Why no more glass top tables?
m.atanovich
My last table was a glass top Dynamo; why are they as scarce as hen's teeth
now?
bcfoosball
Peter Tielens
m.atanovich <m.ata...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:ptMC9.2035$fj.2...@news1.west.cox.net...
Boris
a few months back. Most coin-op tables in the UK are Italian glass-tops,
which bar owners prefer because:
(a) The balls don't get nicked or the goals stuffed
(b) They can be used as additional 'table space' during busy periods
(c) The telescopic rods don't poke out the eyes of young children in
'family' pubs
As a player I can confidently say that glass tops suck. The worst
aspects are:
(a) You cannot lubricate the (inner) telescopic rod without removing the
glass, so the
bars are usually stiff as ****!
(b) The glare from lighting, or poorly-cleaned surfaces makes visibility
very poor
(c) When the ball goes dead you need to lift the table with the rods to
move it,
cue badly bent 2-rods in particular as the typical bar player has not the
wit to push them in first.
Boris
Phillip Cantrell
to make glass-topped playfield models about that time period. I
witnessed an overpowerful toeshot (Euro-pin) that stubbed and glass
sections calved from the epicenter. That doesn't happen on laminate
playfields such as Tornado uses. Minimal upkeep was probably the
overriding factor to the glass-topped playfield demise IMO.
ATF
bcfoosball
Hey Boris,
I think they meant the table surface was glass. It is a local idiom to say
glass top, not to be confused with bubble top. Of course now I have seen
recently a "flat glass" covered foos table and will have to change my way
of talking in riddles/nonsense.
Boris <bo...@netgates.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3DDBEAF9...@netgates.co.uk...
Blair Wyman
One of the tables I learned on (ca. 1970) was a "Vulcan" -- wire-mesh
reinforced glass playing surface, skinny-footed little men, 10 cents/play IIRC.
Push-kick timing (was my shot back then) had to be dead on perfect to go.
Good lesson in timing. :-)
Mostly, though, it was the Deutscher-Meister (sp?) varieties (square-footed
hollow-rodded) that got me going (before there was a Tournament Soccer).
Anybody else play the old DM textured-surface tables (zzzzzip-BANG)?
And while I do like the sound of the whipshot goal on the high-end Tornados,
the old DM "wood-block" goals were loud enough to make the bowlers stop and
look over to see what just broke. :-) Too bad there weren't any round
foosballs before 1996 or so! :-)
--
___ _ Blair Wyman IBM Rochester
( /_) / _ ' _ (507)253-2891 bla...@us.ibm.com
__/__)_/_<_/_/_/_' Opinions expressed may not be those of IBM
Bruce Nardoci
remember them having textured glass surfaces though - their surfaces
were some sort of plastic (maybe they changed between 1970 and 1972), or
maybe my memory is fuzzy. I do remember several other tables with
textured glass or wire-mesh glass surfaces like Dynamo and Hurricane (or
was it Challenger).
Phillip Cantrell
Good to here from a peer! My first exposure to foos was at the student
union at UAH (Huntsvillle,Al.) in '72 watching one guy with sublime ball
control (he could dribble the ball on toe) amongst many newbies at rapt
attention, but I fail to recall what brand of table it was; a bubble-top
is all I remember. Soon thereafter, we were all
getting our feet wet at the Twenty-First Century Billiards on those
club-footed DM's, being lorded over by the higher-ups, then graduating
to Dynamo tables at the Rec Center where we were rewarded with juvenile
tournament experience(I want to recall we won?), and, for sure, many
subsequent wins on Tornado and TS tables. Then life took it's turn, the
tour and tourneys were over, so my hiatus lasted about 25 years until a
co-worker, who had a Challenger table as a teenager, was prompted by my
reminiscence of winning money in the old days, suggested we leave work
early to play a few games. I was taken-back by a 3-man goalie rod!! It
had been that long! That was less than a year ago, in which time I have
had to relearn, then unlearn (competition has become severe), and now
learn the game according to world-calibre scrutiny.
