Taxi
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Long story short,I played a Taxi at Pinfest,and I really liked it. I never played one before,but I'd love to buy one.
What should I look out for when I check out this machine?
One more thing how much more would a Marilyn cost versus a Lola?
Thanks in advance
Ralph
Quoted from locksmith:My first modern game over 25 years ago was Taxi. Such a well balanced fun game all around.Played the hell out of it and gave it to my Daughter when I was out of Pinball space.Eventually got in back in bad shape and sold it a year and a half ago. Thanks to Pinfest I scored a custom Taxi.All new parts top to bottom.Pinball Porn at its best. Dialing it in now and love to have one back.
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I was at Pinfest and I totally missed seeing this machine. I think it was along the wall in a vendors area. I would have loved to see it up close ! Maybe even pull the plunger once. 
Quoted from Evets:Marco and (I think) PP have all of the ramps. However, you can get a repro Spin Out ramp in blue on eBay for $30. These blue ramps seem to be overstock from the original Twisted Pins production run of blue and red ramps, but that is a semi-educated guess on my part. I can tell that I have the $30 blue from ebay, and it is identical to the red Twisted Pin repro I bought years ago, minus the metal flap. These repros are identical to the even older NOS Spinout ramp I have on hand. In short, all three ramps are available, but you can save some money if you get a blue Spinout off eBay.
The condition of the MPU is worth investigating (the familiar battery corrosion/acid leakage) as a replacement is likely to be expensive. The power supply board, aux power board, and interconnect board can be repaired or replaced. Marcos has replacement mechanical parts (VUK, etc).
And I agree with Ron, the Marilyn surcharge is a thing of the past.
He's going to send me some more pictures on Monday. He just picked it up,and played only one game on it. It needs to be shopped,and I'm okay with that. I just want a working machine. I don't have the skills to raise a machine from the dead!
He sending me a picture of the MPU and the shooter lane. He did say he had to remove the battery holder due to corrosion.I already have some pictures of the machine.
Are there any more pictures of the game I should request? He said he'd send any thing I asked for.
And what other questions should I ask him?
It's a three hour drive for me,and I'd hate to travel that far for nothing.
I always play the modern machines when I do play pinball but this year at Pinfest I tried all kinds of machines,and I'm glad I did. This game is a lot of fun!
Thanks in advance
Ralph
I'm in the club,picked up a nice Taxi today. Here's my buddy Henry playing the first game. I used the pictures the seller send me for the other pictures,since it saved me some time. I just have to install the new topper that came with it. I'll also need to replace one of the pop bumper lights,that didn't survive the journey. Just have to check the manual to see what type of bulb it is.
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Quoted from DanMarino:Congratulations Ralph! You were looking for months! That one looks great! A Taxi is on my short list too!
Thanks,I almost bought a Taxi from a guy in Ohio,but the deal fell through. I'm glad because it was a 6 1/2 hour drive . This Taxi was 43 minutes from my house. 
Quoted from dmacy:Pop bumper light should be 555.
Thank you .
Quoted from ChrisPINk25:Taxi has the rubber ring size printed directly on the playfield… there is one odd sized one. The one leading up to Santa on the left is 5”, I believe.
Thank you .
Quoted from killerrobots:When I do it I try to change them all. Typically I order a full kit from Marco:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/RK1773-1
and then just match them to the kit as I take them off.
Thank you
Quoted from Canuck_pinhead:Awesome... my wife and dog thank you
Yeah,I had to turn mine off too. My wife is on the other side of the wall in the family room. I’m tempted to remove the drywall,and install some sound attenuation fiber glass,also know in the trade as Rotten Cotton! If you ever worked with the stuff,you’d know why it got that nickname. 
Any chance anyone has a list of all the bulbs needed for a Taxi? I did a search,but nothing really helpful popped up. I also checked the manual,but all I found was a list of all the flashers needed,and a page that just listed all of the lamps,but it didn't specify what type of bulb.
Thanks in advance
Ralph
Thank you ! I started my count yesterday,and I also added 2 x25 pack of smd from comet,for the backbox and the playfield. A Pinsider doing a Taxi restore also recommended non Ghosting LEDs for the inserts.
Thanks again for the help!
