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(Topic ID: 230827)

Williams Congo Restoration by Mike Willett

By Mikespinball

5 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 26 posts
  • 19 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 4 years ago by TheLaw
  • Topic is favorited by 9 Pinsiders

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#1 5 years ago
OP
 
MJW

Mikespinball

Pinside+ Addict

US Kennewick, WA

10y 120K 988 15

Hello Pinsiders!

Thought I would share my latest full restoration with you all. Just recently finished a full restoration of my Williams Congo pinball machine. Machine was completely stripped installing new cabinet art work along with detailing and repairs to the playfield and clear coating. I did many mods to this machine including adding 16+ more LED lights to the back board display, home made clear plastic volcano back playfield (back lit) board, power coating to the ramps (green), cabinet rails and legs (black), modified lower inner lane plastics (they are from IJ pinball machine - new bought, they look better then the sticker that's offered out there), airplane mod, unique home made under lit strobing volcano mod/LED's along with some other mod/LED's. The machine turned out and looks/plays great! Take a look and let me know what you think!

Mike J Willett

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#2 5 years ago
 
MAH

wamonkey

Pinside+ Frequent

US Seattle, WA

8y 73,300 1,272 7 9

Working on my Congo now but I have a long way to go compared to yours ...

Looks amazing!

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#3 5 years ago
 
TKK

ufiti

Pinside member

US Chicago, IL

8y 32,900 130 4

What bulbs did you use for the lower playfield? Is that purple? The green letters really pop.

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#4 5 years ago
OP
 
MJW

Mikespinball

Pinside+ Addict

US Kennewick, WA

10y 120K 988 15

I used Cointaker's super bright LEDs. The lower playfield has frosted purple and pink LEDs.

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#5 5 years ago
 
DEH

pingod

Pinside+ Frequent

CA Calgary, AB

12y 114K 3,584 7 14

Nice backboard,I want it on mine now

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#6 5 years ago
 
JP

jake35

Pinside member

7y 114K 2,552 25 9 5

You sir are talented... nice.

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#7 5 years ago
 
JJJ

jonesjb

Pinside member

US New York, NY

10y 118K 3,945 3 19

Beautiful. Well done.

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#8 5 years ago
 
MJA

Mitch

Pinside member

CA Wellesley, ON

10y 131K 5,030 18 38

Looks really good, except the color gi.

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#9 5 years ago
 
PAB

MustangPaul

LED Leg Light-Ups

US Saint Paul, MN

11y 136K 23,313 10

Beautiful job on that, I really like that lit backboard. I was thinking of doing something like that for my Jackbot.

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#10 5 years ago
 
PG

monkeyboypaul

Pinside member

10y 68,800 1,422

Great work!

I just posted this in the Congo owners thread too:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/congo-club-owners-only/page/40#post-4719689

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#11 5 years ago
 
MDS

Wmsfan-GAP

Pinside+ Frequent

14y 122K 1,702 1

Nice work- it looks amazing.

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#12 5 years ago
 
???

ccbiggsoo7

Pinside+ Frequent

10y 91,050 6,063 37 10 2

very nice, backboard is killer, but I gotta agree on the colored gi's. the blue amy and purple pop bumpers gotta go.... otherwise beautiful

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#13 5 years ago
 
DJB

delt31

Pinside+ Frequent

US Pittsburgh, PA

8y 159K 12,575 13 7 1

Looks awesome

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#14 5 years ago
 
TOM

freddy

Pinside member

11y 131K 5,649

Quoted from ccbiggsoo7:

very nice, backboard is killer, but I gotta agree on the colored gi's. the blue amy and purple pop bumpers gotta go.... otherwise beautiful

try blue in the pops and Amy purple

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2 weeks later
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#15 5 years ago
 
MSW

ToucanF16

Pinside+ Frequent

10y 122K 5,195

Is it for sale?

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#16 5 years ago
 
???

ccbiggsoo7

Pinside+ Frequent

10y 91,050 6,063 37 10 2

Quoted from freddy:

try blue in the pops and Amy purple [quoted image]

a little better. but not much!

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#17 5 years ago
 
BEN

Chosen_S

Pinside+ Frequent

10y 113K 6,296

Wow! That volcano ! Stunning

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#18 5 years ago
 
CAD

cottonm4

Pinside+ Addict

US Wichita, KS

10y 148K 16,580 10 23

Very nice work. But I agree. Congo is not a blue and purple pin.

The red in the volcano pops!

