Its cool that your friend is going to let you work Mata Hari over but unfortunately the backbox does not fold down. Im not sure the exact year hinges were incorporated but with the vast amount of knowledge available here it wont take long before someone provides a detailed answer.

Ive heard that there are bolts that hold the back box down but is there any reason to take the backbox off of these pre hinge games?

Its actually pretty easy to remove but a second set of hands is very helpful. Remove the backglass and as your friend holds it steady you will be able to remove the 4 bolts. should be 9/16. Before doing this you will need to disconnect the wiring but again not a huge deal. Mark them before removing if you have any hesitations but they are pretty much all different and plugging them back together is not too difficult. Use patience when pulling them apart as they may be brittle as they have been connected for a long time. May be a good idea to wrap the pin as it might go a long way showing your friend that you care about the machine. Remember pics! Have fun cleaning her up!

Yes, a big reason-you dont want to damage it. The 4 bolts hold it up but are not meant to be used to support it when transporting. Theres just no reason to take that chance.

Here are some photos from my Mata Hari restoration if it helps you out at all.

www.photobucket.com/matahari

Aaron

Here's mine:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2558/4168638140_d9608caf34.jpg

Love it. I have more pictures in my "Pinball" set on flickr. If you need any pics or have questions, give me a holler.

removing the backbox is a piece of cake. take some pics so you know how to hook the harness back up before you start unplugging everything tho

Backbox hinges came in 89 with WPC games. Riverboat Gambler might have been the first but not sure.
I generally will keep the backglass in the head for transport. Make sure NOTHING is pressing against that backglass or can press against it if you brake hard.
Don't forget to reconnect the grounding strap.

Thanks. It was my first one, so I'm pretty excited about. Both the Playfield and cabinet were repainted and clear coated, so I felt I had no choice but to shine every part then. Lot of work, but fun.

The backbox on my Pinbot was hinged..That was a bit of a surprise to me as I always associated this with DMD machines. Mata Hari is a great looking game - give us a review on the gameplay and post some pics!

I thought I remembered Pinbot being hinged but all the pics showed it without them.

The Backbox on my 1981 Bally Vector folds down onto the cabinet. It has a different hinge arrangement to newer machines though. Silverball Mania (1978) is the same as Mata Hari, with the four bolts holding the backbox in place. I don't know when the arrangement changed over.

If I transport the SBM to a show, I always remove the backglass and pack it carefully in an old flat screen TV box. I get a bit paranoid about breaking a backglass that is worth nearly half a machine's value.

No, I wish, but I'm not that artistically skilled unfortunately. I sent the Playfield out to HSA Pinball, who removed what Mylar was on there, and had a friend paint and clear coat the cabinet. He uses automotive paint and clear on the cabinets and did an amazing job. Got him lined up for my Star Trek cabinet too if I can ever get it apart and sanded.

General consensus was that adding Mylar back on the playfield wasn't needed given the clear process used and that it's home use now. But, I did toss down some mylar in the shooter lane, as well as around each of the bumpers as those tend to give a beating. Also added some mylar around the flipper buttons, but only because i had them. Other than that, no new Mylar and it's been pretty good.

Aaron