After getting the post lights wired I installed Plasma Pop bumpers.

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Yep, the plasma pops are expensive but when I saw them at the TPF the lights hypnotized me and I had bought three before I knew what happened.

Got the three drop target and four ball hole kick assemblies installed. Pinball Resource had NOS targets and decals.

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For the single drop target I went with a clear target and added a bulb to light it from below (As seen on TNT Amusements video). Used a Comet flame bulb which gives it a cool effect.

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Got everything installed under the playfield. Really crowded under there. Looking at it now, I’m glad I took the time to molex everything. It will make replacing/adjusting much easier.

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On to the topside.
Got the star post installed. I Cleaned them in the Ultrasonic and was able to reuse about half of them.

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Ramp roll unders and spinners installed.

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Cleaned up all the plastics. Luckily they were in pretty good shape as I couldn’t find any NOS or reproductions.

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The original big plastic ramp was broken but usable. I was going to just live with it as a new one was unobtainable, but the pinball gods smiled on me and a NOS ramp showed up on eBay! I had to win a bidding war for the damn thing ,but when I found out an unbroken one was available I got obsessed.
I wanted to protect the investment so I emailed Cliffy ( great guy to deal with) to see if he had any protectors that would work. He didn’t have anything for a TX but he did have ramp protectors for Genesis which he thought would probably fit.
With just some slight modifications they are perfect.

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Ramps and protectors installed.

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The ramps cleared the plasma pops(barely) but the metal ramp was a big PITA! It took a trip to Home Depot to get longer screws and extra washers to get it to clear the back left pop.

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Fortunately the metal shooter ramp was easier to install. I put a double layer of Mylar just underneath the ball drop.

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Since the color scheme is really dark, I’m happy I had the Hot Rod Arcade chrome a lot of stuff. It really brightens the playfield up.

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Yep, spending money on mods and parts is truly an addiction!

Got the topside completed.

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I like the engineering on the ball return/eject. Simple and effective.

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However, the engineer who designed how the translite and speaker/display panel fit together was either in a hurry, drunk, or just didn’t give a damn!
The lock is mounted on the top and difficult to reach. You almost have to have two people to access the backbox, one to remove the translite and one to catch the speaker/display panel when it comes flying down.

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They fixed the problem on RoboWar with a hinge for the top panel.
My plan was to do the same thing on the Tx but it got too involved trying to figure out a locking mechanism so I just went with some small shelving post. Simple and effective.

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After I got the head back on I finished up everything in the cabinet.
Added the comet lighted flipper mod and got all the wires for the plasma pops installed.

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With the help of my son I got the playfield back in the cabinet.
I have no idea how anyone gets that done without help!

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I spent a considerable amount of time making sure I had all the correct fuses installed, all the connectors in the right location and orientation, and nothing obvious that would cause a short.
I’m not a pessimist, nor an optimist. I consider myself a realist. So, realistically when it came time to turn this thing on I was prepared for either an explosion and/or fire.
I flipped the switch at 4pm today and much to my surprise there was no Chernobyl like event!
I have some issues : two of the Pops don’t work, multiple switches are reading closed , and the GI lighting around the slings comes and goes.
Overall, it does work and I was able to play a couple of games.

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