Taito MA
| Taito MA | |
|---|---|
 | |
| AKA | MA; Taito Video Game |
| Type | Sitdown |
| Released | 198X |
| Monitor | 15 kHz |
The Taito MA is an early low-profile sitdown arcade cabinet produced by Taito during the early 1980s.
Surviving examples carry prominent MA VIDEO GAME branding on the illuminated marquee and TAITO branding on the monitor bezel and front of the cabinet.
Exact factory specifications for the MA have not yet been recovered, and the monitor size, original wiring standard, dimensions and production date should therefore remain unconfirmed until contemporary Taito documentation or a surviving identification plate can be located.
Design
The MA is a compact sitdown cabinet with a steeply inclined monitor deck and distinctive wedge-shaped side panels.
Documented examples show:
- Deep sloping monitor installation
- Separate illuminated VIDEO GAME marquee
- MA designation printed above the marquee logo
- Large angular side panels extending almost the full height of the cabinet
- Narrow integrated control panel
- Forward-mounted coin mechanism
- Low steel base
- Long flat metal feet projecting beneath the cabinet
- Taito branding on the monitor surround and front panel
The side panels appear to have been produced in different colours. The surviving example illustrated here uses green sides with a black monitor surround and green control-panel graphics.
Control panels
At least two distinctly different control configurations are documented in the surviving photographs.
One example has a conventional action-game arrangement with:
- single joystick
- multiple action buttons
- Player 1 and Player 2 start buttons
Another surviving panel is configured for mahjong, with a dedicated rectangular mahjong button layout replacing the joystick and action buttons.
This strongly suggests that the MA was intended as a general-purpose cabinet capable of being supplied or converted for different types of game.
The extent to which the control-panel assembly itself is interchangeable has not yet been confirmed from factory documentation.
Relationship to the Tehkan Lava family
The MA is not identical to the Tehkan Lava, however the cabinet belongs visually to the same early-1980s Japanese low-sitdown design tradition and appears strongly influenced by the Lava format.
Notable similarities include:
- Low, narrow cabinet proportions
- A steeply inclined CRT presentation
- Long flat metal feet extending beneath the cabinet
- Broad wedge-shaped side profile
- Compact integrated control area
- Separate upper marquee assembly
- General-purpose rather than game-specific construction
The MA has substantial differences of its own, particularly the large slab-like side panels, marquee construction, control-panel treatment and front cabinet structure.
It is therefore preferable to describe the MA as Lava-influenced or Lava-derived in overall format rather than as a direct Lava clone.
This relationship is particularly relevant when considering other contemporary cabinets which adopted closely related proportions and structural ideas, including Taito's own MB and numerous cabinets documented under the broader Lava Clones grouping.
Monitor
The MA uses a CRT monitor mounted at a pronounced rearward angle beneath a dark glass or acrylic surround.
The surviving photographs demonstrate the cabinet operating with horizontally oriented games.
The exact factory monitor size, tube manufacturer and chassis model have not yet been established.
The monitor orientation and whether the cabinet was designed for field rotation also remain to be confirmed.
Wiring
The original factory wiring system has not yet been documented.
The MA predates the widespread adoption of JAMMA, so surviving JAMMA conversions should not be treated as evidence of its original wiring standard.
A factory wiring diagram, original harness or contemporary Taito service document would be required to establish the original pinout.
Identification
Useful features for identifying a Taito MA include:
- MA printed above the marquee artwork
- Large VIDEO GAME marquee
- Taito logo beneath the monitor
- Strongly sloping monitor deck
- Large wedge-shaped side panels
- Narrow front control panel
- Long flat metal feet
- Early Taito cabinet styling
- Interchangeable or variant control configurations documented on surviving examples
Further photographs of identification plates, internal wiring, monitor labels and cabinet rear panels would be particularly useful in establishing the full factory specification.
Gallery
-
Pair of MA cabinets -
Period arcade photograph; cabinets resembling the MA can be seen among the machines in the background. Courtesy of Neo-Arcadia. -
Front detail showing the MA VIDEO GAME marquee, monitor surround and standard control panel. Courtesy of Neo-Arcadia. -
Side profile showing the distinctive wedge-shaped cabinet body and projecting metal base feet. Courtesy of Neo-Arcadia. -
Three-quarter view of a surviving green-sided Taito MA. Courtesy of Neo-Arcadia. -
MA fitted with a mahjong control panel, demonstrating an alternative control configuration. Courtesy of Neo-Arcadia.
See also
- Taito MB
- Taito MJ
- Taito MY
- Taito MZ
- Tehkan(Tecmo) Lava
- Tehkan(Tecmo) Mini Lava
- Tehkan(Tecmo) New Lava
- Lava Clones
External links
Acknowledgements
Photographs used to document surviving examples of the Taito MA are reproduced from research and material shared by the community at Neo-Arcadia. Their work documenting these obscure early Taito cabinets has been invaluable in identifying the MA and related models.