Most worn playfield? Space Shuttle

[Angry_Radish]

Just had my new freebie dropped off, Space Shuttle!

Damn is the playfield shot!

The good:
Completely functional, everything works, switches, multiball, boards in great shape with no corrosion etc..(with the exception of the displays, see "the bad" below)
All the plastics seem intact
Cabinet is in decent shape

The bad:
Playfield (obviously)
some damage to the ramp entrance, seems repairable (I hope)
Scoring works, but all displays flickering/strobing

What do you think my first steps should be?
It's a pretty beat game but I couldn't pass it up for the price, just not sure what to do first.
Should I just pack it in a corner till I find a playfield?

 

[Angry_Radish]

Pic limit.....

 

[FireSlash]

And this, my friend, is what happens when you use the same ball the machine came with for 20 years.

 

[Geese]

Since you asked for opinions...

First, I would sign up for the CPR repro playfield

Then I would fix the displays, and do any other electrical mods that need to be done to the machine, like removing hacks, adding a remote battery holder, etc.

Moving on to rebuilding the flippers, pops and all of the other playfield components,

Finally cleaning the upper playfield, and hoping that the nice new playfield arrives really soon before I have to put it all back together.

From the looks of it there are a lot of parts that could stand a good cleaning and rebuilding.

Of course you *could* try your hand at touchup painting and clearcoating.

Mike

Just had my new freebie dropped off, Space Shuttle!

Damn is the playfield shot!

The good:
Completely functional, everything works, switches, multiball, boards in great shape with no corrosion etc..(with the exception of the displays, see "the bad" below)
All the plastics seem intact
Cabinet is in decent shape

The bad:
Playfield (obviously)
some damage to the ramp entrance, seems repairable (I hope)
Scoring works, but all displays flickering/strobing

What do you think my first steps should be?
It's a pretty beat game but I couldn't pass it up for the price, just not sure what to do first.
Should I just pack it in a corner till I find a playfield?

 

[Fatsquatch]

Holy hell! That playfield has definitely had a rough life.

And this, my friend, is what happens when you use the same ball the machine came with for 20 years.

Since getting my first pin, I've made it a habit to replace the balls ASAP in every machine that I get. But what I'm wondering, is when do you guys replace the replacements? Do you replace the balls after a set amount of time, after so many hours of play, or whenever necessary according to how they look?

 

[Geese]

Actually the playfield is looking pretty good... Compared to this one.

 

[Fatsquatch]

Actually the playfield is looking pretty good... Compared to this one.

WOW.

What's the deal here? Is there something unique about this pin's design that causes the playfield to look like it uses balls made of sandpaper?

 

[Angry_Radish]

WOW!
OK, maybe mine isn't so bad

I like the suggestion of getting everything short of the playfield repaired then waiting, I already signed up for the pre-order on the repro.

Damn I hope they move quickly, my other pre-order is the Cyclone playfield and I want both badly!

I'll have to take a browse through pinrepair to see if I can find anything on the flickering displays. All I had time to do last night was to verify I had a good ground, I'll bust out the meter and check all my voltages tonight.

 

[FireSlash]

Since getting my first pin, I've made it a habit to replace the balls ASAP in every machine that I get. But what I'm wondering, is when do you guys replace the replacements? Do you replace the balls after a set amount of time, after so many hours of play, or whenever necessary according to how they look?

You'll see and hear different things from different people. I'd inspect the balls every 100 games or so, and check for pitting. Polish the ball while it's out. If it looks smooth and the surface doesn't show signs of wear, then it goes in for another 100 or so games. If there are pits, scratches, or other non-smooth deformities, then it's time for the ball to retire.

Also consider the condition of playfield. If the field has a nice fresh coat of autoclear then you can probably afford to be a bit lax as long as you maintain the finish. If it's an old worn 30+ year old field with little more than paint left, I'd probably be checking those balls a lot more frequently, as older playfields will wear balls faster.

 

[Lindsey]

And this, my friend, is what happens when you use the same ball the machine came with for 20 years.

...and never clean/wax the playfield.

 

[Geese]

WOW.

What's the deal here? Is there something unique about this pin's design that causes the playfield to look like it uses balls made of sandpaper?

Space shuttle was played ALOT during it's time on route. It had several "new" features for the time and some credit it with saving pinball.

The second factor is that these games did not have a heavy clearcoat like they are putting on modern games, so the pinball rolls on the paint, not on a clearcoat.

Couple those factors together and you have a game that does not have a protected playfield on route for a ling time by operators who do not wax playfields and change out pinballs... and you can see the results.

There was a big debate at Williams over "diamond plating" thier playfields. Some wanted a better product that would look good and last longer, the others thought that they were cutting thier own throats because the playfields would not wear out and then the operators would not buy more games.

What I find that is more interesting is that both of these shuttle examples were still working. That is a tribute to how well constructed these pinball machines are.

 

[gibbous]

Wow. Seeing some of the pics in this thread REALLY makes me appreciate the condition I got mine in. There's just a bit of paint gone around some of the inserts in the center of the PF. Guess I got lucky.

http://www.arcadecrusade.com/gallery/v/gamerooms/gibbous/SpaceShuttle/

 

[BJones2]

Space Shuttle did have a clearcoat. Pretty much every pinball has some type of clearcoat. In Space Shuttle's time it was a lacquer, that is why they appear very yellowed out. I don't think the lacquer is as strong as the clear used today on pins, but newer auto clearcoats will wear as well. Having crappy scratched and rusted pinballs coupled with and dirt and grime accelerate wear greatly.

I just picked up a Sharkey's Shootout that has playfield wear. Strnage as I'm not used to seeing that on a modern pin. I'm sure that if this pin was played enough as that Space Shuttle, it wouldn't look too good either.

Those CPR fields are gonna save a lot of Space Shuttles.

 

[metahugh]

Space Shuttle did have a clearcoat. Pretty much every pinball has some type of clearcoat. In Space Shuttle's time it was a lacquer, that is why they appear very yellowed out. I don't think the lacquer is as strong as the clear used today on pins, but newer auto clearcoats will wear as well. Having crappy scratched and rusted pinballs coupled with and dirt and grime accelerate wear greatly.

I just picked up a Sharkey's Shootout that has playfield wear. Strnage as I'm not used to seeing that on a modern pin. I'm sure that if this pin was played enough as that Space Shuttle, it wouldn't look too good either.

Those CPR fields are gonna save a lot of Space Shuttles.

Hopefully the queue for them closes soon. I've been in on the preorder for at least a year now.