St Joseph, MI
I'm In!
Just picked up a fairly rough but fully working and playing Shuttle!
Playfield is pretty borked, so I just ordered the new hardtop overlay.
Going to be interesting seeing how that comes out.
(Topic ID: 75438)
Linked Games
Space Shuttle
Williams, 1984
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Quoted from E_N_3:Can you post a link to the overlay you are using; I am curious to check them out.
This one:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/hardtop-playfield-new-product-announcement-poll-included
1 month later
Quoted from polyacanthus:So what do you guys think, sand it off and hardtop it or leave it as is?
Tough call.
Just put the Hardtop on mine (and it came out great), but the playfield was a total loss.
I could see either way with yours. I am not a touchup expert, but looks to me like spot touchup would be possible.
That playfield looks better than most originals I've seen.
If you do use the Hardtop, you only NEED to sand the inserts, not the rest of it.
Quoted from polyacanthus:Thanks for the input. I'm going to go for it. If this wasn't such a common machine maybe I wouldn't. I peeled back some of the protective film on the overlay to compare color and you can really see how yellowed it is. Blech! Also noticed the overlay is missing some artwork and some holes. Oops! I guess that art is hidden anyway, I hope this is the only place.
For those that have installed them already, how do they play? Like a fresh clearcoat or different?
The original playfield on mine had been cleared over really bad touchup (actually more of a blackout repaint). It looked like hell but played very nice and very fast.
The hardtop might play a tiny bit less fast, but it's very nice. Still need to tweak the pop bumpers, but it plays very well. I have not waxed the hardtop, which is also possible. I don't think I will, because I don't really want it lightning fast.
5 months later
Quoted from Brijam:Does anyone have a 300 dpi or better scan of the Space Station playfield they would be willing to share?
Station or Shuttle?
If you mean Shuttle, try the Hardtop overlay. If you mean Station, try the Space Station club. 
2 weeks later
Quoted from SeaOttre:I have an "R" sticker.
Mine has both the "R" and "TM" stickers.
3 weeks later
Quoted from SeaOttre:Orphan hole near lanes: Why? Was this for a 3rd ball lock that never materialized?
That is an interesting thought. There is no other reason for it. No wires run though there. Maybe it was an early thought.
Would have been similar to the upper lock on Firepower or Baracorra.
4 months later
Quoted from OlliG:Finally done
Nice work, Olli!
Congrats! 
2 months later
Quoted from ChrisPINk25:What is the best way to prop up the playfield to work underneath?
Carefully slide the bottom forward far enough that it will rest leaning on the backbox.
6 months later
Quoted from groffdaddy:Nope that's not it....maybe I'm crazy.
Maybe the rotating station on Williams Space Station. Direct follow up game to Space Shuttle, and lots of similarities.
1 month later
Quoted from DorkInAbox:Looking for an undamaged Space Shuttle ramp and shuttle. Repro, NOS, I don't care so long as its undamaged. Can be with or without stickers.
And I doubt it, but if anyone has an extra hard top that they'd let go for cheaper than ordering my own I'm in the market for one as well. My game has the non-hotdog inserts in the middle of the playfield.
For those who are within range, I will be at the Allentown show this Friday only.
Starship Fantasy has the Shuttle.
https://www.starship-fantasy.com/ramps/Space-Shuttle-Ship
Good luck with the ramp!
1 month later
Quoted from ss-pinball:Any advice?
Don't worry about the playfield. A Hardtop is available is really not bad to install. Also gives you a chance to give the game a full tear down and shop cleanup while you are installing it.
Boards and ramps are probably the big issues.
Hopefully someone repos the ramps.
4 months later
Quoted from Apinjunkie:would one bad diode keep all of the solenoids from firing?
No. Sound more like you have no power to the solenoids. Have you checked for voltage?
1 week later
Quoted from Jkush18:Looking for a value check I suppose on this mechanically sound game with some cosmetic flaws.
Looks like you got an answer, since your ad is showing "Sale Pending." 
For what it's worth, I think your asking price was in the ballpark.
