So I have radcals for this machine and have yet to put them on. I’ve heard so much mixed info. Do I really need to paint the cabinet black first? The instructions from the guy don’t say anything about it but then I’ve heard they’re kind of see through and will give you a double image if you don’t. Also the ones I got don’t have any holes drilled not even the start button :/

Yes, there are rumors of a remake of the Twilight Zone pinball machine. These rumors have been circulating for a few years now, and there is some evidence to support them. For example, in 2022, a large order of Twilight Zone ramps was placed. This could be a sign that a remake is in the works. Additionally, CBS Broadcasting has filed a trademark for The Twilight Zone for use in "Pinball games; pinball-type games; pinball machines." This could also be a sign that a remake is planned.
However, there is no official confirmation of a Twilight Zone remake yet. So, until we hear something from the manufacturer, these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt.
Here are some of the rumors that have been circulating:
• The remake will be made by Chicago Gaming Company.
• It will feature new features and technology.
• It will be released in 2023.
These rumors are all unconfirmed, but they have certainly generated excitement among pinball fans. If a Twilight Zone remake does happen, it will be sure to be a popular machine.

Anyone hearing anything?

Yes, there are rumors of a remake of the Twilight Zone pinball machine. These rumors have been circulating for a few years now, and there is some evidence to support them. For example, in 2022, a large order of Twilight Zone ramps was placed. This could be a sign that a remake is in the works. Additionally, CBS Broadcasting has filed a trademark for The Twilight Zone for use in "Pinball games; pinball-type games; pinball machines." This could also be a sign that a remake is planned.
However, there is no official confirmation of a Twilight Zone remake yet. So, until we hear something from the manufacturer, these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt.
Here are some of the rumors that have been circulating:
• The remake will be made by Chicago Gaming Company.
• It will feature new features and technology.
• It will be released in 2023.
These rumors are all unconfirmed, but they have certainly generated excitement among pinball fans. If a Twilight Zone remake does happen, it will be sure to be a popular machine.

TZ is a valuable game. I would not take the easy path. The value of the game will go up if you do it correct. I am a firm believer of taking the cabinet down to bare wood and painting it black before applying the new decals (Radcals too). I would also recommend oil-based paint. Water based is a mistake in my opinion. The adhesive does not stick to it very well.

Many have had success without this time consuming procedure. I'd just clean the surface very well with 100% alcohol. If you're really concerned, a light sanding with high grit paper, but I wouldn't bother unless you need to fill defects.

So you're saying painting is not necessary? Are the decals not transparent? I've heard a lot of mixed things. Ideally I could just slap them on after a good cleaning.

I assumed that the decals are like all the others I've seen and not transparent. If they are transparent, I'd get different decals. Sanding the cab to wood is a complete bitch of a job.

Alright I'm going to do one side of the backbox this way to test. The whole point of me getting these was so I could just slap them on.

Looking for a replacement clock face (new or used is fine). 03-8835 is the part number, it is the plastic that the decal goes on. The one on my machine was snapped and I made a home brew replacement, but it is not as clean as the original and the posts are off.

As long as your surface is smooth and clean it will be fine

Be warned - Radcals are great but the whites and yellows are transparent. The old art does show through. I restore games and wouldn't do it that way for myself or a paying customer. You will be able to see the old art in these areas. You might be fine with it. I guess it comes down to personal choice. Taxi, Indiana Jones and TZ all have this problem. Taxi is worst being 95% light colors.

Yes thank you for that, after inspection on the one side of the head that I did you an see a faint image of the black lines on the yellow flipper. It won't be noticeable to anyone but me but I'm glad I did just that one part, I will paint the cabinet black from here on out.

The people that are saying this isn't an issue likely got really lucky and the art lined up. If it doesn't line up, it is noticeable. Better to be safe than sorry.

Experiencing a few issues that I'm hoping the group may be able to assist with. First, my diverter gate near in the ball trough area keeps getting stuck open so the balls keep auto-launching instead of allowing me to manually plunge. The gate itself moves freely when I test it by hand, but after a ball or two will inevitably just stay open. Any ideas how I can possibly get it back to normal?

Also, I'm now getting random powerballs, even when the ceramic ball isn't in play. I believe there are 2 or more sensors that check to see what ball is in play but I have no idea where those are or how to really test them to see which one could be messing up?

Any thoughts the group can provide would be awesome, thanks!

sounds like the opto board because every one of these issues sounds like opto problems.

Good to know. Is this something that can be repaired or do you need to replace the board itself? I’ll have to dust off my owners manual and see where the board is located and hopefully I can troubleshoot it a bit more from there.

The random powerball issue could be a couple different things. The most likely can be found in this post:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/twilight-zone-owners-club/page/36#post-3021952

You basically need to solder the board to the senor to get a reliable connection.

Re: RadCals...

Even "if" you don't sand to the wood (which is what I would do), I'd sand (lightly rough up w/ 120-150 grit) surface and spray or even as last resort, roll on (then lightly sand again) an enamel paint to seal and hide any old artwork. This because; if you don't and install the RadCals you very well may see the old artwork thru your new RadCals. Not a chance I'd be willing to take.

