Joust Owners Club - ostrich riders and pterodactyl slayers wanted

being a small, but tight knit club, I thought that it would be nice to have a centralized thread where joust owners (current and potential) could discuss all items joust related

to start things off:
as many of you know, jim smith and I were responsible for reproducing the joust playfield plastics approximately 3 years ago. the run was understandably small (the production numbers for joust itself were limited to begin with) and the fact I didn't want to get stuck with any product that I couldn't sell since I funded the project from my own coffers.

CPR was kind enough to come through on the manufacturing end when the local print shop could not deliver the level of (silk screened) quality that we've all come to expect, however it was obvious that I probably could have produced another 5-10 sets given the pm's that I received after selling through the 60 licensed sets that I did produce.

since I still possess the means of bending the aprons (the heat bending unit and my home-made jig), is there any demand to consider producing any more playfield plastics?

someone didn't bother to see which joust that I linked above. I'm fully aware that bally made one a decade earlier

playfield plastics update
once kevin gets the [on demand] orders up and running, the sets will be available for purchase on the classicplayfields.com website. CPR will print and laser cut them and then they will be shipped to me to finalize (heat bend the aprons), package up and shipped to the customer(s)

a bbq grill? no. wait, it's a tarp!

djblouw
congrats on the acquisition

btw, there are 3 of those luggage type locking clasps (like on the new stern machines) that hold each of the twp lockdown bars onto the cabinet. you will need to release all 6 of them to slide the playfield glass off

hopefully, the playfield prop bar is still inside the machine

additionally, the 2 panels on the either side of the base have one of those nylon "child-proof" locking mechanisms to keep the panels from crashing down onto the floor when you unlock them. you'll need to reach inside the semi opened panel and push the latch down to release it to open the access doors containing the boards

the last time that I spoke with kevin, they were over 50 commitments (re-commitments) and I was assured that the project would get done

as far as what I know and am allowed to publicly reveal, things are progressing very well

without going into too much detail, what I can say is that all of the pieces are in place for the finalizing to occur and the playfields to start being produced

a small change (a correction) was made to the playfield artwork file last night and a new file submitted, so hopefully that is the only roadblock found

big news for people on the joust pre-order list from CPR is coming (if it already hasn't been sent by kevin). I know that mirco displayed photos of a playfield that looked really nice late yesterday/early this morning, but I think this news is worth viewing before anyone thinking of jumping ship, does

not having seen either physically in front of me, that would be a hard call to make

I do know that there are a few differences between both companies' processes but I'm not really in the position of telling people what to do since my opinion would be biased (I'm not only a good friend of kevin, but also jim smith who slaved over the artwork for this project and the playfield plastics that CPR screened and laser cut for us 3+ years ago

one thing that I will say is that from looking at mirco's photos, I see a few things that [may be] viewed as incorrect

I know that kevin and mike are making sure that the joust playfield will be as perfect as possible and have been reaching out to me on a regular basis for information

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I will be creating a playfield swap thread once I have the reproduction playfield in hand. I've already started stripping down my current machine and figured anything that I find that can be beneficial to others should be posted to try and make this process as easy and straight forward as possible.

the one thing that I have found already is that the metal posts with the rubber sleeves around them (these ones secured with an #10 nylon lock nut (11/32" socket) from the underside also have a washer on the underside (so, don't lose them!!
530-5332-00

ps
keeping the rubber sleeves on them allows you to grip the post and makes it 100x easier to loosen the nut from underneath

additionally, after running my game with the reproduction plastics for about 3 years, I've identified all of the places underneath the plastics that are potential places that will rub the ink from the plastics. I will post images tonight or tomorrow for all of those looking to bundle their purchase of a new playfield with new plastics along with my solutions to help keep this from occurring and keep your newly restored game looking beautiful

