Both the chrome and black look amazing. I have a very slight preference for the black as The fingerprints on my Tron chrome drive me insane. It is beautiful when clean and not being played. The black always looks nice. TZ is such a great game in both play and looks. Good luck with your decision.

Yes, the black powder coat looks great on TZ. I have chrome armor on my TZ and it also looks really nice. A quick swipe or two with a soft microfiber cloth and the fingerprints are gone and the chrome looks perfect again.

Gord

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I don't believe there is a kit per se, but here is a link to get you started..https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/twilight-zone-owners-club/page/237#post-6776841
also Dumbass makes a modified opto board that you can use to make this all work

Yep, Pinballplating.com, Chris Royalty. I did my CV in his chrome too.

What are those speakers doing?! Looks really cool

Hey all, I’ve got a sample TZ with the third magnet that has a light red clock housing and front lens which needs to be repaired or replaced (the rear screw holes on the housing are stripped and the clock keeps falling onto the playfield). My question is whether the light red housing is factory original — if it is I’ll try to repair it and if not I’ll replace it with a new white housing. Thoughts?

Red clock housing would be an aftermarket item.

This was the first one commercially available in 2002 from TZclockhousings.

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I just replaced my red housing with the clear one, and I really like it. I wanted blue, but I can't find one. I do have my red one that I replaced, if you can't find a new one and you want to stick with red. I'm happy to send it to you.

Thanks all. I asked the question because there were a couple of sale listings on the internet that stated (without evidence) that some early TZs were sold with light red housings for a very limited time. I wanted to see if anyone had heard of this. My sample TZ didn’t have any other obvious aftermarket items (and light red housings don’t seem to be generally available on the aftermarket) so I thought this was a possibility.

Never heard of it.

The clock face changed during production from white to colors. But TZs all came with clear clock bodies.

Colored bodies have been repo'd by several sources through the years.

LTG : )

Here’s a pic of my housing.

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Thanks again. Looks like I’ll be switching to white!

Absolutely not.

Guess you can’t always believe what you read.

Yup! And also thanks to Pinkitten for the offer!

Was it the semi-opaque clear like the original, or was it completely glossy like that red one Zee posted? I've been trying to get my hands on a completely transparent/glossy clear housing for a while now. Seems everybody that makes the clear, makes it semi-opaque like the factory original.

Here is the one I just installed…

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Let me look through my vast archive of parts this weekend - I may have one I can let go.

Selling all my old TZ plastics. Make me an offer. Typical old plastics condition. Warped, yellowed, chipped, smelly, cracked,ugly, faded, some are better than others but better than missing or completely broke in half pieces.Serous folks message me! Curious folks most likely have new great condition plastics. $25 + shipping. Whoever buys it without lowballing me gets the original Clock housing not bad but slightly yellow…. Peace out brothers!!

What is the easiest and safest way to create holes in radcals (for bolts) without ruining the radcals? Exacto knife? Drill?

A new sharp utility knife blade is good. I found it give better control than an x-acto knife.

I use an Exacto knife for the holes and an utility knife if I need to trim down an edge. New blades are a must.

100% a drill.

For smaller bolts, just a sharp wood bit works.

For the larger holes, like flipper buttons, start button, and the plunger hole, start it with a drill bit, then take a drum sander attachment on the end of a Dremel and gently sand the hole diameter wider until you hit wood. Kinda like a router.

Utility knives and Xacto knives are such a pain in the ass, not sharp enough, and you’ll never get a perfect shape.

Thank you

Cannot figure out why Mirco sells radcals without at least having holes pre-drilled on the front decals for the buttons.

I use a very small diamond shaped bit with my dremel and it cuts very easily and is easy to control. I’ve tried an exacto and made mistakes. I use a flashlight from inside the cabinet to identify the holes for bolts through the Radcal. Then I gently press the bit through the center and cut the hole out. It’s pretty easy. Others use utility knives or drills. Whatever works for you! This works for me. I’ve done about 5 pins in Radcals now.

