Joined the club several weeks ago with a project...

Where is the best--closest to the original--backglass replacement from?

As I understand it there are some less than great one out there...

Look familiar?

Nick_Fury_006_03 (resized).jpg

same story, just reprinted? I was thinking of getting the original and somehow using it as a topper...if I can find the reprint, I'll just get the whole story arc.

That's a fair point.

I just got some of these apron cards and they are great.
Thanks @ Mr_Tantrum

Speakers! Sound!
My boards are almost done which means that getting my Blackout up and running will start in earnest soon.
I have played a few different Blackouts and the callouts are muffled.
I'd like to upgrade/replace the speaker.
Has anyone else done this? Does it make a difference?
At this point, I don't have an interest in dumping TONS of money into a new and improved pinsound anything.
I know that some people have added tweeters and woofers and I think that might be overkill at this point.
(Not sure that in this era of pin, it would make a difference since the sounds are so "eighties").

Is there a simple one to one speaker replacement recommendation?
It seems like going from a 40 year old paper cone to a new plastic cone would be huge!
I have heard that with a simple upgrade like this people have started to hear sounds that they were not able to before.

By the way, I'm planning to use an original, rebuilt sound board.

The boards have been rebuilt--this has been the first step with both of my pins so far. Seems sensible and it preempts lots of other weird problems.

Good call on the spacers. I was going to order a new grill/hole cover for it as well. Seems like a decent idea, I mean when doing a project pin, what's another $25-30?

no longer available!

I just ordered two...they'll be here in 5-10 days. It'll probably be Thanksgiving by the time I get Blackout up and running--maybe later depending on the hardtop availability. I may see if the second one will work in Firepower 2...I was actually hesitating to place the order due to an internal struggle over "woofer" vs "mid range"....full range seems like a win.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

Hey kids!
the link below is for the Official hard tops thread.
Apparently the hard top people care how many votes there are at the top of the thread for each pin.
If you haven't voted, or need to change your vote to Blackout, please do!

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-hardtops-thread/page/20#post-5258647

Looks like my boards are on their way back this week!
I joined the club back in March on St. Patrick's Day.
I hope to be up and running by Thanksgiving.

Planning to use warm white LEDs for GI...anyone have any minor mods they like?
(I'm thinking that the drain could use a light, the Blackout hole could use a light and that some LED strips under the cabinet would be excellent when one achieves Blackout. Maybe some lit flipper buttons and coin drop windows).

has anyone ever attempted a shaker motor in this machine?

too much trouble? just over the top?

Several folks have gone to the hardtops threadand voted for Blackout in the last few days...thanks for doing that.
If we keep it up, we'll have a hardtop available sometime (soon?).
Blackout seems to be the only title with any new added votes, at least 4 this week.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-hardtops-thread/page/21#post-5268286

Blackout currently has 66 votes.

Blackout seems to be the only title to be gaining votes on the Official Hardtops thread.
If you haven't voted for Blackout yet, please do.
(and if you voted for something that has already been produced, it really doesn't matter anymore--you can change your vote to Blackout!)

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-hardtops-thread

Currently at 73 votes at the top of the page.
Blackout is the only pin adding votes at this point.
If you want a hardtop, we need to let them know!
If you voted for a different hardtop that they are currently making, change your vote to Blackout!

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-hardtops-thread

I know the real answer is "whatever I like" but...what color lighted flipper buttons?

Also wondering if anyone has a more modern looking lighted credit button on their Blackout...if so, do you have a link?

I wanted Yellow flipper buttons but am going with green, I think.

Last year someone had a black Friday special for lighted flipper buttons but I don't see anything about that this year

Maybe a color changer for the credit button...

My original thought was yellow flipper buttons...but of course I didn't see a kit for them...I think your red ones would look great too.

post #503 has a blue cop-like gumball on top....what does everyone use for toppers?

