Want to buy a pinball machine

[RearAdmiral]

Anyone out there own pinball machines? This would be my first pin. I have a judge dredd($1700),terminator 2(1800) and a tales from the crypt(2k) nearish to me. I hear the judge dredd is pretty sweet and that tftc is pretty cool too. Terminator 2 is a stones throw away though and easily visit able. There is also a Jurassic park:lost world for 1100, although that one isn't that great supposedly.

I'm pretty solid at pinball for not ever taking it seriously so I want a game that has some deep gameplay. My budget is under 2k preferably. Anyone have some thoughts or recommendations?

Update(3/11/12):

Picked up a fish tales. It is unbelievably awesome. So much fun!

 

[dud]

Just make sure you are mechanically inclined. Usually you get to fix your own machine (s) when they break unless you budget for a professional.

You should have no problem finding a machine in good condition with that budget. I did a quick CL search in my area for machines and came up with a ton ranging from classic 60s machine for as low as $250 to newer machines at $4,000.

Good luck ...

 

[Rubycon]

Love pinball!

My favorites were Gottlieb's Hollywood Heat, Williams' Terminator2 (on your list), Williams' High Speed (High Speed 2 was pretty nice too), and F16 Tomcat. Things to look for is the playboard wear and backglass paint integrity. Those are expensive to have restored but if you get one that needs work at a good deal you can be within your budget and have it restored working like new!

These machines are quite complex and if you need work on the CPU board /mechanicals it's best to find a good tech that can fix it rather than try to mess around with it yourself.

There are plenty of Youtube videos showing the gameplay and music of these classics in action.

 

[ImpulsE69]

These are mine. I also have a virtual pin cab (bot pic) that I built(still building.but fully functional). Fun hobby, but not cheap. Out of those you listed, I would probably go for the T2 if it's in good shape. It's a great game. If not, then the TFTC would be a good choice. JD isn't only a so so game and JP: The Lost World is not a good one..however it's all personal opinion so I would suggest playing each of them a bit prior to your decision if you can.

Front to back:
Xenon (awesome game if you can find one reasonable)
Time Machine
Funhouse (1st one off the line, signed by Pat Lawlor who designed it)
Haunted House (great 3 playfield game)
Space Station

 

[Corporate Thug]

These are mine. I also have a virtual pin cab (bot pic) that I built(still building.but fully functional). Fun hobby, but not cheap.

Out of those, I would probably go for the T2 if it's in good shape. It's a great game. If not, then the TFTC would be a good choice. JD isn't only a so so game and JP: The Lost World is not a good one..however it's all personal opinion so I would suggest playing each of them a bit prior to your decision if you can.

holy shit...can I come over?

 

[WackyDan]

I used to work on pinball machines for a living. There were very common issues among all makes... Links to the flipper plungers breaking... or the plunger shaft or stop bracket mushrooming from the impacts... Coils that would burn up and need to be replaced... And the Williams commonly had the TIP122/121 transistors blow and need replacing.

They can be a nightmare to work on. Granted these were in coin op arcades at the time and got a lot of use.

 

[ImpulsE69]

holy shit...can I come over?

LOL. Yea...um..it's kind of like a tattoo. Once you get one..you want more. I had 2 when we bought our house, and specifically house hunted for a house that would "house" many machines. LOL. I know people who's entire basements are lined with them.

 

[Joseph F]

LOL. Yea...um..it's kind of like a tattoo. Once you get one..you want more. I had 2 when we bought our house, and specifically house hunted for a house that would "house" many machines. LOL. I know people who's entire basements are lined with them.

Now, all you need is a nice MAME cabinet, and you're set. :thumbsup:

 

[weadjust]

Terminator 2 is my all time favorite machine. I could play all afternoon on couple a bucks back in the day when it first came out. I worked as a bartender from late 80s early 90s and we had a lot of different games over the years.

 

[Leros]

We just got a Star Trek pinball machine at work. Its awesome.

 

[JMapleton]

I always wanted one of the Monopoly ones.

 

[gorcorps]

I remember playing a T2 machine back in the day... it's a good one. The one that sticks out in my head is (after some googling) "monster bash". I played it fairly recently so that's why it's sticking, but also because it was a good long lasting game that I enjoyed quite a bit.