Because each cabinet is slightly different, and the most important thing is that the Radcal is lined up correctly at the front edge of the cabinet and just under the rail. Then you can identify your flipper hole location and cut it. If the flipper hole was pre-cut, the front edge of the Radcal might overhang the front of the cab, requiring a lengthy trim, or be receded back and not be flush with the front corner at all, which would be hard to fix. That’s my understanding anyway!

Exactly. He said it better than I. I use this method for all my bolt holes, flipper button holes and larger cuts like the start button and shooter rod housing.

I appreciate you all babysitting me through this. I know this is the owner's thread -- and not a tech thread.

So many things you don't think about on a first-time project, that really don't get mentioned in Youtube videos.

There are no threads about TZ that AREN'T tech threads.

TZ is notorious as one of the most difficult machines to own, work on, and keep at 100%. This thread and a number of the owners and experts in it are the main reason my TZ has been so reliable and great playing for so many years.

"Sharp" is the key. Hand steady.

I've found it to be the exact opposite too. And not a bear to clean. This is in commercial use.

I think a big part of it is when something breaks. Fix it right. Don't patch it. If you patch it, you'll be working on it all the time.

LTG : )

Working on my TZ error gumball popper lane sw #51
In switch test it engages, problem is actuator is below gumball subway.
I know normal solution is bend actuator or adjust switch.
Switch is in fixed location due to screws no adjustment of switch position

This switch was working before, pretty dam sure it was, have had this game 12 ++ years

Thoughts before I damage actuator, am I missing something?

Remove switch. Slightly adjust said switch. Put switch back.

Live happily ever after.

LTG : )

So are these TZ clock housings unicorns?

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Can't remember where or when I bought them. I want to say I got them from Kerry (Mantis) because I found them in a bunch of Mantis parts.

I’ll take the blue one, Please! They both look really nice!

My blue one came from PDI!

I still have my old one but the screw holes on the back are stripped.

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PDI still offers the silver mirror clock housing…for $185.

I did just find a new clear one on EBay. Wasn’t cheap, but it’s totally clear like yours. I’ll prob switch mine to that unless a blue one pops up.

Not so much unicorns, per se, but just not being made right now. They seem to be made in batches every few years.

I've done many RadCals... this is what I use with my Dremel for all button holes & shooter openings. It's a 1/8" flush cut trim router bit. It does the cleanest, nicest and quickest holes with no mistakes. Note: I will lightly sand the hole / opening out first (before painting it) to clean off any burs that would mimic the flush cut drill process onto my RadCal.

https://www.toolstoday.com/v-12109-mr0105.html?glCountry=US&glCurrency=USD&ne_ppc_id=17660118906&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3c6it57e-wIVcTStBh0E2AD9EAQYAiABEgILr_D_BwE

All the other bolts, just a new sharp box cutter blade in a hand tool to cut out. It's forgiving because the head on bolt will cover any reasonable marks.

BTW: I don't like the button holes pre cut as you have to use them as the alignment for the entire RadCal. I ask and prefer them not predrilled for that reason.

Actually, it's a flush trim router bit. But yes, I can see how that would work well. Those are very handy for trimming one material laid on top of another that already has the desired profile.

That piano looks badass..doesn't look 3D printed.

I think that’s the same piano I have. From PDI. $99.99.

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The piano was on my TZ when I bought it but I’m pretty sure it is PDI. It is a pretty solid piece.

Laser cut mirror mod for the clock face that I made some years ago. Adds a nice touch.
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Pretty stinking awesome! Do you have any left over or would you consider another run?

Here's the old ad for them... you can reach out to Davi to see if anymore are available.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/twilight-zone-spiral-ramp-last-one#post-5987556

This is riveted to the apron. I was thinking of removing it but not sure if it's worth the hassle. Why would this be here? Distributor id#?

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