Johns Creek, GA
Quoted from Cheddar:you might be able to reuse if they come out clean and straight
If they don't come out straight try putting them in a vice.
(Topic ID: 181987)
Linked Games
Bad Cats
Williams, 1989-
Banzai Run
Williams, 1988
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Blackout
Williams, 1980
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Comet
Williams, 1985
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Elektra
Bally, 1981
-
Firepower
Williams, 1980
-
Flash Gordon
Bally, 1981
-
Flight 2000
Stern Electronics, 1980
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Quoted from tominator:so I am prepping my Frontier for the new hard top install...when I removed the pop bumpers I found that there are big ass nail heads above the playfield that hold the bumper coil brackets...
I don't know how I will be able to sand the playfield flat with those things there...and I can't picture pulling them out...?
Has anyone else done a Frontier yet? How did you deal with this issue?
TIA
They come out and go back in after the Hardtop is installed.If the stick up on re installation you can ream out the hardtop to recieve them flush.
Adding in my vote for Flash Gordon. Emperor Ming Awaits! I have a stripped playfield in my workshop that I can offer up to assist with the creation process.
Quoted from dzorbas:For your Magna Save, I could swear I saw decals somewhere for those. Not sure if you'd want to go that route or would prefer the touch up.
Pretty sure Bay Area amusements has those.
Ottawa, ON
Quoted from 64bsstp:BK Hardtop.
So is this the official one? Are we good to go? I'm assuming you were the test fitter?
Quoted from dzorbas:So is this the official one? Are we good to go? I'm assuming you were the test fitter?
It is. You are. I was.
HOWEVER, mine is not the official announcement. I would expect OutsideEdge to make the announcement soon, tho'.
Did you find a plastics set yet? I got mine several years ago because the game was missing most of them. Waited until now to unwrap them. Worst part is how everything else wants to look old and dingy on the new Hardtop. I've got lots more work to do but the Hardtop fits very, very nicely. You've got your playfield sanded so it'll take minutes to make it better than new.
Completely forgot about that pop bumper cap (DOH!). New one is on it's way.
Basingstoke
Quoted from 64bsstp:It is. You are. I was.
HOWEVER, mine is not the official announcement. I would expect OutsideEdge to make the announcement soon, tho'.
Did you find a plastics set yet? I got mine several years ago because the game was missing most of them. Waited until now to unwrap them. Worst part is how everything else wants to look old and dingy on the new Hardtop. I've got lots more work to do but the Hardtop fits very, very nicely. You've got your playfield sanded so it'll take minutes to make it better than new.
Completely forgot about that pop bumper cap (DOH!). New one is on it's way.
Well, looking back, I apologize for unknowingly bashing you for the time it took you to get it installed! Just my impatience. Good to hear that it's almost ready to go public. Looks good and glad to see that it fits well. Guess I need to get back to finishing my prep work. A couple of inserts are loose, I need to sand a few more flush to the playfield and try to polish them up a bit and I need to make new rails and get them painted. I've found a vendor in Australia that has new plastics in stock as well as someone a bit more local that has a set. I'm still on the fence there but I think I might as well get them seeing as I've done all the of the other work. The backglass is another thing I need to deal with. Not sure that I want to drop a ton of money on that and I'm considering a few options.
Happy, happy! 
Very cool to see Black Knight done as it wasn't really even hinted at being in work. There are a ton of those around and the ones I see are typically really rough. BK might have had a rougher life than the art on Police Force. My PF is mostly covered in mylar and all of the areas that aren't are really struggling.
Fingers still crossed my Hardtop option is soon. 
Quoted from Shannyman:Tominator that really looks good. Going to sand my playfield this weekend. Great job.
Check your hard top to make sure there are all 3 holes for the shank nails for the pop bumpers... my hard top only had 2 holes for the upper left pop bumper. I have emailed outside edge to let them know about this...easy fix with a drill but watch for it..
Also, be very careful dealing with the star roll over...you will need to Dremel the hole to fit it. There is a video of someone doing it on a comet...easy to do, just don'tfuck it up!
