Just like buses
- coppinpr
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Just like buses
I don't ever remember seeing a Wulff "Perfecta" on ebay,suddenly there are two on at the same time Is it possible some of these were made specifically for the UK market as on the ones in Germany it was spelt "Perfekta"? (One of each on Ebay right now.)
- coppinpr
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Re: Just like buses
In fact, looking more closely, the Perfecta must have been made for the UK as its glass is unaltered (instructions etc), whereas the Perfekta has been converted.
Re: Just like buses
This question has come up before about German Beromat imports and the belief is that they did not make machines direct for the market, but companies had them imported and converted. During this process they had varied levels of quality applied in terms of this video like re-badging, refacing, new glass etc. It also happens with the other type of German wall machines. Must have been done on a reasonable scale for silk screening to have been done, whether this was by Gunter Wulff, or the importer/converter, who knows? You see similar on things like Primus, Arizona etc.
Re: Just like buses
For anyone near to Wales, the PerfeKta is a easy fix. The handle is held down by the locking catch, which can be teased out with a screwdriver. It will be jammed up due to hardened grease & oil on all the horizontal rods, and the damper tubes. The coin entry part has come adrift, part 1 is in the bottom of the case & the spring metal clip that holds it to part 2 might be rattling around the mechanism. If not, then a Bulldog clip spring might do the job. Just finished one myself, if anyone wants it...err..not for free, folding money!
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Re: Just like buses
I think if the Perfecta had been an original made for the UK market they would have found a more elegant solution than the customary enlargement of the coin slot. These are Germans we're talking about, they would surely have manufactured a specific "1d" coin entry.
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Re: Just like buses
I think they were made by Wulff for the UK, it makes no sense otherwise. Printing all the info in English and going to all the trouble of changing just one letter in the name hints of being able to "adjust" the original art work easily before having it printed. If they had been converted over here, why keep the rather obscure "Perfecta" theme when the reels/payout are not linked to that theme?
If you're going to print a screen from scratch you would surely pick a more recognisable English speaking theme like the Arizona (which does not appear in the German list of original models).
Producing a new casting for the coin entry would have been a much more expensive job for a limited number of exports so converting the originals was the cheap way out on what was a cheaply produced machine all round.
If you're going to print a screen from scratch you would surely pick a more recognisable English speaking theme like the Arizona (which does not appear in the German list of original models).
Producing a new casting for the coin entry would have been a much more expensive job for a limited number of exports so converting the originals was the cheap way out on what was a cheaply produced machine all round.
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Re: Just like buses
I'm still not entirely convinced these glasses being made in Germany.
Consider - these games were imported in large numbers because there was a glut available with only three years on the clock, which could no longer be licensed for use in Germany. Wulff were in the business of making and selling new machines, whereas British companies like AMECO were buying used machines from German operators to recondition and revamp for resale here.
It's possible Wulff made new machines with English glasses, but seems unlikely for two reasons. Firstly, the second hand market would have made them very uncompetitive, and secondly, (as Jonesthegarage points out) if they were making them for the English market they would have built them inside and out for the British coin. On every Wulff game I've seen it was evident that the English coin handling was retrofitted. The Wulff zamak castings are either chopped about or replaced.
If you compare those Perfekta glasses, although they are very similar, there are some distinct differences beyond mere letter changing.
Of course, it's also possible that Wulff simply capitalized on the UK second hand market by supplying Anglicized glasses to UK re-vampers.
Consider - these games were imported in large numbers because there was a glut available with only three years on the clock, which could no longer be licensed for use in Germany. Wulff were in the business of making and selling new machines, whereas British companies like AMECO were buying used machines from German operators to recondition and revamp for resale here.
It's possible Wulff made new machines with English glasses, but seems unlikely for two reasons. Firstly, the second hand market would have made them very uncompetitive, and secondly, (as Jonesthegarage points out) if they were making them for the English market they would have built them inside and out for the British coin. On every Wulff game I've seen it was evident that the English coin handling was retrofitted. The Wulff zamak castings are either chopped about or replaced.
The same argument would apply if they were made in Germany for the English market. I think it was just easier to Anglicize the original name where possible. Sometimes they did change the name, for example Goldene Zwölf became Double Six.coppinpr wrote:If they had been converted over here, why keep the rather obscure "Perfecta" theme when the reels/payout are not linked to that theme?
If you compare those Perfekta glasses, although they are very similar, there are some distinct differences beyond mere letter changing.
Of course, it's also possible that Wulff simply capitalized on the UK second hand market by supplying Anglicized glasses to UK re-vampers.
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