Robert Wood and I got to talking about pinball machines, and it made me wonder what anyone's favorite would be. He listed this ancient relic that should be in the Smithsonian as his fave:

http://mirror1.ipdb.org/images/1173/1173f1.jpg

Me, I prefered these:

http://www.pinballrebel.com/game/pins/southpark/southpark_pinball.htm

http://www.sternpinball.com/Lord-of-the-Rings2.shtml

Anyone else?

http://www.pinballhispano.net/pinballworld/images_flyers/taf_f_med.jpg

Adams Family...always a fave. Hardest part is finding one that works.

I prefer the electro-mechanical relics, spyder, cause I'm a relic too. :)

Some of the Gottlieb pins produced in the 1950's are truly among the finest examples of the golden age of American industrial art ever conceived.
Although little known outside pinball circles, an industrial artist named Roy Parker was one of the Rembrandts of industrial art. He created the artwork for more than 300 different Gottlieb pinball machines (and as many as 1000 all toll).

This is one example. The name "Dragonette" was a double spoof of, one, the "Dragnet" TV show which was popular at the time, and two, an inside the industry joke. Jessica Dragonette was actually the name of a third rate lounge singer who was a regular attraction at the pinball trade conventions of the period.
Hidden within the backglass artwork are a dozen or more inside jokes taking shots at among many things, the head of the pinball company himself, Dave Gottlieb.

http://mirror1.ipdb.org/images/730/Backglass.jpg

I dunno if you're aware of it, spyder, but that 'Cactus Canyon' you mentioned in the other thread is now selling for almost ten grand. That's four times what it sold for brand new in 98.
It's now the priciest pinball machine of them all.

Pinball is becoming a thing of the past now. There is only one manufacturer left (Stern). And I doubt they'll hold on for much longer.

Here's a real relic for you. I picked up one of these about 20 years ago and it's one I've managed to hang onto. It was made to coincide with the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair.
That picture of the Fair you see on the playfield is a jigsaw puzzle of sorts. The different pieces which make the picture are turned over by dropping the pinballs in the right holes. It's all accomplished with a complex and finicky mechanism of levers, linkages and springs.

http://mirror1.ipdb.org/images/1295/Overall_view.jpg

http://www.ipdb.org/images/1295/image-9.jpg

We have a getaway machine in the basement it is pretty sweet!!

I grew up with an old Bongo EM machine, though the machine that really got me into pinball was High Speed. That was probably the first time I saw ramps on a pin, plus the music and top light was always fun.

I own a World Cup Soccer '94 right now, though I think my favorite of all time would have to be Theater of Magic, with Addams Family a close second. I remember liking Cyclone a lot too. And South Park is always good for a laugh, though I don't think I've had the pleasure of playing one with a profanity ROM installed.

One of these days I'll have to head down to Santa Cruz to drop some quarters in machines I haven't played before. It's gotten pretty hard to find a place with a selection of pins in good shape period.

Scott

Top 100 Pinball Machines Site:

http://www.pinside.com/opinion.top100.asp

Amazing how many are based upon movies! What I do love about the ones that were done is that they were true to the films themselves. LOTR is particularly so.

I had totally forgotten about Midieval Madness! That's easily one of the hardest machines to find and one of the hardest to keep healthy. (Those damn trolls!)

Pinbot and The Machine: Bride of Pinbot (Robot boobies) forgot about those too. Damn.

Jurassic Park. The game was almost as loud as the film. Bad ass.

GORGAR! This totally brings back so many memories! I used to have dreams of that machine screaming that out to me. It was amazing how people immersed other games would whip their heads around when it echoed through the arcade..."GORGAR!"

Monopoly. Easily one of the worst built machines ever. Seems like I personally broke two brand new ones within 3 weeks.

Xenon! So many pretty colors. I remember just watching without even playing.

Star Trek: The Next Generation! Extra ball? Make it so.

I never got to see a Circus Voltaire. :( I've had tons of people tell me it's fantastic, but something is always broken. Unlike Monopoly, it's supposedly due to tons of fantastic moving dynamics, not shoddy build.

Funhouse. Nothing like a pinball with a creepy clown the likes of the one in Poltergheist to give you nightmares.

White Water. Endless looping possibilities. Reminds me of Cactus Canyon.

Sorry guys, I don't have any faves that Moses himslef played like Robert does. ;)

I'm wondering what the concensus is with flipper style preference? There were those that had the pointy ends that seemed to have only a little bounce to them and those that had the rounded ends that the ball would careen off of like crazy. I found a few that were a cross-breed of the two and seemed to like them the most. Anyone else have a preference?

Here's my favorite-- Haunted House (http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=haunted+house&searchtype=quick#1133). It's a three level, multiple ball machine. The lower level (basement) is backwards. Haven't played one in maybe 20 years. I was going to drive up to Milwaukee in my wife's truck for a huge pinball/video game auction this weekend with the hopes of scoring one, but other plans prevailed.

I think the hardest part these days is finding somewhere to try the games before sinking a small fortune on each game. I just picked up a High Speed and am loving it. I just missed on a Simpsons Pinball Party for $1800 the other day. Still kicking myself for that one.

I currently own:

Theatre of Magic
Revenge From Mars
Monday Night Football
Independence Day

Gone, but not forgotten:

Twilight Zone
Maverick
Star Wars - DE
Simpsons - DE
Jurassic Park
Flash Gordon
Party Zone
Wipeout
Genesis
Earthshaker
Apollo 13

Of all these my favorite is Theatre of Magic. I'm currently doing a complete restoration on my second favorite the Monday Night Football.

I would love to find a Creature from the Black Lagoon. And, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new Pirates of the Carribbean pin from Stern this summer.

Cheers,

Brad

My current favorite is The Simpsons Pinball Party, but I still tend to put the most plays on my Getaway. At parties, the guests all seem to love Scared Stiff the best (tho' I haven't had a party since TSPP was added) Twilight Zone and Theatre of Magic round out the lineup. I enjoy them all.

I have room for one more. I'm leaning toward Creature from the the Black Lagoon. If Medieval Madness wasn't so insanely expensive, it would be in the running.

I remember liking Nip-it when it was new. I liked Phoenix a lot 'cause I could beat it like a drum. "Fonzie" Eight Ball was a good game. But I think the best game I ever played through my youth and college years was Firepower.

I own:

Stargate
Lord of the Rings

Use to own:

Maverick

I like Stargate and Lord of the Rings about the same, and didn't care for the Maverick. Probably going to pick up another machine in the next month or two if I can find some sort of unshopped project in the eastern Iowa/surrounding states region--not much available that's close to me unfortunately.

Taylor34

Capt. Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy

http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=438&depth=0&picno=23465

The ones I spent the most hours, in utter joy, and got the most replays out of:

8 Ball Deluxe (quit talkin and start chalkin)

Cyclone (Ride the Comet!)

The Games

My favorite pinball machine of all time is Gottlieb's Play Ball (1971). My family had one when Iwas a kid and we lost it in a house fire around 1980. I didn't get back into pinball until after college when Jokerz! and Cyclone came out in the late 80's. Those were two great pinballs! I was a computer programmer at the time and traveled almost every week, so I spent way too much time playing Jokerz in the Atlanta airport waiting for flights.

I currently own Twilight Zone, Cirqus Voltaire, Safecracker, Monster Bash, Harley Davidson (Sega), and a to-be-restored Play Ball. I don't think I can choose a current favorite - probably because I don't play too often. I guess my two kids (three years & nine months) seem to always be calling my name - both literally & figuratively!!!

I'm really hoping to find one of the new Lord of the Rings pins to play - I've heard great things about it...

Funny thing about the Lord of the Rings pinball is that damn magnet atop the center ramp is typically broken, causing the ball to jump sideways. The worst part of this is when you finally get Fellowship, Two Towers, and Return of the King all finished, you finally get to battle Gollum to destroy the ring. Just shoot it up that center ramp over and over and over...

For those of you that don't want to know, don't read the spoiler on what happens when you destroy the ring. For those that do, let me tell you all something that will save you all the most frustration you could ever bear... once you finally destroy the damn ring, you'd expect some giant bonus of around 50-100 million points, at least. Guess what you get? A paltry 5 million! You can get 5 mil by just hitting the flippers like a chimp on crack! Worthless. Most devastating bonus I've ever gotten for so much work on a pinball ever. If the magnet is screwy, forget about it and just walk away forever. Damn near as bad as the trolls in Midieval Madness if they're acting up.

If you ever get one or know the vendor that services them, tell them to disable the stupid magnet and keep your sanity. :)

I played countless hours of T2:Judgement day, as they had it at my high school cafeteria in the early 90s. Actually, my gradelevel would probably have been better if it wasn't for that pinball machine - I cut a lot of classes to play on it...

I own Medieval Madness and Strange Science at this time. Both are very good games.

GORGAR! This totally brings back so many memories! I used to have dreams of that machine screaming that out to me. It was amazing how people immersed other games would whip their heads around when it echoed through the arcade..."GORGAR!"


Gorgar was a very cool game. If it sat idle long enough (not like this happened much), it would shout out "You will play me, or I will play you!"

Cyclone (Yes - "Ride the Cyclone!" "Ya pays your money, ya takes your chances!") is one I'd like to pick up one day and restore. It's still my all-time favorite.

Black Knight without a doubt. It was released in 1980 and I enrolled in college in 1981. It was the first 2 level machine I ever saw and I spent hours in the student union drinking beer and playing Black Knight. Sweet memories.

I played countless hours of T2:Judgement day, as they had it at my high school cafeteria in the early 90s. Actually, my gradelevel would probably have been better if it wasn't for that pinball machine - I cut a lot of classes to play on it...

"Get the CPU" :D

Black Knight without a doubt. It was released in 1980 and I enrolled in college in 1981. It was the first 2 level machine I ever saw and I spent hours in the student union drinking beer and playing Black Knight. Sweet memories.
I remember being blown away the first time I saw that machine. I rarely played it however, as it was the first machine I saw that was 50¢ a play (at least in that arcade).

You got it, Spyder :-)

I got totally addicted to Black Knight.
I'll bet you Black Knight players can relate to this. Once you get profficient at being able to shoot the ball back up that ramp with one shot to keep it on the upper playfield, and then get good at continually shooting the loop around that upper playfield, then you own it. You can play that sucker free for hours.

One thing I find interesting is that the price per credit has generally been at 50 cents for so long, while other venues of entertainment have gone up exponentially in price. How much was a movie back then? A ticket to a pro sporting event? Beer? An evening at the Bunny Ranch? ;)

Anyone want to post their (legit) high scores? By legit, I mean, no playing with the options or with the glass off. :)

For me, the only one I really can say for certain is LOTR: 279,456,000 pts. Cleared the three multiball stages 4-5 times each.

I owned and operated a route of coin operated games from 1972 to 1981, and repaired them for other operating companies until 1994.

The first pinball game we ever bought was a used Gottlieb Snow Derby. The first new game was Wildlife. I made more money with Big Indian (of which I bought five) than any other game.

I bought the original Fireball back in 1973, probably a year after its manufacture, and it was a loser. People remember it, but they didn't play it. It didn't make money for anybody.

Gottlieb once made a two ended pinball machine with a motorized playfield called Challenger. They made about 150 prototype units but decided not to produce it, and they somehow nearly all wound up in Canada. I think a Canadian distributor was so certain it would be a sleeper hit that he might have been responsible for the larger-than-normal prototype production quantity. In the mid-1970s, I arranged to have one shipped to me, but I never consummated the deal.

I went to the AMOA convention in Chicago in 1976 and saw the first digital pinball machine. It was named Spirit of '76 and was manufactured by a company called Mirco Games, which, according to Wikipedia, was an amusement games manufacturer from 1974 to 1978, but I don't know of any other products that they made.

The hit of that show was a video game called "Blockade", which proved to be a flop when released. Quite often, the hit of the show turns out to be a flop.

Gottlieb was the last company to "go digital". They hired Rockwell to design their processor system, but because they couldn't see beyond the ends of their noses, Rockwell designed a circuitboard that could only do what the electromechanical circuitry it replaced could do, meaning, their games were D-U-L-L. Their first production unit was Pyramid.

Pretty soon, no one wanted to play the electromechanical games, so I had to "cover my route" with the digital ones that cost about 40% more than the electromechanical ones had, which meant I had to borrow a ton of money, but before they ever earned enough to pay for themselves, the next video game boom kicked off, beginning with Space Invaders, followed by Asteroid and Galaxian, and then PacMan, Defender and Galaga, making my inventory of digital pinball machines nearly worthless.

A second problem created by the popularity of the video games was that the customers became more product aware. They no longer asked me to bring them a game: they wanted a specific game, and a month later, they wanted a different one, and they all wanted the same ones at the same time, so we no longer could expect a game to have a lifetime earning curve that tapered off gently over time.

The last two pinball machines I bought were Paragon and Stellar Wars. The week I installed them in an arcade across from the University of New Hampshire, they were the top two earners, but the gross of that arcade, including these two new machines, still went down by a hundred dollars from the previous week. That did not bode well for the future...

I could see that the new video games, which cost nearly $2,000 for the black and white ones and nearly $3,000 for the color ones, were never going to pay for themselves, so I merged with another operator and exited the business a year later.

Within two years, there were bankruptcy auctions held nearly every week where someone could buy these $2,000 to $3,000 games for typically a hundred dollars or so.

Gorgar was a marketing ripoff. It was the first game to utilize speech, and the manufacturer sent out "demo records" which we could play to hear the Gorgar voice, but the records contained several times as many Gorgar utterances as the actual game did.

Black Knight and Haunted House should be sold with, "Out of Order" signs on them. They were nightmares to keep running.

I always got a kick out of hearing the cops say, "He got away." "What?" "He got away." on High Speed.

The machine pictured in the first link in the first post in this thread is Gottlieb's High Hand. I missed the boat on that one. Gottlieb used to determine the exact number of machines it was going to produce before beginning a production run, and I didn't pre-order one so when it sold out, I went without. The pinball manufacturers had to commit to a certain size production run because of the time it took to make the playfields, which had to be annealed.

A year or so later, Gottlieb made an add-a-ball version of High Hand called Captain Card, for use in New York State, where free games were prohibited. I bought one and made it into a replay model by gutting out a credit wheel and other parts from some older clunker (I was a clever dude back then!). When I finally traded it back to my distributor, they said I might as well leave that circuitry in, rather than restore it to add-a-ball. I pity the guy who would have to service it without a schematic for what I had Kludged into it for a credit circuit.

I played the prototype Nip-it on a distributor's showroom floor. It had a plastic alligator to pounce on the ball, but since it didn't hold up well, the production model just had a tubular bar doing the same thing.

Do any of you remember the Gottlied single player game, Eldorado? It had the same playfield as Target Alpha/Solar Ride (Gottlieb always followed the manufacture of a 4-player electromechanical game with a two player model bearing a similar name : Orbit/Outer Space, Jungle/Wildlife, Jack in the Box/Jumping Jack, etc. The 2-player models cost about $200 less than the 4-players). They made a special production run of El Dorado called Canada Dry, to help launch some new product called Bitter Orange in (edit) France. I always thought that the drop target with the Canada Dry logo on it would be a collectible item.

El Dorado was one of the best target shooter games out there. I actually bought one of those at a yard sale for $25. The motor was spinning all the time, but it was as simple as bending back the add credit contact in the coin door to fix it.

My wife and I gave it to her brother who catered our wedding, and he owned it for a while, and then sold it for I think around $250.00 Of course it was in great shape, and is now worth at least $750 or more.

That is truely "the one that got away!"

Reedl

Bally's Twilight zone is my favorite. AFAIK, it's the most complicated machine produced. The pre-production machines used all 28 coil drivers + 7 on an auxiliary board, four flippers, the entire (64) switch matrix plus an extra (8 switches for the clock) 9th column, and the entire lamp matrix. Toys include the working clock (with an opto-driven grey-code encoder for hours), gumball machine, and ceramic "Power Ball" that's light, bouncy and immune to the magnets

http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=Twilight+Zone&search=Search+Database&searchtype=quick

I bought one as soon as I bought my first home and would have some place to put it.

I think the hardest part these days is finding somewhere to try the games before sinking a small fortune on each game.

