68 replies to this topic

[Crazy Climber]

Hello
I am sure this topic has been done before but I will do another, more recent one since things are always changing. What pinball machines do you own?
My current line up (subject to change at the drop of a hat )
Frankenstein by Sega
Black Knight 2000 by Williams
Demolition Man by Williams
Indiana Jones by Williams
Lethal Weapon 3 by Data East
Jurassic Park by Data East
How about you guys?

[Cebus Capucinis]

None I am working on it though!

[save2600]

I'm down to an all time low for pins as I've littered the basement with more vids:

Bally Space Invaders
Williams Bram Stoker's Dracula (with prototype plastics and blue pop bumper caps and posts)
Gottlieb Ship Mates
Bally 4 Million B.C.
Gottlieb Big Indian
United's Nevada
Stern Stars
Williams Jumpin' Jacks
Williams Winner

...my brother (who's still refusing to get internet access) has:

Bally Skateball
Williams Pinbot
Bally Baby Pac-Man
Bally Dr. Dude

Edited by save2600, Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:29 PM.

[atarian63]

Spirit of 76 EM
Simpsons

Thats it. Pins have gone way too high in the last few years. I like and can afford more but they need to come down about 50-60% to where things were about 5 years ago.
Surprisingly I play the EM much more than the modern simpsons. When I have guests the simpsons starts out as the pick of the 2 but we always end up at the EM machine for most of the playing.

[ericwierson]

Genie
Secret Service

[Videogamecollector123]

No Fear

[Bountybob]

Isn't this kind of like saying how many sports cars do you own ? I mean owning just one would
be a big deal for most people ? Maybe a better question might be what Pinball games would like to own ?

[atarian63]

Bountybob, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:50 AM, said:

Isn't this kind of like saying how many sports cars do you own ? I mean owning just one would
be a big deal for most people ? Maybe a better question might be what Pinball games would like to own ?

I would like to have Bride of Pinbot. Very fun game.

[Bountybob]

atarian63, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:31 AM, said:

Bountybob, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:50 AM, said:

Isn't this kind of like saying how many sports cars do you own ? I mean owning just one would
be a big deal for most people ? Maybe a better question might be what Pinball games would like to own ?

I would like to have Bride of Pinbot. Very fun game.

Yeah remember playing it in a pub / bar nice looking machine

[save2600]

Bountybob, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:50 AM, said:

Isn't this kind of like saying how many sports cars do you own ? I mean owning just one would
be a big deal for most people ? Maybe a better question might be what Pinball games would like to own ?

Nah, I know plenty of people with pinball machines AND sports cars (some with both). And not so coincidentally, most people that own a pinball or a sports car are more likely to own several. Like a Jay's potato chip - who can have just one? lol

BTW: none of these people are "rich" either. It's just a priority thing. I get a kick out of those that complain they never have any money, yet they can take their family out to eat several times a week. Has anyone gone out to eat anywhere lately, let alone taken an entire family? The cost is staggering. Or they're making payments on an overpriced auto or two (one for the wifey), but can't afford to furnish their home with anything interesting. Ummmm yeah.... like I said: priorities.

I'm pretty content with my current collection (many games come and go), but some pinball machines I wouldn't mind adding or reacquiring include:

Torpedo Alley (again)
Black Knight (again)
Jungle Lord (again)
Blackout
Rescue 911
Baby Pac-Man (again)
Nugent (again)
Lectronomo (again)
Meteor (again)
Trident (again)
Haunted House (again)
F-14 Tomcat (again)
Time Machine - really want one of these
Old Chicago (again)
Frankenstein
Star Wars

...and about half-a-dozen of EM's from the 50's-60's.

Edited by save2600, Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:26 AM.

[Bountybob]

save2600, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:08 AM, said:

Bountybob, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:50 AM, said:

Isn't this kind of like saying how many sports cars do you own ? I mean owning just one would
be a big deal for most people ? Maybe a better question might be what Pinball games would like to own ?

Nah, I know plenty of people with pinball machines AND sports cars (some with both). And not so coincidentally, most people that own a pinball or a sports car are more likely to own several. Like a Jay's potato chip - who can have just one? lol

BTW: none of these people are "rich" either. It's just a priority thing. I get a kick out of those that complain they never have any money, yet they can take their family out to eat several times a week. Has anyone gone out to eat anywhere lately, let alone taken an entire family? The cost is staggering. Or they're making payments on an overpriced auto or two (one for the wifey), but can't afford to furnish their home with anything interesting. Ummmm yeah.... like I said: priorities.

