Mills Roman Head

Show us what you found. Make us jealous!
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Hiya guys,
I picked up a Mills Roman Head a few weeks ago from an old arcade in Blackpool.... it has a painted blur colour, not sure if this is painted or not? It has three buttons on the top of the Roman lad's head which I'm lead to believe are skill stops?.... but there doesn't seem to be any mechanism to work this. Just wondering if this may be lost or maybe a diff mech in the case?..also underneath the bell fruit symbol there is the name of R. W. London on each reel. I take it this is a fairly good find?..and appreciate you'll prob need pics to give me any advice on the machine but I'm not really computer savvy yet. !PUZZLED! ..anyway any information would be greatly appreciated.
and p.s great site by the way!!! **xXx** !!THUMBSX2!!
User avatar
slotalot
Posts: 2051
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:53 pm
Reaction score: 10
Location: Halifax West Yorkshire
Contact:

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by slotalot »

Hi Funky, welcome :D
Without any photos it's hard to give advice, but I would say that the R W London, is most likely to be Ruffler & Walker. !PUZZLED!
coin-op
Forum Moderator
Posts: 608
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:23 pm
Reaction score: 0
Location: England

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by coin-op »

funky wrote:Hiya guys,
It has three buttons on the top of the Roman lad's head which I'm lead to believe are skill stops?.... but there doesn't seem to be any mechanism to work this. Just wondering if this may be lost or maybe a diff mech in the case
The buttons would have been skill stop buttons, which were incorporated into a lot of '30s bandits as an attempt to get around the gaming laws, and give substance to the argument that these buttons made the machine a game of skill rather than a game of chance. Originally, the buttons would have been linked to internal parts which would have enabled the player to press the buttons and thereby slow down the reels. Whether all operators fitted the whole of these mechanisms in their day or just fitted the buttons for show, I don't know. It may also be the case that as time went on, the operation of the skill stop mechanism created problems or were just a nuisance when servicing the machine (all this is just a guess) and so they pulled them out. However, more often than not, machines with these buttons don't have the internal parts.
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Thanks for your replies, much appreciated... yea there is defo no attachments to the skill stop buttons so you're prob right about these being taken out. I did get it working when I took the workings out and linked the very bottom link together which came loose, but it was working without putting an old penny in it? !PUZZLED! then it stopped working completely !PUZZLED! Anyway it looks really good as a feature in its own right! !!THUMBSX2!! It is actually blue in colour not blur? lol my daft spelling. Would it be advisable to strip it down and try and get it working properly or should I get an expert to revamp it?.... Yea, R W LONDON... strange as I didn't realise they did fruit machine reals? Thanks again for the info!! Hopefully going to get a few allwins and an old arcade game from him this month!!
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by pennymachines »

funky wrote:you'll prob need pics to give me any advice on the machine but I'm not really computer savvy yet.
This should help: How to Upload Images.
User avatar
gameswat
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:17 am
Reaction score: 21
Location: perth, australia

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by gameswat »

Since it's a Penny machine I wonder if this is one of the UK made Roman Heads by Firman? Does the coin enter from the top rhd or top lhd? The English Roman Heads were re-cast with a gooseneck coin entry on the right and used 10 stop Mills mechs from the 1920s. While the original US made versions obviously use a conveyor and the coin enters from the left.
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Thanks for that, I'll try and get pics on at some point when I figure it out. !PUZZLED! and thanks for the message coin op !THUMBS!

Hi gameswat.. yea its a gooseneck and the coin entry slot is from the left hand side, but as I say I'm not to sure if the mech is original to the machine being a bit of a novice in the one arm bandit department :!?!:

Well I say its a penny machine? ...looks like the old penny?.. never thought about it being anything else?... You have me wondering now :!?!:
User avatar
gameswat
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:17 am
Reaction score: 21
Location: perth, australia

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by gameswat »

Hi Funky, if it's a gooseneck then it wasn't made by mills in the USA. Definitely made later in the UK with a second hand Mills mech inside. You misunderstood what i meant by left and right. If you look online you'll see that the Mills Roman Head has an escalator and the coin starts on the far left side of the cabinet. While the gooseneck entry is on the far right hand side of the cabinet. I'd imagine yours is without a jackpot probably? Just a card with a guaranteed payout by the location operator. Here's one I once owned made by Firman in the UK probably in the '30s.
Attachments
roman head copy.jpg
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Thanks gameswat... !THUMBS! ... yea same looking machine as your pic... but mine has the 3 skill stop buttons on the actual Roman head, and when you say escalator do you mean an open chamber where you can see the penny move along from the left hand side? If so, that's what mine is like... You can see the penny move along when you pull the one arm bandit. I can only get it to work when I pull the full mechanism out of case and put it back in again,then it works for approx 5 pulls without putting any money in !PUZZLED! Would love to get it working properly. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually? :dammit:
User avatar
treefrog
Posts: 4813
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:46 pm
Reaction score: 31
Location: Suffolk

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by treefrog »