As they say: "an ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure"

Just my .02 worth and I've installed many RadCals and decals too.

If light colors are semitransparent how do those colors look when placed on a black cabinet?

Well I’m new at this.

Agree. I’ve installed Radcals on 5-6 pins, and on the first 2 I sanded and filled any dents, but I didn’t paint over the old artwork. On my TOTAN, I didn’t notice the art underneath, but on my Fish Tales, I did. It doesn’t bother me, and it’s subtle, but you can see a slight double image through the Radcal. Painting a solid color is a good option. I’ll try to post a picture of the Fish Tales double image.

We didn’t do any prepping to wh2o and TZ.
They came out perfectly.
Indiana though…. That should have been worked on a tad prior to sticking the sides on.

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Stupid question but how do I remove these carriage bolts in the side of the cabinet

Are they turning on you as you try to remove the nut?

They look fine but the black basecoat does darken the light colors. The effect is uniform so it totally works. I recommend painting the cabinet the primary color of the art. BoP got purple (for exsample).

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I actually figured it out, I didn't realize that cylinder was a nut. The issue I'm having now is I can't figure out how to remove the flipper buttons. I've never had to on a game like this.

No question is stupid.....look from inside of the cabinet for the flipper buttons and you'll figure it out quite easilly.

I got it eventually the issue was that the nut was flush with the cabinet so I couldn't get it off but I eventually just used some needlenose pliers and was able to loosen it.

2 ways for me:

1) Use a large socket for nut on inside. You can turn it by hand.
2) use needle nose pylers (grab edge of nut) to gently turn nut.

Thanks for sharing this! That's what I'm talking about. You can see the old artwork thru new RadCal.

pasted_imageYou can see artwork thru RadCal (resized).png

1. If you turn the game off while it is stuck open, does it close? If not, does it close if you nudge it with your finger? Likely it is getting stuck, it's just very, very light of a stick. A few things you could do - replace the nylon bushing, or try giving it a small light spray of graphite powder. If that doesn't help, the coil/relay plate may be starting to become magnetized..

2. There are two sensors. One in the subway before the slot machine, and the other in the trough. When does it go into powerball mode? Before the ball is fed to the shooter? Or mid-ball, after shooting the ball into the Piano or Camera? Either way, you likely have a sensor that needs to be cleaned, adjusted, or fixed.

I got it with the needlenose pliers

It worked out well. I painted cabinet black first.

tz radcal (resized).png

Thanks. I've got a brand new cabinet for my IJPA painted black and I'm torn between getting traditional decals or radcals and I was curious as to what the black cabinet would do to the radcals appearance.

Indy is a trough one. I would say black is ok for regular decals but might overpower Radcals. For Radcals, I would go yellow for the cabinet.

Pretty clear on that Indy. My Fish Tales has a similar, slightly more subtle effect. You can see the outline of the boat.

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Question: why are radcals designed this way? Doesn't seem too rad to me....

I don't mind the fact that they're setup this way. The issue I have is they don't tell you that you should paint the cabinet first they act like you just slap it on.

Yes, if I turn the game off the gate will remain open. It closes just fine if I move it manually, but eventually it’ll just stay open again. The idea of it being magnetized actually makes sense, it’s extremely easy to move back manually but obviously requires you to open the game to fix which sucks. I’ll test those potential fixes and see how it goes from there.

The powerball issue happens in both the slot machine and the main trough area. I’ll look at those boards/sensors now that I know where they are and will report back. Appreciate the help!

What would you guys say is a fairly neutral color as base underneath radcals? Maybe grey? Rustoleum makes a nice grey oil based paint. I used it on the sides of a Robotron arcade.

I “rainbow puked” my TZ years ago and finally am ready to undo all of that. I’d like an LED that mimics incandescent as much as possible, not a washed out white bulb. Does anyone have a recommendation for a quality LED that looks like an incandescent?

If you look at the Comet Pinball "retro" LED's, they are an exact replacement for incandescent bulbs. I'm using them in my Attack From Mars and if you didn't know they were LED's you would swear they were incandescent.... Highly recommend them if you prefer the original look of older bulbs.

https://www.cometpinball.com/collections/retro

Chris

How would I go about changing the metal flaps on the ramps?

Remove the ramps. Remove the rivets. Remove old flap. Get or make new flap. Rivet it on.

You may need help with the new flaps and riveting.

If yours are in good shape, not all kitty bunkus, just the bluing worn off. I'd get some gun bluing and redo them.

LTG : )

No they’re totally fubar. Completely rusted and corroded and shit. They need to be totally replaced.

I’m aware I need to remove them lol. I just don’t now how to remove and reattach.

Near the top right side of Pinside is a search feature. There have been good posts of drilling out the rivets and replacing ramp flaps.

Some people have posted offers of help to reattach flaps. You might consider that so you don't need riveting tools and rivets.

LTG : )

Youtube has help :

LTG : )

Or here:
https://rampomatic.com/blogs/tutorials