Want to buy a pinball machine

[Raizinman]

I jumped into the home pinball arena two years ago. I had certain requirements as some pinball machines get dull pretty quick. I wanted:

Multiple Ball Play
Ramps
Flipper Skill Required
All digital display
Under $1500

I started my search to find a fun machine. I played many and finally decided on the Elvira Pinball machine. It suited my needs as a great conversation and play piece in my living room.

Here are a few suggestions after you get any pinball machine.

1) Obtain the user manual and factory repair manual
2) Obtain the maintenance package (will contain new rubbers, bulbs, etc.)
3) Obtain new balls

Most all of these items including repair or specific replacement panels can be found on Ebay or other pinball sites.

Using high quality balls is very important. As the balls get old, they tend to rust and pit. This roughness will then start to scratch and ruin your playfield. Make sure you keep your balls polished and clean.

Most all commercial pinball machines have metal adjustable legs at the end of each leg. Often after a year or so on carpet, when you move the machine you will have 4 round rust marks on your carpet. They make rubber caps you can put on these legs to avoid damaging your carpet.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

... I never lack for conversation because I'm not vapid enough to think talking about a pinball machine is worth my...

looks at self posting

SHIT!

 

[Old Hippie]

These are mine

Nice toys!

I was big into pinball in the late 60's early 70's.

I think Bally's Fireball is still my favorite.

 

[spidey07]

I've got a place devoted to pinball. I just need to get the games. Love it. Any good forums out there? Good tip on keeping the balls well maintained, never knew.

 

[lxskllr]

Good tip on keeping the balls well maintained, never knew.

I'd think you could use a rock tumbler to smooth them out once they start getting old.

 

[ImpulsE69]

The newsgroup rec.games.pinball used to be a good place to find other pinheads, find collections, games for sale/trade and help when needed.

These days due to only Stern being in the market (there's a few others up and coming), most games in any kind of decent condition are going for a premium. There are deals to be had, but few and far between.

Parts of specific machines are iffy at this point as well. Some of the more popular games have people making replicated stock parts. Others are more commonly coming from parted machines, which means 1 less machine of whatever game it came from. Circuit boards are easy to get these days.

Ultimately, if you are going to buy a machine, play it first to see if you even might like it. Different people have different tastes.

Google is your friend for working on them. There's lots of info and help out there.

 

[RearAdmiral]

Hmm...Interesting input. The only complaint I heard about T2 is the lack of terminator music and such. I wonder how low I can get these machines for. ipdb.org is awesome though. So much information.

 

[Raizinman]

I'd think you could use a rock tumbler to smooth them out once they start getting old.

If the balls were expensive you could do this. I purchased the top of the line balls and I believe I paid about $20 for 6 balls. These are not supposed to pit or rust (very much). I've used them quite a while and my balls still look great! (Don't take that the wrong way!)

I expect the 6 balls will last the life of this pinball machine. I only play it on the average of about 1 hour a week. More if we have company or parties.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Hmm...Interesting input. The only complaint I heard about T2 is the lack of terminator music and such. I wonder how low I can get these machines for. ipdb.org is awesome though. So much information.

...It has T2 music, at least the main theme, and Arny's voice. It really is a great game.

 

[Via]

This thread inspired me to check on Ebay and I realized that I must be getting machines confused. I'm not thinking of Pinbot.

The machine I'm remembering had a very specific skill shot: It had a grid of squares at the top that was about 5x5, and each column was a different color. If you fulfilled certain conditions a single lit column would cycle through the grid, and you had to hit it for some major goodness.

Does anyone remember this machine?

 

[ImpulsE69]

This thread inspired me to check on Ebay and I realized that I must be getting machines confused. I'm not thinking of Pinbot.

The machine I'm remembering had a very specific skill shot: It had a grid of squares at the top that was about 5x5, and each column was a different color. If you fulfilled certain conditions a single lit column would cycle through the grid, and you had to hit it for some major goodness.

Does anyone remember this machine?

I think you might be thinking of JackBot, a spinoff of Pinbot/BOP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJpIHVcT_cE&feature=related

PS. Buying a pinball on Ebay these days is a bad idea unless it's local. Try looking for local ads via CL or auctions.

 

[Soundmanred]

I'd like to find Baby Pac Man, I remember playing that alot in the arcades just because it was an arcade game and a pinball machine combined.

 

[weadjust]

...It has T2 music, at least the main theme, and Arny's voice. It really is a great game.

This plus you can also add the Terminator 2 Profanity ROMs.

The Terminator 2 "profanity" ROMs consist of a sound ROM, and special game ROM chip. Both are early prototype revisions of the software, and are unofficial versions, not officially released or supported by Williams.

The profanity ROM chips have an option in the Game Adjustments menu, in the game's Adjustments mode. The option to enable the profanity is "PROFANITY", and has an "ON/OFF" option. Set this to "ON". The profanity will then be enabled.