I'm pretty content with my current collection (many games come and go), but some pinball machines I wouldn't mind adding or reacquiring include:

Torpedo Alley (again)
Black Knight (again)
Jungle Lord (again)
Blackout
Rescue 911
Baby Pac-Man (again)
Nugent (again)
Lectronomo (again)
Meteor (again)
Trident (again)
Haunted House (again)
F-14 Tomcat (again)
Time Machine - really want one of these
Old Chicago (again)
Frankenstein
Star Wars

...and about half-a-dozen of EM's from the 50's-60's.

Wow thats getting near to a Museum collection A lot of people wouldn't have the floor space
for Pinball Machines You must live in a mansion or a ranch or something ?

Edited by Bountybob, Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:46 AM.

[save2600]

Bountybob, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:44 AM, said:

Wow thats getting near to a Museum collection A lot of people wouldn't have the floor space
for Pinball Machines You must live in a mansion or a ranch or something ?

I've heard that word (museum) used before to describe aspects of my collections, but no, I'd have to make some serious adjustments to the "living" situation in order to fit all those at the same time. I wasn't necessarily saying I'd want or need ALL of those hogging space concurrently. Owning too many machines at once is not good for the sake of repairing or keeping up either! lol

I quoted the word living because I believe most people do not get the concept of managing space in their homes. In fact, there are companies (such as California Closets) which help people out with that aspect of their lives. Think about the average, boring and dull home layouts most of us have or had. Traditional rooms setup for "socializing" that could be turned into something much more useful. Most of us have a living room, dinning room, kitchen, bedrooms and a basement maybe. Some got creative in the 70's and created sanctioned dens or rec-rooms. I guess I'm more from that mindset. Instead of having a "front room" with a couple of chairs and a couch that never gets used, I'd fill that with something more interesting - such as arcade games, a hi-end audio room or a home theater. The living room, where you do your sitting and socializing does not have to be that big. People just aren't as imaginative anymore. Hell, even bedrooms can be much smaller than you'd think. I mean, all you do (mostly) is sleep in them, right? So long as there's enough closet space for HER and besides the obvious, nobody's doing any real "living" in a bedroom. Basements and garages are nice because that's where you CAN do a lot of your recreational living. Just have to pick the right home and have an idea or a "dream" in your head what you'd like to do is all. I guarantee you this.... for those of us into this stuff, the more space you have to put things, the more things you'll magically acquire. Strange how that works

Edited by save2600, Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:33 AM.

[Bountybob]

Fair enough Have a look at this flat.Don't think we will be playing Haunted House or Elektra in here.
http://www.dailymail...th-200-000.html

Edited by Bountybob, Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:07 AM.

[Dutchman2000]

I have 3:

Bally Theatre of Magic

Bally Doctor Who

Stern Batman

[save2600]

Bountybob, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:06 AM, said:

Fair enough Have a look at this flat.Don't think we will be playing Haunted House or Elektra in here.
http://www.dailymail...th-200-000.html

Yikes! And costly too. Now granted... many of you chaps in the U.K and Europe - no way could you be fitting much of this bulky stuff around the house. I totally get that and recognize just how different our living arrangements can be. This is a great point that perhaps, we need to be reminded of once in a while. My diatribe on space management above is for the people with larger homes (1500+sq. ft.) in America. Delivered appliances and setup home theater systems for a number of years around southern WI and Northern, IL. Can easily tell you a majority of us Americans do NOT know how to manage space well at all. LOTS of large homes filled with nothing or next to nothing. Talk about waste, but enough about our lifestyles - you already know all this! lol

@Dutchman - how do you like your Dr. Who? That machine intrigues me as I'm a big (passive though) fan of the series. Does it have good replay value that keeps you coming back for more?

Edited by save2600, Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:16 AM.

[Crazy Climber]

Cebus Capucinis, on Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:27 PM, said:

None I am working on it though!

Make sure you talk to one of us before you get anything, you can learn from our mistakes!

atarian63, on Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:55 PM, said:

Spirit of 76 EM
Simpsons

Thats it. Pins have gone way too high in the last few years. I like and can afford more but they need to come down about 50-60% to where things were about 5 years ago.
Surprisingly I play the EM much more than the modern simpsons. When I have guests the simpsons starts out as the pick of the 2 but we always end up at the EM machine for most of the playing.