Classic arcades - in Lyons, CO we have Leyons Classic Pinball with many of the classics in perfect shape.

http://www.lyonspinball.com/pinball_game_list.htm

Collector's open houses. Dave Mercer probably had a dozen machines with an annual open house.

Pinball shows.

Some day I'll have to add a Steve Ritchie machine to complement my Twilight Zone and an EM with more drop targets than my Gottlieb Sky Jump.

I got rid of all mine, but I've had:
Comet
Laser Cue
Night Rider (SS)
Hi Deal (EM)
Las Vegas (cocktail pins, two of them)
Fireball (fullsize and home crap version)

I played the crap out of the comet and could routinely get up into the 3+ million point land (remember this game was the first one that had a single shot that was worth 1000000 points).

(remember this game was the first one that had a single shot that was worth 1000000 points).

I remember once working on the first game that had a target worth a Gazillion points, but I don' t remember its name. :(

Black Knight without a doubt. It was released in 1980 and I enrolled in college in 1981. It was the first 2 level machine I ever saw and I spent hours in the student union drinking beer and playing Black Knight. Sweet memories.

Best pinball machine ever, bar none!!!! I was in Jr High the first time I saw it and couldn't turn away.

You got the power!!
You got the might!!
Stand up and battle!!
Beat the Black Knight!!

Still looking for one.

Another great one is the predecessor to Cyclone, "The Comet" Can't find a picture of it though.

Rob

Best pinball machine ever, bar none!!!! I was in Jr High the first time I saw it and couldn't turn away.

You got the power!!
You got the might!!
Stand up and battle!!
Beat the Black Knight!!


That's BK2000 not the original.

That's BK2000 not the original.


Yes, but I still had to wax poetic just to bring back memories....

PICKY, PICKY

I you were a die hard Black Knight fan you really wouldn't care ;)

Five Favorites:

The Machine: Bride of Pinbot
Whodunnit?
Banzai Run
Medieval Madness
Theater of Magic

I'll play any Bally/Williams game from the 90s. We only have a few left where I live, and they all have some sort of problem. Used to go to Grand Prix in Ft. Lauderdale in the 90s. They had about 50 beautifully working machines, 5 balls for one token (25 tokens for $5.00), and were open 24 hours. What a great place it was.

Banzai Run!!! That's the damn name of the pinball game with the motorcycles that I was wracking my brain for the past month to figure out! Thank you for mentioning it before I went completely nuts! :)

Pretty cool 2-stage/level back-glass pinball, even though the top teir was hard as hell to beat.

http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=175&depth=0&picno=7457

.....5 balls for one token (25 tokens for $5.00)...
Real pinball machines give 5 balls for a nickel, and you have to push in the lifter to put each one in position for play.

They had about 50 beautifully working machines, 5 balls for one token (25 tokens for $5.00), and were open 24 hours. What a great place it was.

I'm afraid I'd have to roll out a cot, since I'd never leave. :)

Real pinball machines give 5 balls for a nickel, and you have to push in the lifter to put each one in position for play.

Well, I was a bit more adventurous in my younger days, and may have imagined many things, but I'm pretty sure these were real pinball machines ;) .

Used to go to Grand Prix in Ft. Lauderdale in the 90s. They had about 50 beautifully working machines, 5 balls for one token (25 tokens for $5.00), and were open 24 hours. What a great place it was.


I used to go there every time we where in Florida. As a kid we went about 4-5 times a year. That place was Zen Like. Is it gone? I haven't even thought about it in years?

I used to go there every time we where in Florida. As a kid we went about 4-5 times a year. That place was Zen Like. Is it gone? I haven't even thought about it in years?

It is now called Boomers, but is still in the same location. They now have a lot of those big video game machines, only a few pinballs, and the prices have been jacked up. They do have a big wooden roller coaster which is cool. Still have the go-carts, mini golf, etc. Haven't been for a couple of years, but last time we went they were squeezing out the old video games as well.

Lethal Weapon was my favorite Pinball game.

I used to own one called SKYLAB when I was growing up. Looks like it was made in the 70's

And how is Pin-bot only #95 in that top 100 list? I remember as a kid, that was THE pinball game at the arcade

I owned a Black Knight 2000 game....

Great game, got pretty good at those loops....
And the Magna save..... what a great idea that was.....

I used to spray the playfield with furniture polish....

Damn... that sucker was FAST

I used to service it myself, .... replacing solenoids, rubber parts, drop targets, etc....

Luckily, nothing ever went wrong with the computer part of the machine....
I woulda needed help to fix that.......


Other favorites are....

Addams Family

Funhouse........ Get yourself a hot dawg.....

Gone Fishin

And so many more I can't even remember...

Pinball is a great game.....

So much better than the crap most arcades have now,,,,


Damn.... now I wanna get another machine...

Shelly

Gone Fishin


That was a great one. :cool:

I played the crap out of the comet and could routinely get up into the 3+ million point land (remember this game was the first one that had a single shot that was worth 1000000 points).
I remember once working on the first game that had a target worth a Gazillion points, but I don' t remember its name. :(

Try as I might, I couldn't remember the name of the game with the Gazillion point target, so I sent a query to nationally renowned pinball historian David Marston (who is also a former business partner) and got this reply:

That was on Dr. Dude. A few years earlier, Williams Comet had claimed (incorrectly) to have "the first ever million-point shot" and Bally decided to parody that. The playfield of Dr. Dude claims it's the first ever gazillion point shot. As I recall, "gazillion" translated to a variable amount over 1 but less than 5 million.
.......Dave:

I currently have a T2 that I bought brand new a long time ago. It's in very good shape and has the modified ROMs. However, I think my favorite game has been BK2000, mainly due to the music. That stupid tune sticks in my mind. ;)

My Star Wars DE (http://www.pinside.com/archive.details.photos.asp?machineid=446) is currently at my parents house. I cant wait until they will finally let me take it. This is definately my fav pinball machine ever. I can also guarntee that I could beat almost anyone at it. I have also played a very awesome Popeye machine before that I would like to buy one day.

That was a great one. :cool:




I concur Dr.cmlee

I have also played a very awesome Popeye machine before that I would like to buy one day.

Popeye? :eek: If you eat some spinach before so you play better? ;)

Star Trek: Next Generation

"Make it so." :)

"How can I prove to you that I'm no longer immortal?"

- Q

"Die."

- Worf

Though they all have their moments, Worf easily has some of the funniest lines, with Data a close second.

I'm pretty amazed at how faithful most of the film-based pinball machines are to the movies themselves. The integration of real character voices, playfield objectives, and typically good artwork truly add to the experience. :)

data Had you propelled the ball along the proper trajectory, you would have been rewarded!

picard Thank you Mr Data!


I have TAF, ST:TNG. Used to have Earthshaker and Judge Dredd too.

TAF is still the all-time fav!

Now you've done it!
.....
SHOWTIME!

:-)

If you could design your own pinball game, what would it be based upon? For me, Transformers, obviously. Not the new, stupid digimon-esque ones, OLD SKOOL!

Either that, or one based on Family Guy. That could be freakin' hilarious.

I can't get enough of my Soprano's pin.

I'm thinking of adding either the Star Trek TNG or Lord of the Rings. Can anyone with experience with both of these recommend one over the other and why?

Thanks for the input.

Randy

I can only 1/2 way answer because I am only familar w/STNG which you are welcome to come by and play til your heart desires. Just inside the beltway in Md

Mark

Spyder, I am using Family Guy voices to replace STNG voices in my head and chuckling to myself. Family Guy would make a GREAT machine

Semi-reliable sources say that Stern will be shipping a Family Guy pinball before the end of this year.

I can't get enough of my Soprano's pin.

I'm thinking of adding either the Star Trek TNG or Lord of the Rings. Can anyone with experience with both of these recommend one over the other and why?

Thanks for the input.

Randy

Oooh, so very hard to say which I'd prefer. They're both such great machines. My take is that you need to decide which show/film you're a bigger fan of, since you'll be hearing the character voices over and over during gameplay.

LotR has more of an "open" feel to it, while ST:TNG has more of a "tight" feel, if that makes sense.

Spyder, I am using Family Guy voices to replace STNG voices in my head and chuckling to myself. Family Guy would make a GREAT machine

Data: "It is your duty..."

Peter: "Meh-heh-heh-heh-heh! He said 'doodie'. That's funnier than that time I...(insert a hilarious reference to something absurd that has nothing to do with the show)" :D

Semi-reliable sources say that Stern will be shipping a Family Guy pinball before the end of this year.

Freakin' sweet! If Stewie doesn't say "Victory is mine!" when you get a replay, I'll demand a refund. ;)

Also, I wouldn't be shocked if there's an innuendo having something to do with balls. :cool:

I can't get enough of my Soprano's pin.

I'm thinking of adding either the Star Trek TNG or Lord of the Rings. Can anyone with experience with both of these recommend one over the other and why?

Thanks for the input.

Randy

One other thing to note - ST:TNG's outlanes are BRUTAL. If you share w/ guests then LotR might be a bit more "freindly". Both are great machines tho.

Screw the guests, it just makes you look better when a design makes them suck even more! It's their own damn fault for not being pinball masters like the rest of us. ;)

Screw the guests, it just makes you look better when a design makes them suck even more! It's their own damn fault for not being pinball masters like the rest of us. ;)

LOL! The best ball of TAF I ever had was with guests over... over 500mil on one ball (including extra balls). My two buddies eventually got so bored that they left and fired up the Xbox. ahhh well. Like you said... screw the guests! ;-)

Hey gang....taking a break from R.G.P. (rec.games.pinball to those not in the know) to come here and post about....pinball.
I shop all of my pins myself. Every game (except LOTR since it was new) has had a complete playfield stripdown.

My current lineup consists of:
STTNG
Scared Stiff
MB (A beauty...I completely went over this machine...including a clearcoated Bill Davis playfield, cabinet decals, all new toy, plastics, etc.....)
Theatre of Magic
Lord of the Rings (HUO...looking to trade for an AFM or WPT)

I've owned:
Frankenstein
Johnny Mnemonic (believe it or not the only one I really miss)
The Shadow
WCS 94
Twilight Zone
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Simpsons Pinball Party
Creature From the Black Lagoon

I'd have to say that my favorite pin is either Scared Stiff or Theatre of Magic. MB is there now too but it is still my newest pin so it might be riding new pin euphoria. Next pin will probably be World Poker Tour. I love this game. Attack From Mars is a possibility but I think I like WPT more.

Dino
www.thetheos.com (http://www.thetheos.com)

Nice pics, DinoT. I like the blue in your HT. It's a nice change from the standard "whorehouse" red. :)

Attack from Mars would not be my fave, but I will give it originality points.

Spyder,
Thanks for the comments. I liked AFM and was set on getting that next. (I am sure glad that my gameroom is limited to 5 pins or else I'd be broke by now. ) Once I played the new World Poker Tour, I knew that I had to have it. Luckily I will be trading out a Lord of The Rings, so the financial hit won't be bad.

I went with blue because it is my favorite color. This blue paint is actually a heavily textured paint. It is called Granite and available at Lowes. This paint has black sand in it. The first coat goes on with a roller that has a 2" Nap. You then brush on the 2nd coat by hand. I love that the paint is so heavily textured...this let me get away with not having to perfectly sand the joint compound.

Dino
www.thetheos.com

Oooh, so very hard to say which I'd prefer. They're both such great machines. My take is that you need to decide which show/film you're a bigger fan of, since you'll be hearing the character voices over and over during gameplay.

LotR has more of an "open" feel to it, while ST:TNG has more of a "tight" feel, if that makes sense.

Thanks for the input. I kinda figured that was the case. At least I won't be disappointed with which ever I choose.



DINO,

Nice set up and nice car. I had 96 Mystic, unfortunately it's long gone.

Randy

My favourite machine of all time is, of course, Medieval Madness. Unfortunately this pin is unfeasibly expensive these days. What are they going for on Ebay now? 5k? But damn, it's just SO good.

Also partial to Monster Bash.

My favourite machine of all time is, of course, Medieval Madness. Unfortunately this pin is unfeasibly expensive these days. What are they going for on Ebay now? 5k? But damn, it's just SO good.

Also partial to Monster Bash.

I'd be wary of one on eBay just because of the fact that they've probably ran out of fixes for those damn trolls. I love that machine, but it seems like it's always got one troll that either doesn't pop up or wont go down, thus ruining any chance of completing that challenge. (Unless you find one that has a troll that ops up and down continually, giving you a hit every time...but that's cheating. :))

Almost 10 years in owning and collecting 90's machines. Been through 20 odd and now in the process of re-acquiring a few that I should never have sold. It's very frustrating having to sift through so many machines that aren't even close to as good as the original examples I had. My current main targets are Theatre of Magic and Cirqus Voltaire, of which I've been through a couple each and ended up rejecting when they arrived :( due to cond. That's not to mention countless others that don't even make the grade through inspection or photos.

Anyway my current collection in terms of preference and cond:

Medieval Madness - had it since early '99 / was operated but still good cond
LOTR - bought NIB this year
Fish Tales (not gone fishing as someone else called it) - a mint machine found and sold to me by Allen Shoppe @ Treasure Cove.
IJ - a HUO example owned by an operator who only unboxed it 6 years ago. I just had cabinet decals redone thanks to poor choice of sunlit location, with a tiny bit of detailing it will be in as new cond again.
Addams Family Gold- well maintained operated machine from NZ, bought in 1999 - I further restored it over time, great cond.
Scared Stiff- HUO example, currently bringing it up to near new cond.
Cactus Canyon - european import, top cond only needed a tiny amount of detailing when I got it 2 years ago.

I also have a nice Haunted House on the way. It's the only 80's machine that I've ever been interested in :).

My favourite machine of all time is, of course, Medieval Madness. Unfortunately this pin is unfeasibly expensive these days. What are they going for on Ebay now? 5k? But damn, it's just SO good.

Also partial to Monster Bash.

5k for something in average cond. Forget about getting a properly restored example for less than 7k. Plenty of machines with too much wear these days, seeing as the are now a 9 year old machine. There's a guy here in Aust. who bought the rights to WMS machines and claims he's going to remake Medieval and then other machines. Many enthusiasts have strong doubts how a guy with no real factory can manufacture even a limited run of 1000 machines.

Addams Family[/IMG]

Yes! this was my fave of all time.

Just purchased and received my 1st pinball machine. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. We built an area of our basement that will comfortably fit 3 machines.

I started with an inexpensive machine - Party Zone. I like it, and it's a good way to get my feet wet in the world of maintaining the pins. It currently has two switch issues (doesn't impact gameplay much) and some bulbs out. Already did some minor cabinet repair on it, as it was missing the metallic trim below the speakers, and the top one was extremely worn. I couldn't find a replacement part online, so I just got some wood moulding trim and painted it shiny metallic.

Tomorrow they deliver my second pinball machine, Simpsons Pinball Party.

Eventually I'll probably get rid of the Party Zone and get two more. On my list:

Lord of the Rings
Sopranos
Junk Yard
Champion Pub
Twilight Zone

Just purchased and received my 1st pinball machine. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. We built an area of our basement that will comfortably fit 3 machines.

I started with an inexpensive machine - Party Zone. I like it, and it's a good way to get my feet wet in the world of maintaining the pins. It currently has two switch issues (doesn't impact gameplay much) and some bulbs out. Already did some minor cabinet repair on it, as it was missing the metallic trim below the speakers, and the top one was extremely worn. I couldn't find a replacement part online, so I just got some wood moulding trim and painted it shiny metallic.

Tomorrow they deliver my second pinball machine, Simpsons Pinball Party.

Eventually I'll probably get rid of the Party Zone and get two more. On my list:

Lord of the Rings
Sopranos
Junk Yard
Champion Pub
Twilight Zone

Party Zone is quite old for a modern pin being made in 1991 and probably not a great choice for a first machine if bought on price. With a machine of that age, unless you get it from a pinball dealer who does full machine prepping, ie playfield strip downs, re-rubbering, bulb, checks,etc., you are bound to give yourself maintainance issues from day 1. If you go for another 90's machine down the track make sure it's been properly reconditioned. Also whatever you do, don't be tempted to buy on price alone or I guarantee you will be buying a lot of time spent fixing it instead of enjoying it. Down the track if you find you have a real enthusiasm and enjoy tinkering with them, you can do what I do these days and buy very good examples i.e. no playfield defects and bring them up to mint condition over time. I'm currently putting the finishing touchs on a home use only Scared Stiff and IJ. On the good side I know you will have a real appreciation when you get the Simpson P.P., especially if it's a brand new one after having to tinker with an older machine with a lot of hours on it.

