Can I FIX This TOMY Atomic Pinball Machine?

[@jasonash9121]

I had this same machine in the early 80's. I got it for christmas when I was five or six. It was so much fun. I think my parents may have played it even more than me. Thanks for the great memories.

[@ardz8279]

In order, it needs 800 grit, 1500 grit and 2000 grit sandpapers. Then the polish 'll work... Look at videos where they polish headlights back to looking brand new! Great toy!

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks for the info! Didn't think of it like that. I have all those grits from my car detailing days. I'll give it a go! 👍

[@robinsutcliffe_video_art]

@@StezStixFix It is a very good technique. Brasso metal polish is great too for the final polish.

[@Whigu]

Sometimes they only need 1 grit...

[@thedelhiyeti]

​@StezStixFix Hey Steve You're killing me. I restore matchbox cars, which includes restoring the acrylic windscreens. Sandpaper in or 1500 2000 wet sand 3000 wet sand McGuire's plastic polish Floor polish/ let it drip off, then put a casserole pan over it over night to let it dry.(otherwise youll have cat hair baked on)... viola!

[@WhoopsWonders]

You Brought so much nostalga back for me steve. i used to have one of these as a kid. honestly must be about 35/40 years ago I seen one of these. Thats why I love this channel. thanks for all the memories bro. Love your channel :) Keep up the great work

[@sneifert1968]

What he said.

[@enchantededition6879]

Same 😂👍👌

[@scapegoat42]

Just came across this video, I've had one of these tables from new for 44 years, dug it out recently and it makes the same sound as yours did at three beginning, going to attempts the same fix, then the grandkids can enjoy it like my brother and i did back in the 80s.😁

[@Mymatevince]

Great video Steve 👍 Very enjoyable.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Vince! I actually just watched your video on the one you did a couple of years ago, and you had exactly the same issue (even the exact contact) on that switch! Must be a common thing 👍

[@Mymatevince]

@@StezStixFix Yeah, I remember it was something to do with the switch. Crazy that the same contact had gone. I have just done a couple of items where the motors needed a kick start like this pinball. I wonder if it hasn't been used in years if the motor brushes oxidise...so moving it a bit puts it onto a fresh bit of copper, and allows it to start working. Cleaning the oxidisation in the process. Fun item, noisy but clever👍

[@StezStixFix]

@@Mymatevince yeah, that makes perfect sense. Anything stood stationary for any length of time I suppose will have a tendency to stay where it is! 😊

[@dinoianiro9082]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing! The bulb was burnt out in mine, so I wound up using a Christmas tree string light bulb, worked like a charm!

[@uknortherner2000]

I had one of these as a kid (I think I still have it somewhere) and used to have a lot of fun with it, but those D cell batteries were expensive! There was a trick with the power switch where if you move it half-way, the motor and light works but the speaker stays off, which made for a less-noisy (but more enjoyable) experience. This thing really needed a volume control for the sound!

[@TheMrDrMs]

I grew up with this. Still have it at my parents' house. Bought one a couple years ago to fix up myself. Now my kid loves this too.

[@bunabuna9287]

Thanks for the video ❤ I've just repaired mine. Dug it out of loft for my niece she's buzzing. You can't beat these old skool classics 👌

[@kernowvideo]

Nice one Steve you just saved me a good 30 mins of troubleshooting and figuring out how to open it. Bought from boot sale faulty now fixed and cleaned.

[@SyKik8]

oh wow, blast from the past, remember having one of these as a kid

[@brianfalcon9652]

Thank you so much was able to diagnose a missing cog connected to motor with the help of your video for my Tomy Starcom pinball machine😊

[@FiveStringCommando]

8:37 I’ve used automotive polish on guitars before. Nothing wrong with using car polish on anything, really. It works well.

[@Sabel12]

Oh I had this game as a kid, loved it! I used to put my fingers in and manually spin the points wheels, and showed my brother that I got a new high score!

[@clivesilk3501]

i'd love another one of these !!! i had one in the late 80/s ... loved it

[@user-wv5gn5bv5x]

I had one of these as a kid. Slightly jealous you have one now.

[@TheDuke013]

I had one, and my mom still has it, it is a beast of a machine.

