Anyone have any issues with a space shuttle hardtop and a repro ramp?
I plan on doing one very shortly, but I've read the repro ramp needs routing on an original playfield due to the ramp thickness (I ran into this on taxi a while back), so shall I assume now the hardtop and the original need to be routed?

I think diner should be on the list. Seems like they are either excellent or beat.

Are cyclone's really blown out this often?
I've had a few of them, none were really very worn.
Probably seen 20+ in person too.
Little bit of wear by the lanes at the top, but nearly none any where else.

It's not a knock, it's just i'm wondering whether some people are really picky and want perfection or is there a lot of cyclones out there that truly need hard tops.

Does this machine really need a hard top?
That playfield doesn't look bad.

I could have sworn they said that f14 is not happening.

I think the issue for some of us is that cpr has typically made a run of playfields and when they ran out there was no time frame for another run. I wanted to do a high speed years ago, didn't preorder and they sold out.
Hard tops just seem to be available if you want them.
It would appear cpr has much more in stock now, but is the damage already done?
I think one could argue that their lack of inventory itself helped create hard tops.

I'm open to using either one on my beater space shuttle. My kids love it as is, but it's hard for me to look at.
If i'm not mistaken on system 9 and older there is much more stapled to the bottom of the playfield, that could be the decision make for me.

What are you guys considering a bad or good install?
Is it really that much more than sanding and clear coating the inserts?

Agreed, i come here to read to see what is going on with hardtops.
If you don't like hardtops and will never use one, i don't see the point in reading this thread at all.

For me, common sense i believe suggests sanding the whole playfield, it was beat in the first place so you have to assume the rest of the paint will eventually want to come up.

What i don't understand is clear coating bare wood. Not sure why i would want to stick the playfield to yet another type of finish instead of just bare wood.

For me, common sense i believe suggests sanding the whole playfield, it was beat in the first place so you have to assume the rest of the paint will eventually want to come up.
What i don't understand is clear coating bare wood. Not sure why i would want to stick the playfield to yet another type of finish instead of just bare wood.

Do you really need to disassemble and break down a cab to do decals or is this just a pinball restorer ocd thing?
I would think you could remove legs (put it on saw horses), remove the coin door, rails and any of the bolts and do the work.
I'd guess you could even remove one head bracket at a time for doing each side.
I have a set for AFM, not sure the brand, i don't think they are radcals.
But out of all the projects i enjoy doing, i'm not thinking the decals will be one of them.
So the easier the better (if these are indeed easier).

I think you are misunderstanding what i'm asking.
I'm not suggesting to leave the old decals and not fill and smooth.
I'm just asking why the machine needs to come apart to do it.

Does it really look that bad in person? Pics look like close ups, but for me it doesn't look bad.
It's a hard top (which i am a fan of), so does it really need perfection?

I've been tiring kicking a hard top for my beater space shuttle for years.
My little guy loves the game, has no clue it's mostly bare wood with insert decals (not done by me). Plays just fine for him.

I read all your guys posts and i have my days where i want to do a hard top, but others where i think a playfield would be better for me.
Not because i'm some kind of purist, more so because a playfield swap is just mechanical work to me. It sounds like a hardtop is a little more detail orientated and the whole glue lifting, debris and dirt in the inserts, polish or don't polish, clear or don't clear makes me rethink the idea.

I know space shuttle playfields are out of stock, but i'll guess they will do another run at some point.

I'd be curious on how many hardtops come out great and how many are mediocre or fail.

To be clear guys, I'm not worried about how a hardtop plays, we are playing on roughed up wood now, lol. More worried about doing it right and having it come out well. Where that's not a worry for me for a playfield swap. Though I really don't want to invest another grand plus plastics in this machine.

If your machines were fine with touch ups and insert decals, i'm not sure the hardtop was the solution anyway.
There have been a few times here where people want to do hardtops on decent pins, which makes no sense to me.
My space shuttle is like 75% bare wood win the middle, there is no touch up in the world that would fix this.

That looks like it was mylar removal damage.

Last time i checked cpr does not have space shuttle playfields and there is no eta.

Do you have this playfield lock in a rockwell jaw horse?

I have one of those and have never even given it a thought.

I've had my chop saw and platform in it so long that i barely remembered what it actually was, lol.

I'm sure the licensing will make that difficult.

I had actually thought they already had that one, obviously i was wrong.
Makes sense to have all the system 9's, most got beat to hell.

I think hockeymutt was a little aggressive with his tone, but it is somewhat true in the pinball and arcade hobby about the complaining.
Many of the products people need and buy for arcades and pinball are sort of trials. None appear to be perfect but they are far better than nothing. It's competition that breeds quality and there just isn't enough demand to create real competition.
It's awesome and says a lot about outside edge that they fixed the taxi hardtop, but if they didn't, it still would have been drastically better than a blown out playfield.
I see the guys on klov whine all the time about This Old Game art. They take a long time and it's kinda open ended when you will get your art, but they made me an impossible to find bezel for a game, yes took 3 months, but i wasn't getting it anywhere else, so...

I so want to buy a space shuttle hardtop, have the ramp, need the plastics. I probably have one of the worst blown out space shuttles out there. All wood with decals on the field and plays fine, lol (i didn't do it).
Just can't get involved in basement dweller projects in the summer and i don't want the hard top to sit for months.
But it will happen.

That's probably another one that would need licensing.

What do you guys use an alignment points on space shuttle?
One of the reasons i will usually pay more for an arcade control panel overlay that has cutouts for buttons is easy alignment (generally speaking the better art companies usually have the holes precut).
As the weather turns i'm getting closer to this project.

Also, what's up with the plastics coming soon on outside edge's website? Be nice to get both at the same time, so for best price i'm seeing on space shuttle plastics is $170. I already have the new ramp installed.

Thanks, my space shuttle playfield is completely blown out. My plan was to paint black around the inserts, but you are suggesting blue?

Thanks, apparently my eyes aren't what they used to be, typically i read on my laptop, read it on my phone...

I dunno, I'm all for hardtops but funhouse is an expensive sought after pin.
Looks like cpr just did them and is considering putting them in their rotation of playfields they make.
A hard top would probably be a mistake in this case.

While i'm never rooting for a price hike, if $25 puts you over the top on this project, maybe you were just looking for an excuse not to do it.
My guess is most machines will take $500 if they were fully functioning and didn't need high ticket items like ramps. Posts, lane guide etc. add up.
So if the total is $525, it doesn't really change much.