Sad Sack - thank you for starting this club! I just picked one up yesterday and it's a mess (mostly due to smoke) but I am going to restore this "legendary" pinball and flip it. Given the the theme and that Looney Toons is making a comeback (new Netflick? cartoons coming out), I can maybe even turn a profit. No, I won't be able to sell it to the pinball insider community, but like most of the pins I restore and flip, they are sold to newbies because of the theme alone. It's a simple easy game with a cool "drain" ramp and lots of people will be interested once it's restored (and doesn't smell).

The good - it works. 100% functional it seems.
The bad - need new plastics (yellow with nicotine), need new cabinet decals, would love new ramps but I'll try and fix.

Yes, if any one stumbles across these postings they'll say I'm putting perfume on a pig (expensive perfume too). But I am determined to prove I can make a profitable flip out of this. Pics soon.

I'll keep y'all posted.

Doc @ www.PinballPrices.com

Where did you find one? I have some issues in both the Mylar and non-Mylar areas. I can’t understand why these manufacturers wouldn’t just Mylar the whole playfield.

I'm going to try a few new things in the restoration of BBBB. I have some restoration experience, but my expertise is mostly in the mechanics and cabinet art work, not the playfield. This playfield has severely yellowed in the non-Mylar areas. [Why in the world did these manufacturers not just go ahead for a few cents more and mylar the entire playfield?]

I've cleaned and cleaned but the yellow staining is not going to come out without taking all the artwork with it. So, I'm going to experiment with the lower playfield by removing the mylar (freeze it), scanning it, cleaning up the colors, and print a whole new lower playfield on vinyl sticker paper. Apply that over the lower playfield then cover with mylar.

On the upper playfield, I want to remove the existing mylar, scan worn artwork, print new sections of the playfield with vinyl stickers, and recover the entire playfield with one large sheet of mylar. It won't hide 100% of the yellowing but it will hide a great deal of it. It will also fix the mylar bubbling issues. I am going to try and hide the seams of the vinyl by scanning larger sections of the playfield rather than just main character artwork. The edges should be hidden under the plastics and ramps.

Am I missing something or could this work?

Here you can see the yellowing of the upper playfield and the fading of the blue on the lower playfield.

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Here's the scanned lower playfield that has been touched up using paint.net software. Colors have been redone and worn areas touched up. I'll print this on vinyl gloss paper 11 x 17. My only big issue, I hope, is the birthday cake candles. I can cut the vinyl pretty easily for the egg inserts, but the candles present a problem. If you look closely on the actual playfield, the upper area of the cake is a sticker rather than a silk screened playfield. The sticker is over an orange insert and has clear areas (candle shaped) for the light to shine through. Not sure how to handle that. The candles are so small it would be hard to cut out. I may just cut a perfect circle around the original sticker and leave it in place. There will likely be color differences but I'll try. Note: This is a jpg of the playfield not a picture of the completed version.

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Here's the flat bed scan of the entire playfield (untouched) then stitched together using ICE (Image Composite Editor) freeware from Microsoft. Best and easiest stitch program I could find. The second image is an almost completed Photoshop color touch up.

I am working with a printer to print the entire playfield on vinyl decal ($50) then cover entire playfield in the single decal then clear coat with gloss Varathane spray cans. No idea if I can make this work. I've read all the posts that warns that vinyl will stretch but it's a low cost solution to restore and flip this pin. Plus if it works I have 2 other pins to try it on also. It could all be a total disaster but it's worth a try.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1spJkRhWGCBn0wSxiBx6EmPzb0JpkCsOC/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g8UW27ivd6wUkFMgAMGpvZ8dquufLh0M/view?usp=sharing

Thanks. They are all done at 400 dpi.

It's a very progressive machine.

I decided to start with the lower playfield to see if this vinyl decal approach will work (cheaper to fix if I screw up). The biggest issue was the artwork over the inserts that light up the lower playfield birthday cake and the eggs. I decided to sand off the artwork because i think the vinyl will be thin enough to allow the light to shine through. Here's the progress and the end result (without lights yet). See earlier pictures for what the lower looked like before.

After the decal was applied, I applied 2 coats of Rust-Oleum gloss clear, allowed to dry 24 hours, then used a water slide decal for the text. Once that dried I used 2 more coats of clear coat. I wasn't sure how great the spray on clear coat would protect the playfield, so I am using a clear playfield protector purchased on eBay. So far it looks pretty good and the art will stay fresh a long time. If you zoom in on the dog, there was some ink run because I hit the first coat with too much. I should have used a couple of very light sprays, then a heavy coat.

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That is a key issue for me on both the upper and lower playfield. I think the solution will be using super bright LEDs in those spots. Also because the actual inserts are larger than the intended portion to shine through and I might have to mask certain portion of the plastic inserts from underneath.

Here are some progress pictures. BTW, I am only using the gloss rustoleum spray because I have a full playfield protector.

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For the playfield text I used water slide decals and they turned out really well. After applying those, I hit the playfield with 2 more coats of gloss spray. I had already put 2 coats on the playfield "decal" to lock the ink in prior to applying it to the sanded playfield. I used water with dish soap mix when applying. The scan match playfield was not exact, but I've been able to work around slight differences. The playfield was scanned by me with a flatbed scanner, then stitched together with a program called ICE (Image Composite Editor). Simple to use and free. The playfield was printed on some sort of vinyl decal paper from a local printer for $50. It's turning out well I think.

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Can anyone tell me what post is actually supposed to go here? Thanks.

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Thanks!

Need some help understanding some parts as I begin to reassemble. Yes, I took pictures that's not the issue. I just don't understand the purpose of the two clear "posts" associated with the circle ramp. The one circled in yellow hangs down from the ramp but doesn't really rest on the pop bumper as a support. The orange circle post comes up from the pop bumper cap but also does not seem to support the ramp. What am I missing here? Thanks. (This is an image off the internet but my game pics show the same set up)

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Anyone? Does your BBBB have these same clear posts? Thanks

Thank you! It does seem a bit over engineered but I'll put them back on. Thanks.

I have these "custom" apron decals on sale on ebay for $11.99 but if anyone here wants a set, let me know and I can send them to you for $5 to cover paper and shipping. I've simply colorized the carrot. Printed on glossy vinyl decal paper.

BBBB apron decal (resized).jpg

Sent you a PM. Yes I have them.

A few details left to finish, but I think it turned out pretty nicely.

So, now I'm going to try and sell it for $3,000. Let the trolls out! yes, $3K. No, no pinsider would probably buy it at that price, but this is a good starter pin for families and it's Christmas time, so I'm hopeful. And yes, as I was blasted for a previous high dollar sale by the trolls, I am the guy who runs PinballPrices.com but actually there was a Bugs that sold in August 2019 on ebay for $4350! Theme is everything to a pinball newbie - that's why my first pin was a Super Mario Bros.

SOLD $3100

I remember reading that on IPDP, that's great. Certainly rare. Post some pictures to compare if any other features different.

How badly is the center ramp broken? I have a used one, but the entrance is messed up. Might be fixable, not sure. They are pricey.

Order list - warm white LEDs and, on mine, I used "fire flicker" LEDs for the backbox candles. Looks great that way.

As bad of cosmetic shape mine was in, it worked perfectly - not a single switch or coil nor fuse needed.

Try https://www.pinballspareparts.com.au/03-8505.html

The Australia supplier is very good and reliable. A little slow at times getting the shipping out the door, so it may be 3 weeks or so before you receive but they do send tracking info. Much better prices than Marco's.

I tried it both ways and I ended up NOT putting the rubbers on.