Hello Everyone,
I'm interested in a Diner pinball machine nearby. I've been a LONG time pinball enthusiast (since I could reach the flippers standing in a chair), but have never owned one and don't know the first thing about maintenance, repairs, etc. NOTHING whatsoever. One of the main reasons I'd like to purchase a machine is to learn these things so I can see if I am interested in the game beyond simply playing it. I love to learn, and I can usually "figure" most things out if I have some sort of starting point (such as, in this case, schematics).
I went to take a look at it today, and found that it was not in as good of condition as I was expecting/hoping. The owner did not open the machine up or take the glass off so I could inspect more closely. The backbox wasn't opened so I could see the boards or anything. I would want to see these things before agreeing to buy.
The machine is NOT a diamond plate, and has the silver habitrail.
- Buzzing sound coming from speakers (I guess this is common with System 11)
- None of the EAT letters light above the playfield in the back (not sure if this is 3 blown bulbs or some other issue)
- Two broken plastics - center plastic above the 3 drop targets is busted, and one of the ice creams has some damage to a lesser extent. i see a replacement center plastic is available, and all plastics are available as a set as well.
- Playfield shows wear where the balls drop from the ramps into the inlanes.
- Lots of areas on the playfield where there are black streaks from the ball. Not sure if these are just grime or if there is wear underneath.
- Mylar is peeling on the right near one of the lanes, to the extent that probably 1/2 inch is sticking up off the playfield. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of it.
- Several light bulbs don't appear to work, and the rubbers and posts have seen better days (needs a shop job - seems reasonably cheap parts wise, and I'm excited for the labor of doing all of that and really making it look great). Parts wise cost, it really doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
- on the outside, there are some subtle scratches on both sides of the cabinet body. There is fairly moderate damage to the left side of the backbox, with a gouge all the way to the wood about the size of a nickel. The backbox on that side is also missing a bolt, and there is a cracked spot on the edge of the backbox that faces the player.
- The plunger seemed a little weak
- The right button felt a little odd, but both flippers appeared to have plenty of power. The flipper buttons themselves are mismatched (one is clear red, other is solid red.
- a few of the diner patrons in the backglass appeared to be leaning forward quite a bit, but they did move when I shook the machine.
- Everything did appear to function. The ramp opened for ball lock, the coffee cup registered the score, the drop targets functioned as expected, bumpers and pops, kickout holes, ramps etc. the sound was fine.
- The game was not displaying any errors, but we did not access any admin menus and maybe some errors are only displayed there?
- Lots of areas where there appeared to be bubbling around the inserts.
- The most important cosmetic issue for me is the apron. The fork and spoon in the apron are totally roached out. I am not sure what happened, but it literally looks like someone scraped the paint right off. Maybe there was originally a state commission sticker there or something and someone tried to remove it? No big deal - buy some decals right? Well, unfortunately, Diner replacement apron or even a decal seems to be unobtainable as of now. If anyone has any idea on how to solve that, let me know.
After my phone charges up some, I'll add some photos. Please let me know your thoughts on what you think it might be worth. I know it's a fairly expensive game for what it is because they didn't make that many of them and they are fairly hard to come by.
Thank you for your time.
Pittsburgh, PA
