You have to do a "figure eight" to both sides of the center rubbers in order to keep the
flyaway door from sticking.

ahhh!! POTO My first pinball wish the backglass was easier to come by since mines has the mask completely gone. I'm Currently trying to resolve a display issue, were the top portion is lock on and the bottom it's not showing all digits. Will post some pics tomorrow, Glad somebody started a club for this awesome pin!!

Im in with restored-clearcoated playfield.
Magicchiz

The sound is the best!

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Mine too.

I'll join the club. I love this game also! I bought mine in October of 2015. I still think it has the best artwork and great sounding music especially for an older pinball but still even today. Fortunately I was able to to find one is really good cosmetic condition with a really nice backglass and playfield.

At the time Phantom was released, to me, it looked like a lost Bally title
that should have worn the Bally logo.

Which screen do you have in yours? If I don't find a solution for mines I might consider buying a new one.

Fanta,

I am assuming you are talking about the display?

I think it a X-pin.

Magicchiz

Picked up a POTO recently. Played this game growing up a ton in my buddies basement!! Oh the memories. Anyhow, mine has a sticker on the bottom left of the backglass that says "This game features the world's first TY-FFASI solid state flipper" and the flipper have "Solid State" stickers on them. Anyone else ever seen this? Im assuming it came that way from factory and they were just never removed.

Love this pin, my back glass is very good, playfield is good but there is some wear around the pops and a few other places. I put decals on mine as the cabinet was pretty tired. Mine has the blue domes at the top but I see some have orange. I like the blue it looks like lightning when it flashes with a white bulb.

You are correct! The flippers would break and would get replaced with new ones with no stickers.
Now, do you you know what TY-FFASI means and the story behind the term?
Hint: it had to do with Williams at the time.

This I do not know. Please do tell!

I played POTO all the time in college. Finally got one for our collection. Playfield could be better and the organ has an issue but it's a work in progress and gets tons of play in our house. Love the music.

The story of TY-FFASI. An engineer bought a Williams pinball machine. he quickly realized that it could be improved upon. Thus, were born the parallel wound flipper coils. he did not get any credit for his input.
Data East was on Williams tail to be number one. So they employed his input to make their flippers better.
1) A single wound coil with two different power supply voltages and two deferent values of regulating diodes.
2) He built on that principle to come up with the no end-of-stroke switch and yet have lane change switch
strobing capacity all in a solid state format. Thus the TY-FFASI system was born. But what does TY-FFASI
mean?... Simply.
Take
Your
F**cking
Flipper
And
Shove
It.
And that was the story back in 1980's. How much of it is true?, I do not know. But an engineer out side the pinball manufacturing proses did change the flippers that are used in today's machines.

I hope to be in the club eventually. POTO is the pin that really got me into pinball and have always wanted one. Always loved the art and music.

Thanks for the background story! Good to have a fun little story when people ask about the sticker. Already had a few ask and didn't know what it meant.

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Didn't smell like smoke... but simple green says differently.

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Will they ever make a repo of this playfield and backglass??? I don't care how much they cost, just make them!

Hi there fellow Phantom owners, does anyone out there have another "Magic mirror plastic"??
My machine does not have anything and I'd like to buy one from somebody or if someone 3d printed one I would love to pay for one.
Shoot me a pin mail if you've got any ideas please!
Kevin

We just released these for anyone doing a restore:

https://www.retrorefurbs.com/shop/phantom-of-the-opera-pinball-cabinet-decals/

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We are also working on a full plastic set, reproduction backglass and even the possibility of doing something for the playfield depending on interest.

If you are keeping a list, please put me down for a playfield.

Marcus

Put me down for a playfield and maybe a back glass. My wife OrangeSC loves this game and the one we purchased is in rough shape.

I would be in for a playfield and if you do them I could use a ramp.

I would be in for a Playfield and Backglass for sure. I might go for a plastic set as well if it all times out well. I need a decal set for this too, but those seem to be hard to come by anymore.

