Going on two years... ugh. But, the pinball machine gets some DIY love only when there is absolutely nothing else required like family, friends, or home and car maintenance. This means very little time, and mainly in the Winter when yard work goes quiet. Also nice to be driving a car that needs very little maintenance, as well: 2012 Chevy Volt.
The last few weekends have involved assembling the backglass cabinet and ensuring the two monitors fit properly in the openings. Then disassembly of the various hardware items before painting (chrome legs, chrome trim, buttons).
Drilled two more holes for secondary side buttons, maybe making those "nudge" buttons or menu buttons, etc.
To ensure I see no plywood grain in the paint job, I used about three tubes of red auto glaze putty all over the exterior of the body and back cabinet. Once dried, I sanded with 220 grit on a random-orbit sander. LOTS of dust, even with the dust collector, but smooth as glass. There was some handsanding in the corners of the back cabinet and inside the openings where the orbital sander just wouldn't fit.
After the sanding, I applied a base coat of satin black enamel paint placed with a small brush on the edges, and then onto the main flat surfaces with a 6" foam trim roller. It went very fast, and no brush marks, which was critical.
It will need a second coat next weekend to get a nice 100% coating, with no thin spots...
Already thinking about how to make my own "F-14 Tomact" pinball stencils to closely match the original paint scheme from the 80's.