Which, before I get into it, let me say: I’m the last dude who should ever do a how-to on anything, except maybe writing a novel or a story. But maybe not even that. However, got one of those 3/4 scale 1-Up Galaga machines for Christmas, and of course love love love it. However? I’m six-plus feet tall, so this of course doesn’t quite work:
Anyway, a quick search of YouTube showed there’s plenty of heighteners—1-up even sells a slick riser that matches the cabinet.
However, unless I’m reading things wrong, that riser only adds twelve inches, yes? So, my solution was, of course, a quick trip to the thrift store on half-off day:
I actually went looking for a stool or endtable or random block or something, but then this chair, I could see how it could quickly and easily become this:
just the right width 
and those tabs are perfect
So, the only ‘assembly’ after that, I mean, it’s just setting the machine up into the chair:
Which even leaves some nifty storage space underneath, for A) my drawer of cassettes and B) my drawer of necessary VHS tapes:
It’s pretty all right, doesn’t shake, and the arms keep me from worrying the machine’s going to fall over sideways when the bullets are raining down and I’m double-wide and in a panic. Only maybe issue for some might be that, since chair seats are usually tilted back slightly, the machine now tilts back just a bit:
The tiltback doesn’t bother me, kind of even feels right for the plane of the controls to be at that angle, but mileage varies, of course. And, if it gets to bothering me, I could just put the bolts back in that rear tab, maybe stack a nut or two under them as spacers, and, bam: level.
Only other mod I’ve done is lay a couple of stubby 2×6’s under the chair (um, flat of course), since it turns out sixteen inches is a better fit for me than fourteen. But, the planks are just temporary. I got plans to luck onto some plastic riser-type feet on junked exercise equipment or something, make them work on the tubular runners of this used-to-be-a-chair. I live at the thrift store, I mean. I’ll find something black and matching soon.
Oh, and, before this black chair, like, on Christmas day when I had to play, I found that what worked so wonderfully was a patio chair. Instead of having metal tabs, they tend to have hard-metal straps all across under the seat, for the outdoor cushion. That makes for a more stable frame. However, our patio chairs are brown, and this cabinet is black, AND, as I quickly discovered, absconding with one of our patio chairs meant we had one less chair around the patio table, and that just wouldn’t do. But, patio chairs are everywhere, yes? I’m sure there’s a black one out there for you somewhere, and, the good thing about patio chairs is they require zero disassembly. Just put that machine up there and play, man. It’s what I do pretty much every hour of every day now:
is the NYT bestselling author of 35 or so books, +350 stories, some comic books, and all this stuff here. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, and has a few broken-down old trucks, one PhD, and way too many boots. More