Two Rivers, WI
Another old Bally SS pin or well the narrow body version of Space Invaders anyway.
Have Pics of your machine or stories to tell about this one?
Highest scores?
(Topic ID: 66093)
Linked Games
Silverball Mania
Bally, 1980
Topic Gallery
Heres pis of my SBM Im kinda unsure about its future in my collection.
When i got the machine it was pretty much a broke down POS lamp cord all over the backbox etc the playfield was pretty trashed. so i did some touchups and repairs to make it playable until I got a new CPR PF.
but well now i have the PF etc i think Im going to restore this one and prolly sell after its done.
Its a beautiful game, the art work is fantastic but ive gotten bored with the gameplay.sbm1.jpgsbm2.jpgsbm3.jpgsbm4.jpgsbm5.jpgsbm6.jpg
youre prolly in luck they sell insert decals for this machine that includes a decal that fixes the entire center ball area.
it would be a big improvement for yours.
I just repainted my whole center ball. But now i will just swap the whole playfield out.
Ill see how i still like it once i get it restored its kinda uncertain what ill do with it when its done. i want to do a custom cabinet paint job etc primarily black and white pears instead of the Lt. Blue and White. i think it'll make the machine alot nicer looking.
I saw on ebay the inserts.. they run around 50 dollars.. so that will be a project down the road.. still trying to get it to start.. if your replacing the pf, it makes sense to do the cabinet as well. I've seen sbm on ebay selling for 1500 in really good shape.
yours is definitely on the higher end... it shows that you put a lot of work and time into it..I'm thinking about a new playfield down the road.. not sure if its really worth it ..do you know how much a playfield costs? I saw reproductions on ebay going for around 300.
No mine is not realy on the upper end at all yet i just repainted a bunch of the PF to make it look better mine is dug in around alot of the inserts the playfield was restorable but best to just replace it .
I did buy a new CPR playfield and plastic set for it. my cabinet is worn and needs a repaint as well only thing that is pretty perfect is the backglass.
A big part of doing the touchups was to make it look better temporarily and well just practice more than anything.
I think the playfield and plastic set cost $700 ish with shipping I already have them just need the time to swap them out and paint the cabinet. i have all new sockets posts, etc as well already.
it will be high end when it is done but just a player now.
2 months later
Here's a Silverball Mania shop guide...
http://www.jeff-z.com/pinball/sbm/repair/repair.html
I'm not any sort of expert, but I was in the mood to take a lot of pictures and write down every little thing I did.
I also have a picture page...
http://www.jeff-z.com/pinball/sbm/pics/pics.html
...and a rules page...
5 months later
I'm a new Silverball owner. Pretty rough example though. Gonna be a lot of work on this one. Have a new CPR glass on the way, and the overlay from BBA. Gonna be digging into it pretty quick here.
Quoted from dasvis:Boring gameplay , cool artwork.
What he said. After I get this one cleaned and shopped, I'll probably be bored with it and ready to trade it for something else.
Quoted from Hellfire:youre prolly in luck
Quoted from pinkid:It's probably not prolly dumbass..........................
Wow, some dumbass is spell-check bitching on a 7 month old post? 
Quoted from zippydapinhead:What he said. After I get this one cleaned and shopped, I'll probably be bored with it and ready to trade it for something else.
Well the shopping & the fixing is the best part anyway. Something so satisfying about bringing them back from the dead.
Quoted from dasvis:Well the shopping & the fixing is the best part anyway. Something so satisfying about bringing them back from the dead.
True, guess that's why I picked it up, when I know it wouldn't be a keeper, just hate seeing a pin in this condition.
M U S T
F I X !
Quoted from pinkid:It's probably not prolly dumbass..........................
Obviously you must be a kid LMAO. But you are only partialy correct prolly is short for probably and normal Australian accent, So realy the problem here is youre uncultured. Since i have dual citizenship in both the US and Australia it is suitable to use an Aussie accent.
Prolly is a common short version for probably used in texting and chatting apps as well such as LOL oops sorry that is wrong better write laugh out loud instead LMAO.
But honestly if you dont have anything to contribute about this machine you should leave this page and not come back.
