Great work. I was skeptical at first due to the guy throwing his tools on the wires like he wouldn’t care but as I saw that he checked every single wire and restored every bit of the machine, I was speechless. Perfect work!
An amazing transformation here!! Nice job!! Everyone loves the Pinball machines. This brings back the nostalgia and one of our favorite "free time" pastimes.
This is not technically restoration. New art, LEDs in place of incandescent lamps, solid state devices for efficiency is called rebuilding. Restoration is a very delicate technique in which you are just touching up and making minor repairs in order to keep the original look and feel. One must take not to devalue the item which happens a lot. Patina is the character of an aged item.
What's scary is one of the Data East games of the era ... like Star Wars. EVERYthing has to work 100% or the game wigs out, causing a massive hive outbreak for the Tech. From head to toe!
Pinball was VERY important with my friends and I. Going to the local small town bowling alley with a slug of nickels was a good time!! Way before the Fish Tales machine. “Gapping” the flippers to catch the ball and hold it so you could line up the perfect shot, knowing where on the side of the machine to give a whack to get a “match” and win free games. It worked more often than not!! Great times.
I do love a pinball machine. My only criticism is that most of the commentary is inaccurate. Ie. When he says he's installing LEDs in the speaker when in fact he's putting LEDs in a bumper. I agree with previous comment, it's a rebuild not a restoration. Nevertheless, it's great and the LEDs will not need replacing in the same way as the old incandescent bulbs.
Instead of criticism we should educate as you did. I never played pinball machines - or computer games for that matter. But I do admire the beauty of the machines.
@@hendrikdebruin4012 yes, pinball is great because unlike computer games it's a physical machine that when you play it you can feel all the mechanism moving inside. I guess it's a bit like the difference between a driving game and a real car. You should definitely play one if you get the opportunity mate, but be warned, they can be very addictive. ✌❤🇬🇧
yeah, 17:17 "the artisan modifies the boards removing batteries and replacing them with SRAM" uhhhh what? It's like saying "he modified the car. He removed the engine and replaced it with a mini fridge."
Righteous mission! Outstanding work! I would have liked more detail on how they restored the playfield.... & if any clear coat was applied to enhance protection.
I love the restoration I would of loved to find out how he diagnosed the control boards I wish they hadn't skipped that. I am sure would of had some kind of shop manual with specs on each board
I’ve ordered a terminator 2 machine which is now being refurbished, I hope to learn how to maintain and preserve it so I can pass it to my kids. It’s a part of pinball history and also my own.
Any man who can look at that wire loom and not run in absolute terror is a wizard in my book. I would sit with it for hours frozen, not knowing where to start.
Yeah, so much time spent on that, so little time on playfield disassembly, cleaning of parts, rebuild mechs, and reassembly. I'm over here thinking "it takes me 30 minutes to rebuild a drop target bank"
Beautiful restauration and great upgrades. I understand nostalgia, but I think the original designers would've used the new components if they were available back then
Out of curiosity, where do you purchase full decals of these machines, since the original ones were scraped off? Can you put a link to the store please? Thank you.
Dude put on new side art and added a battery mod. Fish Tales is a deserving machine and the guy did awesome work, but it wasn't like he rescued a Joust pinball from a mineshaft.
Would love to know where you can still get the vinyl for the cabinets. Assuming that is an aftermarket group for those? That made such a difference in and of itself.
Williams is and always have been best brand period. I never seen Fish Tales but it sure looks fun. My favorite was High Speed. Where would you get those vinyl graphics?
Hello, Very Nice Re-Fresh, Just wondering. If you have the manual for the Machine does it tell you in it what the Elevation of the Back Legs in relation to the front legs should be, For intended Table Angle? And If Not is there a Default/Universal Elevation for all Pin Ball machines? I am sure when the Machine was designed, They had an Intended Difficulty of play and it would be this Elevation of Back to front legs that would create that difficulty?
For a general rule of thumb, use a slope of 6.5 degrees on the playfield. Many pins will have a bubble level with appropriate/approximate markings to make it easy to set up in field.
@@petetomaszek4273 True, but it didn't even show parts most pinball owners deal with like working on the playfield. Instead we got 20 minutes of cleaning glass and removing sideart.
I have a rare Dragonette wood rail pinball machine from the early 1950s in mint condition. Just need to have the wiring checked and the back glass is peeling.
The LED's are surely more reliable and brighter, but I think it loses something with the harsh white LED's they used rather than the warm glow of incandescent bulbs. At least they could have chosen an LED with a warmer colour temperature to better emulate the original look.
With today's pinball prices, most certainly. When I started collecting pinball machines, almost 20 years ago, it was the opposite (Fish Tales is the cheapest one I've bought, 350 eur, and that's an absolute steal). That said, pinball parts are very expensive, and the overall cost of a serious restoration - new cabinet decals, new ramps and so on - can be easily above 1.500 bucks - if you do it yourself and don't pay a professional, of course.
