(Topic ID: 39991)

Oldest game you've had a high end restore done to?

By TigerLaw

11 years ago


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  • 113 posts
  • 38 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 7 years ago by Vinnypin
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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There are 113 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 3.
#51 11 years ago
Quoted from Pinballmike217:

Thanks RobT, but I can't take on any more projects right now. I wish. I've got enough to keep me busy for quite awhile.

No problem! This is an example of the difficulty that TigerLaw may encounter, as there seems to be a bit of a shortage when it comes to restorers that are even able to take on more work at this point.

Quoted from TigerLaw:

Nope; I knew they both did restores but did not know they did commercial restores (I thought they just restored their own games). This was one of the reasons I started this thread though; looking for references and ideas on who to use. Thanks Rob!

Yeah, after reading some of your posts I was getting the feeling that maybe you didn't realize that they did restorations too.

Of course there is also Bryan Kelly who does great work and he is a member here. Not sure if he does the older titles, but I would check with him to see.

#52 11 years ago

Yea, thanks again Rob. Looks like you may have identified another challenge I will have to navigate through. Thanks for the leads.

#53 11 years ago

Paragon is a great game to do a High End restore on but I am not sure you have to outsource the work. Need to think alittle on this.

I have done alot of high end restoration on many of my classics. The term restoration is where is get tricky on these GEMS......All of my older games I restore because that is what I like. Not as an investment. Are you going to play it. Family, friends...???? It is about enjoyment.

I do the playfield work and backglass work. I have someone else paint the cabinets. But again not all games need this. Just depends on your term of restoration. What I try to do is make the playfield and backglass mint and then work the cabinet if I don't have to repaint. Here is some I can think of right off the top of my head.

Bally Games: Paragon; Nitro Groundshaker; Skateball; Lost World (Sold); Centaur; Evil Knievel; Xenon x3 (Sold); KISS (Sold); Mata Hari (Sold); Eight Ball Deluxe.
Classic Stern - Quicksilver, Nineball x2, Stargazer x2, Seawitch x2, Stingray, Dragonfist, Split Second, Cheetah, Galaxy.
Williams - Firepower (Sold)
Others: Space Station; Earth Shaker; Joker Poker; F14

#54 11 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

Are there any other restorers that you would recommend?

I've only used HEP but based on his backlog it would be nice to have more people doing this kind of work. The Playboy has been there over a year waiting in line but that's OK I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.

#55 11 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

Yep; his Swords of Fury is awesome too; might have to add that to the list. Wow. Wish he wasn't so booked up; his work is amazing.

Yeah, that Swords Of Fury looks great. Can't wait to play it at the Texas Pinball Festival

#56 11 years ago
Quoted from GSones:

Yeah, that Swords of Fury looks great. Can't wait to play it at the Texas Pinball Festival

That's the one that is going to be the TPF? Sweet!

Quoted from GSones:

I've only used HEP but based on his backlog it would be nice to have more people doing this kind of work. The Playboy has been there over a year waiting in line but that's OK I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.

Yea, would be nice for more people to make shops dedicated to this purpose; would be awesome really!

#57 11 years ago

How about the other Pinball Mike here on Pinside? PinballMikeD is his username. Not sure if he does older titles, but would certainly be worth checking with him.

#58 11 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

That's the one that is going to be the TPF? Sweet!

No I don't think it'll be the HEP Swords of Fury. I just meant to say that I have never had a chance to play SOF and am looking forward to checking out the game play on this interesting machine. Sorry to get your hopes up...

Yea, would be nice for more people to make shops dedicated to this purpose; would be awesome really!

#59 11 years ago

I can't believe sorcerer isn't on this list as a potential. One of the most gorgeous machines ever.

#60 11 years ago
Quoted from Anim8ormatt:

I can't believe Sorcerer isn't on this list as a potential. One of the most gorgeous machines ever.

Wow! That is an incredible looking machine. I think I will add it to the list; thanks for pointing it out (I missed it due to its time era). Question: does it have a mirrored backglass? Does anyone know if Paragon has a mirrored backglass?

One reason Gorgar is so highly ranked in my mind for this project is that awesome mirrored backglass it has . . . that is hard to beat. I plan to make a decision on a machine this week or next week at the latest. I'm going to follow Rob's advice and discuss it over with the high end restorer.

#61 11 years ago

Sorcerer has mirrored backglass.

#62 11 years ago
Quoted from Kneissl:

Sorcerer has mirrored backglass.

Thanks for that info. I think I am absolutly going to add Sorcerer to the list.

Having the mirrored backglass is pretty important to me as this machine is going to be in my main office (away from my other machines) so I am looking for something that looks stunning. Paragon not having a mirrored backglass probably knocks it out of contention (shame too, beautiful artwork on that game). I may be knocking Blackhole off the list too, even though it is smashingly gorgeous, due to the maintenance issues that machine seems to be so well known for.

