Hi,
I've been emailing with Jim Mercier of the Racine Business Center who bought a 1932 "Wild Widow" made by Baker-Case Manufacturing Company. This is a purely mechanical game. His research shows Baker-Case made the game at the very same street address as the Business Center is today so now this game has come home, so to speak.
We have no photos of this game on the IPDB. He agreed to make photos of his game for us. Well, until he saw my photo requests included pictures of the inside of the game. I asked him to photograph the insides, under the playfield with and without the drain board, etc.
He is not familiar with pinball machines and he prefers that an "IPDB member" who knows how to open up the old mechanical games to come over and open it up to make all the pictures on my list. Well, we have no "membership" I told him, but maybe I could find someone who lives nearby who could come visit. Someone who knows his way around opening up an old game without scaring Jim! LOL.
I would request that whoever volunteers have a regular digital camera as it seems many cell phone cameras make dark and flat images, even when the image is large in size. Seems no one uses flash with their cell phones and so focus is also often a problem. Maybe you have a later model iphone, those seem to work well. I never get to know what models are used for the images we receive so I really cannot say for sure which cell phone cameras do well. So, asking for a regular digital camera avoids that unknown. We may get only one chance to make these photographs so I am hoping for sharp focus all the way.
Maybe bring screwdrivers with you, who knows what it takes to open the game up. He said it was shipped to him intact with only the legs detached.
If you think you can do this, I would email you my list of image requests and put you in touch with Jim to arrange a meet. I have no deadline, no time frame. He might have, dunno.
Maybe post here that you are emailing me so others here will see? Then include your pinside username in your email so I know you are the same person, to keep me from saddling up more than one horse.
Here is a recent article of his game with pictures and a video:
If the game is in the same room as shown in the video then lighting should not be a problem for your camera, I would think.
Thank you!
Jay
IPDB
[email protected]
