From memory only the upper playfield needed a small amount removed where the ramps mount.

Greetings,

I'd like to join the Saviors of the Universe club.

I have a fairly nice Flash Gordon; my first and only pin. I bought it from a guy in Mobile, AL who was selling off his collection of machines. He had Flash Gordon, a Haunted House, Evel Knievel, Strikes and Spares, Gorgar, and Dolly Parton left of his once 30 machine collection. Being a fan of the movie and having seen it in the theaters when it originally released, I had to have a vintage Flash for my house. This Flash Gordon came out of a bar in the 80s and remained in the previous owner's posession ever since. The MPU is original, with no battery damage if you can believe that. I installed the strobe (missing) and used water line from a refrigerator to build the risers.

I'd call this in good playable condition, with some cosmetic issues but not enough to get in a twist over. Some light sockets are dead, and a crack or two in the plastics but anything needed for a score works. Some minor separation on the silkscreen too. For not ever being restored, this is a nice machine I think. The pictures speak for themselves. That is my recently set high score.

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I've had this machine since since last summer. It was soon after I set it up that I realized I was a masochist. Each time I dared challenge Ming for supremacy of the playfield, and the Universe, I was punched in the junk.

Then went back for more.

And I thanked Ming for the lesson every time.

He ain't called "Merciless" for nothing!

Yeah. I know. I worked up two games to 1.2 and 1.8 million today. Then this evening just got done having my rear end handed to me on a Mongonian plate. I played 13 games and was thwarted at multipliers every step of the way.

Ming, it appears, has had enough of my insolence. He is indeed Merciless.

Got mine mostly playing. Just trying to make sure everything works before doing a playfield swap. At least that way I'll know everything was good before the after. Really got my ass handed to me. Nothing over half a million. On 5 ball at that. I can't wait to have a new PF in this baby and everything rebuilt - pops, flippers, the works.

mof did a real nice job with his 70 hour BH plan. Take some pics along the way and show us the fun!

Just got mine and I am excited to bring it back to its former glory. its a little ruff around the edges. I could use a little help. The Squawk talk board has a solid green light all the time so far the only thing I see different about it is that I am missing the AD558 DAC in U10 spot. I am assuming that I need one because most the pictures I see are showing one on the FG. The voltages are all ok and i have replaced all the Caps on the board. Even if I reset TP12 to ground the green lights stays on. Will post some pics soon..

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Took probably a hundred pics just pulling things off the playfield. Going to likely purchase one of the wire labelers at HD to help with all the rewiring. Still need to get wire braid for the ground braiding on the playfield. Not sure I will redo the cabinet braiding though I am restenciling the cab. Going to make a thread here on pinside with a few pics but will probably post for on a separate blog or whatnot.

You don't have to do ground braiding like the factory. Actually now is your chance to change GI lamp sockets to ones for GI that you could have easy access to from under the PF. GRC gameroom collectibles mentioned and showed this on one of their videos. Search for Taxi and take a look.

While I have given thought to this and would actually love to do it, the flash has regular bayonet sockets and they are a lot easier to deal with than the Bally 555 sockets! I would love to custom make pcbs with lights like Zitt has done with his Star Trek Mirror Universe build but it's both more money and more time and prototyping and learning the software I need than I can afford. Even with what I am replacing I'm already in pretty good for the game. It will hopefully be the nicest game I have when done and stay with me for a good long time, if it doesn't stay I won't be letting it go at a loss so I'd rather keep it reasonable.

That said, if I knew a decent way to get pcbs made with say 555 twist sockets, now that would be ideal.

I have wanted a nice Flash Gordon for a long time but it still eludes me, so I am on the sideline for now and watching you guys have all the fun. Thats ok, I love you Flash but we only have 14 hours to save Earth.

I use this for the pf trace wire. See ebay link. He sells it in 250' rolls for like $40. The trace(bare wire) is the supply for the GI and switches lamps. For the switched lamps it's actually the hot side not ground. The lamps are switched through ground. If replacing the staple down sockets, pay attention to the solder tabs. Try to keep the hot tab and base on the same side of the circuit. If you look closely at how Bally did it, you will see they did the same.

ebay.com link: itm

Getting heavy into my FG resto. I blew the cab apart because the bottom panel is covered in mold spores and the rear flake board panel is chewed up at the bottom. Plus it makes it easier to remove the bottom panel. Going to replace the rear panel with real plywood.

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Wow Rich, you're not messing about there are you, you're really getting in to it! I'll be watching your progress with interest.
Nice work space you have there too.

Thanks Adam. The inside of this cab is really ugly. Typically I would sand the sand the inside with 60 grit and then go to 80. This one is just not worth the hassle so I will paint the inside all the down to the bottom panel groove. Luckily these cabs were nailed and not screwed together, if they were , I would think it would have been way more difficult to get the cab apart. I had the rear panel reproduced in regular 3/4 Birch plywood. For $35 it's worth it for me because of the extra cuts needed.

