How Old Pinball Machines Are Professionally Restored | Restoration 

it's just a pleasure to see old artisans working on those beloved machines there been doing that long before is was born

Fish Tales is not a forgotten gem. It's still regarded as a classic.

Great memories playing this as a young teenage kid, great work on the restoration

I had no idea how many pieces of electronics were inside a pinball machine! Wow that’s crazy

"All existing metalwork, including the legs...are painstakingly taken off" Tech removes just a few allen screws lol

That wiring harness was incredible!

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.

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.

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 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.

*Wow what an incredible transformation. Amazing work. Well done*

Thank you for this video, truly incredible!

I remember playing one of these machines! I love playing pinball.

That is beautiful. A lot of hard work and patience went into fixing up and restoring that pinball machine. Excellent work I must say.

Nothing like that free game KNOCK of a pinball machine

Really really nice. It’s good to see the vibrant colors of the original brought back to life

Pinball machine restoration just became my favorite thing. I hope to see a lot more of this.

Amazing Restoration 👍🏻👍🏽👍🇬🇧🇬🇧

Great video. Sadly people capable of restoring pinballs machines is getting less and less.

Great Job !!!

This is a LOT of work, well done!

What a fantastic renovation The artisan knows his job well thanks for sharing.

Master of pinball restoration 👍👍👍

This kind of machine is a masterpiece. Love it!

Nice acrylic crystal no-date Sub watch. Beauty from the ‘70s by the looks of it.

I love the restoration of old or defunct things, but nothing generates the endorphins like superb attention to detail. Well done!!

My Fish Tales cabinet is faded the same. Looks so good to see the Red.

Very cool!! That was an amazing restoration!!

WOW!!!! Great job! It's fantastic! ❤

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.

I'd have to guess the ramps and plastics were in fair shape. The new screen looks amazing! Really well done!

Fantastic restoration

I love pinball machines. Always so fun to play.

Thanks for rescueing.

Great work.

It looks great and you did a wonderful job restoring it as well!!!! I enjoyed your video so I gave it a Thumbs Up

Great job!

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.

Wow that is a lot of work especially with the electronics.

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 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.

Williams Pinball Machines are beautiful and so much fun to play . I have always wanted a TAXI Machine for my home .

I own a Fish Tales, it's a great pin.

Great work!

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.

Wow! Well done!!!! Just wow! Instant subscribe right here!

I was wanting to see him put one of those old talking/singing fish as a replacement up top lol.

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! 😁

Very Good job😊

I'm so jalous. Great work.

Sou muito fã de Pinball. Parabéns pelo trabalho!!! um dia terei um só para mim 😁

Well done.

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

Used to love this one when i was younger. Sure its no Addams family or Theater of Magic but i do love it!!

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.

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 a great game, good to see it getting some tlc.

You are a wizard ⚡

Brilliant

"The artisan..."? I feel like you've missed the tone of what we are watching. I still watched but I chuckled several times.

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.

Complex technology!

The end result looks great! Unfortunately the video showed little more than contact paper installation. I didn't learn a thing.

AMAZING

This was great work , own a Creature from the black lagoon myself . How long from start to finish was it ?

Sandblasting the coin box lid seemed like overkill.

Fish Tales should've had a singing fish on the top for more interactive fun.

I don't dislike the restoration. Just clicked the wrong icon.

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?

The narrator makes me feel like I am watching, "How it's made."

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.

Well done. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😊

Now I know good and well that guy has classic rock playing in his shop while he works

SPAZIALE !!!!

I played this game in the day here in Australia

wow so many wires, no way i could do that with any success

That's a lot more elctronic stuff in there than I thought

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?

I see "Funhouse" in the background

I would love to restore some old video games

Love playing Fish Tales on Pinball FX3 and Pinball FX (Zen Studios) on both PS4 and my Nintendo Switch. I actually got the opportunity to play the real game itself along with "Black Rose" and Stern Pinballs "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" last year at the Yegpin Pinball expo in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada.

A question: is the value of the machine greater than the cost of restoring it?

Nice 😊

„the artisan modifies the boards, removing batteries and replacing them with sRAM for improved performance“

Wow!

A part of that original charm is gone with the overly white LEDs.

Interesting, I last week removed 3 from a very hoarded house and sent them to auction, all need work, wondered how they came apart

Fish tales the Best pinball ver!!!!

been doing pinball resto on my channel for 8 years..never cracked 1500 views on any of em..impressive!

"Batteries replaced with SRAM" - Wouldn't that require a major redesign of not only the board, but the underlying code as well?

I had to sell my 1979 Mata Hari. Luckily it was semi restored and went to a new home.

Why am I not surprised at the age of the technician. Who will take up the reins when they all are gone? If you ask me no one. How much is such a rebuilt table worth?

He’s a pinball wizard…

i have a 6 million dollar man pinball machine i need restored wish i could fix it great video

ピンボール好きですピンボールの外見ではシンプルで 分かりやすく内部が 異常にシンプルではないことが 驚きですピンボールを作る人修復する人に 尊敬します(*’ω’ﾉﾉﾞ☆ﾊﾟﾁﾊﾟﾁ

Good thing you replaced that ass RAM 👍

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 play this game on my iPad.

OK, how much time?

Here in Oz, back in the day, 20 cents gave you 5 balls, then it was 3. Then it went to $1 for 3 balls and then 2 bucks for 3 balls and the space between the flippers just got wider and wider. When they became just money sucking machines that may have been around the time pinballs lost popularity. Oh well, such is life. This machine must cost big bucks now after resto.