They are not all high, many can be found cheap still. My friend just score a Tomcat and a pinbot in great shape for $500 each. Collectible games like Medieval madness, Monster Bash, Twilight Zone, Addams Family, Indiana Jones and some others are getting crazy overpriced though. It all depends on what you want

Bountybob, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:50 AM, said:

Isn't this kind of like saying how many sports cars do you own ? I mean owning just one would
be a big deal for most people ? Maybe a better question might be what Pinball games would like to own ?

You can find a pinball as cheap as $100 if you are patient and a little thrifty. It will not be the best game but they are out there

[Crazy Climber]

save2600, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:08 AM, said:

I'm pretty content with my current collection (many games come and go), but some pinball machines I wouldn't mind adding or reacquiring include:

Frankenstein

You will not regret this game. I think it is one of the most under rated machines in exsistence! You can find them cheap since it is a SEGA and automatically defaults as a shit game to 95% of pinball players before they even give it a chance. You can really tell SEGA went all out on this one though, the giant DMD, the creature that throws balls at you for multiball are a few unique features but the game itself has many challenging and interesting modes that never get old. This game has been in my collection the longest and will never leave The only downside would maybe be the theme, the art is fantastic but everyone usually says the same thing when they see it "Robert DeNiro made a Frankenstein movie!?" I guess the film was a total flop

[Cebus Capucinis]

Crazy Climber, on Sat Mar 20, 2010 5:28 AM, said:

Make sure you talk to one of us before you get anything, you can learn from our mistakes!

Oh I have been! save2600 has been my Masterful Pinball Teacher and I bug him with PMs constantly when I find pins up for sale. So far everything I have found lately though has been ridiculous prices and I can't afford 'em, so I've just passed due to no money. I did get offered a Terminator 2 with a completely replaced playfield and new rubber, etc. for $1750 but obviously more than I want. I'm looking for an EM machine as per save2600's suggestion for both myself and my dad!

[Crazy Climber]

Cebus Capucinis, on Sat Mar 20, 2010 10:30 AM, said:

Crazy Climber, on Sat Mar 20, 2010 5:28 AM, said:

Make sure you talk to one of us before you get anything, you can learn from our mistakes!

Oh I have been! save2600 has been my Masterful Pinball Teacher and I bug him with PMs constantly when I find pins up for sale. So far everything I have found lately though has been ridiculous prices and I can't afford 'em, so I've just passed due to no money. I did get offered a Terminator 2 with a completely replaced playfield and new rubber, etc. for $1750 but obviously more than I want. I'm looking for an EM machine as per save2600's suggestion for both myself and my dad!

That's good, nothing worse than overpaying. Terminator 2 is a good game but they sell cheap, a new playfield is nice though and a lot of work to do but really only worth it if you really want one, you could get one way cheaper with a little wear. I passed on a T2 for $1200 last summer myself, I beleive he ended up letting it go for $900 (I would have bought it for that!) I will offer a slightly different opinion than save2600 though as far as EM's. My opinion on them is, if you did not grow up playing them, be careful. They can be a little boring as a solo pin if you are used to all the bells and whistles on the newer stuff. I have nothing against EM machines and they can be quite fun and affordable but they make a better supporting cast if you are used to SS and DMD games. EM games are more of a "players" game. They are great for learning shots, etc.. but they get old really quick if you only have one machine. Now if you have room for several machines....that's a different story

[Cebus Capucinis]

Well, my dad will def. want an EM game. I grew up on a couple of 'em but right when SS was starting to become the norm, so I have some pretty fond memories of them. I'm pretty open at this point in time to what I want though.

[Crazy Climber]

Cebus Capucinis, on Sat Mar 20, 2010 11:38 AM, said:

Well, my dad will def. want an EM game. I grew up on a couple of 'em but right when SS was starting to become the norm, so I have some pretty fond memories of them. I'm pretty open at this point in time to what I want though.

Yeah, as a stand alone pin I would highly recommend going with something a little newer but I thought you were more around my age and not an old guy - lol, if you were around playing pins in the late 70's when the EM to SS switch was going on then you will probably appriciate them more. I am only in my 30's so I grew up playing stuff like Comet, Black Knight, Funhouse, Cyclone, F14 tomcat, Black Knight 2000, and early DMD stuff. I was lucky enough to be pretty active in the pinball scene during the early/mid 90's when some of the best stuff ever was made (Twilight Zone, Addams Family, etc..) so for me personally I do like EM machines but I think they are just okay. I have had them in my collection before but no way could I have one as my only pinball machine, I would get way too bored I love my atari 2600 to death but if I had to choose just one system for my desert island, well it would probably be my 360, get what I am saying. As a supporting cast EM machines are great, as your only machine? I wouldn't do it, I have several friends who have owned just one EM machine, usually because of the crazy cheap price ($200-$300) they impulse buy one but they almost always asked me to help sell it for them a few months later due to lack of use or malfunctioning parts, etc.. Get yourself a Firepower or a space shuttle or something similar for a first machine. Something cheap, easy to work on, easily re sellable (EM machines are not always in demand) but at least has multiball and will be old enough for your dad to understand and play with you without getting scared off. Just my opinion

