Pinball Recommendations Wanted. (1 Viewer)

[Marv]

I,m in the market for a pinball machine for my game room. I'm looking for models that you fellow HT'ers might think of that I may have overlooked. My list of possible candidates so far are: Adams Family, South Park, T2 and maybe the new Simsons machine(I have not played it yet). Adams Family is my leading favorite but it is almost the cost of a new machine. So throw any of your favorites my way please.

Thanks,

Marv G

 

[Evan S]

My two favorite pinball machines of all time are kinda old...maybe 15 years or so by now but you might be able to find one in good condition or refurbished.

Bonzai Run and Earthshaker. Earthshaker is simply awesome. The whole game shakes when you lock a ball and the fault line opens up when the ball is released, then it travels down the fault line when multiball happens. Very cool.

Bonzai run is a game based on motocross racing where when you lock a ball, a magnet picks it up and brings it to the top of the game (where the scores are usually located) and the game goes from a horizontal pinball game, to a vertical one as you try to "lap" the other racers by hitting the ball into various spots on the top of the board. Also very cool.

Big pinball fan and these exceed anything released in the last 5 years or so by far IMO.

 

[Jeremiah]

Twilight Zone is my favorite pin ball game ever but sadly I haven't played it for like 7 years, no place has it around where I live.

I love Addams Family also, and it is my second favorite, my local Round Table had it and just last week they got rid of it.

I looked into getting a pinball game last year but I didn't have the money, and two weeks ago I looked again and they are at least a grand more.:frowning:

 

[Bob Movies]

Twilight Zone is amazing, I agree with Jeremiah. My personal favourite pinball is Tales From The Crypt. If you can find it, you should buy it. I could play that one all day long. Now if only I had the money to buy one!

 

[DwightK]

8 Ball!!

Course it is from the 70's and all mechanical but it almost single-handedly destroyed a year of college.

 

[Jordan_E]

Tales from the Crypt was a cool machine. I loved playing The Addams Family. The drive-in one with The Creature from the Black Lagoon is also a favorite. I absolutely LOVE pinball and dream of getting a good machine of my own some day...after putting in my dedicated home theater!

 

[John Knowles]

Ah pinball...another time/money sucking hobby (kinda like HT!). I own a Star Trek:TNG machine, which I consider a personal fave (challenging machine and great sound/voices) as well as a Bounty Hunter, a mediocre early 1980s Gottlieb that I got for $150 at an auction a few years back. If I buy another machine, it'll probably be Twilight Zone, which I really like. Owning a pin has been some work--always something to be done with it, but I love having a cool pin in my home. I like South Park and Addams Family, but not quite enough to own them. If I had the scratch for it, I'd consider a Medieval Madness. Haven't had a chance to try the new Simpsons machine, but hear it's pretty fun.

 

[Andrew Chong]

Back in the day, my favourites included Addams Family, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Terminator 2, and Indiana Jones.

 

[Evan S]

One great thing about Pinball for game rooms is that it gives the room an entirely different personality than say a stand up video game. Not only are video games (like a Ms. Pacman for instance) subject to screen burn in, but Pinball is something that just cannot be simulated by a X-Box or Playstation. There is something totally cool about the timeless quality of a good pinball machine that usually is the center of attention at any party.

 

[Kevin Farley]

Bally: Mata Hari, and Playboy are my favorites (but playboy's gaming was a bit simplistic; Mata Hari rules.

Stellar Wars on Williams was a favorite. So much to do.

 

[John Knowles]

Man, I used to *love* playing Mata Hari when I was growing up! If I had the space, I'd be tempted to seek one out.

 

[Ben Clement]

Addams Family is an old favorite for me, as is Indiana Jones. I think you'll find that IJ is about as expensive as AF though. Just wish there were some good pinball-friendly arcades around here. :frowning:

 

[Steve Elias]

I'm with Buzz in support of the KISS pin. I spent too much time in college taking study breaks in the game room with this machine. I looked into buying one just a few years ago when good machines were 1 - 1.2 grand. Now they want 3-5 grand for a machine? I guess I'll never get one at this rate as my childrens' college fund is more important. Oh well. I also like the Comet pin from Williams? I think it was released in the early eighties.

Steve

 

[Evan S]

Does anyone know why the price of good machines has appreciated so rapidly in spite of the poor economy? Is it solely a reason of increased demand in the market? Who can afford 4K for a machine? That's kinda outrageous!

 

[Marv]

Thanks for all the replies. My guess as to why they are so pricey today would be that less are being made because of the video game demand. So when they are available to the home market very few are in good condition without having to put $1k into to it make playable. I belive Willliams/Bally stopped production back in 1999/2000, that might be an indication as to where the industry is heading and how much/little profit there is in production. And Stern is the last mfg that builds in the USA.

 

[Win Joy Jr]

Ahhh..... from some of my mis-spent youth in the arcade...

Black Knight...
Haunted House...

Black Knight had the electro-magnet to capture the ball.
Haunted House was the first pinball I played that was multi-level, with the lower level tilted AWAY from the player.

Hmmm... There is space in the new room.......

 

[Lary Larson]

I've got Funhouse (awesome - "Getcherself a hot dawg!"..."You're making me very unhappy"), Charlie's Angels (not working and starting to piss me off), and Space Jam (mediocre - I got it cheap in perfect shape).

A few links for fellow pin owners (you'll need them!):
Mirror-glazed balls - protect that playfield!
Good all-around information
Parts,parts, & more parts
Link to more links!
Tips
Repair guideHighly recommended

 

[Shane Martin]

A good friend of mine collects Pinballs and owns around 8 to 10 of them including many of the ones listed. Most of these are out of print so finding them is one thing..

My personal absolute favorite to play is Medieval Madness but it will cost you a pretty penny to purchase this one.

Next up is Twilight zone.

After that I'd go with Circus Voltaire(awesome game)

Then follow up with Star Trek Next Generation.

Funhouse is a blast and will hold its value.

Adams Family-Most of these are beat to hell and used heavily. If you find one in good shape, be prepared to pay. Figure 1kish for a beaten one even =/

Theater of Magic is a nice game. Will run you 1500ish probably maybe more.

Bonzai Run is a blast to play. My friend has one that is diamondplate(rare rare) and it still plays like new. I still much prefer the ones listed above.

 

[Craig Robertson]

i like Gilligan's Island. a buddy of mine has it in his pub and he'd crack it open and ring up a bunch of credits on it and we'd drink beer and play for hours.

 

[Ross Williams]

Question for all you pinball enthusiasts. I've really been getting into pinball lately. I play at least once a week. So I'm fairly decent at it. How in the world do people get those outrageous high scores you see on the machines??? On average out of 100 balls, I'd say I lose 75 down the side, 15 straight down the middle, 10 of them out of my bad play. In the time it would take me to build up to one of those high scores, I'd lose 20 balls down the side. I don't see how it's possible to keep it from going down the side for that long at a time.

p.s. My favorite game is Attack from Mars.