The narrator didn't know what he was talking about. Games of this era used AA batteries to retain settings between power cycles, but alkaline batteries sometimes leak and destroy the logic board. It's a pretty common modification for folks to remove the battery board, desolder the existing ram chip, install a socket, and install NVRAM (non-volatile ram) that retains settings between power cycles. I just did it on a Taxi pinball machine this past week, and have installed it on other games in the past. The video in the narration didn't even show the logic board or this modification.
Yeah, video would be 100% better if you just nix the narrator. Half the time the narrator is describing something that isn't happening on screen. The other half he's just...wrong.
@@KirksCORNER1983 Trouble is Kirk. Thumbnails are created as clickbait by AI. As are the narrations on most vids. Its a growing trend and i despise it. I would never click like on these " masterpieces "
Wow amazing stuff. Curious if anyone knows the value of something like this restored? Fun fact, apparently Slash from Guns’n’Roses collects vintage pinball machines.
I love how the narrator in these Masters Of Craft videos never has any clue what they are talking about and most likely haven't seen the video, it's a bit like a Steven Seagal movie, entertainingly bad :p Great restoration/rebuild btw.
Fish Tales is not a forgotten gem. It's still regarded as a classic.
100%. I feel like anybody that has even basic knowledge of pinball knows fish tales.
It’s also one of Mark Ritchie’s best games, and sold 13,640 units, his best selling game.
I think they meant this particular example was forgotten somewhere.
@@petercolquhoun2086 That makes a lot more sense
Wanted to watch this. But I can hear the tiktok voice.
it's just a pleasure to see old artisans working on those beloved machines there been doing that long before is was born
Great work. I was skeptical at first due to the guy throwing his tools on the wires like he wouldn’t care but as I saw that he checked every single wire and restored every bit of the machine, I was speechless. Perfect work!
An amazing transformation here!! Nice job!! Everyone loves the Pinball machines. This brings back the nostalgia and one of our favorite "free time" pastimes.
Pinball machine restoration just became my favorite thing. I hope to see a lot more of this.
This is not technically restoration. New art, LEDs in place of incandescent lamps, solid state devices for efficiency is called rebuilding. Restoration is a very delicate technique in which you are just touching up and making minor repairs in order to keep the original look and feel. One must take not to devalue the item which happens a lot. Patina is the character of an aged item.
This is exciting to see!
As a pinball repairman myself I also get pinball machines working and I am also working on my LaserCue full restoration.
Where does one get replacement graphics?
*Wow what an incredible transformation. Amazing work. Well done*
Great memories playing this as a young teenage kid, great work on the restoration
Yes, I agree.
That is beautiful. A lot of hard work and patience went into fixing up and restoring that pinball machine. Excellent work I must say.
What a fantastic renovation The artisan knows his job well thanks for sharing.
Really really nice. It’s good to see the vibrant colors of the original brought back to life
Tolle, sehr schöne Arbeit ! Die herrlichen, alten Flipperautomaten, zehnmal besser und authentischer als der ganze Elektronikkram !
I love the restoration of old or defunct things, but nothing generates the endorphins like superb attention to detail. Well done!!
I'd have to guess the ramps and plastics were in fair shape. The new screen looks amazing! Really well done!
That wiring harness was incredible!
I had no idea how many pieces of electronics were inside a pinball machine! Wow that’s crazy
What's scary is one of the Data East games of the era ... like Star Wars. EVERYthing has to work 100% or the game wigs out, causing a massive hive outbreak for the Tech. From head to toe!
wait until you see the inside of an EM pinball machine
Go watch technology connections and he goes into DETAIL in to a 1980’s I think pinball machine
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
Nice Work.....from Guadalajara Jalisco México.
Pinball was VERY important with my friends and I. Going to the local small town bowling alley with a slug of nickels was a good time!! Way before the Fish Tales machine. “Gapping” the flippers to catch the ball and hold it so you could line up the perfect shot, knowing where on the side of the machine to give a whack to get a “match” and win free games. It worked more often than not!! Great times.
This is a LOT of work, well done!
I do love a pinball machine.
My only criticism is that most of the commentary is inaccurate.
Ie. When he says he's installing LEDs in the speaker when in fact he's putting LEDs in a bumper.
I agree with previous comment, it's a rebuild not a restoration.
Nevertheless, it's great and the LEDs will not need replacing in the same way as the old incandescent bulbs.
Instead of criticism we should educate as you did. I never played pinball machines - or computer games for that matter. But I do admire the beauty of the machines.
