Electro mechanical Arcade Arm Wrestling
History
This rare Arcade machine is known as "The Challenger". It is a 4 player arm wrestling challenge game, where competitors take turns to see who has the strongest arm!
This is 1 of 4 machines thought to exist.
Details
GAMEPLAY
Players take turns testing their “strength” on the machine. The LCD eadout goes up to 999 and then rolls over to 001 if the arm goes far enough.
It seems the average score for men is around 350-400 or so, and 705 being the highest that anyone has pulled on this machine since we've had it.
A single game buy in is .50 cents (two quarters) which = 1 credit. Up to 9 credits can be entered into the machine, and 4 players can take turns in a single round.
When a players turn is indicated in the "Player Number' display, they should grasp the side handle brace with the non-playing hand. With the playing hand, reach through the U bar to grasp the arm wrestling handle. Once the handle starts being pressed, it will record the highest output and the players turn will be over when the handle moves backward.
The inner workings are actually pretty simple. It works by using 3 large springs and two shock absorbers that provide tension on the arm.
A potentiometer on the pivot shaft measures the distance moved by sending voltage to the circuit board, that is then displayed as a corresponding number of strength.
This machine was purchased from a private collector in San Diego, CA and had previously been in storage for almost a decade. Currently this is the only "The Challenger" machine registered with VAPS (Video Arcade Preservation Society), however, it is thought that 3 other machines exist, due to forum discussions & photos. One of which, that is possibly new old stock, in it's original crate.
We did a light restoration on this machine which basically amounts to a good cleaning/sticker removal, tightening and replacing nuts & bolts, Internal lubrication, replacing lots of rubber parts such as the grips and boot, replacement of locks and refurbishing of coin mechanisms.
One interesting thing we figured out from attempting to find a replacement boot for the beat up original was that there aren't many long rectangular shift boots available on the market. One of the few available, but a popular replacement in aftermarket parts is the Jeep CJ5 / CJ7 transfer case shift boot. This boot ended up being an EXACT match, from the factory holes to the internal construction. It looks like the manufacturers made the Jeep CJ5/CJ7 boot standard production on this arcade machine!
This machine is thought to have been manufactured sometime in 1992. Although there is "MFG DATE" printed on one of the circuit boards, the date was never filled in. In photos of a different machine, we see can a date of 12/4/92 that is printed next to a part number (92-865 B) on a microchip which ours doesn't have. However, our Challenger machine does have the same part number of 92-865 B. I'm not sure if the 92 in the part number also stands for the year, but it is likely that could.
One thing the machine with the MFG DATE doesn't have, that our machine has, is a Serial number. Our machine is labeled as number "The Challenger Serial #1002". Could it be the second production machine off the assembly line? Could it be number one thousand and two? Seeing as how there were only 10,000 of some very popular Arcade machines manufactured in the heyday of the 80's, and the rarity of this industrial grade machine, I think it is unlikely that 1000's of these machines were produced. We don't know for sure, but it seems like we would see more of these industrial grade machines around if there were.
The Challenger is likely made by the same company and related to the following similar arm wrestling machines, and is rumored to be manufacturer by a company called "Creative Ideas".
Other machines with similar construction & graphics
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Muscle Master
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Bicep Buster
The Challenger also had at least two known back glass versions. The one you see on this machine, and another that was a bit less colorful with what looks like potentially the same men and women. However, the women are now facing to the outside of the machine, rather than the inside toward the arm wrestling. The colors are also subdued with mostly blue or white clothing.
Also on the other machine "The Challenger" decals in front don't include as many overlapping repeated naming and thus doesn't extend as far down on the front of the machine.
MACHINE
HISTORY
CONSTRUCTION
&
DIMENTIONS
MARQUEE & BACK GLASS
The marquee & "back glass" is crystal clear plexiglass with graphics printed on the backside. Areas that show through to LCD digit displays and LED indicator lights are left unprinted and clear to display the digits and indicators for the game.
FRAME
The frame is constructed from welded 1.25" thick , 1" diameter, grey powder coated square tube steel, which makes a very solid frame.
PANELS
The panels are constructed from folded edge, 16 gauge, blue powder coated steel.
PLATFORM
The standing platform is .125", 6061 aluminum diamond plate.
DIMENTIONS
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Width: 36”
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Depth: 15” (30” with platform)
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Height: 65.5”
These machines were built to last! If I hadn't seen the manufacture date in other photos, I would have thought this machine was built in the 70's or 80's. It's just got that old school look and industrial feel. Another dead giveaway to the age are the LED's. Not many consumer electronics had LED indicators prior to 1992.
Audio
&
Speakers
Two pin-outs on the main board provide amplified audio to two, 3" speakers wired in parallel.
Below are all of the audio clips from the game.
ELECTRICAL
&
COINAGE
POWER REQUIREMENTS - 120v, 5a, AC
COST OF PLAY - .50 (not sure if this is adjustable)
If anyone is out there reading this and owns this machine, knows someone who owns one, or just has additional information, we'd love to hear from you! We're dedicated to building upon the history of this machine and adding accurate info to this page and to the VAPS historical listing as it comes.