I would prefer to let them make the announcement

I know that we are making a change to the playfield plastics and possibly adding something [nifty] to the set (if I can work out the logistics for it

as some of you know, a little over 4 years ago, jim smith (a former CPR artist) and I partnered with CPR and were able to reproduce the joust playfield plastics, helping out nearly 60 owners. it was a stressful yet satisfying project that took a lot of effort, time and money to accomplish

a few years prior to that, I had sent mr. smith a NOS playfield and he painstakingly reproduced all of the artwork, done to every last halftone dot but at that time, CPR did not have the means to reproduce widebody playfields

fast forward to earlier this year, when CPR made the announcement that they had purchased a new digital printing suite of products which would enable them to produce playfields, backglasses and playfield plastics on demand and the joust playfields would be among the first products using this technology

below are some hi-res images (best viewed by clicking on them to maximize the image size) to show just how fine the details their digital printer can produce
kevin has been gracious enough to allow me to share the following images with you the pinside community for a project that I have been working on with them for the past few months

please note that the playfield shown is a sample that I am still verifying to ensure that all elements are positioned correctly. this particular sample has not been color colored or clear coated yet so the colors may still appear a bit flat and wood grain visible through the ink in some areas, but I wanted to show just how amazing mr. smith's reproduction artwork will look on the final product (he really needs to be commended for all his hard work

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yes, that's my understanding. I worked out a deal with terry @ pinball life and had the larger (square) brackets made and had them shipped to CPR. the playfields will be cut from the underside (just like the originals), and shipped bent and secured with the brackets

all remaining changes have been submitted. I'm going to assume that purchase information for those on the reservation list will be forthcoming from CPR shortly

the pictures really don't do it justice and I think that everyone is going to be floored when they see the final product

for anyone that is restoring a joust (or any other machine) and needs these #6x1/2" rwh (round washer head) phillips screws
on the joust, these are the screws that hold the 6 metal brackets underneath the playfield (at the cut) and the attach the aprons to the metal bracket at the ends of the playfield, I've order a carton (10,000pcs)

each machine uses a quantity of 28 of these. they look like this but will have the correct black oxide finish
#6 x 1/2'' p-rwh sheet metal screw

if you're interested, pm me. the price will be $6.00 for a qty of 30 including shipping (add $1 for each additional 10 that you need) in the continental united states. intl orders will be slightly higher (pm me for details)

yes, finally

all playfields have been cnc cut and I believe that the inserts are being glued into the last few playfields this morning. playfields should ship to kevin's building this weekend for ink printing and clear coating. then they can be bend, secured, boxed and shipped

I know that it's been a long time coming, but I think that everyone will be quite please with the results. we are also making the final corrections to the playfield plastics files so that CPR can offer them up as well

wow mirco
you're going to come here into "my" thread and trash talk?? not very professional of you, but if you're going to open the flood gates...

the CPR joust playfields are being produced at a higher quality level than yours are. remember, I've seen both products first hand. the level of detail on the CPR artwork is at least 100% crisper, clearer and has much more detail than yours (and 100% is being generous, mr. smith simply killed the artwork package on this product

additionally, the CPR plastics are laser cut, and not chip cut with a drill and all of the holes are spot on and finally the aprons are heat bent just like the originals, not cold bent which stresses the material

??really?? I've never met a business owner that has allowed themselves to be "forced" into doing something that they didn't want to do in the first place

my understanding from my last conversation with kevin is that the first 20 were complete and ready to ship (with the remainder having just been or getting clear coated). I believe that he's just finalized the packaging for shipping.

kevin is back from vacation. CPR received the shipping boxes right before he left, and he's informed me this morning that the playfields are ready to ship (once they wade through the 3 weeks worth of orders that they received while he was gone

to everyone that is on the reservation list, I would reach out to CPR for final billing information just to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks

invoices were sent to those on the reservation list. I will post photos of my playfield as soon as I receive it

after working on this for as long as jim smith and I did, it will be nice to finally see the results of all of the effort that went into this project

update
my playfields have shipped and according to UPS, I should have them on friday. friday is also our league finals, so photos may not be posted until late friday evening

a huge thank you to the community for being patient and sticking it out. it's been a long road to get here, but here we finally are

ps
the final corrections were made to the playfield plastics and CPR now has those files as well

one day to go!!!
it's in maumee, oh now which is a mere 70 miles away

pictures as promised. click to zoom in
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did any other joust owners order one and receive theirs yet?

