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Matching Pinball Machine Cabinet Colors

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New Information: 
 
Paint formula matching 
using the Pantone ColorCue

 

Alphabetical Game List

  Bad Cats
  Black Hole
  Black Knight
  Capt Fantastic
  Earthshaker
  Eight Ball Deluxe
  Fathom
  Funhouse
  Gold Strike
  Gorgar
  Haunted House Gun Game
  Hulk
  Kiss
  Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man
  Paragon
  Pinball Magic
  Playboy
  Star Trek
  Whirlwind
  White Water

Leg colors


This page contains information about choosing paint colors for repainting pinball machine cabinets.  We have assembled information from our own experience, advice from others, and tips gleaned from other sites on the Internet.  This list is not limited to machines for which we make stencils, but any pinball machine - including later ones with silk screened cabinets.  If you have additions, corrections, comments or other information that you would like to see on this page, please let us know.  Credit will be given to everyone who contributes to this page.

We would recommend that you make your own decisions about color choice since there are many factors that will affect the final result.  Some of those factors are:

  • The colors that you are trying to match.  You can try to match the colors when the machine was new, or you can tone them down a notch or two - which some people find more fitting for an older game.
  • Once you decide on the colors, you need some way of specifying the colors, such as paint samples.  You may or may not be able to find a paint supplier that can make an exact match, or the particular brands mentioned here may not be available in your area.

We are experimenting with the Pantone ColorCue colorimeter, using it to make highly accurate color measurements and developing a means to convert those measurements to actual paint formulas.  Here is the page detailing the process.  In the tables below you will see a number of games with ColorCue/EasyRGB paint information.  The numbers are the RGB values of the actual cabinet, as measured by the Pantone ColorCue using the special methods detailed on the Color Cue page.  You can enter those RGB values on the EasyRGB website, choose a paint manufacturer, and the website will display the closest color matches.

Check the list on the left for an alphabetical game list.

Game List 
(chronological - new entries first)

Capcom Pinball Magic

Recommendations from Rich Wiski on RGP:

  • Purple:
    Sherwin-Williams Oil-based Ultra-Deep Gloss Enamel base

    BAC COLORANT OZ 32 64 128
      W1-White - 2 1 -
      L1-BLUE - 13 1 -
      R3 MAGENTA - 34 1 1

Bally Eight Ball Deluxe

Recommendations from silverball on RGP:

  • Creme:
    Royal Latex High Gloss (102)
    Latex and Oil Enamels midtone 320

    INGRD Y 1/48 1/96
      B 0 4 1
      C 0 18 0
      L 0 3 1

  • Gold: Bountiful Harvest
    Royal Latex High Gloss (102)
    Latex and Oil Enamels neutral 173A3430

    INGRD Y 1/48 1/96
      C 2 24 0
      KX 0 24 0

Midway Haunted House gun game

Recommendations from David Schulpius:

  • White: American Accents acrylic: Heirloom White
  • Black: generic satin black
  • Red speckling: American Accents acrylic gloss Apple Red
  • Purple: American Accents spray - Grape satin

American Accents paints are made by Rust-oleum and are availabe at Menard's.

Gorgar

Capt. Fantastic

Gold Strike

  • ColorCue/EasyRGB paint info:
    Cream: 237 223 201
    Orange: 192 78 30
    Brown: 134 79 49

Paragon

Williams White Water 

  • Painter's Touch - Deep Blue #1927 (Bryan Kelly: "close but not quite")
    (http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/WW-restoration/ww11)
     
  • Home Depot Evermore Latex High Gloss Enamel 
    Base3 (HD7113) (Quart)
    E Thalo Blue (OZ) 3 (48) 31 (96) 1
    KX White (OZ) 0 (48) 10 (96) 1
    V Magenta (OZ) 0 (48) 5 (96) 1
    (Tim Hanian)
  • Glidden Blazer Blue 43BB 09/340
    (Mike)
  • Ace Royal High Gloss "Regal Blue" - "not quite exact, but very close"
    (Alex/gameroomfan)
  • Also see Arizona Bruce's recommendation for Funhouse blue

 

Bally Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man

The colors used on the Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man pinball machine are close to identical to those used on the Ms. Pac-Man video game.  Here is some information from Dawn and Mike Appolo's Ms. Pac-Man page:

  • Pink - Glidden Passion Flower 30RR 26/335
  • Blue - Glidden Rhapsody 50BG 16/306
  • Yellow - Glidden Sunny Side Up 37YY 61/877

 

Gottlieb Black Hole

  • Blue: Rustoleum Painter's Choice - Brilliant Blue #1926.
    (Chris Munson)

 

Williams Funhouse

  • Blue: Tough to match, but Krylon True Blue is closest.
  • Blue to match Phoenix Arcade's cabinet decals:
    Lowes American Tradition interior gloss B-4
    Colorants: 02-2Y 15.5 113-5 115-26.5
    (Julie and Jon)
  • Blue (also claimed to match Whitewater):
    Glidden Evermore interior latex enamel, semi-gloss, base 3
    HD 6413 "28 FL. OZ.
    (Arizona Bruce)
    Colorant OZ 48 96
    B Lamp Black 0 1 0
    E Thalo Blue 3 1 1
    KX White 0 26 1
    V Magenta 0 43 1

