20 years. I have been tinkering in this hobby for that long. Yes, I do know that some have for much longer. LOL... but my point is that due to me doing it that long, very little excites me much. I have had 500+ machines pass through my hands. I had collected most classic Sterns before they ever became cool.
But... sometimes... I find something that gets me giddy.
So I saw this pin rotting away in Alouette's stash of rotting stuff in their attic. It caught my eye as I didn't recognize it. And for those who know me VERY well, That just doesn't happen much. I read all the books, memorize the price guides in regards to brands, titles, designers, etc. Ask Azatotht about La Retata. LOL
So for me to not recognize this pin, it had my undivided attention.
I knew from the shape that it was a widebody Gottlieb cabinet... but covered with steel sheets with ugly-AF art on it. I managed to lift the backbox off the cab and saw the backglass. Ohhhh NOW I was REALLY intrigued. I knew that backglass art from somewhere... just couldn't put my finger on it.
Fast forward some time later, with an assist from Gottlieb Rob (he is integral to this project), I pick up the game.
OK... before I start on the game, let me just say this. OOWWWWWWWWW.
1- This is a widebody Gottlieb that has swelled a bit on the bottom (not too bad), PLUS
2- it is covered in STEEL, so...
... This machine has won the title of HEAVIEST goddamn machine I own. Heavier than the Sub Pack. AND, it gouged the hell out of my right arm. Steel edges scratch bad. Who knew...
OK, back on track.As previously stated, this game was rotting away in the attic, part of a stash of machines routed in... Tunisia!
There seems to be very little info on this game. Some say it is a Europlay, some say it is a Barni. There are no real marks that I have found on it yet. I just started working on it.
The good news? Gottlieb Rob did manage to fix the boards and they work! He even managed to get the roms copied. I offered to IPDB to send them the roms, but no news yet.
The machine is complete but is rough. The cab's steel covering is rough, backglass has some scratches, coindoor is messed up, and bottom of the cab has some swelling a bit, but I will restore it. Even the cab glass looks like it was sandblasted. I have never seen such wear. I will replace the glass but keep the old one just out of curiosity.
Fun fact (and kind of sad...), the machine was originally a Haunted House. There is still a tag in the backbox, and I pulled off the steel plate off the backbox a bit, exposing HH cab art. The 2 front flipper buttons aren't connected to anything anymore.
Also, fun fact, when I saw the pin, it looked REALLY familiar. Well, I was a fan of 80's B-movies, and I managed to find it... the art is straight from the movie poster for Escape From The Bronx. LOL
I would love to find more of these European gems...
Stay tuned for more on this utterly worthless, yet historically significant and rare turdnugget.
Why restore a machine that is essentially a ruined HH?
Why not.
- Escape from the Bronx movie poster.JPG (57.55 KiB) Viewed 839 times
I'm really tempted to put more time again in the hobby seeing project like this one or even the dead Slugfest pinhead is selling, I have more fun bring back to life machines than playing it! Still have to big projects left so maybe in 2021 