I think the one below with the coin entry on the right is the one you are talking about also with a dummy escalator window, also showing an original Mills machine with the left hand entry.....
Attachments
roman1.jpg
roman1.jpg (24.6 KiB) Viewed 5828 times
roman3.jpg
roman3.jpg (77.62 KiB) Viewed 5828 times
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Thanks tree frog... the 2nd pic is the one that I have, with the coin entry on the left hand side. Mine's just a diff shade of blue. Nice one !THUMBS!
Only diff is the arm is different to the one in your pics... It's a weird wavy shape (curvy).
User avatar
gameswat
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:17 am
Reaction score: 21
Location: perth, australia

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by gameswat »

Cool, never seen the dummy escalator model before. I guess they made diff castings to suit diff model mechs they had to recycle. Mine was probably an FOK style mech as they had the stops buttons on top. Sorry to confuse you Funky, figured everybody knew what a gooseneck was as opposed to an escalator.
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Yea I should 'ave known gameswat what you meant by a Gooseneck, just got muxed up... Well at least I know the difference now and know that it's a Fish Mouth coin entry on mine.. !THUMBS! ..but as I say, I'm just a novice on the one arm bandit front but got to say the old one arm bandits are a thing of beauty!! !!CHEERS!!
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Could the paper reel strips have been changed at some point due to damage?...and if so, as slotalot says, Ruffler and Walker. Would anyone know if they produced reel strips for these one arm bandits? !!CHEERS!!
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Just an update on the Roman Head machine..... as it turns out, it is an original Mills American machine that was converted to the old penny for British play. All up and running now; has the jackpot feature and all the mech and payouts work now... The original award card for payout of 12 penny win has been put over the payout. I heard that this was because of gaming laws that the max payout was 12? and was changed to keep it legal? Would it be advisable to keep the 12 stuck on, or should I try and unglue them and see what the original payout was?... !THUMBS! ...The awards that have been changed are .......2 Bells and a Bell Fruit = 12, 3 Bells = 12, 3 Bell Fruits = 12 and there's also a sticker over the Gold Award as well. Thanks again!!
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Hiya guys,... I've been on a mission today playing with my machines,... !!YIPPEE!! .......had some spare time...... !!RAYOF!! ..... anyway I've been feeding my roman head, that's my machine 'cos I'm not an Italian !PUZZLED! ....anyway I've been playing away on it all day and to my surprise it payed out the jackpot not once but three times !!YIPPEE!! .......and since I've had it, it has never paid the jackpot, albeit I prob have played it more today than the months I've had it?..... would you bandit experts say that this is common? Is it just the volume of coins I have put in it, or is there some sort of demooons taken over the roman head?.....cheers guys!!
andydotp
Posts: 538
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:35 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by andydotp »

AGGHHHHH NOOOOO funky!!!!!

It's picked up Coppinpr's High Top's 'infliction' (Ref: A very loose slot in 'Lets Talk About Slots').
Mathematically and supposing there is a single BAR on each reel of a ten stop mech the mathematics dictate a JP's odds are 1000:1
If a single BAR on a 20-stop then its 8000:1
But being completely random there is nothing to say one couldn't hit numerous JPs in a short space of time... just that the odds are weighed heavily against it.
andydotp.
funky
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:15 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by funky »

Thanks for the rely Andy..... yea a loose slot?...... I used to like them in my younger days.... :woops: ...........Just mad as a box of frogs as it's never paid out the jackpot in a year and then three times in the same day... It also paid out the 12 pennies seperately to the jackpot for the three winning symbols. Is that correct also?........... At least the loose slut paid me and not the other way about... :burp: .... !!CHEERS!!
andydotp
Posts: 538
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:35 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by andydotp »

Sincerely a pleasure funky,
Yep, three bars always paid/pays the maximum from the coin tube as well as the jp dump.

DISCLAIMER: The following diatribe (whilst actually perfectly true) does not neccessarily reflect the opinion of, or receive endorsement by, the site holder, it's moderators, assignees or stakeholders and any persons reading on do so without recourse to any legal action or compensation from said site administration.
Signed, Justice S. Crutton.

Ohh, our younger days indeed! Being an innocent fresh-faced teenager working for two years as arcade key boy in Playland & The Golden Goose on Rhyl fairground I too have fond memories of the odd loose slut (sp?). Seem to recall I misplaced my Cherry there with a particularly delightful young lass from Barnsley who wore a T-shirt with two Oranges on the front & beneath, the words 'squeeze these'.
She insisted she 'hold the two Plums' and hope for a Bar. My frst Jackpot !! !!YIPPEE!! (My Bell was......) I'm surely gonna be banned for this aren't I?
anon.
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Mills Roman Head

Post by pennymachines »

andydotp wrote:does not neccessarily reflect the opinion of, or receive endorsement by, the site holder, it's moderators... I'm surely gonna be banned for this aren't I?
Disgusting! :tut
Writing "it's" when it's 'its' you mean. Just watch where you shove those apostrophes Andy.
Signed, Justice Scrotum.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests