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LOTR cabinet graphics

adbex1

adbex1

Registered
Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
17
Location
Brough, east Yorkshire
Opinions wanted please,

I am in the process of getting the materials together to re furbish the cabinet on my LOTR, it will be a full strip down, sand down prime and paint then new decals. I have been looking at the graphics available from Retro refurbs and see that he sells the original and an alternate set.

I'm not a huge fan of the original screen printed low res as it looks a bit pixelated, and the replacement graphics appear to be the same look. But I'm unsure if the alternate set would de value the machine. So what would you do with it? Has anyone seen the alternate ones on a machine?

Thanks.

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I have only seen it on pictures, it's a good question, I toyed with the idea of the doing the decals, but don't have the skill or workshop to do it on. I'm also not sure if decal it will devalue. Bit of strange one to do or not to do? I suspect it's down to taste and preference. If it's someone who wants it original as possible your already not going to get them as I suspect they would think of decals as bad.

I similar to gold legs, lock down bar and side rails, I personally don't like them, but many others do.
 
In answer to your question I prefer the original I think the new one is a bit busy.
 
its a difficult one to know what's best. I have the equipment and workshop to do it so that's not a problem. I have already talked to an electro plating company to get the metalwork done as I like the look.

I was intending to touch in the marks on the cabinet but it has got a quite a few scratches that are visible that haven't gone through to the wood, but its also looks a bit faded. Is it possible to do any type of cleaning on a screen printed machine to try to bring the colour back or is that a waste of time?

Thanks.
 
adbex1 said:
its a difficult one to know what's best. I have the equipment and workshop to do it so that's not a problem. I have already talked to an electro plating company to get the metalwork done as I like the look.

I was intending to touch in the marks on the cabinet but it has got a quite a few scratches that are visible that haven't gone through to the wood, but its also looks a bit faded. Is it possible to do any type of cleaning on a screen printed machine to try to bring the colour back or is that a waste of time?

Thanks.
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Agreed a bit of a dilemma.

I'm def getting the ramps and wire ramps internally done.

Not sure about the cabinet, I have seen it done using acrylic on my old sttng but it was only a minor scratch. Perhaps @Dex-Jay can advise I think he restores playfields and cabinets.

Fading, restoring that is probably not possible as the colour has gone from uv light.

Mine got scratches on the left side that been covered by a sticker :)
 
cmrl9 said:
Agreed a bit of a dilemma.

I'm def getting the ramps and wire ramps internally done.

Not sure about the cabinet, I have seen it done using acrylic on my old sttng but it was only a minor scratch. Perhaps @Dex-Jay can advise I think he restores playfields and cabinets.

Fading, restoring that is probably not possible as the colour has gone from uv light.

Mine got scratches on the left side that been covered by a sticker :)
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If it were me I'd use enamel where you can and only use acrylic when you have to. If you really have to you want to seal the acrylic with a lacquer.

Why? 'cos if you're wiping off a grubby mark of the outside of the cabinet you can easily take that acrylic back off. Iso-Alky will shift poor paint, great for removing marks though.

Were it mine, and were talking about the LOTR here? If very carefully fill any gouges in the cabinet and touch them up before decaling it, you'll only see the low spots otherwise.
If you've a choice of cabinet decals I wouldn't cheap out on them, you'll only kick yourself later - unless it's shoulder to shoulder with others in a large collection.
If it's your precious then buy the best you can. If licenced ones/NOS are available I'd have those.

The thing if you're reselling at some point someone who's in the know will ask, "so what happened to the cabinet to warrant alternative decals?" You know nothing drastic happened, but it might put someone off. Kind like getting a car resprayed in a non factory colour, (if it's not a custom or classic) people will ask, so was it in a shunt? Write off? It's rare people have a colour change for the sake of it. Not unheard of though! I knew a girl who wanted her Ka Barbie pink years ago. Today you can get cars in girlie colours from factory. OK not from BMW you can't but you know what I mean!

Oh yeah, so I use 2K automotive stuff on cabinets to touch up. You can roller it on with a high density roller but it will disintegrate in about 10 mins! It's fine for touching up but if you're asthmatic I'd really rather you didn't for your own sake. Little bits in ventilated areas is OK but just be careful it's nasty stuff.

I hope that wasn't too much of a ramble that answered something... or other. :)
 
Dex-Jay said:
If it were me I'd use enamel where you can and only use acrylic when you have to. If you really have to you want to seal the acrylic with a lacquer.

Why? 'cos if you're wiping off a grubby mark of the outside of the cabinet you can easily take that acrylic back off. Iso-Alky will shift poor paint, great for removing marks though.

Were it mine, and were talking about the LOTR here? If very carefully fill any gouges in the cabinet and touch them up before decaling it, you'll only see the low spots otherwise.
If you've a choice of cabinet decals I wouldn't cheap out on them, you'll only kick yourself later - unless it's shoulder to shoulder with others in a large collection.
If it's your precious then buy the best you can. If licenced ones/NOS are available I'd have those.