1 month later
Quoted from cshelden:Here is the full article from Dec 1984 Williams Space Shuttle[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Cool history.
Interesting that Barry Oursler is not mentioned.
The comments about video games "Aeroboto" and "Turkey Shoot" being built are interesting. Don't think I have seen or heard of either one.
I do wish they had built a few more "Starlite" pins, but you can understand building Space Shuttle instead.
1 week later
Quoted from jasonbar:. What's the trick to adjusting?
Might be an illusion, but it looks like the right side of the backglass is up a bit.
Is metal lift channel fully seated on the glass? Is it seated evenly in the head?
2 weeks later
Quoted from iamdrunker:This could be over my ability. Other parts of the playfield I can handle but this one I just don't know. It's even depressed a bit. Any tips? Maybe I should read some of Vid's stuff.[quoted image]
How bad is the rest? Bad enough to go with a Hardtop?
If not, check Vid's guide.
3 weeks later
Quoted from djreddog:So how many of you owners previously knew about the hidden SEX Easter egg tied to this game?
Wat?
4 weeks later
From Starship Fantasy's ramp thread:
Quoted from lrosent345:All good things come to those who are patient. If that's not in the bible, it should be. The test ramp for Space Shuttle fits perfectly. I have a few loose ends I need to address but they will go on sale on the website, starship-fantasy.com, Sunday. I have made them in 0.125ABS (black) and 0.125 clear PETG. I'm gonna keep the price at $119 and I'm gonna eat the increased cost of the clear ramps. I may never run the clear ramps again. If you wish to order the clear ramp send me an email, [email protected] after you order the black ramp on the website. I expect to be bombarded with orders so it may take a day or 2 to fill all the orders.
4 weeks later
Quoted from misterhare:And yes, I did make sure to arrange the masking by category...
As one does.......
3 months later
Quoted from dzorbas:For any of you that purchased a new ramp from Starship Fantasy, have you had any fitment issues? Did you have to trim any areas of the ramp to make it fit better? I realize that the original playfields were made in different factories and specs were not exactly the same from game to game but I'm noticing some spots, specifically around the spinner and the top right pop bumper where a bit more clearance might be necessary. I may even need to shave the tops off some plastic posts so that the ramp entrances sit flush with the playfield and can be screwed in place.
I do understand that some of the issues I'm experiencing are the result of a hardtop install which adds a bit of height to the playfield but this change should be consistent everywhere so it really shouldn't be a factor. And I know that the new ramp is also thicker than the original. I did swap out every post in the game for new ones but I didn't measure to see if there is any difference in height between old and new.
Just looking for feedback from others that have installed new ramps.
Thanks!
I have a Hardtop on my Shuttle. Starship Fantasy ramp went right in with no fit issues.
2 weeks later
Quoted from KSUWildcatFan:I told her I would stop at 5...Then I got 6..Then 7..Then 8..Now 9...
I am at *MAX* capacity for the space I said I would potentially occupy, and that's with two machines (Cactus Jack's and Meteor) on the opposite side of "pinball row", against the wall next to my Neo Geo MVS. Technically I have room for 8 set up like this.. I needed to get back to 7 *here* because once my Eight Ball Deluxe is finished and comes home, I'll be back to 8 again, and again..at capacity. My next goal is to get rid of F-14 (before the hardtop comes out and my stupid a$$ hardtops it and fixes/repaints the cab, which I *do*not*want*to*do* but will absolutely do because I apparently hate myself) and replace it with a DE Jurassic Park or whatever glitzy turd pops up in front of me next. I've got pinball ADHD it would appear.
Tl;dr:
"Heh."
This is awesome and should be in the confessional thread.
Quoted from MDBradley:Just finished my Firepower hardtop so hoping this one will be quicker. One less pop bumper to deal with thankfully!
No star rollovers to deal with either. I've done both and Space Shuttle is a little easier.
4 months later
Quoted from Jenniebear:Who sells the toppers feet?
Something like this?
https://www.pinballlife.com/backbox-topper-bracket.html
Quoted from Jenniebear:They are clear plastic. No luck finding them. My new plastic set has the topper but with no feet.[quoted image]
Oh, yeah. The CPR set does not have those.
