1948 Marvel Hit Parade wood rail

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8

#1 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Picked this up for a song today. Second machine, and first time even seeing a wood rail in the flesh. Seems to be a fairly rare title so I thought I would document it here for posterity or whatever. It doesn’t even exist in the Pinside database, and has a minimal entry on ipdb:

https://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=1200&picno=18799

Sitting in the basement of the original owners home, seller said it hadn’t been played in 50 years, which explains the play field condition.

A6B6CBB1-20F4-4758-9351-B07228E853B5 (resized).jpeg

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3

#2 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Loaded up all broken down. The back glass was pretty rough and unfortunately didn’t do so well on the journey.

4F3F8CBA-27FF-4487-AEE9-A6A88B2A9C50 (resized).jpeg

0

#3 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Cabinet and head are pretty decent, needs some repair where the back corner is separated. Missing the lock down bar. I hope to be able to reproduce it.

04EECF87-1A0A-4A6E-BF15-8BF7C27FC57C (resized).jpeg

329BD806-EA2C-4254-91DA-D3512666AD9F (resized).jpeg

3BE0B3F7-37EF-439D-9B0D-2C2FF08F924F (resized).jpeg

3E5EE008-A2F8-4571-98FF-EC3F717A9641 (resized).jpeg

4786A1C0-3E78-4B37-8043-4E57D3554344 (resized).jpeg

E13F710A-8B05-4E3B-BBF3-6723231E243D (resized).jpeg

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#4 2 years ago

LXL

Isochronic_Frost

Saratoga Silverball

7y 221K 9,387 108 1 1

OP
Quoted from Hairball:
Cabinet and head are pretty decent, needs some repair where the back corner is separated. Missing the lock down bar. I hope to be able to reproduce it.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Whoa that tax sticker is so neat! Has it been peeled off or painted over?
That’s old school.

Great job saving that game!

Can you find any stickers inside or stamps that may indicate the serial number? It’s hard to tell it that “1134” is the number or added on by someone else. The “052” seems more promising but is unusual.

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#5 2 years ago

???

KenLayton

In Memoriam

Olympia, WA

12y 83,400 5,965

The "052" being stamped near the lock would likely indicate a key number in my opinion. The "11134" is likely the machine serial number.

Do you have any pictures of the underside of the playfield? I'm curious to see the flipper assemblies.

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1

#6 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

You guys are one step ahead of me, was just getting to more pics.

Tax stamp- “city of Saint Paul” Hard to tell if it was painted over or peeled…
Edit: closer look says it was peeled off.
0C21ECB9-4079-4470-A42E-D92789C21275 (resized).jpeg

Pretty sure I have number 763, given the matching numbers on the back box and lower cabinet.
91B1AF14-237D-43A1-8CAA-6F70A82F6DE9 (resized).jpeg

Cabinet innards, complete with 70 years of dust and garbage. Will be keeping everything before cleaning out.
D3ECEC13-D04D-4B4C-A18F-CF3AA019EB88 (resized).jpeg

Back corner needs repair. The glass was hard to remove because the cab is out of square because of this.
CC55E686-980E-4937-8677-B8EB1E900F72 (resized).jpeg

Quoted from KenLayton:
Do you have any pictures of the underside of the playfield? I'm curious to see the flipper assemblies.

Coming soon!
3C2E08F5-CFCA-48F3-A8CB-C3033ED814D6 (resized).jpeg5DE093EC-3A1C-4DB9-A010-F6EE8B78D629 (resized).jpeg

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#7 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Electromechanical bits as requested.

Playfield
D493AAA8-E583-492A-88BA-AFDC5D627D75 (resized).jpeg

Backbox
4D68C214-74E4-4E71-9D32-8B9A0F3906E3 (resized).jpeg

Not sure what the yellow goop is on the “100M unit” connectors. Maybe an attempt at maintaining solid connection? I picked a small piece off with my finger and the copper underneath is corroded green.

Missing the bell solenoid assembly, and there’s a second pair of wires with no connection. Otherwise looks complete.

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#8 2 years ago

???

Silverstreak02

Pinside member

Lutz, FL

8y 61,300 1,306 4 7

Interesting game. I’ll be following your journey.

