I'm restoring an Elvira and the Party Monsters, and now my kids are bugging me to join the Scared Stiff club! Might have to keep an eye out, but not too common in CA.

My girls are 6 and 9, and have excellent taste in pinballs.

Funny you say that, my 9 year old had already picked that up that "what the?" habit from somewhere before SS, and so I had the opposite experience; first time I heard Elvira say that quote she sounded like my daughter to me.

Post pics, but it seems a little on the small side for a topper. Maybe for an EATPM if you got the other monsters too and built a little graveyard scene?

I'm not happy with any of the eyeball shooters out there, they're all too big for my tastes. Might try and do something about it, ordering some parts to experiment with.

The gore is a bit much for me, I like it cleaner and simpler. Aiming for more like the original prototype shooter, just higher quality than what they were going to throw on location for ops.

I wanted the bigger glass eyeball (second pic), but couldn't find them anywhere...

Yeah, for me those gear shift ones are great from a look and feel standpoint, but they're just too large. The proportion is off for me.

A stock Bally shooter knob, the flat style, is 34mm across. For reference a golf ball is 42mm across. So really I'd like to stay in-between those dimensions for something that's going to feel right in my hand and match the proportions of the machine from a distance.

I've been talking with a company that makes eyes for puppets, dolls, and animatronics, they're going to send me some that are 38mm, we'll see how that works. They sell them by the pair, so I might have an extra if anyone likes it. Not cheap though, definitely a lot more than a gliding eyeball toy or something. Much higher quality though, these are very realistic. I'll report back later on how that goes.

Oh wow, thanks. If I hadn't just started down this project I would totally take you up on that, but since I committed the cash to it I think I'll stick with it for now. Still, grab an extra if you can, someone's got to want that!

Yikes!

So I've been hanging around this thread in the past couple days because I had something brewing that I'm happy to say came through, and I'm officially in the club. (Thanks Doug!)

Once I get my EATPM restore finished I'll be able to get the Elvira sisters next to each other.

If anyone wants the bigger glass eyeball shooter (red) that Ted linked up above I'll probably be selling mine once I get these new eyes in to modify.

Not gonna get a chance to get used to it, my new eye for making my shooter will hopefully be here soon, and I'm out of town for a few days and won't get to play. I got green for that too, that was the original shooter color, though the red one looks pretty great, just a little big for my taste.

I just took a chance on a box of vintage finger puppets, they look like the proper jiggly ones that SS and EATPM need, so I might have a stash to dip into. We'll see if they're as advertised when they show up.

Thanks, will do! I've been kinda documenting as I go, but keep not getting around to starting a thread. Looking forward to getting it done so it can live next to Scared Stiff though.

I'm from SF, so nothing but love for you all too.

In Chicago right now, if no one gets to it before Sunday I can help you, but sounds like you're covered.

If you put LEDs in the GI on any Williams game you have to turn off dimming in the ROM, there's just no other way to live with it.

Finally got my Scared Stiff up against the wall, this EATPM restore has taken over the garage, had to shift things around. Luckily I just need to let the clear cure a bit and then I can reassemble Elvira and clean up. In the meantime at least I can play SS!
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Hehehe, you would spot that. I gotta figure out what to do with that display cab, I might want to stick a pin there!

Right??!! If you look carefully you might see the shooter is undergoing upgrades ...

Got it off some hack. I didn't even pay for it!

So I'm playing with another one (bought two eyes) and painting veins on it, but this is the one I have mounted at the moment. It's 38mm, feels much better in the hand (to me) and more like a normal shooter. The gear shift one looked great, but was just too big. This one is green too, like the original design that didn't make production.

eye-shooter.jpg

Hahaha, me busy? I'd probably be willing to make some more, the reason I did it was because I couldn't find one on the market already that I was happy with, but they'd be on the pricey side, these acrylic eyes I'm working with are like 10x the cost of the toys people usually start with. Gives me crazy ideas about making eyes from scratch ...

I'll put up some pics of the one I did with veins in a bit. Also if anyone wants the hot rod shifter style eye in red I don't need mine anymore.

