Hello.
I am ready to join the Cirqus and I have a CV on the hook for $8600 (keep in mind that prices in Sweden are generally lower than in the States) and I’m wondering what are the usual pitfalls for a CV?
I’m guessing that playfield wear shouldn’t be a no problem as it’s generally a game that weren’t played a lot when routed.
This particular game is not drilled so maybe (just maybe) it has never been routed.
Red neon seems to be working judging from the pictures.
Looks good around the ringmaster.
Looks clean around the lockdown bar, around the flipper buttons, underneath the playfield and all the boards as well.

Also it has the “scrolls” on the back box - are those original or aftermarket only?

I’ve already received pictures of the boards.
They all look good, battery relocation etc all in place.
The white panel for the back glass has a crack that’s glued but it’s no big deal - playfield and cabinet is the most important for me.
I’ve never played one but I’ve been in love for a long time and it’s time to pull the trigger.
With this next to the ToM and in the future a MM would be the holy trinity for me and my father.

Things got heated with many speculators and down payment is paid.
Picking it up next weekend as this weekend is packed.

Thank you for your answer.
I realize I did not get any pictures with the Rinngmaster down so I cannot see the WOW inserts. I can spot the left W on one picture and that looks good.
I can see the roll overs and they look good - at least in the pictures.

Me and the seller is in an agreement and I’ve paid just a minor down payment and I am ready to walk away if the machine does not check out. It is after all a huge sum of money.
Seller is a pinball enthusiast himself so I don’t doubt him.

Yeah it feels like a shitty type of plastic on my Junkyard.
Feels really brittle.

After an 11 hours round trip me and my father joined the Cirqus.

The good:
Apparently it was a clear coated playfield in great condition (probably has a few touch ups under the clear but only one can I can see, looks great!). Not even the seller knew this
New side art.
Good overall condition.

The bad:
Translate got cigarette burns (sigh…).
A little bit dirty inside.
A few broken plastics.
Extra hole in bottom of the cabinet for the subwoofer from Flipper Fidelity.

The sound improvement from the Flipper Fidelity speakers is welcome.
But come on… Don’t make another hole in the cabinet…

It will get the Pin2DMD from my Junk Yard today.
And a good cleaning.
New rubbers is also needed.
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Yeah I’ve read this. A little bummed they decided to make another hole for the sub but it is what it is.
The underside of the cabinet is not what I’m playing, it’s obviously the playfield.

That was a little steep but it’s a good alternative.
I’m going to try my hands on sanding down the bad parts and polish it all up. Maybe make it 90% good and if so I’m happy.

I dig into this game yesterday and oh boy there’s a lot of electrical faults.
It’s mechanical shape or great but the electricals is bad. Broken solder points all around.
But it’s an easy fix.
Had to resolder the pins on the circuit board for the “WOW” lights and that board was a pain to remove and even more to install!
But Ive come to realize that this game has indeed been routed. It’s got all new side art and is pretty dirty here and there.
It’s definitely not bad, it’s still good. And the most important part, the playfield, is both in excellent condition and been clear coated.

And it’s one hell of a mix-match between LED and incandescent bulbs…
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Joined the circus on the second day…
Fastest I’ve ever beat a game and it was the game I’ve been dreaming of.
Hopefully I can find more joy and time in cleaning up the game
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Working on this game.
Got the color files for the Pin2DMD installed. This game really does look great with it.
Got more LEDs installed under inserts - soon all are done.
But boy, this game is awfully designed underneath.
Never ever had a game with this make bulb sockets completely hidden behind subways and mechanics (ringmaster…).
It’s a bit of a PITA to work on..

Also I have issues with balls getting stuck in the subways… but I cannot find any obvious issues.
Seems like they get stuck on the bulb sockets for the five purple inserts below the ringmaster.
Also got it stuck in the far back (right loop).

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Oh yes it was the transition from the subway to VUK.
But not because of alignment issues.
A zip tie from a wire loom was sticking up into the transition thus blocking the ball! My fault…

looks like a fantastic machine.
Great buy! Enjoy it. Play it more than all others previously did.

Mine is cracked but I’m contemplating a layer of fiberglass over it.
But the damned plastic bulb holders is a pain as is and In afraid that with a thicker tub material it will be even worse.

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I will try to remember to take a picture of that for you on my machine.

I’ve got a question as well.
Is this really how the light socket should look like in the boom balloon? It looks odd and a regular bulb is too high and does not fit… it does not feel right.
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Interesting… because it looks awful and a regular 555 bulb doesn’t even fit in there…

I just had mine disassembled, here is a few pictures.
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My Ringmaster was a complete shitshow when it came to the wiring.
I built a new wiring harness and it’s all good now. Also put on protection on the metal edges so it won’t eat through the wiring.
It did work before but man it looked horrible and grease was everywhere.
A bit better now. Also realized that I’ve mounted the subway for the ringmaster wrong and that’s what been causing my mysteriously stuck balls.
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Mine has Flipper Fidelity speakers in it.
It isn’t great as the sound quality in the ROM is crap and the amplifier is crap.
But it’s OK. It’s got quite a lot more bass than my other WMS games and that’s about it.
Not worth the dineros in my opinion. Actually no sound improvements are imo, I think they’re fine from factory.
It’s pretty bad from factory but I just dont care.

The biggest issue in my opinion is the sound quality in the ROM.
No matter what you put after that it’s not going to be good.
Sh*t into an amplifier and all you get is amplified sh*t

Maybe I just suck at pinball but I’d be worried that would fly off when smacking my game around
Easy solution though!

Mine has the scrolls and honestly… it looks way better without them.
But I’m glad I have them and of course they’re on.
But man… they are ugly.

Hi all.
I’ve enjoyed my CV for almost a year no, been fixing it a little at a time.
This time I wanted to get the neon fully working.
Before it could sometimes light up fully but most of the times just half.
Took it off and realized someone butchered the wiring and it was all loose. Fixed that with new wires and Molex connectors and… now I have half on full time.

What could be the issue on hand? Power supply or neon tube itself?
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Well that is just bullshit.
The OEM tubs are BS quality and way too thin.
If they made it even thinner I don’t know what to even say.

How dumb can said manufacturer be?

I’d be furious.

It feels like the pinball aftermarket business is full of exploiters who doesn’t give a single crap about quality. It’s just all money.
“Buy my shit because nobody else makes it”. Like Mirco for example.

Sure I fully agree with you.
I refuse to even buy games that already has any Mirco shit on it, playfield for example.

But still it’s sad to see such a wonderful community being exploited like this.
Surely it’s all our fault because people still pay good money for the crap.
But it doesn’t take the sadness part away from it.

They’re all listed in the Mirco hate thread.
But I have to ask, what makes people buy from him? After all that’s out there… I don’t see it why there’s such a “need” for supporting someone like him.

That’s why I keep my awful BSD playfield until I find a better OEM.
I definitely rather play a clapped out playfield than buy Mirco, hence why my BSD literally looks like shit.

It is sad though. He took monopoly on a niche yet sought after market with crap products.
If only…

I have the same issue as above and had wire break.
Fixed that and still only lit halfway.
So I’m guessing I need a new neon as well.
Positive part is that mine has the boring orange neon, I want green or purple. Negative part is that it’s expensive…