New in the lineup, it's JIGSAW! One of the most iconic of the prewar games, this machine will eventually sit next to my Rock-ola World's Series. (that machine was off to get fixed a few years ago, but my friend had a few tragedies so that's been delayed)
The road from York Show
At the show I met up with fellow prewar collectors Jeff and Frank and both were quite confident I'd be able to find a Jigsaw eventually. Fast forward a few months and Frank from the show was headed to Maryland to pick this game up for me, and Jeff was helping me with some repair tips over DMs. Turns out they were correct, and everything I had aspired for at York came to fruition.
A Curious Game
Jigsaw, World's Series, and Merry-Go-Round were the trifecta of prewar pins that I first settled on as a major goal for my gameroom. They each embody remarkable innovation while being entirely mechanical. (Oh I hear you clamoring about Army/Navy and I love it to pieces but in all honestly for that coin I'd rather have a Medieval Madness in my lineup)
Jigsaw's gameplay design is a bit odd to me, and it feels like perhaps the game was initially designed one way, and then reworked. Let me explain.
The grid has point values that correspond with individual pieces. The upper-left-most hole on the grid is 400 points, and corresponds with the upper left puzzle piece that is also labeled 400. But entering that hole reveals the whole column, just like the hole above it labeled 1000.
If you get the ball in the top-center 2000-point hole, you reveal the entire center column, the most valuable shot (apart from the Double Score hole at the very top of the playfield, not shown). But if you hit that 2000 point shot again in the same game, nothing happens as the puzzle is already revealed. That is, unless you're actively counting the score of each ball, which most people won't.
At the end of the game all you have for your score is the revealed puzzle pieces.. There is a disconnect between the scores on the playfield holes and the scored holes the player gets.
The balls fall into a metal-rimmed "totalizer" at the bottom, showing you how many balls have been played. There is one section for each column, but there is no actual information to be understood from looking at the balls in their separate areas, aside from counting how many have been played. The totalizer is another feature, like the scores written on the playfield, that don't have an actual connection to the gameplay experience. All that matters is the scores on the revealed puzzle pieces!
These 'vestigial' features offer possibilities for playing the game differently. If someone is there to watch the score, or perhaps you stream the gameplay, it'd be easy to validate a total score from the pockets hit.
A clever rule-maker could also invent scoring penalties based on the totalizer columns. We have the extraneous data of how many balls went into each of the 5 columns, perhaps we can invent a rule to utilize that? For example, -100 points for every ball past 2 in any column.
With any game, I'm always curious as to how we can approach the game for competitive play, and how the rules might be extended.
Repairs
The repairs on this machine are not done. There are some traps that don't release as smoothly as I'd like them to. There are a handful of little things that need attention. But currently, the game is now playable.
When I picked the game up at the shipping depot it had obviously been dropped on its corner.
I've talked about my eye problems before and I am moving away from projects because I can no longer gap switches and such, but what I can still handle is GLUEING AND CLAMPING! There were some parts of this job where I wasn't able to see what I needed, but I compensated by feeling it out with my finger tips. Mind you, this coping strategy won't work out well for any machine with electricity. ;)
The ball lifter mechanisms had two breaks as well, and so this was a great time for me to learn how to use JB Weld. (It's super easy to use, highly recommended)
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| the metal piece is broken from the mechanism, and if you look at the lifter mech on the side wall that has a crack too. |
After cleaning the components, I reinstalled just the essential parts. Normally you'd want to clamp your parts while JB Weld cures for 24 hours, but these parts had no uniform vector to clamp along though they lined up perfectly when placed in the cab. I screwed them in and applied zip ties for a bit more secure pressure.
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| this one was easy to repair since it was held together at the other end of the piece. |
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| both parts fixed |
To get to the pieces, you first have to remove the totalizer's metal via 3 screws
Then there are 2 small screws at the top of the metal frame around the puzzle. Once that is off, you'll see where the puzzle pieces' rods lay, and they can easily be pulled up and out.
To get into the playfield you have to remove this pin from the backside:
Then I remove this one plate from the side, and you can actually pull away the lower portion of the playfield from the top one.
Lots of rust and dirt inside to clean
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| lots of rust in the under-channels |
The puzzle pieces themselves were fairly straightforward to work with, even though they are quite delicate.
Buckwerx Order
There's a joke in the prewar world where every Rock-Ola machine you work on requires a minimum of 2 orders to Buckwerx, a site that makes and sells spare parts. You'd often hedge towards a minimum order, trying to get away with limiting spending, but then you'd end up having to place a 2nd order realizing you really did need those extra parts you were hemming and hawing over.
Here's my modest shopping list for this project:
- Rubber damper
- 2 small gates
- Tilt spring
- Puzzle spring kit
- Outside shooter spring
- Shooter tip
I don't NEED the tilt spring, but I'd like to try with a fresh one. The tilt does currently work. Most of the puzzle pieces work perfectly, but I think they'd all benefit with a fresh spring. There's at least 2 pieces that really do need a fresh spring.
Lineage
This machine came with some notes on lineage from the seller, and it was purchased by her grandmother back in the 1950s! The lack of sun damage to the artwork is pretty special.
From her mom:
"My mother loved to go to local auctions in Dutchess county, NY, especially in the 1950s. I think she brought it home when I was in middle school. We kept it in the attic playroom. It was not really used and I took it for our kids when they sold the house. We had it in CT."
From the seller:
I grew up in CT and we had it set up in our playroom and my brothers and I would play. When my folks moved to MA in 2003, I claimed it for my home in CT, but then moved to MD in 2007 and brought it with me. I had it set up for a while but then stored it away. As an artist I always admired the beauty of the piece and knew that it should belong to someone who loved the game. It took me forever to sell it, I think it sat in my living room for two years...very hard to part with! But I believe it has found a good home with you! My grandmother's first daughter actually lived her adult life in Canada, raising a family, so that's another karma point! That's all I know about it. If you find any little girl love letters in the lock box let me know, lol! Enjoy!!
This machine now has a place of honour in my collection, and I will be sure to share it's magic and joy with my own daughter, and maybe even bring it to a few pinball shows. :)
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