 

[FoBoT]

pawn stars, vegas, ask for Chumlee

 

[Rubycon]

I used to work on pinball machines for a living. There were very common issues among all makes... Links to the flipper plungers breaking... or the plunger shaft or stop bracket mushrooming from the impacts... Coils that would burn up and need to be replaced... And the Williams commonly had the TIP122/121 transistors blow and need replacing.

They can be a nightmare to work on. Granted these were in coin op arcades at the time and got a lot of use.

Haha there's nothing more disappointing then seeing your favorite machine and 1) the flippers are so weak they can barely send the ball 1/3 the way up the board, and 2) the sound is so low the music is barely audible!

 

[ImpulsE69]

Now, all you need is a nice MAME cabinet, and you're set. :thumbsup:

I had a few arcade games over the years. What the pics don't show is the Jukebox and Pool table I may build a Mame cabinet at some point.

 

[Glitchny]

We have Adams Family, Tron Legacy, and Avatar pinball games at work. Adams Family and Tron are pretty good, Adams family has a ton of stuff in it.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Never could bring myself to go deff, dumb and blind...

 

[Soundmanred]

Got a Pirates Of The Caribbean machine a few years ago from a place here in town named Amini's Galleria (they sell pool tables, rugs, etc).
It sits unused these days.

 

[lxskllr]

I love pinball. I'd always rather play that than an arcade video game. Better sensory experience, and the game is different every time you play it. I like machines from the 50s and 60s. They're simpler than modern machines, but they had a great style. I'd want one with cigarette burns on the edges for authenticity. An old machine would likely be easier to deal with for repairs. They didn't have the weird stuff new ones have.

 

[BUTCH1]

Pinball is awesome, I grew up on it as video games were not around. When pong got released we all flocked to the bowling alley to see the technological marvel..

 

[lxskllr]

Pinball is awesome, I grew up on it as video games were not around. When pong got released we all flocked to the bowling alley to see the technological marvel..

I wasn't allowed to play it unless the operator was friendly. My government deemed pinball inappropriate for people under 18 years of age. My childhood was ruined by the government, just as my adulthood is...

 

[Via]

Pinbot was the greatest table ever imo.

 

[Jeffg010]

http://tastyhumans.net - Pittsburgh pinball league
I use to be in a pinball league. I had fun but some people took it way to serious. Most of the people there were cool and had some bad ass set ups in their houses. Pittsburgh is one of the top places for pinball. The world championships have been held there. My first year in the world championships I finished 27 place in the C league. At the tournament they have A, B, an C leagues C being the low end. I was in the top 10 for most of the weekend but what happens is if someone does not make the cut in the A or B league they jump down to the B or C on the last day for prelims and hope to get in. The top 10 get in each league. The thing about this is each time you try and qualify you have to pay real money. I was to cheap to play every hour and only tried 3 times. I realized it was much harder to qualify in C because everyone was sand bagging it.

http://papa.org/index.php
PAPA is the place that runs the World championships. Some dude that is a millionaire owns a warehouse full of pinball machines, it is quite awesome. This warehouse is only open during special events. I asked about why the place is not open all the time and I was told that local laws can not let him open it as a business. It sucks that such an awesome place for pinball can not be used every day.

http://www.pinpedia.com/
This is the best database for pinball machines.
My favorites are Attack from Mars, Fishtails, Adams Family, the new Star Track, Monster bash and Popeye
My 2 all time favorites are Medieval Madness good luck find a good one of these they sell for over 6 to 7k easy. My all time favorite is Safe Cracker anther very hard to find pinball. I currently do not own one but would buy a safecracker if I could get a good deal on one.

 

[Craig234]

I liked the Playboy pinball. Apparently a lot of people do, though.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Pinball machines are awesome. I've always wanted to build one, but I'm not that mechanically inclined, nor do I know much about electronics, and I'm not exactly artistic. Would not be a very good machine. Though I think it would definitely make a cool learning project. We had one at work that was completely dead. Everyone looked at it and tried to get it to fire up, even the electrical maintenance guy lol. I'm not sure if they ever got it going but I know they had given up on it at some point.

We had a street fighter one in college. I used to always laugh at the stuff it said. "You cannot win if you walk away! Insert another quarter!"