I posted these shots in the Firepower thread and I have been mulling over what to do next. I have a pretty nice Firepower that needs some work. I'd like to take some time restoring it since it seems like a fun way to really get to know this machine well. I paid a very good price for it so if I melt the entire thing into a glob I won't be out a lot of money. I'll be sad, but I won't be broke.
Anyway the previous owner must have taken it to a servicer who added a mylar to the lower playfield but left the upper playfield unmylared. The paint is starting to wear in some spots on the upper side, and unfortunately paint was starting to wear on the lower side before the mylar (or whatever it is, really) was placed down.
First, here's a shot of where the mylar ends compared to the rest of the playfield so you can see the difference.
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The first shots will show some mylar shots - first notice how the sling mylars were removed and it lifted the paint, and they went ahead and slapped a mylar overtop of it without repair. At least I think this is mylar. It's really slick and shiny.
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Next, notice again the mylar edge along with lifting of the mylar around the green arrow - not terrible under gameplay but noticeable when nosing on the playfield. It's uneven, and it appears the inserts have come up enough to lift the mylar.
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Here's some shots of the black and red playfield under the mylar without paint repair along with some lifting around the inserts:
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Aaaand here is a mylar shot where there was some dirt on the playfield so there's a nice bubble - very near the 3rd blue insert.
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Here are some shots of the unmylared area between the bottom two pops where the paint has started to come up.
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Same with the right lock:
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The I rollover could use some help:
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Top lock has a bit of paint missing - seems easy enough to fix.
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I have zero experience with playfield restoration. None. I brought a Hurricane back to life that was absolutely wrecked, but I bought it because I knew that the diamondplate would at least ensure I had a good playfield - in truth I got lucky. No wear on the Hurricane playfield at all.
So I guess I'm worried about removing the mylar to work on the lower playfield - I think I would have to work on those inserts, but in doing so I risk ripping all of the paint off. I have zero artistic ability and here's a game with an intricate pattern inside this this giant space station. I can see myself lifting a corner of this mylar and just ruining this thing.
On the other hand here's the opportunity for some experience.
I know the choice is ultimately mine but I could really use some practical advice. I *want* to work on this thing and come out with a neat game, some experience, and a good story. I just don't know if what I am wanting to do is possible with the state that it's in. If it's the right thing to do for this to be a "player's condition game" then I would take that to heart - and take any advice to repair what I can.
I'd be super thankful for opinions!