Bally Xenon - A sad story, and a request for your opinions..

[Nick Hislop]

My pride and joy is a Xenon, that I bought about three years ago in nice
shape.
I recently re-rubbered it, and installed the blue posts from The Pinball
Resource.

The machine had Mylar installed on most of the playfield, most likely from
day one.
Having successfully used the freeze spray method in the past on another
Bally, I did so again...

Well, about half way through the process (i.e. beyond the point of no
return),
it became obvious that some of the paintwork was lifting along with the
Mylar...

I managed to complete the task, at some cost to the artwork.
What was an almost immaculate playfield is now somewhat scarred - just goes
to show that the devil does indeed find time for idle hands :-(

I have posted some pictures at the following address:

http://mysite.verizon.net/nhislop/

My questions are:

a) Based on what you can see, what rating would you now give the playfield?

b) Assuming the machine is as described (i.e. fully operational but with
this playfield), what is a realistic selling price, given its condition?

c) Knowing the demand for Xenon overlays, I am somewhat pessimistic, but I
have to ask: Are there NOS, or at least good condition, playfields to be
had - and if so, in what price range ??

I realize that prices are negotiable, opinions subjective, etc. but I would
appreciate the inputs of anyone who has an opinion to offer.

Thanks in advance,

Nick Hislop
email: nhislop_at_bellatlantic_dot_net

[a***@txpinball.com]

Wow, that chick's butt looks really cool when clicked on a close-up pic
provided, the one "flying" into "Tube Entrance". Ok, I'll shut up now. Sorry
about your unsuccessful Mylar removal, man.
Adi
www.txpinball.com

Post by Nick Hislop
My pride and joy is a Xenon, that I bought about three years ago in nice
shape.
I recently re-rubbered it, and installed the blue posts from The Pinball
Resource.
The machine had Mylar installed on most of the playfield, most likely from
day one.
Having successfully used the freeze spray method in the past on another
Bally, I did so again...
Well, about half way through the process (i.e. beyond the point of no
return),
it became obvious that some of the paintwork was lifting along with the
Mylar...
I managed to complete the task, at some cost to the artwork.
What was an almost immaculate playfield is now somewhat scarred - just goes
to show that the devil does indeed find time for idle hands :-(
http://mysite.verizon.net/nhislop/
a) Based on what you can see, what rating would you now give the playfield?
b) Assuming the machine is as described (i.e. fully operational but with
this playfield), what is a realistic selling price, given its condition?
c) Knowing the demand for Xenon overlays, I am somewhat pessimistic, but I
have to ask: Are there NOS, or at least good condition, playfields to be
had - and if so, in what price range ??
I realize that prices are negotiable, opinions subjective, etc. but I would
appreciate the inputs of anyone who has an opinion to offer.
Thanks in advance,
Nick Hislop
email: nhislop_at_bellatlantic_dot_net

[Ldnayman]

Post by Nick Hislop
What was an almost immaculate playfield is now somewhat scarred - just goes
to show that the devil does indeed find time for idle hands :-(

just goes to show the #1 most important rule in the hobby-

Aint broke, don't fix it.

[billg]

Post by Nick Hislop
Well, about half way through the process (i.e. beyond the point of no
return), it became obvious that some of the paintwork was lifting

along with

Post by Nick Hislop
the Mylar...

Bummer - I feel your pain. Sooner or later we all experience the same
feeling - ahh $hit... Thanks for sharing though, your post is now
archived for others weighing the pros/cons of removing day 1 mylar
and/or the method used to remove it.

billg

[miracleman]

I asked about removing the mylar on MY Xen*n here years ago, most said
don't, so I didn't. On the other hand I just removed the slingshot
mylars on my Fath*m with a heat gun and they came off fine! 'course, I
had a new pf on the way, so nothing to lose, but the ball was ALWAYS
getting hung up on the edge of the mylar and it always drove me crazy.


"Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion!"
email is munged
remove REMOVE THIS

[Pinball Magic]

Sorry to hear about that.. I had a similar problem with my Silverball Mania
playfield.

FWIW.. I bought a NOS Xenon playfield for $1100. I might be crazy, but I
love my Bally's. How many NOS playfields are left? Not many. Especially in
flawless condition like mine. We need a good overlay alternative instead of
the Arcade Grafix garbage.
--
Jesse

E*ght_B*ll_D*luxe, Tw*light_Z*ne, Hi_De*l, Fl*sh_Gord*n, two Xen*n


Pinball Magic

Enhancements, Modifications, Parts, Forum, Restoration Info.
www.PinballMagic.com
www.TZmods.com

