Wanted SkyLab slings

[nudge.fudger]

Hi all, apologies for hitting the wanted section so soon after joining, know it's generally considered bad form (i'll be sticking around tho, regardless!)

Tried asking on one of the international fb groups at the w/e but it might not have been the best place (maybe more fault focused).

I'd love to sort out the missing sling plastics in this old girl - the pair of Sky Kings kinda stand out like the proverbial thumb.

If anyone has anything they could part with be great to hear from you
(if I can sort something and anyone can make use of the pair in it, you'd be welcome to them).

If nothing is out there would any of you with this game be prepared to scan them?
A friend is up for printing decals for attachment to some acrylic if so.

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Always liked the look of Skylab - cool pin.

It would be worth posting a Wanted ad on Pinside also. Lot more EM guys on there.

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

 

[nudge.fudger]

Thanks Grizz, will try that too.

 

[astyy]

Skylab would look great next to my Rocket III, there was a nice one on Ebay a while back, perhaps yours is it.

Anyways back to topic, this is a good thread to request for the sling plastics or scans;
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-em-seeking-parts-thread

I've also had success reaching out to fellow owners through pinball owners, only 26 listed of which 1 is in the UK owned by pinballinfo resident Mr @Mooseman

Good luck with the search, recreating from scans is defo feasible, plenty of info on the line

 

[nudge.fudger]

Thanks astyy, I followed GrizZ's suggestion, registered at pinside, found that thread in the EM section of the forum and posted in it
(i'd been reading through another long thread on cleaning and peoples preferred methods but not got as far as signing up until last night)

Whilst searching for all things SkyLab I found mention of one turning up on ebay here in the UK just over a year ago (Apr.18) - i'd also found a video featuring a nice looking machine here in the UK on you-tube last week, just prior to picking mine up ...

Could be the one you're thinking of - it does look nice (has a single coin entry whereas the one I have has separate slots/validators for 5p and 10p - the 10p validator is missing - the 5p validator look similar in design to the Coin Controls S10 mechanism - havn't tried one yet to see if they fit - as the machine was built the other side of the water and predates the S10 design by a good 6yrs, i'm guessing they may be slightly different?!)

A box of goodies arrived this afternoon - i'm looking forward to fitting them once i've rid the PF of a few decades of grime (need to get some wax too - any recommendations of products available in the UK most welcome - a neighbour suggested trying the UK division of the Harley owners club as he used to be a member years ago when he last rode one, for possible leads on where to get a good quality carnauba paste although he did mention he had a Simoniz brand which he was pretty pleased with and that's a brand that shouldn't be too hard to track down here).

Good to know at least one other machine is with a member here.

 

[Mooseman]

I do indeed have a Skylab in lots of pieces. I don’t have any spares but I can certainly scan the slings If that helps. I took it apart a few years ago but I’m sure all the plastics were on

 

[nudge.fudger]

Thanks very much Mooseman - if no one has come back with any originals by the w/e and you have the time/inclination to dig them out and scan that would be much appreciated.
I think I may have been a bit unlucky in picking up a machine with the originals missing but I guess it does happen from time to time.
It did at least come with a comprehensive original paperwork pack, which is a bonus

(and it doesn't look too hacked about, save for the left flipper coil having been swapped out for an unmarked replacement at some point in the past - more likely from it's operating days, from what the previous owner told me - apparently he'd never had the PF up ... and he'd bought it from an arcade when they were clearing their remaining mechanical games in lieu of the newer electronic machines around 1980 - definitely owed some TLC!)

 

[astyy]

Whilst searching for all things SkyLab I found mention of one turning up on ebay here in the UK just over a year ago (Apr.18) -

Yer that's the one, really genuine looking machine, had little interest and sold for £475, then the buyer listed and seemingly sold it a week later for £600

 

[nudge.fudger]

Yeah looks like a beauty and that sounds like ebay. Sounds like the guy who ended up with it was really pleased with it so it found a good home in the end.

Your Rocket III looks interesting, with the zipper flippers and rotating bumper.

Been following up various suggested links - contacted pbresource (who have some of the upper plastics available at time of typing but no slings) - tried searching classicplayfields (nothing came up for SkyLab at CPR). Also had a quick look at bestofpinball, ministryofpinball, marcospecialities and zpeakabonks.

 

[Mooseman]

These bad boys you after?