I just bought my chop saw stand for a rotisserie (based on the Canadian Arcade video)...final components (the 360 plates) for that will arrive Saturday, at which point I need replace some inserts, do some playfield touchup and then deal with a couple or wires that seem to be snipped in multiple places in the harnesses.

My playfield is on my rotisserie...I've tracked down a few things.
Getting ready to replace the 2x, 3x, etc inserts at the bottom of the playfield along with the arrow inserts.

Does anyone have a source for the number stickers in the correct font for those inserts near the flippers?

I've seen those things for other pins but not Blackout.

MOF's is awesome.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/resto-blackout-mof-20180225/page/2#post-4357744

Let's talk insert replacement.

I'm having trouble sourcing clear inserts...I have some jewel inserts and some "starburst" (the "standard" ribbed/ridged ones).

I have since decided to replace all of the inserts...where are you guys getting your clear inserts?
Failing that, what are you using?
Also, (it is tough to distinguish between red and amber for me) I suspect that the triangles/arrows at the top are "amber" and not yellow...not sure if this machine has had inserts replaced before or not. I'm thinking about making them yellow. Are the four circles in the orbit--near the spinner--on the left hand side amber?

I read every entry on this thread last night (and drained all of the "I just joined the club" posts).

Lots of good info here.

By "clear" I have meant "colored but not textured"--

Getting ready to reassemble my playfield this week (it was purchased disassembled).

Any suggestions about where to start?

Any pitfalls to avoid during reassembly?

Any links to detailed photos?

I recently ordered the Blackout plastics protector set from Pinball Life...they seem pretty thick. I ordered a bunch of the PETG washers to protect plastics on another pin and they were too thick to use. This set is thicker than the washers.

Has anyone else used this PBL product?

I'm about to Triple Thick on my very crazed Blackout backglass.
Of course, I seem to only be able to find a clear product, not an opaque off-white one...so it has me wondering.

Maybe an advertisement on marketplace would yield something?

I've been waiting for that hardtop for almost a year and am moving forward.
I hate the way those guys simply give no updates.

If your triangles look like my triangles did, simply bite the bullet and re-do them now.
You won't find "clear" or unpatterned triangles. I did mine with "starburst" triangles and my "yellow drop target" arrows are actually yellow, not amber.
I don't know that I'd bother with mildly sunken or cupped inserts at this point.
I've been looking for the insert stickers (or a printable file) and have been having no luck.

Welcome to the club.

Looks like a drop in replacement.
I haven't had the time that I need to put my damn machine back together.
It is screwed into the bottom of the cabinet...waiting for me.
I wish I could answer your question.
In another week, It'll be my Blackout 1 year project anniversary...it's kind of a badge of shame...

depending on the condition and price, I might be interested if you are headed to the US sometime soon.
Shipping it wouldn't make sense.
My backglass has extensive flaking in the red at the bottom.
We have Pinball at the Zoo coming up.
Typically a pretty good time.

I'm looking for an early Williams (system 3-6) backbox as well for a possible Firepower project...anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Thanks...this machine is a coin toss at the moment...will be in touch if it happens.

Does anyone have any additional information about this?

ebay.com link: WILLIAMS BLACKOUT Pinball Machine Playfield Overlay

I messaged the seller two days ago. No response.

How would this differ from a hardtop?

What's the deal with Outside Edge anyway?
I get that we're shut down now...they said 4th quarter 2019 a year ago...we're pushing 6 months late AND they are releasing product for titles with lower numbers of machines out there? How smart is that?

And, of course, like some others in the replacement part pinball world, they never respond to questions, rarely give updates and are generally pretty vague about commitments.

But of course the problem is that I've got a disassembled pin sitting there waiting because "it is happening"..on the one hand that isn't their problem BUT it was supposed to be here 6 months ago.

I've been sitting on this disassembled project for over a year because "it is happening"...that's not cool.

