Has the seller ever taken the glass off and tried to clean the PF?

Not sure about that playfield.... definitely needs love.

Can't tell from pics whether it's planking or just dirty (has he tried cleaning it with anything at all?)

The burn mark under the ramp came from either a GI / Insert / or Flasher light stuck on (not familiar with what light is under there because I've never owned a BSD)

Long story short, depending on if the PF will clean up I would lean closer to the 1k range

It would be nice if you could get pics of the underside of the playfield. It looks like the playfield itself is pretty nice, just never cleaned. It looks to be possibly a re-import from (Japan?), and the rust on the flaps could just be an indicator that moisture was present at some point. I am curious to see what kind of shape the metal under the playfield is in.

The way pinflation has been lately, I could see this machine selling for 1300, but not much more. Realistically, this is a 1k BSD at best in it's current condition.

I read that they used a bad batch of wood for the playfields for BSD, and that's why the planking is so common (my BSD has planking in the right in-lane). I think that price is still a little high given the machine's condition. As ralphwiggum suggested, definitely check the underside of the playfield for any oxidation/rust. Nothing worse than going to fix something under the playfield & finding you can't get things disassembled or re-tightened because the screws/assemblies are rusted out.

Good luck John! This game has definitely become one of my favorites since playing it at the last PAPA.

The lower inserts? I don't believe those were mylared from the factory. All that white stuff you see is dirt. It could be really nice under all that. The rusty flaps are more of an issue. Here's what i consider to be textbook planking on a defender.

The lower inserts? I don't believe those were mylared from the factory. All that white stuff you see is mostly dirt. It could be really nice under all that. The rusty flaps are more of an issue. Here's what i consider to be textbook planking on a defender. Underneath all the rollovers...

_{Post edited by davewth : reattatched resized pic} planking.jpg

file was too big. I stole this off the nets

blackout.jpg

I wouldnt pay a 1k for that game. Too much rust. I picked mine up for 700 a couple years ago, needed restoration but in the end worth it, one of my favorite pins.

That's not planking, planking goes along the grain of the wood instead of 'all over the place in line with the ball movement' and wouldn't appear on inserts. I'd suggest it's been run for a long time with rusty/pitted balls, and the art has started to wear thin, at a guess. Ramp flap supports that possibility.

Ask the seller if he feels pitting on those inserts.

Sure looks like it.

Of the price is right I'd send it out to be restored and cleared. BSD is a beauty cleared with all the blues and oranges.

Wood 'planks', inserts don't. Planking is cracks through the artwork and into the wood. I'm not sure what all those spots are on the inserts, etc, perhaps grime, dirt, mold, etc.

That looks like a pass in my opinion - wait for another one...

I wouldn't personally pay more than 600-800 for it. Its in need of a lot of love. You got 3 guys here myself John and Taylor with massive BSD experience to help but man that's rough.

another LS pf bites the dust.

BTW, I sent my BSD ramp flaps to Pinbits to make templates from, so replacement flaps should be available I'd think. If not, you can cut your own pretty easily. The bubble in the ramp may be from a flasher beneath it, although I don't remember BSD having a flasher underneath the ramp. I have a good used main ramp, but it's too big to ship...

It's just dirty as all hell!! I wouldn't go over $1000 on that one. It might actually polish up nice...I've turned plenty of gross dirty games into super nice examples.

The boil on the ramp is from one of the two 555s that are under there. GI got to hot and burned the ramp. That is a tough part to find. Many BSD ramps have a depression there from the GI, but that one is really bad.

IMG_0340.JPG

This is exactly what I was thinking. There may be planking but it is definately not visable in these photos. The spots all over the playfield could be small craters in the clear from poor maintenance (ie rusty balls other crap being ground into the pf). Or it could be just dirt, very hard to tell from these photos.

Looks nicer than the 1500 one that was on here with all the chipped insert edges but who knows what lurks under the playfield.

Hmm...I take it back then...I've seen that on every BSD and assumed it was intentional. I'll take a look at mine again later.

To the guys answering $600-$1000, where is there another BSD for sale in the country right now under 1K?

It doesn't look like planking to me. Planking is when the wood itself starts to crack and shift around. That just looks like a dirty bit of diamond plate...

I have heard (read) about planking. Never seen it though and folks here think OP's potential pin does not have planking. Anyone have a pic to show us noobs what it looks like exactly so we know what to look out for. Or----is planking ok in general and maybe not enough reason to walk away from a pin purchase???

Thanks in advance for any pics showing planking! Please zoom in. I still don't see planking in that Defender photo earlier in this thread. I don't know what to look for.

