Phantom of the Opera
Data East, 1990Got the new data East coin door, but all the mounts and coin returns are modern stern and use different more modern mechs. Do I transfer the older mounts from phantoms beat up coin door so I can re-use the heavy as hell metal coin mechs, Buy the new style plastic coin mechs, or just not put in coin mechs at all and save another $40 and take about 15lbs off the weight of this thing
If your plan is to just set it to free play and be done, skip the coin mechs for now. All you have to do is decide if you want to retain the original coin mechs to keep with it if you sell it, or just allow for that a future owner might want the newer ones?
Quoted from jboner1058:First attempt. Some scratches from the jig and cut opposite grain. Will make a few more and pick the best one.
Seems like you cut this one yourself. Rust can be a real problem. I did a couple myself a few year ago and they rusted quickly. I would recommend stainless instead.
Does anyone know where to find red new Stern coin chute insert? I bought the red return button for the new coin door (it came with yellow) but it doesn’t come with the red coin chute insert. I don’t want yellow inserts with red buttons
Quoted from jboner1058:Coin door is done, and I started making some replacement decals and warning tags
That's some really nice stuff and those coin chutes are gonna look just fine, even add a little color once lit.
(Off)White nylon post caps like original, or brass? Original color Orange flasher towers for the back of the ramp or slightly darker amber?
Mine has blue flasher towers at the back, lots of pics online have blue as well so I assume at least some came this way. I think it matches the theme and looks like lightning when they fire. The orange looks off to me.
I used brass post caps on everything except the flasher towers the white blended better with the stickers on the ramp.
Quoted from Darscot:Mine has blue flasher towers at the back, lots of pics online have blue as well so I assume at least some came this way. I think it matches the theme and looks like lightning when they fire. The orange looks off to me.
I used brass post caps on everything except the flasher towers the white blended better with the stickers on the ramp.
Got any pictures of how the brass looks?
Quoted from jboner1058:Got any pictures of how the brass looks?
They are not actually brass. I was in home depot and in the bin of caps I saw a bunch that were not silver. They had this slightly tarnished antique brass look to them so I grabbed them. I think they must have just had some impurity or flaw in the metal during manufacture. I'll have to snap a couple of pics tonight when I'm off work.
The ones on top of the organ and on the left side of the playfield are red. The 2 in the back are light orange
Blue is def wrong. I’m going off the flyer. I’ll buy lighter orange at York next week. The amber mutes the back flashers too much. I’m using a 9smd tower from comet, but I don’t like the fact you can see all the individual LEDs. Would prefer a frosted bulb style. I’ll have to see if there is some kind of frosted led flasher
Quoted from jboner1058:I’m using a 9smd tower from comet, but I don’t like the fact you can see all the individual LEDs. Would prefer a frosted bulb style. I’ll have to see if there is some kind of frosted led flasher
Use the flat 8 bulbs, no hot spotting because all the light starts at the bottom and washes up the plastic and fills it with a nice glow, try it you'll see All my flashers have those. No such thing as a frosted flasher bulb.
Quoted from Darscot:Here is a couple of pics
You are missing the standoffs and clear plastics that keep the ball from getting stuck on top of the upper left pop bumper.
: (
Well, I know arsenal super blue sucks for re-bluing. Tried it on another ramp I made last night and it turned into a splotchy gun metal mess that put some pitting in the ramp :/ I’m all out of the good stuff. Although the gun metal looks pretty awesome in its own right if I can polish it out
Quoted from vec-tor:You are missing the standoffs and clear plastics that keep the ball from getting stuck on top of the upper left pop bumper.
: (
I have it, I just take all that stuff off in my pins at home. The ball never gets stuck any way and if it does all my games have thumb locks so it's not an issue. It's not like I'm losing revenue or have to run out somewhere because the ball is hung up.
Not happy with any of the new ramp flaps I’ve cut. It’s too dang hard to get it right without scratching the hell out of it. Gonna try laser cutting and heat clenching next to come up with some crazy color patterns for it
So glad to see this thread for all us POTO owners!
My pin is in pretty good shape, except for the back glass. Lot's of peel of the mask. I wonder what that 'paint' or substance is they put on there? It wouldn't be that hard to touch it up, but would it fade in and out like the original?
Mike in Kentucky
Quoted from Pintucky:I wonder what that 'paint' or substance is they put on there?
POTA is the only pinball were the backglass was silkscreened on the front and back.
Those, out on the route, people would use knives and such to scrape away the mask
to see the real face.
Escape the lost world had silkscreen on the playfield glass. That’s impossible to find a nos one of those I’ll tell you that much. I’m still trying to figure out who they were marketing POTO towards since it clearly wasn’t built to handle being on route, or even played for that matter
EFTLW NOS glass isn't impossible to find. I had one. When I got it, i didn't know what it was. Had to ask around. Was still in factory cardboard. Sold it for $125.
I'm torn between polished brass acorn nuts or the standard white nylon ones. Brass ones would look amazing in spots, but do I want to deal with brass tarnishing?
Im only worried with the brass if they corrode to the steel screw threads and Ill never get them off.
Quoted from jboner1058:Im only worried with the brass if they corrode to the steel screw threads and Ill never get them off.
If you left then on for 100 years that might happen but I wouldn't worry about it and besides your only going to be only lightly tightning them down. Me thinks you worry to much. 
Just ordered all new standup targets. The ones that were there cleaned up really well in the ultrasonic, but were a little off white. Might as well change them so they are all new like everything else in the machine
Quoted from jboner1058:The ones that were there cleaned up really well in the ultrasonic, but were a little off white.
and probably a little brittle with age. 
Last year at York the gameblades guys had some phantom ones. But the problem with phantom is most of the mirror blade area is covered. I’m not sold on them being just vinyl, but if they were mirror blades with screen print graphics maybe. They take away from the main playfield art, but maybe just a plain mirror blade to give it an infinity look... I don’t know. Trying to keep it classy. Had a friend of mine offer to make a stage mod for it with theatre curtains and a screen playing the musical. It would take away for sure.
And at $75 a pair of gameblade decals would probably have to be a little more high end for my taste. They did a good job using the skulls, but the curtain doesn’t do it for me
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Bridgeton, NJ
Chilliwack, BC