Left Saturday morning on a 18 hour, 920 mile round trip to Warren, OH to pick up a 1969 Bally Op Pop Pop and then to Bradford, PA to pickup a 1967 Bally Surfers and then back home this morning at 4:30 am.

Won the Op Pop Pop on eBay Thursday from seller Rob Berk (Expo organizer). Game was said to be operational (have not set it up to confirm), has some missing paint and flaking on BG, playfield looks good (but I can clean it better), 2 chipped plastics and solid but faded cabinet. Good candidate for a re-stencil but I'm not sure that this game is a keeper...will probably re-sell or trade for another Bally zipper: Bazaar, Rocket III, Cosmos or maybe Fireball + cash. Any takers or offers ??

More excited about Surfers. Mine is serial number 1713 and Surfers is the 2nd lowest produced Bally zipper flipper behind Joker and has some neat features: a third flipper near the top of the playfield, a left outlane kickback, right outlane gate and carryover bonus on the playfield and backbox. Game was in the seller's family for 30+ years but kept in a musty basement. Unfortunately, there is some flaking on the backglass. I have never triple-thicked a glass but this is one that needs it. May even look to BGresto. The playfield was filthy but looks to clean up nice. Planking is apparent but the cleaning is helping it to lessen the impact. Typical wear around the pops, top shooter arch and slight wear at top kickout. No flipper drag or other wear. Plastics look good with only one break that I missed when looking the first time. Mechanics look good with no hacks. The Add-a-ball relay kit is present. Game lights up and serves a ball and scores (I think) but pressing the flippers activates the tilt. Noticed that the 50 volt fuse under the pf is blown. Cabinet cleaned up a little but the basement humidity has caused the paint and plywood to swell and there is lots of flaking especially on the head. I have re-stenciled cabinets before and this one would be easy. The "chop-top" playfield glass frame has chrome finish flaking and rusting. I know the frame can be dis-assembled and I assume re-chromed? Has anyone done this and can recommend a plater? I assume the person that took over Mike Chestnut's service? Here are some pics:

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Phil-lee
Whereabouts in NC? Growing up, our family vacationed in mid and late 70's on the Outer Banks in Rodanthe next to the fishing pier. No games on the pier but they built a rec hall right next to it and I remember Nip-It, Chicago Coin Casino and a few others. Tons more at an arcade in Nags Head.

On a related topic, is there a supplier that has the white plastic posts available for mid-sixties Bally's? Looks like PBR just has the faceted posts. Bay Area just shows red post but out of stock. Nothing at Marco or Pinball Life.

Beautiful Space Mission. This is what my eyes saw playing it new in 1976.

Here are some pictures of my meager collection as it continues to grow:

Flip Flop! # 1 is a cabinet re-stencil project and just have to finish putting the playfield back together
Flip Flop! # 2 is a project for restoration or parts. This is the fourth Flip Flop I have owned.
Op Pop Pop is working and most likely will be listed for sale or trade later this fall
Fireball is working and will be getting a complete playfield teardown and restoration
Surfers restoration is almost complete and then need to fix a few gameplay issues
Dixieland was purchased as a project and is awaiting restoration
Bow and Arrow (not pictured) was just picked up today and will enter the restoration que

I have been intensely searching out Bally EM's from the 60's and 70's, mainly through CL, for the past few months. The next new addition to the herd will be picked up this coming weekend. The game has quite of a lot in common with both Fireball and Surfers. Any guesses ??

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Cold and warmer

Nic, you are correct with Capersville. The one I found has some flaking on the glass and playfield wear but since they don't come up very often, I'm not being picky.

My memories are a little later ('74 to '76). Popcorn from the cinemas across from the Red Baron arcade in the Southwyck Mall in Toledo, Ballroom Blitz by Sweet blasting from the jukebox at the Rack and Que in Bowling Green, Bubble Yum gum had just been released and stores were limiting sales of 1 pack per person, a small vanilla ice cream rolled in nuts in a sugar cone for 25 cents from Dairy Queen if I had not spent my last quarter on pinball.

Oh, to be a kid again...

Planning a road trip to finally pick this up on Friday

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It is Capersville, not Searay, but both are Ted Zale designs. It plays but not 100%.

Man, so glad you are enjoying Bazaar. I thought I wanted one in the worst way and I almost bought it twice this summer but other games kept coming along and made me keep passing. I just love the backglass and yellow reels but the playfield art and layout just doesn't seal the deal for me. If one comes up closer to me in decent shape and decent price then all bets are off. Thanks for sharing the pics.

I agree. 44 flexy LED's over the score reels are a must.

Yea! Bow and Arrow. Mine has too many others ahead in line for resto.

