OK ENOUGH TURKEY LET'S GET THE 'LIL CAROLINA RUN UPDATES DONE ALREADY...
‘Lil Carolina Run visit #3 -> Family time again & an encore visit w/Orin Day (@Lobster) in Durham, NC
The subject: Gridiron
1 (resized).JPG
Hey EM-sters… if you’d like to do something positive for our older friends & neighbors, why not place a pinball machine at your local retirement center? For about a year, Cover Girl has been serving up good times for residents and visiting families at my father’s community.
Classic EM pinball is the ideal game for grandma and grandpa to play with the kiddies. Everyone loves it! Notice the high score board in the background… it has been steadily gaining new entries. The presence of pinball has brought out the competitive side of several folks around here... ha!
2 (resized).JPG
As you can see, my father is no slouch at billiards. As for that ungainly thing in the background with the sticks running through it? Hate it.
Foosball is a TERRIBLE game for a retirement community! Management politely accepted the donation from one of the residents (“our kids don’t play it anymore”), and now it sits against the wall collecting dust.
I’m doing my best to get it Craigslisted to make room for another pin. Want one? It's near Durham, NC.
After bulletproofing Cover Girl and fixing all of the lamp sockets, it was time for the second encore of the ‘Lil Carolina Run with…
3 (resized).JPG
Orin! He’s back! And ouch… that forehead band-aid was provided courtesy of a rapidly-descending playfield which jumped the prop rod. Careful folks!
Gridiron is Gottlieb’s 2-player version of Pro-Football, which is thus an improvement. Art package looks nicer too. It was briefly examined during the original tour, but it’s time to get serious now.
4 (resized).JPG
Meanwhile, somewhere in Maryland, George Arfken (@justagefehler) was given a homework assignment as El Tigre supervised. He was to rank his existing EM collection from most to least favorite. Here’s what was scribbled on those scraps of paper (name, year, manufacturer, artist):
Top Tier:
4 Roses – 1962 Williams – George Molentin
Bazaar – 1966 Bally – George Molentin
Magic Circle – 1965 Bally – George Molentin (unconfirmed)
Grand Tour – 1964 Bally – George Molentin (unconfirmed)
Surfers – 1967 Bally – Jerry Kelley
Beat The Clock – 1963 Williams – George Molentin
Second Tier:
Rancho – 1977 Williams – artist unknown
Tropic Fun – 1973 Williams – Christian Marche
Sound Stage – 1976 Chicago Coin – artist unknown
Third Tier:
Skipper – 1969 Gottlieb – Art Stenholm
Wild Wild West – 1969 Gottlieb – Art Stenholm
Scuba – 1970 Gottlieb – Art Stenholm
Solar City – 1977 – Gordon Morison
Gold Rush – 1971 Williams – Christian Marche
Bringing up the rear:
Buccaneer – 1976 Gottlieb – Gordon Morison
Time Zone – 1973 Bally – Christian Marche
Grand Slam – 1972 Gottlieb – Gordon Morison
What can we derive from this grouping? George is a seeker of functional pinball art. Only the games which are as mesmerizing to gaze upon as they are to flip will join his ranks.
It is interesting to note that not a single Gottlieb occupies his ranking until the third tier. And, of them, none are by Roy Parker. Which implies only one thing: George heavily favors fine art/commercial art to folk art.
I love Roy Parker’s artwork, but his specialty was clearly folk art. Regardless of year, nearly all of Parker’s work looks like it was drawn in the 1930’s. Most telling: Female hairstyles and hands. Compare them with Molentin’s drawings which always kept up with current styles and fashions (and his characters were proportional). Not so with Parker. However, what he lacked in strict commercial finesse, he more than made up for it with imagination and whimsy. I see Parker and Molentin as two complementary sides of the same coin.
As such, if Molentin is heads, George always calls heads on the toss.
5 (resized).JPG
We begin our fixes with the mandatory rebuild of the AS relay. In Gridiron, it is responsible for tracking the yardage and touchdowns. A smidge of Mother’s Mag Polish buffed into the circuit traces followed by some Finish Line Dry Bike Lubricant made it shine and slide like new again.
6 (resized).JPG
For good measure, Orin wielded his Dremelsaber and smoothed the backside of the AS relay latching plate. Always a good idea if worn… and it often is!
7 (resized).JPG
Why not clean the jones plugs with the sanding flapwheel too? Allrighty then.
8 (resized).JPG
Did Gottlieb intend for this playfield bracket to serve as a tool hanger? Dunno… but it works so we’re going with it.
9 (resized).JPG
Further north again, another homework assignment: El Tigre yanks an Aztec down the sidewalk (bought from our very own @boilerman). It slowly made its way south for a rendezvous in Madison, VA – the upcoming third encore this trip. I think poor Tigre needs an energy biscuit.
9_a (resized).JPG
Lunchtime at a nearby Mediterranean café led to a meetup with John (@robotronjohn). Always nice to meet a fellow Pinsider!
10 (resized).JPG
Remember that Neewer CN-216 light I mentioned earlier? One is nice, but twice is thrice-nice for busting up those annoying shadows. Especially with the included warm white lenses.
Worth the splurge! I use ‘em all the time. All. The. Time. Get a pair if you’re stumped for a last-minute Christmas gift to yourself.
11 (resized).JPG
Inside the box, Orin takes charge when a fussy score reel refuses to click upon command.
12 (resized).JPG
The removal of one screw from the EOS switch stack facilitates easy servicing. Turn 90 degrees, tighten the other screw, and the stack will swivel out of the way and stay put.
13 (resized).JPG
Let’s have a closer look at those smooth polished contacts, shall we? Oh yeah. Electricity be doing the jumpin’ jive from now on.
14 (resized).JPG
Before reassembling the reel, Orin gives it a gentle sudsing and rinse. Carefully… just barely glide those fingers across… gently now…
15 (resized).JPG
All tasks completed and Gridiron is gunning for the goalposts! The moment is celebrated with another kingly goblet of Erdinger, this time in dark weiss. Hey… what do I hear… a familiar voice… mee meeo meeoww…
16 (resized).JPG
Missy moon-eyes returns! Right on cue.
17 (resized).JPG
Awwwwww.
18 (resized).JPG
Such a sweet ‘lil fluffball.
19 (resized).JPG
To the north, a much more serious-minded Pallina flexed her Bengal stripes to guard Aztec… which had successfully made its way back to George’s place. Poor Tigre was pooped.
20 (resized).JPG
We said goodbye but not farewell after a mandatory game of Demolition Man. Still likely to be the finest living example of the game left in the world. Looks amazing and plays like butter.
(and I lost, again)
Next stop -> Madison calleth once more w/Jeff Green (@wolftownjeff) and George Arfken (@justagefehler)
Roanoke, VA
Saskatoon, SK
