700 more plays in just two weeks! Wow! Your location is simply phenomenal.

The clearcoat chipping in pics #6 and #7 are very concerning. I wouldn't be happy about that at all.

I have to ask - 5781 plays and $3613 earnings. That is a lot of freeplays and free play. No? Then you have to split 50/50. Do you have to pay for licenses, insurance also? And taxes of course.

Thanks for posting and the updates.

I would agree. My 22-year old unrestored AFM has nothing like that at all.

so 3 months in and you have brought in $1661 of an 8k game. 15 month pay off if it stays steady is pretty damn nice, but I do question what sort of condition game you will have left after payoff and the more realistic payoff?

This seems to be a fantastic location, but this is a great example of how the math in reality makes it silly to operate pinball machines unless you are doing it for the fun. Not only do you have a great location but you are dealing with likely one of the best earning games of all time.

What I see as the more realistic payoff.
$1661 in take home post sales tax
Figure on average 1 hours per week to maintain, clean, etc. So in 3 months you have spent 12 hours on maintaining the game. At a megar $15/hr that takes $180 off the top.

$1481 post labor

Now lets take off the 25% that is income tax (sure it is offset by the depreciation of the game but still a tax)

Leaves $1110

divide that by 3 months = $370 per month.

This increases the real payoff to 21 months and will mean 40,000 plays by then.

Great thread! Added to favorites.

Won't it still be worth $6K at the end of that?

Does anyone know who made these play fields?

It seems like all playfields are chipping on the edges like this. I wonder if there is a new formulation for clearcoat.

depends on how the game continues to wear. If the 3 months damage is any indication, then 7x that damage may be of concern.

Either way, the point is that this game does not bring home a net profit till 21 months in. Sure you can sell the game, but that is not the point.

Well, if we are looking at it strictly financially, if it pays for itself in 21 months, and you sell it at that time, that's your profit, so the salvage value is an important part of the big picture.

I think anybody would take an investment where you get your money back in two years and then still get a big balloon payment at the end.

The problem is you can only do it with a relatively low amount (you can only do 8k) and its a lot more of a PITA than just a regular investment.

Still, for someone who likes this sort of thing, its not bad. If you get your 8k back and get another 5k at the end, it was probably worth it.

I'm guessing General Motors.

Extreme_Clear_Coat_Failure_009 (resized).jpg

you said the magic part... you need to like it. It is one of the dumbest investments you can make if your primary is making money.

8k investment for a hypotehtical 6k (Ill be generous on resale) profit after 21 months.

Keep in mind you also spend 80-100 hours maintaining that game over the past 2 years. What is your time worth?

All said, it is extremely FUN to hobby operate pinball machines!

(I just wish we had a location as lucrative as this example!)

I think its from different formula and that its thicker now than previous years.

I hear you

But he obviously enjoys running a small business and drinking a beer with the bar owner while he cleans up his game. There is a lot to be said for being happy in life.

It surely would be different if he were taking time off his $50 an hour job to work on the game. Congratulations on things working out and please keep us informed of how the game holds up. The clear around the moat is definitely wearing in a different manner than on the B/W games.

I agree 100% and those are the same reasons I route games. Spunds like you have a super sweet setup!

Great thread. I plan to stay tuned.

At the end of the day when when you sell those pins, wont income tax need to paid ?

same.

never seen that on my 90s pins i have had...

You should ask a CPA about depreciating them over X number of years. I have games out on route that will go into my game room after X years as they will have been depreciated to zero value as far as taxes are concerned. At that point I can keep routing them (but can't claim and more depreciation) or retire them and have them much closer than a 30 minute drive.

you can use either straight line or a MAKERs to depreciate. Depending on your situation, one may be better than the other.

I am no restoration expert, but I have read many things (a lot of the Clay Harrell stuff) that says a common mistake is 'too many layers of clear coat'. It looks amazing out of the box, but the symptom is lifting and chipping clear at outholes, corners, post holes, etc.

It would appear that these remakes suffer from this issue.

I am wondering if these were made my Mirco, because I am trying to decide between a Mirco WH20 playfield or sending my existing one off.

Appreciate the OP's updates in this thread. I am glad he is happy and it would seem the chipping issues wont affect his earnings. But important for us collectors to know.

The playfields were made by CGC (Churchill) in Chicago which is the same place that made the originals.

Where is this in Mitchell? I'll have to put in a few plays the next time I'm through there!

Wow...that AFM definitely paid for itself a few times over. The insert clear probably started first from the heat of the old incandescent bulbs being turned on all the time at locations. Thats some really dried out clearcoat! It looks like a fun project.

Correct but the clear coat has changed since the 90s.

So use 90s clear coat. Problem solved?

Yes, you're right and I used my language carefully. It's the same place but it's nearly 20 years later. Of course things change. How much different is the clean now than before? I have no idea. But MMR has a double clear coat and I would suspect that Williams didn't have the same. In any case, Mylar at the heavy spots makes sense on every game as the ball hits the shooter land and outhole on every single ball.

Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MACRS

thanks. Never spelt it. Just listen to my tax guy.

I think the goal is for the pins he owns to out live him...this is my goal as well.

I really like the dp coat but it obviously has changed for reasons. The new clear is much more shiny and thicker tho .

anyone offer a protector for this 2 areas?

Not really as these areas usually dont get that damaged that bad. This new thick automotive clear chips a fair amount tho.

Anywhere you can buy Mylar.

The chipping isn't too bad now but I can't imagine in 10, 15, or even 20 years from now how that Playgirls will hold up.

i don't think mylar is a solution
when the ball hits the edge

Cliffy where are you

Following. I like this post and the one about ST, wish I had pins near me on location.

It's nice to see how these pins hold up over extended plays.

6,300 plays. is that a lot by 90s B/W standards? i have literally no idea. i know there are old EMs with hundreds of thousands on the odometer.

it certainly seems like it's on the high side for a modern game on location these days given the timeframe, but i'm sure it's nothing compared to the beating games used to take.

it's interesting that the thick clearcoat is chipping in a way that i don't remember seeing on 90s B/W games. this same chipping seems to be happening on Stern games too, in the same kinds of places. Is it still happening on JJP playfields? i remember early WOZ games had this problem, too. seems like the manufacturers' quest for more resilient playfields has resulted in an unexpectedly brittle top layer.