Crap. Why don't these deals come up in my area ? Sent an email... we'll see if there is a response.

Everybody owns a pair of flip flops, right ?

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Funny, but not true. The game on the left is a restore with repainted cabinet but the playfield rebuild stalled out and I misplaced some parts. Bought the one on the right so I can finish the restore.

Coming soon (while my wife is out) to a basement near me....

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WOW. Mine wants to look like this one someday

ebay.com link: Bally Capersville pinball machine Full Chrome New Backglass and more

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Picked up a Bally Amigo last week. Perfect backglass, planked but decent playfield and a so-so cabinet. Seller said a chipmunk got into it and chewed through a few wires on a Jones plug. Got the chance to start cleaning it out last night and found 2 quarters and 7 of the little critters shells.

First time I have bought a game that came with it's own tumbling media

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I'll second that...WOW.

Surprised that NBC didn’t claim logo infringement.

Still on the way home tonight from Boston, MA with these 2 Bally zipper flipper games.

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The 2 day, 1,900 mile round trip is documented here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/no-bimbos-in-boston-a-bally-zipper-flipper-road-trip-diary

Interesting that the single player Bon Voyage features a mass capacity jet plane while the four player Air Aces has a single pilot bi-plane.

Bally got it right with Super Sonic

Another week and another wishlist game enters the collection. Bally Bazaar joined the herd on Sunday and joins fellow class of 1966 Gold Rush.

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Bring on the Ted Zale book !!!

This Bally guy is responsible for hooking Jethro up with both these sweet double-flipper Gottliebs. Paying it forward so some good Bally lovin' will come my way

You are truly a magician.

I was fortunate to pickup this 1964 Bally Hay Ride add a ball from another pinsider in Ohio. I was initially inspired by @ryanclaytor and his journey documented on this site last year to pickup his Hay Ride. With only 250 produced, I am looking forward to giving it the restoration attention it deserves. The good is a very nice condition playfield with typical wear at the pop bumpers and the upper ball arch. Game appears to be complete except the coin mech and chute parts and typical missing back door. Backglass has some flaking but presents very well and has no fading. Cabinet, upper arch and ball shooter gauge have been painted over but I have been successful in removing paint from the right side and with pictures from Ryan, will be able to create stencils and match colors for an intended re-paint.

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Welcome back !!

My latest project is a 1963 Bally 3-In-Line.

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I started a thread to document it's restoration here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-1963-3-in-line-restoration#post-4855347

Newest addition to the herd is a very rare 1971 Bally Skyrocket. This has been on my wish list for 3.5 years and I finally found one through the help of bluespin that was only 4 hours away in Akron, OH.

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I have started a restoration thread here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-1971-skyrocket-restoration

Thanks for following, Darrin.

Yes, I played it last August at RPM... then I had to wipe my drool off the glass. He cleared the playfield and it looks and plays better than Day 1. I'm pretty sure I want to have mine touched up and cleared...just waiting to hear back from Kruzman.

Was this the one in Evansville, Indiana ?

Here are the first pictures of my latest additions to the collection, picked up during my first trip to Pinfest in Allentown:

1967 Bally Rocket III
I was somewhat looking for this title when one popped up in Philly about 2 months ago. I responded to the ad but pinsider Bruce ZNET was able to snag it. Bruce already had this title and passed it onto his friend and fellow pinsider @colsond3. Colson did some great restoration work but ultimately decided to sell the game and I was able to pick it up Friday night after Pinfest. A Ted Zale zipper flipper design with a spinning bumper and left lane kickback.
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1966 Bally Loop The Loop
I have always been intrigued by the layout of this Ted Zale game with the S-curve ball entry, spinning bumper and dual bonus ladder feature. I had passed on buying several times previously but got serious after playing it for the first time at the 2018 Spring VFW show. Pinsider Pinjunkie16 offered his for sale but since I could not meet him at York last fall, we waited until Allentown to complete the deal. This example is the add-a-ball version and will clean up very well.IMG_1349 (resized).JPG

Looks great !!

What product and process did you use to clear the playfield ??

Krud Kutter and ME do wonders. Maybe even try 0000 steel wool.

In May 2017, I was fortunate to pickup a 1967 Bally Surfers single player zipper flipper from a nice family in Bradford, PA. The game was a prized possession for their kids and the neighborhood kids and I promised to give it a deserving restoration. untitledq (resized).png

I immediately breezed through the teardown and rebuild in a couple months but I never fixed a couple stumping issues that prevented the game from playing. My focus to complete Surfers was quickly overtaken by the desire to find more 60's Bally gems. As my collection of projects swelled, Surfers sat looking pretty but waiting to be fixed and played.