Yesterday I took it even further. I removed the cross sections at the bottom that hold the transformer plate. I will also make new pieces to replace them. They are just 3/4 ply with a notch cut on each end. So now the cab is just the 2 sides and front and the pf supports. Everything else will be replaced with new. I had to temporarilly install the rear panel back on to keep the front of the cab from coming apart while I work on it. Now it's time to prep the inside of the cab walls for painting. Where the wedge cleats were removed, there's splinters where the glue pulled the plywood layer off. I will need to fill those areas. No biggie since the new cleats will cover it.

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I have never taken A bally cab apart before. It look really rough right now but will look amazing when I'm finished. I have a ton of work to do for now. Removing the wdge cleats to get the bottom panel out really does a number on the cab side as you can see here. This where they used the most glue. The groove that the bottom slides into hardly had any glue. The little that was there was brittle and not doing much at all.

The very bottom of the plywood sides, the under side of the cab is also rough. Some of the bottom is splintered which is typical of these cab. The splintering has actually worked to my advantage because it allowed me to get the front cross member out of the cab without taking the cab fully apart. I didn't want to compromise the front mitre joints and create even more work for myself. I spread to cab apart just enough to expose the nails holding the bottom cross member. I cut the nails on one side with a hack saw blade. Freeing the one side allowed me to pull the wood up and remove it and only leaving the nails. I repeated this for the 2nd piece. The front vertical piece(behind the coin box) wasn't nailed thank goodness. Where the cab was splintered, was able to gently pull the wood aside and tap the board out of the groove and remove it. When it's time, I can install the new boards and glue the splintered wood back together and it will be impossible to ever know it was apart.

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I gone a little done today in the last hour or two. Here's how I was able to remove the vertical cross beam I mentioned earlier. The plywood was already split along the seam of the plywood. If lifted it just enough to tap the board out.

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Sorry about the typos, I must be tired! You knew what I meant though. After removing the remainder of the wedge cleats, I removed any remaining glue and started to fill the splintered wood with Plastic Wood filler. This stuff dries fast so you have to work quickly. Also need acetone to clean the tools but this stuff dries hard and doesn't shrink or crack over time.

This week I'll have the new boards cut of the wood works shop where I purchased the year panel. I could make these myself but need to buy a table saw and the want I want is around $500 or more, so for now I'll the extra for the labor and save time in the process.

It's a little on the cool side here and it's cloudy so I'm not as motivated to keep going. I might start sanding the filler later today. I need to start working on the backbox as well.

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Last weekend I stripped the lamp board. I will replace the supply wire and lamp sockets with new. I made a schematic so I can easily replace the wiring. I painted the lamp board with white gloss spray paint. I'll start re-pinning the and replacing the connector housings while the harness is off the board.

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My progress on the playfield so far. Top side, all the red posts and mini posts installed. Pop bumper bodies and associated parts all new and installed. Wire form guides installed. Trough parts installed. Under side, new trace wire and lamp sockets installed, now marking locations for flipper and sling mounts.

Re-assembling mechanical parts, saucer, slings, flippers, outhole kicker etc. Mostly all metal parts have been stripped and re-zinced. Trough parts in nickel.

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Wondering if anyone here has swapped in a CPR PF in their FG yet and what thoughts you have about how it has held up. I've heard the clear on these was soft and as a result the pfs don't hold up well. I know this game will get abuse and the inserts on mine have a few crescent registration issues - that I could live with - but wonder if it is worth it to have a little painting on those done and proper clear if it's going to cost 500 more dollars. Thoughts?

Anybody need a backglass? Its original, I'd give it a 8.5.
Slight peeling on the bottom left, probably from taking the bottom rail off.
Not really noticeable from the front especially after the bottom rail is reinstalled.
I can post pics if anyone's interested or pm me and I can email them to you.

Does anyone know where I can find the stainless ball guides for the in-lanes? Are these available anywhere or are there protectors out there? Mine seem to be worn down a little bit, which causes the ball to do a little jump when it hits the base of the flipper. It's not too bad, but it would sure be nice to have a smooth roll onto the flippers from the guides. I am open to other suggestions.

I have a repro playfield in mine and its beautiful no issues.

Pinball Resource has them. Bally part numbers A-2898-38 for the right and A-2898-39 left. I bought 2 sets a few years ago. They weren't as nice as the original, I think his may be repros. One side had jagged metal but can be filed if needed. IIRC they were $11 each. Email them and they will let you know if in stock. I would have them chromed.
For now, you can try to adjust the returns, I think there's a little play in there. Also, are the flipper bats correct for the game? A wider bat can cause ball hop.