What a long-winded way to say I have enjoyed playing, and now, winning
even more than ever! Old-school alumni, buck-up and give it your last
blast===for the next 30 years! ATF
P
S: DM's are available, but for me are prohibitive in price, playing
style and tour promotion.
Blair Wyman
>
> Blair, You ARE an old-schooler!
Phillip,
Thanks for the memories! I guess I played my first foos while waiting for
my turn to bowl in Saturday morning league -- would've been '68-'69...
I still remember the game: "Nuts" Knutson asked me to play, and then
stomped me badly with such amazing tricks as "bouncing the ball off the side
wall" and "shooting the ball into the goal." :-)
By the time I got out of high school, I was playing foos instead of going
to class, laying awake nights, practicing in my mind -- I was truly
obsessed. Who knows? If I'd have just stuck with it, I might've made
literally HUNDREDS of dollars by now! :-)
Foosball dried up and blew away for 20 years, or so it seems, and goodness
knows it is hardly the same game I remember. Nobody shoots any curves on
Tornado (can't get the ball to spin sideways like on TS?), and the then-
popular "back-pin" series is more of a joke now than anything... Not
many bank shots, either, at least in my recent experience. (...wonder why?)
I went to play in last year's Iowa State Championships. Hopes were high,
at least on the drive down there. :-) I got to watch Nathan Winter do
his thing. Unbe-freaking-leivable! No wonder he's in the top 10!
In the DYP, I was lucky to play with the very talented Scott Bauer (who
was disappointed, at first, since he didn't know me from Adam.) We
ended up doing just "OK," a spot or two out of the $$$. Great player, Scott!
Now, the question for the group: should I focus on perfecting my Snake?
...or working the Big Pull?
(Heh -- how's THAT for a troll! :-)
Foospaul
> My last table was a glass top Dynamo; why are they as scarce as hen's teeth
> now?
Foospaul replies: I played on one of those dynamo glass tops back in
the late 70's as well. As someone already mentioned, the main reason
they are no longer around is due to the fact that the glass top would
eventually shatter into a million pieces (as I found out first hand)
when the ball gets stubbed on a fan shot like a booming pullkick. I
don't think I have ever been in such shock when that top shattered. I
left that arcade in 1 second, if not sooner.
I remember the goals being larger than T.S. tables, and the balls
were pinkish brown, and tackier than the T.S. white plastic balls.
Thanks for bringing back cool memories. Also makes me feel too old
though. FP
Torzini Bonado
Dynamo? It had a transluscent rough-textured plexiglass type surface, but
all other parts were regular Dynamo. circa ~1978-80.
Torzini Bonado
"Foospaul" <spric...@jps.net> wrote in message
news:88bab95.02112...@posting.google.com...
G. S. Hayes
> Does anybody remember or has anybody played on the "Hurricane" table made by
> Dynamo? It had a transluscent rough-textured plexiglass type surface, but
> all other parts were regular Dynamo. circa ~1978-80.
Chris,
Are you sure this was a Dynamo table? Foosmanchu's foosball glossary
says:
Hurricane: The touring tournament table before the TS tables.
Bonzini's "French vs. German tables" document says:
"There are a few tables that have some characteristics of both
styles, such as the brown-top Tournament Soccer...Other tables
that also had some of the characteristics of both included
early versions of Dynamo, and Hurricane and Challenger."
and an old page from Foosball.com says:
"Cabinet-game veterans at the Irving Kaye Sales Corp entered the
soccer table arena in 1969 with their Super Soccer table The firm.
which has been a prominent manufacturer of pool tables since the 50s.
lent its carpentry/amusement skills to the new game concept and came
out with a piece that offered a number of exclusives at that time,
including a slide-out playfield for maintenance ease and a one-piece
cabinet
The Super Soccer also featured such things as metal ends bolted to the
cabinet corners to insure sturdiness under vigorous play. an all-steel
cash-box and secured ball mechanism. The cash-box could be reached by
the routeman without opening the machine. Kaye's tables were a product
of a company which was a long time in the business of making equipment
for the operating industry and they were well received .
