Yours has some cracks and stuff going on in the paint. If you love the game. I'd have a pro do it.

LTG : )

I think the playfield could benefit from it but are you prepared for the amount of work involved? At minimum the top needs to be completely stripped and if you're sending it to a pro they will want the bottom stripped as well. You may be better off to just do teardown, cleaning and waxing. Then enjoy your game.

It's your first machine, so I'm making an assumption you are new to pinball in general. If so, you shouldn't worry about it right now.

As mentioned above, give it a good cleaning and play it for a while. Based on the pics, you will probably find many little things to fix and adjust over the next few weeks or months.

Wait until you are committed to pinball as a hobby and learn how to do things right. You'll learn the cost and value of different restoration approaches and you should make your decision when you understand what's really involved. Read these:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-and-waxing-pinball-machines-vids-guide/
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/

Besides its your only machine. What are you going to play while this one is torn down for the pf? Most people's first step when buying their first pinball machine is buying a second pinball machine

GL!

Having your PF cleared is a much much bigger endeavor than tearing the top side down and cleaning it. Both in price and work. All those flaws you're seeing are pretty normal for a game its age. You can play it as is perfectly fine and not worry too much. Chasing perfection is a dangerous thing. My recommendation is if you have the top side torn down then order yourself a play field protector. It will level out those inserts and keep the game playing really nice. Now, there will be some people who want to naysay the protectors, they say they make the game play funny, ect. I think they're all crazy. I have one in my HS2 and my HH and they both play better than they ever have in my time owning them. Plus its much cheaper and easier than doing a clearcoat job.

Play it. Enjoy it. These games were meant to be played not examined with a magnifying glass. Game looks to have normal amount of wear. You will not make the investment of time and money back if you clear it and then sell.

Great game you have! I love TFTC!

Don’t... I’m going through that pain right now. It hurts.

I’m doing an autopsy to see what makes these things tick. Lots of screws, apparently. Lots of little tiny things.

not worth clearing, shop it out real good and play it.

Do a teardown - clean everything well, then buy an effective, yet inexpensive playfield protector - and be done....having the PF restored is always a worthwhile endeavor - but can be costly and/or difficult to do by oneself.....