0

#9 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Play field is in great shape, all plastics are present and the paint looks to be in good shape under the dirt. Looks like they didn’t put any sort of clear over the artwork. Don’t know if that’s common for machines of this vintage or just this manufacturer.
AF3EFDF3-8910-4735-A34E-09FB630DFD78 (resized).jpeg876FD5E4-3D5B-4F49-BD98-2644A5B9B4A7 (resized).jpeg977EE684-706C-419D-8E5B-64F4F25641CD (resized).jpegDAF69B0B-253F-4B2C-A852-999C3F0FF7A1 (resized).jpeg2ABF64E0-E12C-4A31-979A-114D516D59F7 (resized).jpeg25C70E12-989D-48EB-BE4B-1D5CD719863D (resized).jpeg

Someone glued rubber strips to the sides. Was this a replacement for something, or an attempt to get the game to play faster?
09E0C784-5734-49DE-B0FC-73AAE70EF176 (resized).jpeg

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1

#10 2 years ago

DO

Dono

Pinside+ Frequent

Glenelg, MD

9y 86,050 1,784 12 25

Very cool... not sure I've ever seen a Marvel game in playable shape... it' worth saving and getting up to snuff, no doubt. I hope all the coils are still good, that's one of the tougher challenges with these odd-ball manufacturers, not much old stock to work with... but you can always find or make something close in most cases.

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3

#11 2 years ago

DM

dmarston

Pinside member

11y 59,900 1,544

OP
Quoted from Hairball:
Someone glued rubber strips to the sides. Was this a replay for something, or an attempt to get the game to play faster?

They were trying to emulate the half-round rubber that would have been there from the factory.
.................David Marston

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1

#12 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Quoted from Dono:
Very cool... not sure I've ever seen a Marvel game in playable shape... it' worth saving and getting up to snuff, no doubt. I hope all the coils are still good, that's one of the tougher challenges with these odd-ball manufacturers, not much old stock to work with... but you can always find or make something close in most cases.

I am planning on ohming out all the coils before powering up to hopefully catch any bad ones. If I can’t source close replacements I am willing to roll up my sleeves and redo the windings.

Quoted from dmarston:
They were trying to emulate the half-round rubber that would have been there from the factory.
.................David Marston

Thanks Dave! I will add that to the growing list of parts to look for.

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2

#13 2 years ago

???

KenLayton

In Memoriam

Olympia, WA

12y 83,400 5,965

First thing you should do is measure the coil voltage output from the power transformer. See if it's either 24 volts or 50 volts. If it's 24 to 30 volts, then most of the time Gottlieb coils can be found close enough to work. Sometimes a Williams 24 volt coil will work too.

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1

#14 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

I have a schematic on the way from The Pinball Resource. If I’m feeling brave before it gets here I may wire in a new line cord, pull all the fuses and throw a meter on the xformer.

Meanwhile, disassembling the cabinet to prep for cleaning and repairing the separated corner joint.

Virgin paint under the shooter:

B35CD1FB-17C0-45ED-9825-9F878878DD16 (resized).jpeg

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#15 2 years ago

M

MarkG

Fun With Pinball

9y 71,300 4,353

Notice how they used one solenoid for all four kickout holes, and two solenoids for four flippers. It looks like there's supposed to be some kind of rotating feature at the bottom of the playfield just above the drain. There's a motor under the playfield but it's not clear what should be on top of the playfield. Do you know how that works?

/Mark

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#16 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Quoted from MarkG:
Notice how they used one solenoid for all four kickout holes, and two solenoids for four flippers. It looks like there's supposed to be some kind of rotating feature at the bottom of the playfield just above the drain. There's a motor under the playfield but it's not clear what should be on top of the playfield. Do you know how that works?
/Mark

The interesting thing on the flippers is one button controls the top set and the other the bottom. Don’t know if that’s common in this era of wood rails.

The motor has me scratching my head. It’s wired up to a 120V line cord
That’s connected to nothing. I hope the schematic that’s due to arrive next week will clarify. The top side is just a post with a metal bar covered in electrical tape. Haven’t been able to locate a good pic of an original play field to see what it’s supposed to be. I would assume something bouncy to give a chance at rebounding into the kickout hole?

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#17 2 years ago

POO

SpyroFTW

JK Pinball

Kansas City, MO

4y 71,300 995 9

OP
Quoted from Hairball:
Looks like they didn’t put any sort of clear over the artwork. Don’t know if that’s common for machines of this vintage or just this manufacturer.
[quoted image]

They used “clear” lacquer for the playfield coating. I have found that once you get done with a magic eraser, novus 2 to bring back the shine. Easy on the eraser though. Love the playfield art on this game too!

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1

#18 2 years ago

???

KenLayton

In Memoriam

Olympia, WA

12y 83,400 5,965

Judging by the fact the flipper coils only have two terminals, these must be "impulse" flippers so common of that early era.

0

#19 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Quoted from KenLayton:
Judging by the fact the flipper coils only have two terminals, these must be "impulse" flippers so common of that early era.

I think you’re correct. Looks like opinions run hot on them. I haven’t played a machine with impulse flippers so we’ll see which camp I fall into.

I did find a set of images that show the lower play field. Looks like a plastic post was probably original where my motor is.

61D9D6BD-2AB8-4F4C-ADD3-A301DD560A74 (resized).jpeg

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#20 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Back glass. Tips for getting a better image with all the missing paint? Maybe a different background?