8 months later
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#19 4 years ago
 
TBI

ThaBini

Inactive member

FR Le Haillan

4y 16,150 6 1

Wow ! Amazing restoration ! I agree all the comments I try to do mine at the moment ! Do you have any files to give for helping me? how did you do the volcano lightning, could you explain ?

Best regards

François

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#20 4 years ago
OP
 
MJW

Mikespinball

Pinside+ Addict

US Kennewick, WA

10y 120K 988 15

Quoted from ThaBini:

Wow ! Amazing restoration ! I agree all the comments I try to do mine at the moment ! Do you have any files to give for helping me? how did you do the volcano lightning, could you explain ?
Best regards
François

Hi Francois,

Attached are some pictures of the underside of the volcano. I mounted a few red lights on flex-able metal stands. Moving these toward the outer volcano plastic, but not too close. The strip light was purchased from Pinball Bulbs and can be found here: https://www.pinballbulbs.com/products/congo-pinball-red-pulsing-volcano-mod The only thing is that I changed the red strip lighting to white as the volcano is yellow in color and with the red lights gives the volcano a real life red/yellow glow when on. You can view the volcano in operation here:

These are mounted on metal strips that I could bend/move so that it gave the best lighting effect. To answer further there was many home mods I did to this machine. Some are found under the Congo Club thread. Ask me what ones you would like to know more about and I can help.

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#21 4 years ago
OP
 
MJW

Mikespinball

Pinside+ Addict

US Kennewick, WA

10y 120K 988 15

I know this is an old thread I started sometime back, but did an update on my machine. That is when I originally finished the restoration I did the pop bumpers in purple and Any in blue not thinking "hippos are in water" Water is blue in color not purple. Other pinsiders made a comment that I should change the purple pop bumpers to blue and Amy to purple. I knew this was a big job as when I color/LED a pop bumper I match the skirt to the same color. This in-tailed removing the complete pop bumper to change the skirt out to blue. Note: I hate doing pop bumpers due to this as it involves removing the power to the lighting from the pop bumpers on the underside of the playfield. Anyhow I finished the process. Let me know what you all think....Mike

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#22 4 years ago
 
???

mollyspub

Pinside member

US Cheektavegas, NY

10y 128K 3,418 7

OP
Quoted from Mikespinball:

I know this is an old thread I started sometime back, but did an update on my machine. That is when I originally finished the restoration I did the pop bumpers in purple and Any in blue not thinking "hippos are in water" Water is blue in color not purple. Other pinsiders made a comment that I should change the purple pop bumpers to blue and Amy to purple. I knew this was a big job as when I color/LED a pop bumper I match the skirt to the same color. This in-tailed removing the complete pop bumper to change the skirt out to blue. Note: I hate doing pop bumpers due to this as it involves removing the power to the lighting from the pop bumpers on the underside of the playfield. Anyhow I finished the process. Let me know what you all think....Mike[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Grape ape?

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#23 4 years ago
 
TBI

ThaBini

Inactive member

FR Le Haillan

4y 16,150 6 1

OP
Quoted from Mikespinball:

Hi Francois,
Attached are some pictures of the underside of the volcano. I mounted a few red lights on flex-able metal stands. Moving these toward the outer volcano plastic, but not too close. The strip light was purchased from Pinball Bulbs and can be found here: https://www.pinballbulbs.com/products/congo-pinball-red-pulsing-volcano-mod The only thing is that I changed the red strip lighting to white as the volcano is yellow in color and with the red lights gives the volcano a real life red/yellow glow when on. You can view the volcano in operation here: These are mounted on metal strips that I could bend/move so that it gave the best lighting effect. To answer further there was many home mods I did to this machine. Some are found under the Congo Club thread. Ask me what ones you would like to know more about and I can help.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Thx Mike !

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#24 4 years ago
OP
 
MJW

Mikespinball

Pinside+ Addict

US Kennewick, WA

10y 120K 988 15

Quoted from mollyspub:

Grape ape?

Okay, it was blue ape before. What color would you recommend? White, green, pink, orange or yellow? Maybe warm white would look best.
Let me know your thoughts.

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#25 4 years ago
 
???

mollyspub

Pinside member

US Cheektavegas, NY

10y 128K 3,418 7

OP
Quoted from Mikespinball:

Okay, it was blue ape before. What color would you recommend? White, green, pink, orange or yellow? Maybe warm white would look best.
Let me know your thoughts.

Mine is white and am trying a green flasher. Just my opinion though. Your game looks nice !

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#26 4 years ago
 
SMK

TheLaw

Pinside+ Addict

US Ann Arbor, MI

12y 162K 48,059 19 30 1

OP
Quoted from Mikespinball:

Maybe warm white would look best.

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