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Sited pins and purchasing thoughts


salsicha

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Hi all,

 

I've been a long time lurker enjoying following this forum over the years and I thought it's time I finally contribute some content back...

 

My first pin was a Gottlieb Cueball Wizard full of "Character". Whilst it's not a desirable pin I really enjoyed the simple rule set, the humorous Clint Eastwood call outs and its accessibility to beginner players like myself. I ended up selling it to a make a disastrous purchase of a Neo Geo cab which is a story for another time...

 

My next purchase was a mint condition (aside from the decal fade...boo!) Bally Black Rose which I still have . It doesn't get much playtime as I don't really enjoy it's flow or game play, but I am unable to part with it because it is so damn good looking!

 

I am now in a position to buy another pin with a budget that allows me to consider a NIB stern or a wishlist Bally Williams... I thought before I make any decision I should try searching out sited pins to see which games I liked so as not to buy another good looking furniture ornament!

 

There is a cafe in underground Perth Train Station which prides itself on having top shelf sited pinballs. The last time I was there its roster was MM, TAF, TWD, STTNG. I really enjoyed playing those games and had thought to myself either a NIB MM or a TWD would be a nice to purchase.

 

A little bit of research suggested that a NIB MM was gonna be a $13000 investment which I just couldn't justify, leaving me pondering a TWD purchase..

 

In the mean time I did more scouting and found a location with a Stern Avengers and a AC/DC. My first thoughts of the avengers was that the playfield looked very barren, and what was there looked cheap and tacky. Nevertheless I inserted $2 for 5 balls, however after ball 3 I abandoned the game, thinking to myself this is definitely not for me, it just seems like nothing was happening aside for the timeout the ball would do in the top right bumper field... I moved onto the AC/DC and immediately found myself enjoying the game from the first ball. The game had a well thought out design, great flow and great implementation of theme. Unfortunately the location was noisy so I couldn't really hear the audio to really be submersed in the theme. However I think the avengers really soured my palette as I was looking for faults with the AC/DC in regards to playfield content and quality which I don't think I would have noticed had I come to it fresh..

 

A week later I saw a desirable STTNG advertised in gumtree which I thought I might like, and recalling that the Perth cafe had one I thought I would go back to the cafe to give it a thorough seeing to, to see if I would like it. However upon my arrival there I saw that they had removed STTNG and replaced it with Twilight Zone (making me wonder if the one advertised in gumtree was the one from the cafe). I knew TZ was a very sought after pin but I had never seen one in the flesh.

 

My initial impressions was that TZ looked quirky and strangely intriguing, yet from the playfield layout I presumed that it would be a slow game play and potentially boring...Boy was I wrong! I put in $2 dollars for 3 balls, and in literally 90 seconds it was all over, but what an incredible 90 seconds!!!! The ball is always seemingly disappearing then appearing where you least expect it rocketing towards your flippers. The implementation of flow, lights, and sound are the perfect interpretation of the theme. $20 dollars lighter later I was walking out of the cafe thinking that I had just played the most amazing pin ever, and I must have it!!!

 

However thats easier said than done in Perth, as pin availability is very limited and buying interstate poses far to many risks for me for site unseen and seller unknown. Anyhoo that is the thrill of the hunt I suppose. The search continues!!!!

 

Anyway, there was no real point to this post other than write down the machinations of pinball purchasing thoughts that I have been obsessed with over the past 4 weeks.

 

p.s. don't mean to knock the Stern brand, that was just my experience with avengers ... i really did enjoy TWD and to a lessor extent AC/DC :) Hope to try more Sterns in the future including LOTR

 

p.p.s Big ups to game city cafe perth for always having a top shelf selection of pins!!! Without them I would never of had an opportunity to have a play of those pinside top 10 machines...

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If you like a game on site it never hurts to find out the contact details of the owner (usually either asking the store management, or maybe a phone number on the game itself), and ask if they'd sell it. Most operators will sell for the right price!
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Twd is an awesome game. I liked it from initial code and then managed to score a second hand LE for the right price (well after code had matured to its current state). It's deeps as and brutal as fork! There's modes and multi balls and a few different wizard modes. If you like brutal this game will punish you all day everyday and then you'll have a magical game that will make you love it more than anything else
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Welcome to AA.

 

So many pins to choose from. Also takes a while to really enjoy a pin. On site its about money to the operator and thats fair. At home its about appreciating the work and effort that went into the making of the pin, the design, the look and the rules to achieve higher scores or in my case trying to get RYZAS high score off my machine.

 

Try and hook up with a pin meet in WA and meet some members and have the great experience to play all the varied pins out there. Its really amazing how many pins have been made over the years.

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p.p.s Big ups to game city cafe perth for always having a top shelf selection of pins!!! Without them I would never of had an opportunity to have a play of those pinside top 10 machines...

 

Hey @salsicha, would you be able to send me the list of some of the sited pins you have come across in WA. We dont often get people updating this list http://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/75549-Sited-pins from WA.

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Agree with @Audioenslaved regarding TWD, deep, brutal game that keeps you coming back for more. I also love TZ for its layout and varied shots. Both are great games with heaps to do which is probably what would be best in a small line up, a game you will not get bored with too quickly.

 

Stern also usually have 3 models of a game. Limited edition, premium and pro model. LE and premium usually have more toys and extra shots over the pro that can alter the flow and gameplay, so may need to consider that if buying a Stern.

 

As others have mentioned try to get some meets and play as many games as you can. Also watching youtube videos of games can give you an idea of what they are like.

 

Good luck with your search and welcome to AA

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thanks for all your comments and suggestions :)

 

I will definitely try and get to the next WA event...I almost went to the pinball workshop that was hosted at Kids just wanna have fun...

@nich2pat I will send you the list of sited pins i know

@mickleh I am big fan of the youtube pinball review videos. I find that JohnsArcade, Spida1a and dadofducks do some in-depth and entertaining videos on pins. Do you know of any other good youtube channels doing reviews?

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  • 3 weeks later...
Bought my first pin a year ago and now I have 7 one year later. I would advise you to play as many different machines as possible. There are reasonably priced machines out there but you have to be patient and act fast when they come up. You don't need to buy NIB or spend a fortune to have fun. I would probably stick to something from mid 80s on. IMHO Williams system 11 machines are the best and are generally cheaper them dmd. Gottlieb system 3s are generally good value and reliable but the games just aren't as sophisticated as most Bally Williams. You can still get good machines for around $3000 which sure beats $13000 and personally Id rather have a few then one very expensive machine. Perhaps try to locate some local collectors and see if they will let you come over and play, some will. Best wishes.
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