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The OFFICIAL "Hey, I got a new machine" thread

mwong168

Administrator
Staff member
Nov 14, 2012
6,684
1,462
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Toronto
Congrats on getting a Mustang Premium mitch! Don't forget to get hookedpinball's brilliant tach mod which takes around 10 mins to install.


http://www.hookedonpinball.com/store/p13/Mustang_Mod_-_Tachometer.html

Ya it's a great playing game and I'm a big Trudeau fan. Will go good with my congo, JD and ghostbusters LE

I'm a big Trudeau fan as well and can't imagine my line up with Congo, Judge Dredd or Creech. I don't understand why Mustang never got the recognition it deserves as it is a great game. This game probably would have sold out like gangbusters if it was themed after Fast and Furious franchise.
 
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DRANO

Super Member
Nov 15, 2012
2,827
519
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Mississauga
Got a special one today.
I saw this pop up on eBay a few weeks ago due to an old search I had saved. I had been looking for this title for nearly 3 years and had pretty much given up on ever finding one.
It's one of the coolest woodrails I've seen and I've wanted to restore one from the first time I laid eyes on this game.

The auction was no reserve and stayed relatively low. To my surprise, my last second bid won.
Problem was the game was in Washington state.
I had to ship it to a depot near Brockport NY and then drive down to collect it and process it through customs.

Factor in exchange, transport, taxes and a 6 hr round trip and I must be insane to have purchased this.... but the heart wants what the heart wants :D

Don't expect to see the project log on this one anytime soon... but I'm really looking forward to this project!

The machine is a 1950 Gottlieb SPOT BOWLER.

20160412_220537.jpg


s-l1602.jpg



s-l1604.jpg
 
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DRANO

Super Member
Nov 15, 2012
2,827
519
113
Mississauga
Holy crap. That's amazingly cool. I'm trying to find a woodrail or two to round out my collection.

Are you planning on touching up the paint or just cleaning it up and leaving it as is?

I'll likely be performing a full restore.
On a game like this the challenge is in determining how much is too much.
My heart wants to make it look like it rolled off the factory floor... but something about preserving the machine's current state is appealing as well. It's a big dilemma I always face when touching something older.
 
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SuperPinball

Active Member
Feb 3, 2015
348
53
28
Richmond Hill
Are you planning on touching up the paint or just cleaning it up and leaving it as is?
I got into a debate with my wife who has recently been bitten by the EM bug. I picked up a couple of EM's for her and I told her it needs to stay in the garage where I will do a complete restoration with possible recab etc. She wanted it cleaned up and put into the lineup as is because she likes the character of the pin in as original as possible condition. She was cool with me spending half a day cleaning and polishing it though o_O.Oh well, it saved me some time for my other projects.
 

stiffler4444

Active Member
Nov 20, 2012
387
46
28
50
Crystal Beach, Ontario
I casually collect antique furniture and always look for worn- in original condition pieces. There is an historic "feel" to an original piece that restored variants don't seem to carry.
 

DRANO

Super Member
Nov 15, 2012
2,827
519
113
Mississauga
I casually collect antique furniture and always look for worn- in original condition pieces. There is an historic "feel" to an original piece that restored variants don't seem to carry.

I'm sort of in the same boat. The only thing that sways me in the other direction is playability.
We've all stepped up to a tired EM with uneven playfield and it's just not always that much fun. When I restored my Centigrade 37 and filled in all the cupped inserts and airbrushed all the vibrant colours back it just felt sooooo sweet! The game plays like butter and the historian in me always loses when I stop to think that "this is how it must have played on day 1".

IMG_3888.JPG


Then there is this example.
I don't really care too much how this 1937 Bally Booster plays. It's more of a fixture or piece of furniture in my office.
It gets turned on and fed pennies maybe once a month. I am never touching this machine aside from the initial cleaning and waxing I gave it. I have to look at things on a project by project basis.

IMG-20150119-WA0008.jpeg

Spot Bowler is supposed to be a pretty good player.
If you look at the layout, those pins (lamp covers) are the main objective. You can spot them via the pops and the outlanes, but you are really shooting for the centre STRIKE target to get them all. The more strikes, the higher the score. If you are just off centre and get the red rollover, you will "knock down" a little over half of the pins. If you get the outside yellow rollover, just the two outer pins on that side get taken down.... just like real bowling. So, this is a game where I don't want funny ball movement from cupped inserts.

Anyway, it's still along way off. Too many other projects. I will have time to think on this one for a while.
 
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Seven

Active Member
Oct 6, 2015
255
150
43
57
Prince Edward Island
www.pinballorama.com
I found that old Williams Harvey woodrail machine. It's rough but works. Someone repainted the cabinet so I want to put that back to the original design - but I want to do it distressed. I don't want it to look new.

The playfield is ok, has some rough spots, but I think I'm going to leave it. I'll clean it the best I can but I'm not going to touch up any paint. As is, it's one of those machines you look at and think "This has been well loved".

My Palooka machine has some really rough wood on the cabinet front. It has been repainted white. I filled in the deep wood grooves but didn't make it perfect. I left a few dings and rough bits. It would have looked strange with the rest of the cabinet being a little dinged up and the front being perfect.

It's a toss up and I guess it really depends on the machine and the wear that machine has.
 
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Aunt Agnes

Member
Nov 5, 2015
80
22
8
45
Kitchener, Ontario
Got a nice Earthshaker yesterday for my first foray into the hobby from a great local guy. The cabinet is a bit worn in places but it came with new decals for when I decide to redo it. It also has new ramps/plastics and plays great. Just what I was looking for in my first machine. Just a really nice player's condition machine. And yes, that picture off to the side on the shelf with some of my Star Wars things is me with Carrie Fisher aka Princess Leia :D
 

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