Do they have a licensing problem? OK, thanks for letting me know...I'll put it together now.
Are they just not getting to it because they don't personally own one and they still need the art? Ok, I'll put mine together now.
Everything is all set to go but we are installing new machines and it'll be out in Q4 2019...I'll wait and wait and wait...

It isn't a state secret. When? I understand that they have "day jobs" and that this is a sideline.
I'm not even asking for a daily or weekly update.

I'm just asking not to be treated like a mushroom (meaning they keep us in the dark and shovel shit on us).
I understand that it is a lower end pin but it too has fans.
Firepower and Mata Hari are lower end pins too.
Collectors will spend to have a nice Blackout.

The issue is that I bought a pin that was disassembled because it was the pin that I wanted the most and it was the only one available after 9 months of waiting. THEN, rather than just cleaning it and putting it back together and playing it for the last 13 months I listened to them when they said "It'll be out in the 4th quarter of 2019" so I sent out the boards and bought a bunch of parts and have done a fair amount of work on it...it is just still disassembled and waiting for the damn hardtop.

I owned a business for 15 years. The trick to having a lasting business is underpromise and overdeliver.

These guys simply aren't doing anything.
You ask them a question and they don't respond.
They get testy on the Hardtops thread.

The problem is that they seem to be the only game in town and they know it.

I'm not taking it personally, just like they shouldn't take my annoyance with their business practices/communication personally.
They are a monopoly and they should continue to not give a shit what those of us who will someday buy their product think.

Er wait, what?

My biggest problem is that I have limited space. I have a deal set up for the next project (assembled. Just needs some board work, which I would do anyway) and my wife is going to be testy about it given the delays that I've had getting this pin together. Not their problem but they are impacting the situation and not in a positive way.

I'd like to play some Blackout.
I've already overspent on parts--seems to be the norm with this title.
I'd like to get on with it and finally be done with it.

Will I ever buy a disassembled pin in the future? No.
Will I ever buy a partially completed project in the future? Probably not.
Buy just a playfield? Hard pass.
Buy something with cabinet problems? Likely no.

Will I try to focus on titles that will not require a hardtop in the future? Yeah, that's a no-brainer.

the issue is that the previous owner started an insert replacement (it had loose, cupped, cloudy and raised inserts). There is some sanding and touchup that needs to occur. I also need to get on the stick and get my prepared inserts inserted. I just do not want to start this and then stop and then start again. I also don't want to put it all back together and then two weeks later have the hardtop get released. As I understand it, the hardtop will solve several problems and save me a few days of work for a bit, wait to dry and cure, work a bit more, wait, blah, blah, blah.

It would have been a great candidate for Kruzman if the previous owner hadn't sanded it.

With what I've spent so far, I'd like to continue to do the pin the right way, not just half-ass it for now with the idea that I do more later...tearing everything apart. Again.

I should have just put it together a year ago. Got it running asap in "players condition" but because I needed to send out the boards and the a hard top was due "in a couple months" I didn't.
It is my fault that I didn't put it together then.
But that doesn't mean that I need to be cheerful about not having an expected hardtop release time frame. It's annoying.

The one thing that I do know is that the boards are solid now.
Tested for a couple of days in my tech guy's Blackout.

I'm so upside down on this pin I need to play it for a year at least before anything like that happens.
And even then of the two I have, this is my favorite.

But as I said, it is a race against the clock...I need this pin up and running by June because that is when my Meteor guy shows up.

Now that we have the teaser, does anyone have any idea it'll be?

Kayso...general question...pristine cabinets or do you leave the scuffs and scars?

Maybe this is well-known and I'm in the slow lane but I think your earplug idea is super-innovative.

My "condition yellow" drop targets do not consistently register (and announce) or reset on the same ball periodically.
This happens once every two or three games. Makes it tough to get Blackout...
They function and seem pretty clean.
They will reset after a drain.
They will reset if I gently touch them.
They will not reset if the ball bashes into the rubber when they are already down.