 

Williams Whirlwind

  • Home Depot Conco Oil Base High Gloss Enamel 
    540 Accent Base 1
    C Yellow Oxid 0 (OZ) 1 (48) 1 (96) 
    D Thalo Green 0 (OZ) 17 (48) 1 (96) 
    E Thalo Blue 2 (OZ) 28 (48) 0 (96) 
    KX White 0 (OZ) 24 (48) 0 (96)

 

Gottlieb Hulk

  • Purple: Home Depot Behr brand "Plum Jam" color 690B-7 (in-house) or
    California satin Neutral base #53695 +
    color E=3.5, B=0.5, C=3.75, KX=12, L=6, V=2Y26 (pinballmike217)
  • Green: Home Depot Behr brand "Rolling Hills" color S-H-400 (Eric A.) or
    California satin latex Ultra Deep Base #53694 + 
    color D=7.25, T=147, I=1 (pinballmike217)

 

Williams Earthshaker 

Possibly better suited to the the lighter proto cabinet, or to a more faded original cabinet:

  • Blue: Lowes Brand - Valspar 
    Base - B 4-44986 
    Color - 107 Quantity - 0 Y 3.5/48 
    Color - 102 Quantity - 1 Y 24.0/48 
    Color - 113 Quantity - 0 Y 6.5/48 
    Color - 115 Quantity - 1 Y 13.0/48 
"Perfect match" for original paint around backbox; slightly off from (somewhat faded) original decals (Ed on RGP):
  • Blue: Lowes Brand - Valspar Satin (1/2 pint) 
    Base: 4-94101 
    101-5.5 
    102-1Y16 
    113-3 

Williams Bad Cats 

  • Orange:  Lowes Brand - Valspar 
    Base - B 4-1330 
    Color - 111 Quantity - 1 Y 35 
    Color - 113 Quantity - 33 
    Color - 116 Quantity - 26.5

 

Williams Black Knight

  • Base coat: Black
  • Yellow: Krylon Sun Yellow)
  • Red: (Krylon Banner Red or Red Pepper)

Bally Fathom

  • Blue: Olympic quarts, semi-gloss latex
    Base 5
    101-22.5   102-2Y3  113-11   116-12.5
  • Teal: Olympic "Grecian Isle" quarts, semi-gloss latex
    Paint Color 101-6. 
    Base 5
    102-8   103-1Y18  105-4   113-1Y28
  • Yellow: American Tradition "Banana Green"
    Paint color 95-41B
    Base 5
    103-2   107-1+1  111-1Y20   113-1Y24+1
    (All from Scott Farrar)
      
  • ColorCue/EasyRGB paint info:
    Dark blue: 27 53 80
    Aqua: 29 151 150
    Teal: 115 152 65

 

Bally Kiss

The original base color was close to a pure white , which would have shifted towards an ivory over time. Which you use is a matter of personal preference. The second stencil color is a solid black, which is universally available. 

  • Orange: "Allis-Chalmers Orange". Allis-Chalmers is a manufacturer of heavy machine and farm equipment, so most paint shops should have the formula. Others have used "Chevy Engine Red" and Dupli-Color # DE1607 Chevrolet Red/Orange, which are available in spray cans.

 

Bally Playboy

The cabinet base color is white, and the stencil colors are black and purple.  Here's a formula for the deep purple color:

  • Home Depot oil-based semi-gloss enamel
    Colorant OZ 48 96
    C Yellow OXID 0 13 0
    KX White 1 0 1
    T Med Yellow 0 7 0
    V Magenta 12 27 1
             
  • White: Home Depot Vanilla Delight Semi-Gloss Alkyd Enamel W-B-220
  • Purple: Home Depot Hot Pink Semi-Gloss Alkyd Enamel 100B-7
    (in-house)

Bally Star Trek

Good matches for these colors are interior satin-finish (or eggshell finish) Glidden Evermore water-based latex:

  • Yellow: Sunny Side Up (37YY 61/877)
  • Blue: Cosmos (10BB 12/310)
  • Orange: Fiesta Orange (68YR 28/701)
    (All in-house)

Pinball Legs

Pinball legs are either chrome or painted.  Here is color matching information for painted legs.

Many EM and early SS games from Bally had painted legs.  Some were painted a light gray and others a much darker gray (but not black).  Here are some suggestions for matching the dark gray:

  • Dupli-Color DS GM 344 Gunmetal MC

  • GM #318 (available at auto parts stores)

  • Plastikote #1006 Chrysler Charcoal grey metallic (Chris Munson)

 

If you have additions, corrections, comments or other information that you would like to see on this page, please let us know.  Recommendations without attribution were obtained through on-line archives such as Google Groups.

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