Is there any benefit to going with the Astro City 2 or New Astro City? I don't really like the way the speakers look on those.
If you're putting in a Model 2 board at some point, then the Astro City 2 is the one you want due to the extra room at the back. I'm with Lallander, I don't really like the look of the speakers on the Astro City 2's. I personally prefer the OG astro, but if stereo sound is a factor then the NAC is the better option. NAC's also normally have MS9's in them which is arguably one of the best 15khz arcade monitors out there - I personally prefer the thicker scanlines on the MS8's so the OG astro is perfect for me
Are there any less expensive candy cabs with a similar look that might do the trick?
The OK baby's or the Storm City or any other clone would be cheaper, but you will end up costing more because you will buy it for the cheaper rate, and then get frustrated with it and end up buying a Japanese candy anyway
My motto is, buy once and save
Add on any additional expenses such as replacing buttons, sourcing coins, ashtray, stools. This is going to be a pricey addition.
Don't forget this is a hobby, you don't have to get everything straight away. You accumulate over time. If the CP isn't great but you can live it with, save up and over time, buy from alberto or Raf. Buttons/sticks will probably be an "immediate" purchase if the they are inoperable, but in my experience they will usually be sufficient albeit not the colour scheme you are after.
Coins/tokens/ashtray's are trivial things that can be purchased WAY later.
Stool wise, I would personally invest in taito stools - if you're going to be purchasing from Matt, ask about Taito stools - you'll need 43cm ones. They are, in my personal opinion, one of the best investments in this hobby to really give yourself that comfortable experience whilst playing. You can get substitute stools from Ikea or your local Target, but you will eventually gravitate to the Taito stool and once you sit on them, you'll realise what the fuss is about
Be open to the idea of learning about arcade cabs and slowly developing the knowledge and skillset for some repairs if you can. These things are decades old, served in public settings, and the need for repairs, whether cosmetic or functional, won't a case of if, but when.
100%
If you don't have or don't know how to use a soldering iron and digital multi meter (DMM), I cannot emphasise enough how much you should learn how to use those two in this hobby. A DMM will allow you to take accurate 12v and 5v readings from you PSU which is something everyone on this hobby should know how to do.
Soldering is probably not as important, but once you start getting into repair work or making components (Fluffy's cave pcbs for example or even installing darksoft multis), then soldering becomes another critical skill to learn/have for the hobby.
From my personal experience, monitor removal for the Blast is also a massive pain compared to Astro if you plan to occasionally rotate for vertical games.
In my experience, the blast is a massive pain in EVERYTHING compared to the astro
(actually, I lie, the control panel removal thing on the blast is pretty cool). But yes, rotation of the monitor is a real punish, but the worst thing about the blast for me is the speaker removal.
