(Topic ID: 52867)
Linked Games
4 Queens
Bally, 1970-
4 Roses
Williams, 1962
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8 Ball
Williams, 1966
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Abra Ca Dabra
Gottlieb, 1975
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Aladdin's Castle
Bally, 1976
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Alligator
Bally, 1969
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Aquarius
Gottlieb, 1970
-
Astro
Gottlieb, 1971
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You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider garrett.
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Pinckney, MI
Rat_Tomago: Cleopatra doesn't get much love at all. I was very hesitant about buying it due to it's rating and comments.
Actually, the pin is a real gem. This is Gottlieb's first rectified playfied and it plays incredibly fast. So fast that the ball speed does outpace the score motors ability at times.
The table penalizes bad shots quite ruthlessly due to it's layout and that's why it's hated by many.
The pin has great artwork, very good rules and requires solid shooting skills. It's a great pin that keeps me coming back over and over again.
Ken, my So76 backglass was in the same condition. I got a repro from Shay, nice glass but it was pricey.
I still have my old glass and Clay said I should drop it off so bgresto could scan it. It would save you the shipping cost of sending your glass in. Let me know.
Quoted from harbngr:Where are the shots of pyramid or Cleopatra?
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2 weeks later
Quoted from ReallifePin:Not mine but my uncles machine we got running again this weekend. 1966 Williams Hot Line.
That's a great game!
1 month later
Quoted from hoov:Love the artwork on the Square Head. Among the best in that class. Never have played it though.
I love the artwork as well, it's awesome!
2 months later
1 month later
Quoted from TheShameGovernor:Not a great pic, but here's my first EM resurrection- Card Whiz!
Lots of firsts with this one:
-first time cleaning score reels and stepper units
-first time reading and following a schematic for troubleshooting
-first time adjusting AS relays and AX relays (ugh.)
-first time fixing/replacing a Gottlieb drop target bank.
After a ball advance issue that took a solid week to track down (stupid AX relay...), she now works 100% and plays awesome. Such a good game.
Yeah, the AX and BX can be a real PITA. We've all been there.
But it's a great sense of satisfaction when you get them running. Well done and enjoy a very good EM title.
A huge thanks goes to Pinside member Underspin!
I inquired if anyone had an Aztec to sell in April of 2013. I had played this pin at the Michigan Pinball Expo the last couple of years and really liked the table design and speed with the 24VDC flippers, bumpers and kickers.
Underspin was kind enough to offer a machine he had in queue for repair at an excellent price. I had some other financial obligations and finally got the pin on December 28th.
Never repaired a Williams machine before and was pleasantly surprised. They are similar to Bally but more robust, if that makes any sense.
Mechanically the game is very sound and all previous work Underspin had done was appreciated as it took me very little time to find the last few issues to get it running 100%.
I don't have a good video camera but will try to post a video as the Aztec plays very fast. The only faster EM table I've played is the Gottlieb Cleopatra.
Thanks again Underspin!
Quoted from way2wyrd:yeah but that shooter lane man .....
--Jeff
Yup, would make the overall game rating rate a 5 as a DMD title 
2 weeks later
1 week later
Ken, it would be great if you could make a video of the gameplay. I thinks it's a very cool table design.
The closest thing I've played is a Bally Fireball with the single disc. I liked the spinning disc addition to the table and multi-ball, but otherwise not a fan of this game. The artwork is very cool on the Fireball but overall, just not a fan especially for the price it currently commands.
But that CC Casino looks like a lot of fun at a great price point. And you did a great job!
1 week later
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7 years later
1 month later
Quoted from stashyboy:Yup, did that on Solar City ten years ago. I think they sometimes left out bulbs for cost savings, but it is crowded in that location as well. I may have moved a couple things to make room. Another option is to surface mounton top sideways if enough space. (Did that also on Pro Football/ Gridiron up top, and Spin Out above roto)[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Nice additions with the lighting.
Quick question about your Gridiron, do you know the difference between the Ball Return Switch and Ball Shooter Switch as stated on the schematic? My Ball Return Switch works properly but the U relay never activates at start up and I can’t find the Ball Shooter Switch.
The score motor does pulse the U relay but it doesn’t hold at reset complete.
Quoted from stavio:Cleaned up nice...
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That playfield looks really nice and such great artwork too. Low plays or just well maintained?
I had never played a variant of this playfield layout until getting a Gold Strike recently.