The Hurricane ''American-styled'' table followed the Super Soccer
table shortly thereafter. This line was essentially designed in
response to actual player suggestions on improvements on machines in
operation in American locations at that time. according to Kaye
Company's Howard Kaye. The result was the classic product now well
known to the industry. Weighing in at 375 Ibs. the Hurricane table
features textured glass playfield for better ball control. special
compound balls, counterbalanced ''men'' on the chrome plated rods and
an improved playfield shape to offer players far more accuracy when
banking a shot, according to Kaye . . a result of their expertise in
pool table manufacture."
Sumner
Bruce Nardoci
Stevoishere
big that pulls and pushes were frowned on.They also had a rule against wall
passes. Coming off a TS to that soft ball took a lot of adjustment. I remember
feeling like the ball was glued to my man, with all the squibs. That and
adjusting to a really fast tic tac game rook a while. Settled down to raise a
family '80-94,
so I missed the transition to Tornado. I think it's a much better table ( other
than the extra men on goal) - Mike G.
SouFooPro
playing on many years ago. Here are a couple pictures of it:
www.southernfoosball.com/images/AUT_0144.JPG
www.southernfoosball.com/images/AUT_0145.JPG
Those were the days!
There wasn't much I couldn't do shooting the ball on those tables. The
square-toe player figures were so simple and allowed easy execution of any
and all types of shots---and consistency wasn't a problem.
When I started playing on Tornado tables I had a hell of a time adapting to
the curved foot on the player figures.
Now days, Dynamo player figure's are much like the Tornado, but in my
opinion, with several improvements. They squared off the problem
curvatures, which allows for much more consistency.
The only problems with the current Dynamo player figures are that they don't
fit the rods as tightly and consistently as the Tornado figures, which
effects the balls bounce-off. I think they widened the foot slightly as
well, which might help catching passes, but it ultimately adds difficulty
shooting some shots. The wider the player figure the more technique that is
required to square the ball, especially while shooting a pull shot.
Valley needs to fix those Tornado player figures. They know what the
problem is--just don't want to make any changes.
My opinion,
Rodney jen...@hiwaay.net
www.southernfoosball.com
"Torzini Bonado" <torzin...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:yAmdnXRbtYW...@comcast.com...
Torzini Bonado
glass or plexiglass is hard to remember for sure.......many, many years ago!
Torzini Bonado
"G. S. Hayes" <sjde...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:96c2e938.02112...@posting.google.com...
Phillip Cantrell
I might have played on that very table! Anyway, it brings back memories.
How about a retro tourny? Players must wear a glove, and use Pro Grip,
and games to 7. BTW, is that the model where you could tip the table to
get at the balls? Phil
SouFooPro
favorites. In fact, that table was the actual table that I was using while
conducting local foosball tournaments when I first brought the Tornado
tables to this area-- probably 1987.
At that time, the newer brown top Dynamo's were available but we all
preferred to play on those older dinosaur foosball tables. They were hard
to find around here in operating condition even at that time. I turned down
offers of $500 for that table the day was in the process of replacing it on
location with the new Tornado. I turned the offer down because I wasn't
completely convinced that the Tornado table would go over here. Eventually,
the Tornado was excepted and those old tables quickly became closet
material. Over the following several years I sold and bought that table
locally a number of times. I bought it back again recently and was thinking
about trying to restore it in someway. Someone contacted me the other day
looking for an old glass-top table so I snapped those pictures of the table
and put them on the site for the interested buyer. Today the table is
probably gone for good, it's over 100 miles away somewhere in middle
Tennessee with a proud new owner.
At a couple different times, I did try to have some retro tournaments. Not
much interest. And those old tables wouldn't hold up to the way players can
play on the Tornado---the player figures crumble.
The inner portion of that table is only accessible after opening a panel at
it's end and sliding the playfield out through it.
Did you notice some of the rods are now on the table positioned wrong?
www.southernfoosball.com/images/AUT_0144.JPG
www.southernfoosball.com/images/AUT_0145.JPG
Later,
Rodney jen...@hiwaay.net
www.southernfoosball.com
"Phillip Cantrell" <TuffUz...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:9733-3DE...@storefull-2331.public.lawson.webtv.net...