Quoted from dzorbas:Well, looking back, I apologize for unknowingly bashing you for the time it took you to get it installed! Just my impatience. Good to hear that it's almost ready to go public. Looks good and glad to see that it fits well. Guess I need to get back to finishing my prep work. A couple of inserts are loose, I need to sand a few more flush to the playfield and try to polish them up a bit and I need to make new rails and get them painted. I've found a vendor in Australia that has new plastics in stock as well as someone a bit more local that has a set. I'm still on the fence there but I think I might as well get them seeing as I've done all the of the other work. The backglass is another thing I need to deal with. Not sure that I want to drop a ton of money on that and I'm considering a few options.
Happy, happy!
No worries. Nobody was putting more pressure on me than myself. I started this process last August and at that time the expectation was that the hardtop would be ready in October. I had my son and a friend lined up to help. My son & his wife had a baby in early Dec. And the hardtop showed up, you 'll love this, on Dec 22nd. YAH! Oh, wait. I had out-of-town family coming for 2 weeks and lots of junk stashed in my shop. The on Jan 11th my wife had surgery. She is home, mostly confined to bed and I'm the primary care giver. So not much free time. And then there's the day job. Busy there, too. Life changes. But it's all good. I'm not complaining - my BK got a new Hardtop!
Below, the before. Look at those inserts. Deep "cracks" like they needed a moisturizer.
Quoted from 64bsstp:Life changes. But it's all good. I'm not complaining - my BK got a new Hardtop!
That sounds like a busy few months. Glad to hear you got through it. Looking forward to seeing your game all put back together! Post some pics in the BK club thread if you can!
Come on Bruce, get this sucker up for sale! 
Quoted from dzorbas:That sounds like a busy few months. Glad to hear you got through it. Looking forward to seeing your game all put back together!
Will do.
But first, I'm populating another Hardtop title.
And there's a 3rd title coming. Don't ask, I'm not telling what they are.
So yeah, the time problem is my own darn fault.
Quoted from dzorbas:That sounds like a busy few months. Glad to hear you got through it. Looking forward to seeing your game all put back together!
Not sure what happened there..........repost:
Will do.
But first, I'm populating another Hardtop title.
And there's a 3rd title coming. Don't ask, I'm not telling what they are.
So yeah, the time problem is my own darn fault.
Love that green.BK UPPR PARTIAL IMG_8195 (resized).JPG
Quoted from 64bsstp:Not sure what happened there..........repost:
Will do.
But first, I'm populating another Hardtop title.
And there's a 3rd title coming. Don't ask, I'm not telling what they are.
So yeah, the time problem is my own darn fault.
Love that green.
My sanded playfield:
Nice and smooth:
Looks great Phil,
Keep up the good work
So I have a few inserts that seem to be "floating". They still stick up a little above the playfield but if I push them down, they will drop below and then eventually spring back up. Is it advisable to keep sanding them until they are flush or would it be better to pop them out and epoxy them back in so they don't move any more?
Quoted from dzorbas:So I have a few inserts that seem to be "floating". They still stick up a little above the playfield but if I push them down, they will drop below and then eventually spring back up. Is it advisable to keep sanding them until they are flush or would it be better to pop them out and epoxy them back in so they don't move any more?
If they are moving my suggestion would be to remove them and re-glue them.
Quoted from Skypilot:If they are moving my suggestion would be to remove them and re-glue them.
I've already taken out a few so I might as well pull out the rest of them. Anything that moves will come out now!
I probably spent more time getting the inserts decent than anything else. I think someone had applied something to level the orange wedge insert at the top of the left ramp. I could not get the lettering off. Ultimately I settled for close and the Hardtop lined up really, really close anyway. There were only a couple loose inserts but I ran some glue around all of them on the bottom anyway.
Quoted from 64bsstp:There were only a couple loose inserts but I ran some glue around all of them on the bottom anyway.
What did you use for glue? I've heard a bit of crazy glue will do the trick and will dry quickly. Or I can take them out completely, clean up the holes and epoxy them.
