Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (
More info?)
On 2005-09-12 05:37:01 -0700, "kirb" <kirbseepe@yahoo.com> said:
>
> elvis wrote:
>> i have read about the cabinet issues from several responses too my
>> question...so is the wood on these real "cheap"...like a home version
>> of pinball??
>
> It's chip board, not plywood. Basicly sawdust and a binder. When it
> gets wet it swells up. It also is not as strong as grained wood.
>
>> sounds like besides that ..these might be ok..
>
> They are OK, not fantastic, but ok. Good starter games
>
>> is the playfield items ..basically williams stuff??
>
> The underside mechs actually have "W" on them. Not sure if all are WMS
> or just some, but enough so you don't have to worry about parts.
>
>> are these games rare??
>
> rare like a flat tire, or rare like a '63 ferrari california? They are
> harder to find due to the production numbers and where they were sold.
> They are worth (for the most part) less than most EMs from the big
> three. Hard to sell a shopped one for more than $400-$500. Buy most
> unshopped ones for less than $250
>
> One huge bonus- PFs seems to always look like new.
>
> Kirb
I've worked on a lot of these European games and I can say that they
are generally FASTER than comparable period North American games. The
Europeans liked very fast wide open games, and it is reflected in the
machines they built. The flippers are very powerfull (for their time)
and would send the ball to the top of the game with a crack.
The games also were overbuilt compared to most N.A. games. The contacts
on the relays are often much larger, and less prone to corrosion. I
found these games to genearlly be MORE reliable to a comparable N.A.
game of the same era. I have a number of clients with these in thier
homes and, on average, they seem to last years longer between service
calls, and the repairs go faster.
The cabinets are particle board, and you do not want to soak them in
water - but name me ANY pinball game that survives a soaking? The
problem I find is the !@#$!@#$ things are about 1./3 heavier than a
N.A. game! Otherwise thirty year old games are in about the same
condition - and the cabinets in some cases are better, they don't come
apart at the corners - I've not had to wreck one of them due to cabinet
rot, I have with N.A. games. Of course there are a lot MORE N.A. games
so I expect to see more deaders, but the only Euro game I wrecked was
missing a backglass and someone had cut up the wiring - frustrated at
breaking the glass? I don't know...
Of course, I'm trying to sell soe used and NOS Euro games from the
70's, but what is above is my experience in over twenty-five years of
fixing both N.A. and Euro pins.
Recels' LADY LUCK is a personal favourite by the way!
John :-#)#
--
(Please post followups or tech enquires to the newsgroup) John's
Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9 Call
(604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com "Old pinballers never die, they
just flip out."
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