Just joined the club with a mild project that basically works, just needs new speech ROMs, some board bulletproofing, and a full pf teardown/rebuild (planning on a hardtop).

The backglass isn't in the greatest shape but even after swapping the box to leds, I'm impressed with how it looks - the flecks of paint that disappeared actually give a "diamond cavern" effect, like Gorgar actually has something to defend LOL. I'm honestly tempted to keep it this way, but wish Gorgar & the humans weren't faded (to lesser degree).

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ANYWAY a quick question regarding gameplay and the magnet: so, what exactly does the magnet do? It seems pretty underwhelming as implemented: it doesn't do anything a saucer kickout (like the one right below!) wouldn't have accomplished, and probably faster. A firing kickback would have been more fierce and worth "beware-ing". OR it would be cooler if the magnet engaged by larger proximity or some other trigger to grab the ball passing by. But having the magnet kick on only when you deliberately shoot a target, which makes it act like a saucer lock... honestly seems pretty lame and not worth the expense. What am I missing? Is this the first use of a magnet in a game?

Yeah, the multicolored areas have lots of flaked-off spots that wash out white from the bulbs, but the effect isn't terrible. For some reason, the solid-colored areas like flesh tones, title, and even the snakes and such didn't flake off as bad, so it's still somewhat presentable. I've seen a lot worse from backglasses of this era! So using what it evolved into, I might try a laminate on the board behind the glass to enhance that "diamond fleck" effect and add some depth.

As for the magnet, that's interesting it would eject STDM despite being so far off to the left. I guess I'll try to dial it in once I put the game back together. I dismantled the PF yesterday to prep for a hardtop, so I still have lots of work ahead.

It's strange but true. And it also helps balance out those times when you "gotta have" or "don't know better" and pay a little more than conventional wisdom might suggest.

Patience and contentedness is the key.