F14 Tomcat

[Metalzoic]

What did you guys pay for yours?
There is one very close to me with some minor wear and all LED's.
He is asking $1500 for that and he also has a High Speed extra clean all LEDs for $1500 although he'll probably go less for both.

I've never played F14, but I'm considering it. Wanted to get an idea of a decent price and I know a couple of you own it.

Thoughts?

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

they probably added $200 for the LEDs

 

[Metalzoic]

Soooo... you're saying that that isn't a bad price?

 

[IHaveTheMagic]

I just bought an F14. It is my third pin. I paid $1250 without any LEDs. That was probably high but there were some trade offs. It's also California pricing. Here are the things to look for on this machine.

First off this game is 25 years old. There is no such thing as 'minor wear' on these. I will almost guarantee that the inserts on the playfield are popping up. Mine plays like a gravel road. It's very common on this machine. Second check the Mylar and the paint. The majority of these came out of the factory with the Mylar kit. Depending on the condition you will want to remove it. That is a pain staking process that WILL pull up paint and artwork. I got lucky as mine did not have the factory Mylar and the two owners who had it were meticulous about slathering wax all over it. The paint was almost completely intact save for some cracking and trail marks. Others are not so lucky. Under the playfield look for any burned out resistors on the flasher boards. They typically get hot, burn up, and fall of the boards. I had to replace about 10 of them. Check the beacon motor and assembly works. Generally the belts are gone as they have dried up and cracked away. Check if the pullys are free spinning or not. Also the motors are notorious for shorting. The lead wires break inside the casing and it becomes unreliable. There is no test mode for the beacon motor. The only way to get it run continuously to check it out is to setup multiball. Ask to take the glass off and manually set it up so you make sure it works. Also, on mine I didn't notice till I got it home that the player three display was outgassed. When I start my machine up it almost always finds at least two switches that are malfunctioning in the boot up test. The diagnostic tests show no errors though. I was told by the seller that this is a common problem of false positives on start up with the sys11 games. I haven't been able to confirm that but it seems to be the case. Make sure you go through all the diagnostics menus and test everything. Also look for the obvious cracked plastics and broken welds on the ramps while the glass is off.

Like I said you won't find a perfect machine. They ALL have problems. I'm $200 in parts into mine that was advertised as excellent condition. For me I can do all the mechanical work. I rebuilt the beacon motor and assembly, the flippers, had a buddy retack the ramps, replaced broken bulbs, fuses, resistors and bad solder joints. Last thing to do is level the inserts. That takes much time and patience to heat and remove them, sand and polish, apply new decals and reseat them.

For me, the clean cabinet and the solid playfield paint were worth the tradeoff. I stay away from anything involving paint and spray cans. Just not my thing. As far as the LEDs go, it is some times a case of lipstick on a pig. The cost in the LEDs isn't worth all the other issues but does make it a quick sell to uninformed buyers. Personally, I love LEDs but not in this game. I added a few for the bumper, the locks, and the arrow inserts. Everything else just looks wrong in this machine. Just my opinion.

Your requirements may be different. I've bought a number of pins now and learned something new about the buying process each time. At the very least use this info to negotiate a better price. And keep in mind F14 is a pretty common machine. I waded through about four of them in a month on Craigslist before I settled on this one. Good luck and post back with what happens.

 

[Metalzoic]

Wow, thanks for all of that info. I really appreciate it!

 

[pseudokings]

I'm not a fan of F-14. Honestly hoping they don't spend a TPA spot on it. To each their own. If you do buy it, I hope you enjoy it... or can flip it fast.

 

[Rudy Yagov]

I paid 1200 for mine, LEDs only in the backbox. Had some issues getting the dome lights to work.

Mylar was removed already had had a bit of playfield wear, but nothing that a good waxing couldn't improve.

Overall I'd say it was a fair deal. 1500 for full LED sounds fine.

I'm not a fan of F-14. Honestly hoping they don't spend a TPA spot on it. To each their own. If you do buy it, I hope you enjoy it... or can flip it fast.

Why even post if you're just going to say something like that?

I've had mine for about 2 years and it's the only machine I own that I will never sell.

 

[Metalzoic]

I ended up not even trying to get it. The day after I posted this my 6 month premium for car insurance came up ($1600.000 ha!) so I put off a new table for now.
If it had been a high Speed II Getaway I would have bought it anyway though.

 

[Rudy Yagov]

The Getaway is my favorite pin. Only reason I don't have one is because I can't find one with a non-faded cabinet. It's not that big a deal, I know, but red on black looks way better than pink on black.

 

[Metalzoic]

The Getaway is my favorite pin. Only reason I don't have one is because I can't find one with a non-faded cabinet. It's not that big a deal, I know, but red on black looks way better than pink on black.

I've never played it, but it's on my shortlist of pins I would actually buy.