ok, I should probably start a new thread for playfield swaps, but here's a few things that owners may find interesting

if you want to replace the targets in the four 3-bank drops, that part no. is 03-7478 and marco specialties recently had them reproduced. the link to the part no. is here:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/03-7478

unfortunately, the drop targets with the wedge top (roll overs that are used in the cross over sections) have not been reproduced yet. for reference, that part no. is: 03-7773-4

this website (german) shows that they have 18 available at 12euros each, however these are actually the 03-7478 drop targets listed with the wrong part no.
https://wirsindspiele.de/de/automaten/Flipper/Ersatzteile-200211/Ziele/fall-ziele/target-fuer-d19612-03-7773-4.html

additionally, for those people have issues with their scoring displays, marco's also offers a LED pin score solution that they've put together. it is not listed on their website, but you can phone and speak with one of their associates to order them. tell them I sent ya!

finally, I recently acquired the original williams joust bom (bill of materials) parts list (on fanfold wide format green bar paper) from james loflin (pinball inc.), but it's a mess to read. I've been meaning to try and put it together in a readable format and submit the information to moll.no but just haven't gotten around to it.

I'm hoping to start a swap for a friend this weekend and will start posting progress and things that might make it easier to those following in my footsteps

the first steps will be to clean out the clear in the [used] dimples using a drill bit (topside), and then t-nut, run ground braid and install the new lamp sockets (underside) before proceeding to make everything easier

the one notable change that mr. smith decided on was to use a t-nut on all the screws for the sling star posts. the adjustable location on the right side is still dimpled and still uses a wood screw. this changes your bom to add an additional (4) #6 t-nuts (two for each side) and (4) #6-32 x 1-5/8" phillips pan head screws

the holes behind the 2 center stand-up (bullseye) targets were t-nutted on all 3 of the machines that I owned and I believe was cnc'ed as a larger hole on the CPR playfield (I will confirm this tonight)

playfield swap topic created
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/joust-cpr-playfield-swap-process-and-tips#post-5005463

for those not following my playfield swap thread
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/joust-cpr-playfield-swap-process-and-tips

I have found the four playfield hanger brackets will not fit the new CPR playfield without having to route out a 1/16" deep by 1-1/2" x 2" section of the playfield for each bracket location due it being 9/16" thick (the original playfield is 1/2" thick

I am having 25 sets of new brackets made out of mild steel, w/ [blue] zinc plating, just like the originals and will supply 4 decals to be applied to the brackets (2 each of "LIFT FROM THIS SIDE ONLY" and "LIFT FROM OTHER SIDE ONLY")

once these 25 sets are gone, that's it, you're on your own. I am funding this on my own dime and do not intend to have any more made
the cost per set (of 4 pcs w/ decals) is $52 plus shipping. as I type this, 13 set remain unspoken for

there's a strong possibility that I will have the completed playfield hangers on or by October 21st and ready to ship. once I have them in hand, I will calculate the shipping costs and send people the total amount due

there are only 10 sets left unspoken for, so if you want a set, now is the time to speak up

the template for the bracket decals is complete. they were pretty basic to begin with, but are pretty close to the originals

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bracket update:
the playfield hanger bracket decals are all printed and have been cut and packaged up to be included with each set of brackets

I will have the brackets in hand next monday, oct 21st, so look for a pm with a total amount due and payment information

the brackets have arrived. I need to pick up some shipping boxes and calculate total costs

look for a total amount due tomorrow

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I still have 7 sets of the playfield brackets available and I am now offering solid oak wooden ball guides
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/joust-owners-gauging-interest-for-solid-oak-guide-rails

I have no idea what is going on with CPR and the joust playfield plastic sets. the last time that I spoke with kevin (6+ months ago), I told him that I still have the heat bending jig that I made and would gladly help out if needed.

those are the roll over variety, correct? good luck. I've been searching for those for about 5+ years now

action pinball has a few of these in stock again
https://www.actionpinball.com/parts.php?item=03-7478