D9A1F44E-5392-46D8-AF36-A8E3EFEFA1BC (resized).jpeg

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3

#21 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Put together a rotisserie and am stripping parts and cleaning the crud off the play field. First pass cleaning done on the left half.

403A1495-C1AF-4B1D-9589-7AC82C723CB8 (resized).jpeg

A1F0B953-C918-4C0E-BE01-0DAACD689280 (resized).jpeg

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#22 2 years ago

JEC

bluespin

Pinside+ Frequent

Johns Creek, GA

7y 141K 9,116

Hairball You might want to share this restore with the Facebook Woodrail group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/876595849125826

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#23 2 years ago

ARF

AlexF

Pinside member

Edgerton, WI

11y 116K 5,763 8 8

OP
Quoted from Hairball:
Back glass. Tips for getting a better image with all the missing paint? Maybe a different background?
[quoted image]

It's strange how the late 40s- early 50s glasses seemed to flake in the non-lit areas. Where as the 60s-70s seemed to flake in the lit areas.

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#24 2 years ago

JEC

bluespin

Pinside+ Frequent

Johns Creek, GA

7y 141K 9,116

Hairball

I think you have three options for getting a backglass.

1. You can ask Mayfair Amusements if they have a nos backglass.
2. You can also ask BGresto if he can restore it.
3. Noone else on pinside or pinball collectors own this title. You can post what you need help with in the woodrail pinball group. Maybe someone there has a backglass for sale, or they can take it to a print shop with a cruse scanner (600 dpi) and send the image file to Bgresto for you.

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#25 2 years ago

ARF

AlexF

Pinside member

Edgerton, WI

11y 116K 5,763 8 8

Pretty rare game. The chances of finding something in nice shape sitting on a shelf somewhere is not impossible but seems unlikely. I'd love a perfect upgrade for the marginal backglass in my 1950 Skee Alley. About as good a chance and in the 10-15 years I've owned it have never seen a loose glass available.

BGResto or something along those lines will be your best option. Tricky part is there is enough missing art and so few examples you may have to take some liberties redrawing it.

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2

#26 2 years ago

DO

Dono

Pinside+ Frequent

Glenelg, MD

9y 86,050 1,784 12 25

OP
Quoted from Hairball:
Back glass. Tips for getting a better image with all the missing paint? Maybe a different background?
[quoted image]

Tom Considine in Bel Air MD is one of the best (if not the best) backglass art restoration artists in the nation... he specializes in older vintage games like yours... it being a Marvel it will most likely have challenges that very few are willing and able to tackle... He's on FB I believe; not sure he's on Pinside or not.. wouldn't hurt to reach out and see what he recommends.

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1

#27 2 years ago

CDL

Murphdom

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 80,550 1,697 13

Quoted from Dono:
Not sure he's on Pinside or not…

His Pinside user name is tomcons and I agree with Dono he does absolutely amazing work.

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#28 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Thanks for the leads on the glass everyone! I’m going to explore my options as I work in the rest of the game. The biggest thing now is getting it cleaned up and sort out what parts are missing or broken.

bluespin - Mayfair says no go. I did join the Facebook group and have been lurking there. I’m thinking of asking people what I should do, post links to pinside or duplicate the posts from this thread over there.

Quoted from KenLayton:
First thing you should do is measure the coil voltage output from the power transformer. See if it's either 24 volts or 50 volts. If it's 24 to 30 volts, then most of the time Gottlieb coils can be found close enough to work. Sometimes a Williams 24 volt coil will work too.

I was able to power up just the transformer and have a nominal 50 V on one tap and 7 v on the other. Hopefully these stubby coils at 50 Volts aren’t impossible to come by. I need at least one or two so far.

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1

#29 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Almost done stripping the play field. I wasn’t planning on doing a clear coat but now I’m rethinking that after all the work to get to this point. The dilemma is that I don’t want to put big money into a professional auto clear, but don’t have experience doing it myself and don’t want to mess it up…
489D473D-8E47-4338-99E2-1F43260341A5 (resized).jpeg

Looks like the roll over inserts have shrunk considerably. I will be removing one to see if it’s possible to get it level. May need to cut off the bottom flange. Removal tips appreciated, these appear much thinner than modern inserts and heat may warp them.
57076F8E-F56E-492A-99C5-EC3E5D048AF6 (resized).jpeg0BE9558C-D79F-4B0C-AE08-8081DAA52ED0 (resized).jpeg

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#30 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Went for it… came out pretty easy after pulling the mounting nails. I am planning on cutting off the flange, building up the sides, and using wood glue to install to get it flush.

The issue is that the top is pretty warped. I figure I can either try to build it up with clear epoxy or use heat and a dowel or socket to press it back flat. I am going to experiment with the flange after it’s cut to see how it responds to heat.

