Dr. Dude my Dream Machine

I never would have tried to remove the mylar. The reward is not worth the risk IMO, especially on system 11's! But looks like it worked out for, so phew!

I'd totally skip the playfield protector. Almost no one uses them, for a good reason. They affect the play, and they don't look good. In home use, you will never add any wear to the playfield. It's had a million balls roll over it already, tens of thousands of games. Just keep it clean and wipe it with some novus 1 or wax it if you're into that. Wax isn't worth it for me because it creates more mess than it's worth (in home use). Your game though, if you like the protector then go for it.

Dr. Dude isn't a widely regarded game in the pinball world, but I've always enjoyed it, and honestly, I still think about buying one occasionally. Some games just come across right to you and some don't. Probably partly because I played it on route years ago, which definitely causes me to like a game more (vs private or show plays only), and I also have a soft spot for the 80's kinda cheese vibe to it. I've been sortof looking for one for around 20 years now. Got real close to buying one a few years ago at a pin show.

Congrats on grabbing one!
 
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Nice work!

If this is a diamond plate playfield you can skip the protective cover and just address the damage under the ramps. The existing clear coat will be enough protection in a home environment.
I don't think Dr. Dude usually has a diamondplate playfield, and I don't see the logo that they put on those early diamondplates? I agree with the sentiment of skipping the protector though. Unless there's something unusually wrong, I've never seen playfield wear in a home game.
 
Thank you!! And sure that would be awesome :D here's a pic - I was lucky to find some matching paint for the orange and black, possibly the yellow too, once I finish the mylar removal I'd like to paint over this bit and seal it however I need to. Also, would getting a little protective piece over JUST the two ball drop areas be a good idea?
Yours is in better shape than most Dr. Dude playfields. But yes, small touchups covered with a small mylar circle is a pretty common repair and can prevent more wear in the future.
 
Yours is in better shape than most Dr. Dude playfields. But yes, small touchups covered with a small mylar circle is a pretty common repair and can prevent more wear in the future.
Rockin sounds like a good move then :) and thank you for the advice and checking out my progress on the little touch ups I'm doin!! Will show off the colored cab protectors when they come in too. Hoping to cover some of this decal damage and plus I think the yellow will be cool haha
 

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I wanted to post a picture of a touchup and mylar I did once that I'm particularly proud of, but I couldn't find a pic! Lost it on John Wart's myhomegameroom site, shouldn't have trusted it to be my only copy. Lost pics of several pinball machines I used to own. :(

Is this your first pinball machine?
 
Congrats! I played Dr. Dude at a bowling alley with my dad when I was a kid, and it's THE GAME that got me interested in pinball.
Thank you!! It's the game that got me too :D granted as dumb as it sounds it was a YouTube video showing off a refurb of one and showing how it played and the cool art style/theme that really got me wanting my own machine 😂 that was about a decade ago back in college...
I wanted to post a picture of a touchup and mylar I did once that I'm particularly proud of, but I couldn't find a pic! Lost it on John Wart's myhomegameroom site, shouldn't have trusted it to be my only copy. Lost pics of several pinball machines I used to own. :(

Is this your first pinball machine?
Second actually! After the above thing happened I used my leftover graduation money to buy a rough looking Pinbot 😂 tried to maintain and revive it well but I fell short due to money and time issues.. also unfortunately a friend of mine attempted a solder repair and ending up shorting the MPU or something? It was bad. Tried fixing it myself but I couldn't figure it out and gave up trying, fell out of the hobby for a bit after that tbh.. but got reinspired to get back into it recently and was able to trade my Pinbot for another arcade cab 🙂
 
Rockin sounds like a good move then :) and thank you for the advice and checking out my progress on the little touch ups I'm doin!! Will show off the colored cab protectors when they come in too. Hoping to cover some of this decal damage and plus I think the yellow will be cool haha


You can sometimes take a hair dryer, not a heat gun as they get too hot and soften the decals up a bit and pull them out and straighten them a bit.
 
You can sometimes take a hair dryer, not a heat gun as they get too hot and soften the decals up a bit and pull them out and straighten them a bit.
Will do! The dryer I'm using for the mylar removal works wonders - not sure I'll be able to save the decals as they're kinda falling apart but I have new protectors to help cover some of the damage plus paint
 
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