I played this several times at Pintastic. The way I read the card, I got the message that they had to be done in order. It's 1-5, BTW, to get to 5000 points each.

I'd like to hear what you learn about lighting the blue bumpers for Special (completing 1-5, maybe?) and the yellow bumpers for Extra Special (getting tower lights to #10, maybe?). Without a credit unit step-up, it may be hard to determine how many replays Extra Special is worth.
.................David Marston

It's my intention to hook the credit unit step-up and step-down coils back up this week. With the coin slide rigged to always work, there's no reason not to that I can see, unless there's some other issue that will pop up once I do, like a shorted coil or something. We'll see.

I found a problem on the trip bank that I hope is the major contributor to the other issues:

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It had been worked around with a typical EM plastic switch lifter plate that had been taped on with electrical tape but that seemed to occasionally not work, giving the erratic behavior, I hope. For now, I've patched it up by super-gluing the 2 halves together, then reinforcing the break with thin strips of hard plastic epoxied over the crack. Looks like it should do the trick.

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The game cabinet has what looks like a raceway mounted to the side wall inside, with a ball in it. I'm assuming it's a roll tilt, but it has 5 switches that get activated in turn as the ball goes around the track. I'm not sure how that works but I'll test it later. It also has what looks like a typical credit takeoff button just under the front center of the cabinet.

Reconnected the credit unit coils tonight - nothing happens at all. Still need to meter the coils though and see if they're good. I would have expected that advancing the unit by hand would light credit lamps in the backbox, but I get nothing at all. I checked the bulbs and they've all been good. Toggling up a replay score also does nothing. I'll probably have to pull that unit and see what's up. Maybe the rivet followers have lost their connection.

The trip bank fix is working nicely and the 1-5 rollover lane sequence now works as it should. I got the tower numbers advancing but erratically so that will need more investigation, and when working it seemed to stop at 6. Not sure what's up with that.

For Dave Marston - too early for me to say with certainty but it looks like finishing the 1-5 sequence lights the blue bumpers on the outside for Special. Hitting those may be what lights the Yellow bumpers but I'm not positive yet as sometimes mine are on after reset. That may be a reset bank issue still though. In one of the games I played, though, I finished 1-5, the Blues lit up, I hit both and the Yellows came on.

Toyguy, you asked for pictures. Here's 2 pictures of my backbox. Do they show what you are looking for?

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Well, bad news, Big Town has Big Problems. Went down to work on it some more and now the mechanics and playfield don’t power up at all. GI comes on, so the clock switch is working, and all fuses are good, but no scoring, steppers etc. I used to hear a lock relay when turning the power on but nothing now. Without schematics it’s tough to know where to start as there’s no clue to expected voltages, power paths, etc.

The selenium rectifier is long gone so it isn’t that but it has some very odd power installation. I’ll get a photo later.

I suppose first thing to do is see what’s coming out of the transformer.

New bridge rectifier installed and Big Town is running again! Now I can get back to trying to restore the credit system functionality. I'll have to meter the two coils though to make sure they're not shorted. I am suspicious since the DC circuit died last time I hooked them up, though I would have expected a fuse to blow first. At least the new rectifier allowed me to get a fuse in line with the AC lead to the bridge. The previous one didn't have that.

Genco subway just got home, is it possible to get this working?

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I took the subway apart and cleaned it. It's all there, mostly. The coin slider is trashed and I need a spring for the ball loading mechanism. Anybody know what kinda battery will work to make the coil fire on this thing?

I LOVE the BG in Big Town...thanks for sharing! And now I'm anxious to know what you get for the Tower/Run numbers!! lol

So far, I have gotten as far as 6. I noticed last night that there’s a problem there. The tower should apparently advance when a rollover lane is lit. Mine are not, except for the number 2 lane. That one works.

Even when working, though, it seems like it would be near impossible to get more than 6 unless going for that in place of score. At best, you could light two of the lanes on ball 1. Hitting those same two on each subsequent ball could get you to 8.

Having just typed that out, I realize I should not be reaching 6 even. Unless there is another rule at play, the best I should be able to do is 4. Wonder where I’m getting the other two? Hmmmm...

Hello all, i am searching for a genco coil it is k34-4600 it is 11v a.c. pinball resource does not have it, hoping someone here does or knows someone. Thanks!

