Topic: Old Tournament Soccer Table Question:Men and Handles

[wat1766]

Hi everyone,

First time posting here.  A neighbor recently gave me their old Tournament Soccer table that was in really good condition.  I cleaned it up (steel cloth with chrome polish on the rods, silicone lubricant, rubbing alcohol on the table, etc...) and have really been enjoying it. Having grown up with a Tornado table I realized I really enjoy the control of the pointed toes on the Tornado over the rounded toes of the men on the Tournament Soccer table.  First Question: is it possible to replace the rounded men with the pointed toe, Tornado men?  I know the traditional rounded toe men use screws to hold them in the rods while the Tornado men use pins.  I'm wondering if I can put pins in where the screws used to be?  Probably not, but I'd love to hear other enthusiasts' advice.

Second question: A few of the rubber handles have been coming off during play.  The handles seem to be in good condition so I don't necessarily want/need to order new ones.  How should I keep the rubber handles from slipping off?  Super glue?  And, if I bought new replacement ones, how would I secure those on the rods?

Questions, comments/suggestions and general advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Andy

[biggame]

I'd be shocked if you could make tornado men work on that table. I agree that the ball control is better, but that also has a lot to do with the playing surface of the tornado table.

As far as the handles, that is a common problem with table soccer tables. I would try to stay away from super glue because I'd you ever need to change the handles you will have a hard time removing them and even worse removing the residue of the rod to put the new handles on. Maybe try something that can be cleaned off like pine tar. Just a suggestion.

A general comment: if you are using this table to hit a few balls around just to have some fun that's great, but if you want to take it more serious you can look for a used tornado table. You might be able to find a reasonable one here or you could check on eBay or something similar.

Happy foosin'

[wat1766]

Thanks for your advice, biggame.  I'd love a used Tornado but don't have the extra money right now (it's been swallowed by our kitchen rehab). I bought a few official Tornado balls which have helped with the control.  I also ordered some cork balls and look forward to trying them out.

For a quick fix on the problematic handle, I placed some double-sided tape on the rod and put the handle back over it.  It's definitely helped but is really only a short-term fix.  I'll continue to look for something long term.

Thanks, again!

[cofoosn]

So, this really made me curious and just had to try this out. The men do fit the rod and are (at least this one) fairly snug on it. Not sure how you would pin the man to the rod but, I'm sure you can figure something out. I kicked a ball around and yes, it completely changes the feel, completely.

If you noticed that none of the men are fixed to the rod, +1! This TS is going to go through a rehab and has been sitting in my garage, this post was the kick in the butt to start moving on it... Got to break it down to build it up!

The white ball happened to be in the table, it's pretty close to the same size as a Tornado ball.

I did not check to see if any men on opposing rods would touch as when they are positioned horizontally. I also, did NOT see if the goalie rod would freely spin w/o hitting the back wall. I Just did what's pictured.

Anyway here are a few pics I snapped for you/anyone interested.

-p