Quoted from Canuck_pinhead:Do you tighten them cold or after a little warming up?
(Also... does it mess up the mylar??)
I heated mine and then tapped it down flush. In a weeks time it popped up again. Last week I heated it again and tapped it down flush. But this time I put some crazy glue on the inside of the inset. The I sprayed some activator on the crazy glue to fast cure it. So far the insert has stayed in place. I love this crazy glue and activator combination. I used it on the crown molding scarf joints when I remolded my kitchen this past March.
Quoted from Jmckune:Just gonna have to count them. I usually buy 2 25 packs of 2SMD from comet for the GI, and then manually make a list of color matched non ghosting 1smd for inserts. Flashers I usually leave as incandescent unless a lot are burned out in which case I’ll switch those out. It’s tedious to count but worth it.
For the Taxi I had, I went with cool white for the GI, cool white behind all yellows, warm white for the characters, cool white for the 1 or 2 other white inserts there are and then the other ones are obvious. It looked pretty good to me
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While I was counting the bulbs under the playfield,I replaced a bunch of the banonet bulbs with brand new bulbs. The playfield looked much better,when all of the riders in the center of the playfield were lit. But still dark when they're not lit. I think I'm gonna ad some spotlights over the left and right slings 
Quoted from pinballinreno:Factory insert glue is a type of non drying mastic. Inserts move all over the place.
Epoxy on the bottom edge of the inserts is preferred as its more shock resistant, and fixes inserts in place.
A little plastic primer helps epoxy to bond.
Crazy glue works but can crack off and loosen.
It also doesnt bond as well as epoxy with primer on oily plastics like inserts.
But it does work for awhile.
Thanks I'll have to pick some up. What brand do you recommend. I have JB weld,but it's black and it would probably be visible after it dries. I might have some of the stuff I use to use to build golf clubs. It definitely can handle a good amount of shock,and it dries clear.
Now would be a good time to use it while the crazy glue is still holding.
Quoted from pinballinreno:JB weld clear 5 min epoxy for plastics is pretty good.
Just clean the surface with naptha, you should be ok.
Thanks for the help !
Has anyone added a spotlight to there Taxi? I'm getting ready to change over to LEDs,and I saw that Comet has two and one headed spotlights. Not sure if I'm gonna add the one or the two headed spotlights to each sling.
My game Is pretty dark in the center until the passengers are lit up,but once they go out it's too dark for me.
Thanks in advance
Ralph
Quoted from Y3AG3R:I can't remember where i heard or saw this. Maybe in a Comet video on youtube but pink behind yellow looks awesome! It gives the yellow looks without blowing it out like the white does. I have one from the sample packs i bought from comet. I'll see if i can find it and try it out in taxi today. I haven't gotten this far on mine yet.
I think I read on Comets site that pink is also used for the orange inserts. It said all the cool kids are doing it,so I'm in.
Quoted from ChrisPINk25:Here’s mine. Not sure you could get double spot lights to fit?
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Looks like they might work.
Screenshot_20211111-160309-254 (resized).pngQuoted from ChrisPINk25:That’s twilight zone
I know ,I was just showing a picture from Comet’s website,showing the double spotlights.
Quoted from Canuck_pinhead:Saw that one.
Was thinking about it, but saw nothing for the Arrival/Departure ramps which need replacing as well.
I saw this already mentioned, but I'll post the link anyway.
https://www.starship-fantasy.com/ramps/Taxi-Departure-Ramp
Quoted from ClarkGriswold:I have a brand new red one still in the original packaging I'd sell for $20 plus shipping cost. I purchased both a red and blue one and tried the Blue one first and decided to keep it blue, so that's why I have a brand new red one. DM me if you want it. Here's what the blue one looks like on my machine:
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Pm sent, thanks in advance.
Ralph
Quoted from killerrobots:I redid my Taxi with all 2smd warm bulbs and it has a very pleasant amount of light. I like a bright game but IMHO Taxi is kind of a dark theme so it still has some shadows but has plenty to play by in a fully dark room. I don't think you need the spotlights. I tried them in my LotR and they really didn't add much light and I have had issues with the bulbs falling out and them moving around. I would recommend trying it with just the bulbs and then adding if you think you need them. To be honest if you really want more light a light bar (i.e. pinstadium type) is the way to go. You can make one yourself without too much trouble. That is what I ended up doing on my LotR.