@@hendrikdebruin4012 yes, pinball is great because unlike computer games it's a physical machine that when you play it you can feel all the mechanism moving inside.
I guess it's a bit like the difference between a driving game and a real car.
You should definitely play one if you get the opportunity mate, but be warned, they can be very addictive.
✌❤🇬🇧
yeah, 17:17 "the artisan modifies the boards removing batteries and replacing them with SRAM" uhhhh what? It's like saying "he modified the car. He removed the engine and replaced it with a mini fridge."
@@benjaminaburns 😂😂😂
@@benjaminaburns Looked like he was replacing capacitors. So yeah, not even right on the batteries.
Righteous mission! Outstanding work! I would have liked more detail on how they restored the playfield.... & if any clear coat was applied to enhance protection.
Thank you for this video, truly incredible!
I love the restoration I would of loved to find out how he diagnosed the control boards I wish they hadn't skipped that. I am sure would of had some kind of shop manual with specs on each board
This kind of machine is a masterpiece. Love it!
WOW!!!! amazing job
Amazing Restoration 👍🏻👍🏽👍🇬🇧🇬🇧
It looks great and you did a wonderful job restoring it as well!!!!
I enjoyed your video so I gave it a Thumbs Up
This is a rocking video 🎸
I’ve ordered a terminator 2 machine which is now being refurbished, I hope to learn how to maintain and preserve it so I can pass it to my kids. It’s a part of pinball history and also my own.
I remember playing one of these machines! I love playing pinball.
Any man who can look at that wire loom and not run in absolute terror is a wizard in my book.
I would sit with it for hours frozen, not knowing where to start.
Nice acrylic crystal no-date Sub watch. Beauty from the ‘70s by the looks of it.
1992
@@ronm3245I don't consider 1992 vintage
I 100% want to see that Star Trek TNG pinball machine get restored! My old Arcade haunt use to have one that I played on.
The final frontier!!!!!
I enjoyed that.. Thanks for sharing. And great job :)
Well. I'm impressed so. This is what you make the restoring the pinball machine.
excelente maestro muy lindo quedo , saludos desde Argentina
Absolutely phenomenal
"All existing metalwork, including the legs...are painstakingly taken off"
Tech removes just a few allen screws lol
But the AI used to generate the script doesn‘t know that!
Yeah, so much time spent on that, so little time on playfield disassembly, cleaning of parts, rebuild mechs, and reassembly. I'm over here thinking "it takes me 30 minutes to rebuild a drop target bank"
I would like to know where the decals came from. If I were to try a project like this knowing where I could get the components from would be helpful.
My Fish Tales cabinet is faded the same. Looks so good to see the Red.
Master of pinball restoration 👍👍👍
Beautiful restauration and great upgrades.
I understand nostalgia, but I think the original designers would've used the new components if they were available back then
Wow! Well done!!!! Just wow! Instant subscribe right here!
WOW!!!! Great job! It's fantastic! ❤
Out of curiosity, where do you purchase full decals of these machines, since the original ones were scraped off? Can you put a link to the store please? Thank you.
I was wanting to see him put one of those old talking/singing fish as a replacement up top lol.
Williams Pinball Machines are beautiful and so much fun to play . I have always wanted a TAXI Machine for my home .
Oh yeah!
TAXI is one of my all time favorites!
Simple and fun, and with great music! 🎶
Very cool!! That was an amazing restoration!!
I appreciate this video; I am looking to restore my Cactus Jack's, and this gives me a good idea of what the process will involve.
Fantastic restoration
Dude put on new side art and added a battery mod.
Fish Tales is a deserving machine and the guy did awesome work, but it wasn't like he rescued a Joust pinball from a mineshaft.
Great jop you the best master congratulations
I love pinball machines. Always so fun to play.
Very well done sir.
I’d love a “Black Knight” pinball machine. Unfortunately, these are scarce here in Japan, and shipping one from the states would be a pain.
❤❤awesome work 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Were the original pictures on the decals replacement? If so how did he get new decals?
Would love to know where you can still get the vinyl for the cabinets. Assuming that is an aftermarket group for those? That made such a difference in and of itself.
Lots of places online offering replacement decals, mine come from Australian but plenty of quality sellers. Google is your friend 👍
Sou muito fã de Pinball. Parabéns pelo trabalho!!! um dia terei um só para mim 😁
Williams is and always have been best brand period. I never seen Fish Tales but it sure looks fun. My favorite was High Speed. Where would you get those vinyl graphics?
Used to love this one when i was younger. Sure its no Addams family or Theater of Magic but i do love it!!
This is the game they had at the campground we went to as kids! I was never any good, but it ate my quarters just the same! 😁
If it gobbled up your quarters like that, then it did its job, which the design and manufacturing firms created it to do. 😊
Great Job !!!
