Pictures. Then pictures. Then more pictures. Also, you said you just got it. Play it for a few weeks then tear it down. You will find things you didn't know were broken that will be a lot easier to fix while it's torn apart.

If you're tearing it down I'd replace the rubbers. Only a few bucks but can make a huge difference.

How hard? Not hard. Can be long and tedious, but not hard.

300 plays already? Holy burnt rubber! At that rate, you "will" have to dig in and tear it down for cleaning soon, might be a monthly thing! I wouldn't guess I put 300 plays on it the whole time I had it. Lol.

Glad you like the game Steve. Well, I guess if you only have one game to play it's gonna get played...

+1 on replacing rubber- can totally change the play of the game. They may look good but take them off and you might change your mind.

My approach so far is to remove, clean, then replace one section of the playfield at a time. I see the value in stripping the entire playfield, but that is pretty aggressive for your first experience. Most things (including wax) can be done section by section where you have the ability to put it back together in the same day you took it apart.

I am new to pinball as of this year and I am tearing apart my HS2 right now. Good points so far - take pictures of the playfield to remember all the bolts, screws etc.. As I take it apart I put all the plastics and screws in same spot they were under the pin, so I remember Placement for later. I have kids so I tell them "don't touch the plastics, please.".
I am not removing the superchargerunit. I really don't know how. I will sweep and clean under it the best I can. Anyway, look and order new lights or LEDs you need on the playfield and in the back box. Look at forums about leds. Replace all the rubbers. Some rubbers squeeze in tight around the metal ramps. Wash your hands so you do mot get the rubbers all black. I bought a rubber kit from Marco. Vacumn and clean playfield. Buy new balls also and e en wax them. Buy novus 2 and wax and car wax to do playfield. Look at forum posts about waxing. Wax a lot because it sounds like you play a lot. LOL!
Your pin will feel new with a good wax, balls and rubbers. Fast!
Buy stuff - tools, missing screws etc,as you go along. HS2 is staying in my 2 pin collection for along time. Did you get the super jackpot yet? It is a bass filled victory.
You got a butt kicker of a first pin. What will your second be?

Oh yeah, go Socks, you Chowdahead! Wicked good pin you gat!
I grew up in Maine, I know. 2004 was for my Grandparents who weren't around and 2007 was for me. Tear.

Take literally hundreds of pictures of every angle.

I just completed a full playfield teardown, polish and rebuild. I'll be documenting it on here shortly.

HS2 was the first pin I ever got brave enough to strip down entirely. It's not that difficult, but it is very time consuming. Take 100's of pictures in stages. Pay particular attention to different types of post screws(type, length, etc) It's easy to forget where certain screws go. I believe I still have tons of pics if you need any. Good luck!

Whenever I do a complete strip down a playfield, I pick up a package of small 3"-4" zip-lok type bags. I usually get them in various sizes from McMaster Carr while I'm ordering other stuff, but think you can get them for a couple bucks in the craft area of Walmart. When taking something off the playfield, group the associated screws, nuts, posts, etc for that piece into one bag and write some description on it reminding you where it came from. Number these bags as you go along.

I keep a notebook with me and track the sequence of my teardown. I list the associated baggie # and add little notes along the way (anything that might make orientation clearer, if something has to be slid in/out a certain way, etc.). This, as well as more pictures as things come out, should make things pretty easy going back together with (hopefully) no leftover parts.

Can any of you that have down this before share your closeup tear-down photos? My HSII seems to have had a lot of low-quality work done to it, so I'm not confident that it was put back together correctly, with the correct type/size screws, etc. It plays fairly well, but a lot of the inserts seem to be a little off-kilter, and the ball can sometimes get stuck under the stoplight (I can usually shake it back out but that's not the solution I want)...

Here are a few pics from my tear down. There is a red post near the top left pop bumper that is not correct, someone added it before I owned the game.

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A few more....

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Thanks for the photos. Your "before" playfield looks a lot like mine - can't wait to get it cleaned up and polished...

HS2 is a pretty straight forward game to breakdown. Just take your time and take photos.. especially of the posts. It's real easy to mix up wood vs metal screw posts and different sizes.

Personally I use a camcorder.. I break a section down, and then just film that section describing the parts and layout to myself. You end up with a bunch of clips just about each portion of the game. I found it so much more effective than just trying to take photos... in a video if I can't get to something, I just describe it. Can't do that with stills

At the minimum you should take the two ramps, supercharger, apron, and plastics off.. then clean the PF. The two loops and ball launch path take a good bit of abuse. That and the ball drop areas in the lane returns.

My playfield has some clear protective film over high stress areas (like where the ball drops down from the habitrail). I assume I'm supposed to leave those (vs remove them and add new ones) - is that right?

It is most likely a strip of mylar. If you plan on removing look up a thread on mylar removal prior to attempting to remove it. There are a couple of different ways to get it off without damaging your PF. It will most likely come up pretty easy if is is just a small piece under the ball drops but better safe than sorry IMO.

don't try removing mylar unless you have a specific reason to do so. you'll create more work than you bargined for at best... and worse.. risk damaging paint/art.

Thanks flynnibus - after I wrote that I read up on mylar. Fortunately my mylar is in good condition so I don't need to touch it...

Oy, I'm working on mine right now....the supercharger ramp and other ramps are just a maze of screws, nuts, weldments, and wire. And I can take apart a STTNG in my sleep...how the hell does this thing come apart?

I shopped my HS2 and my STTNG this month. HS2 took 2 days, STTNG took 2 weeks! I didnt have any problems taking my HS2 down bare. Take your time and pictures, if you've tackled STTNG you will have no problem!

I took it off last night, wasn't really THAT big a deal, but I am shocked the entire loop and ramp comes off in one big heavy assembly. That thing is SOLID.

Here is a pciture of mine during tear down last year came up like new. Enjoy the shop it's fun!

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Some after Pictures

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