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Got this tinplate one.

So is that flag out of a crane Dave, or do you just happen to have one that size?

I have no idea where it came from. But I've cleared lots of arcades in the past and it was amongst that lot.

That looks a lot like this American Flag 48 Stars antique hat pin. Maybe that's what they used?

The size is perfect for Dave's tin flag and looks very close to the advert, and since he found it at an arcade I'll bet money it's the one!

pennymachines wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:04 pm I couldn't thread a pin down mine, so if there's a hole, it must be very narrow.

PM, could the old wire be broken off in your mast and that's why the hole seems tiny?

It's difficult to examine without disassembly, but I poked a thin wire down to the depth of almost 1/2". How do you think this would have held the flag, as it obviously doesn't rest on top of the mast?

I just measured the depth of the hole and exactly 1/2" deep. So the flag should stick up close to 1" looking at Dave's tape measure. That seems perfectly sized to me. I imagine if it's not a tight fit then a dob of glue would have kept it in place and from falling out when laid on it's back for moving. Though they always seem to be missing so maybe they were just a push fit?

Oh, I get it - so the flag adds another inch or so to the height of the mast.

PM, I meant 1" to the bottom of the flag, so the whole thing will add close to 2.5" above the mast on my game, more than enough room to accommodate that.

Yep

Another long term project just finished and also soon to leave my employ....This was my first crane and was very happy to buy it locally from an old operator buddy of my father's, even though it was a true basket case. Purchased in 2003 and was half restored by 2004, but then soon after I had to abandon it for a decade. In 2005 I purchased a French Bonzini & Sopransi mid 1930s crane that used the same mechanism as the Exhibit Merchantman machine, I believe under licence to Exhibit. I knew if I finished the Exhibit machine sooner or later a collector would pry it off me when I needed the cash. So by leaving it alone it would still be here to copy any parts I didn't track down for the B&S machine. Only took 10 years to finally buy the correct French mech at an elephant house auction! Then a local friend and customer gave me a down payment to get re-started onto the Merchantman (2015) and only as of a couple of days ago have I actually finished the damned thing!! I am an idiot though, I was given two different OK copies of the background poster as re-painted by artists, but that wasn't good enough for me. So having documented any originals in my travels, which were all terrible, and using my own horrendous example as a starting point I then spent around 45+ hrs re-making the poster.

What a fabulous Job! Stunning.

The background scene really sets the whole thing off. I mostly remember seeing them with a faded backboard, or just painted or wallpapered over.
Mine has 1" mirror tiles, which I've seen before on British-operated examples. It gives a good impression of 'more swag', so I'm leaving it alone.
My cabinet is the same, although painted and grained, but doesn't have the pediment. Do you think it is missing?

The adverts all show the machine with the marquee. But I only ever add them back to machines when I find the screw holes or bracket marks that prove the machine did have it once installed. Though with these big US companies like Exhibit I image they all came as shown on the flyers. While I've seen many variations from the adverts with the much smaller production British made machines. Reading the Specifications copy on the bottom of the flyer it states a height of 71", and on measuring my machine that includes the marquee, so I'd say they all came with the marquee originally.

Splendid work, Gameswat. You definitely play the "long game."

J Peterson
US fan

Looks amazing, well done!

Grand job! Thank goodness your customer didn't die in the interim.

There were 2 styles of posters used as background.

One was a night scene the other a day scene

Sjt, except both those backgrounds are recent re-imaginings, loosely hand-painted based on the original art. The period advertising states the art is a Night-time scene, so I'll stick with that unless you come up with an original litho background that is different, and or advertising that states a differing daytime artwork in written form?

The backgrounds I've seen were hand painted. Possibly some creative license was exercised.