Centaur has an after market mirrored backglass that can be bought so that is helping it.

Anyway, I spoke with some fellow pinsiders about this yesterday during a pinball party. I may wait till after the TPF to make a final decision. I guess it depends on how my conversations with the restorers go later this week.

Thanks again to everyone for the info; I really appreciate it and am looking forward to this project greatly.

#63 11 years ago

If you do a Sorcerer, hit me up. I'm in the middle of one right now.

#64 11 years ago

Don't take BH off your short list yet.

The back glass is awesome, w/ mechanical animation rotating disc, and infinity lighting around it.
Machine design is also impressive -- a widebody w/ a lower level, and 6 flippers.

Bulletproofing a machine to make it play great and reliable is an important aspect of fixing up old machines.

Playfield artwork is not the best on BH, but it looks ok to me.

#65 11 years ago
Quoted from Pinball-is-great:

Don't take BH off your short list yet.
The back glass is awesome, w/ mechanical animation rotating disc, and infinity lighting around it.
Machine design is also impressive -- a widebody w/ a lower level, and 6 flippers.
Bulletproofing a machine to make it play great and reliable is an important aspect of fixing up old machines.
Playfield artwork is not the best on BH, but it looks ok to me.

I agree with this. Don't take BH off your list because of the maintenance issues (which are valid concerns on a non-restored one) because the restoration can make it much more dependable than it would be otherwise.

Can't believe that I didn't mention Sorcerer earlier either. Good call on that one!

#66 11 years ago

I'm restoring/fixing a Paragon right now... not really high-end restore, but it is a playfield swap/cleanup. I may repaint the cab too.

#67 11 years ago

I did a full repaint of the Kiss playfield(1978?). I can't imagine what someone would charge to repaint the whole thing as it took a lot of hrs. But it is what I like to do.

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#68 11 years ago

Finally starting my EATPM. Not super old, but old enough.

#69 11 years ago

Was a little under the weather during the middle of the week so I have not progressed much or looked more into this project. All the input here is fantastic.

I note that many of the machines on my short list are going to be at the TPF in just a few weeks, so I may actually push the decision on the machine off till then. The issue Rob raises about obtaining the services of one of the high end guys is really concern for me to as so many of them seem to have so much on their plates already (the pinball business is booming) so I may have some light shed on that issue at TPF as well.

#70 11 years ago
Quoted from Pinball-is-great:

Don't take BH off your short list yet.
The back glass is awesome, w/ mechanical animation rotating disc, and infinity lighting around it.
Machine design is also impressive -- a widebody w/ a lower level, and 6 flippers.
Bulletproofing a machine to make it play great and reliable is an important aspect of fixing up old machines.
Playfield artwork is not the best on BH, but it looks ok to me.

Yea, the BH back glass is amazing. I think I saw one was going to be at TPF. Will absolutely check it out closely. I wish Catacomb had a better looking back glass. The art work is superb and the rule set looks fantastic. Also, just from watching the game play on YouTube I like the sounds.

#71 11 years ago
Quoted from mrbillofprior:

I did a full repaint of the Kiss playfield(1978?). I can't imagine what someone would charge to repaint the whole thing as it took a lot of hrs. But it is what I like to do.

That looks great. Throw up some more pics!

#72 11 years ago

Here is my restored Star gazer. I'm bringing it to the TPF with tastefully added LEDs. I installed the ultimate lamp board and there is absolutely no ghosting. This video was taken before the LEDs but you can see how the game plays. Oh and the cabinet was repainted along with all new plastics and cleared playfield.

#73 11 years ago
Quoted from PappyBoyington:

Here is my restored Star gazer. I'm bringing it to the TPF with tastefully added LEDs. I installed the ultimate lamp board and there is absolutely no ghosting. This video was taken before the LEDs but you can see how the game plays. Oh and the cabinet was repainted along with all new plastics and cleared playfield.
» YouTube video

That is a superb looking game. I can't wait to play it at the TPF! Very nice work.

#74 11 years ago

I did high end restoration on a 1947 United Rio.

#75 11 years ago

Paragon a nice pin to restore and I know someone selling a NOS pf as well!

#76 11 years ago

you can try Doug Huse @ Lets Play Pinball.He does full restorations as well as cabs.Scott

#77 11 years ago
Quoted from jackofdiamonds:

you can try Doug Huse @ Lets Play Pinball.He does full restorations as well as cabs.Scott

Thanks for the referal. Does he have a webpage or any place that shows his work?

#78 11 years ago
Quoted from Shapeshifter:

Paragon a nice pin to restore and I know someone selling a NOS pf as well!

