Dr Who Restore Preview

metahugh

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I decided to drop this here since it would probably get lost in the Restoration section :)

I picked up a super duper dirty Dr Who almost a year ago and I just started rebuilding it on Saturday 8/14. It is a reimport and was treated quite poorly. It must have sat in a warehouse with no playfield glass to accumulate this much dirt. The original cabinet is falling apart but luckily I found a free replacement cabinet locally. I now have the replacement cabinet repainted and repopulated and I am presently working on getting the playfield rebuilt and back into the game.

It's nice to bring a game back from the dead, I'm sure others would have parted this game a long time ago!

My blog entries:
http://gaming.metahugh.com/category/restorations/dr-who-restorations/

My Image Galleries:
http://gallery.metahugh.com/main.php?g2_itemId=7599

A few pics:

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I am shopping out a Dr Who right now too!...looking forward to taking a look at your pics.
That mini playfield assembly is a beast.

My game is missing the Dalek topper, know of anyone selling one?
I did find NOS domes online.
Dan
 
You'll be glad you saved this one. Truly an underrated game, with intense multiball and awesome combo shots. The sound effects are great, and it keeps you on your toes. Pair it up with a Dracula and you'll be challenged for a long time!
 
Looking great!
That's one of my grails, some day...

Im with you on this. Hopefully within the next year or so Im going to get one. It has been on the top of my wanted list for a long time cause ive been a fan of the show forever. Only problem is, they just dont seem to come up for sale very often here in texas.
 
Same here, huge fan of the show since the 80's, the wife is a fan too so I should get some decent traction when the time comes to buy :)

I'm actually working on getting a Dr. Who fruit machine shipped here from the UK. A co-worker from the UK is moving here and has extra room in his shipping container, fingers crossed!

Back to the topic though,
metahugh, please keep us updated with the playfield restore, I can't wait to see the after pics!
 
Well bad luck strikes again! There was some kind of sticky plastic on the entire playfield. Its not mylar because mylar is a bit more rigid. I removed the mylar in the pop bumpers fine with no issues, but I used an entire can on the "other" stuff and it didn't come off. I resorted to heat which if used sparingly can work fine. The majority of the playfield came out nice and then this happened:

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The R and A in repair lifted. A lifted pretty bad. Then this happened:

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OUCH! The art on these inserts lifted very bad. The repair inserts are fixable, I am going to wick some thin CA glue under them. I ran naptha around the inserts and they cleared right up. The other inserts will need to be removed and I am lucky that there is no real art on them.
 
Same here, huge fan of the show since the 80's, the wife is a fan too so I should get some decent traction when the time comes to buy :)

I'm actually working on getting a Dr. Who fruit machine shipped here from the UK. A co-worker from the UK is moving here and has extra room in his shipping container, fingers crossed!

Back to the topic though,
metahugh, please keep us updated with the playfield restore, I can't wait to see the after pics!

Ive heard there was a fruit machine with a Dr. Who theme but never seen any pics. Do you happen to know where there might be some pics. If you dont mind me asking....how much do one of them run cause I would love to have one too.
 
Im with you on this. Hopefully within the next year or so Im going to get one. It has been on the top of my wanted list for a long time cause ive been a fan of the show forever. Only problem is, they just dont seem to come up for sale very often here in texas.

Thats a crime too. Ive seen a vendor in Dallas selling one on ePay for $3K. More than I can afford. :'(
 
Thats a crime too. Ive seen a vendor in Dallas selling one on ePay for $3K. More than I can afford. :'(

Dr. Who is an awesome pin but not 3k awesome!!! I think I might even stretch the 2k mark unless it's absolutely pristine and of course a moving Dalek topper....
 
I was wondering why is it thst the majority of these reimport games are just beat-to-hell? The players across the pond play pinball rougher? On a side note, I saw a reimport Congo that looked it had been thrown in the mud and ran over by a eighteen wheeler...:eek:
 
I was wondering why is it thst the majority of these reimport games are just beat-to-hell? The players across the pond play pinball rougher? On a side note, I saw a reimport Congo that looked it had been thrown in the mud and ran over by a eighteen wheeler...:eek:

A lot more smoke in their bars/pubs than ours. Plus they saw a lot more use as the pub/bar is a part of their culture there. However I have seen my share of disgusting domestic games as well, so I think it just depends on the operator.
 
That is my favorite kind of playfield to restore. Nice and dirty with minimal wear. I look forward to the pictures. Your restorations are always impressive.

thanks buddy, I appreciate that! :)

More progress shots to come. The repairs are coming along nicely.
 
I have done the following:

Removed 6 of the inserts
Sanded them down
Reinstalled
Masked off playfield with frisket
Touched up the black with an airbrush

Here is where I am at:

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I will be using Auto Lacquer for the clear. Here is a test shot on a junk playfield:

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I love how shiny it looks. I still have a bit more touchup to go.
 
Fast forward about a month and here is where I am at:

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The playfield gets dropped into the cabinet tonight. My gallery is updated! Here is a link starting where I left off in my last post.

http://gallery.metahugh.com/main.php?g2_itemId=7599&g2_page=4

This is definitely a labor of love. It takes so long to rebuild a pin especially when its really dirty since every part has to be cleaned.
 
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