Fast forward 2 years to last month and in a spat of bravado, I offered to bring Surfers to the August 16th "Island Party" themed season launch event of The Fitton Center for Arts in Hamilton, OH. My wife is a mosaic instructor for the past 4 years at The Fitton and my son also started working there earlier this year. The launch party attracts over 1,000 members, guests and soon-to-be new members to preview all the cultural offerings at The Fitton and this is the second year that pinball will have a showing. The big question was did I have the ability to get Surfers ready for the masses?

I am happy to report that I pushed through and my restored Surfers is now ready for prime time. Problems addressed included: finding / fixing the stuck switch that caused the 0-9 unit stepper coil to lock on and a complete teardown and cleaning of all steppers. The biggest head scratchier was that pressing the left flipper button would tilt the game. Suspecting a short somewhere in the harness, I tried a direct jumper but ultimately replacing the flipper coil solved the problem. I also did my first ever high tap and the game has peppy play.IMG_2117 (resized).JPGIMG_2118 (resized).JPGIMG_2119 (resized).JPG

The eagle-eyed Bally aficionados will notice the yellow insert light on the right side of the apron. My Surfers does have the installed Add-A-Ball relay but I have not explored how it actually functions.

This is the first time I have taken one of my games to a public event and I'm excited to see if any older patrons remembers Surfers from their youth or if younger players can appreciate the coolness of zipper flippers and the Actual Reality of electro mechanical pinball.

I'll take plenty of pics at the event this Friday and report back on how many plays it racks up.

I like the red caps too.

Looks like you missed the post rubber above the left saucer.

I was thinking the same thing. Those bells resonate so long and sound so sweet. Great job Gary.

Yes indeed, looks like little to no wear especially at the pops. Great title. I love mine. Congrats !

Another Ted Zale zipper-flipper masterpiece, Bally MiniZag (November 1968) was on my wishlist and Ivan1496 offered one for sale with delivery to the York show two weeks ago. It was a playing machine but Bally used an inferior cabinet paint from mid 1966 through late 1968 that flakes like crazy. This example was no different and the aesthetics did not deter me since I enjoy restoration work as much as actual playing.
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There was a second MiniZag at York that had a little better backglass and playfield (with red/orange flippers) but with a sketchy repainted cabinet and unknown working condition. I probably should have bought it as well and I was even trying to get 2 other friends to buy it but another pinsider swooped in and bought it.
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Although the cabinet could stand a repaint, I have 2 other games in worse shape so I decided to follow the restoration approach by ZNET and do a minimalist touch up. The first order was a scrub down with Krud Kutter and magic eraser to remove 51 years of grime and brighten up the white basecoat.
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The backglass had some flaking and loose areas so Triple Thick came to the rescue. The center go-go dancer looks like an alien when viewed from the back. Jerry Kelly does a great job with the female form but the mouths and lips get very pronounced. My attempt to mask the credit and score windows from Triple Thick didn't work and I ended up having to carefully scrape clear off the glass in those areas. After clearing, I did some minor touch ups to fill in small flaking bare spots but I still have the left legs of the 2 main dancers to fill in. Followed up with polishing the chrome trim with 0000 steel wool and Mothers Mag polish. Wear gloves when doing this cause it takes forever to clean your hands and get the black grime from under your fingernails and cuticles. IMG_2558 (resized).JPG

Coin door was torn down, repainted and metal pieces buffed. Coin door trim was regrained and buffed. New legs, pincab protectors, new playfield glass, sanded/polished playfield glass frame and touch up paint to fill in THOUSANDS of paint flecks. Not perfect but it looks a heck of a lot better and was less of a mess than sanding and a total repaint. I did end up sanding the front of the cabinet and repainting the dark blue area. I also did a full coat over the light blue on the backbox frame and later noticed the game flyer had this as dark blue. I used a good quality latex paint and brush that provided full coverage and no brush marks. Added a new line cord, replaced the fuse blocks and also high-tapped the game for snappy play. Here are the new glamour shots:
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Next steps will be to restore the playfield and do something with the nasty blue adhesive rings at the pop bumpers but that is for another day and another post.
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Thanks for the kind words. Yes, the quarter insert is broken so I super-glued it but forgot to paint the crack black on the backside to keep the crack from illuminating. Figured these are unobtainium so now I search for complete door units.

Admit it, we are always looking for the next machine even though there are numerous machines waiting in the que for restoration. So it goes today, I happened to check FB Marketplace for the 3rd time and see an hour-old listing of a local project. I replied to the ad and made a quick pickup. I have it in my basement now where it will have to endure the Bally gauntlet.
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NEVER. It has been here longer than Surf Side but will soon be finding a new home so as not to upset the Bally reign.