 

[nudge.fudger]

Those bad boys right there sir, yes indeed

 

[Jay Walker]

Seeing these away from the machine, from their shape I'd have thought that the one with the astronaut was the right side (i.e. that he was upside-down wrt the player). But the earlier picture of the playfield shows otherwise.

 

[Mooseman]

Will wash n scan them over the weekend

 

[nudge.fudger]

Splendid, thank you.

 

[nudge.fudger]

Discovered a couple more bits AWOL - hoped I might find them rattling around in the bottom of the cabinet but no, the shopping list just got longer.

Coil plunger/knocker for the 1k chime (overall 2½" long, diameter of steel body looks to be 7/16" - pulled the remaining pair to check/photo) - has a nylon insert/striker.

Slotted T-shape plate that holds the coin mech in place (S10 slots in a treat).

Got some more trawling to do ... if anyone sees one anywhere whilst looking for their own bits a heads up would be great.

 

[Mooseman]

 

[Mooseman]

 

[Mooseman]

zip file

 

[nudge.fudger]

Thanks for the measurements & zip file Moose - this is what they look like retouched (with minor blemishes from use removed).
I'll loose the original part numbers as it is not possible to print onto a clear sheet in this instance, but i'm ok with that - they'll still look better than the SkyKings right.
(Will be cutting the clear acrylic to the original size so they will have the 4mm clear run-off all round).

 

[Mooseman]

Very nice. Will be nicer than my originals

 

[Jay Walker]

A recollection about Skylab has just come to me; an old telly series whose name I can't recall featured the handsome blond (Californian?) principal characters receiving an audio ransom tape with background noise that "sounds like a pinball". Playing this to an operator got the reply "that's Skylab!", enabling them to find a bar where presumably the message was recorded. Who could really identify an e/m game by ear, though? Unless it had a special chime or bell, like Central Park f'r instance

 

[nudge.fudger]

The additional scoring for the Spacelab feature advance when a ball drains wasn't by any means unique to the game presumably?

Would be interested to see the episode if anyone remembers it, especially if the machine is subsequently shown.

 

[astyy]

Would be interested to see the episode if anyone remembers i

Pinball appearances in tv/films normally easy to find online, this one has alluded my searches

 

[Jay Walker]

A Skylab was shown for a moment at the start of the following scene, with a woman playing it telling the guys to "beat it". I think that an end-of-ball bonus score was common, if not compulsory, by the early seventies

Looking closely at Moose's plastics shows different (consecutive) model numbers on them, 443 & 444. Not to worry, 444 was the very low run add-a-ball variant, Spacelab. Though Ipdb muses that Williams simply used 30 units from the Skylab production to produce them, the artwork department must've altered the plastics along with the backglass, instruction card, manual and flyer (if there was one). Since there are two more letters in the name, the playfield retained the S-K-Y-L-A-B spellout pattern

 

[nudge.fudger]

Good spot JW, so that LH plastic of Moose's is one rare sling and perhaps at least one of those 30 tables made it over the water to the UK, perhaps (other reasons could account for it ending up on an imported SkyLab machine of course). Nice that Williams bothered to change the number to correspond with the revised game, even though artwork itself remained unchanged.

Tracked down some reasonably priced Naphtha yesterday so was able to clean the playfield - hoping to start the reassembly later after a wax.

 

[nudge.fudger]

As it happens, discovered the No.3 plastic (mid left) on this table is also marked 444 (checked the others - are all marked 443 for SkyLab) so perhaps a SpaceLab or three was imported to the UK and later parted out - does anyone have one or know of one here on these shores (or surviving anywhere)?

(few shots of the pop bumper clean up/rebuild - the new skirts show up the aged upper bodies)

 

[nudge.fudger]

Replacement sling decals arrived today - working on sandwiching between an acetate sheet and thin sheet of acrylic, which combined should be a pretty close match to the originals.
They're printed on a film designed to be backlit so hopeful although the colours aren't 100% they'll look pretty good once in ...

Last week Jay Walker helped out with some other missing parts and very kindly also sent some coin insert windows he had spare - been able to replace the cracked windows and the dismantled/cleaned/straightened coin door now looks a load better, plus she works on the old 10p now and chimes closer to how she should.

Need to look at the flippers next (along with getting the slings together) as there is a lot of play in the assemblies/bats ...