The profanity consists of the words/phrase "f**k you a**hole", as taken from the original Terminator movie. The profanity can be "awarded" by shooting the ball into the Database kickout hole, when it is lit. The list of random awards that are displayed on the display at that time will occasionally (randomly) offer the profanity as an "award". If the game picks the profanity as your Database award, then you will hear Arnold say it, and it will be displayed on the display at the same time in big letters.

To light the Database shot, you have to knock down the single drop target under the skull.

It is rumoured that using the profanity ROM chips requires revision L-3 of the U18 sound ROM, but this is as yet unconfirmed. If you don't have revision L-3 of the sound ROM in your game, and are not able to get the profanity to work, then you may need L-3 sound.

Note that these profanity ROMs are not public-release software from Williams, but rather experimental custom ROMs that were developed when the game was in it's prototype stage. So they are essentially prototype software.

 

[RearAdmiral]

...It has T2 music, at least the main theme, and Arny's voice. It really is a great game.

Hmm I wonder what complaint I was thinking of then...I'll have to check this machine out if they ever get back to me.

 

[mmntech]

Growing up, I had a friend who had a generic pinball machine. When they moved to their new house, the found it in the basement. Guess the old owners couldn't be bothered to take it with them. We used to play it a lot. Sadly it broke down and nobody knew how to fix it. It's a lost art unfortunately. Video pinball just isn't the same.

 

[LumbergTech]

Find funhouse. Its my favorite pinball game by far.

 

[Turin39789]

I've got a place devoted to pinball. I just need to get the games. Love it. Any good forums out there? Good tip on keeping the balls well maintained, never knew.

Did you make it out to the Arcade Expo, just happened this weekend off Hurstbourne Pkwy? Had at least 30 pins, and most were for sale.

 

[spidey07]

Did you make it out to the Arcade Expo, just happened this weekend off Hurstbourne Pkwy? Had at least 30 pins, and most were for sale.

No, wish I had known about it. Want to start putting some pinball machines in.

 

[Muse]

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.

Wow, I've thought about getting a pinball machine for years. When I was about 14 my best friend's father had a pinball machine under the overhang in their back yard. The guy had been an enthusiast when he was young. This was around 1958 or so, I suppose it was a Gottlieb, I really don't know. Naturally, the quarter coin slot had been altered so you didn't have to put a quarter in, but you did have to slide that quarter sucking gismo into and out of the machine to play the next game. I couldn't get enough of it, never even close, it was so much fun! My friend's father had adjusted the tilt mechanism, I think. It wasn't super sensitive, but if you bumped the machine hard enough it would tilt. I always had to be on my toes not to tilt the machine. Bumping the machine, trying to influence the path of the ball that way in addition to the having precise flipper action were the only things you could do to try to run up your score and get "free games." I was seldom able to do that, partly because they never let me play it enough. My friend's father was pretty expert, I saw him play a few times. I haven't played pinball since then. If I could get my own machine.... Ah, I don't know if I have the time and I bet it would be a letdown now if I could just play it as much as I want! But this thread has me thinking that with a really great game I might not tire of it so easily. I have a room where I could easily have a machine. The info here is a total revelation!

 

[Rubycon]

F14 Tomcat vid!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRAXMyfxQ1A

 

[QueBert]

When I can afford one, I want to get either the South Park or the Rocky & Bullwinkle table. Hell if I come into enough $$$ I'd get both. I know it's not an actual machine, but the free table that comes with Pinball FX2 game on the Windows 8 Preview's pretty damn fun.

 

[UberNeuman]

Lethal Weapon 3 pinball was a damn fine game - and I could have bought it years ago when Aladdin was shutting down their arcades... $400.00 for the pin....

Pac-Man was about $100 and Street Fighter 2 was $300...

Still have Visual Pinball to relive those times... Meteor - an old school pin that I could rack up a few hours on due to that funky bumper in the drop zone...

 

[RearAdmiral]

Why are all the monster or halloween type machines so expensive!? Arg.

 

[Jeffg010]

Why are all the monster or halloween type machines so expensive!? Arg.

I know a husband and wife that calls their basement the dead zone and all he has is these types of pinballs, for sure he has Elvira, tales from the crypt, The Twilight Zone and a Mortal Kombat 2. I remember walking in his basement for the first time and seeing that Mortal Kombat 2 and having an instant boner. Back in 94 in college I played way to much Mortal Kombat 2. They had one in the cafeteria spent tons of quarters on it man those were fun days.

 

[Jeffg010]

Also once you get a few pinballs set up in your basement most guys will just trade them to get a new one but to start your going to have to lay down some cash. Also make good friends in your local area that have machines. Our league in Pittsburgh had guys just borrowing between each other all the time. It is also good to get to know people that are local to get connections on some good deals and most people are willing to give tips on how to fix and maintain them. I'm pretty lucky to live in Pittsburgh and have this hotbed on Pinball. I been out of the scene for about 2 to 3 years now but this thread is giving me the itch.