Yes, you read the title right I bought an original Operation Wolf arcade machine. This happened back in 2018 and I kept the cab for about 18 months before moving it on.
I started 2018 as I usually do thinking about what I want to add to my retro collection. I like to set some goals for some big purchases, items that aren’t quite the norm or systems still missing from my collection that I still want to get hold of.
In 2016 it was a Vectrex for example & 2018 was always going to be about an arcade machine, but the plan was that when I got back from my February holiday, I would get the ball rolling in March with a custom built MAME arcade cab. What I didn’t realise was that a blinking big curve ball would be thrown into the mix whilst I was on my holiday.
Where Did I Find Operation Wolf?
One very warm morning during my family holiday in Florida I woke up in my hotel room & checked my phone (as you do). On Twitter I Read a message from my retro pal Retro Dave Nintendo that was also sent to my other good pals RetroShmuper (Garron from the RGDS podcast) & RetroGamersClub (AKA Neil).
Dave was selling his Operation Wolf Cab & was making us aware first if we were interested. Well for the next day it was all I really thought about whilst the rest of my family was having a lot of fun exploring Disney World with me in tow! It really played on my mind as this was the machine both my Dad & I would play in the seaside arcade’s in the late 80’s & early 90’s.
I would buy the Hit Squad release as soon as I got my Commodore 64C back in 1989, I’ve also got it now for my Sega Master System & I even featured it in an old YouTube video about the arcade games I grew up with. Clearly this game means a lot to me.
Would It Fit In My Games Room?
The only stumbling block was that I had already got someone working on the previously mentioned custom designed Star Wars MAME cab. So, whilst exploring the parks of Disney World I explained to my Wife the situation & she said to me “when will you ever get the chance to buy this machine again from a friend who lives 10 minutes up the road”, followed by “can you fit both cabs in your room”.
Following this short chat family member’s back in England where messaged & tasked with measuring my room & then the deal with Dave was done. Dave had a buyer & I was getting Operation Wolf cab.
Collecting A Large Arcade Machine
3 weeks later in mid-March my Dad, Brother, Brother in Law & myself picked the machine up from Dave. Fortunately, Dave had put wheels on the bottom of the machine & with five of us his end it was a quite a straightforward move into the back of my Dads van.
At the other end it proved tricky getting the cab through my front door as it’s a very tall cab but after some grunting & swearing we got it in (then my Dad got first go). I did have had to completely re organise my games room as a result.
I am glad I did it & I thank my wife Claire for her advice & encouragement in letting me literally grab a piece of my childhood. So I was the owner of an original Operation Wolf arcade machine as well as the planned MAME Star Wars themed cab. I wasa very lucky retro gamer.
Owning An Original Arcade Cabinet
Something I had never thought about at the time was the reality of owning an original arcade machine. Operation Wolf was obviously a gun game so there were quite a few things that could potentially go wrong.
After the initial honeymoon period of owning Operation Wolf the thoughts of what happens if something goes wrong popped into my head regularly. I didn’t have a clue as to how to fix it.
Also, the machine was really loud, even on its lowest volume setting. This meant that playing the game at night when the kids had gone to bed was not an option. Something else I hadn’t considered. This mainly limited my playing time to weekends.
The other big issue was that I didn’t really get my head round how much space it would take up in my relatively small games room. After around 18 months of owning the machine, my head won the battle with my heart, and I sold it.
Owning The Game Was Fun
I loved the time that I had with Operation Wolf and love the fact that I can say that I owned the classic arcade game. However, things worked out for the best, but I am glad it has been part of my collecting story,
To own an arcade game that was a big part of my childhood was very cool. The space it took up and the potential maintenance issues however meant my time with it was limited. It was a lot of fun whilst it lasted.
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