Ooops, I did it again. This one surely will be for sale or Bally trade bait.
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My Bally eagle eye spotted this 1964 2 in 1 on eBay for a ridiculous opening bid. I tried to reach a deal with the seller but then it was went to another online auction site and was able to secure for a bit more than I planned. Had to stash the cabinet at work until I can do a stealth transfer to the basement. Playfield looks good, cabinet is fair, BG has fade (BGresto has done this one ) and it supposedly works.

Was not on my short list but I have never seen one for sale and only one other Pinsider has it listed in their collection.

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Don't forget Six Sticks

Latest pickup, a 1968 Bally RockMakers. Ted Zale zipper flipper goodness with an upper flipper like Surfers. BG is screaming for a BGresto replacement and PF has typical wear. Cabinet is super nice and appears to be original paint. No flaking like other RockMakers I have seen. Seller had this game for several years and supposedly bought it from the original owner that had in their possession since new.

One more off my wish list.

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Bally made several EM's with DUAL captive balls. 1974 Champ / Sky Kings (same layout - different art) has a symmetrical playfield with a center spinner and is a good player. image-9 (resized).jpgimage-4 (resized).jpg

1975 Flicker / Boomerang (also same layout - different art). Flicker is a dog with that useless center pop bumper but does have Laurel and Hardy, and IMHO, has the best artwork package of all four.

PLUS, if you look at the backglass from a side angle, the "L" and "i" in FLiCKER morphs into the letter "U" and changes the name of the game image-4 (1) (resized).jpgimage-7 (resized).jpg

HAHA. You need to check the lists every HOUR.

Per my calculations, that room has 2 more walls.

I'll go a step further and make more room for you by taking that nasty EBD of your hands !

9 days since the last post ?? Let's fix that right now.

Here is #4 out of the 55 produced of Bally "Double Up" from May 1971. This example is in EXTREMELY clean condition even though the meter shows 35k+ plays. It must have had a lonely life as a distributor floor model before it was won in a raffle sometime in the early 70's and then was in a basement for all these past years. The backglass is nearly flawless, minor typical wear at the 2 ball kickouts, ZERO ball swirls and just a few fine cracks in the field. Heck, the playfield glass looks nearly new with no scratches. It could have been a test game but there is no wear that would suggest it was on location. Cabinet is solid and paint very bright with just a few scrapes and ZERO wear at the flipper buttons.

Here is another interesting point: under the base coat and stencil paint for Double Up, you can see the raised outlines of "Firecracker" (Feb 1971) artwork on both sides of the lower cabinet. The backbox does not have concealed artwork.

A rare bird indeed. Might be interested in trading for a nice Bally Joker or Bally Cross County.
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The single post is factory. I removed the rubber as it was dried out but forgot to replace. just did a quick wipe down for pictures but will get a full shop / metal polish restore.

What is the definition of a "Grail Game" ?

A game you have been searching for your entire life ?

If so, I submit you mine: 1965 Bally Band Wagon. Released in March 1965, this was the current Bally pin available when I made my appearance in early April 1965. This example was purchased from the Replay Foundation in Pittsburgh and sports serial number BW 1601. Being # 601 out of 1840 made (33% into production) between March and May, it is quite possible that this Band Wagon and I share the same "birth" date.

When I get around to this restoration, I envision a cabinet repaint and commission a BGresto backglass.

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Since my first days of playing as a kid in the mid 70’s, I always preferred Bally games to all the others and my 32 years of collecting has been mainly Bally. I branched out to collect 60’s and early 70’s Bally’s several years ago and always wanted the Bally game that was being made when I was born in early April 1965. Never played or saw one before and it was a no-brainer to buy the first one available.

Yes. Haha, you’re quite the card and should be decked or dealt with.

I guess it would be appropriate to be buried in the Band Wagon cabinet too...

6 ball multi-ball !

Gotta get a Bally in there someway...

Super rare 1971 Bally Round Up. 70 produced, never mass produced and probably only a dozen are known to exist. Design credit goes to Ted Zale but this *could* have been a Harry Williams design since it re-uses the Skill Spin Mystery Stop Bonus mechanism that Harry included in his Feb 1971 Bally Firecracker.

Restoration almost complete and Round Up will be in the Free Play area at Allentown 2022 on Friday May 6th only.
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Congrats on the pickup. Your comment above immediately made me picture this...

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Bally Round Up available to play at the Pincinnati show today and tomorrow. 83B4D255-6053-46D1-A18A-3D1F4B347E17 (resized).jpeg

Could be Bandwagon, Magic Circle or Disco Tek.