I this one of gdonovan's apron stencil sets?

I got the apron vinyl from a friend and have no idea where he ordered it from

I don't love it but I also don't hate it. I installed the CPR topper on my Star Gazer with some lightning effects. I made it a custom base so it just sits up there. I didn't want to screw it into my cabinet. I wish the color was bolder. It looks a little washed out with the light behind it.

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But your Star Gazer sure looks nice with the all-white look.

Thanks, I took out all the yellow accents on purpose. I was even was able to find blue and white inserts for my coin door.

Seems redundant to the backglass art IMHO.

I agree. Whom ever did these for CPR didn’t put much thought into them. The girl is straight off the backglass but the sword was pulled from another source and just layered into the image. The sword is totally different. The only part of it I like is the lighting effect I did with the pinball she is holding. It is a blue fire light so it has motion. Backlighting helps but at the same time makes it washed out.

My Fantastic Pinball Star Gazer play field arrived yesterday. It is a nice looking shade of blue. Everything on the play field looks good.

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definitely tempted to buy a 2nd SG repro PF... urgh!

Is there anyone or any site that fabricates and sells the thin metal ball guides for Star Gazer? Specifically the ones on the top right area? I'm getting really close to being done with my restore and am now finding the last odds and ends I need

Mantis makes and sells the complete set.

https://mantispinball.com/product/star-gazer-ball-guide-set/

Thank you
Lane guides are what I am looking for

Contact pinsider DJBLOUW. He made them for me last year.

They're fairly easy to DIY with one of those wire bending jigs for the 90 degree part. I just bent the curve by hand. If djblouw isn't making any, I might be able to at some point. I have another SG playfield to work on in the queue myself but I have so many things going on right now

Funny...took me a minute to realize I actually made THOSE because it's my pic!

Go to your local welding supply house and get some .093 stainless welding rod. That piece you have a pic of with the wire behind the stand up targets is very easy to make. The long curve gives you some flexibility to tweak it easily to make it fit. A vise and a small hammer is all you need to make those 90 degree bends. The ball action is always going to be on the outside wall. One welding rod is enough to make two of them, so if you blow #1 you have a 2nd chance.

My first one looked like yours but the ball would hang up just above the post and light. I made one a bit longer and made about 20 degree angle on the end so the ball could not rest.

Haven’t had anything issues but maybe my game is set up steeper.

What is more sought after, a very nice original or a scratch build... or does it really matter?

Depends. If everything is the same condition wise.

1) Original Star gazer

2) Repurposed mpu 200 Stern game

3) Repurposed mpu 100 Stern game

4) Total scratch build with Stern cabinet design

5) Repurposed pin with different manufacturer cabinet.

The more correct Stern parts, the better.

for sure, key ones IMO is starting with a MPU200 cabinet/transformer then making sure spinners and mechs are of the same generation as well. my scratch builds were 100% stern mpu200 games parts (minus PF, BG and PF wiring that were repro).

but you know, to each their own

Anybody have one they would like to sell? PM me as I am on the hunt for one.

Is the cabinet different between MPU200 and MPU100? I have a Stars and am going to be building a seawitch and possibly a star gazer (have populated seawitch playfield). I was planning on using the Stars cabinet as a model for the one I build for Seawitch.

Same cabinet. For the most part, same coin door. Actually, you could R & R play fields and change the boards and have a playing game. You can scratch build a cabinet. But finding the hardware is getting harder.

Slight differences in Stars (and Stingray, Pinball, etc) is the chime setup. Tilt board is a differnt size and a shape, and no speaker hole in the cab. The general idea is the same though. Some earlier SB-100 games didn’t have speaker holes cut either, just a mounted speaker inside the cab but I got a circle jig for my router when I converted a Wild Fyre.

I've also noticed a lot of the early Stern cabinets recessed the door for some reason. The door frame is flush with the wood on older classic Sterns and sitting on top of later ones. Your very best bet is a Stern MPU-200 cabinet.

The Dracula cabinet I turned into Star Gazer had its coin door inset like that. I like it.

i thought my wild fyre cabinet was slightly different on the back of the PF/cabinet neck area, seemed "tigher/higher" but never really confirmed. Location of speaker hole/transformer board/chime is obviously different

Some MPU-100 cabinets are different (my Lectronamo, for instance). The neck is thinner with only two head bolts instead of four. The overall cabinet length is a couple inches shorter.

It's finally working! 6 long years of doing what I can, when I can. Got, lights, sound, and action! Waiting on parts for the new backglass. Both the playfield and backglass were from Greatwich several years back.
Brian

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