My wife found someone that had a decal set. We purchased it and found a couple of decals missing. We are having duplicate decals made. What decals do you need?

We could look at making decals for this game. Might as well go all the way if we're taking the game apart to reproduce other things.

The decals I need the most are basically all of the ones associated with the organ. I was able to find a nice decal for the trap door, but any others have eluded me thus far.

We have all of the organ decals. I will have mine copied.

I have asked two people that restore pins and both of them told me they could not do that mask on the outside of the glass

I'm in!! Got my first Phantom about 15 years ago. Sold it about 13 years ago. Got another one in better shape about 3 years ago and it's going nowhere. Had some MPU issues but bought a Rottendog and have been very please with it. Great game, great sound, great art. The entire package in my book.

The one we purchased is not doing well. It was in a very damp basement. When you open the coin door you can smell damp basement. We had the MPU board repaired by Ardvark pinball. We are still having an issues with the organ door not operating correctly. I hope to have that repaired soon.

Hi guys I just scored a ramp and I'm super happy about the deal. Diablo is the pinsider I got it from and he threw in a few other items I don't need. He was awesome to deal with so I'm just going to move the extra items. Two sets of modesty decals, I actually already had a set. These are weird and I would never actually put them on the pin but they are kinda cool to just have if your Phantom fan. If anyone wants a set a couple bucks to cover the postage and I'll mail you one. I also got a set of pop bumper caps the stickers are slightly lifted on two, if you need them again cover the shipping and I'll send them. The last item is the top of the organ, I didn't notice before but mine was missing two sockets on the bottom. I swapped it out so the one I'm moving is missing them. Same as the other items if you need it you can have it for the cost to ship it to you.

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Added over 7 years ago: The modesty decals are gone.

Yay we have a club now! Lord knows I need parts. Who has a new old stock small subway magic mirror ramp? I’m rebuilding a phantom entirely out of new and nos parts so I’ll have an entire machines worth of spare (but probably not in great shape) parts.

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I’m currently 6k$ and 2 years into this phantom (and climbing). Waiting for the nos playfield to come back from drilling and clear. Only keeping the brackets and wire harness, everything else will be nos. Only missing the small ramp and some nos or new concentric red pop bumper caps. I keep ordering them, and they keep coming in NOT the red thin cocentrics but the taller ones or smooth ones or diamond ones.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/phantom-of-the-opera-restoration

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The set of caps I have are not bad. New decals and a little clean up and they would be be good as new. They are the right ones at least, yours if you want them.

I've purchased 4 different "Sets" to make one complete set. Ive got $400 just into buying decals at this point. Stupid organ ramp was the hardest to find and most expensive.

Finally got mine ! I love this pin ! It resides in a very dramatic spot in my theatre

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Yeah!!

Wow that cabinet looks great! Almost no wear that I can see other than the typical flipper button area

Pretty happy with the retrorefurb decals. They show fingerprints like nobody’s business though

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I got super lucky ! Couldn't believe it when this one popped up locally from a warehouse lot.

How’s the bottom of the playfield near the drain lanes and the phantom face?

TBH I thought mine was in great condition until I saw your refurb thread; Then I started looking closer & nitpicking everything in mine haha. Luckily, a bit of wear adds to the baroque charm, I think

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Does anyone else’s phantom have a ton of black foam rubber insulation on damn near every part and plastic or is it just mine? Regardless I’m not putting it on the nos parts and playfield so hopefully the machine won’t rattle apart when i put it all back together.

Yea mine is covered in the stuff.
I've removed bits and pieces of mine, but most of it is still around.
I can say that the few pieces I have removed have not caused any issues, yet.

Cool. I’m trying to think what the benefit of it is in some of the oddball places. Noise maybe? Like on the vuks so it doesn’t clang as loud (I kind of like that sound) Back of the cab glass channel so the glass doesn’t vibrate? Under some of the plastics are odd places