[Cebus Capucinis]

Oh, I wasn't around when the switch was complete. We were just in Idaho which is really remote, so in the mid-late 80s you could still find EM pins in quite a few of the local bowling alleys and arcades. I remember playing a few of them but I was only 6-7 at the time. Just took the "switch" an extra 10 years to get to our neck of the woods.

I'm only 26

Actually Space Shuttle would be an incredibly good one to look for, either for myself or for my dad. My dad was really into the history of the space program and everything so that would be a perfect mix of two things: pinball and space! He LOVES pinball and I've always given him crap as to why he never gets around to buying a pin. He always says "too many other priorities" but when I bought that Space Invaders a couple months ago and he saw it, you could tell he was absolutely stoked about it.

The big detriment for him is my mother -- she has a stick up her rear about things like arcades and pinballs anymore, and threw quite a ruckus when I bought my collection so far. I think he's just avoiding an argument, but I could tell he would absolutely love a pinball machine as a gift. Throughout at least my entire childhood we would always go to arcades and he would usually end up playing for 2-3 hours just on 50 cents! He played every single pin he could get his hands on when I was growing up, and I really think it would be an amazing present for him.

[Crazy Climber]

Cebus Capucinis, on Sat Mar 20, 2010 12:11 PM, said:

Oh, I wasn't around when the switch was complete. We were just in Idaho which is really remote, so in the mid-late 80s you could still find EM pins in quite a few of the local bowling alleys and arcades. I remember playing a few of them but I was only 6-7 at the time. Just took the "switch" an extra 10 years to get to our neck of the woods.

I'm only 26

Yeah, if you are 26 get a SS machine

[atarian63]

save2600, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:08 AM, said:

Bountybob, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:50 AM, said:

Isn't this kind of like saying how many sports cars do you own ? I mean owning just one would
be a big deal for most people ? Maybe a better question might be what Pinball games would like to own ?

Nah, I know plenty of people with pinball machines AND sports cars (some with both). And not so coincidentally, most people that own a pinball or a sports car are more likely to own several. Like a Jay's potato chip - who can have just one? lol

BTW: none of these people are "rich" either. It's just a priority thing. I get a kick out of those that complain they never have any money, yet they can take their family out to eat several times a week. Has anyone gone out to eat anywhere lately, let alone taken an entire family? The cost is staggering. Or they're making payments on an overpriced auto or two (one for the wifey), but can't afford to furnish their home with anything interesting. Ummmm yeah.... like I said: priorities.

I'm pretty content with my current collection (many games come and go), but some pinball machines I wouldn't mind adding or reacquiring include:

Torpedo Alley (again)
Black Knight (again)
Jungle Lord (again)
Blackout
Rescue 911
Baby Pac-Man (again)
Nugent (again)
Lectronomo (again)
Meteor (again)
Trident (again)
Haunted House (again)
F-14 Tomcat (again)
Time Machine - really want one of these
Old Chicago (again)
Frankenstein
Star Wars

...and about half-a-dozen of EM's from the 50's-60's.

Very nice selection. I should have been buying pins when they were cheap instead of arcade machines. I am about 40 or so on machines but just the 2 pins. Priorities..

[schuwalker]

Crazy Climber, on Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:19 PM, said:

Hello
I am sure this topic has been done before but I will do another, more recent one since things are always changing. What pinball machines do you own?
My current line up (subject to change at the drop of a hat )
Frankenstein by Sega
Black Knight 2000 by Williams
Demolition Man by Williams
Indiana Jones by Williams
Lethal Weapon 3 by Data East
Jurassic Park by Data East
How about you guys?

Own....Gottlieb TX-Sector
Gottlieb Genesis
Gottlieb El Dorado and the City of Gold


Williams Comet
Williams Millionaire
Williams F-14 Tomcat

Want....Gottlieb Spirit
Williams Indiana Jones
Stern Lotr
Data East Batman