You have some good pins listed there. Have you played the Sopranos yet though? I went to try one last year, hoping it would be good but not only is the graphic design lousy, the game play is absolute garbage. I would avoid that machine like the plague frankly. Champion Pub is also a bit of a dog, you will see evidence of this in it's value in the used pinball and collecting market. Junk Yard is an ok one, a tad easy, but kind of cute toys and artwork. Twilight Zone is a modern classic and a real players game. I am considering putting a top cond. example back in my collection eventually. Lord of the Rings, in my book, is the best machine Stern has made to date.
Beware, if the bug really bites you you could after 10 years, like me, find that you've owned over 25 machines in that time and are still trying to get the 'perfect' collection together!
Enjoy your second machine. I can remember when I finally decided to get a second machine, man it was cool. Now I own 8 with another on the way... :D

No one has owned the Playboy pinball machine? It is a classic. My buddy had one a few years ago. I'm going to look for one in a few months after I finish my gameroom.

I certainly hpope that you're talking about the 1978 version and not the 2002 on that classic Playboy, sd72667.

I certainly hpope that you're talking about the 1978 version and not the 2002 on that classic Playboy, sd72667.

Don't forget the 1989 Playboy 35th Anniversary by Data East. It's another p.o.s. one though right up there with the '02 that I was foolish enough to buy(then get quickly get rid of) thinking it would have marquee value.

No one has owned the Playboy pinball machine? It is a classic. My buddy had one a few years ago. I'm going to look for one in a few months after I finish my gameroom.

I bought the original Bally Playboy when it was new back in 1977. It had playmates Sondra Theodore and whoever Jimmy Connor's wife was on the backglass. I've forgotten her name but not her body. Patty McGuire, maybe? The guy I sold it to a few years later went on to become a state Supreme Court Justice.

I've read that Slick Chick, which I played in my youth, was really the precursor of Playboy pinball machines. Playboy wanted there to be a Playboy-motif pinball machine without actually naming it Playboy, and that is what the manufacturer came up with.

In 1973, I bought the Gottlieb Sheriff and Outer Space that had briefly (very briefly) been used in a New Jersey Playboy Club before the liquor inspector told them to remove them because the liquor licensing law of that era did not permit pinball machines in places that served liquor for on-premises consumption.

...the liquor inspector told them to remove them because the liquor licensing law of that era did not permit pinball machines in places that served liquor for on-premises consumption.

What the hell kind of law is that? :mad: :confused:

Very, very common, actually. Pinball machines were universally scorned in the late 1950s and early 1960s when they were used as one-for-one replacements for so-called "bingo" games, which were games in physically identical cabinets that had typically 25 holes in the playfield and the player would simply launch five balls into five holes and the machine would determine what, if anything, he won.

Local ordinances were passed that pinball games could not be priced at any more than 10 cents per game and that the machine had to be incapable of allowing the player to improve his odds of winning by expending another unit of credit for the same game. In other words, you couldn't set the machine up such that, if a person wagered twenty cents instead of ten cents, that he might get three free "games" as a reward for attaining a given score, because it was obvious that the player would only do that if he were using the game as a gambling instrument. And since gambling was inextricable linked to the sale of alcohol, many, if not most, states prohibited all forms of coin operated games in bars, but they gradually phased them in during the 1970s. The introduction of the sit down version of "pong" prompted a lot of jurisdictions to allow just that form of coin operated game into liquor serving establishments, and pinball machines, because of their stigma from the "bingo" game era, were often the last form of game finally allowed in, though some jurisdictions dragged their feet even more on allowing the use of coin operated pool tables, as the game of pool had similarly been stigmatized by the impression that society still held of "pool halls". Remember the originally "Hustler" movie? They really were like that. I spent an inordinate portion of my youth and early adulthood in such places.

What the hell kind of law is that? :mad: :confused:

The other thing is there were also gambling based pinball machines, which caused many places to ban their use all together. This was happening even in the 70's, as I have friends who recall playing the gambling pinballs . A lot of legislation based on that idea had a flow-on effect and caused problems in some places for normal pinball machines. Even the UK insists to this day on the center pop-up ball blocker between the flippers for all machines due to the fact that they still consider pinball a game of chance without it...

Grah! Government in action once again. Protect me from myself, please! Let's outlaw driving, since every time you get in your car, you're gambling with the well-documented odds of getting in an accident. Let's outlaw sex, since there's always a chance you could get AIDS and die from it. Let's outlaw everything and just become a society of outlaws. When is the world going to stand up to this sort of inane thinking and declare that LIFE is a chance?

Maybe this bothers me more than others since here in UT, they've taken it to the extreme. No state lotto, yet people routinely drive up to WY and buy tickets. No gambling, yet thousands of persons drive 45 minutes across the AZ border and give them their money weekly. Then Utahns continually whine that they don't have tax revenue for their 5-10 kids to go to a good school. Just last year, they busted in with armed and armored SWAT to a bingo parlor and threw seniors to the ground because they were "gambling".

To say that a Bally or Midway or some other pinball game is a game of chance is absurd. It is a game of skill. Only skilled players can play for as long as they want on one quarter and receive credit after credit, which only entitles you to more playtime, not prizes. If it were a game of chance, you could put a novice at the helm and he could potentially beat the high score. Anyone that's ever actually played pinball knows that it takes years to master and that each and every machine has its own learning process. Is there any "chance" that some rookie will ever beat my 289 million points on Lord of the Rings? Not a chance in hell.

Grah! Government in action once again. Protect me from myself, please! Let's outlaw driving, since every time you get in your car, you're gambling with the well-documented odds of getting in an accident. Let's outlaw sex, since there's always a chance you could get AIDS and die from it. Let's outlaw everything and just become a society of outlaws. When is the world going to stand up to this sort of inane thinking and declare that LIFE is a chance?

Maybe this bothers me more than others since here in UT, they've taken it to the extreme. No state lotto, yet people routinely drive up to WY and buy tickets. No gambling, yet thousands of persons drive 45 minutes across the AZ border and give them their money weekly. Then Utahns continually whine that they don't have tax revenue for their 5-10 kids to go to a good school. Just last year, they busted in with armed and armored SWAT to a bingo parlor and threw seniors to the ground because they were "gambling".

To say that a Bally or Midway or some other pinball game is a game of chance is absurd. It is a game of skill. Only skilled players can play for as long as they want on one quarter and receive credit after credit, which only entitles you to more playtime, not prizes. If it were a game of chance, you could put a novice at the helm and he could potentially beat the high score. Anyone that's ever actually played pinball knows that it takes years to master and that each and every machine has its own learning process. Is there any "chance" that some rookie will ever beat my 289 million points on Lord of the Rings? Not a chance in hell.

I hear you on UTAH. It makes me cringe to think how much of that states founding legislation, much of that still in place today is based on the twisted Christianity of polygamist, Brigham Young. I find the puritanical outlook of much of the US unbearable these days and I for one am glad the I left after my 10 year stint growing up suburban NY from age 4-14. Thankfully, my views were not warped on things like attitudes to drinking or I fear I have turned out like the kids I once went back to visit. Some of these teens at 17/18 were dropping out of college due to 'drinking' problems. Looking back in I found the whole thing pretty damn absurd, when in my case and many others raised outside the US found, our parents did not demonise alcohol and make us want to sneak off and consume it even more, in an unsupervised manner. Rather they invited us, as a responsible coming of age, to partake sensible quantities in their presense ie a beer or share a glass of their wine at dinner or at a special occasion. For me this was close to turning 17. Sure I wanted to get together with my friends and drink, but I didn't feel the urge to binge in excess as some form of rebellion. Come 18, I was well adjusted to the concept of going out and enjoying a social drink with friends, into music and nightclubbing. Anyway, that's enough of that for the pinball forum!

Back to the discussion of toys for big kids! :D

I still to this day fail to understand the whole logic behind the UK view on pinballs and the center pop-up scenario. It also means I never want to buy a 2nd hand machine from there. Mind you with their rip off currency, it's pretty much a moot point anyhow...

I'm not familiar with the post between the flippers on U.K. games, but it is probably to make sure that each game lasts some minimum amount of time. In order for pinball games to be misused as gambling machines, they need to be able to allow the player to produce near-instant results, so making each game last for some substantial interval makes them unsuited to gambling.

Unless you are a gambler or have made a living off gamblers, as I occasionally have, it is difficult to fathom their mentality. They want the present game to end so that they either win or try again. If a person were to try to attain a certain score and thereby a pecuniary reward on a pinball machine by playing it well, he would not be engaged in gambling, and the house would not want to offer prizes on such games, because if a player attained a high enough skill level, the game would no longer have house odds.

Gambling machines of chance make about ten times as much money as do genuine games of skill. In fact , they can make a hundred times as much profit, because they don't have to be replaced every couple of months, so 99% or more of the gross profit is net profit. I have seen video draw pokers that produced weekly profits of over a thousand dollars. If a pinball machine grosses, say, $60 per week, the profit is probably zero or negative.

I remember some years ago that some of the Vegas hotels decide to become "family friendly". Big mistake. Families are shoppers. Gamblers are losers. You can make more money off one gambler than off a hundred families or a thousand families because you have to give the families value for their money, so it is possible to lose money on those transactions.

I used to live in Northampton, Massachusetts, where, I swear, about every third person hanging out downtown is a criminal of some sort. Those people were gamblers. They would rather sit around the bar and cut cards for $100 a cut than play a game of pinball or pool. I remember that one of them lost so much money in one of Trump's casinos that he actually got to meet Donald Trump. That is the prize for being a giant sucker. He thought he got to meet Trump because he had comported himself as such a cool guy.

Party Zone is quite old for a modern pin being made in 1991 and probably not a great choice for a first machine if bought on price.

Actually I bought it because it was a very good value. PZ is well rated (8.4+ at IDPB) and enjoyable, but not extremely popular among enthusiasts. It's a perfect starter and I don't mind the maintainance, which I'm starting to learn AND enjoy.

You have some good pins listed there. Have you played the Sopranos yet though? I went to try one last year, hoping it would be good but not only is the graphic design lousy, the game play is absolute garbage. I would avoid that machine like the plague frankly.

I've heard the same thing quite a bit and I think I'm taking it off the list. I'm hoping a family guy pinball is released by stern.

Beware, if the bug really bites you you could after 10 years, like me, find that you've owned over 25 machines in that time and are still trying to get the 'perfect' collection together! Enjoy your second machine. I can remember when I finally decided to get a second machine, man it was cool. Now I own 8 with another on the way... :D

I think I've already got the bug! I love the Simpsons PP machine, it's very deep, which is a must for a home game in my book, and it's a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time working on the PZ pinball machine tonight, but it was very gratifying as I'm slowly starting to learn my way around the game!

A budy of mine has a pinbot. Played it so much it broke and we cant get it fixed. OH how I loved the pinbot.

I've got a Theatre of Magic. It's currently being shopped out and I think I'm having more fun doing that than playing it :)

I finally got up the (pin)balls to try flame polishing on the ramps. It's an incredible technique, but you have to be careful. I practiced on a few junk ones first and did the one of the actual ToM ones tonight. It looks *sweet*.

There's a show coming up in NJ in August, and I'm thinking about getting a Haunted House or Twilight Zone. However, I think if I saw a Bride of Pinbot, I'd get that. Wish I had more room!

Actually I bought it because it was a very good value. PZ is well rated (8.4+ at IDPB) and enjoyable, but not extremely popular among enthusiasts. It's a perfect starter and I don't mind the maintainance, which I'm starting to learn AND enjoy.

Sorry dude, I wasn't speaking of PZ's merits as game in particular (noting though it doesn't make the pinside.com top 100 pinballs). What I was saying is that by buying a 15 year old machine, you are definitely increasing the likelihood of buying more more maintainance from the start. So getting an older pin it cheaper can be a bit of a false saving in many cases. It sounds like you are fine with fixing the machine. I am keen to make sure others out there, who may not be inclined to want to deal with the much higher likelihood of needing to carry out repairs don't go out looking for the cheapest machine out there. That in most cases is a recipe for disaster, as you are like to find machines that have had the crap beaten out of them on location somewhere and then simply palmed off to an unsuspecting home buyer without any real servicing being carried out. Many times these machines have errors on them caused by faulty switches, which the operator conveniently chooses to ignore, since the game still makes works/can make money.




I've heard the same thing quite a bit and I think I'm taking it off the list. I'm hoping a family guy pinball is released by stern.

Wise decision there, trust me, you'll be grateful. Personally, I long ago gave up being excited by themes. Too many times a good theme has an excuse to build an average pinball and hope you'll move units on the name alone. You'll notice WMS hardly did any TV or Movie themed games in the last years of operation, SWEI being the exception and we know how that turned out. I always hope for a good game first, worry about the theme as secondary. I remember seeing a guy come into a friend of mines pinball business and asked if he had any 'James Bond' themed pinballs. I felt like pulling the guy aside and explaining to him the reality of pinball and themes, but I couldn't be bothered at the time. Stern are still finding their feet in this post WMS era. Thankfully, as several of the old WMS designers have been slowly turning up at Stern, the quality is starting to move forward. My next hope with Stern is that they build a flipper as strong as WMS' and get the standard of their machines artwork up to WMS'.



I think I've already got the bug! I love the Simpsons PP machine, it's very deep, which is a must for a home game in my book, and it's a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time working on the PZ pinball machine tonight, but it was very gratifying as I'm slowly starting to learn my way around the game!

That's great to hear. You can really get immersed in maintaining and upgrading your machines. I get so fussy with it, that I won't think of playing a machine I've just bought(unless new), until I've been over it to make sure everything is working 100% and in top cond. It's just a matter of finding enough time to work on them then. The Simpsons is definitely on my list, in fact it may end up being the game that I trade my Cirqus Voltaire, that let me down by having a common bit of playfield wear, on one. The funny thing is, when I first played a TSPP, just after they came out, I must have been in a bad mood, cause I just couldn't get into it. Then I tried one again at my mate's pinball shop and am now pretty keen on one, although I've read a few positive reviews of World Poker Tour too.

I currently own :

Attack From Mars
Twilight Zone
Lord of the Rings
The Simpsons Pinball Party

Collection can be seen at:

http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/evileye

It is pretty hard to find decent pinball on location nowadays but there are several collectors with beautiful collections who often open their homes to fellow pinball enhusiasts. Best place to meet them is USENET group rec.games.pinball or at one of the many pinball shows.

Some of the best/largest well maintained locations are

S.S. Billiards - Hopkins, MN
Lyons Classic Pinball - Lyons, Colorado
Pinball Hall of Fame - 4 miles of the strip in Las Vegas, NV

I have owned at one time or another over 100 pinball machines.
My favorite is still Addams Family. It got me hooked on this hobby and is still a blast to play every time. I have sold most of my machines but I still own:

Addams Family
Twilight Zone
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Theatre of Magic
Revenge from Mars
Star Wars EP I
Genie
Nip-It
High Speeed

My fav of all time was Star Trek: TOS. Only 94/100 on the list... I guess it largely comes down to the personal memories everyone has of playing them. The local 7/11 was like a 2nd home. :)

Five Favorites:

The Machine: Bride of Pinbot
Whodunnit?
Banzai Run
Medieval Madness
Theater of Magic

I'll play any Bally/Williams game from the 90s. We only have a few left where I live, and they all have some sort of problem. Used to go to Grand Prix in Ft. Lauderdale in the 90s. They had about 50 beautifully working machines, 5 balls for one token (25 tokens for $5.00), and were open 24 hours. What a great place it was.

Geez... how did I miss this thread?
:D

My dad was a huge pinball fan... that is a legacy he left me. We used to go the the arcade (and trampoline then mini-golf) on Harrison Street by the bandshell in Hollywood, FL. There were a few games we played, but I remember one where you could hit a button and catch the ball. It had an aligator on it and I remember seeing it on the set of Happy Days.

