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1957 Gottlieb Flag-Ship woodrail project

By Rodin

7 years ago

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11 posts
8 Pinsiders participating
Latest reply 7 years ago by Rodin
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Flag-Ship Gottlieb, 1957

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#1 7 years ago

RCP

Rodin

Inactive member

7y 13,400 10

Hi there! First off, this is my first post so if I'm out of line somewhere for not following the rules as I should....I apologize.

I found this Gottlieb "Flag-Ship" woodrail on a dutch Marketplace (I'm from the Netherlands) for around 125 dollars. Although I'm a wood and metal worker, this is my first classic woodrail and I thought it would be wise to join this forum. I know it can be a risk to buy a classic piece of machinery which is in a bad state, but I think that every classic can and deserves to have a new life. So...I decided to post some images of the project and to find out what I'm up against exactly. Before I made the purchase, me and my wife came to the conclusion that the backglass is in the worst shape. I havent's seen any reproductions of this particular pinball, so it's up to me to give it a go. I should say my wife, because she's a doll painter/artist so I'm sure that's sorted. The cabinet (besides the coindoor) look alright to me as well as the playfield and apron. The woodrails I build myself. But I'm most worried about parts missing! The seller couldn't tell me what was missing, so I hope I won't get stuck along the line.
Anyhow.....I hope you guys out there, with all the knowledge, can help me along my path. (pics attatched)
Thank you in advance!

Rodin

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#2 7 years ago

DAV

wayout440

Pinside member

Berea, OH

11y 113K 11,267 3 12

Welcome. You've got a long journey there, best of luck. You might send the glass of to Bgresto http://bgresto.com/
They can do a custom one-off glass for you, especially with such a large percentage of original art remaining.

Oh, and you are out of line for not following the rules. First poster always buys the donuts

#3 7 years ago

MCD

dasvis

Pinside member

Salem, OR

12y 101K 4,796 11 16

Now that's what I call a project pin! Looks like a lot of work, but a lot of fun too.
I would try to get it mostly working before putting much effort into cosmetics. Pinball resource should have a schematic & most of your needed parts.

#4 7 years ago

SMM

dr_nybble

Pinside+ Frequent

Ottawa, ON

10y 114K 3,544 15

See if you can find another Flag Ship owner to help you out....also check pinballowners.com.

Talk about diving in the deep end! www.pinrepair.com is your first stop to learn about EMs.

Looks like all the parts are there, seems to be in pretty good condition other than the backglass.

#5 7 years ago

Shapeshifter

Pinside member

13y 150K 10,468 8 144

Wow, that is a mega restoration!

Makes my next restoration look like a cake walk

#6 7 years ago

YCV

Arcane

Pinside member

Raleigh, NC

7y 54,550 890 6

Fantastic endeavor that you are starting. I will be watching with interest and envy.

By the way, you should move that thread to Restoration >> Documented Restorations and use the EM forum for technical questions.

Yves

#7 7 years ago

???

oldtowner

Inactive member

Hastings

8y 25,150 192 3

Agree with all of those responses- except why not try a backglass restoration before deciding whether to get a repro made? You'll need to spray the back with triple-thick Krylon (spray can) before starting the restoration. And if possible scan it first in high-res, so that you have the artwork saved in its present state if the re-touching doesn't work. Tell your wife to use acrylic paint. And be warned- colour matching can be difficult. The translucent areas require special techniques.
But first, yes, try to get it going. LOTS of great advice on Pinside - I couldn't do EM pinball fixes without it.
Then ... if you do have access to a scanner, and Photoshop skills, you might try scanning those warped plastics and digitally restoring the images, before printing out and making your own replicas. Again, there's stuff on Pinside about that. Best of luck with all aspects.

#8 7 years ago

???

Dr_of_Style

Inactive member

Dallas, TX

9y 28,925 1,334 12

Nice find. the play field should clean up very well! I agree with all the answers so far. Go for it.
Once you get it back together, I believe you will find a grin welling up that will carry you through the tougher parts.

#9 7 years ago

RCP

Rodin

Inactive member

7y 13,400 10

Wow! Thank you guys for your nice replies! I'm sure the project won't be a problem when you got people like yourself handy!
Can I move this entire thread into the proper thread?

#10 7 years ago

RCP

Rodin

Inactive member

7y 13,400 10

Quoted from wayout440:
Welcome. You've got a long journey there, best of luck. You might send the glass of to Bgresto http://bgresto.com/
They can do a custom one-off glass for you, especially with such a large percentage of original art remaining.
Oh, and you are out of line for not following the rules. First poster always buys the donuts

thanks! I checked bgresto out....that's amazing! Now I'm the type of guy who likes to do everything myself, but this backglass is out of my league I think.

Oh...And is there a thread on how to attach donuts to a post?

#11 7 years ago

RCP

Rodin

Inactive member

7y 13,400 10

Quoted from oldtowner:
Agree with all of those responses- except why not try a backglass restoration before deciding whether to get a repro made? You'll need to spray the back with triple-thick Krylon (spray can) before starting the restoration. And if possible scan it first in high-res, so that you have the artwork saved in its present state if the re-touching doesn't work. Tell your wife to use acrylic paint. And be warned- colour matching can be difficult. The translucent areas require special techniques.
But first, yes, try to get it going. LOTS of great advice on Pinside - I couldn't do EM pinball fixes without it.
Then ... if you do have access to a scanner, and Photoshop skills, you might try scanning those warped plastics and digitally restoring the images, before printing out and making your own replicas. Again, there's stuff on Pinside about that. Best of luck with all aspects.

thank you, and I read multiple posts and youtube vids on Krylon spray! I'll consider that.
Thanks!

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