Post by Nick Hislop
My pride and joy is a Xenon, that I bought about three years ago in nice
shape.
I recently re-rubbered it, and installed the blue posts from The Pinball
Resource.
The machine had Mylar installed on most of the playfield, most likely from
day one.
Having successfully used the freeze spray method in the past on another
Bally, I did so again...
Well, about half way through the process (i.e. beyond the point of no
return),
it became obvious that some of the paintwork was lifting along with the
Mylar...
I managed to complete the task, at some cost to the artwork.
What was an almost immaculate playfield is now somewhat scarred - just goes
to show that the devil does indeed find time for idle hands :-(
http://mysite.verizon.net/nhislop/
a) Based on what you can see, what rating would you now give the playfield?
b) Assuming the machine is as described (i.e. fully operational but with
this playfield), what is a realistic selling price, given its condition?
c) Knowing the demand for Xenon overlays, I am somewhat pessimistic, but I
have to ask: Are there NOS, or at least good condition, playfields to be
had - and if so, in what price range ??
I realize that prices are negotiable, opinions subjective, etc. but I would
appreciate the inputs of anyone who has an opinion to offer.
Thanks in advance,
Nick Hislop
email: nhislop_at_bellatlantic_dot_net

[J O N A T H A N]

IF you would have googled around you would probably have found several posts
with similar stories, where the bottom line is: NEVER FREEZE SPRAY 80'S
PLAYFIELD (and earlier). Other methods work fine like glue remover, or a
(not too hot) heat gun.

From what I can see some damage can still be repaird. like the red area (if
you have the matching color paint, or ink. Has alle the glue been removed
yet?

Current value? haven't got a clue.

The best playfield you are most likely to find is another playfield that was
mylared from day one. If you do and consider removing the mylar, you know
what method NOT to use.

My own Xenon was also mylared from the early days. I removed the mylar with
glue remover and after that mylared it again from corner to corner. The
result is amazing!

regards

Jonathan

Post by Nick Hislop
My pride and joy is a Xenon, that I bought about three years ago in nice
shape.
I recently re-rubbered it, and installed the blue posts from The Pinball
Resource.
The machine had Mylar installed on most of the playfield, most likely from
day one.
Having successfully used the freeze spray method in the past on another
Bally, I did so again...
Well, about half way through the process (i.e. beyond the point of no
return),
it became obvious that some of the paintwork was lifting along with the
Mylar...
I managed to complete the task, at some cost to the artwork.
What was an almost immaculate playfield is now somewhat scarred - just goes
to show that the devil does indeed find time for idle hands :-(
http://mysite.verizon.net/nhislop/
a) Based on what you can see, what rating would you now give the playfield?
b) Assuming the machine is as described (i.e. fully operational but with
this playfield), what is a realistic selling price, given its condition?
c) Knowing the demand for Xenon overlays, I am somewhat pessimistic, but I
have to ask: Are there NOS, or at least good condition, playfields to be
had - and if so, in what price range ??
I realize that prices are negotiable, opinions subjective, etc. but I would
appreciate the inputs of anyone who has an opinion to offer.
Thanks in advance,
Nick Hislop
email: nhislop_at_bellatlantic_dot_net

[shabow]

Post by J O N A T H A N
IF you would have googled around you would probably have found several posts
with similar stories, where the bottom line is: NEVER FREEZE SPRAY 80'S
PLAYFIELD (and earlier). Other methods work fine like glue remover, or a
(not too hot) heat gun.

I started with the freeze spray on my Xenon, ran into it not working
too well, so I switched to the hair dryer (heat gun is too hot)
method, and it worked fine except for a little part where I went a
little too fast and took up some of one of the insert's "E".
Playfield looks and plays COMPLETELY differently now, it's super fast.
The mylar I had on there was incredibly Dull.

Hopefully Xenon will be one of the playfield that gets put on a repro
list if playfield reproduction is going to be a reality.

[r***@mail.ru]

Post by shabow
Hopefully Xenon will be one of the playfield that gets put on a repro
list if playfield reproduction is going to be a reality.

I think if a xenon reproduction playfield was made it would be the hottest
selling item around. Most everyone I know including myself has a worn
playfield.

[Bill]

Post by Nick Hislop
My pride and joy is a Xenon, that I bought about three years ago in nice
shape.
I recently re-rubbered it, and installed the blue posts from The Pinball
Resource.
The machine had Mylar installed on most of the playfield, most likely from
day one.
Having successfully used the freeze spray method in the past on another
Bally, I did so again...
Well, about half way through the process (i.e. beyond the point of no
return),
it became obvious that some of the paintwork was lifting along with the
Mylar...
I managed to complete the task, at some cost to the artwork.
What was an almost immaculate playfield is now somewhat scarred - just goes
to show that the devil does indeed find time for idle hands :-(
http://mysite.verizon.net/nhislop/
a) Based on what you can see, what rating would you now give the playfield?
b) Assuming the machine is as described (i.e. fully operational but with
this playfield), what is a realistic selling price, given its condition?
c) Knowing the demand for Xenon overlays, I am somewhat pessimistic, but I
have to ask: Are there NOS, or at least good condition, playfields to be
had - and if so, in what price range ??
I realize that prices are negotiable, opinions subjective, etc. but I would
appreciate the inputs of anyone who has an opinion to offer.
Thanks in advance,
Nick Hislop
email: nhislop_at_bellatlantic_dot_net

You can touch this up, I did when the same thing happened when i
removed D1M
on my Xenon. Same thing happened to me. Totally strip the top side,
get some acrylic paints, color match you paints to the nth degree, and
when you have the right/acceptable color make enough and save it for
what you need to do.

