# Star Wars Trilogy Deluxe Arcade - Restoration!

**Source:** RetroRalph  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2020-05-23  
**Duration:** 6m 52s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pax88xdpzpc

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## Analysis

RetroRalph visits Arizona Arcade Heroes' restored Star Wars Trilogy Deluxe arcade cabinet (Sega Model 3, 1998). The sit-down deluxe configuration was purchased for $600 and restored with $250 in upgrades including a new subwoofer, LED lighting, speaker system, and cosmetic restoration. The restoration demonstrates the viability of full-size arcade restoration as a hobby.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Star Wars Trilogy arcade was produced by Sega in 1998 and runs on Sega Model 3 hardware — _RetroRalph providing historical/technical information about the machine_
- [MEDIUM] The sit-down deluxe configuration of Star Wars Trilogy is hard to find in good condition — _RetroRalph commenting on availability and condition of this specific cabinet model_
- [HIGH] The machine's force feedback joystick was non-functional before restoration but was successfully repaired — _RetroRalph noting surprise at finding a working force feedback unit and Corey confirming the restoration_
- [HIGH] Corey paid $600 for the cabinet in beat-up condition and invested approximately $250 in restoration — _Direct conversation between RetroRalph and Corey about purchase and restoration costs_
- [HIGH] Star Wars Trilogy can be emulated at home using Supermodel emulator — _RetroRalph providing technical information about emulation options_

### Notable Quotes

> "A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into getting this thing from roughed out to showroom quality."
> — **Corey (Arizona Arcade Heroes)**, early segment
> _Sets context for the restoration effort and emotional investment in the project_

> "Dude, you know what's so awesome about this is the sub. I don't know if the sub that this game came with was as good as the one you put in, but, like, I feel everything. I can feel the air from the subwoofer below me. It's frickin' amazing."
> — **RetroRalph**, gameplay segment
> _Highlights the audio upgrade quality and impact on gameplay experience_

> "I can already feel it is you've got the force feedback. It actually works and destroys it."
> — **RetroRalph**, gameplay segment
> _Confirms successful restoration of force feedback joystick, a key feature_

> "I was surprised you were able to find one where the force feedback actually works because that's usually broken"
> — **RetroRalph**, final thoughts
> _Indicates force feedback failure is a common issue with these cabinets, making Corey's restoration noteworthy_

> "Yeah, I will say he's got three in his kitchen that his wife somehow let him do. I'm not sure how you pulled that off, but I know it wouldn't fly with Mark Kim, man."
> — **RetroRalph**, closing segment
> _Humorous commentary about arcade collector enthusiasm and household dynamics_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| RetroRalph | person | YouTube content creator and arcade expert host conducting the restoration showcase and gameplay |
| Corey | person | Owner of Arizona Arcade Heroes, performed full arcade restoration on Star Wars Trilogy cabinet |
| Arizona Arcade Heroes | organization | YouTube channel and arcade restoration business owned by Corey, based in Arizona |
| Star Wars Trilogy Deluxe | game | Arcade cabinet from 1998 by Sega running on Model 3 hardware, sit-down deluxe configuration with force feedback joystick |
| Sega | company | Manufacturer of Star Wars Trilogy arcade cabinet in 1998 on Model 3 hardware |
| Sega Model 3 | product | Hardware platform used by Star Wars Trilogy arcade cabinet |
| Supermodel emulator | product | Home emulation software that can run Star Wars Trilogy arcade game |
| Arcade1Up | company | Home arcade cabinet manufacturer; mentioned as alternative to full-size restoration |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Arcade cabinet restoration and refurbishment, Force feedback joystick repair and functionality, Audio system upgrades (subwoofer, speakers), Star Wars Trilogy arcade hardware and history
- **Secondary:** Home emulation vs. full-size cabinet experience comparison, Arcade collector community and hobbies

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — RetroRalph expresses genuine enthusiasm for the restoration quality, repeatedly praising Corey's work. The tone throughout is celebratory and encouraging about full-size arcade restoration as a hobby. No criticism or negative comments about the restoration process or final result.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** RetroRalph creating content showcasing arcade restoration hobby and encouraging audience participation through Arizona Arcade Heroes channel promotion (confidence: high) — Explicit calls to subscribe to Arizona Arcade Heroes YouTube channel and Facebook page at conclusion of video
- **[market_signal]** Full-size arcade cabinet restoration is economically viable with $600 purchase + $250 restoration yielding showroom-quality result, potentially spurring hobby interest (confidence: high) — Corey's documented costs and RetroRalph's positive reaction to restoration ROI; comparison to Arcade1Up alternatives mentioned
- **[technology_signal]** Force feedback joystick failure is a common issue with Star Wars Trilogy cabinets; successful repair is noteworthy and difficult (confidence: high) — RetroRalph: 'I was surprised you were able to find one where the force feedback actually works because that's usually broken'