In addition, I used to go to Grand Prix when they were a small go-cart/BMX/arcade place off of Griffin road and 441... we are talking the 70s. I remember when they moved and later started charging a minimum token purchase to get. Even after I moved to CA it was a tradition for me and my best buddy to stay up all night playing pins and vids on the first night of my arrival and the last night before I flew home.

When I moved to CA I moved to Santa Cruz (from another poster) and even worked at the Boardwalk a few years. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has (had) a lot of older pins. We would take a break from the quarter-eating vids (thought we could hang out all day on Joust and Robotron for token) and play lots of pinballs!

My more recent (mid 90s) run came at the Boulder Boardwalk in CO. We would have long sessions on Theater of Magic and Medieval Madness. Those are my most recent favs.

Sorry for repeating the same favs as others...

My dad was a huge pinball fan... that is a legacy he left me. We used to go the the arcade (and trampoline then mini-golf) on Harrison Street by the bandshell in Hollywood, FL. There were a few games we played, but I remember one where you could hit a button and catch the ball. It had an aligator on it and I remember seeing it on the set of Happy Days....


That would have to be a Bally Nip-It.

http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=1680&picno=16522

That would have to be a Bally Nip-It.

http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=1680&picno=16522

YES! I remember those sliding flippers, too.

Thanks!

I love pinball. I get very emotional about pinball. I am very sad that pinball is no more. (stern doesn't count boys and girls)

I've got a near mint Twilight Zone and a Star Trek: The Next Generation and Indiana Jones.

I can't decide if I want The Addams Family, Medieval Madness, or Funhouse next...but I'm itching to get another one.

My Stng currently has a trough problem where it continuosly spits out balls during play...could this be dirty optos? Or perhaps a blown fuse? My IJ is broken as well and needs to be fixed

I am tempted to get a Pirates of the Caribbean sight unseen new in box but I'd rather play one first. The problem with Stern is they make the games the same as the awful Data East/Sega days. The feel is all wrong...the flippers are all wrong...the sound is cheap compared to DCS.....mr stern should have purchased Williams/Bally.

One of the saddest days was when I heard Williams/Bally closed their doors. Pinball 2000 was clearly a mistake....horrible games.

I was blessed to grow up in the golden age of pinball mid 80's to midend of 90's. HIgh Speed and Cyclone. Pinbot and Taxi. Row after row of brand new sparkling pinball machines at Northrock Lanes and Copper Cue in Wichita, KS. Or playing for free on an Addams Family for free at Sportsworld because it had the slam tilt disabled when I spent all my tokens on the other pins.

The copper cue has fallen on rough times....they only have like 3 working pins and they are Stern and all are dirty and bad condition......I used to spend countly hours playing funhouse and medieval madness and attack from mars and tales of the arabian nights...sigh

Now if only those idiots at pinball.com manage to recreate Medieval Madness. Hopefully they will go bankrupt and Stern will purchase the rights to the tremendous Williams/Bally library (and patents).

I would give my left pinball today to buy a new in box Williams/Bally manufactured Funhouse or later...maybe the Sultan of Brunei has some in storage....but sadly at the time I was too young to afford it. I was however one of their biggest fans and I would play any Bally/Williams I saw because of the QUALITY.

...I was blessed to grow up in the golden age of pinball mid 80's to midend of 90's...

Surely you jest.

This reminds me of the time I heard a young player from the Minnesota Twins being interviewed as "player of the game" on the opposing team's local radio network. He actually said, "I had the privilege of beginning my career on one of the greatest teams of all time. We had guys like Ken Hrbek, Garry Gaetti, Tom Brunansky and Kirby Puckett".

I love pinball. I get very emotional about pinball. I am very sad that pinball is no more. (stern doesn't count boys and girls)

I've got a near mint Twilight Zone and a Star Trek: The Next Generation and Indiana Jones.

I can't decide if I want The Addams Family, Medieval Madness, or Funhouse next...but I'm itching to get another one.

My Stng currently has a trough problem where it continuosly spits out balls during play...could this be dirty optos? Or perhaps a blown fuse? My IJ is broken as well and needs to be fixed

I am tempted to get a Pirates of the Caribbean sight unseen new in box but I'd rather play one first. The problem with Stern is they make the games the same as the awful Data East/Sega days. The feel is all wrong...the flippers are all wrong...the sound is cheap compared to DCS.....mr stern should have purchased Williams/Bally.

One of the saddest days was when I heard Williams/Bally closed their doors. Pinball 2000 was clearly a mistake....horrible games.

I was blessed to grow up in the golden age of pinball mid 80's to midend of 90's. HIgh Speed and Cyclone. Pinbot and Taxi. Row after row of brand new sparkling pinball machines at Northrock Lanes and Copper Cue in Wichita, KS. Or playing for free on an Addams Family for free at Sportsworld because it had the slam tilt disabled when I spent all my tokens on the other pins.

The copper cue has fallen on rough times....they only have like 3 working pins and they are Stern and all are dirty and bad condition......I used to spend countly hours playing funhouse and medieval madness and attack from mars and tales of the arabian nights...sigh

Now if only those idiots at pinball.com manage to recreate Medieval Madness. Hopefully they will go bankrupt and Stern will purchase the rights to the tremendous Williams/Bally library (and patents).

I would give my left pinball today to buy a new in box Williams/Bally manufactured Funhouse or later...maybe the Sultan of Brunei has some in storage....but sadly at the time I was too young to afford it. I was however one of their biggest fans and I would play any Bally/Williams I saw because of the QUALITY.

I've been the 'Stern doesn't count' club up until I bought a Lord of the Rings. I always hated the flippers and design work in DE/Sega and Stern machines. But this machine was a turning point in my book. Ok the flippers are still not WMS feel quite yet, but they are an improvement past efforts. You have obviously read about Pirates, hence your comments. I have ordered one (something I normally loath doing with a Stern) on the strength of reviews from hardcore enthusiasts on RGP newsgroup and my friend who is a sales manager for a pinball shop who did the same before they even got their demo a few weeks ago. From what I've heard and have seen so far, the machine possibly takes Stern beyond where WMS were at pre P2000. I think a lot of the improvement in Stern must come from their employing of more and more ex- WMS designers like Pat Lawlor, Steve Ritchie, Dennis Nordman, Dwight Sullivan and George Gomez.

My experience growing up was quite the opposite. I was going to the arcade to play videogames like space invaders and asteroids. I watched my old man playing pinballs, I distinctly remember him playing the Space Invaders pinball while I played the video version. Before that I remember coming across 70's machines like Evel Knievel and really didn't like playing them, machines of that era just bored the crap out of me as kid. It wasn't until I decided to investigate 90's pins for home use nearly 10 years ago now that my perspective totally changed. I was instantly addicted to 'modern' pinball and I've never looked back. I do regret having let go many mint machines in the quest to try as many as I could.

So you'd rather play a 60's Gottlieb with mechanical reels that will work for 20 seconds at a time before breaking?

When is the golden age of pinball?

I doubt anyone will agree with you...the best pinballs were built 1985-1999 by Williams/Bally.

This is undisputed. It is nonsense to argue about the facts.

It is recorded in the Hall of Records a few feet below the Sphinx's right paw!

Explain yourself please...you are in error.


Surely you jest.

This reminds me of the time I heard a young player from the Minnesota Twins being interviewed as "player of the game" on the opposing team's local radio network. He actually said, "I had the privilege of beginning my career on one of the greatest teams of all time. We had guys like Ken Hrbek, Garry Gaetti, Tom Brunansky and Kirby Puckett".

I must admit that LOTR was the first Stern I really got into. Immersed in the game and having fun, not wishing I was playing a Williams/Bally in other words.

I want to play POTC before I drop 4 thousand on a toy sight unseen, but I am crazy enough to do so. I have watched video of the chicago test version and it looks fun....I think the concensus is it needs more Johhny Depp quotes!! (can they upgrade this on the memory stick?).

Also the allure of owning a brand new pin is growing on me....how hard are they to set up initially....any major fixes necessary?

I've been the 'Stern doesn't count' club up until I bought a Lord of the Rings. I always hated the flippers and design work in DE/Sega and Stern machines. But this machine was a turning point in my book. Ok the flippers are still not WMS feel quite yet, but they are an improvement past efforts. You have obviously read about Pirates, hence your comments. I have ordered one (something I normally loath doing with a Stern) on the strength of reviews from hardcore enthusiasts on RGP newsgroup and my friend who is a sales manager for a pinball shop who did the same before they even got their demo a few weeks ago. From what I've heard and have seen so far, the machine possibly takes Stern beyond where WMS were at pre P2000. I think a lot of the improvement in Stern must come from their employing of more and more ex- WMS designers like Pat Lawlor, Steve Ritchie, Dennis Nordman, Dwight Sullivan and George Gomez.

We have to support Stern though as they are it....(unless Wayne in Australia gets those remakes out)
I went to my local Stern distributor the other day to check out a Pirates of the Carribean. My thoughts can be summed up as follows:
If you like games which are very much stop and go (Nordman and Lawlor pins come to mind) such as:

Twilight Zone
Addams Family
Creature From the Black Lagoon
Scared Stiff

You'll like this pin.

If you really like non-stop flow type games (Gomez, Steve Ritchie) such as:

Star Trek NG
Johnny Mnemonic (underrated...I really like this pin)
Theatre of Magic (my favorite pin)
World Poker Tour

You might not like it. I am in this category. But that is obviously my opinion....which seems to be in the minority since many, many people like TZ and TAF...pins which I just can't get into.

I must admit that LOTR was the first Stern I really got into. Immersed in the game and having fun, not wishing I was playing a Williams/Bally in other words.

I want to play POTC before I drop 4 thousand on a toy sight unseen, but I am crazy enough to do so. I have watched video of the chicago test version and it looks fun....I think the concensus is it needs more Johhny Depp quotes!! (can they upgrade this on the memory stick?).

Also the allure of owning a brand new pin is growing on me....how hard are they to set up initially....any major fixes necessary?

You're exactly right with that comment on LOTR, that feeling where you get into the game and not finding yourself with remorse that your not playing a game of WMS quality.

I bought one Stern(playboy) and one WMS (SWEI), NIB site unseen. I regretted both purchases immensely. POTC on the other hand, I'm happy to go on the strength of the review of my mate and others as well as the vids and review on Pinballnews. For me I had a CV to unload that due to a small and common playfield defect I wouldn't put this particular example in my collection. The resulting $A5000 I got was enough to persuede me to put it down towards a POTC. For me, I was going to spend it on a machine anyway. I also know I can pass it on easily without any real dramas should I be that unimpressed with it.

If you're into machines and have had a few used ones, setting up a new one is a piece of cake frankly. It should take no longer than 15 mins and if you have to fix something(that's not minor) then you got a dud most likely. For me it takes longer to go over a used machine, even though the only pins I buy these days are in top cond., checking that it's 100% functioning and complete no missing parts, etc.

We have to support Stern though as they are it....(unless Wayne in Australia gets those remakes out)
I went to my local Stern distributor the other day to check out a Pirates of the Carribean. My thoughts can be summed up as follows:
If you like games which are very much stop and go (Nordman and Lawlor pins come to mind) such as:

Twilight Zone
Addams Family
Creature From the Black Lagoon
Scared Stiff

You'll like this pin.

If you really like non-stop flow type games (Gomez, Steve Ritchie) such as:

Star Trek NG
Johnny Mnemonic (underrated...I really like this pin)
Theatre of Magic (my favorite pin)
World Poker Tour

Good assessment, I like your comparisons there. For me as a collector, you have to have a few of each type of game for variety. Sometimes you feel like flow, sometimes you want skill shots. I just bought a really nice ToM on ebay, a mission that's taken 2.5 years as it's been so hard to find one in the cond. I wanted. It was a good example of a machine I regretted letting go of the first time I had one.

Hey Tweakophite! My brother and I used to go to the Basement arcade of Old Chicago Pizza on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. Of course this was in the late 70's early 80's so I'm not sure it's even there anymore. Defender was the poison of choice in those days.

Medeivel Madness is my all time fav. I would give my left nut for that one in my basement!!

Flan

Hey Tweakophite! My brother and I used to go to the Basement arcade of Old Chicago Pizza on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. Of course this was in the late 70's early 80's so I'm not sure it's even there anymore. Defender was the poison of choice in those days.

Medeivel Madness is my all time fav. I would give my left nut for that one in my basement!!

Flan


Hi-

I didn't even know there was a basement in Old Chicago (though there is a bar next to it with a basement. Funny how that changes.

We were friends with the local arade owner in Aptos (part of Santa Cruz). He had it opened for a few years, then dropped it to start running a video-rental business. I think he sold his place to Blockbuster many many years later.

I think TZ has excellent flow...try getting a game with 50 hitchhikers and robots and two Lost In the Zones. This is definately a wizard's machine....but when you are on this machine is the best ever!

The two ramps and the slot shot are a good example. Left ramp + Slot machine = gold and is nonstop action.

At least as much as LOTR....perhaps not as much with Medieval Madness and Attack from Mars.

Theatre of Magic certainly has the same flow as the Twilight Zone to me...dunno about you guys. All are games of skill thats why there are flippers (no pachinko for me!)

So you'd rather play a 60's Gottlieb with mechanical reels that will work for 20 seconds at a time before breaking?

They work for years at a time after I've overhauled them. Gottlieb's Orbit/Outer Space (1972) and Big Indian/Big Brave (1974) were player's games.

- AntAltMike: Winner of UNH's 1973 pinball tournament, 1975 foosball tournament, 1980 pocket billiards tournament (and since I never graduated, I still might return to take the ping-pong tournament for a "gameroom grand-slam").

Theatre of Magic certainly has the same flow as the Twilight Zone to me...dunno about you guys. All are games of skill thats why there are flippers (no pachinko for me!)

I would actually disagree with you on that....(Based on my definition of flow which is also just my opinion of course) TZ is more of a stop and go skill shot type of game. I had a TZ which, after I stripped it down and shopped it, turned out to be a great pin. I just couldn't get into it because it was so stop and go.

- Hit the right ramp...the divertor stops the ball
- Hit the slot machine wait for the ball to eject
- Hit the piano shot...wait
- Hit the camera shot...wait
- Hit the rocket...wait
- Hit the hitchhiker...wait
- Hit the lock (right of right ramp)...wait
- Load the gumball...wait

Again...I am not saying this is bad. TZ is considered one of the best pins ever. It is just not my cup of tea. I tend to not like Lawlor pins for this reason. I really like pins that keep the ball moving. Fast paced is where it is at for me. A buddy of mine has pinball tastes exactly the opposite of mine. He was upset when I sold my TZ and CFTBL. He can't get into ToM (my favorite game) and Johnny Mnemonic (when I had it). He hasn't played my MB and SS yet though, so we'll see what he thinks about those.

ToM's shots tend to keep the ball moving. Left and right orbit shots, the center orbit shot and both ramps keep the ball constantly moving.
Johnny Mnemonic is a game with great flow (would be so much better if it weren't for the poor software). That game is FAST and because there is hardly ever any stoppage (except when loading the hand) the ball is just whizzing around all the time. This is the only game I regret selling, one day I will own it again (hard to find one without faded cabinet)

Boy... reading this again I want to go out and play some Med. Madness and Theater of Magic.
:D :D :D

What was the golfing game that came out around this time? I think it had gofers on it, too. That was a fun one, too.

All of those "waits" are only one maybe two seconds at the most....what about the wait to start multiball in TOM after the bullseye shot on the trunk one of the longest ever? (but true to theme) Or the wait of the levitating spirit ring?

I jest really...TOM is in my top ten.

1. Twilight Zone
2. Medieval Madness
3. Theatre of Magic
4. Star Trek: The Next Generation
5. Indiana Jones
6. Funhouse
7. Attack From Mars
8. Tales of the Arabian Nights
9. The Addams Family
10. Cirqus Voltaire
11. Whitewater

wildcard: Safecracker (I only played it a few times at the Grand Floridian at Disney World on vacation in 1997...I won a token and they were all gone!!!)

That could only be No Good Gofers (Pat Lawlor's last game for Williams/Bally---Wizard Blocks was going to be the third game for Pinball 2000 but it was killed when they shut them down). Really fun...hard to find one not broken though, wish I could play more.

Boy... reading this again I want to go out and play some Med. Madness and Theater of Magic.
:D :D :D

What was the golfing game that came out around this time? I think it had gofers on it, too. That was a fun one, too.

