Quoted from MrMikeman:The box for the P3 is not like other NIBs. It's a shell with top and bottom "lids". All held together by being strapped to the pallet. If you cut the straps the box is no longer a box. Either you can slide it down on the pallet or you will need to take it off the pallet and just bring the game down by itself. In either case I don't think you should do it alone. It's just that heavy. I bring my games downstairs alone also on my Escalera but I won't for this game (getting mine in a few weeks). It's of similar weight to my WOZ and that ended up being scary - and we were 2!
Others have mentioned removing the PF and module helps with making the weight more manageable.
Search youtube for "unboxing a P3" and you will see how it ships.
Just adding a +1 to MrMikeman's comments. Please do not do move a P3 downstairs alone.
I now have a walkout, but if I was still in my old house I would:
1) Have a pinball party with at least 4 friends/victims.
2) After their arrival, inform friends/victims that the price of the pinball party is hard labor.
3) Unbox the P3, remove playfield module to lighten the load.
4) Strap the P3 to an appliance dolly.
5) Run a rope through the appliance dollies handles.
6) Have 2 f/v's grab the rope on each side of the dolly.
7) With f/v's holding the rope tight, push the P3/dolly over the first step, and lay it down on the stairs.
8) Have f/v's slowly release the rope, letting P3/dolly slide to the bottom.
9) Go downstairs, move P3/dolly out of the way, drink beer, set-up the P3, drink beer, play P3, drink beer...
I'm sorry for my ridiculously long description. But I actually used this technique on many pinball machines and arcade games. It keeps everyone safe upstairs and no one has to play catcher.
- Mark