This machine is for a friend of mine's brother's 40th Birthday. What a great idea for a Birthday present ! I have a deadline, and it is fast approaching
The game was another title I imported a few years back. Overall condition is good. Filthy, but it will come up a treat. I have a "soft spot" for Data East games. Some of them look and play better than their counterparts.
Condition ReportCabinet - 8/10 - VERY colorful. The red is not faded (common on this title). Has the usual scuff marks, but no real bad damage. As per all games, the security bar is ugly !
Playfield - 8/10 - No major wear. Just the scoop holes need to be attended to. Plastics are REAL GOOD. The only exception is the right hand lower plastic at the entrance to the death star. I will have to source a replacement or create one from scratch. I will replace all the pop bumper caps. They are cracked and broken.
Translite - 10/10 - Perfect.
Electronics - 8/10 - No major problems. Most of the problems would be overlooked if not checked properly. Connectors are a problem. Fuses clips are an even bigger problem !
The "BEFORE" pictures
Begin to strip the playfield
I have seen a game that was SOLD as "shopped" with rubbers in this condition !
Playfield is bare. I remove ALL parts to do the job properly. The metal rails are left in place, as the cleaning and polishing can be done with smaller 2 inch disks. If the playfield had to be cleared, then all guides have to be removed.
A question was raised regarding the fact that even after "shopping" a pinball, the rubbers and playfield get dirty almost immediately. That's because simple (but time consuming) cleaning is not done. The playfield subway ramps and mechs are often not overhauled and cleaned properly. In this machine, there's one main subway ramp - a metal one. The playfield can be immaculately cleaned, but if the mechanisms and subways are not cleaned PROPERLY, then you are wasting your time. Here's an example (above pic) - I've cleaned the left side of the ramp and the top section. It was FILTHY. The right side was left "as is". Now if the game has BLACK rubbers, it is not noticed, but if the rubbers are WHITE - it is easily picked up. That's why I don't like black rubbers on reconditioned or shopped games. It is a warning to me that there might be "shortcuts" in the reconditioning, or "shopping" process.
A close-up of the problems caused when games are not reconditioned correctly. This step took an extra 10 minutes !
The kicker on the right has a VERY tired looking spring !
Rather than ADJUST the R2D2 assembly, the operator chose to pour grease all over the posts ! In time, this caused the assembly to seize.
Drop target a bit sluggish ? No problem, a bit of lube and they will be fine until they seize up completely ! I THROW these drop target straight into the bin !
Playfield rebuildThe playfield is cleaned and polished. Metal parts are re-grained and I start to re populate the playfield. The first thing I do is install the wooden side panels to give the playfield some support. I've polished the playfield and waxed it 3-4 times.
Tumbler gets a workout. I've run out of Flitz, and Greg (RTBB) asked me to try some of his new polishing media he was recommended by Jame (PinballInc). All I can say is that it "Shitz on flitz" ! This stuff is AMAZING !
Under the playfield - always overlooked. Without going through this process, many other issues cannot be rectified. The boards show some connector burn from GI and some CPU controlled lamps. It is easy to just replace the connectors, but it is a much better idea to actually FIND the source of these issues !
Here's a clue ! ALL the lamps sockets are corroded, or show signs of deterioration. They SHOULD be replaced. They WILL be creating extra stress on connectors and might be lowering the lifespan of the globes. No use replacing connectors if you don't address the possible cause !
Replacing the connectors is time consuming, but it NEEDS to be done !
This is what I'm left with after an hour of replacing ALL the globe holders !
Finish off the first update with CLEAN inserts !