6582F3F8-3706-4971-A90C-99FA3D40DB28 (resized).jpeg

AB0F9C3D-4694-44DA-8584-58FE56CE71E0 (resized).jpeg

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#31 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

After much debate, decided to make a new cabinet bottom. The original was warped and split and would not let me align the broken rear side corner ls for repair.
47194441-BDE7-41D2-BBF2-688C63B0E83F (resized).jpeg

Anyone one know what the bumper conductive rings are called and where I can get them?
856C852C-6940-450A-AC50-12CE73386DFB (resized).jpeg

Last, what kind of oiling/service is recommended for the score motor?
96AFB09E-0109-413A-B048-16ADE78CBDE3 (resized).jpeg

72CF19DD-63E8-44AF-9D98-B8C395DA077A (resized).jpeg

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1

#32 2 years ago

???

KenLayton

In Memoriam

Olympia, WA

12y 83,400 5,965

Those carbon rings for the pop bumper switch were discontinued about 60 years ago and are no longer available anywhere.

Score motor gets oil through the oil holes: one on the front and one on the back of the motor. It's to keep the felt pads satuated with oil. Use 20 weight non detergent or zoom spout turbine oil.

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3

#33 2 years ago

M

MarkG

Fun With Pinball

9y 71,300 4,353

While carbon rings aren't available you can make your own from brass without too much trouble. Start with some brass knurled nuts. Drill out the threads in the center and round the corners a bit. Then solder the nut into the steel wire form in place of the carbon ring:
07 New Donut (resized).jpg
The brass is softer than the steel post from the bumper skirt so the new ring should wear more than the post.

/Mark

Edit: I forgot about this post with a few more photos: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/williams-old-graphite-ring-bumper-system#post-5394279

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#34 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Quoted from KenLayton:
Score motor gets oil through the oil holes: one on the front and one on the back of the motor. It's to keep the felt pads satuated with oil. Use 20 weight non detergent or zoom spout turbine oil.

Not surprised on the rings…
I’ll take a closer look at the motor, I was looking for oil locations but didn’t see them. Are they visible in my pics? I’ve done similar servicing on old record turntable motors.

Quoted from MarkG:
While carbon rings aren't available you can make your own from brass without too much trouble. Start with some brass knurled nuts. Drill out the threads in the center and round the corners a bit. Then solder the nut into the steel wire form in place of the carbon ring:
[quoted image]
The brass is softer than the steel post from the bumper skirt so the new ring should wear more than the post.
/Mark

That’s a great tip, thank you. I was browsing McMaster Carr last night trying to find carbon tubing and this looks much simpler!

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1

#35 2 years ago

M

MarkG

Fun With Pinball

9y 71,300 4,353

The oval shaped steel plate covers a felt pad that lubricates the rotor. The hole in the oval plate is the oil port. There's one on each side.
Score Motor oil port (resized).jpg

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#36 2 years ago

DO

Dono

Pinside+ Frequent

Glenelg, MD

9y 86,050 1,784 12 25

I suggest this topic... great options for building the proper skirt and dealing with the carbon ring issue...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/passive-bumper-skirt-modify#post-5700227

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#37 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Quoted from Dono:
I suggest this topic... great options for building the proper skirt and dealing with the carbon ring issue...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/passive-bumper-skirt-modify#post-5700227

Thanks for the link. I may do that mod in the future if my wires wear down.

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#38 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Quoted from MarkG:
The oval shaped steel plate covers a felt pad that lubricates the rotor. The hole in the oval plate is the oil port. There's one on each side.
[quoted image]

Well, it’s obvious now that you pointed it out.

Edit: that was meant as a “doh!” moment for me and not snark towards your help

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#39 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Trying to figure out some missing electrical components, posted to the EM tech group as I figure it gets more traffic and is relevant.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/missing-components-mystery-48-marvel-hit-parade#post-6401387

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#40 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Adding a link to a valuable post from user baldtwit with reference pics of the Hit Parade at the Pacific Pinball Museum.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/missing-components-mystery-48-marvel-hit-parade#post-6409416

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1

#41 2 years ago

OP

GWO

Hairball

Pinside member

3y 30,300 84

Parts order from Pinball Resource arriving with coil replacements and miscellaneous bits today. Getting close on the playfield reassembly.

Fabbed up a switch actuator bracket for the coin slide. My first time silver brazing so go easy on me. If anyone has a spare A.B.T. 500 series coil mech, I’m looking for the top and bottom cover pieces.

7F5E4EC4-CB9F-4FA5-8BDA-84B0E0B73843 (resized).jpeg

Found a scan of an original advertisement from The Billboard. Google Books has most of the old issues available for free and they have lots of articles and ads for coin-op games. Interestingly there was also an ad for Humpty Dumpty in this one.

E06E2BA6-5D82-476A-9919-1A664B2BB3C8 (resized).jpeg

By Hairball

2 years ago

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