On the subject of flippers what about the previous generation of flippers before linear flippers from Bally? That would be closer to original feel than Modern Williams flippers.

With all of the close and sideways angle shots on FG I wouldn’t want to have the flippers too snappy. It would feel weird.

If I remember correctly the mechs for linear flippers are pricey if you have to buy everything, so I get why you wouldn’t want to spend all the extra money to get flippers that people generally don’t like. IMO they are fine for these games and feel right but I get it.

Yep - I have to buy it all when not get the ones widely viewed as better and more responsive.

I bought a project from someone who had already bought the Williams mechs to upgrade it. I got them in the deal and am not going to use them. I'm willing to let them go for a discount if you decide to go that route. PM me if you want pics.

SO.....how about a differing opinion. When Vid posted the flipper upgrade option, you couldn't get the linear flipper rebuilds and reverting to the old bally/stern style flippers was really your only option. Thankfully there has been a resurgence and reproduction parts are available. Keep in mind a lot of people don't like the feel or the linear flippers but that's what the classic bally games feel like and if you have never tried tap passing on linear flippers, I would suggest trying before converting.

Not that my vote counts on someone else's machine butI'd stick with Classic Bally flippers...a wise man recently said to me "old school pin, old school rubbers"...
I was concerned about having too strong a flipper in the upper playfield--it is a problem with Meteor--the power of the upper flipper breaks the upper drop targets. It you go with the snappy new Williams flippers, you could have some problems, especially in the upper playfield.

New Classic Bally flippers will be an amazing upgrade, will "Feel right" and you won't likely have a problem killing your drops.

Again, if you do this with non-standard gear, make sure you keep some documentation with it or you will drive the next guy apeshit crazy.

I'm in the camp of the original linear flippers as well, even if they're more expensive, especially since it was a $300 project and I was going to restore it.

If I bought a game with the newer mechs installed, I would 100% revert them back to the originals.

My $.02.

PM’ed ya - I guess the consensus is stick with original. But I will look at what you got.

The linear flipper mechs suck and are lazy.

Just install classic Bally hardware and you’ll have what you’re looking for.

Mine is being delivered this Wednesday, can't wait. They rescreened mine after using it to verify all dimples on future PF's.

I usually "downgrade" my linear flippers to the early style Bally in any keeper game. They are much more responsive and were a definite improvement in my Xenon.

Nice! Hopefully it turned out nice.

This is the 1st received of the digitally produced FG PF's. It looks great. This was a rescreen of of my OE PF. I'm having WeatherbyMAG do the clear coat. I shipped mine plus a couple others to help them correct dimpling. I want to give a huge thanks to Mike Purcell for making this happen. He went far and above to make my PF nice and help me out. I installed red rollover targets rather then the OE orange in the upper PF, I liked them better than than the orange since there is so much red in the artwork.

20200805_160255 (resized).jpg

Beautiful!!!

Thanks. It's been a couple months since I sent it so hopefully I took enough pics to re-assembly it! I'll be posting all my 50 "before" pics in the FG game section to help others in a PF assembly.

Looks good. Any chance you could post some close-up high-res pictures? I’m curious how the new process looks versus screening.

I'm waiting for CPR to come out with another batch of FG playfields, think I'm going to pick one up. My lower is very nice but the upper is trashed.

It will be a "you snooze, you lose" situation. Only 30 are being produced from what I was told.

This is actually the first digital FG.
It is a rescreen of my original and as you can see it has come along way from its original state this machine was played to death. It looks awsome now and plays amazing the original flasher works also, you just can't kill these old Bally's
Thanks CPR you saved another one.
You guys rock

Screenshot_20200807-182148_Gallery (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200807-182210_Gallery (resized).jpg

20200123_152234 (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200807-181744_Gallery (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200807-171725_Gallery (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200807-171716_Gallery (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200807-171640_Gallery (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200417-134621_Messages (resized).jpg

20200507_173257 (resized).jpg

20200507_173224 (resized).jpg

20200507_173224 (resized).jpg

20200506_173815 (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200807-182700_Video Player (resized).jpg

20180810_152523 (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200807-182210_Gallery (resized).jpg

So many times I see people swapping PFs or putting on Hard Tops on games that just have a little wear and it makes me a little sad. Your game was begging you for this with that play field! Looks great!

Cut me some slack for asking this question.

What color digits were the original FG displays? Orange? Red? Something else?

All Bally games of that era used the gas plasma orange displays. Some have filters in front of them so they can appear red (centaur 2) but they are still orange digits.

Thanks very much.

Please help. Does anyone know where I can get reproduction backbox cards? I have one (the center one) that is ripped, and mine are pretty beat.

Finally, my FG # 8396 is all back together and is playing awesome. I spent 2 months correcting the wonky pf changeover that was done about 7 years ago. The 2013 CPR playfield is great now! I also repainted the cabinet. I couldn't stand having a new CPR PF and a beat up cabinet.

Thanks to everyone who helped me on this fine Flash Gordon Group.

