Quoted from Toasterdog:Does anyone know why the different set up on the playfield support rails? All these would have been 1979-1980 I guess.
My Flash Gordon is pretty awesome (Dah!) in regards to these rails. Full length, I can lift playfield and slide into a serviceable position.
My EBD only has a full length rail on the right side, but a tiny piece on the back on the left side and then another tiny towards the front on the left. I have to support the left side of the playfield and lift from the back and into position.
The Viking I just sold was a combo of the two if I remember, with two mediumish rails on both sides.
Basically, none were identical. Was this simply a case of using what's avialable? I've seen newer cabinets using old games as interior cabinet braces, but not a difference in the playfield supports rails.
I think the reasoning was because there were coils, switches and target banks along the bottom edges of the PFs the rails had to be cut in sections for clearance. Williams games are like this as well. Fathom actually only has the pivots (similar to system 11 games) and that is a nightmare to try to get to the upper inline drops, or anything else at the top of the PF. We added a set of rails in our Fathom to be able to work on it.
Phoebe