Torn over whether to hardtop my frontier. This playfield is going to get dropped into a fully restored cabinet. I think it would look so good with a HT, but the normal PF isn’t all that bad by frontier standards (probably because of the Mylar). What do you all think? HT or leave it as is?
5DC8BD0F-AE5E-439C-B1D9-B80666BBFFD7 (resized).jpeg
Quoted from Spraynard:Torn over whether to hardtop my frontier. This playfield is going to get dropped into a fully restored cabinet. I think it would look so good with a HT, but the normal PF isn’t all that bad by frontier standards (probably because of the Mylar). What do you all think? HT or leave it as is?
I don't know. You're right, for a Frontier it's not in to bad of shape. The ball arch wear is pretty bad though and that 1 spot by the outhole. Otherwise not bad. I don't know if it was the camera or if it's just really dirty, but the colors seem washed out.
But then again, putting it in a completely restored cabinet I'd be tempted to "sand that bitch" and HardTop it. It will be beautiful!
-Steve
Outsidedge ... Are you planning on vending at the Louisville Arcade Expo next month?
-Steve
I loves mah old Future Spa, but the playfield has sunk and scarred enough around the insert areas on the open field that rather than try sanding the old playfield down, the Hardtop would give me the option to get an entirely new and unprinted playfield CADded up and cut, with the Hardtop providing fresh new playfield art.
Quoted from Spraynard:Torn over whether to hardtop my frontier. This playfield is going to get dropped into a fully restored cabinet. I think it would look so good with a HT, but the normal PF isn’t all that bad by frontier standards (probably because of the Mylar). What do you all think? HT or leave it as is?
I say go with the HT. Trade playfields with Captive_Ball as he would LOVE to have yours. So then you can take his and add the HT to and enjoy a sweet new looking game.
Quoted from Spraynard:Torn over whether to hardtop my frontier. This playfield is going to get dropped into a fully restored cabinet. I think it would look so good with a HT, but the normal PF isn’t all that bad by frontier standards (probably because of the Mylar). What do you all think? HT or leave it as is?
HARD TOP
Quoted from Spraynard:Torn over whether to hardtop my frontier. This playfield is going to get dropped into a fully restored cabinet. I think it would look so good with a HT, but the normal PF isn’t all that bad by frontier standards (probably because of the Mylar). What do you all think? HT or leave it as is?
Don't do it. That looks restorable. I've got a playfield that's already half sanded to trade you.
Quoted from Pinballlew:For those that have done a hard top, how do the completed games play?
Awesome. It's slightly faster and the ball basically glides over the playfield.
Quoted from Spraynard:Torn over whether to hardtop my frontier. This playfield is going to get dropped into a fully restored cabinet. I think it would look so good with a HT, but the normal PF isn’t all that bad by frontier standards (probably because of the Mylar). What do you all think? HT or leave it as is?
I agree with the others, if you're not able/into restoring yours yourself trade with someone else who is for a rattier one to hardtop. A nice original should be kept intact if possible. 
Quoted from Spraynard:Torn over whether to hardtop my frontier. This playfield is going to get dropped into a fully restored cabinet. I think it would look so good with a HT, but the normal PF isn’t all that bad by frontier standards (probably because of the Mylar). What do you all think? HT or leave it as is?
Depends on your restoration skills...that one still needs quite a bit of touching up...
If you want I have a very beat up cabinet to trade for your restored one, then my new Hard Top will have a nice new cab and yours will have a beat up one...win-win!
Quoted from pinhead_jack:Waiting for the Flash Gordon announcement....
Me too.
Quoted from Fytr:I agree with the others, if you're not able/into restoring yours yourself trade with someone else who is for a rattier one to hardtop. A nice original should be kept intact if possible.
My opinion would be save your shipping money swapping playfields and both owners should hardtop. (I have not done this to a game, but haven't seen a lot of downside so far.)
Quoted from VDrums2112:Since everyone's bumping games, add...
Mata Hari
to the bump list!
-Steve
I concur
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