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I think it looks 100% better with the LEDs. I think I'll skip the spotlights,and go with just the LEDs.
Quoted from Canuck_pinhead:OK.
I've got my new Spinout ramp (Blue) and the two other ramps on their way.
Never swapped out ramps before.
Any tips tricks I should know going into this? Any help much appreciated. I scoured Youtube looking to see any tear down videos and found nothing. I swapped out a bunch of star posts and most rubbers. Still to do the ones under the ramps. Any tips on dealing with T-nut (?) fixings that spin on the bottom of the playfield preventing you from removing the screw also appreciated.
I read in the System 11 club, that you should heat the T-nut with a soldering iron,when you're removing the post. They may have used some kind of lock-tite when it was built?
.
Quoted from Jmckune:I mean you can try, but calling those “improved” is a stretch to me. They never fit underneath the pop bumper cap right and they usually fall over because nothing supports them staying upright. Just get the new metal ones and do it the right way, it’s not bad.</blockquot
Disappointed, but motivated. The ramp looks great but I am lucky to get 3 spins so far. Got the red spring and a good shooter tip. The crappy old ramp gave me 5-6 spins so I have some adjusting to do! Also, it is wonderful to have all the GI back!
Shawn
I had the same problem and I'm not sure what fixed it ? I replaced the shooter tip,and I waxed the inside of the of the spinout ramp. it was probably the shooter tip but I can't say for sure?
Just finished adding LEDs,and Titian rubbers to my Taxi. Very happy with how the game looks now. 
Quick question,does the glue they use to build scale models work on plastic ramps ? I think what they use melts the materials you're glueing,and it almost like a plastic weld ?
P.S
My Foosball table makes a great work bench.
IMG_20211204_114058108 (resized).jpgQuoted from Bellagio:Like RonSwanson said, that part of the ramp gets hammered by the catapult. I’ve seen it cracked and repaired on several Taxi machines, including my original.
My repro ramps are definitely thicker than the originals and could probably take it, but I got the protector anyway. This is what it looks like installed:
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Thank You !
Quoted from Jmckune:I mean you can try, but calling those “improved” is a stretch to me. They never fit underneath the pop bumper cap right and they usually fall over because nothing supports them staying upright. Just get the new metal ones and do it the right way, it’s not bad.
I’m getting ready to install the lamp socket that you recommended . Any tips I should know before I get started ? I was concerned that I don’t have a staple gun small enough to fit in this area. But I read a good tip where I could just ease the old staple out enough to fit the new lead under. And then tap it down when I’m done.
I watched a YouTube video,and it didn’t mention anything about the lamp sockets Polarity. Does it matter which way I solder the lamp socket? I do plan on reusing the little piece of tubing that’s on the hot lead of the lamp socket for preventing a short.
Thanks in advance
39E5B6CB-5D92-4D33-ACAA-C709424D1EEA (resized).pngQuoted from BriPin:You definitely should solder the joint where they’re riveted because they like to let go after you have installed them!
I see what you mean about the the joint needing to be soldered. Why would they produce something that bad ?
I soldered the lamp socket joint but my conical tip was the wrong tool for removing the old lamp socket so I aborted the mission.
The good news is I'm getting a soldering iron for Christmas.The bad news is, it's at my Daughter's house.
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Quoted from pinballinreno:My advice is to modernize them and use the wire lead lamp sockets then molex them into the harness.
Set any diodes into the wire loom with shrink tube or aquarium tubing over them.
This method removes the silly soldering and stapling.
You can gang up all the ground wires to a single connection etc.
Draw it up on paper and you will see how easy it is to rewire these.
Im doing the same with all the silly bare ground wire. Just replace it with safer insulated wire.
I replaced the broken pop bumper lamp socket today, using my new soldering iron I got for Christmas..
It was easier for me to just copy how the original lamp socket was installed. Once I get a lot more experience,I'll give what you suggested a shot. But right now I'm ecstatic that I fixed it.
My next repair will probably be replacing the C-30 capacitor on my MPU. Every once in awhile,when I turn the game on, nothing happens, unless I shut it off and turn it back on. I read somewhere,that it's probably the capacitor that's bad .