Bay Area Amusements has one https://bayareaamusements.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=CLK

Thanks. I actually already ordered, recieved, and installed it!

I'm looking for anything GENCO, parts, hopeless case's, anything I really like the war area and any leads .,. Please let me know what you have.... Brian W Henson

The type of battery that it was designed for was a screw top 6v. I don't know if they are made anymore, and if they are, they certainly aren't in wide distribution. You can run it on any 6v battery, but I suggest switching to a small power supply- partly for reliability, partly because it's a bit of a pain to take apart the top half of the machine every time you want to change the battery.

I just picked up a Genco Admiral. Does anyone else have one? Mine is missing all the paper graphics from the front and would love to have a replacement made.

Anybody have a parts stepper like the one in the photo? Mine was acting flaky, and I noticed that the shoulder bolt was broken. I can't find an exact replacement, and having one machined is expensive. All I need is the bolt- if you have one you can share, please PM me.

Thanks!

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1949 Genco Rip Snorter restoration. The playfield was in pretty good condition, but I needed to do some touchups to the worn red and white areas around the kickout plates and lamp inserts. There were some fairly wide gaps between the playfield and the inserts and kickout plates, which I filled with a thin wedge of white vinyl spackle. The plastics are my repros, as is the backglass, all multi-layer direct print to plexiglass. The cabinet and especially the front and coin door were in very good condition.

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well that's one helluva lineup!

Can anyone help me with my Genco Victory and my Argentine,I need head glass paint repairs and other parts. Or suggestions on how to preserve and restore the little damage on my head glass.my Argentine is in great shape except for minimal paint loss but my Victory is really bad and I would still love to save it.

Thanks. That's the big row of woodrails. Another row:

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Hello. I’m starting a genco 400 ish restore. This has been modified. Extra posts and nails. And a decal making it “line up”. A buddy also has a non working one modified the same. Has anyone seen this. And second does anyone have access to a good digital copy of the glass art. I assume the glass is not findable. Most wont know what it is.

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So I might have learned something today.

For the past few months, I have been working on a Genco Blondie. I've got it up and running, but I was stuck (or so I thought) on one thing... only one color of bumpers scored. When those are hit, the lights switch over to other color bumpers, but they do not score points. So I've been scratching my head trying to figure out why. Then I came across this video:

In the video, he's working on a Genco Seven Up-- same year as my Blondie. His does the same thing... and then I realized what all of those other small lights on the backglass are-- they are lighting up as he hits those targets. I'm not sure what they are *for*, but it does appear that my machine is working correctly after all!

Now I just need to find a center bolt for one of the steppers that is wonky and held together with a normal nut and bolt.

I've had its partner- a Golden Nugget, for a couple of years. I've not been successful at getting it to run and score correctly, and can only get it partially through its start up sequence. These were gambling machines, and were surprisingly complicated.

That’s unfortunate. Is golden nugget a payout machine? My plan for this is to restore all electronics tonthe best of my ability. Rebuild all steppers and visit all relays. My dad just finished working on the cabinet and turned out great. Here’s also a picture of the glass I need. Not much printed and can easily be discarded as “missing art”.

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Golden Nugget is a replay machine, not a payout.

Thanks. I don’t even know what 400 is or even the “line up” modification. Weird machine. That was makes me want to get it working.

400 is the rounded number of replays that the machine awards if you get all 12 lights in a single game. Unlike Golden Nugget, there is no 'gimme' lane that lights for a free replay in case you go straight down the center. You get six balls for a nickle then each additional ball (up to another six) is an additional nickle.

There is a knock off switch on the top that will slowly reset the replays. Since they used motorized reels, it takes a little while.

Also, the replay scoring is a bit unusual. You have to line up your numbers - meaning, you don't get any replays unless you get -at least- 1,2,3 in either color.

Some of the relays are AC and some are DC. IIRC, so are some of the lamps.

as previously discussed, ain't no one getting those 400 replays!

Thanks I figured the switch on top was a knock off. Good thing I got it freed up. Have you ever see the “line up” variant. It appears to have a water slide decal on top of the genco 400. I originally thought this was an anomaly but a friend a few hours away happens to have the same modification on his. Also not working yet.