I feel like this is some tweak or small adjustment that needs to occur...any hints as to where to start?

Is there a decent Williams-centric video focusing on servicing/rebuilding/troubleshooting drop targets that you're aware of?

Also, I think that another Pinball Life order is in the works...is there anything else that would be good to have on hand? A tool? Specialized contact cleaner? Other parts? (I've never worked on drop targets before...and I have a classic Stern--and maybe a classic Bally--both with loads of drop targets coming soon).

I've talked to several people about their Blackouts.
Everyone is underwater on this title.
I've only seen one that is nice and original with a great backglass.
All of the others have hacked wiring, cupped inserts, poor condition playfields...you name it.

At the end of the day something is going to change about this title, either the price will need to go up to cover the parts that people put into them or they simply won't put the parts into them.

I'm curious about the hardtop and how that will impact prices.
As I understand it, many project machines are underway or will be soon.
It will be interested to see at what price range they are listed.

I bought a second Blackout two weeks or so ago. It works.
Specifically bought it because it'll be easier for me to fix my basketcase and tweak/improve the working one.
Right now the question is "does it make sense to hardtop either one?"
I mean, I'm already underwater...buy another two hardtops and install them?
Not an attractive alternative.

My plan is to get them both running well and then try to trade one for a comparable working pin like Firepower or Alien Poker or trade up for a system 11 project. Something like that trade scenario is the best I can hope for, I think.
We are playing the hell out of the working one...I think there's room to tweak it and get it really dialed in. I just got almost 400k on the first ball on the game I just played and then drained right down the middle from the spinners on the next two balls.
...maybe we need two Blackouts in our house!
Or maybe I rent one of them to someone for a few hundred bucks for a few months in an attempt to break even and then sell it.

Honestly, this is very interesting.
I think that the leap from EM to solid state without chimes is a crucial moment. Games like Blackout or Firepower or Meteor are significantly faster than anything that came before.
First thing I do is make sure that the boards are solid. I do not have the skills to do this myself. SEND THEM OUT to Robotworkshop, Eugene or Chris (or whoever your experience board guy is locally).
If you bulletproof the boards, this will eliminate all kinds of fluky, weird stuff.

There's no reason to bag on early games like these.
They are spectacular.
They are pure pinball.
There are limitations to the technology BUT I think that designing a game with the parameters bought out lots of creativity and boosted pinball to the next level.

Personally, I find the vast majority of pins coming out today rather rote.
Everything is "rampy" and is basically a seven-shot-fan.
I especially hate anything with a video screen...if I want to watch the movie, I will.
If I'm playing pinball, I want to play pinball.

If you pick up one of the sought after early SS titles like Blackout or Flash Gordon, then say, something like Space Shuttle and then a system 11 title and then something like AF/TZ/CFTBL/MM/TOM/TOTAN you have a spectacular and varied lineup. Each pin will bring something else to the table and you probably won't be bored....there are some popular titles that bore me to tears: T2, Demolition Man, F-14 Tomcat...

The one slightly disappointing thing is that titles like Meteor, Blackout, Alien Poker, Flash Gordon and many other solid, fun, early SS pins is that they are single ball games. Any novice won't notice that as a weakness...they are still fun and can be very fast.

And of course one thing that makes sense is to reduce the load on the power supply by running LEDs after it has been bulletproofed....they don't need to look like clown vomit. Warm white goes a long way to helping these pins look normal and, probably, helping with longevity.

Funny you should mention this...I was planning to try to rebuild the power supply on my next project. (A Meteor for sure, that I should get today or tomorrow..may get another classic Stern from the same guy).
If that goes well a time or two, then it makes sense to try to do the entire board set for Firepower or Alien Poker (when I find one).

Sometimes the high tech approach like this is best !
Congrats on the fix!

What is the insert situation like on your playfield?

Does anyone have and want to sell some Blackout Keyfobs?