I am currently designing a new pinball machine entitled "911 Bush Did It." Super skill shot- Cheney's Balls.

Other than that Twighlight Zone is great. I ordered a Pirates of the Caribbean. Hope it's good.

I like your name. I am a total Republican but laughed out loud at your name!! Keep it up with the anti-Bush pinball.

Jeff, you need to update your homepage with some pics of you new pin!

...

I doubt anyone will agree with you...the best pinballs were built 1985-1999 by Williams/Bally.

This is undisputed. It is nonsense to argue about the facts.

...
Don't doubt. Most people love the games/music/movies of their own era best.

Just because you like the noisy ADHD pin games of the period you cite, does not make them better.

Pinball purists lament the advent of flippers.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

That's the facts.

Let's see...flippers were invented in 1947 with Gottlieb's Humpty Dumpty....are these guys 80 years old you are speaking of? We are talking about CONSENSUS! Not individual preference!

You are certifiably insane!

"Pinball purists lament the advent of flippers. "

They can play the modern equivilent of PACH*NK* if they don't want flippers. Or slot machines.

if only pins dispensed money for a jackpot

Doctor Who (Bally, 1993)

I'll take the ADHD Pins any day....Thank you very much! ;)

I've been playing my Pirates of the Caribbean machine now for a week. It's really really fun. The cabinet looks a little cheesy. The gold trim around the backglass is horrible. The neon bulb behind the backglass needs to be changed to incandescent. But he playfield looks awesome. The toys, the multiballs, the speed is all great. I really love it! 9/10. Right now I prefer it to The Twighlight Zone.

I played Pirates for an hour. I liked it too but found it an easier game and boy can you keep the ball in play for a long time.... I tought the speed a bit slow. Certainly not as fast as my fav Star Trek Next Gen....but all and all a solid game.

I wish I could play Pirates of the Caribbean in Wichita...anyone know where?

Family Guy pinball will be better anyway....they damn well better use custom speech!

I wish I could play Pirates of the Caribbean in Wichita...anyone know where?

Family Guy pinball will be better anyway....they damn well better use custom speech!

FG may well be a good machine, but prejudging a machine based on theme is one of the biggest mistake that can be made, especially with a Stern. Take Sopranos for example and host of other Sterns with cool themes.

I guess I am predisposed to Pat Lawlor's games.

I wish Stern had the feel of Williams/Bally but they are reportedly getting better....and alas they are the only show on earth (wayne pinball factory vaporware notwithstanding)

I guess I am predisposed to Pat Lawlor's games.

I wish Stern had the feel of Williams/Bally but they are reportedly getting better....and alas they are the only show on earth (wayne pinball factory vaporware notwithstanding)

If it is confirmed that P.L. is attached, then the game has good chance of being pretty decent.

No question on the improvements with Stern, my feeling is that it started to kick in with LOTR. Also, with Stern employing more and more former WMS designers (especially P.L.), it's not hard to see why Stern is evolving towards a more WMS like manufacturer and game quality is increasing.

+1 for Doctor Who! I played it for hours at Ground Kontrol in Portland, OR a few weeks ago. Great arcade, btw.

I like the Storm.

I own a Lord of the Rings, Simpsons Pinball Party, Twilight Zone, Pirates of the Caribbean and Attack From Mars. My favorite of those is Lord of the Rings. Such an excellent overall package. While Sterns flippers do have a different feel the Bally/Williams, this can be addressed with some part swaps. The software/rule depth in Lord of the Rings and Simpsons Pinball Party easily surpasses anything in the Bally/Williams lineup.

Although I enjoy Pirates a lot, it doesn't have the depth of the Simpsons or Lord of the Rings. But there is still hope that some software updates will add some additional features.

See my gameroom at:

http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/evileye

gotta get myself one. i have budgeted about $800. Anyone got recommends?..used is fine.

gotta get myself one. i have budgeted about $800. Anyone got recommends?..used is fine.


What era are you expecting to buy for $800? It's certainly going to be used and most likely 70's or 80's if that's your max budget. Sorry, but I would have struggled to get a machine, in good working order for $800 going back 10 years ago when I first started collecting. You really have to up your budget unless you want to buy a 80's machine like Space Shuttle, that may or may not work reliably. I can remember being pretty pleased that 90's machines like my first machine Fish Tales were available in decent (not what I'd call properly shopped out) cond for only $A1850 ($US1300). Nowadays a good example of FT properly refurbished will set you back over $2000 maybe a bit less if you get a one privately. I bought a mint condition one, way better than the one I bought in '97 last year for $4000, that's OTT, but it was from a specialist dealer and it is perfect. Also FT is not the most sought after machine out there either. If you want something hugely popular like an Addam's Family, Twilight Zone, or IJ, be prepared to fork out a few grand for an average example. New machines like the POTC I've got hopefully being delivered tomorrow will set you back around $4000.

Your best bet to get a feel for pricing is look at the listings on Mr. Pinball classifieds:LINK (http://www.xmission.com/~daina/classified/search_for_sale.html)
Also the yearly Mr. Pinball Price Guide is a great thing to own: LINK (http://www.xmission.com/~daina/pinlist_info.html)

OzHDHT pretty much hit that on head... let us know the era of games you're looking for and then we can probably give some suggestions... if you're looking for a 90's machine $800 is only going to buy you one heck of a banged up machine and it would likely be a data east or sega...

Deals are very hard to come by, and if you do luck out on one, chances are you will need to put some time into the machine shopping it out. I've only been doing this for a bit over a year and I've come to the conclusion you get what you pay for. Unless you know how to fix pinballs, or are willing to spend a lot of time learning, or have the money and a person to fix it, I would suggest picking up something that has been shopped out and is 100% working. I'm not at the stage yet where I have a lot of time to work on pinballs so I'm opting for the latter.

That being said after I get my Jurassic Park next month and a t2 soon afterwards, I hope to somehow score a deal on a IJ as the WAF is lower on pinball than theatre toys :P a gnr will need to be in the distant future as well....

I did pick up a baracorra for a good price, but my plan is to get it in tip top working condition then sell it off for funds for the t2 or ij savings account :P

btw what's wrong with data east?

Deals are very hard to come by, and if you do luck out on one, chances are you will need to put some time into the machine shopping it out. I've only been doing this for a bit over a year and I've come to the conclusion you get what you pay for. Unless you know how to fix pinballs, or are willing to spend a lot of time learning, or have the money and a person to fix it, I would suggest picking up something that has been shopped out and is 100% working. I'm not at the stage yet where I have a lot of time to work on pinballs so I'm opting for the latter.

That being said after I get my Jurassic Park next month and a t2 soon afterwards, I hope to somehow score a deal on a IJ as the WAF is lower on pinball than theatre toys :P a gnr will need to be in the distant future as well....

I did pick up a baracorra for a good price, but my plan is to get it in tip top working condition then sell it off for funds for the t2 or ij savings account :P

btw what's wrong with data east?

That's exactly it, for the beginner it's certainly worth investing in a machine that's properly shopped and in decent condition. Otherwise, what seems like a fun pastime can become a real pain due to maintainance issues. When I got into pinballs I started with a machine that was in ok cond. certainly not well cleaned but functioning ok. I then started to tinker, first cleaning the machine up, then fine tuning. On subsequent machines I started to build my knowledge of repair by necessity to the point now where I nowadays enjoy refurbing already nice machines back into mint cond.

ShepP, I learned as many other enthusiasts did early on in the piece that DE/Sega machines are garbage. JP was one of my earliest machine possibly my 2nd or 3rd. In the early days I like many, used to get sucked in by themes, which I long ago learned is not wise. My JP was in v.good cond but an absolute POS of a game to play, it lasted a month in my collection. It doesn't surprise me to see HUO(home use only) examples on the Mr. Pinball site right now for all of $1995. DE/Segas suffered from the kind of lack lustre gameplay and build quality that plagued Stern up until a couple of years ago. Notably pathetic flipper strength,boring gameplay,piss poor sound, dull pf layout, and crap quality artwork. GNR was probably the only half decent DE I have played. It kept me entertained for a bit longer, but was on the easy side. Theme music was also done resonably well for a DE, but eventually became annoying after a few games.

T2's not a bad machine, you'll get more enjoyment out of it than JP. In saying that it's not a must have WMS machine and one of a handful of 90's WMS pins I never bothered owned. You will also note that in it's current value. My advice in the the Sci-Fi themed WMS games is STTNG, it leaves T2 for dead and it's all that much more expensive to pick up a decent example, maybe $300-500 more than it.

IJ is a definite keeper in my book, you will love it. It was one of the first 5 machine I ever had and I've just bought and restored another HUO example. It will cost you though, $3500+ for a pristine private example and significantly more from a reputable dealer. Mine cost me $4000 and I still had to go and redo the faded cabinet, plus some cleaning and re-rubbering. I have also been through 2 other machines to get to this one, both of the others were let downs in cond, raised inserts,etc. Neither of the other machines I would have called cheap either but it's hard to find really pristine examples of a '93 machine 13 years later.

Got my POTC yesterday. So far I'm very impressed, WMS style flippers and plenty features, nice toys, etc. I would dare say it's possibly a little on the easy side but that's only after playing a few games.

I'm late to the thread. I just found it searching "pinball". :)
"
Back when I was younger and just wanted to play mindless pinball, I played Pinbot and Comet like crazy! I was going to buy them for my house, but decided I should really get something that I wouldn't get bored of owning.

So, I got my first pin. I haven't played any pinball since the days of Pinbot/Comet, so I bought my White Water without ever having played one. I love it. I'm now shopping around for 2-4 more to fill my small game room.

I only have a Star Wars (Data East). I like it even though it isn't the most complex. When it comes to Pinball, the media is important to me too. You can probably get one for ~1800. Not as expensive as the new games.

Simpsons Party is next on my list though. Of course family Guy looks good too.

Paragon and Eight Ball Deluxe kept me a skinny kid as thats where my lunch money went. I played both of these games till my fingers were raw and never got tiered of either.

I am considering buying a Williams Monster Bash. I see it highly rated on a lot of Pinball sites. Does anyone here have experience with this machine? I'm a little nervous about plunking down 6K for a primo machine and hoping I don't get bored with it after a month. Is it too easy as I has seen a few people mention elsewhere?

I've been torn and I am also considering Twilight Zone, LOTR, Family Guy, and Theater of Magic. I believe I prefer a skill shot machine over fast action machines but I'm not sure.

I've only got one chance at this since my wife will only stand for one more :)

I've got an Eight Ball Deluxe and the Video Game Xevious now.

thanks! Tom W.

I am considering buying a Williams Monster Bash. I see it highly rated on a lot of Pinball sites. Does anyone here have experience with this machine? I'm a little nervous about plunking down 6K for a primo machine and hoping I don't get bored with it after a month. Is it too easy as I has seen a few people mention elsewhere?

I've been torn and I am also considering Twilight Zone, LOTR, Family Guy, and Theater of Magic. I believe I prefer a skill shot machine over fast action machines but I'm not sure.

I've only got one chance at this since my wife will only stand for one more :)

I've got an Eight Ball Deluxe and the Video Game Xevious now.

thanks! Tom W.

Monster Bash is a great looking game, I've always enjoyed playing it, great playfield some fun shots to go for, phantom flip is a pretty cool feature, sound is great, all an all a good game... but... always a but :) The knock on the game is it is too easy... now for me, I've never found it overly easy, but the players over on rgp always go on and on how this game is too easy, I have a couple of pinhead friends who own and both have made the same comment... honestly, for the price, you could get TZ and LOTR, or TZ and Family Guy.

If you like a game with skill shots and not necessairly lots of 'flow' then TZ sounds like a good pin for you... it does have some flow but there is some stop and go with it too and that is really considered a players game... anyway, that's my two cents, for 6k, I'd say the general consensus would be look else where, a TZ and LOTR will keep you happier in the long run.

I am considering buying a Williams Monster Bash. I see it highly rated on a lot of Pinball sites. Does anyone here have experience with this machine? I'm a little nervous about plunking down 6K for a primo machine and hoping I don't get bored with it after a month. Is it too easy as I has seen a few people mention elsewhere?

I've been torn and I am also considering Twilight Zone, LOTR, Family Guy, and Theater of Magic. I believe I prefer a skill shot machine over fast action machines but I'm not sure.

I've only got one chance at this since my wife will only stand for one more :)

I've got an Eight Ball Deluxe and the Video Game Xevious now.

thanks! Tom W.

I had a mint one for a while but I deemed it wasn't a keeper in my collection. Not deep enough for me and bit easy. TZ is THE skill shot machine and if you look around you can find some really nice restored examples. If you want something new FG is meant to be great, especially if you like the show. I'm ditching my Pirates of the Carribean for one. Theater is a pretty machine and I just put one back into my collection. It's not the most difficult machine but I love the ball flow.

Wow, thanks for the response guys. Unfortunately, you've made my decision a little tougher. The reason is that those classic monsters hark to my pre-high school days and building the models. The machine is meant for dinner parties and such so the ease of it should be Ok there.

But again, I can't put down 6k for a machine that I'll get tired of. So, I'll go out and take a hard look at that Twilight Zone. Do you get tired of the audio on TZ? That would be my fear. And resale/appreciation would be good with Monster Bash I guess.

Family guy looks great too.

What a tough choice.

Tom W. :confused:

I am considering buying a Williams Monster Bash. I see it highly rated on a lot of Pinball sites. Does anyone here have experience with this machine? I'm a little nervous about plunking down 6K for a primo machine and hoping I don't get bored with it after a month. Is it too easy as I has seen a few people mention elsewhere?

I've been torn and I am also considering Twilight Zone, LOTR, Family Guy, and Theater of Magic. I believe I prefer a skill shot machine over fast action machines but I'm not sure.


I have a Monster Bash (mint with a Bill Davis clearcoated playfield). I either own or have owned every game you mention (except for Family Guy). Sounds like you and I are opposites. I like fast paced flowing games rather than skill shot type games. Since that is what you like, avoid Monster Bash and Theater of Magic. Twilight Zone is the easy pick here for your tastes. You might also want to consider Addams Family or Creature From The Black Lagoon. TZ should also be much cheaper than MB.

Wow, thanks for the response guys. Unfortunately, you've made my decision a little tougher. The reason is that those classic monsters hark to my pre-high school days and building the models. The machine is meant for dinner parties and such so the ease of it should be Ok there.

But again, I can't put down 6k for a machine that I'll get tired of. So, I'll go out and take a hard look at that Twilight Zone. Do you get tired of the audio on TZ? That would be my fear. And resale/appreciation would be good with Monster Bash I guess.

Family guy looks great too.

What a tough choice.

Tom W. :confused:

One of the biggest pitfalls with pinball collecting is selecting by theme. You could do far worse in that regard than Monsters though, games like Popeye and Flintstones come to mind. 6k is very good money for any machine, bar a sought after Medieval Madness or Cactus Canyon. You should be able to pick up a well restored TZ for around $5k. The audio can get tiring on TZ as it's pre DMS sound. You should try to play a Family Guy, perhaps at a distributor near you. At least a new Stern won't set you back any more the $4k and is a brand new fresh unit that unlikely to give you any maintanence issues for a long time.

Most excellent, all of your thoughts are terrifically helpful. I believe I've come to a decision: I will try to trade in my Eight Ball Deluxe (fair condition) and Xevious (very good condition) and get a Twilight Zone and Family Guy from BMI gaming for 7500$ and shipping included. I'll let you know if they go for it.

So as not to highjack this topic, I would say that Eight Ball Deluxe, Night Rider (simple yet fun), and Terminator were the ones I played the most when I was younger.


Cheers! :cool:

Tom W.

Most excellent, all of your thoughts are terrifically helpful. I believe I've come to a decision: I will try to trade in my Eight Ball Deluxe (fair condition) and Xevious (very good condition) and get a Twilight Zone and Family Guy from BMI gaming for 7500$ and shipping included. I'll let you know if they go for it.

So as not to highjack this topic, I would say that Eight Ball Deluxe, Night Rider (simple yet fun), and Terminator were the ones I played the most when I was younger.


Cheers! :cool:

Tom W.

That sounds like a really good move getting both of those machines.