[@ricp123]

Man, that invoked some emotion in me. Wholesome.

[@MrApolloTom]

Wow this brought some memories back. So the mysterious 'clock pulse' display was just the speaker grill!

[@Daveyj666]

I remember my neighbour having this in the early 80's, it was ace. Great job btw

[@chris-pike]

Good to see another of your ebay item fixes there , and just as well it was a quick fix for you as it reminded me of one that Vince did some time ago , also can i ask you if you will you be doing any console fixes soon as i really enjoy watching those fixes . Nice 1 Steve 👍

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Chris! Yes, i do have a couple of consoles coming up. I have a PS2, PS3 and a Retron 5 which I'm looking forward to. 👍

[@atranfanatic]

I have always loved that pinball machine! I remember playing it at a friend's house when I was a teenager! I need to get one before they get harder to find. Good job man on the repair!

[@jimmelton5846]

I still have one somewhere but I always disliked it tbh.

[@rufusmtvernon]

I LOVED THAT THING AS A KID!! Want one now!! AAAAAAHHH!!

[@oldmansbase-mint9021]

Very cool! I had this game when I was a kid. I would say around 40+ years ago. I didn't have the skill to play it well.

[@yerkodiegoborjakvessitchva2183]

HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOING IT ! , I VERY LIKE THE WORK OF REPAIRING ELECTRONIC DEVICES FOR THE CONTENT OF YOUR CHANNEL . THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE . WELL DONE . GREETINGS AND TAKE CARE ! . 😎👍🙋🏻‍♂️

[@peachjackson3856]

I picked one of these up and it was perfectly functional for about a month and then I noticed the bumpers weren’t working. I am totally not handy with these things so I think I’m doomed. Excellent video though! Cheers!

[@willrobinson7599]

Another great vid to watch Steve. Looks fun to play too

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Will! It's great to play, a bit noisy though! 😀

[@willrobinson7599]

@@StezStixFix not as noisy as that sonic one u fixed. Bet u need ear protectors for that one lol

[@Jimmy-B-]

Wow brings back memories, I had one of them in the 80s

[@harveybrimer1054]

Great job on the plastic!!

[@BluejuiceT4]

Nice one....at least it had a 'fault'! My last two "faulty' Ebay buys turned out to fully work when I received them! Not so interesting then....

[@StezStixFix]

Yeah, I've had quite a few of those. Some just with a faulty charger or similar. It's frustrating that people don't test things properly! 😏

[@BluejuiceT4]

@@StezStixFix agree, especially when the fun is fixing them and the satisfaction of getting them working!

[@gunnerman1880]

Silly game 😅 bloody noisy too. Good fix tho. Nice 👌

[@yutub561]

headlight restoration kit for the clear plastic

[@JonPadfield]

Nice fix Steve! Had one of these as a child and nice to see it in action again :)

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Jon. I love the sound it makes, it's really loud but satisfying! 😊

[@HavingFunRepairs]

Awesome find and repair!

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks! Yeah, very happy with it, I've wanted one of these bad boys for ages! 😊

[@lforster2]

Oh my god I used to have one. Great job man

[@TheKurtsPlaceChannel]

Very nice video. Thanks for posting and have a nice day too.

[@simonwilliamson1979]

Any plans for a Tomy Astro Shooter pinball repair? It’s a far superior game over Atomic Pinball. I’ve got two with no sound. Love the channel by the way.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Simon. I haven't been able to pick one up yet. The ones I've seen have been very expensive, but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled. 👀

[@willkra]

Seems like a fine quality product.

[@fron3107]

Where'd you get the dark grey mat you used here?

[@awesomerbob]

I had one of these as a kid. I loved it so much but it was so loud!

[@dannysunwantedopinions]

Amazing! I had that exact one as a kid!

[@kennethbarker852]

1st class video to watch thank you take care kind regards from me kenneth😎

[@andycooper4230]

Brill job done there bud

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Andy! 👍

[@ToxoRetro]

Well that was slightly easier than the printer... 😝 Pretty cool 80s/90s toy. It has the typical loud motor buzz and insistence of using C/D cells as opposed to a transformer pack. Oh the nostalgia. Talking nostalgic toys, I see Ashens has a recently released level 2 Screwball Scramble. I didn't expect that to happen.