Yea, it is one I am considering, but the lack of the mirrored backglass is a big downer to me. I've never seen one in person; perhaps the lack of the mirrored backglass isn't a big deal. Can't wait for the TPF to get to see all these games.

#79 11 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

Yea, it is one I am considering, but the lack of the mirrored backglass is a big downer to me. I've never seen one in person; perhaps the lack of the mirrored backglass isn't a big deal. Can't wait for the TPF to get to see all these games.

Since you really want this to be a nice art piece, I think you are right to be concerned about the lack of a backglass.

#80 11 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

Since you really want this to be a nice art piece, I think you are right to be concerned about the lack of a backglass.

I'm actually glad to hear you don't think I'm being silly on this topic. Pinball-is-Great and a couple other of the local pinsiders I play with agree with me that the mirrored backglass makes a monster difference from an appearance standpoint but there is so little discussion on the issue here.

I'm glad to see others outside of our little pinside group agree with us.

#81 11 years ago
Quoted from PinballShawn:

I did high end restoration on a 1947 United Rio.

id like to see some pics

#82 11 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

Thanks for the referal. Does he have a webpage or any place that shows his work?

+1 for Doug Huse. He does awesome work.

#83 11 years ago

TigerLaw25. I'd still suggest considering the Paragon. While backglass is not mirrored, the artwork on the translite is beautiful. You could buy mirrored backglasses and put them in light boxes on the wall to meet that criteria.

#84 11 years ago

id like to see some pics

I purposefully left some of the patina intact. It needed restored due to sun fade on the cab, but the pf and bg were perfect in every way. So what I wanted was a restored game that didn't look like a restored game. Which actually was more work than if I just reshot the whole thing. Making something look new is easier than making something look old. This one came out very nice. I could've made it look perfect, but it wouldn't 'feel' right for a 47 (if that makes any sense). So I left a few nicks and dings, reshot the stencils and even gave them a little damage here and there to match up. The woodwork and mechanics were fully restored. Plunger parts were sandblasted and reshot to duplicate the original finish. I had the plunger handle manufactured.
I've done many cabinets and full pins, but these WWII era pins hold a special place in my heart.

032.JPG032.JPG 039.JPG039.JPG

2 weeks later
#85 11 years ago

After careful consideration and a lot of play on older SS machines at the TPF...Sorcerer edges out Gorgar and Black Hole. Will start moving forward on the project this week.

1 week later
#86 11 years ago
Quoted from Anim8ormatt:

I can't believe Sorcerer isn't on this list as a potential. One of the most gorgeous machines ever.

I have engaged my restorer and he will be sourcing the machine for me. I'm number 7 in line for him at the moment so he'll get to me in 6-8 weeks. Special thanks to Anim8 for the comment above that got me to really start looking at this machine closely.

I'm having it blinged out (literally) to the max (got some really unique mods we're going to do it) and even though it is a few months out from getting to me, I'm already excited about it. Can't wait till it arrives and i get to share some pics. Till then this thread will be in hibernation.

#87 11 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

I have engaged my restorer and he will be sourcing the machine for me. I'm number 7 in line for him at the moment so he'll get to me in 6-8 weeks. Special thanks to Anim8 for the comment above that got me to really start looking at this machine closely.
I'm having it blinged out (literally) to the max (got some really unique mods we're going to do it) and even though it is a few months out from getting to me, I'm already excited about it. Can't wait till it arrives and i get to share some pics. Till then this thread will be in hibernation.

Excellent!

Sorcerer has superb artwork, and I think it is a good player too. Really like your choice here. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Would be cool if we could get pics of the progress along the way.

#88 11 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

Excellent!
Sorcerer has superb artwork, and I think it is a good player too. Really like your choice here. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Would be cool if we could get pics of the progress.

Thanks Rob. Yea, I'll see if I can get some pics when the restore begins. It'll be about 6-8 weeks from now. With what we're talking about doing to it I think it will end up being the nicest Sorcerer around (at least if you like bling). Going to have a lot of custom work on it. I'll chat with the restorer and see if we can get some pics during the restore to share.

I agree with you about it being a good player. Had a lot of fun on the one at the TPF...has a lot of fun shots and is actually a challenging pin.

#89 11 years ago
Quoted from Butterflygirl24:

I am not sure I have any pics...they were in my old computer and it is history...I will look and see if I have any. Gorgar is a really cool game, and when I did the PF I upgraded the flippers to the system 7 style so as I was touching up and clearing the PF I filled in the unneeded holes for the old style flippers...Algar and Scorpion are really cool as well for their time period...Scorpion is a 6 digit display, Algar is a 7, but they should have been reversed because Algar is less likely to be rolled than Scorpion.
I did the restoration...I do all my own games I used to do them for others but I have not been doing that for awhile now.
Phoebe

Phoebe, The Stingray won another ribbon at the festival this year. Nice backglass work you did on that one. The game is down right perfect. Cabinet by Keith Holbrook, You did the backglass, I did the field and the rest of the work. Continues to play and show well. People just love the game.