Picked it up and thought I’d probably trade it as a playfield with so many drop targets wasn’t appealing to me.
Not going anywhere, absolutely addicted to it! With everything tuned up and a fresh coat of wax the table can get extremely fast, didn’t expect that either. A few tough shots and the four flippers with perfectly placed pop bumpers. It’s classic Gottlieb and for good reason.
Have always loved the Target Alpha artwork. The GS cowboy is a bit lackluster in comparison.
Finally got the Gridiron running too. Was quite the project. Played it a bit last night and like the difficulty of the four flippers. It requires ball control in a challenging way.
3 weeks later
Sold a Spirit of ‘76 to help fund and free up the space for an Olympic Hockey.
It was in someone’s home for a long time and was fully operating, just dirty with dry rotting bands.
I could not understand the high reviews Olympic Hockey had received. Guess I have a preference for Gottlieb’s, but do love my Aztec. Williams spinners were the best.
The Olympic playfield in photographs looks kinda sparse. I mean, score a goal with rollovers?
Cleaned the playfield and all playfield coil sleeves.
Played 20-30 games. It’s set liberal with highly forgiving tilt. That left drain is a monster. But with minimal tilt this thing is a nudgers dream!
The rink and pick in the backglass is cool and gives an effect of real depth when viewing the machine in low light at 6-10 feet away. Really crazy. But when playing you can’t look at the backglass or you will lose the ball. Plays that fast.
To score a goal you have to move the puck 10 steps. First 5-6 steps come quick and easy but the last 5 steps are harder. Closer to the net harder to score.
When you get the goal by actually getting all the rolling overs with a single ball roll is very cool!
Great table/logic design. Shame they didn’t have higher production numbers. A simple artwork change to soccer or other re-theme would be great. I don’t mind pointy people artwork but did they run out of pointy people and get an overwhelming good deal on green paint?
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F6816872-53EC-4C5D-AC3D-FCC8031047A4 (resized).jpegQuoted from gdonovan:One of our favorite EM's, ours is in the queue for total restoration. New backglass is in route.
Where are you getting the backglass from?
Quoted from stavio:Soccer has a similar layout with advancing to goals. A few years earlier though.
Nice machine even with pointy people. It must have been a common thing in the early 70s
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Would love a Yukon!
Quoted from stavio:Soccer has a similar layout with advancing to goals. A few years earlier though.
Nice machine even with pointy people. It must have been a common thing in the early 70s
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I know what you were suggesting. I was trying to state the unique nature of the table design with the rollovers. Pin designers would re-use or re-hash previous table designs such as Target Alpha/Gold Strike, same table different art.
1 month later
2 weeks later
Nothing special about the title I picked up last night but the pin's history was the surprise. Great art package on Wizard but I do have a fondness for Bally pins as well. Had a non-pinhead, but big music fan with me to help move it, loved it as he's a Who fan.
From the few pictures on the FB ad it looked to be in pretty good shape overall but hard to be sure. Expected to see the usual wear on a popular title.
Betsy said she is selling her house and retiring in Florida. We walked into the finished basement and I was quite surprised. I asked her if she knew the history of the machine and she said "I sure do! My Dad bought that pinball machine brand new when I was 8 years old. It's been with me ever since!"
Can't wait to get it cleaned up and playing fast once again.
IMG_6176 (resized).JPGIMG_6178 (resized).JPGIMG_6179 (resized).JPGIMG_6180 (resized).JPGIMG_6181 (resized).JPGIMG_6182 (resized).JPGIMG_6183 (resized).JPGIMG_6184 (resized).JPGQuoted from jrpinball:Curious to know the meter reading on it. Rare to find a HUO game this old.
I meant to look at it this morning but forgot, will add a pic later after work. This pin wasn't just decoration for Betsy, she played it! Always great to see lady pinheads.
Cleaned up it should look stellar inside and out.
Quoted from jrpinball:It appears to have had a fair amount of use despite being in a home environment for it's entire life. I wonder how often it was waxed, and if it's the original ball.
I didn't ask those questions. But it appears she did keep the playfield clean from debris. The ball did not have any corrosion on it either. Betsy was a player.
Quoted from MikeO:While it is a clean example, the 25 cents for one play dymo label looks like it was routed prior to dad buying the game for her. The coin gear is what will usually tell you if it truly is HUO or possibly spent time on route prior to her ownership.