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## Transcript

Hey guys, welcome back. So today's episode we're going to talk about... Uh, hold on, I got an incoming Skype call. Retro Ralph! This is Darth Vader. I need you to join the Dark Side. Um, sorry, name's not ringing a bell. Who are you again and why are you calling me? The Dark Side! You know, the First Order, the bad guys in the Star Wars universe! Look man, I don't know who you are, but you need to lose this number, okay? I forgot. Ralph knows nothing about Star Wars. I'll need a new approach. Let's try this. Yes, it's me, Lord Helmet. I need you to come now to Mesa. I have something important to show you. Lord Helmet? Like THE Lord Helmet? Dude, why didn't you tell me that in the first place? I'm coming right now. All right, I'm here. So, uh, who are you exactly? Well, I'm not Lord Hellman. Sorry about that. I am Lord Vader. But there's a reason I called you here today. Yeah, man, it's all the way down to Mesa. It's like an hour drive. What's up? Well, apparently the word in the galaxy is that you're the arcade expert. Of course. So? I have this fabulous machine. I'd like you to not only play, but tell me what you think about the entire thing. You're gonna let me play this? Of course, the force is strong with you. All right, all right, well I'll do what you say. All right, let's check this thing out. Go ahead. All right guys before I try this out I just wanted to introduce Corey from Arizona Arcade Heroes So this is his machine Yeah man this thing is awesome I excited that you get to come over and check it out A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into getting this thing from roached out to showroom quality. So I'm excited to have you try it out. It definitely didn't look like this when you got it, right? I mean it was pretty beat up. Very beat up. Borderline toss out in the dumpster. But of course we can't do that to something Star Wars. Yeah, yeah. So, all right, real quick though, just so people realize like what you can potentially get these for, like how much did you pay for it before you cleaned it up? So the guy wouldn't budge on the price. He wanted 600 bucks for it. All right. And how much do you think you put into it? I've only got about $250 into it right now. Okay, so that's not bad. It looks awesome. So I'm going to play it and then we're going to go around and show you like all the things that Corey did to it because I mean, he really cleaned it up. It looks killer. Awesome. All right, let's do it. All right, Corey, it's time. You're going to go destroy the Death Star first. So one thing I'm really surprised about, dude, is I can already feel it is you've got the force feedback. It actually works and destroys it. So, guys, this thing is extremely loud. You know, Corey put an upgraded subwoofer in it, which is awesome. Yeah, you know, a lot of people have been doing arcade one-ups of this, but it's like, dude, this is a whole other ball game, you know what I mean? Well the reason I not going to get out of here with those speakers but you probably can see it in the camera but behind me right off on the seat actually there two additional speakers that we need to put into the speaker system so you get a full surround sound Yeah I noticed that I getting like this effect of you know the fighters going by me It pretty cool Dude, you know what's so awesome about this is the sub. I don't know if the sub that this game came with was as good as the one you put in, but, like, I feel everything. I can feel the air from the subwoofer below me. It's pretty frickin' amazing. Man, I will say with the force feedback, it's like, it has a lot of, like, it feels very stiff, which it's supposed to feel like, but it's like almost an arm workout to play the damn game. You got it. Yeah. Nice. Okay, so I'm having way too much fun with this. I can't even begin to explain to you how well that force feedback joystick works. It's just amazing. And the sub that he put in makes it sound great. So what about, what did he do to this thing, right? He did a lot of upgrading. The cool thing is a lot of the artwork was intact. He didn't really have to do anything with it immediately. The marquee looked good. He just had to replace the lights. The side art is still in really good condition. So maybe down the road, he'd have to replace that. The back, the lights were out. So he put some LED lights on. He also put some speakers in the back. He painted the seat. I mean, he did a killer job. The control panel, he cleaned it all up. This thing looks stellar. I'm so stoked for him and I really don't want to leave. But look at how awesome this is. So the Star Wars trilogy was actually produced by Sega in 1998. And this runs on the Sega Model 3 hardware. There was three configurations of the cabinet. The one that Cory got was the Sit Down Deluxe It actually is really hard to find one of these in good condition but he fixed it all right up It looks awesome So you can emulate this stuff at home with the Supermodel emulator but, you know, obviously if you have this, there's no comparison. But if you wanted to maybe make an arcade one-up version of this, you totally could do that with the Supermodel emulator. Alright guys, it's final thoughts time. So Corey, was this the first time you did a full-size arcade restoration? Hold on. much better yes first full arcade restoration usually do arcade one-ups but as you know that's kind of the gateway and then you like to get into the bigger stuff dude well you killed it i mean you nailed it i mean you painted everything up real nice i was surprised you were able to find one where the force feedback actually works because that's usually broken but like you nailed it man so i guess the sky's the limit now right hey thanks man i'd love to get some more cabinets to keep because i know i'm keeping this one but i don't have much room left in my house for any more cabinets. Yeah, I will say he's got three in his kitchen that his wife somehow let him do. I'm not sure how you pulled that off, but I know it wouldn't fly with Kim, man. Jedi mind trick? Yeah, maybe. That's what it must be. Well, tell them where they can find you because you've got a great YouTube show. Oh, thank you. Yeah, please come to YouTube and we're on Facebook too. It's Arizona's Arcade Heroes and if you like the content I'd really appreciate the subscribe or the like. Alright guys, you know where it goes from here. We will see you on we out

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: ef0279a6-d752-4d0b-ba62-a0280ed04e5f*