Embryon begins on a rainy Saturday

[Wotto]

Hey all - hope everyone is well 

So the time is finally here- back to the pins  
A few of you saw the Embryon I grabbed a few months back , it has just been sitting around doing nothing.
I am not 'really' ready to start this game or Joker Poker yet ( still have work to do around home ) but today I decided to tear it down and start the restore thread on this game.

Posts will ( probably ) be weeks / months in some cases apart but I may as well start somewhere.

I have no idea if this game even works and wont discover that until after the 'physical' restoration is completed.
The game will get all new parts on top of the playfield.......anything that is a generic part available for purchase will be new.
The plastics are in decent shape apart from the centre ( the MAIN one ) of course and just need cleaning and flattening.
All new screws and acorn nuts will be used ( I think )

The playfield is a disaster.
The long term ( hope ) is to somehow find a NOS or a used one in better nick than this ( wouldnt be hard   ) or one day a repro  
Somehow I figure something will turn up one day.
In the meantime I am being put in touch with an artist that works on numerous Hollywood film "storyboards" who can ( apparently ) re-paint the missing sections VERY well on playfields - IF she does a decent job I will then clearcoat this playfield after her work and POSSIBLY that could be good enough - have to give it a try at least.

So today I tore the playfield down to reveal just exactly how bad some of these worn area's are....

Here are the results...






And this is the image I will give to the artist to work from.......so you and me will be able to see how good a job she does of this later on.




Its the same all over this playfield ....






Here is an overall shot from an hour ago.
Look and you will see all the area's of wear down the left side, in the centre and along the right side ( not as bad as left side ) as well.




So the plan is to restore the playfield as best as I can and then move on to the cabinet ( not a lot of work needed ) and then see if it works after that and take it from there. I have also done the obligatory 'stocktake' of parts required above and below the playfield today - quite a list  

Obviously if ANYONE EVER hears of a playfield being available please let me know ASAP.

[punter]

Bloody hell Wotto,a lot of work to do on this.Looking forward to see how it comes up after the atrwork has been redone.

[pinnies4me]

Big job there mate, looking forward to seeing this progress over the months..... another idea, get flipper button extensions and play from a distance - bet that playfield doesn't look too bad from a ways off.....   

[Wotto]

bet that playfield doesn't look too bad from a ways off.....   

Haha - like the Mrs 

[goodolddays]

Wow .. sure has seen a lot of ball time  . Good luck with it and looking forward to seeing the 'after' pics 

[Strangeways]

Even though it has heavy wear, it is repairable. There are talented people in the hobby that can fix the areas and clearcoat the playfield. Might be a bit expensive, but the game is worth it. Better to be in your hands, where it will get the full treatment !

[swinks]

All the best with it Wotto - I'm sure it will be awesome. Wrote to a guy in Europe when you found this machine and told him about your needs and he believes he has seen one amongst his contacts. So if he can locate it I will pass it on to you.

[ddstoys]

Should be a piece of cake for you Wotto and well worth the effort.

[ktm450]

Look forward to watching your progress with this one mate 

[Retropin]

OUCH!...

[Wotto]

Hi all

Any current recomendations on current day 'fillers of choice’ for those worn area’s on this playfield before painting begins?
It’s been a few years since I did anything remotely close to this and I thought that you guys may have some product suggestions

 

[tonyt]

http://www.rtbb.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1799

[Strangeways]

You might want to check with the artist doing the repainting. She may have a product to level out the playfiled such as a putty or thick primer. She may even fill the missing areas with layers of paint. Also, you want to make sure that whatever you use, it does not react with her paint.

[Retropin]

For small or thin filling which this will be i use TAMIYA PUTTY... is white, fast frying, hard and can be painted over with anything... very easy to use with a model clay spatula type thingy..

both available at hobby shops

[Wotto]

It is possible that I may have to forget the 'artist' & re-paint 

Reason I havent gone anywhere with this thread is that we MIGHT ( and thats a big MIGHT at this stage ) have found a playfield in the US for this.
Wont know for sure until mid May/ June so I just have to sit and wait.

I dont 'really' want to spend ( quite a few ) hundred getting the artist to work on this only to THEN discover I have secured a playfield that I can swap into the game.