This is a page for silverball mania owners and fans not the spelling police or trolls.
Quoted from dasvis:Boring gameplay , cool artwork.
Yeah youre kinda right my son and I can roll it numberous times each game but it does help to have a fast fresh cleared playfield and do a 7 digit conversion then its pretty decent. The aged OEM examples do play like dogs
SBM is still far better than its wide body twin Space Invaders. This era of Bally 77 to early 80 are basicly SS fitted EM machines. Starting in 1980 with Xenon and Flash Gordon they started thinking outside the box and designing more elaborate games such as Centaur, Medusa, Fathom, Etc.
I hated this machine when i first got it Space Invaders what a heap but after my special clear formula and restoration it ended up being fast as hell to the point the world champs could hardly roll it once. http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-space-invaders-playfield-restoration#post-408713 SBM will play much nicer when i restore it these old titles need one thing speed and it makes a day and night difference.
Quoted from Hellfire:But honestly if you dont have anything to contribute about this machine you should leave this page and not come back.
2 weeks later
Quoted from zippydapinhead:Oh yeah,
She's a dirty girl.
Just the way I like 'em!
Actually got all the mylar up with minimal paint loss.
I hate glue!
IMG_0099.jpg
3 months later
I've got a Silverball Mania I had picked up as a pile of parts that someone had started tearing apart to do a playfield swap but never put it back together.
I ended up putting the original playfield back together as it wasn't in bad shape other than wear in the horseshoe and damage from the 2 center posts in front of the horseshoe.
Its not a terrible machine but may get boring if its the only one you own. Although it is rewarding to rebuild this thing and getting it working and playable again.
I'm just wondering weather its worthwhile to do a 7 digit conversion on silverball though.
1 week later
Looks good! You have more ambition than I do. I hear you on too many projects. I haven't been working on mine much lately. Mostly been working on stacks of boards for seemingly everything I own
3 months later
2 weeks later
Hey guys I have a new CPR mirrored backglass for sale, $175 but must be picked up. PM me if your interested.
Sana'a
2 weeks later
3 weeks later
This was one of my top 5 favorite games as a teenager. I picked up one dead game then picked up another dead game with a parts machine thrown in. They are setting in storage but plan to bring home soon and do a complete restoration on 2 of them. Whats the best way to paint the cabs, what paints should I use and how to find the exact colors? Any help would be nice.
Quoted from arcademojo:what paints should I use and how to find the exact colors?
I used createx airbrush paints with a poly clear over it. White and black are simple, the blue was a mix something like 7 white 4 blue 1 yellow. Or like Vid said take a sample to paint store and have them match it.
Quoted from vid1900:Under the coin door will be the exact colors.
Under the coin door "frame" that is vid.
1 month later
Greetings SBM fans! I've had mine for about a year, just ordered one of the 'teeny tiny imperfection' glasses from CPR to replace my cracky, peely, unfortunate scratch down the center one.
I've been thinking about covering the center area of the playfield with the laminated mylar patch. Anyone have experience with these? Do you still remove and sand the inserts or just clean and stick as the notes suggest?
Thanks!!
Bob
I just agreed to lend mine to XPin for the NW Arcade and Pinball show so that they can show off their 7Volution displays.
Now I need to get the playfield swap done in the next week or so.
Quoted from bobnatlanta:I've been thinking about covering the center area of the playfield with the laminated mylar patch. Anyone have experience with these? Do you still remove and sand the inserts or just clean and stick as the notes suggest?
Mine was pretty bad, I had to replace the inserts, sand the area smooth, then apply decal. I got the non-laminated decal and cleared over it.
Quoted from dasvis:Where did you get the decal from?
They are a Classic Arcades product.
http://www.classic-arcades.com/STORE/146.html
As with all things Classic Arcades, quality may vary.
Quoted from WonkoTSane:They are a Classic Arcades product.
http://www.classic-arcades.com/STORE/146.html
As with all things Classic Arcades, quality may vary.
It's got to look better than bare wood like the majority of them are.
I also have it on good authority that pinballpimp will be doing quality stencils for Silverball Mania soon. Keep an eye on his site for more info.
www.pinballpimpstencils.com
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