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    Repair log: Rescue 911 (Gottlieb, 1994)

    ο»ΏRepair logs are quick summaries of workshop and on-site repairs. If your machine needs a service, πŸ“¬ Contact Us to discuss how we can help!

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    This was a relatively clean machine with a couple of niggling issues. The main one was the beacon topper wasn't working anymore. The motor that turns the reflector was jamming. Gottlieb used a widely available toy motor for this assembly, which is still available to buy from many Chinese electric motor suppliers (part no. EG-530AD-2F). To couple the motor shaft to the reflector base, cap the shaft with a rubber post cap. Spins like a dream now!


    There were also some inoperative switches. The cave-in drop targets needed adjusting. There is also an optical switch pair by the pop bumpers that most people don't know is even there. These opto boards needed reflowing to get them working. A flasher wasn't working, too. This was due to a dodgy connector under the playfield.


    Game is now playing nicely and is ready for sale!


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    Repair log: Solar City (Gottlieb, 1977)

    ο»ΏRepair logs are quick summaries of workshop and on-site repairs. If your machine needs a service, πŸ“¬ Contact Us to discuss how we can help!

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    A service call turned workshop repair. This Solar City (Gottlieb, 1977) was not starting properly, nor was it working quite right when it did eventually start. Lots of work to get this machine up to scratch. Solar City is an unusual game because it shares the exact same playfield as six (!) other games. They are:



    Target Alpha is the game that people generally remember as more of these were made than any of the other varieties. However, the gameplay and playfield mechanisms are basically identical between them all.

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    Super Mario Bros

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    You might have read the blog post on Pinfest 2022 with a little confusion. I talked about bringing a Super Mario Bros (Gottlieb, 1992) machine to Pinfest. But I have never mentioned owning a Super Mario Bros machine before, and there certainly hasn't been any restoration blog posts about the machine. What gives?

    ​I had actually purchased this machine a couple of years ago from a young couple who also lived in Sydney. They had bought the machine over a decade ago and it had been sitting in the basement of their house for some time, rarely played because it had various issues. They offered it to me for a reasonable price and as I was looking to get more experience repairing Gottlieb machines, I was keen to take them up on their offer! Below are a few images of the game as provided by the seller. 

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    Eye of the Tiger

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    This post features my first electromechanical (EM) machine! Wow. I never thought I'd ever own an EM game, let alone restore one, but here we are. I came across this game a couple of years ago when the old owner offered it to me for sale for a very good price. I couldn't resist, and drove out to Northbridge in Sydney to collect it. The owner lived in a beautiful harbourside mansion, and the Eye of the Tiger (Gottlieb, 1978) was mainly played by him and his son. The story is that this game was originally purchased at a Luna Park auction in 1980 and had sat in this owner's home since that time.