Support NeoGAF

[seismologist]

I've been playing Pure Pinball on Xbox and it's making me want to get a real Pinball machine.

Anyone here actually have one? If I were to get one, which one should I get? Anyone?

 

[Bog]

If you don't mind sleeping with one eye open, put a Funhouse machine in your room.

 

[B'z-chan]

All over at my dads house:
Buchanier 1974
FunHouse (brand new left in warehouse for almost 10 years when it was found and bought by my dad)
Earth Quake (working on)
Nightmare on Elm Street (doesnt work)

i wan Funhouse over at my house and Freddy (which i want to work on)
He almost got Baywatch and Adams Family. Pinball machines can be pretty cheap.

 

[Lambtron]

I have a Xenon machine. Got it at a garage sale for $75.

If you're not picky, watch garage sales and local stuff like that. You may come across something one day. If you're willing to pay whatever, eBay has a lot of stuff. As for a machine you'd want, that's all personal preference. I'd like an Addams Family or Theatre of Magic one day.

 

[way more]

My family used to have this until my dad gave it away, he feared it would burn the house down.

Yes, it gave me nightmares as a child.


If I were you I would try for this Jurassic Park one. It always was cool.

 

[bobbyconover]

I had a Firepower for a couple of years, and when I have s'more bucks I'd love to have Funhouse, Medieval Madness, and a handful of others.

 

[Nester]

I have Funhouse and Demolition Man. Rudy creeps me out.

 

[xsarien]

There's one tucked away in a corner of my parents' basement. Assuming you can still find an arcade machine distributor in your area that still bothers to carry pinball machines, you can sometimes buy the ones that they don't plan on putting back out into the market.

 

[Vormund]

My Boss used to have an Adam's Family pinball machine in the office lunch room.
Thankfully he took it home a few months before the building burnt to the ground.

 

[Flynn]

I'd kill for a Theater of Magic.

 

[shibbs]

Ive got one, really old one though. Dont play on it anymore (used it long time ago), now its stored in parts somewhere.

 

[DECK'ARD]

I've got Williams' Tales Of The Arabian Nights.

Gorgeous table, very good for high-scores, and lots of neat tricks.

 

[Bruce Vilanch]

I have Addams Family and Twilight Zone.

 

[aku:jiki]

I used to have a Weird Science machine as a kid. It's awesome fun for two months, great fun for another two, really fun for another two, kinda fun for another two, "What the fuck is this still doing here?" after the last four. I guess it depends on how passionate you are about them.

Anyway, I got mine at an arcade and pinball auction. Mine was the only locked machine, so the stupids thought it was broken and thus no one but me placed any bids even though it was definitely among the better ones, condition-wise. Even scored me a decent few bucks back from the coin slots thanks to it being locked. I guess this tip doesn't help at all, though, since I figure said auctions to be much more of a rarity these days. Back then there was one like every weekend.

 

[seismologist]

Nash how much did you pay for Arabian Nights. Everyone I've seen is selling for like $3k

 

[DECK'ARD]

I got it few years ago for £1500, which was a lot but out of all the tables I've played it was my favourite. So many different highscore strategies. Also has amazing sound, and a lot of nice tricks and gimmicks like the magnet catch, genie, the multiball where the ball disappears under the table and the spinning lamp. The table artwork is *very* nice as well.

Just about to move into a new flat, so going to put it in my studio/office to give it a new lease of life

 

[Wario64]

My friend used to have this... I think he got rid of it after moving though cause of lack of space

Based on some old crappy Sean Connery movie

 

[vireland]

I have:

Lord of the Rings
Johnny Mnemonic
Dr. Who
Fishtales
Addams Family
Theatre of Magic
Creature from the Black Lagoon
World Cup Soccer '94
Hercules (the largest pin ever made, basically a novelty only)

I highly recommend LotR if you have about 3k laying around.

 

[seismologist]

wow, nice collection.

is this the LOTR machine you've got?

btw,m do these machines need alot of maintenance? I would imagine they do.

 

[vireland]

is this the LOTR machine you've got?

btw,m do these machines need alot of maintenance? I would imagine they do.

Yes, that's the one. The one pictured is a rev 1 machine with a brown path of the dead on the right and no bracket over the sword lockon the left. I've had one of those, but I have a rev2 machine with the ghostly green PoD now. It's a very nice machine, and even though Stern sux compared to Williams/Bally, it is their best effort ever - *almost* to W/B level.

Maintenance on a NEW pin (like LotR) is pretty low, and you can learn what you need to know as you go. Maintenance on an older pin can be pretty daunting. I would NEVER recommend an Addams Family, Indiana Jones, RoadShow, or Twilight Zone pin to someone unless they could fix it or had access to a pinball tech if needed in the future. That said, there are many 90's era pins that are low maintenance if they are in good shape when you get them. Medieval Madness is the one everyone wants ($6k+ for a nice one, almost double the initial price in the late 90's), but you can do well with something like The Shadow, Fishtales, Johnny Mnemonic, World Cup Soccer '94, Jackbot, Congo, Theatre of Magic, or Attack From Mars. Just stay far, far away from stinkers like Popeye and The Flintstones. It's hard to go wrong with Williams/Bally, but aside from LotR, be very cautious with Stern machines. LotR is an amazing theme done right, but mechanically Stern is the Yugo of pinball.