Knowing when Betsy turned 8 would help to truly age the game.
Regardless, a very nice example.
That is quite possible too. I wish I had bought it from a guy because I could have asked how old he was. I'm 54 and she appeared a bit older than I but hard to guess how much older, she has spent a lot of time in the sun/outside. I've sent a message asking for a picture of her when she was a kid playing it to keep with the machine. Might be able to determine the year her dad bought it. We'll see.
3 weeks later
Quoted from Sarge:Before I bring home a non-working Snow Derby and World Fair, I wanted to get a picture of the mathematical oddity of an entirely working lineup
[quoted image]
Always a nice feeling…then another somehow shows up.
1 week later
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Quoted from MrMikeman:Got my first EM project this summer. I have a limited line-up of mostly very modern games and my wife wanted something a bit more "classic". Got her a cheap EM project/garage game. It's a Recel Lady Luck.
While I have no interest in a full restoration I did go through every relay/switch, shopped it and got some new parts to make it look a bit less tired. The game wasn't too bad to get up and running. I find it surprisingly fun.
Only 2 things left to fix. Match doesn't award a credit as it should (but score based replays work), and there's a free play hack that's been done and I can't figure it out, not that I've tried much lol. Don't really care about the last one since I'd rather not have to add credits all the time. Just not a fan of hacks.
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Looks like a fun game. At least in that picture, the captive ball is missing.
2 months later
Quoted from mrm_4:Haha e DanMarino! When you gonna tear down e played at shoes at that space missionsccura and start a thread? s need to join the resto club!
Three months or less.
It’s so worth it DanMarino. From your videos and also owning a Time Zone you tune a pin in exactly as they should run, hot and fast. Get rid of the cupped inserts and EM’s scream with ball speed AND accuracy.
And the pin is good for another 50 years
3 weeks later
3 months later
Quoted from atpcfiaim:I needed to move some machines around and inadvertently ended up with a gambling theme row. Craps, roulette, slot machines, horse racing, and poker.
1972 Bally Little Joe
1973 Bally Monte Carlo
1978 Williams Lucky Seven
1977 Williams Hot Tip
1977 Williams Big Deal
I’m going to need to move them again but this will have to work for now.
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Jealous of that Hot Tip!
Nice lineup and nice looking pins.
2 weeks later
Quoted from jrpinball:I can understand. Many of those later wedgeheads do nothing for me, and I'd flip them if I would come across one. They seem very popular. I have a "Neptune", and I like that one, but "Rock Star"/"Blue Note" would be an instant flip for me.
Agreed, any body that loves Gordon's work (I'm guilty) are attracted to these pins. Too bad the gameplay doesn't match the level of the artwork.
4 weeks later
Quoted from crujones4life:So whadda ya think? Loving it?
Only got a few games in last night. Had pulled the plastics, waxed it and put in warm white LEDs on the playfield.
It plays fast now but should be a real screamer once dialed in.
Quoted from wolverinetuner:Welcome to the club! I knew you wanted one, and you weren’t gonna get mine. Great score!
I did try 
I hadn't seen one come up in quite a while. If the wife didn't blow out her knee earlier this week it wouldn't have happened. Gave me the day for the 8 hour round trip.
Sorry for the wifey but... be it fortune or fate(pinch,pinch). And it's great for a restoration as it's in pretty good shape overall. Way better playfield condition vs the Cleo or Aztec. The inserts are only slightly cupped as well. Play meter says 62K, very clean inside.
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Quoted from Mundy53:Picked up this TKO locally yesterday. Seller messaged me out of the blue and we made a deal. I think it’s going to be a pretty exciting project.
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I wish sellers would message me! Very nice score.
3 weeks later
Quoted from mrm_4:Finally wrapping up my Space Mission resto.
What a cool game!
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Good for another 50 years! Always loved the artwork package on this pin from cab, to glass and playfield.
Excellent work.
1 month later
Quoted from RightNut:This pretty girl followed me home.
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(Disregard the price tag. Paid way less than that.)
Wasn’t a bad price to start with. Love Gordon’s work.
1 week later
Quoted from zimzam:Just brought home a Target Alpha. Game is super clean, been in an elderly couples home for 30 hrs. Backglass is nice but in the 50 yrs of its existence no one removed the shipping blocks.