They could probably be cut from clear plexi.
I ended up using metal L brackets and small bolts.
I used an LED strip tied to the GI to backlight it.
20201225_083127 (resized).jpg20201225_083153 (resized).jpg20201225_083336 (resized).jpg 3 months later
Quoted from KenH:. I can't imagine why someone cut that one?
I don't think it was cut. I think the person who replaced it had a 2 and a 7 pin on hand, but no nines.
5 months later
Quoted from jcar302:Where do i get the red (pink?) coin return plates
These guys?
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/16C-8715-3
2 months later
2 weeks later
The CPR repro backglass is really good. I have one in my game.
https://classicplayfields.com/shop/pinball-backglasses/shuttleglass
Quoted from interconnect:Anyone know where you can get the rubber gaskets that go around the displays? I’m missing a couple of them and am going to get a proper backglass in the future; don’t want it to get scratched by the displays.
These are vinyl and a bit thinner than the original rubbery ones, but work fine for me.
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/DISMSK
Quoted from interconnect:I’m missing some and I’d hate to ruin and scratch a new backglass from the displays.
The light masks around the displays are more to prevent light bleed at the edges than for physical protection. If the displays are contacting the back side of the backglass, something else is going on.
Are the displays hanging loosely and sagging forward? If they are, you can secure them (carefully) with some double sided foam tape.
1 month later
Quoted from kingofl337:I’m curious why anyone would think less of a hardtop. It should last the life of the machine, probably longer then a new playfield.
I have Hardtops on three of my games, including my Shuttle. I love them since they vastly improved games with semi-trashed playfields.
There are folks who swear that the games play differently since the ball travels differently on the "plastic" surface instead of "wood".
I'm not a good enough player to be able to say for certain, but I think they play great.
Quoted from pinballizfun:if I really wanted to I could remove the overlay and fix the playfield.
I don't think that's correct. You can easily remove a clear playfield protector, but an overlay is permanently installed and generally involves sanding the playfield first. Yes. Hardtop is permanent, but so is an overlay.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/playfield-overlay-installation-procedure
3 months later
Quoted from kciaccio:About to start restoring My Space Shuttle. Super worn playfield. Hard Top?
I can't find any playfields available for Space Shuttle.
Hardtop!
I love my Hardtop Shuttle.
5 months later
Quoted from Ricbec:What's the difference between them?, didn't know there were 2 different versions....
The "hotdog" version has two single insert lenses shaped like hotdogs where the "Space" and "Shuttle" lettering is printed.
The "non-hotdog" version, shown above, has three smaller circular inserts under each word.
Apparently, Williams ran out of the hotdog shaped inserts and switched to the round ones during production.
2 months later
Quoted from interconnect:Mine is missing the bell too and I looked all over as well; I found one in Europe, but the guy wasn’t willing to ship overseas to the US. Good luck!
Well, that may help kryss63, since he's in France.
6 months later
Quoted from Slim2013:DECALS: Anyone have 4 drop target decals to spare ? Which ones are correct ?
Apparently Williams switched from the red, white, and blue with a star to the satelite dish during production. So both are correct.
https://www.actionpinball.com/parts.php?item=03-7478-SSA-3
I have the ones from Space Station on my game, because I prefer the shuttle image.
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/31-1437
3 months later
Quoted from Iamthelaw:Anyone have a spare shuttle w switch and gate for sale?
Doesn't have the switch and gate, but Starship Fantasy has the shuttle.
4 months later
Quoted from StavrosMilos:Having some issues with rebuilding after replacing plastics. The screws to hold the plastics/shuttle no longer hold. They are either too short to reach the ramp plastic due to the new thickness, or too narrow to actually bite into the hole of the ramp plastic. Also having this issue with the new pop caps. The recess on the top to allow the head of the screw to sink a bit to make it more even with the top is a little too narrow for the screw head so it is unable to get in far enough to bite(also causes the plastic on top of them to warp a bit when installed because it cannot sit flush. What have you all found to remedy this, if anything.
Longer screws.
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