I’m right in the middle of another project, but winter isn’t letting me finish it up (no way to paint inside). So, in the meantime, I decided to really start learning how to 3d model better. Who’s familiar with the Nintendo Game and Watch Tabletop games? The most famous is definitely Donkey Kong Jr. by Coleco

Nintendo made a bunch of others, though. Snoopy and Popeye are pretty neat. They’re all LCD games, but this tabletop games needed ambient light – otherwise you couldn’t see anything! No backlight built in.

Getting My Hands on One

First thing I had to do was get one. I scoured ebay for a long time, these things can be expensive! Eventually a bought a pretty good one though for a very reasonable price. My model is Mario’s Cement Factory.

I needed a real version so that I could 3d model it. I started by taking a profile shot, drawing that outline, and then extruding out the basic shape. Then, came hours and hours of shaping. I had never really used a 3d modeling program before so it took a long time to learn. I also needed it to be easy to take apart and assemble, so I can insert the parts.

You can see in some shots how I built in a screen holder. I’m planning to use a 4″ lcd. It will also all hold together with small 3d printed pins.

Next Steps

Even though I’ve gone full-pc for a previous miniature build, this time I’ll probably go with a Raspberry Pi. I just want this to be MAME compatible, so Windows isn’t necessary. I also have to decide on a theme. I’ve actually decided that already but saving that for a surprise!