An "Ok, Ok, Ok!" Project

[Carl Spiby]

I've bought my first machine - A Lethal Weapon 3.

It was cheap, £400 (thats around $650), the story is that it was rescued from someones shed about 6 years ago, the previous owner took it home, got it all working and played it for 3 years, the last 2 years its just been sitting in his garage.

I'm told there's no wear on the playfield (most important thing to me), all the lamps/mechanisms are working, all the boards are present including a replacement Rottendog CPU Board.

The cabinet is a little scruffy and the legs/lockdown/siderails need repainting.

The HV side of the PSU isn't working so there's no working DMD currently, my plan is to attempt to rebuild the PSU to get the DMD working, then I need to repair some legs on the DMD with automotive rear heated screen epoxy as theres some lines out.

I'm really looking forward to getting the machine and starting work on it, I've never done anything like this before but I'm really looking forward to it and making it my own.

Current plan is:

Strip and clean the playfield
Repair HV section of PSU
Repair DMD legs
Repaint legs/lockdown/rails (any suggestions on prep&paint here?)
Use some wood filler to fill the damage and get some matching blue paint (girlfriend said she would help!)
Use scotchbrite on the uncoated metal bits (don't have a tumbler)

Here are the pictures the seller provided me.

 

[Carl Spiby]

 

[Carl Spiby]

 

[Jeff Strong]

I've put a lot of time into LW3 at my local bowling alley in Michigan. It's a fun pin.

 

[Naildriver74]

Looks like you have a job ahead of you. It's a real sense of accomplishment when you get into something like this and see the finished table. Good luck

 

[Kolchak357]

Gonna need some love but will look 1000% better after you get the dirt off her. Lethal Weapon is one of those pins I didn't think I would like, but ended up being fun (like Baywatch and Last Action Hero). Good luck Carl. Can't wait to see her after you finish her makeover.

 

[Carl Spiby]

What's the best way to get non-plated metal shiny again? Just an automotive metal polish?

 

[Heretic]

ill take it of your hands for 405 right now man lol

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

buff, polish then wax to seal it. Congrats again Carl. What Carl wants Carl gets ok ok ok

 

[DanBradford]

Looks great mate, you did good. When does it come home?

(ok ok ok)

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

Kokokokokokokokokok

 

[Carl Spiby]

Looks great mate, you did good. When does it come home?

(ok ok ok)

Making its way North tomorrow, not sure when it will land though.

 

[Carl Spiby]

It finally arrived yesterday evening! Pretty happy with it, it was sold with a non-working display, but after poking around with a multimeter and deciding the voltages were infact there, I found a ribbon cable that wasn't plugged in to the DMD controller.

I've given it a quick wipe (so I suppose its a minter now) and tried playing a game on it, but I'm suffering resets, 5v test point shows 4.8v, is that high enough? I don't see any fluctuation on my meter when it resets but maybe its too quick for it to catch it. I have a couple of theories at the moment, maybe a diode on the flipper coil or a stuck EOS, will have to check it out soon.

Many metal parts are rusty on this machine due to it living in a shed by the sea for many years, if I don't own a buffer or a tumbler, what is the best way to shine them back up? Scotchbrite? Or is that only for tarnished rather than rusty metal?

On with the pictures:

 

[night]

^
I believe that soaking rusty parts in vinegar for a while does work well.

 

[Carl Spiby]

Ive spent tonight desoldering the caps on the PSU which help provide the 5v, I will fit ones when they come, also swapping the transistor for a new one, hopefully that will boost the 5v line sufficiently to stop the rebooting issue.

Once the machine is fully working the plan is to pull the playfield out and strip it down.

 

[Carl Spiby]

Been fighting with the PSU for a good couple of weeks now but finally got it stable and its great fun.

 

[Shaneus]

Wow, that's a good looking machine for only 400 pounds! Lucky bastard, I wish machines in that nick went for that much in AU

As for the rust, I don't know how applicable it is for pins (I saw this tip on YT in relation to car rims) but apparently scrunched up tinfoil and water... I kid you not. Look up YT vids so you don't just take my word for it, but it's deffo worth checking out.

 

[jaredmorgs]

Wow, that's a good looking machine for only 400 pounds! Lucky bastard, I wish machines in that nick went for that much in AU

As for the rust, I don't know how applicable it is for pins (I saw this tip on YT in relation to car rims) but apparently scrunched up tinfoil and water... I kid you not. Look up YT vids so you don't just take my word for it, but it's deffo worth checking out.

The only pins we get down here for that price are clapped-out EM relics found in a Czech crypt and sold on Gumtree for $600 as a "project pin".

 

[Shaneus]

The only pins we get down here for that price are clapped-out EM relics found in a Czech crypt and sold on Gumtree for $600 as a "project pin".

I laughed so hard I almost cried when on the latest Gameroom Junkies cast, they suggested to a guy that his only chance of getting a machine under $900US was if he went for a less-popular DMD like Gottlieb's Gladiators or an EM. For one, I've never seen Gladiators *ever* (sucks how rare Gottlieb games are here compared to the US) and prices of EMs are monstrous compared to their US counterparts (and even compared to other SS games here) the concept of them being "cheap" is completely alien to me.

I'm grateful for the guys bringing containers of pins down from Europe, but I just can't wait until the market's oversaturated and pins get cheap here. Hopefully it's a matter of time more than anything else. Still want No Fear!

 

[jaredmorgs]

I laughed so hard I almost cried when on the latest Gameroom Junkies cast, they suggested to a guy that his only chance of getting a machine under $900US was if he went for a less-popular DMD like Gottlieb's Gladiators or an EM. For one, I've never seen Gladiators *ever* (sucks how rare Gottlieb games are here compared to the US) and prices of EMs are monstrous compared to their US counterparts (and even compared to other SS games here) the concept of them being "cheap" is completely alien to me.

I'm grateful for the guys bringing containers of pins down from Europe, but I just can't wait until the market's oversaturated and pins get cheap here. Hopefully it's a matter of time more than anything else. Still want No Fear!

(Sorry for slightly derailing your ok ok ok thread Carl)

I have played gladiator when it was released in OZ.

I wonder how much it costs to get a pin from TNT Amusements shipped here sea freight...