I'll snap one for you in a bit Ted.

Yes, both full LEDs. I did the Shadow's but the Scared Stiff is all dug, and he did a great job on them. Normally I want to tear out other people's LED jobs and start over, but I'm not feeling that urge this time. I'll probably tweak a few things, I can't really resist, but it looks great.

I want to see EATPM too! Here's the current status:

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It will get the full LED treatment too when I'm done, though I might leave the BBQ incandescents in, have to see how things look. Love that part of the light show.

Here's the hot rod shooter, and the other custom one I did with the veins.

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I paid $900 for mine, though it was pretty beat, hence the restore. I just missed out on one the other night that was practically HUO for $800. They're out there, you just gotta be patient and keep your eyes open.

Well I'm gonna sell it since I have no use for it, but no rush. And if you don't want it someone else will, so no pressure either.

I want glow in the dark to match my outlane plastics! They're the only part of the glow package that actually does anything.

Thanks for the shooter pictures, I'm really happy with my new one, which fits the feel of those originals, just with a hyper realistic look.

I thought the bony ones were from the GITD kit? I've got both, I'll check. The black are currently installed.

That coffin one isn't 14" high, it's 20". Would look out of proportion sitting by itself on top of a pin. The other one is 14", which is better, but you would still need something to extend it out horizontally from a visual perspective to look right.

If you happen to have kids or a wife who collects them (I have both! ) for reference 14" is 2" taller than a Barbie doll.

IMHO of course!

Ouch, people are charging 95 bucks for that gory shooter? Just make your own, don't pay that. $14 worth of parts. A drill bit and some glue and you're good to go.

I made two on my own using much higher quality eyes than that toy one and it was still less than that for the pair, yeesh.

Oh I didn't make that one, that was the one I took off for the one I made. Enjoy it though!

Shooter springs are color coded. The colors tell you the wire diameter. The thicker the wire the stronger the spring, and vice vera.

So from stronger to weaker it goes:

red .042
blue .038
silver .035
green .033
black .031
white .028
brown .026

My EATPM came with a red spring, it was too stiff for my kids to pull, and overkill for getting the ball into the pops anyways. So I dropped it down to a silver. Still strong enough but my 6 year old can pull it back without any problems.

If anyone wants my custom Scared Stiff instruction cards, I put a link and instructions in this thread:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/need-custom-scared-stiff-cards#post-1265322

Cards were made to match my new eyeball shooter, but they'll work for anyone. Look like this:

Instruction-Cards.jpg

I us a nice HP photopaper, "HP Premimum Plus". You really do get a much better result from the nice paper, they hold the ink droplets much better, you get a richer image, deeper blacks, more saturated color. I just run them through my little cheap Canon inkjet, and then trim with a ruler and an Xacto. I like to run a Sharpie around the edges afterwards, hides the white edge of the paper, makes them feel more high end.

I'm kinda picky about this stuff, when your day job is in graphics you get anal about the details.

BTW - I really love the eyeball shooters I made from these acrylic eyes, they feel great and look super nice. The one I painted the veins on is what's in that card breaking the glass. Took a photo and added it into the design. Not the cheapest since you're starting with a high end product instead of a toy, but totally worth it IMHO.

What, no picture of Elvira to go with it? You're letting me down here Ted!

I can't imagine just orange now, there's no going back.

Yeah, same here. I think that's normal, you have to nail it. That's as it should be IMHO.

Hell yes it's worth it, once you have it you can't imagine going back to orange.

Yeah, you're never going to want to put it back in, that's for sure!

Maybe we should design something that can be laser cut out of aluminum or PETG or something, with a hole for the flipper button being the way it's held on, no adhesives.

I figured if it was thin and light, with a top that butted up against the rail for stability that the button itself could probably be the only anchor point. No screws or adhesive needed. Just thinking out loud though, I'd have to try a prototype to see if that would be robust enough. Wouldn't want the protector rubbing against the cab, that would defeat the purpose.

It's my understanding that it only works with their software and nothing else. That was at least the case at launch unless something has changed.