Hello, Very Nice Re-Fresh, Just wondering. If you have the manual for the Machine does it tell you in it what the Elevation of the Back Legs in relation to the front legs should be, For intended Table Angle? And If Not is there a Default/Universal Elevation for all Pin Ball machines? I am sure when the Machine was designed, They had an Intended Difficulty of play and it would be this Elevation of Back to front legs that would create that difficulty?
For a general rule of thumb, use a slope of 6.5 degrees on the playfield. Many pins will have a bubble level with appropriate/approximate markings to make it easy to set up in field.
When blasting your metal parts, did you use sand as the medium?
How long did it take to fix and upgrade this table?
This was great work , own a Creature from the black lagoon myself .
How long from start to finish was it ?
Looks perfect to me.
I must do this to all my machines one day
Thanks for rescueing.
The end result looks great! Unfortunately the video showed little more than contact paper installation. I didn't learn a thing.
Personally, I watch these types of videos for entertainment purposes rather than to learn techniques.
The video would be a few years long if they described every aspect. Pins are insanely complex machines.
@@petetomaszek4273 True, but it didn't even show parts most pinball owners deal with like working on the playfield. Instead we got 20 minutes of cleaning glass and removing sideart.
Well done
Great work!
Wow that is a lot of work especially with the electronics.
I have a rare Dragonette wood rail pinball machine from the early 1950s in mint condition. Just need to have the wiring checked and the back glass is peeling.
The LED's are surely more reliable and brighter, but I think it loses something with the harsh white LED's they used rather than the warm glow of incandescent bulbs.
At least they could have chosen an LED with a warmer colour temperature to better emulate the original look.
A question: is the value of the machine greater than the cost of restoring it?
With today's pinball prices, most certainly. When I started collecting pinball machines, almost 20 years ago, it was the opposite (Fish Tales is the cheapest one I've bought, 350 eur, and that's an absolute steal). That said, pinball parts are very expensive, and the overall cost of a serious restoration - new cabinet decals, new ramps and so on - can be easily above 1.500 bucks - if you do it yourself and don't pay a professional, of course.
Interesting, I last week removed 3 from a very hoarded house and sent them to auction, all need work, wondered how they came apart
Great video. Sadly people capable of restoring pinballs machines is getting less and less.
"Batteries replaced with SRAM" - Wouldn't that require a major redesign of not only the board, but the underlying code as well?
The narrator didn't know what he was talking about. Games of this era used AA batteries to retain settings between power cycles, but alkaline batteries sometimes leak and destroy the logic board. It's a pretty common modification for folks to remove the battery board, desolder the existing ram chip, install a socket, and install NVRAM (non-volatile ram) that retains settings between power cycles. I just did it on a Taxi pinball machine this past week, and have installed it on other games in the past. The video in the narration didn't even show the logic board or this modification.
Looks as it must taken a lot of manhours work, so how much do you charge the customer for such a restoration?
It's amazing to think that all those circuit boards taken out of the head can be replaced with a bramble of Raspberry Pi SBCs.
Fish Tales is a great game, good to see it getting some tlc.
Was there an attempt to save the original graphics?
It isn't a Rembrandt!
So what. IMO, it would have been better to try and keep the original graphics.@@platinaatje6134
They were originally red faded to yellow. Way too far gone, and replacement graphics are easy to come by.
Wait...what was the point of removing the artwork completely? It looked pretty good as it was
It was extremely faded
I love them.
I was very surprised at all the circuit boards for a pinball machine.
Nothing like that free game KNOCK of a pinball machine
Yeah, video would be 100% better if you just nix the narrator. Half the time the narrator is describing something that isn't happening on screen. The other half he's just...wrong.
Thats the joys of AI. Get used to it 😱
And get an American to speak.
@@KirksCORNER1983 Trouble is Kirk. Thumbnails are created as clickbait by AI. As are the narrations on most vids. Its a growing trend and i despise it. I would never click like on these " masterpieces "
Simple solution, just don't watch it
@@Mikeman3524 not so simple; don't watch it after watching it?!
Did they buy the original graphics or get a designer to illustrate.
Very Good job😊
Well done. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😊
Pinball machines have very complex features.
Wow amazing stuff. Curious if anyone knows the value of something like this restored? Fun fact, apparently Slash from Guns’n’Roses collects vintage pinball machines.
About 7 - 10k
How to reassamble all that stuff?!….i would go crazy with all that parts…
How long did this take?
I own a Fish Tales, it's a great pin.
I love how the narrator in these Masters Of Craft videos never has any clue what they are talking about and most likely haven't seen the video, it's a bit like a Steven Seagal movie, entertainingly bad :p
Great restoration/rebuild btw.
been doing pinball resto on my channel for 8 years..never cracked 1500 views on any of em..impressive!