then you better keep looking because these are not it. The price tag at $160 (shipped) is pretty steep too considering they have some "Problems".
Problem Number 1
The Art came rolled up, and it wasn't the normal "Loosely rolled up" type either, Take a look at the picture and you can see what I had to do just to get it flat to take a picture! This is VERY bad because its going to make applying the Art troublesome unless I can convince the Art to flatten out before I apply it. (This will happen in a Month or two since I have to repaint the cabinet, and I don't have the time to do so).
The Art itself really could have used a good touch up. Take a look at the pictures and you'll see what I mean. The Small Text is blurry and smudged in spots. Lines are not sharp, they have typical scanner "Noise" along the edges. Now I don't have any side art to compare it against, but I would suspect that the original was a lot cleaner looking.
Problem Number 3
I don't think the colors are 100% correct. Again, I don't have a real set to compare against, but I get the feeling that they are slightly off. If I am wrong, please let me know. The reason I say this, is because Mario is blending into the Ramp too much. I could have sworn that he was more defined.
So now you're asking your self, is this really worth $160? Is it good enough? Well, that all depends. First off, I personally do not think that it is worth $160. I would be happy to pay $100 for it though, but that's my "Pain threshold". Had it been as good as the original, then I wouldn't mind paying $160 all day long. Am I going to ask for my Money back? Hell no.
If you have no Side Art, or Bad Side Art, then these would make a great replacement if you don't mind the flaws. I don't mind them that much, although I would much prefer a better set. If you are a perfectionist, then this is probably a pass for you. If you are like me, and would prefer a nicer looking machine, than I recommend you buy a set.
You might try talking them down, since I saw a set sell on eBay (from them) for $130 which is closer to reasonable.