Pinball anybody ??

This is my 1979 Bally Supersonic. I grew up playing it at the corner 7-11. I have had it about 8 years now.

Love a great pinball game!

My dream is to own A pinball machine at some point. I have a buddy that is in a little better of a position than I that also loves pinball. Here is a picture of half of his collection in the basement. Needless to say... I enjoy when he invites us over!

I just bought my first pin last summer and got it running. Ill get some pictures up when I can but its a Bugs Bunny Birthday Bash. When I brought it home the kids next door had no idea what a pinball machine was. I would love to get a Jurassic Park at some point!

Hello,
Here is a picture of the two pins I have.
Stern Walking Dead pro with mods
Gottlieb Panthera that I rebuilt.

I hate yall!

Finally in a position where I can purchase my first Pin. Need some advice... figured I would ask this group before I venture out to the pin forums.

If you own or have owned machines... what is your advice on going big and getting exactly what I want for first pin or start lower budget and get something playable and in good condition but older?

It’s hard for me to drop that kind of cash on a machine I have never played but maybe that’s how this works!

I also few like the market is really high right now do to quarantine demand. But... now that it’s on my mind I won’t stop researching and looking until ones in the basement!

I still have my machine and it's running fine,

Do you have a machine in mind or a era of machine ??

my biggest issue was finding someone to fix it, any numbnuts can call them self a pinball mechanic finding someone to actually fix it is another matter,

if you have a pinball or arcade "club" or facebook group for your area they might give you some good leads on machines or at least reputable repair man who might steer you to a good dealer,

In DFW they have a pinball festival, Texas Pinball Festival and also a facebook group for local enthusiasts,



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I would suggest getting what you want,
I only had two or three machines that I wanted to re-live my wasted youth,

not knowing what you're interested in you'll probably only spend an extra $1k at most to get exactly what you want,


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Thanks @Scottintexas. The one I want is the Pirates of the Caribbean (1996). Have found them used for between 5-8K. None close enough yet though. That’s the machine I played for a few years back all the time.

Outside of that, I have found plenty in the 2-4 range that look like good deals but I’m just not familiar with them nor have played them. Bigger risk but heck... I could get two for the price of the one I want!

I’m on all the FB sites I can find to learn as much as I can. Some of these guys are more crazy than you wall with your boats! Still trying to cipher through all the lingo.

Remember those times when we played the pinball with boys. It was really great time.

@GiddYupJoe Might be worth a trip to Walton’s Games in Sharonville. They been there for as long as I can remember and could probably steer you in the right direction.

GiddYupJoe said:

Thanks @Scottintexas. The one I want is the Pirates of the Caribbean (1996). Have found them used for between 5-8K. None close enough yet though. That’s the machine I played for a few years back all the time.

Outside of that, I have found plenty in the 2-4 range that look like good deals but I’m just not familiar with them nor have played them. Bigger risk but heck... I could get two for the price of the one I want!

I’m on all the FB sites I can find to learn as much as I can. Some of these guys are more crazy than you wall with your boats! Still trying to cipher through all the lingo.

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Hi @GiddYupJoe ,POTC is a great pin! I don't have one but I have enjoyed playing it. The only advice I have for you is that if possible, you should try out the pin before buying it, even if it is brand new. Pin preference is a personal thing, and buying one based on reviews or a best of all time ranking list may not necessarily bring you the most pleasure.
I have 2 pins. I bought my first one around 2009/2010. My short list at the time had machines from Stern : Lord of the Rings, POTC, and Indiana Jones. They were all similarly priced, and they were all new. At the time, Stern was hated on most of the pinball forums, I assume because the old boys were pissed that their favorite pinball makers had all gone out of business. Also, the forums all hated the Stern version of Indy.
I went with the Indy because it was the most enjoyable to play. I love that it has a peg between the flippers, which is not common.
My most recent machine is the top level trim of the AC/DC pin, with the lower Hell level.
Both are great pins.

This is a dangerous road I started with one in February 2020 and I’m currently up to five! Very addicting hobby and every game is different find a theme you like, that’s what matters most to me. Most people that come to our basement to play are just casual players.

As we get to talking about remodeling the basement next fall, the topic of arcade games and pinball machines came up. I can't believe how expensive these are. It would be awesome though to pick up one or two cool ones though.

The used market is crazy if you were looking at anything newer than 2016. Fully restored ones are very expensive also. Pinside is a great resource, one forum I spend too much time on! Much more so than here.

@MrMoose thanks for the advice. We have a couple places that are loaded with pins so I plan to go and spend an afternoon to mail down what I like. Def don’t want to buy one I think I will like and then have an expensive paper weight!

@Bdog your basement is what my wife is afraid of! That’s and awesome collection for just this year.

@HangOutdoors i started with this for the basement. Can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy it. Played a ton in college and during my first “sales” job!

REM835 said:

@GiddYupJoe Might be worth a trip to Walton’s Games in Sharonville. They been there for as long as I can remember and could probably steer you in the right direction.

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Thanks! I will check them out.

I see room for a few pinball machines down there! Come to think of it I basically have my AR195 sitting in the basement, this just dawned on me ha ha Ha. Plus these see a lot of action in the winter here in MN. We are never around in the summer to play them because we are boating.