GM Laboratories Soccer pinball

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paul g
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GM Laboratories Soccer pinball

Post by paul g »

I recently bought a GM Laboratories Soccer pinball machine. Barn stored for 40 years but needs some restoration. I wondered if anyone on here could point me in the direction of someone that could assist with some work on the cabinet and also the electronics?

I am based in Hampshire in the UK!
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pennymachines
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by pennymachines »

Welcome to the site Paul!

Unless you've already been contacted, it would appear we're unable to suggest someone to restore the cabinet or electrics on your interesting pintable. I think that reflects the fact that most forum users, although keen to help with restoration advice, are busy working on their own projects. No doubt there are people in your area with the requisite skills, but you may need to search locally to find them. If you need specific information about the wiring or components of your game I can help, as I have a working example.
malcymal
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by malcymal »

Nice looking item, looks to be a bagatelle board with a bit of electrics going on. If you are going to renovate it to keep then what you spend doing so is relevant to how much you like it. If you are renovating to sell you wont make much if anything on it as the ones ive seen similar to this have only fetched £100 mark.
widget2k4
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by widget2k4 »

i think he would get a lot more than £100 for this one :) it sold for £500 last month.
malcymal
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by malcymal »

£500, well I guess value in eye of beholder. The electrics don't look too complicated from the photo. I presume in those pin 'cups' there is some sort of kicker to score goal?!? As we all know with our own renovations, the costs soon mount up. I was trying to raise the point that if its to resell then not sure whether the return on it would be significant; for example the top glass needs replacing and so it goes on. But its a nice looking thing and sure it would look great. Maybe some sort of partial sympathetic renovation as I like seeing the patina, gives it charm. To lose the aged looked IMO for me erases its history of use.
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gameswat
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by gameswat »

Funny how different people see things. I was very happy to find one of these myself in the UK years ago for a bit more than 100 pounds! Then air freighted to Aust and still needing a full restoration but I was thrilled to get it. Animated games of any kind are desirable, and such pinballs of the 30's are very rare and this is one of the most desirable as really fun and a great looking game. Didn't sell well in the US for obvious reasons and now highly sought after over there especially. A batch of rough machines surfaced in the UK years ago and most were sold to the US in very distressed states, to be sold for many thousands needing lots of work! So far every example is ex UK.
pennymachines
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by pennymachines »

paul g
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by paul g »

Thanks for the feedback. I am not looking to sell it on- I would just like to get it working and cleaned up a bit.
pennymachines wrote:If you need specific information about the wiring or components of your game I can help, as I have a working example.
That would be very helpful, thanks very much!
pennymachines
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by pennymachines »

Just let me know what info/pics you need.
woozle
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by woozle »

Hi Paul,
Spooky, I'm also Paul, in Surrey, and bought one of these machines around six months ago to restore/display.
Get in touch, happy to share knowledge. Mine is missing the door but otherwise complete apart from a broken piece of the internal mechanism.
Currently replacing the spring borders before putting back together even has three original ceramic balls.

Paul
www.oldfootballgames.co.uk
paul g
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Re: Soccer Pintable

Post by paul g »

Great, thanks Paul!
pedroofn19
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GM Laboratories soccer game.

Post by pedroofn19 »

Topic merged - Site Admin.

Has anyone got any info on this machine. It says on the playfield "GM Laboratories Inc", I believe it's from Chicago, but I could be wrong.
Any info would be much appreciated.
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gameswat
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Re: GM Laboratories soccer game.

Post by gameswat »

Same machine already talked about here* merged above - Site Admin.
Are you the new owner or same owner as before? Very desirable animated machine, worth a small fortune in the USA, though UK buyers seem to think little of it.
pedroofn19
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Re: GM Laboratories soccer game.

Post by pedroofn19 »

Yes it looks to be the same machine, and it is in Hampshire.
I like it and I'm sure I could do all the restoration myself.
But the price is a bit over the top. £695 the seller wants for it.
Following your link to the previous post about the machine it seems the seller paid £ 500 for it.
That's a nice mark up, seeing as the seller has done very little, or nothing to it.
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coppinpr
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Re: GM Laboratories Soccer pinball

Post by coppinpr »

Interesting that it's worth more in the USA than here in the UK. Perhaps even more unusual is that it got made in the USA at all seeing as soccer would have been a minor sport there at the time.
paul g
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Re: GM Laboratories Soccer pinball

Post by paul g »

Just an update on the Soccer pinball table.

I didn't sell it in the end but as highlighted on here I did get a load of interest from the USA about shipping it out there, which I decided against.

So last September I took it to be restored and it is getting very close to being finished. The only issue left is balls! The first two sets didn't work and we have some other balls coming over from China. If anyone knows any details of the balls originally used then that may be very useful if our third attempt doesn't work!

Once I have it back again I will post up some photos of the finished job!
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