The RAY.......More classic stern junk.

#90 11 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

Thanks Rob. Yea, I'll see if I can get some pics when the restore begins. It'll be about 6-8 weeks from now. With what we're talking about doing to it I think it will end up being the nicest Sorcerer around (at least if you like bling). Going to have a lot of custom work on it. I'll chat with the restorer and see if we can get some pics during the restore to share.
I agree with you about it being a good player. Had a lot of fun on the one at the TPF...has a lot of fun shots and is actually a challenging pin.

The one at the TPF had an NOS clear coated playfield and NOS backglass in it. That was my Buddy Scotty Martino's ....Just beautiful work.

#91 11 years ago
Quoted from Classic_Stern:

The one at the TPF had an NOS clear coated playfield and NOS backglass in it. That was my Buddy Scotty Martino's ....Just beautiful work.

I spoke with him briefly. Seemed like an awesome guy and he kept great care of that machine. I turned off the machine during the festival because it was having a scoring error (a switch was constantly registering hits) and he materialized out of no where to ask what was wrong with the machine and then he fixed it on the spot. Was pretty cool.

If he is on pinside link him to this thread. Let him know his machine directly led me to picking Sorcerer for my early SS restored machine.

2 months later
#92 10 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

I have engaged my restorer and he will be sourcing the machine for me. I'm number 7 in line for him at the moment so he'll get to me in 6-8 weeks. Special thanks to Anim8 for the comment above that got me to really start looking at this machine closely.
I'm having it blinged out (literally) to the max (got some really unique mods we're going to do it) and even though it is a few months out from getting to me, I'm already excited about it. Can't wait till it arrives and i get to share some pics. Till then this thread will be in hibernation.

Alright, I am necromancing my old thread because . . . my restorer has sourced my Sorcerer and I think I am next up in line for the restore. It has been a long ten weeks or so for me but I am as pumped about this project now as I was when I started this thread.

I will speak with the restorer and see if he wouldn't mind posting some pictures of his work on pinside. His name has been mentioned in this thread already but I honestly don't know if he comes on this site or has an account. Will ask him tomorrow if he minds sharing his work in progress with everyone. We've thought of some cool and unique mods to make this a one of kind machine.

#93 10 years ago

Miss World is the oldest one I did for myself. As far as playfields go. I've had a lot of 50's woodrail playfields come in for restoration.

1 week later
#94 10 years ago

TigerLaw,

It's great that you are adding a classic to your pinball collection.
I think you are gonna appreciate it more than you realize.
Good to hear that you are helping to enhance/preserve an old pin.
You took your time thinking about which classic pin you might like, and narrowed it down to a few.
You made an all around great choice concerning game play & artwork.
Catacomb would have been an interesting & unique choice also, as well as a few others.
I bet Keith is gonna enjoy working on this Sorcerer.

Keep us updated!

#95 10 years ago

Stern Magic and Bally Frontier

Mark Salas

Frontier_Original_Playfield.jpgFrontier_Original_Playfield.jpg Frontier_NOS.jpgFrontier_NOS.jpg Magic.JPGMagic.JPG

2 weeks later
#96 10 years ago
Quoted from Pinball-is-great:

TigerLaw,
It's great that you are adding a classic to your pinball collection.
I think you are gonna appreciate it more than you realize.
Good to hear that you are helping to enhance/preserve an old pin.
You took your time thinking about which classic pin you might like, and narrowed it down to a few.
You made an all around great choice concerning game play & artwork.
Catacomb would have been an interesting & unique choice also, as well as a few others.
I bet Keith is gonna enjoy working on this Sorcerer.
Keep us updated!

Totally agree. My collection just felt like it needed an early solid state game and Sorcerer is not only a work of art but is a lot of fun to boot.

I think you and I were playing some four player games when I made the decision on Sorcerer. Took awhile to source one that was a good restore candidate but we have it now. I'll post pics over the next couple of weeks.

#97 10 years ago

I am a fan of patina.

#98 10 years ago
Quoted from davewtf:

I am a fan of patina.

Only on fire arms. Bling out them pinball machines!

3 months later
#99 10 years ago

So, my Sorcerer is complete. This thread is old and dead, but figured I'd post some pics in here for those of you that helped me decide on Sorcerer.

photo_(13).JPGphoto_(13).JPG photo_(14).JPGphoto_(14).JPG photo_(19).JPGphoto_(19).JPG

#100 10 years ago

Some more...

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