PBD

I don't see planking but frankly the playfield is so dirty it is hard to tell.
Pops should have Mylar, mine came up perfectly. I'd want to see pics of the inserts once the field was wipes with some Novus. Def get under playfield pics as the rust on the top will carry through to the underside.

John and I restored ours at the same time, he had a great set of pics I gleaned from. Thanks again for that!

I've got these same pics the seller sent me. I agree that it isn't planking, seller claims its dirt and wornout rubber smashes in everywhere??? I said take five minutes and wipe it down a little and send me some better pics and maybe we could work something out, but its hard to tell if its OK under all that mess. But after looking at the pics enlarged I think its probably ok underneith, the inserts seem to be good from what I can see.

What's wrong with the pic I posted?

North of eau claire but south of superior right now for 1100 total pos. Its in Hayward.

What am I looking for? Is it those small hairline lines or the chips higher up in the photo, above the inserts? I looked again at the pic of the rollovers. I just don't think I have as keen of an eye as you others do.

Yes, the hairline cracks. Sorry, the pic wasn't the best. Sorry if i got snotty.

And after cleaning this one should be better than that.

no, no...not snotty bud. Anyone that is trying to educate and takes the extra time to reply is cool-a-mungo! I think that is something the Fonz would sayyyyy Anyway. Ok, lil more help. Can you fix this planking stuff? Is it like a raised insert I read about where you use a hair dryer and tap it down? Follow-up question is planking mostly on laquer (older), clearcoat, or mylar playfields? I am going to look at a MM tomorrow for $1,100...if I even see a hint of planking I will try to talk the seller down another $200-300! Lol, jk...I wish...PBD==========A kidder!

Just out of curiosity is this planking on my beloved Gorgar? Or something worse?
See the line running through the A?

Planking.jpg

I would classify that as a crack. Planking would be multiple fine lines in that direction. Only my opinion.

I understand that prices have been on the rise - but I think that's partially due to shopped out/repaired/restored games being offered up for sale. If a BSD is filthy and needs a full shop job (and probably other repairs, I'd imagine) ...one really shouldn't spend much more than $1000, IMO.

Ahhhh, I miss the good old auctions a few years ago...3 BSDs at one auction, each one around 700 or 800...

That's what I thought...

I have nightmares of picking up the play field and having it split in two.

Maybe it is just near the surface...like a surface only type crack. The rest of the structural thickness of the PF may be totally sound and it's integrity the same as the day it left the factory

IMO that isn't planking or dirt, those are scratches from a chipped ball. That machine has been cleaned as far as I can tell. I guess this is a testament that we should check our balls occasionally

Still though, I'd check it out. Maybe there's a layer of old wax on it, and just maybe a lot of it will polish out with Novus. It's hard to say. I'd like to run a fingernail across it and see how deep they are.

For reference I just paid $1600 for one a month or so ago in Michigan. It was just dirty and the red of the cab is faded. I thought it was a fair price. The playfield is pristine, though. I think I'm going to put an LED under that ramp now that I see what can happen.

I haven't stopped playing it since I shopped it out. Love it.

Hopefully that's just dirt, but I doubt it. Let us know how it works out. Hopefully you can get it for a good price and polish it up.

That looks like a bunch of white rubber dust all over that playfield, it's hard to tell but I don't see super obvious planking.

Yeah, could it be white rubber dust? What caught my eye was the bluish color on the yellow rubber post, like from the playfield *cringe*

I think it's dust/dirt. Look at the trail in the metal in the shooter lane. I could be wrong. If it wasn't dirt, I would think the lettering on the Dracula lightning bolt inserts would be worn off. They appear to be mostly ok.

Somebody look at this thing, I have to know!

I agree Dave, as I had said above, what the seller told me is its white rubber dust, and when you zoom in the pics it appears to have no insert wear. He is going to clean it up a bit tonight and send updated pics.

My sentiments! I have my fingers crossed for rubber dust.

Here you go:

Pic from Clay Harrell (AKA Shaggy).

Planking_II.jpg

I don't know if it's just me, but when the seller has neglected the cleaning/maintenance a game for a really long time, I would rather they not attempt to clean it up at all. I fear that that they probably don't know what they are doing, and they will end up using the wrong cleaning products or chemicals and mess things up worse.

Pinbits does have the replacement ramp flaps. I just bought a set. It's not under a game-specific page, and it's simply listed as "BSD Ramp Flap Kit" (so don't search for "Dracula").

I recently bought a BSD (still not here yet as the mist motor broke a day before it was due to be shipped), and while parts hunting I noticed a few places use BSD in parts listings, others searching on 'bram' works, others 'dracula'. Bit irritating really.