[@StezStixFix]

Yeah, just a bit easier! 🤣 I noticed Ashens had that, not watched it yet but I'll check it out. 👍

[@nbaua3454]

What about the score panel, I guess you could have checked that as well.. I'm not sure if it was having some LEDs on there

[@anthonyaviles8665]

I use those cheap model paint brushes to put the grease on the gears

[@Wenlocktvdx]

Reminds me of fixing toys when my nieces were little. There was a pinball machine like this one, just a single bumper with a motor driving a big cam to do the bump. Think it just needed cleaning a bit. There was a beat box which entertained the oldest niece. It stopped flashing and I found a bulb had gone. It was a “grain of wheat” one controlled by the first of two transistors. Because that robbed the first transistor of output voltage the second transistor didn’t get any drive. I found a suitable bulb in my junk box. There was a toy that blew bubbles, basically a monkey that dipped a ring into a barrel of bubble liquid and raised it so a jet of air from the mouth would blow the bubbles. The nephews kept playing with it and caused several breakages. A gear failed and I grabbed a bag of gears from an electronics retailer, keeping it going until the bottom fell out of the barrel. I glued it back but it eventually fell apart. I think it took quite a beating, but that’s what kids do. Fixing my sisters computer issues was another pastime, mostly software but my brother in law did manage to blow up a 1.44MB floppy drive. A slight,y used one from a swap meet sorted that issue.

[@georgemartinez1720]

What Tool did you used to dissemble the switch

[@StezStixFix]

I just used a metal pry tool I think. Something with a flat edge to bend over the tabs! 👍

[@MeegoHeebo]

Well done

[@ggmtv1394]

My kids had one of those! but I became the Pinball Wizard!

[@Segafishy]

Dunno if it's any intrest to you or fans of the channel but this christmas just gone (and I think it's still avalible) someone released a slightly modernised clone under the Neon Series label, the graphics are different but the playfield is the same with a LCD display and more musical soundchip taking the place of the old reels and sound, motors are still noisy as hell but atleast run on AAs now. Hoping someone now gets their mits on the Astro shooter series (the bigger brother of Atomic) as originals, especially the Coca Cola variant, are fairly pricy so a clone will likely be the only way I can justify one.

[@EgoChip]

My brother had one of these, it was hard to sneak a go on it because of the noise it made. But I would when he was out.

[@mattcook3615]

Wait...wait...you beat the sword master of melee island and all you got was that t-shirt?!? lol another great video man!

[@StezStixFix]

🤣🤣 Well spotted Matt!

[@mattcook3615]

@@StezStixFix 🤣🤣 I have a small retro game business called Melee Island Retro Gaming. I love your videos as it helps me fix some of the stuff I get in

[@StezStixFix]

@@mattcook3615 Love it, that's an awesome name! 👍😁

[@CapedGeekMarcel]

Tomy Atomic Arcade, 1979. Still versioning until 2000's. Came as Atomic, thunderball, Starcom, SPACE WAR! and many other flavors (including a mini version, and a electronic scoring version).

[@neillbowers9654]

Just found your channel Steve, brought back a lot of great childhood memories watching this. I used to play this and my Tomy super cup football game to death when i was a kid. Keep up the good work

[@RedFarmer2000]

Nice! I still have mine boxed in excellent condition that i got when i was a kid. The box looks a little different though and it's called Tomy Pinnggball Flipper and has one of those happy 70-80's kids playing it on the picture, but mine was sold in Sweden so i guess it's a regional thing. Tried it a couple of years ago and it suffered the same problem as yours. I opened it up and it magically started working again without me doing anything in particular :)

[@whatislovebutonelonggame5406]

sweet, previous owner must had a very happy childhood~

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks WILBOLG! Yeah, some happy memories for someone. Now I'[m having fun with it - I've always wanted one 😊

[@johnrogers2826]

what the,,,,,? really? awesome!

[@Diemermakes]

Found one of these at the thrift store (in a slightly different theme I think) and now I have some idea of how to fix it. Thanks!