The latest addition to my Genco collection - a 1949 Three Feathers. The cabinet and playfield are in very good condition, the one issue being sunken inserts which I'm working on now. The backglass on the other hand is pretty poor with a lot of flaking. I'll be doing a repro of it, but the issue is that I'm missing all the detail in the red feather (behind the blonde). If anyone has a nicer backglass & could get me a few high res pics of that area, it would be a big help and greatly appreciated.

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I wish I could help but I've never had any luck with any questions or help from this site. I've posted on it quite alot so don't get your hopes up here.... But there are alot of great help videos on Utube... Vid1900 is a GOD, If you can find his stuff it's the best help ever.... I am putting together a collection of GENCOS, I now have a Captain Kidd. a Argentine, Victory, and now a Tri Score. I really hope that you are able to get some help with your backglass soon... Brian...

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Thanks Brian. I'll get there one way or another... Your Tri-Score looks really nice. I just finished one. The playfield & plastics on mine are a lot rougher than yours, but it turned out pretty well & I'm happy with it. I repro'd the backglass on this one and will have to do the plastics as well.

I'm up to seven Gencos now - Screwball, Rip Snorter, Floating Power, Fun-Fair and Trade Winds, in addition to the Tri-Score and Three Feathers.

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Tomcons, Please who did your backglass and can they do mine.,..

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Count me in for a Puddin' Head and Trade Winds. Just discovered this group, and I'm proud to be a member. You guys do amazing work with some pretty esoteric parts! Fantastic read.

Me. Since I always seemed to end up with games that no one was doing repro backglasses for, I figured I had to learn how. So they are all multi-layer digital direct print to plexiglass, and I think look good lit and unlit and compare well to the originals. But it's not cheap and takes a lot of time. And since Genco often uses silvering which can't be replicated digitally, I end up having to manually silver ink them, which also takes a lot of time, but it's worth it.

This is the Trade Winds repro glass I did earlier this year. Original on the left in the 1st pic. 2nd pic shows how it looks lit on a light box.

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In fairness, there’s basically no documentation for these games. Most folks around here are pretty willing to offer advice on stuff, it’s just that the Genco knowledge base is pretty thin.

For those of you in the NorthEast, I've emailed the guy and the games are indeed complete, minus legs. $250 each asking.

vermont.craigslist.org link

at $250 USD each with no legs and unrestored, they might sit for quite a while...

I was able to find an image of a second glass, and between the mine and the 2nd one was able to get an accurate re-draw. The rose-colored feather behind the girl in the center is a little deeper in the new print than in the original, but I can live with it. Pics show the original and the repro, and the repro glass lit up on the game.

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This Four Roses just popped up for sale nearby. I've seen the machine first hand a few years ago and know it's in very good condition. Exceptional, for a 1940 machine.

Would look great next to my Big League. Same year of manufacture, same cabinet style, same condition.

Any idea on the value, anyone? It's fully complete.

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It is a thing of beauty, no doubt.

Cool story behind it too:
Machines like this one were donated to the US army by Genco, to provide the soldiers with amusement in Europe during World War 2. The current owner heard this from an ex Genco employee at Pinball Expo years ago. Could have been Steve Kordek.

The current owner bought the Four Roses from a farmers' son. This man said that the American soldiers had left the machine with his father when the war was over, together with other things they weren't taking back to the US.

I wouldn't be surprised if my Big League was brought into The Netherlands in the same way. It is of the same age, also was bought from a farmers family, had been there for many decades and is in amazing condition.

This Four Roses and my Big League are the only two Genco machines of this vintage (both are 1940 machines) that I've ever seen in the Netherlands, in 20 years of collecting. Which is not strange: I can imagine that normal import of amusement machines was non-existent in WW2.
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1) that game looks stunning. If you're going to have a flipperless machine, might as well have the prettiest
2) what's that upright machine in the background of the final photo???

1. True story. So what do you think it's worth? Hard to say, I know. But what would your ball park be?

2. Looks to be a boxing machine. You see them a lot on fairgrounds here.

Complete and working 100% I'd guess $300-350 USD. almost no market for flipperless machines, generally. At least in North America.

Thanks! I did expect a game in this condition to be worth a bit more. And I know the seller thinks that too.

Any other opinions on the value?

I believe her estimate to be spot on. They are more art than pinball in most people's opinion.