Just be weary of BMI. Have you dealt with them before? I lost a $1000 deposit on a Cactus Canyon I had with them a few years ago and I've heard a lot of reports that their machines aren't in that great a cond especially for what they charge. I would ultilise the rec.games.pinball newsgroup via google and research comments, ask about them on their perhaps. There are quite a few dealers out there with a better name than they have.

OzHDHT you may be right about BMI. I've just finished a phone call with them and the sales guy didn't seem to want to negotiate at all. Bottom line: TZ and Family Guy delivered was about 9600$ --Too much in my book. My gut tells me I shouldn't really pay more than 7500$ for the two. I'll check the link you sent and play the field for a while.

thanks, Tom W. :cool:

OzHDHT you may be right about BMI. I've just finished a phone call with them and the sales guy didn't seem to want to negotiate at all. Bottom line: TZ and Family Guy delivered was about 9600$ --Too much in my book. My gut tells me I shouldn't really pay more than 7500$ for the two. I'll check the link you sent and play the field for a while.

thanks, Tom W. :cool:

Your gut is correct, that is a rip off indeed, it values your 2 pins at next to nothing. You may want to consider doing a trade against just a TZ with a fairer dealer perhaps and going for the best price for a new FG on ebay as there is plenty of price competition(should get one around $3800.

Dealers like Treasure Cove(not the cheapest), Action Pinball, Pinballs Unlimited are highly reputable. I've got a long link list of various dealers, there tons out there but it's a matter of finding an the honest ones, of which there are few. Dealers I've had bad experience with are SCPinball (in TX) and Fab Fantasies(CA). Fab mislead me on 2 machines on of which was just about a near wreck, with the light board hanging loose, the most shocking p.f. refinishing I've ever seen(think shelac!). The other, a SS was purported as home use only but had way too much wear and too many tech issues. SC sold me a 'mint' IJ that had bad insert wear on the p.f. My strong advice apart from the dealers I've mentioned is to ask the members of rec.games.pinball who you can trust on top of the guys I've already mentioned.

Great stuff, I've just bought and paid for a Family Guy for 4200$ (delivery included) from of a reputable dealer on Ebay. Woohoo! Warranty and Tech support included. BMI would have come in a 5k. Now I can take my time and look around for a decent TZ over the next couple of years. Reading the rec.games.pinball stuff about folks who have played it convinced me that while FG may not be the best pin of all time it's at least VERY good. And what the heck, since it's new I can trade it in on something else in a few years.

Good to know your recommended dealers.

Tom W.

Great stuff, I've just bought and paid for a Family Guy for 4200$ (delivery included) from of a reputable dealer on Ebay. Woohoo! Warranty and Tech support included. BMI would have come in a 5k. Now I can take my time and look around for a decent TZ over the next couple of years. Reading the rec.games.pinball stuff about folks who have played it convinced me that while FG may not be the best pin of all time it's at least VERY good. And what the heck, since it's new I can trade it in on something else in a few years.

Good to know your recommended dealers.

Tom W.

Well done on the FG. Exactly right there, at least the new models do hold their value pretty well and form a good base to trade with should you want to move them on. I'm doing that with my POTC for a FG. You got it right there re the TZ, the good thing being there are many given the huge production run of them. I have seen quite a few nice ones in the last year or so. I personally plan to buy another (had one back in 98) with all of the mods and toys added it.

Hello:

I remember Black Knight.

http://www.pinside.com/pinball/archive/black-knight

I think it was one of the first pinball machines that I remember then went 3D with the ball going up off the surface onto rails or another level.

Makes me want to get CRAZY CLIMBER.

Splotto

Tom... where abouts are you located? State? Posting a message to r.g.p looking for a good seller in your area may net you something... if your Eight Ball Deluxe is in any condition at all it may be of interest to someone there with a TZ for trade.

Reputable and Ebay don't always go hand in hand, when buying pins from ebay be sure to google the handle on r.g.p. first... if you don't find anything post a message indicating you are looking to buy from a particular person from ebay and ask for feedback there. Can never be too careful!

Just back from a couple weeks of vacation to play my new FG. An excellent, excellent game. Not the best of all time but VERY good. Also, maybe a little too easy on the standard settings with all the multiball action but the software offers all kinds of options to get the gameplay like you want it. And not as raunchy as I expected on adult. But a great game nonetheless.

Roar, I'm in Lagrange, Georgia. My Eight Ball Deluxe is in very good mechanical and electrical condition and the backglass is perfect BUT there are 2 spots on the playfield that someone tried to fix with mylar and it's not perfectly smooth. Plays well though and would be willing to trade and some cash for a TZ in the Georgia area.

Peace! Tom W.

Just back from a couple weeks of vacation to play my new FG. An excellent, excellent game. Not the best of all time but VERY good. Also, maybe a little too easy on the standard settings with all the multiball action but the software offers all kinds of options to get the gameplay like you want it. And not as raunchy as I expected on adult. But a great game nonetheless.
.

Good to hear. I'm still waiting for my supplier contact to me about the ones he's getting in. I'm hanging to get one and it's taking ages!

Check these pics of the prototype NEW Spiderman pinball by Stern.

http://pinballsales.com/asp/aa_Spider-Man%20Pinball%20Page%202.asp

Haunted House is my favorite. Twilight Zone is awesome as well.

I've owned Addam's Family for around 7 years, and I just purchased two more machines, Twilight Zone and Star Trek Next Generation, finally after all these years. The new machines will arrive sometime next week (United Van Lines picks them up from the seller tomorrow!).

Just picked up my first pinball a few weeks ago. It's a Rock & Bullwinkle and I must say I really like the gameplay. I know it's not a high demand one but the theme is great for the family and the machine utilizes the theme well. The backglass is great with a mehcanical Bullwinkle that pulls one of several creatures out of his hat. For the price I don't think I could have gotten better.

I just bought a used 1993 gottlieb gladiators pin ball machine and i cannot get it to register credits, an suggestions

I just bought a used 1993 gottlieb gladiators pin ball machine and i cannot get it to register credits, an suggestions

Can't you just go into the menu and set it to freeplay?

I just bought a used 1993 gottlieb gladiators pin ball machine and i cannot get it to register credits, an suggestions

You should have a manual with the game.
If not snag one on ebay.
If not there post at google groups recgamespinball for one.

Favorite machine ?
Medieval Madness, Twilight Zone, or (New) Family Guy.
CSI coming soon.
Glad to see fellow pin heads here at AVSforums.

I've owned Addam's Family for around 7 years, and I just purchased two more machines, Twilight Zone and Star Trek Next Generation, finally after all these years. The new machines will arrive sometime next week (United Van Lines picks them up from the seller tomorrow!).

All three are "top ten games of all time" on several lists.
Good choices.

Is there anyone around iowa that has addams family pinball, i really want to check one out as i am looking to get into pinballs and addams has to be my first one, my last name is adams of course :)

All three are "top ten games of all time" on several lists.
Good choices.

TY. In another seven years hopefully I will be able to add one or two more! I really liked Creature From the Black Lagoon when I've played it, and I'm not sure what I would want the other one to be yet; perhaps a Medieval Madness if they ever make the replicas (or Lord of the Rings). If not, likely Funhouse or Indiana Jones (though I'm loathe to deal with mini playfield problems on it...).

My favorites are (in order)

1. Medieval Maddness (truly amazing pin)
2. LOTR gold version
3. Addams family gold
4. Monopoly
5. Harley Davidson (newest Stern version)


But, sadly these are all out of my budget area... I own 1978 Flash pinball, which I picked up for $50 and a table saw... Broken.
Found a guy in Chicago to fix my boards (typical battery acid damage). And did all the work on it myself. It now plays perfect, and is a load of fun when friends come over.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j29/GlennMehltretter/P1010097.jpg

I also have another project machine, a 1978 Bally eight ball that was converted to a super tournament domino's, which is a super rare conversion. But, it too has acid board damage...

I've owned Addam's Family for around 7 years, and I just purchased two more machines, Twilight Zone and Star Trek Next Generation, finally after all these years. The new machines will arrive sometime next week (United Van Lines picks them up from the seller tomorrow!).

QueueCumber - Let us know how those 2 machines are. Those are my next 2 machines to buy.

Currently have Pinbot and Black Rose.

RE: Rockey and Bullwinkle. I really think that it is one of better machines out there. It is fun to listen to, and has a lot of fun things to do. It is the type of game that pretty much anybody will enjoy.

Someone in my office wanted to purchase a pin, so I found for them a Shaq machine. I must say that the Shaq machine is a fun machine. I was surprised that as to how good the machine was.

My ST:NG machine is a fun machine. It is the type of machine that you will never be able to successfully do every part of the game even after playing ten games. There is a very difficult shot off the upper right flipper that you try and lock a ball into the borg ship. I have successfully done it once.

I wish I could find a good Haunted House machine for a good price. I am getting tired of playing on my PC.

Reedl

QueueCumber - Let us know how those 2 machines are. Those are my next 2 machines to buy.

I got a call from the shippers this morning; they will arrive sometime on Friday!

RE: Rockey and Bullwinkle. I really think that it is one of better machines out there. It is fun to listen to, and has a lot of fun things to do. It is the type of game that pretty much anybody will enjoy.

Someone in my office wanted to purchase a pin, so I found for them a Shaq machine. I must say that the Shaq machine is a fun machine. I was surprised that as to how good the machine was.

My ST:NG machine is a fun machine. It is the type of machine that you will never be able to successfully do every part of the game even after playing ten games. There is a very difficult shot off the upper right flipper that you try and lock a ball into the borg ship. I have successfully done it once.

I wish I could find a good Haunted House machine for a good price. I am getting tired of playing on my PC.

Reedl

I was looking at some pics of Shaq and the basket seemed like a cool feature. I'm not a big Shaq fan but the basketball theme is cool.

I can't believe that R&B isn't in more demand but that just means I was able to get a good deal.

Reedl,
Nice collection you have there. Didn't realize you had a R&B until I clicked on your arcade link. I would like to add a nice EM machine for my second. Nothing beats that sound.

RE: Rockey and Bullwinkle. I really think that it is one of better machines out there. It is fun to listen to, and has a lot of fun things to do. It is the type of game that pretty much anybody will enjoy.

Someone in my office wanted to purchase a pin, so I found for them a Shaq machine. I must say that the Shaq machine is a fun machine. I was surprised that as to how good the machine was.

My ST:NG machine is a fun machine. It is the type of machine that you will never be able to successfully do every part of the game even after playing ten games. There is a very difficult shot off the upper right flipper that you try and lock a ball into the borg ship. I have successfully done it once.

I wish I could find a good Haunted House machine for a good price. I am getting tired of playing on my PC.




Reedl

You'll find HH's out there for decent prices, being an 80's model of reasonable collectability they are not that expensive as say compared to many decent 90's pins. I picked one up a couple of years ago for around $1500. You need to keep a permanent search on ebay, or better still use Mr. Pinball.com's classifieds, there are always HH's and pretty much any machine you need on there.

Have to say in my 12 years of collecting main 90's pins(having owned over 30 in that time) and with a current collection of 12 machines, no DE/SEGA machine is worthy of my time. They all go down as having the weakest flippers, worst artwork, and lamest gameplay. The only 90's+ machines I've got time for in my collection are WMS(Williams/Bally) and more recent Sterns(designed by ex WMS people).

You'll find HH's out there for decent prices, being an 80's model of reasonable collectability they are not that expensive as say compared to many decent 90's pins. I picked one up a couple of years ago for around $1500. You need to keep a permanent search on ebay, or better still use Mr. Pinball.com's classifieds, there are always HH's and pretty much any machine you need on there.

Have to say in my 12 years of collecting main 90's pins(having owned over 30 in that time) and with a current collection of 12 machines, no DE/SEGA machine is worthy of my time. They all go down as having the weakest flippers, worst artwork, and lamest gameplay. The only 90's+ machines I've got time for in my collection are WMS(Williams/Bally) and more recent Sterns(designed by ex WMS people).

That's strange that you say that about the artwork and gameplay. I thought those were two of the things I liked about the R&B. The artwork reflects the theme perfect and the Bullwinkle in the backgalss that pulls animals out of his hat is great touch. I haven't owned a bunch of machines but I've been playing for probably 30 years. I often find a lot of the so called colletor machines aren't as desirable to me. I know everyone love MM but it really doesn't do a lot for me. Now give me a TOM any day. I tend to like well rounded machines. I want pop bumpers, targets, and ramps. I guess that's why I like R&B so much.

That's strange that you say that about the artwork and gameplay. I thought those were two of the things I liked about the R&B. The artwork reflects the theme perfect and the Bullwinkle in the backgalss that pulls animals out of his hat is great touch. I haven't owned a bunch of machines but I've been playing for probably 30 years. I often find a lot of the so called colletor machines aren't as desirable to me. I know everyone love MM but it really doesn't do a lot for me. Now give me a TOM any day. I tend to like well rounded machines. I want pop bumpers, targets, and ramps. I guess that's why I like R&B so much.

Hey first off, each to their own in this hobby. Also, someone's got to buy those other titles. However, you won't see R+B on the pinside pinball top100. You'll also find they don't go for much over $1200 which is at the very low end for early 90's models. By comparison the least regarded for collectability (prob due to high production run) machine in my collection, Fish Tales averages $2000 in reasonable condition. My impressions of R+B are much like other Data East games of the time, ok cabinet art, same cheapish looking colored ball guides(like simpsons), but shallow rule set, and most of all annoyingly weak flippers that detract from gameplay.

You obvious have quite individual taste in machines. I've had an MM since '99 and I can still walk up to it and enjoy it as much as I did the day I got it. Plus, it can still kick my ass. TOM a great game, many would agree with you there. It's one I came back to a couple of years ago as I started to put together my fav 90's machines.

Hey first off, each to their own in this hobby. Also, someone's got to buy those other titles. However, you won't see R+B on the pinside pinball top100. You'll also find they don't go for much over $1200 which is at the very low end for early 90's models. By comparison the least regarded for collectability (prob due to high production run) machine in my collection, Fish Tales averages $2000 in reasonable condition. My impressions of R+B are much like other Data East games of the time, ok cabinet art, same cheapish looking colored ball guides(like simpsons), but shallow rule set, and most of all annoyingly weak flippers that detract from gameplay.

You obvious have quite individual taste in machines. I've had an MM since '99 and I can still walk up to it and enjoy it as much as I did the day I got it. Plus, it can still kick my ass. TOM a great game, many would agree with you there. It's one I came back to a couple of years ago as I started to put together my fav 90's machines.

No problems. Of course everyone likes something different. Actually R&B is #59 on Pinside.

No problems. Of course everyone likes something different. Actually R&B is #59 on Pinside.

You're right, I totally missed it on pinside despite text searching it. Least it beats Star Wars and Stargate I guess...

ANY operating pinball machine is cool.
I dont know much about Home Theatre; thats why I'm here but I do know what I like in pinball.
Like any collectible some are more coveted (read expensive) than others.
A Cactus Canyons went for $12,000 NIB before the economic crash. A NIB could prolly be had for $10k now.
90's Bally/Williams with the Dot Matrix Displays (DMD's) are the games for me.
Tried connecting a powered sub to one last night trying to transform the sound. Nope. But boy it honked during Jackpots.:eek:
PS; I missed a New In Box Rocky+Bullwinkle that went for $3000+ last year.

I actually have a few more machines compared to my pictures. I need to update those pictures...

I also now have a Mr. & Mrs. Pacman, Counterforce, Sinbad, and a Comet.

I collect the machines I like to play, and that are unique.

I like the Counterforce for its bank of drop targets at the top. There is much too much space in the middle, but hitting those targets before they "attack" your bases, it almost video game like.

The Sinbad game is interesting because of the double flippers on either side. It is one of the few games where "Cradling" the ball is simply not possible on the lower flippers.

The Pacman Pinball is real cool with its game board in the middle. Having the red ghost following you on that gameboard is a lot of fun. Plus the setup of the backglass is definately different from every other game I have.

The Comet is different because of the sounds are simply funny and interesting to listen to. Plus the "dummy" who taunts you is worth playing the game for.