[@leeg4116]

Great video mate, you need some more practice on it though 🤣🤣 I remember me and my brother having one of those, caused a few arguments lol

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Lee! yeah, I'm pretty terrible at it but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually! 😂

[@galbraith69]

I have the exact same toy in my attic... Maybe I'll revisit it :D

[@Charlie_Crown]

£8.50? ....what a result 😁👍

[@DrMurdercock]

that spray wax, only takes a lil dab to do a large area.

[@Goludan]

These Tomys remind me of my old Ideal Ghostbusters pinball game from 1988..

[@blueberrycheesecakesupremo7947]

What a blast from the past. I had one when I was a kid and I loved it.

[@namco003]

OMG! My brother got one of these when we were little. We're 50ish now

[@NOXFPV]

Another awesome video.

[@OOOHBILLY]

Neat fix.

[@coryengel]

I had one of these! Loads of fun, but he scorekeeping was pretty bogus.

[@StezStixFix]

Haha, yeah the score isn't particularly meaningful, it just rotates one click each time one of the bumpers is hit. Still great fun though 😀

[@Slangers]

I still have a working one of these.

[@camdflage]

So many questions. Most of which involve “givvus a go”, and “can I havva nuvva go?”

[@dodgydruid]

The Fat Controller the day Thomas ran him over, he was chuffed to bits too... :P

[@StezStixFix]

🤣🤣🤣

[@steveevans7046]

I had one of these and played it all the time. Was my best toy, until it annoyed everyone. Better than the sonic by a mile

[@frozerinosrepairs]

Nice video

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks! 😊

[@Poorlilrichboy80]

I got this for Xmas of 1988.

[@StezStixFix]

Nice! I bet these were one of the must have xmas gifts at that time. And I bet most parents instantly regretted it once they heard how noisy they were! 😁

[@tudorhedgepig]

Ah, happy memories...

[@Richie_]

I'm sure I played this when it first came out.

[@johnsamu]

It might have been better to replace the motor while you were at it. These little motors cost next to nothing nowadays. It might be that the little motor inner contacts are worn. Grease on plastic gears isn't always a good idea because they often don't need lubrication and grease attracts dust which will make it gunk up.

[@n1ck211]

£8.50 someone's splashing out the youtube money lol

[@StezStixFix]

Ooh yeah, splashing the big bucks 😆

[@neindochoohh7955]

Still have mine from 1983

[@tudorhedgepig]

Awww. I had one of those 😍

[@Visionism]

This is one of those toys I had that I still think about regularly. Very fun, even if you could cheat by tapping the plastic above the bumpers!

[@Nightbane37]

I had one of those gave it to a kid before wr moved wore it out playing

[@scarface5546]

I had this as a kid, but the motor didnt scream like that all the time.

[@zyxyuv1650]

hey Steve check out the video "How to Remove Scratches from Glossy Plastic"

[@LaurenceReeves]

So you were the dude I lost the bid to... haha

[@McSynth]

It's a noisy bugger !

[@Raziel1984]

i think i had one as a kid :D

[@mojoblues66]

5:11 again measuring continuity while the device is powered, ask your pal Vince why you shouldn't do that.

[@simonperry8569]

Imagine the cost of batteries back in the day to keep that running. Ouch! You deserve a big bag of pork scratchings and a pint of scrumpy after that.

[@zarrow50]

Toothpaste is supposed to be good for removing scratches

[@mikebe2090]

You didn’t check for radiation!!! ☢️

[@tw7748113]

Still has that annoying high pitch wheezing sound... Figure that's normal, or just the age of the device?

[@StezStixFix]

Yeah, I think it has always sounded like that. It certainly isn't quiet, but you do get used to it whilst playing and it just becomes part of the experience! 😬

[@johnsnowdon2939]

@@StezStixFix I owned one of these from new in the 80's.... and it *always* had that sound in the background! That reminds me... I wonder if it is still up the parents attic somewhere.....

[@DavidPlass]

"Stupid game".

[@enchantededition6879]

Bargain. They weren’t cheap if I remember correctly.

[@karlc9773]

Stupid Game !!!

[@em4736]

Please help. We have this toy and we love it. Sadly it doesn't blick anymore. LED burned out. I tried to replace the led, but it still doesn't work. I am a total electrical dummy but I can solder. What can be wrong there? How to find the fault?