Not looking forward to it, since it close to 20 connections I have to undue,to take out the board. 
Quoted from ralphs007:Has anyone ever used this on their Taxi ? I'm trying to figure out how I could use it on my Taxi departure ramp?
Thanks in advance
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The ramp protector works great,and I no longer have to glue the ramp every other week . I also splurged and modded the coin box.Ho Ho Ho
IMG_20220107_120502366 (resized).jpgQuoted from Sackmonkey:I have another question.. one that's hopefully an easy one for you guys. Above my Marilyn drop targets, there is a clear plastic piece (see pic). I bought the correct one "Lites Carry Passengers" from Marco. Am I suppose to toss the clear one, or does that go underneath? I stacked them and left it underneath, but that does raise the wire guide thing by the thickness of the new plastic. Is that the right way to do it? The nut on the left side barely has any threads to engage, so I'm thinking the clear plastic should come off (maybe someone made it by hand??).[quoted image][quoted image]
I recently bought a Taxi,and the seller just installed a brand new Lites Carry Passengers plastic . I also have the clear plastic under the Lites Carry Passengers. I left it on but it didn’t do it’s job of protecting the plastic. The Lites Carry Passengers plastic broke within a month. I guess it’s a common problem,so I probably won’t replace it anytime soon.
Quoted from pinballinreno:Check to see if the center of the ball is in the center of the flipper bat.
Try to analyze air-ball problems. Air-balls are bad if its not controlled.
Try to get the balls to stay down on the playfield. It will help with broken plastics.
Try an assortment of flipper rubbers and see if there is an effect.
Thank you,I'll take a look at the flipper rubber.
Quoted from Microvolt:Hey all, just joined the club tonight by buying my first pin! The price was right and the seller delivered right to my door. Saw a nice MB in the delivery truck by the way, but waaay off budget…
The whole family is super excited, but unfortunately still need to wait for the trolley + a couple of friends to come over next week to drag it to the downstairs game room. Will try to leave the backbox on as I’m a bit afraid to mess something up trying to remove and reattach it.
Playfield shows some wear, but plastics seem ok. Power supply has been fully rebuilt (not sure what that exactly entails, lots to learn!), and displays are brand new.
What’s the general consensus on leds? Is the switch worth it (looking at a kit from pinballcenter)? What about the backbox? Have seen some WH20 and LOTR looking very artificial after conversion, but others are superb.
Guess I should be replacing rubbers and putting new balls in? Anything else to consider?
Will share pics once everything is setup. Thanks!
You might be interested in getting one of these for your departure ramp. Mine was cracked,and I never found a glue that would hold for more than a few weeks. Now I don't even think about the ramp anymore.
I also added comet sun light leds to the whole game,except for all of the flashers. And I think it came out excellent. If you do decide to add led's,you might as well replace the rubbers while you're at it.
https://mantispinball.com/product-category/taxi/
Quoted from Microvolt:Thanks all, finally managed to haul it downstairs together with a friend. Was a bit of a struggle due to a narrow landing, but we made the slide work at the end of the day. Slowly trying to learn the ropes as this is our first household pin.
Got a bit of a scare removing batteries as one had exp. 2003 ugh! Does not seem to have leaked though as far as I can tell. Lithiums are in for now.
Re LEDs, shipping from Comet to Europe is quite expensive. What do you make of this? Ir has some colored, for the inserts I assume.
https://www.pinball.center/en/shop/pinball-parts-by-game/taxi/722/noflix-led-playfield-kit-for-taxi
Thanks for the advice on the ramp protector. Departure ramp is cracked, looks like there is already something there. Is this where the protector would go?
Noticed after a couple of games tonight that two pop bumpers do not consistently fire upon a light ball touch, as I would expect them to. Where would you start looking at?[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Correct on where the ramp protector goes. I could send you a picture of it installed if you want?
Quoted from Microvolt:That would be awesome, thanks! Am a bit concerned about taking the ramp out with these cracks, might have to sticky tape it prior to prevent it from cracking further?
Rubbers and ramp protector ordered last night. On to making the list for comet leds now. Would anybody have one at hand? Instruction manual lists 64 lights, but there are only 50 on the pinball center summary sheet… think that’s missing the GI below the ramps. Should I replace the flashers while I’m at it, or can this be done without moving the ramps?