Take it one dot/tiny line at a time. Paint only the slivers or dots
where paint came off. A lot off areas will show you what to do like
continuing a line here and there. Some area you will have to be a
little creative. If you match the paints and keep the artwork just
inside the areas needed, when you clear over the whole field you will
be impressed, and satisfied.

When I looked at my mylar after I peeled if off, most of the color it
pulled off was black and red. It pulled the black ring off around my
inserts.

Look on the bright side, at least it did't pull off the insert art.
BTW, I was sick when this happened to me. The results are now
stunning.

Good luck

[josh]

I think there is something to this original vs. new mylar debate. I
learned something new today. I had a Xenon, that somebody had
mylared, OVER the touchups and wear. So I tried some small spots of
mylar to remove, and it started taking the paint off, so I stopped.
Recently a friend of mine gave me a factory mylared Pinbot playfield
that was dirty, but nice, except for a chunk of wood gone at the
bottom right where the ball outhole ramp would have been. However,
some mylar started peeling off when I was applying my second or third
coat of Novus 2, so I started peeling, and the whole thing came off in
just a couple sections, and took VERY little paint with it. Now it's
a cool wall hanging. You could use wood putty, stain and clearcoat the
finished result, and it would pass almost as NOS. The playfield was
free for spending hours stripping it of all parts, bagging them, and
giving them back since i didn't need them anyway.

Josh
http://www.joshkaplan.com, home of Pinball Central

Post by Bill

Post by Nick Hislop
My pride and joy is a Xenon, that I bought about three years ago in nice
shape.
I recently re-rubbered it, and installed the blue posts from The Pinball
Resource.
The machine had Mylar installed on most of the playfield, most likely from
day one.
Having successfully used the freeze spray method in the past on another
Bally, I did so again...
Well, about half way through the process (i.e. beyond the point of no
return),
it became obvious that some of the paintwork was lifting along with the
Mylar...
I managed to complete the task, at some cost to the artwork.
What was an almost immaculate playfield is now somewhat scarred - just goes
to show that the devil does indeed find time for idle hands :-(
http://mysite.verizon.net/nhislop/
a) Based on what you can see, what rating would you now give the playfield?
b) Assuming the machine is as described (i.e. fully operational but with
this playfield), what is a realistic selling price, given its condition?
c) Knowing the demand for Xenon overlays, I am somewhat pessimistic, but I
have to ask: Are there NOS, or at least good condition, playfields to be
had - and if so, in what price range ??
I realize that prices are negotiable, opinions subjective, etc. but I would
appreciate the inputs of anyone who has an opinion to offer.
Thanks in advance,
Nick Hislop
email: nhislop_at_bellatlantic_dot_net

You can touch this up, I did when the same thing happened when i
removed D1M
on my Xenon. Same thing happened to me. Totally strip the top side,
get some acrylic paints, color match you paints to the nth degree, and
when you have the right/acceptable color make enough and save it for
what you need to do.
Take it one dot/tiny line at a time. Paint only the slivers or dots
where paint came off. A lot off areas will show you what to do like
continuing a line here and there. Some area you will have to be a
little creative. If you match the paints and keep the artwork just
inside the areas needed, when you clear over the whole field you will
be impressed, and satisfied.
When I looked at my mylar after I peeled if off, most of the color it
pulled off was black and red. It pulled the black ring off around my
inserts.
Look on the bright side, at least it did't pull off the insert art.
BTW, I was sick when this happened to me. The results are now
stunning.
Good luck

[Don7031]

Josh, I can do you one better. I've got the same mylar over the dirt and wear
with an added extra. Whoever did the mylar job didn't bother to strip the
playfield. Anywhere that was tough to get into didn't get mylared and the
mylar was cut in half a dozen places. The edges of several of the cuts have
lifted and accumulated residue.

Post by josh
I had a Xenon, that somebody had
mylared, OVER the touchups and wear.

[Greg M.]

Sorry that happened to you...

I have a BH I may need to do that to some day... but for now, after
reading this, I vote it stays the way it is.

I'll put up with a few lifting edges for now.

[frenchy]

Post by Greg M.
Sorry that happened to you...
I have a BH I may need to do that to some day... but for now, after
reading this, I vote it stays the way it is.
I'll put up with a few lifting edges for now.

screw the lifting edges, if they are lifted, just trim them carefully
with a razor blade...Frenchy

[Greg M.]

I hear you.

That's what I intended to do.


It's not worth stripping the entire playfield over a couple of lifting edges.

-Greg

Post by frenchy
screw the lifting edges, if they are lifted, just trim them carefully
with a razor blade...Frenchy