EM machines are interesting because of the mechanical sounds. The only issues with them though is the fact that they do not score every point. If you drop two targets on my Jungle Queen at the same time, it only counts as 500 points, and one bonus advance. There is no way using mechanical only components to be able to "queue" up target hits. When the motor is spinning to score things like 500 points, etc. The pop bumpers even go dark to represent that you will not receive points for hitting them. That is the real reason EM machines are even more difficult to score big points on. With the Jungle Queen having 10 drop targets, it is pretty much impossible to get 10,000 bonus on just the drop targets. You would have to drop them individually.

My other EM machine (Strike Zone) spins the motor only in very rare cases. Pretty much everything is a multiple of 10 in terms of scoring because when the motor is spinning, other things cannot be scored.

But bottom line, every pinball machine is fun to me somehow. There are very few machines that I have found that I do not enjoy. There are a couple I never liked, but I am not going to name them because I know there are people who love them.

Reedl

As to R & B, I happen to like the gameplay on that pin, and find myself playing it more often than the others. It is just "fun", and the inserts on the backglass make it worth playing, just to see Rocky with rabbit ears on!

What I do not like (and my STNG pinball has some of), is pinball where you have to do so much in order to get a "payoff" that it requires many games in order to be fun. I have never had patience for playing "adventure" video games which require hours upon hours of play, and I have the same feelings about pinball. I am playing pinball to relax, not to have to hit these targets in a specific order, then do this, then that, then the other, then a fourth thing, fifth, etc., etc.

To me the most amount of investment in time I want is Space Invaders, where I shoot invaders. Nothing more complicated than that!

They are here!

Hopefully someone who has Star Trek Next Generation can give me a heads up on what these problems might be caused by:

Check switch 18 right outlane
Check switch 83 made left ramp
Check switch 88 enter left ramp

A metal piece fell off of the free ball/meteor slot (the curved
piece that guides the ball into the slot.

When first shooting the ball into the game sometimes when you
choose "light lock" the game can't find the ball. I added more
than three balls and then the game launches more than one ball
into the game at one time.

The left bottom flipper gets stuck halfway up.

I haven't checked the TZ for access, but trying to access the
STNG playfield underside seems impossible. The electrical
cables block access.

The TZ problems are minor, a stuck right flipper button (I think
it is just the button itself that is sticking) and a "check switch 71
not used" message.

If no one knows anything, I'll try to contact the seller and try to research some of it myself online tomorrow.

Thanks!

QueueCumber, you should register and post on our local forum. There are several there that have a STTNG and can help you troubleshoot.

http://pinballbash.com/forum/

Dave

They are here!

Hopefully someone who has Star Trek Next Generation can give me a heads up on what these problems might be caused by:

Check switch 18 right outlane
Check switch 83 made left ramp
Check switch 88 enter left ramp

A metal piece fell off of the free ball/meteor slot (the curved
piece that guides the ball into the slot.

When first shooting the ball into the game sometimes when you
choose "light lock" the game can't find the ball. I added more
than three balls and then the game launches more than one ball
into the game at one time.

The left bottom flipper gets stuck halfway up.

I haven't checked the TZ for access, but trying to access the
STNG playfield underside seems impossible. The electrical
cables block access.

The TZ problems are minor, a stuck right flipper button (I think
it is just the button itself that is sticking) and a "check switch 71
not used" message.

If no one knows anything, I'll try to contact the seller and try to research some of it myself online tomorrow.

Thanks!

There are better resources out there that have been around for ages than asking for pinball tech here on AVS I'm afraid. First off do you know Marvin's pinball repair guide : http://marvin3m.com/fix.htm . Secondly, I've had quite a few tricky problems solved either by searching past posts or asking on rec.games.pinball - there are some well known experts there.

It sounds like most of your problems are fairly minor. Switch surface errors can sometimes be logged even if the switch is working correctly, it can be just due to the ball not orbiting a certain part of the playfield for a number of games. I can get this to happen by playing 1 ball and restarting the game after losing it, say if trying to get a high scoring game going. Other than that, just test the switch surface itself in the test menu, make sure its making proper contact not just with you finger, but when you roll the ball across it. If it works but is making poor contact bend it back to shape. If you're having difficulties with access to underplayfield ramps, then I'm afraid you just have to go the whole hog and take them apart, if you feel competent in doing so. It's actually a part of the hobby I enjoy. If you've only just bought the machine it's poor form for the previous owner(especially if it was a store) to sell it to you not function 100%, unless he sold it for peanuts or advised of any issues. STNG was one of my very early machines, I haven't had one back in my collection since(10+ years ago). I remember it does have a lot of mechanisms that can cause issues. Stuck flippers are not generally just flipper button related, invariably the flipper is actually stuck. This is a very common wear and tear issue. I always have flipper rebuild kits on hand for this situation. Once you've rebuilt a flipper you'll find it's a piece of cake. I can do one in around 15mins.

^
What he said.
Who sold you the games ? Are they from Dallas ?
In my experience its better to buy from a local collector than a retailer.
Price-wise and quality.
STtNG and TZ are also two of the most complicated games ever produced.
Check out Mr Pinball website for a section devoted to pinheads in your area who buy, sell, trade and more importantly, repair machines.

Are you in Charlotte ?
One of the premier pinball restorers ( yes there is such a thing ) on the planet is in Charlotte.

QueueCumber, you should register and post on our local forum. There are several there that have a STTNG and can help you troubleshoot.

http://pinballbash.com/forum/

Dave

Thanks!

There are better resources out there that have been around for ages than asking for pinball tech here on AVS I'm afraid. First off do you know Marvin's pinball repair guide : http://marvin3m.com/fix.htm . Secondly, I've had quite a few tricky problems solved either by searching past posts or asking on rec.games.pinball - there are some well known experts there.

It sounds like most of your problems are fairly minor. Switch surface errors can sometimes be logged even if the switch is working correctly, it can be just due to the ball not orbiting a certain part of the playfield for a number of games. I can get this to happen by playing 1 ball and restarting the game after losing it, say if trying to get a high scoring game going. Other than that, just test the switch surface itself in the test menu, make sure its making proper contact not just with you finger, but when you roll the ball across it. If it works but is making poor contact bend it back to shape. If you're having difficulties with access to underplayfield ramps, then I'm afraid you just have to go the whole hog and take them apart, if you feel competent in doing so. It's actually a part of the hobby I enjoy. If you've only just bought the machine it's poor form for the previous owner(especially if it was a store) to sell it to you not function 100%, unless he sold it for peanuts or advised of any issues. STNG was one of my very early machines, I haven't had one back in my collection since(10+ years ago). I remember it does have a lot of mechanisms that can cause issues. Stuck flippers are not generally just flipper button related, invariably the flipper is actually stuck. This is a very common wear and tear issue. I always have flipper rebuild kits on hand for this situation. Once you've rebuilt a flipper you'll find it's a piece of cake. I can do one in around 15mins.

I'll have a chance to try some of this stuff tonight. Thanks!

^
What he said.
Who sold you the games ? Are they from Dallas ?
In my experience its better to buy from a local collector than a retailer.
Price-wise and quality.
STtNG and TZ are also two of the most complicated games ever produced.
Check out Mr Pinball website for a section devoted to pinheads in your area who buy, sell, trade and more importantly, repair machines.

Are you in Charlotte ?
One of the premier pinball restorers ( yes there is such a thing ) on the planet is in Charlotte.

I'm in NY. The machines are in great shape. I just need to fix those minor issues at this point.

They are here!

Hopefully someone who has Star Trek Next Generation can give me a heads up on what these problems might be caused by:

Check switch 18 right outlane
Check switch 83 made left ramp
Check switch 88 enter left ramp

A metal piece fell off of the free ball/meteor slot (the curved
piece that guides the ball into the slot.

When first shooting the ball into the game sometimes when you
choose "light lock" the game can't find the ball. I added more
than three balls and then the game launches more than one ball
into the game at one time.

The left bottom flipper gets stuck halfway up.

I haven't checked the TZ for access, but trying to access the
STNG playfield underside seems impossible. The electrical
cables block access.

The TZ problems are minor, a stuck right flipper button (I think
it is just the button itself that is sticking) and a "check switch 71
not used" message.

If no one knows anything, I'll try to contact the seller and try to research some of it myself online tomorrow.

Thanks!

The 83/88 error can just mean that a ball hasn't hit that left ramp in a while. The easiest way to test this is to take off the glass, go into the menu. Select tests and then switch test. Roll a ball into the left ramp to see if the switches register. If they do, those errors will go away. As far as the right outlane, I don't believe it is having the same problem. (Though while in test I would roll a ball into that lane) Since STTNG is an outlane monster you should get balls that regularly go there. My guess is that the switch needs to be adjusted or it has gone bad.

Yeah, every switch problem has gone away except the 18/right Outland problem. I'm also having a left jet test message now as well that won't go away.

The more troublesome problem is the "light lock" problem. Very often the ball won't be ejected after you select that option and shoot the ball into the game.

TZ is also having occasional problems with shooting more than one ball from the gumball machine and loading more than one ball into the plunger (on the first ball).

The Marvin guides are the best as OzHDHT has pointed out.

http://marvin3m.com/fix.htm

Read'em and get yourself some basic tools and a digital multi-meter if you don't already have them. Most of the time it's mechanical adjustments, replacing switches, cleaning, broken wire, etc.

Original machine manuals can be found on various sites or e-bay. Not a bad idea to find and buy for your machines if you can.

I have an original Gottlieb Tropical Isle.

Its been in my hallway for a year now. Darnit i need to set this thing up or sell... I had to rewire the wqhole thing like 3 years back, and now the hours and hours of work were wasted

I have a No Good Gofers machine and really like it.

I have a No Good Gofers machine and really like it.

One of my favorites. Lawler design. Clever "toy"; ramp for hole-in-one, and very funny comentary by Buz and Bud. Family friendly yet challenging. I've never got to the 18th hole.
Have you seen the modified version done for the EDS company of NGG ?

One of my favorites. Lawler design. Clever "toy"; ramp for hole-in-one, and very funny comentary by Buz and Bud. Family friendly yet challenging. I've never got to the 18th hole.
Have you seen the modified version done for the EDS company of NGG ?

No. Got any pics?

I like the game but one of the main reasons for getting this particular machine is that it is "family friendly" like you say. For some reason my wife would not let me get anything where the glass showed a chick with big knockers! Elvira was definitely out! I like to golf too and have some golf collectables in the room so it fits together well.

No. Got any pics?

I like the game but one of the main reasons for getting this particular machine is that it is "family friendly" like you say. For some reason my wife would not let me get anything where the glass showed a chick with big knockers! Elvira was definitely out! I like to golf too and have some golf collectables in the room so it fits together well.

That was one of the big selling points on the Rocky & Bullwinkle. Great family theme

For some reason my wife would not let me get anything where the glass showed a chick with big knockers! Elvira was definitely out!

No Elvira!???
http://pinballbash.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1182.0;attach=332;image

Nice!! Very nice! :D

Adams Family...always a fave. Hardest part is finding one that works.

Lol. First answer and it was mine. Damn those magnets!

No Elvira!???
http://pinballbash.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1182.0;attach=332;image

Sweet !
And no wrinkles on the MB leg areas. And no fade on the SS. Nice machines.
You need a Popaduik designed game next.
Whats the blue one by the table ? White Water ?

No. Got any pics?



Here's a link;

http://www.eds.com/about/sponsorships/byronnelson/games/pinball_2007.aspx

A friend of mine put the whole project together.

Hey first off, each to their own in this hobby. Also, someone's got to buy those other titles. However, you won't see R+B on the pinside pinball top100. You'll also find they don't go for much over $1200 which is at the very low end for early 90's models. By comparison the least regarded for collectability (prob due to high production run) machine in my collection, Fish Tales averages $2000 in reasonable condition. My impressions of R+B are much like other Data East games of the time, ok cabinet art, same cheapish looking colored ball guides(like simpsons), but shallow rule set, and most of all annoyingly weak flippers that detract from gameplay.

You obvious have quite individual taste in machines. I've had an MM since '99 and I can still walk up to it and enjoy it as much as I did the day I got it. Plus, it can still kick my ass. TOM a great game, many would agree with you there. It's one I came back to a couple of years ago as I started to put together my fav 90's machines.

There's not much difference in price actually between an average FT and an average R&B, they're both around $1500. I actually prefer R&B I think, though FT isn't bad.

Taylor34

There's not much difference in price actually between an average FT and an average R&B, they're both around $1500. I actually prefer R&B I think, though FT isn't bad.

Taylor34

If you do a quick comparison on Mr. Pinball classifieds you find on average good FT is going for more than a 'good' looked after R&B. A $1600 FT for example might have this kind of description:

Fully working & in good condition, but not a collector's machine. Machine has new white rings, pinballs, playfield glass, drive belt (turns fish reel) & playfield has been cleaned. Includes owners manual, schematics, spare lamps, extra flipper rubbers. This is for a local, cash pickup only.

as comparison to this $1600 R&B:

R&b pin in good condition, has topper, all parts work as far as I can tell. Was purchased from a collector and been in my home for about 3 years. Email for pics.

And possibly one of the most telling comparisons, a good FT and R&B from the same pinball retailer:

Fishtales, 1992 Williams: 2895
Fishtales with topper. Diamond plated playfield in real nice condition. Our pinballs at Game Room Treasures are expertly reconditioned and include local Denver/Colorado Springs delivery, set up & in-home warranty. Or, we will help pay shipping cost and include phone tech support. For local sales we have a 30 day love it or leave it return policy. Ask about our 1 year no payment, no interest financing OAC. Also take all credit cards. Over 30 years in biz, you won't be disappointed. Gameroomtreasurescolorado.com.

Rocky & Bullwinkle, 1993 Data East: 2595
Rocky & Bullwinkle with all three head characters intact. Nice playfield. Our pinballs at Game Room Treasures are expertly reconditioned and include local Denver/Colorado Springs delivery, set up & in-home warranty. Or, we will help pay shipping cost and include phone tech support. For local sales we have a 30 day love it or leave it return policy. Ask about our 1 year no payment, no interest financing OAC. Also take all credit cards. Over 30 years in biz, you won't be disappointed. Gameroomtreasurescolorado.com.

http://www.bostonpinball.biz/eBayNov2008.htm

I'm just referring to this. If you buy an average one off ebay, they're both right around $1500. That list is the real truth on an average game's value.

Taylor34

http://www.bostonpinball.biz/eBayNov2008.htm

I'm just referring to this. If you buy an average one off ebay, they're both right around $1500. That list is the real truth on an average game's value.

Taylor34

I don't consider ebay's sales data the most accurate measure for pinball. Because of the nature of ebay, there are too many uneducated buyers on their to get a truly accurate portrait of machine values. This happens with a lot of 'collectibles' on ebay.

The other thing to bear in mind not everyone is inclined to buy a pinball from ebay.

Anyway, we could go on debating the pricing of these 2 pins(on forum I'm more interested in discussing HT gear), but to what benefit? After owning over 30 pins since 1997, I feel pretty confident in the values of most. What it comes down to is, going back to my original post, is there are more WMS/BLY pins in the same era (92-93), that are more valuable today than D/E pins from the same period.

I've been very lucky with my Adam's Family; the only things that don't work intermittently are the star on the end of *THING* and one of the letters of GRAVE. It appears to be electrical overload of some sort, because they both go on after ~10 seconds when testing them in test mode...

I don't consider ebay's sales data the most accurate measure for pinball. Because of the nature of ebay, there are too many uneducated buyers on their to get a truly accurate portrait of machine values. This happens with a lot of 'collectibles' on ebay.

The other thing to bear in mind not everyone is inclined to buy a pinball from ebay.

Anyway, we could go on debating the pricing of these 2 pins(on forum I'm more interested in discussing HT gear), but to what benefit? After owning over 30 pins since 1997, I feel pretty confident in the values of most. What it comes down to is, going back to my original post, is there are more WMS/BLY pins in the same era (92-93), that are more valuable today than D/E pins from the same period.

Regardless of whether ebay fairly judges a machine's quality or not, if you were to list a FT and R&B in average condition on ebay they will roughly bring the same amount, not the $800 spread you quoted. No doubt that the Williams/Bally games are more sought after by collectors, and that a super nice Fish Tales can bring $2k, but most are around $1500 that I've seen, as about 95% are either faded or have fish wear in the middle. Those prices on that list though are high now, they're from the last 30 months and games are selling for less than they were last year. I think I'd be lucky to get 2k out of my nice ST:TNG in this economy.