The CPR clear coated pf's do dimple from the ball bouncing on the pf. They are aware of this and claim it's normal and call this the "break in" period. So I guess eventually the entire clear should become flat with hundreds of games played. If you want a rock hard clear, you need to send the pf to Ron Kruzman. I sent a CPR F2K to him a couple of years ago because of some crud in the clear and I didn't want dimples. Ron actually experiments by dropping a pinball on his clear coats. I got no dimpling on the F2K pf after playing it.

Thanks! Yup, correct bats. The guides are noticeably worn. I have tried adjusting them as high as I can, but it's still not perfect. Good to know PBR stocks these.

Yeah I'm not a big fan of this design. I would think these shorten the life of the pinball with the metal to metal contact. I have a pair of these returns that are peened up pretty bad. These re also used in EBD but atleast you have the plastic layer undernieth. I was thinking of doing that to the FG. It helps eliminate the balls hopping over the return guide.

Flash Gordon for sale on Mr.Pinball classifieds. New Hampshire, no price. Not mine.

Pics below.

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Has anyone re-stenciled their cab with the Twisted Pins stencils? I have done 5 re-stencils. The first 3 with Pinball Pal stencils and 2 with my own. I have never used the peel and stick type yet and they difficult to apply. I guess you only get a chance or 2 to get them right when laying them down? Also wondering about the accuracy of the artwork.

Still working on the mechanical stuff, now it's the drop target banks. All the metal was re-plated and looks new and shiny. I used PBR drop targets, new nyliners, springs, coil sleeves. An NOS coil on the single drop and the green coil is a NOS Quality Coils brand coil. Will soon start replacing the diodes and caps on the pf switches and re-installing the harness.

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I have a lead on a FG locally. Cabinet is a bit above-average (not super faded), bg is really nice, has some wear on lower right pop, around upper drop target, and pretty significant wear in shooter lane at very top. What do you think a fair price for this machine is?

800?

Yeah, I was thinking $700-$800 was about right. Thanks

Appears that I am now in da club.

Nice one, welcome to the club! Love to see some pics when you get a chance also.

File this under "what have I done?". Had my FG for about a year now. Up until recently never realized I was missing the strobe flasher. When I found there was a connector tucked in the wiring run, I figured out what was missing and since my machine had to be complete, recently purchased a full setup (with bracket and cylinder) pulled from a shopped out machine. Plugged it in today and I'm finding the strobe really annoying. How many of you have turned off the strobe on your machine or is this something I'll learn to love?

Amazing work guys! You really go all out.

I don't have my FG anymore, but does it count for anything that I sold it to Melissa Midwest and her boyfriend?

I quite like the Flash. For the most part I forget its even there, it's just when friends play and comment on it that I usually look directly at it and get blinded in the eyes again.

LOL! Ya brings a whole new meaning to "cleaning the glass." Man that thing needed a lot of work under the hood. At least the playfield was pretty well protected except for the cigarette burn on the upper level. The owner I bought it from ran a small arcade in the 80's. He put a NOS field in it that he clearcoated first. Too bad it had linseed oil and yellowed, as did my Centaur.

You should have seen where I rescued it from....an old weather resistant (not weatherproof) garage that was an addition to an existing garage. It had a floor that was half dirt and half concrete. The concrete half looked like they poured the floor for the other garage, then cleaned out the cement truck right there. The "floor" would crunch under your feet because it was literally completely covered with old dried dog crap.

The game cleaned up pretty well, I thought. I'd like to see how it looked when you were done if you have any pics.

http://time.com/73485/flash-gordon-movie/?hpt=hp_t3

I have used the peel and stick variety of stencils on several cabs so far:
Power Play
Harlem Globetrotters
Wizard
Skateball

Made my own for:
Cleopatra
Surf Champ

The peel and stick work well but you have to make sure you get them lined up correctly. I have found on the more intricate art that I just cut the stencil into 3rds - it makes it SO much easier to get the registration correct. So far I have had the peel and stick from Classic Arcades. I have found the art to be close - never going to get exact but close enough for most. Don't get much if any overspray "look" with them. They have enough stick to put them up and down about 4 times. Not reusable by any stretch of the imagination after you have painted and pulled them off.

I just bought a set from Twisted Pins to do a Silverball mania. I will let you know if there is any difference between the two manufacturers.

I PREFER to make my own, but on some of these games the details are just too daunting/time consuming.

Im still trying to get into this club. I just bought a Flash..does that count for anything, like maybe a guest pass?

Oh yeah, I see it now...right in front of the first guardian target is a "fix" that I remember the previous owner did. I wouldn't have recognized it otherwise. You did a nice job!

I was just thinking the other day that Flash Gordon might get another reboot.