You know what I see in this thread? Scared Stiffs that need ColorDMDs.

The only thing I have on my short list for my Scared Stiff is either buying or making the flickering candles for the skull pile.

It seems like it should be pretty damn easy to make, you can get flickering LEDs easy enough. I seem to recall that the pre-made mods were pretty pricey. I don't mind paying for work, but if it's something I can do myself I tend to get cheaper.

It shouldn't be even reaching the bones, something isn't right. It should get kicked up by the VUK and basically slide between the flaps and then roll down, no flying up into the air. Every once in a while on mine I have the opposite problem, it gets stuck in the flaps.

So something either needs to be tuned on your VUK or more likely your flaps aren't installed quite right to be absorbing the energy of the ball.

Agreed, that's the left ramp.

Yuuuuuup, best upgrade you can do!

Man, I almost thought about putting my Scared Stiff up for sale the other day, I really wanted that Refinery Edition Metallica, was a sweet machine.

That purple powdercoat was so tempting! And the dual IRS/IRA attack put a hurting on my free cash.

Heh. For the moment it's safe, right next to her sister EATPM. For a normal Metallica Prem I can be patient, that Refinery one was just such a sweet machine, it made me weak!

This. There isn't a way to truly add it back, where you can turn off the add a ball aspect.

If you really wanted a proper spider hole mod it would be very easy to rig up with a Pig 2. One color normally, another when lit (flashing or pulsing even if you wanted) and would go out with the GI.

I lit mine with a green flex LED just for the heck of it, nothing interactive, but it's tied to the GI so it goes out when things go dark.

I'll try and get a pic, but basically you just screw in a socket, 44 or 55, and wire up a flex bulb in it to point at the bottom of the scoop, parasitic wired to the GI. You can use alligator clips, I soldered mine.

ColorDMD on ScaredStiff is an absolute must have IMHO. You're going to enjoy!

I'm just throwing this crazy idea out there, it may sound nuts to you, but I know from experience that's it possible to mail things to Canada ...

lol true, it's one of the few mods I should still do. I've refused to pay the ridic prices though, might look at building my own flickering one.

Yeah, I don't mind paying for work or creativity, but I'm not gonna pay for someone else to wire up something. I'll do it myself, and I'll solder it properly instead of alligator clipping it while I'm at it. If you're not comfortable with that then hey, great that there are options out there for you, just not for me.

You're so full of shit Ted, you could totally do this stuff, I refuse to believe that a man with your talents and smarts couldn't handle it!

There's nothing like the original boogie men, the new ones suck ass. Not floppy at all, totally ruins the effect in the game.

Yup, that's why I mentioned that, any time you can pick up proper floppy ones you should, they're getting harder to come by. I've got a little hoard since I have both SS and EATPM.

No going back now, right? When I see it in orange now it looks so bland ...

It's my second fav, my honors go to Monster Bash.

Swapped my custom eyeball shooter for the one I painted the veins on, I think I prefer it this way, closer to the original proto.

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You can tell it's the Pinball Bulb kit because everything is freaking purple.

You're going to love the ColorDMD, easily the best upgrade you can make.

Nice 3 pin lineup there Thomas! I'm not a big Creature fan as far as gameplay, but it sure looks nice with those other two pins.

Ha, I missed that! Nice. I have a really nice eyeball shooter, so I don't think I'd want to double it up like that, but it looks great.

I found this pack of 8 for $7, so I ordered them:

http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Acrylic-Plastic-Eyeball-Halloween/dp/B00EQ28XRK/ref=sr_1_5

I might try some custom paint on them, add some veins maybe. I dunno that I even want them on my Scared Stiff though to be honest, I have a really nice eyeball shooter, might be too much to double up like that. We'll see when they arrive.

Could always go on my Elvira or Metallica.

Yeah, if these seem like they have any flex or issues I'll look at filling them in the center, maybe with clear caulk or something. And the iris detail doesn't look quite as good. But they were cheap for a bunch, so I just impulse bought them (Amazon 1-click!) to mess with.

A half dome is a pretty stable shape though, and these look like they're decently thick plastic, so I think they'll hold up to pressing just fine.