In any case, I didn't mean anything personal. But if you were to tell me that I could trade you an average FT for an average R&B + $800, I'd take that 100 out of 100 times. :) On a side note, one of my friends actually traded a r&b for a FT about 2 years ago, straight up.

Taylor34

QueueCumber - Let us know how those 2 machines are. Those are my next 2 machines to buy.

Currently have Pinbot and Black Rose.

St:tng is a great game to have IF you like star trek. If you don't, it will only be so-so with most people I'm guessing. Very fast game, not terribly hard to get to the wizard mode, but difficult to score high in that mode (because if you don't complete any of the modes, the wizard mode won't score squat). Ruleset is decent, not super deep like Stargate but above a lot of other games from that era.

I've had mine for 2 years, plan on keeping it unless a Spiderman pops up locally for sale.

Current favorite game: Stargate
Others I own: St:tng, Tommy, Jurassic Park

Others that I've sold: Maverick, LOTR, Shadow, Judge Dredd, Lost World, Big Hurt

Ones I'd like to own someday: Spiderman, TSPP, TZ, IJ, Pinball Magic, Whitewater, Paragon, Black Knight

my favorites: Twilight Zone and Adams Family...

"Eight Ball Deluxe" early eighties, by Bally was one I always enjoyed a lot.

I've owned Gottleib's EM "Target Alpha" (1976), since 1978. I never get tired of playing it, however when it occasionally malfunctions, it drives me crazy until I get working again. Right now the score motor keeps running, even though the counters are all on zero. So back to playing with the contacts again.

Taylor34,

How do you like your Tommy machine? I've got a Guns 'N Roses that I'm enjoying.

I've been very lucky with my Adam's Family; the only things that don't work intermittently are the star on the end of *THING* and one of the letters of GRAVE. It appears to be electrical overload of some sort, because they both go on after ~10 seconds when testing them in test mode...

Most likely causes are:
Bad light socket, bad bulb or bad connector. All of these are easily fixable.

For the Greed light, my guess is that the connector is the issue. Jiggle the connector that goes to the Greed light board. If the light pops on, than the connector is the issue. To fix it you'll need a soldering iron so that you can "tin" the pins on the light board.

I don't know what kind of lights are on the Thing star. My guess is a 44 bulb. In that case, I'd replace the bulb socket (and bulb).

I've been very lucky with my Adam's Family; the only things that don't work intermittently are the star on the end of *THING* and one of the letters of GRAVE. It appears to be electrical overload of some sort, because they both go on after ~10 seconds when testing them in test mode...

I have a similar problem with my TAF and its as close to new as it gets @ 400 plays.
I think its a factory glitch and have learned to live with it.

I have a similar problem with my TAF and its as close to new as it gets @ 400 plays.
I think its a factory glitch and have learned to live with it.

You may be right. I recall awhile ago reading that the power supplied was inadequate on the earlier machines and these problems are the result of that issue. I think they upgraded the power for the later machines (gold editions) and fixed the issues though.

Taylor34,

How do you like your Tommy machine? I've got a Guns 'N Roses that I'm enjoying.

It's pretty awesome overall. I traded a Shadow for it and don't regret it for a minute, in fact I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. :) Has a great ruleset, great playfield. It's a tough machine, a lot harder than most games of that era. The wizard mode is very difficult to achieve as well, you have to play through 12 modes to get to it and extra balls are hard to come by.

The biggest drawback is probably the toughness, getting to the wizard mode is like a once in every 400 or 500 games thing unless you're really good at starting modes (unlike ST:TNG and Stargate which happens like every 1 in 10). Jurassic Park is a tougher game as well.

Taylor34

Very late to the thread.

My top two are contemporaries of each other -

T2
and the Getaway.

Really enjoyed them both immensely. Wish I had room/time for them.

You may be right. I recall awhile ago reading that the power supplied was inadequate on the earlier machines and these problems are the result of that issue. I think they upgraded the power for the later machines (gold editions) and fixed the issues though.

Its not a power issue but a wiring, programing, or board issue as it is those specific letters. I know of a brilliant technician and may have him look into it next time he is here.

St:tng is a great game to have IF you like star trek. If you don't, it will only be so-so with most people I'm guessing. Very fast game, not terribly hard to get to the wizard mode, but difficult to score high in that mode (because if you don't complete any of the modes, the wizard mode won't score squat). Ruleset is decent, not super deep like Stargate but above a lot of other games from that era.

I've had mine for 2 years, plan on keeping it unless a Spiderman pops up locally for sale.

Current favorite game: Stargate
Others I own: St:tng, Tommy, Jurassic Park

Others that I've sold: Maverick, LOTR, Shadow, Judge Dredd, Lost World, Big Hurt

Ones I'd like to own someday: Spiderman, TSPP, TZ, IJ, Pinball Magic, Whitewater, Paragon, Black Knight

An update to my list, added Whirlwind to collection. Probably will play it for a few months then sell it, wasn't really on my list but a deal came up and I couldn't pass on it (still have to get it working though). May sell St:tng, not for any particular reason other than to shake things up, see if I can buy one of the games on my want list.

Taylor34

If your in Las Vegas checkout this place. Had a lot of fun the last time I was there.

http://www.pinballmuseum.org/
My old school fav. http://www.pinrepair.com/gtb/abraca1.jpg

Like title sez;
http://www.texaspinball.com/

I usually display half a dozen + top titles but have a Home and Garden show this weekend.
Bidness B4 pleasure and all that crapola...:mad:
Will be there Friday night however.

I own Medieval Madness and Strange Science at this time. Both are very good games.

Hi Jeff, I didn't know you were into pinball. I only own one at this time (Jurassic Park) but I've had the following:

Monster Bash
Congo
Creature From The Black Lagoon (twice)
Ripley's Believe It Or Not
Tales From The Crypt
Twilight Zone

I would like to get Congo and Monster Bash again as well as try out the following as home machines:

Road Show
Lord of The Rings
24
Spiderman
Batman

Hi Jeff, I didn't know you were into pinball. I only own one at this time (Jurassic Park) but I've had the following:

Monster Bash
Congo
Creature From The Black Lagoon (twice)
Ripley's Believe It Or Not
Tales From The Crypt
Twilight Zone

I would like to get Congo and Monster Bash again as well as try out the following as home machines:

Road Show
Lord of The Rings
24
Spiderman
Batman


My wife and I do like pinball, but those are the only machines I have owned.

Gorgor
Flash
Silver Ball Mania
Cyclone
Banzi
Police Force
Jacks Open

Flash Gordon.
Similar to BK but more difficult. This is my first machine and enjoying it after a month. Can't believe how nice this machine is for being 30 years old.

I plan on buying one more "newer" machine. TZ seems like a good pick but I have heard they are a pain to keep nice...

Yeah, TZ is incredibly fun, but it does have quirks.

I have to tell you, STNG is a sleeper. At first I didn't think I would love it like I love TAF and TZ, it really grew on me though and is currently my favorite one to play. As far as keeping the balls in play for long periods of time though, TZ takes the cake...

Yeah, TZ is incredibly fun, but it does have quirks.

I have to tell you, STNG is a sleeper. At first I didn't think I would love it like I love TAF and TZ, it really grew on me though and is currently my favorite one to play. As far as keeping the balls in play for long periods of time though, TZ takes the cake...


Have you been to Warp 9 + ?
Game transforms. Pretty cool.

Not that I am aware of. I have been through the entire sequence of missions including the Final Frontier where all the balls go into play and you get a billion points, etc.

Those gutters on the side are a real pain in the arse! I have to wonder if the balls miss those gutters more often at a more level playfield setting? TZ gutters rarely ever get balls, which is nice.

Not that I am aware of. I have been through the entire sequence of missions including the Final Frontier where all the balls go into play and you get a billion points, etc.

Those gutters on the side are a real pain in the arse! I have to wonder if the balls miss those gutters more often at a more level playfield setting? TZ gutters rarely ever get balls, which is nice.


There are "extenders" for the outlanes that keep the machine from becoming a drain monster.
Check Bay area amusements, For amusement only, or pinball resource. Well worth it.
Heres some plastic ones. http://pinbits.com/index.php?main_page=product_reviews_info&products_id=233&reviews_id=19&zenid=b5dbe432aa8a103eebfb375312fcb9a3
I got mine from the original manufacturer years back. I think its flippenwinkle ( really ). Steel.

PS; You will KNOW when you hit warp 9

Thanks! I just ordered those lane extenders... Yesterday did it for me. I had one of those off days were I kept hitting the gutter repeatedly at the beginning of the game........

Taylor34 -- just sent you a PM!

Monster Bash - currently my favorite
Twilight Zone
Star Trek The Next Generation
No Good Gofers
Bram Stoker's Dracula

The only thing that I change out more than projectors is pinball machines! (TZ and BSD will be the next to leave my collection)

Monster Bash - currently my favorite
Twilight Zone
Star Trek The Next Generation
No Good Gofers
Bram Stoker's Dracula

The only thing that I change out more than projectors is pinball machines! (TZ and BSD will be the next to leave my collection)

Just curious as to why you are getting rid of your TZ?

I plan on buying one more "newer" machine. TZ seems like a good pick but I have heard they are a pain to keep nice...

I've had mine for a decade, 1100 hours of play, and 7000 games finished.

I replaced the clock boards with the single board using LEDs from rottendog, replaced the trough proximity sensor coil + chip + LED + connectors, braced the slot machine target, and have had a piece of gaffer's tape holding the slot machine scoop together for maybe eight years (just ordered a reproduction this week). Those should all be one shot deals.

Periodically wiping off the auxilliary high-power driver board beneath the playfield is probably a good idea (flipper dust is conductive, and down by the lower flippers there's more of it).

Otherwise it's about the same as most other modern games.

When you want pinball machines to stay clean you need to periodically get out all the flipper dust which has accumulated in hidden spots, like spots under ramps or secondary playfields and in the troughs below the game. I've done that two or three times and it's due again.

There's a lot of stuff to remove to do that, but that's true of many dot matrix era games.

Wanting to string together more than four shots in a row without back handing the left ramp repeatedly, not having balls disappear down holes for a few seconds, a dislike for horizontal shots with additional flippers, or desiring something more forgiving of poor ball control are good reasons not to buy a Twilight Zone for home use. Maintenance probably isn't.

I've had mine for a decade, 1100 hours of play, and 7000 games finished.

I replaced the clock boards with the single board using LEDs from rottendog, replaced the trough proximity sensor coil + chip + LED + connectors, braced the slot machine target, and have had a piece of gaffer's tape holding the slot machine scoop together for maybe eight years (just ordered a reproduction this week). Those should all be one shot deals.

Periodically wiping off the auxilliary high-power driver board beneath the playfield is probably a good idea (flipper dust is conductive, and down by the lower flippers there's more of it).

Otherwise it's about the same as most other modern games.

When you want pinball machines to stay clean you need to periodically get out all the flipper dust which has accumulated in hidden spots, like spots under ramps or secondary playfields and in the troughs below the game. I've done that two or three times and it's due again.

There's a lot of stuff to remove to do that, but that's true of many dot matrix era games.

Wanting to string together more than four shots in a row without back handing the left ramp repeatedly, not having balls disappear down holes for a few seconds, a dislike for horizontal shots with additional flippers, or desiring something more forgiving of poor ball control are good reasons not to buy a Twilight Zone for home use. Maintenance probably isn't.

Cool...thanks for the info!

My Flash Gordon needs a complimentary companion. I don't know which game I should get. I only have room for 1 more machine.

Cool...thanks for the info!

My Flash Gordon needs a complimentary companion. I don't know which game I should get. I only have room for 1 more machine.

If you would like to see what others think you can go to;

http://pinside.com/pinball/top-100

or;

http://ipdb.org/

or my favorite;

http://www.pinball.org/kme/

But in the end you have to be the one that is happy.
IMO find a theme you like (or at least can live with) cross reference it with these "rankings" and see if it fits your budget. I prefer Bally/Williams or newer Stern.

I have friends that cant stand some of the games I love while I think they have lost mental functionality based on their collection. (PS I'm right ;))

I have Bride of Pinbot which works fine, the only problem I have with it is I cant enter my initials on the scoreboard. The flippers work fine, ive checked all the menus and configurations but there isnt one for entering your name on the scoreboard. Anyone have any ideas why this happens? ( or doesnt happen in my case ) the only thing it lets me do is hit the heart button to exit out of it. The game saves the scores I get but does not let me enter initials. Any help would be appreciated. :(

Anyone have a good fix for the pinball machine in TZ dropping multiple balls?

I have Bride of Pinbot which works fine, the only problem I have with it is I cant enter my initials on the scoreboard. The flippers work fine, ive checked all the menus and configurations but there isnt one for entering your name on the scoreboard. Anyone have any ideas why this happens? ( or doesnt happen in my case ) the only thing it lets me do is hit the heart button to exit out of it. The game saves the scores I get but does not let me enter initials. Any help would be appreciated. :(

I may be wrong, but here is an idea.
Does Bride of Pinbot use opto's for flippers or contacts?
Since "Bride" does not use upper flippers your game may still have two sets of optos on the flipper buttons. I think the opto that is supposed to control upper flippers is also the one used for entering initials.
I would confirm this with somebody, but I seem to remember that being the case.
Also if the flipper buttons use contacts, the second set might be out of adjustment and cause the same problem.
Hope this helps some.
Leon.

Anyone have a good fix for the pinball machine in TZ dropping multiple balls?

What "Pinball Machine" inside TZ are you referring to?
I am aware of a Gumball machine, player piano, upper playfield, slot machine and the little silver ball drop at the top. But no pinball machine that I know of.

I was watching MTV and they were touring the Playboy Mansion and he has a game room with Playboy pinball machines from the 70s and 80s those would be pretty cool to add my gameroom.

I may be wrong, but here is an idea.
Does Bride of Pinbot use opto's for flippers or contacts?
Since "Bride" does not use upper flippers your game may still have two sets of optos on the flipper buttons. I think the opto that is supposed to control upper flippers is also the one used for entering initials.
I would confirm this with somebody, but I seem to remember that being the case.
Also if the flipper buttons use contacts, the second set might be out of adjustment and cause the same problem.
Hope this helps some.
Leon.

Hmm, ill check them out today when I get home. Thanks for the info. Maybe something is off alignment.

Hmm, ill check them out today when I get home. Thanks for the info. Maybe something is off alignment.

Bride of Pinbot uses leaf switches for the flippers. They might be double leaf switches. If so check to make sure both sets of blades make contact.

I don't own my own pinball table, and we don't actually have any local arcades (hard to believe I know) but I have had a little experience on a Adams Family machine when we visited a tourist-town which was quite enjoyable.

I don't own my own pinball table, and we don't actually have any local arcades (hard to believe I know) but I have had a little experience on a Adams Family machine when we visited a tourist-town which was quite enjoyable.

That is hard to believe.
At least you did get to play possibly the best pinball machine there is.
Addams Family is what got me started collecting pinballs.
Over 100 machines later and I still love them.

I have a fully restored Gottlieb Totem ( 1979 ) in my living room ). Loving it more than any other pinball machine I tried. Simplicity incarnate!

http://www.bmigaming.com/Images/totem-1979-f-3.jpg

And this one is just waiting for a couple of new parts...
http://latimes.image2.trb.com/lanews/media/photo/2008-06/40563427.jpg

Midevil Madness!!!

Midevil Madness!!!

I have no desire to be the spelling police, but since everyone seems to get it wrong, it is Medieval Madness.
I also happen to agree that it is one of the best machines around.
I had a chance to purchase one back when Pinball Fantasy was going on in Vegas many years ago, for under cost. Wish I had done it now.

Funhouse, for sure. Many, many fond childhood memories of trying to shove my balls down Rudy's throat :D

Not sure if its my Favorite but I dropped many a quarter into Space Shuttle back in the day.

Lord of the Rings works well in our "theater" game area

I spent a lot of time playing Terminator 2 when it came out... lots and lots of time.

recently got a beautiful creature from black lagoon and am in heaven. i am waiting on a twilight zone i purchased that will have all the chrome door/rails/legs/plunger...etc along with all the toys implemented. i opted for all led lights and a sub woofer, hope it works out and is not too bright or loud. i will post pics when it finally arrives!