Some of the protective foam between the backglass and backbox mechanicals kinda melted themselves to glass. Ugh! Anyway to get that off or just leave it?? [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Really clean example.
Just leave the foam on.
If you love drops it's a really fun table layout. And you know, Gordon
2 months later
A huge thank you to TractorDoc for the drop target stars and
mrm_4 for the lower board labels!
Gameplay is quite snappy.
IMG_0973 (resized).jpegIMG_1088 (resized).jpegIMG_1089 (resized).jpegIMG_1094 (resized).jpegIMG_1095 (resized).jpegIMG_1097 (resized).jpegIMG_1102 (resized).jpegIMG_1103 (resized).jpegQuoted from DanMarino:Garrett Can you remind me what type of light bulbs you use in your machines?
Comet 1SMD warm whites.
Quoted from wolverinetuner:We seem to have a growing group of that opinion. Good to see this great EM getting more of the appreciation it deserves!
With it all cleaned up and the playfield flat again it’s a blast to play. The long drop target shots snuggled in with the lone pop never gets old. Drops that always reset is a bonus. Lightning all three horse shoes isn’t easy either.
Typical Williams spinner and always so satisfying when you really nail it.
Captive ball shot is risky if you miss it.
Pretty solid game and just plain fun to play.
I’ll try to get a video up soon.
1 week later
Quoted from epeabs:We just picked this up this morning. Lots of stuff packed into this game, especially for 1972.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Your first Ted Zale pin?
1 month later
Well, as some of you saw I had posted this a couple times thinking about selling it. Went through the pin top to bottom and cleaned everything. Changed the flipper coils to FL-20-300/ 28-400. The stock flipper coils just turned to mush if the ball had any momentum. Anyone with a Williams using the factory FL-21-375/ 28-400 flipper coils knows what I'm referring to.
When you get just the right shot to have the proper arc to hit all the playfield rollovers in one pass is simply awesome.
This pin is not going anywhere now. I highly recommend anyone with an OH to install the FL20 flipper coils, the fun factor goes through the roof. Games times are no longer or shorter than the stock flipper coils. Scoring is not affected either. My highest score is just over 96K and 7 goals with the stock flipper coils. I have never been able to roll this game.
This playfield is highly sensitive to the angle. Too shallow and gets easy to score goals as the ball tends to hang in the pops. Go steep and the side drains and center drain really open up.
What other EM's have flow from top to bottom and back again like an OH? This table has flow like no other EM I've experienced.
And Comet had some nice Ice Blue LED's for sale a few weeks ago. They really brought the rink ice color to life!
OH Ice Blue (resized).jpg
The pointy people and the general style of art overall actually works well with the whole Jolly Roger theme. But unfortunately, he was in a total rush to whip something out for OH.
Shame there aren't many good videos of gameplay out there for most EM's in good condition.
Come on guys, this weekend when you are drinking a beer and playing, shoot a video.
I could use some suggestions on a good stand or something to hold the phone when taking a phone video. The flexible holders are too shakey and you have to put them right in your line of sight to get a good video. Be nice to hang it off the head somehow and look down on the table without obstructing the players line of sight.
Quoted from A_Bord:Wow that thing is playing fast.
When the ball makes the right bounce and comes across the rollovers to score a goal in a single pass, keeps you holding your breath every time.
Put that thing up for sale twice and was really was on the fence about it each time. But I'm out of room and at least one pin has to go. Fixed all the little issues, cleaned evey contact, replaced the pop bodies, and then upgraded the flipper coils from the weak and spongy factory FL-21 375/ 28-400 flipper coils to FL-20 300/ 28-400 coils.
With the factory FL-21's flipper coils, the greater the ball momentum the spongier they would become and game flow seriously suffered. You could see the potential of the playfield layout but the weak coils hampered ball flow. The pin is at about 3.8°, so not crazy steep either. If you set it too shallow the ball hangs in the upper pops too long and gets too easy to score a goal.
The change in flipper coils did not change the ball times nor potential maxium score. I have never been able to roll the score over on this pin. My highest score so far is 96K and 7 goals, and that was with the FL-21 factory coils.
This pin is a keeper!
Anyone looking for an Aztec?
Quoted from epeabs:Finally had a chance today to get back into finish sanding and polishing my Fireball playfield. I'm very pleased with the end results. My touch-ups weren't perfect, but the overall improvement over what it was is night and day.
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Looks great. Will play like butter!!!
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