SNK Liberty

SNK Liberty
Katakana	リバティー筐体
Rōmaji	RIBATĪKYŌTAI
AKA	Liberty Cabinet, TOWA Liberty, SNK/TOWA Liberty
Type	Sitdown
Released	1991
Dimensions	590 x 455 x 1240 mm
Wiring	MVS
Monitor	18 in
Power Supply	AC100V
Power	95 W

Summer to Fall of 1991, TOWA of Japan (トーワジャパン= TŌWAJAPAN) jointly with SNK announced in advertisements the launch of a very dagashiya mini upright style cabinet nicknamed "Liberty" cabinet (リバティー筐体) which could be considered a simpler & cheaper version of SNK SCB-U4, the latter a quasi clone of SEGA/Coreland Soft Desk 10. The cab is made by Towa Japan.

The SNK/TOWA Liberty featured an 18" monitor, reduced dimensions (~17cm smaller than SCB-U4) and it housed a 1-slot MVS system only. It boasted being "incredibly compact and lightweight" but no weight was given. Same as on several so called "Mini Upright" wooden cabs, it had vents for the loudspeaker (probably mono sound system then) on the wooden service door. SCB-U4 on the other hand has stereo speakers. The Liberty didn't share the same control panel as the SCB-U4 though it shared the same clustered Seimitsu-designed button layout, as the counter was moved from the control panel to the main chassis, right above, between 1P and 2P start buttons where the game select button is normally on the SCB-U4.

Being a single Neo-Geo MVS game cabinet, the TOWA Liberty does not feature a header nor a topper panel and thus no game marquee to show unlike say a single slot MVS cab such as the SNK MVS-U1/25 or even the old style Candy 18

The Liberty ads featured next to other ads for the SCB-U4 itself (final release , not the SCB-U4 proto). A july 1991 article erroneously claims the cab is 16", ads would correct this to 18", same article states the Liberty cabinet would preferably be installed in "SC" locations ( = Shopping Center ), although it is not part of SNK's SC- series. It seems SNK's use of the term for the SC series of compact cabinets (MV19SC-0 in 1990, then SCB-U4 then later SC14-2 etc) follows this nomenclature principle.

Gallery

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  July 1991 article (here monitor supposedly 16" but is really 18" according to detailed ads)
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  July 1991 advert
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  September 1991 ad