Congrats. I think I had your name in a note somewhere in case I decided to sell mine.

Three sexy ladies in a row!

I dunno about the mod itself, but I'm not big on those new plastic puppets, they don't have any "flop" to them. Worth hunting around on eBay for the real thing, that's what I did.

I scored a decent batch that I horde since I need them for both Scared Stiff and EATPM. Sucks that they don't make them like that anymore.

Solid. I have over $600 worth of mods in mine, otherwise it's close to your machine in price.

Well the ColorDMD accounts for more than half of that on mine. There are lots of things you can add on, but not a big fan of covering the game in stuff. I consider dancing boogies and lit skull pile must haves though. I have a really nice high-end custom eyeball shooter too.

Dang, nice lineup of ColorDMDs too!

You've got to custom mix your colors, it's super rare for anything straight from the bottle to be a perfect match.

My crowning color mixing achievement was nailing the lavender for EATPM, you can't see the transition from where I did new coloring and the original I left, it's dead on. I've seen lots of nice restores that missed that match, so I was stoked.

Sooooo worth it. I can't imagine my Scared Stiff going back to orange now.

Those are mine, you can print them from this PDF:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/227626/Shared/scared-stiff-cards.pdf

Happy to share, those are on my Scared Stiff too. It's taking a little vacation at Rarehero's house right now though.

I almost sold my Scared Stiff, and then at the end I just couldn't do it. I still don't think I'm gonna keep it, I'm out of space and enjoying switching things up, but I might need a little more time with her still ...

I took some pics recently of my Scared Stiff for a potential buyer. Fell through, and I can't say I'm unhappy, letting of this pin is hard. Long as we're posting pics I'll add mine.

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Problem is I'm out of space. So it gets to the point where the hard decisions come in. As much as I love it I don't play it that much anymore.

FBII is too new to the collection, but I'll flip it for another Bally after I've had it longer or the right trade comes along. Abra Ca Dabra will probably go, I'm actually technically over my limit by one, it's at my wife's office right now. My favorite EM, but I'm more of a solid state player.

No way in hell would I sell Flash Gordon over Scared Stiff. I love my Scared Stiff, but gameplay wise Flash Gordon is the far superior game. Play it all the time still, it's going nowhere.

Gameplay wise Scared Stiff is pretty close to the bottom of my collection. Cool factor wise it's near the top. Just oozes style, I love it for so many reasons. But it's just not a player's game, and Flash Gordon is. At the end of the day if I'm not playing it then it's hard to justify the slot in my collection, I'm at capacity with 10.

That said, I keep not being able to sell it. Definitely still love it.

ColorDMD on Scared Stiff is awesome, highly recommended upgrade, worth every penny.

Flashers won't go off with the coin door open, interrupting the high voltage. You need to depress the switch the door closes to have the test work, are you doing that?

Thought the club might dig this. The molds used to make the repro Scared Stiff slingshots:

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It's a bit like a mystery award, there are a handful of things you can get. Not a ball save though.

You know you might be right. I'm not really sure to be honest, I mostly remember just getting points. It's not like it's something you try and get.

Ha, I don't have them, they belong to my friend Chris (from ColorDMD) who did the originals ten years ago. He also made the Twilight Zone clock housing replacements. He hosted league yesterday and had a table of cool things, and that was part of it. Snapped a pic for this thread.

I won't say what game I saw in progress yesterday, but it looked great!

Gotta turn in my card guys, sold my baby today. She just wasn't getting played anymore, hopefully going to get some love in a new home.

I'm out of space, so I can't really justify keeping games that I don't play. And I just wasn't player it anymore. Still an awesome pin, and one of my all time favs. If I had room for 20 instead of 10 I'd have kept it. But it's time to swap things around some more.

I think in my collection right now the only " forever keepers" are Shadow, Tron, Metallica, and Flash Gordon.

Ha, in a hearbeat. Are you kidding? Shadow is one of the best games ever made. Scared Stiff is a beautifully executed theme with wonderful art and callouts and atmosphere, and really mediocre gameplay.