20200809_205736 (resized).jpg

20200717_225550 (resized).jpg

Pinsider Inkochnito has a web site with printable backbox, apron, and tech charts.
Look for Flash Gordon in the backbox card link here:
http://www.pinballrebel.com/pinball/cards/Backbox_cards.htm

Other cards:
http://www.pinballrebel.com/pinball/cards/

And flip him a donation to his site if you use it, we need this info out there.

A question for the group, I just added a hardtop and refinished the cabinet. I never really played this machine at it was a project. I am having Issues with the flippers stop working randomly. Machine has all new Alltek boards and I notice that when flippers are working I get a solid green light on Q-15 (Flipper Enabling relay) when the flippers die that light is flickering, then everything goes back to normal after restarting the machine. No other correlation I can see within game play. Any Ideas what could be causing the issue with Q-15? or what could be the contributing factors?

Thanks in Advance

If you haven't repinned the connectors, repin the two connectors at the PSDB and then on the other ends if that doesn't work. Next, measure at the relay then keep going upstream until you determine where the signal is flickering from.

Screen Shot 2020-08-12 at 9.56.02 PM (resized).png

Perfect, thanks for the Information. I'm fairly certain I repined that connector, I will keep looking down the line

Anyone have a link for a power supply rebuild kit? I can't seem to find one at the usual suspects.

Looks like Big Daddy enterprises has them in stock, or if you want to fully replace I'd go this route if you can't find the parts:

https://www.pinballlife.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PBL-100-0096-00&Category_Code=featured-products

Just because you re-pinned the connector doesn’t mean that the connector isn’t the source of the problem.

Not a knock on you, but I have come across plenty of “re-pinned” connectors that needed to be re-pinned.

I wanted to let everyone know that I just ordered my new cpr Flash Gordon playfield. How long do you think until they all sell?

Power87's playfield looks great, but the pictures of the FG playfield on CPR's website looks way off. The browns and oranges are terrible.

I have a uninstalled Hardtop for mine and was considering ordering a CPR playfield, but after seeing the pictures I don't think I want to do that.

First pic is from Power87 which is a CPR reprint on his original playfield, second is from CPR's website, third is a FG Hardtop in the plastic.

FG2 (resized).jpgFlashGordon-4 (resized).jpgFGHT (resized).jpg

So the power87 one is CPR's new digital process print - do you like the way that one looks as that's likely what you're going to receive from CPR, not the one pictured on the website - I don't think it looks bad either, just different.

There's a lot of variants in the way things were printed and came out even among original playfields - differing shades, etc. For instance I remember Eight Ball Deluxe's playfield's so-called white being a cream color, which is why I bought the IPB one way back when. Everyone else seems to put this as stark white, which looks off to me - but still looks good and I'd be happy with it anyway.

I was considering getting the FG playfield as well even though I don't have the game yet. Been looking on and off casually for a while.... likely the last 80s game I'm looking for.

Yeah, the pinks and greens seem too light and vibrant, and Ming looks like he has lighter skin.

I hope it is just the lighting on the CPR pics. I do think Power87's looks good, the colors look much more accurate and I hope that is how these will look in person. I realize there was some variation from run to run on the originals. I think I will wait until some that have already ordered the CPR playfields receive them and can chime in. If it is the lighting in the pics then CPR should consider retaking them.

I have asked CPR for clarification on this pointing out that for the most part my factory playfield and the prior CPR FG runs match whereas the one currently featured on the website the Hawkman by the slings look dressed in lightish pink rather than a golden brown.

I'm hoping its just the lighting.

Agreed the brown on the Hawkman appears to be off. The orange on the website looks like a rosy pink also definitely not orange like my original playfield.

The photo below is my trashed playfield. If you look at the upper playfield and at Ming between the flippers you can clearly see the orange.

IMG-2151 (resized).jpg

I put in an order. Not worried if the colors are 100% accurate or not. They don't look bad compared to an original imo and in a game by itself, you won't be able to tell. Looking forward to doing my first swap/Resto!

In the middle of mine right now.

20200815_125722 (resized).jpg

Hell's yes! I'm so stoked to finally get to play this beauty without the ball hanging up on the inserts. It's hard for me to wrap my head around putting a decal over a playfield but to each his own

15978770126387129201658874557296 (resized).jpg

Btw, the yellow was a personal choice over the ugly gold bally used. Imo it's a huge improvement.

I may simply wait till someone else buys a new one to see the final result. If they run out, so be it I'll send my upper PF out for repair, the lower is mint.

Sold out this morning! That has to be a record. Try again earthling

Good thing I got my order in. Have to thank you for posting that CPR had them available. I've been good at checking their website most days, but might have missed out if not for your post. I'VE BEEN WAITING!!! lol

I got the last one! Now I just have to find a FG to put it in!

I got the last one! Now I just have to find a FG to put it in!

Hope you get your FG, awesome game. From my information only 30 were made so a 24 hour sellout was expected. I got a rescreen and it's awesome.

Not sure where I saw it here but I repurposed the old plastics for coin windows:

417484DA-213B-49C1-A826-4684699016A2 (resized).jpeg

The original FG color was not really gold, like you see in a lot of restorations. It’s the same mustard/yellow used on eight ball deluxe.