My “New” Gameplan Sharpshooter… Pulled From a Cellar After almost 50 years of Abuse
So I just adopted a Gameplan Sharpshooter that has lived one of the roughest lives I’ve ever seen a pinball machine go through — and somehow survived.
A friend gave it to me for free, mostly because it had been sitting in his cellar for over ten years with a blanket tossed over it and beer‑making equipment stacked on top. He also got it for free from his friend… who apparently treated this poor thing like it owed him money.
We’re talking:
• Missing or dry‑rotted rubbers
• Flippers absolutely obliterated
• One flipper completely missing, with the metal base bent upward
• A literal piece of cardboard taped on to mimic a flipper
• Battery‑leaked MPU that destroyed everything underneath it
• A pretty severe wear spot on the playfield down to bare wood
But here’s the funny part:
The backglass is pristine. Like, shockingly nice. Probably because they never had the backbox key to take it off — which also explains why the battery was never changed and the MPU got eaten alive.
And despite all the abuse, it actually has some maintenance history. Every switch on the machine was replaced with brand‑new ones at some point. They look like they were installed today. No dirt, no carbon buildup, nothing. I’m guessing the MPU died shortly after the switch job, and the machine basically never saw play again.
The plan so far:
• New MPU board
• Full flipper rebuild
• New rubbers
• Clean, polish, and bring it back to life
But here’s where I need advice:
That playfield wear spot is deep — down to bare wood — and I don’t really want to go through the hassle of trying to repaint and blend it perfectly. I’m thinking maybe:
• Patch it with just one color or paint
• Lightly sand it flat
• Wax it
• Call it “good enough” for a player’s machine
Not sure if that’s a reasonable approach or if I’m asking for trouble. That dip in the playfield is pretty annoying, though.
If anyone has experience with playfield wear fixes, simple touch‑ups, or Gameplan restorations, I’d love to hear what worked for you