Here you go, Pinsider dmacy is the one who told me about this protector. It saved me a ton of work and money. Now the ramp will live another 34 years.
HTH
IMG_20220418_195202472 (resized).jpgIMG_20220418_195301550 (resized).jpgQuoted from Sackmonkey:It looks like you added your own screws/holes. I'll do the same. Thanks for posting the pic.
Yes, I just held it to where I needed it,and screwed it in place. You might need to bend it a little to adjust the radius/curve a little. It bends pretty easy though.
Plus it hides the ugly cracks and failed glue attempts.
Quoted from Microvolt:Thanks! Just tried putting mine in tonight and was getting around 50% rejects from the right flipper. I wonder if moving it a notch down would help, so that the protector starts almost at the end of the catapult eject guide rail?
I’m not able to make the departure ramp from the backend left flipper. Is this expected or do I have weak ass flippers which should be rebuilt?
Thanks
Edit: indeed, looks like this is the way as per mantis. Will give that a shot tomorrow[quoted image]
Mine is up about two inches higher than yours,and I don’t remember ever getting any rejects from the right flipper? I must have been lucky on where I decided to place the protector. I placed the center of the protector over the spot that was taking a beating from the catapult.
Quoted from monkfe:Yeah I don't see it on mine either....
I think that's why it's called the mystery bracket?
Sorry about that
Quoted from FLASHBALL:There has to be a way to get it perfect. On my first Taxi, a full plunge would go all the way around and back to 25k.
I waxed the shooter lane and the whole inside of the spinout . It definitely helped !
Quoted from RCW:Pop quiz!!
What’s wrong with this picture?
[quoted image]
It's blurry ?
Quoted from The_Great_Man:Ok. So I am officially a member of the Taxi Owners club. I also own a High Speed and I needed to put in some new fuses next to the bridge rectifiers to keep it from catching on fire - Do I need to do that to this game? The game all seems to play pretty good. I need a new Departures ramp - Where is the best place to get one? I know Marco has them but does anyone else - Freeplay - on Pinside sell them? How hard is this ramp to replace? My game seems a little dull compared to others I have seen on YouTube. I love a bright game. What are the best light bulb changes that I should make to brighten up the game? Also it appears as though there are some bulbs under the ramps that I would like to change out - Do you have to move the ramps to get at these bulbs or is there another way. Also ideas on any mods that make the game better would help. What is the best thing to do with the lights in the pop bumpers? Are Blue colored bumpers better for that area of the game? Thanks for any answers to these questions and any other suggestions anyone has.
My Taxi was also pretty dark,so I added sunlight LEDs. I also ordered spotlights for the slings but I didn't need them after adding the LEDs. I didn't have to remove the ramps, because I replaced the majority of the lights from underneath the play field. I did replace the rubbers at the same time,since I had to take a few things apart to get a few LEDs installed.
The only lights I didn't replace with LEDs, were the flashers. I just left the old incandescent ones in place.
Quoted from ChrisPINk25:I put two spots on. One on each sling. That did the trick. Comet or pinball life sells kits.
When I added LEDs ,I also ordered two spot lights. I never added them since I thought the new sunlight LEDs did a good job lighting up the play field.
Maybe I'll add them sometime soon since I already have them ?
Quoted from The_Great_Man:I do like it. The only thing for me is that I am sensitive to putting things on my machine that affect or change how I see the playfield and these seem like maybe they block a little of the playfield. I know it is very little but you would be surprised how little things can bother me. Comet will probably be getting another order - I assume that is where you get them.
Maybe you should forget about adding these to your machine. I'm a retired Carpenter ,and I know exactly what you mean about something little bothering you. Your eye will constantly be drawn to the little thing that bothers you,and it'll drive you crazy, until you fix or change it.
But incase you go through with it,check this out .
Quoted from pinballinreno:I just got my Taxi running perfectly!
I guess now is the time to rip it all apart and do some restoration.
My cabinet artwork isnt mirrored like the new decals are:
Left side
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Right side
[quoted image]
I wonder if this is common or are the decals wrong...
I would think that Santa would be near the front on all the games.
My Santa is also located in the back.
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Gilbertsville, PA
