Please keep in mind that some questions take a bit of research, so that answers to some questions may not show up right away. Also, with all the questions in his mailbox, Uncle Willy can only answer the questions of general interest.

Uncle Willy enjoys hearing from you!

Back issues of "Ask Uncle Willy" can be found here.

Question:	Could you provide the design credits for the following games:
		Pokerino, Blackout, Alien Poker, Barracora, Warlok and Laser
		Cue?

Answer:		Uncle Willy spent quite a bit of time interrogating the
		experts to find out this information.  Unfortunately, full
		design credits were hard to come by on these games.  Uncle
		Willy would appreciate if anyone with further information
		or corrections on these games would send the info to
		uncle_willy@wms.com.


		Pokerino (Williams, 1978)
		  Designed by Steven Kordek
		  Art by Tony Ramunni

		Blackout (Williams, 1980)
		  Designed by Claude Fernandez
		  Art by Constantino Mitchell

		Alien Poker (Williams, 1980)
		  Designed by Edward Tomaszewski w/input from Steven Kordek
		  Art by Tony Ramunni

		Barracora (Williams, 1981)
		  Designed by Roger Sharpe and Steve Epstein w/assistance
		     from Steve Kordek
		  Art by Doug Watson
       		  Software by Ed Suchocki

		Warlok (Williams, 1983)
		  Designed by Mike Kubin
		  Art by Constantino Mitchell and Seamus McLaughlin
		  Software by Cary Kolker

		Laser Cue (Williams, 1984)
		  Designed by Edward Tomaszewski
		  Art by Pam Erickson


Question:	I have seen several Theatre of Magic pinballs where the
		flipper angle appears strange.  What is the correct adjust-
		ment for the placement of the flippers?

Answer:		To correctly adjust the flippers on Theatre of Magic, locate
		the marker holes in the playfield just below each flipper.
		The bottom of the flipper plastic should line up with the top
		edge of the marker hole.  (A wire brad inserted in the marker
		hole is helpful in this alignment process.)

		Mr. Popadiuk (designer of Theatre of Magic) says:  "I made
		the flipper angle a bit droopier than normal to make it
		easier to shoot the two outside loop shots."


Question:	What games has Mark Ritchie designed?

Answer:		Thunderball (a pinball game that was never produced),
		Firepower II, Pennant Fever (a pitch-and-bat baseball game),
		Sorcerer, Road Kings, Big Guns, Taxi, Police Force (co-
		designed with Barry Oursler), Diner, Slugfest (another pitch-
		and-bat base-ball game), Fish Tales, and Indiana Jones.
		These games were all designed while Mr. Ritchie was employed
		at Williams Electronics Games, Inc.; he is now working for
		CAPCOM Coin-Op, Inc.


Question:	I am looking for an old pinball machine that was popular
		back in the '60s or '70s, where should I look to buy one?
		Also, I am interested in shooting games and old driving
		games.  Do you have any hints on finding such games?

Answer:		Uncle Willy has found that collecting old coin-op equipment
		to be an interesting and rewarding hobby.  Beware, though,
		that coin-op machines do NOT like to be alone.  They are
		always happier when kept as part of a larger collection.

		There are many sources for that old coin-op piece, and the
		price you pay will depend upon how hard you look and how
		much fixing up you are willing to do.  Start by looking under
		"Amusement Games" in the Yellow Pages where you live.  Many
		cities have businesses which specialize in selling re-
		furbished coin-op equipment to the home market.  It also pays
		to note the phone numbers on the operator's stickers on the
		games you play out on location -- sometimes that operator
		has something collecting dust in the back room that is just
		what you are looking for.

		Uncle Willy also recommends subscribing to a collector
		magazine or newsletter.  Not only are these a great source
		of classified advertisements, but they will also keep you
		up to date on collector shows or auctions in your area.

		Consult the rec.games.pinball FAQ for magazine/newsletter
		information and for more tips on tracking down that special
		piece of coin-op equipment.


Question:	What products do you recommend for cleaning pinball games?

Answer:		Uncle Willy cannot comment on any particular product for
		keeping your pinballs clean.  He recommends consulting the
		rec.games.pinball FAQ for others' opinions on products to
		use.  The most important thing to remember about cleaning
		your pinball machines is to clean them often!  Letting the
		grunge build up not only will slow down the play of a game,
		but is also a sure way to increase the rate of wear of the
		playfield.


Question:	Does Williams Electronics Games give tours of its pinball
		factory?

Answer:		In short, no.  The exception to this is when Williams conducts
		a tour of the plant in conjuction with the Pinball Expo.  Note
		that the pinball manufacturers in Chicago take turns hosting
		the factory tour from year-to-year.


Question:	Why don't the flashers on my World Cup Soccer game work in
		test mode?  They seem to work fine during game play.

Answer:		The coin door interlock switch on your World Cup Soccer
		disables the 50v and 20v power supplies to the playfield.
		The 50v supply is used by the coils and the 20v supply is
		used by the flashers.  To test coils and flashers with the
		coin door open, use the yellow service clip to hold in the
		interlock switch.


Question:	I am trying to restore an old pinball machine and would
		like to touchup the playfield and backglass.  Does Uncle
		Willy have any hints on how to do this?  Where can I get
		artwork of games for reference for this touchup work?  	Where
		can I get pictures of games, in general?

Answer:		Uncle Willy feels for you.  While he does not have any
		experience in backglass restoration, Uncle Willy would refer
		you to the November 1990 issue of the Pinball Trader
		newsletter.  This issue had an article that describes a very
		intricate method of matching colors and touching up a back-
		glass.  Perhaps some r.g.p reader can look up this issue
		for you and photocopy the article.  (The method sure scared
		Uncle Willy off from trying to do any backglass restoration,
		but it might be worth a try for a more intrepid collector.
		In fact, Uncle Willy would be interested in hearing about
		others' experiences with backglass restoration.)

		Uncle Willy has done some considerable work on touching up
		playfields, however.  The r.g.p FAQ recommends using enamel
		paints, such as those used for model building.  However,
		Uncle Willy has had good luck with artists acrylic paints
		and finds them easy to work with and match colors.  One big
		advantage is that these paints are water-soluble before they
		dry.  Lots of patience in mixing and painting are required
		to do this work well.  After the paint is dry, cover the
		repainted areas with polyurethane.  (Keep in mind that this
		information is from Uncle Willy's personal experience --
		your mileage may vary.)

		Finding good reference material is very difficult.  Many
		people collect pinball advertising flyers to assist them in
		refurbishing their games.  Unfortunately, changes are often
		made to a game between the time the flyer photos are taken
		and the game enters production.  This affects the accuracy
		of the information in the flyers.  Check the recommended book
		list in the r.g.p FAQ for further reference material.  These
		books are filled with many color pictures of games.

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