The thing if you're reselling at some point someone who's in the know will ask, "so what happened to the cabinet to warrant alternative decals?" You know nothing drastic happened, but it might put someone off. Kind like getting a car resprayed in a non factory colour, (if it's not a custom or classic) people will ask, so was it in a shunt? Write off? It's rare people have a colour change for the sake of it. Not unheard of though! I knew a girl who wanted her Ka Barbie pink years ago. Today you can get cars in girlie colours from factory. OK not from BMW you can't but you know what I mean!

Oh yeah, so I use 2K automotive stuff on cabinets to touch up. You can roller it on with a high density roller but it will disintegrate in about 10 mins! It's fine for touching up but if you're asthmatic I'd really rather you didn't for your own sake. Little bits in ventilated areas is OK but just be careful it's nasty stuff.

I hope that wasn't too much of a ramble that answered something... or other. :)
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Thanks pretty helpful.

The decals aren't available in any official capacity, I've only ever seen one place that even sell them and they came from a high Res scan. Its personally what put me off as well as the lack of skill. It was silk screened at the factory and was never decaled.
Still if the artwork really bad shape it's worth doing.

Thanks for the tip with the paint, any ideas how best to touch up the side button area, looks like green originally on mine.
 
Who made those cabinets? Was is Churchill (CC)? Is it possible someone there or at Stern might have some somewhere? Silk screen is the way to go, no question, if you can get them.

Can you upload a pic and we can have a look see how bad it is. If you can save the cab artwork then I'd do that. I guess the question is, would I rather have touched-up original art or do I really want to replace that is inkjet printed stuff? Me, I'd touch up where I can on older machines but modern art is far more complex photoshop art.
 
Dex-Jay said:
If it were me I'd use enamel where you can and only use acrylic when you have to. If you really have to you want to seal the acrylic with a lacquer.

Why? 'cos if you're wiping off a grubby mark of the outside of the cabinet you can easily take that acrylic back off. Iso-Alky will shift poor paint, great for removing marks though.

Were it mine, and were talking about the LOTR here? If very carefully fill any gouges in the cabinet and touch them up before decaling it, you'll only see the low spots otherwise.
If you've a choice of cabinet decals I wouldn't cheap out on them, you'll only kick yourself later - unless it's shoulder to shoulder with others in a large collection.
If it's your precious then buy the best you can. If licenced ones/NOS are available I'd have those.

The thing if you're reselling at some point someone who's in the know will ask, "so what happened to the cabinet to warrant alternative decals?" You know nothing drastic happened, but it might put someone off. Kind like getting a car resprayed in a non factory colour, (if it's not a custom or classic) people will ask, so was it in a shunt? Write off? It's rare people have a colour change for the sake of it. Not unheard of though! I knew a girl who wanted her Ka Barbie pink years ago. Today you can get cars in girlie colours from factory. OK not from BMW you can't but you know what I mean!

Oh yeah, so I use 2K automotive stuff on cabinets to touch up. You can roller it on with a high density roller but it will disintegrate in about 10 mins! It's fine for touching up but if you're asthmatic I'd really rather you didn't for your own sake. Little bits in ventilated areas is OK but just be careful it's nasty stuff.

I hope that wasn't too much of a ramble that answered something... or other. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, very helpful. I am familiar with 2K paints. Comparison to a colour changed car is a good point. I have taken some photos of it, if possible it would be good not to have to replace the original art work.


Chris P said:
@xianek can hook you up with high res cabinet decals, I’m pretty sure he has improved them so they don’t have the dots from original scan.
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Thanks for the info. I have one of his back glasses in the machine and the quality is superb, I dint realise he did cabinet graphics.


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Alpha1 said:
I personally would just touch that up. Original decent art is only original once.

And if you must really redecal, I personally would steer clear of all the alternative artwork crap.
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Good point, it is only original once. I think I will try the fill and touch in route. I have got to take the play field out to give it a good clean and re furb then put some side art blades in so I will tackle the rest at the same time.

DEX-JAY, do you use polyester body filler to do the scuffs and missing chips out of the wood then use 2K paint with an artist brush to do the colour?
 
Well you aren't preserving originality by decaling a printed cab so really what does it matter? The alternates look good.
 
If the wood is split but still there, glue, clamp, sand and fill (with automotive body filler). I have used wood filler but if it's a filler you mix with a hardener it's still gonna be polyester - to the best of my knowledge!

2K primer, to help remove scratches, then sand the primer before colour. Chips in corners aren't nice, if you can hammer a small nail in the missing area, do so and then fill it!

My TFTC had a few areas that needed such filling, black so as long as you keep it tight you'll be OK.

Screen Shot 2022-01-23 at 17.41.46.png

My Scared Stiff cabinet, which I'll start a thread on soon needed tighter repairs which needed the art underneath touching up.

What I've seen of yours, yeah, fine brush and touch up the nasty stuff putting paint ONLY where you need it. No overlapping and get the colour matched as well as you can.
Halftone print.. yeah, now that you'll just have to do the best you can!
 
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