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Help buying first Pinball machine please


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Hi All,

 

Had some great help from the community when making my first couple of mame/emulator cabs so hoping I can get more help with my first pinball purchase.

If I can first please put this on the record - I don’t know acronyms and I don’t like them, so If you’re taking the time to comment, which I do massively appreciate, please don’t talk in riddles I’m not going to understand.

Now, I’ve played and enjoy pinnys like white water, fish tales, Apollo 13 and a few others. What I’m currently investigating buying is a standard edition Lord of the Rings or monster bash or white water.

I understand prices can vary greatly depending on condition but if anyone can provide a range for those three games I’d really appreciate it.

Have read sticky’s and “think” I know what to look for when inspecting but happy to take advice on that also.

 

No help or advice is unwelcome so thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully reply.

 

For what it’s worth, as I can’t read the classifieds, if anyone wants to sell me one of the above please get in touch!

Cheers

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Apollo 13 is least expensive but not a favourite of many. When I first played a decent one the 13 ball multi ball was barely playable but it's entertaining.

Fish tales are going for bigger and bigger money, you're looking at probably 4.5k+ now I would think?

White water is good fun and quite sought after, but you're looking at about 6k+

Monster bash is a highly coveted title. 12k +/_ if you can pry one out of the hands of an owner.

Lord of the rings, I can't really comment on as it's not something I've searched for. Maybe 7k+?

These prices are sort of mid range I think. Not the absolute bottom or top in my opinion. You'll likely find worse examples for less and better ones for more. I hope this helps and it will take a while to chat around the forum with others before you make a decision.

Cheers!

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I’ll be honest with you I don’t like any of the 90’s machines bar The Creature From the Black Lagoon, and by the way your not alone, I can’t stand the acronyms and refuse to use them [emoji23] it’s not that hard to write out the whole names, I’ve been into pinball for quite a few years now and some of those stupid abbreviated names still confuse the shit out of me.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Above prices are pretty decent guides I think.

 

There's a well priced machine on your want list in the For Sale section currently if you care to take wiredoug's advice and pay a small amount to support the forum in order to take a look.

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Hi Duff

Condition is the big one on your choices of Bally William's and availability for monster bash.

I actually think prices quoted above are on the low side and would be very worn machines.

 

My only advice...don't but a machine off gumtree with a orange brown roller door in the background!

Lord of the rings is right I think and imo around the last of the good stern era. ( my opinion only).

 

Apollo 13 I know nothing about.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Sent from my SM-G965F using Aussie Arcade mobile app

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90s Williams /Ballys...Bang for buck I think you are hard pressed to beat World Cup 94 or Who Dunnit. For some reason these two machines just buck the trend of prices going through the roof.

 

World Cup 94 was originally planned as a super pin wide body but was reduced to a standard body but there is a hell of a lot going on it, probably to much for a standard body and as always any machine with a date like "94" suffers. None the less, it isn't a boring machine. A lot of others do become not so much boring but more routine requiring the same thing over and over again.

 

Who Dunnit well I have no idea. Again, a lot going on but maybe a bit to different for most people's liking.

 

Personally I like both machines especially when it comes to cost or as I said earlier, Bang for the buck.

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Buy brand new way more bang for buck get the Iron maiden pro, It will be the best pro ever released. Those 90's machines for around the 6k mark will have problems as they wont be full restores. A brand new machine less headache. I have new and old and on my old machines nothing but problems. My WH20 over 10k spent still has the odd issue My FT over 8k spent still has issues. My Met bought brand new no real issues. My apollo 13 i got for a bargain and the best condition i have seen one in without a full restore no issues yet. A brand new Stern just over 8k.
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Monster bash is a highly coveted title. 12k +/_ if you can pry one out of the hands of an owner.

There is a good chance that you'll be able to buy a brand-new remake of Monster Bash before long for less than that.

 

Michi.

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Was replying to previous post about buying a new pinball as it is good advice

there will be alot less issues with it

 

and the second part was if the machines you have picked to purchase maybe

are the pinballs that you have played in your youth hence a machine is a holy grail and a must have

eg i played a Williams Flash many a years ago and this is the pinball that is my must have..

 

to the last part are you just picking machines that are available for sale ?

 

here are some links that may help

https://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/54571-Guide-to-buying-EM-SS-and-DMD-machines

https://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/89944-Warning-to-newbies-about-buying-sight-unseen

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Was replying to previous post about buying a new pinball as it is good advice

there will be alot less issues with it

 

and the second part was if the machines you have picked to purchase maybe

are the pinballs that you have played in your youth hence a machine is a holy grail and a must have

eg i played a Williams Flash many a years ago and this is the pinball that is my must have..

 

to the last part are you just picking machines that are available for sale ?

 

here are some links that may help

https://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/54571-Guide-to-buying-EM-SS-and-DMD-machines

https://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/89944-Warning-to-newbies-about-buying-sight-unseen

 

Oh ok thanks mate I’m with you now. My wish list was based on playing over the years yes. Not that I’ve played the lord of the rings machine, but I’ve seen it played and enjoy the books/movies.

Definitely not picking bases on what’s on sale.

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What ever machine you choose, you really need to ask yourself how much you want to pay per game to have that machine..

 

If you think seriously about it, a $10000 machine you play 500 times works out at $20 a game.

 

Sure, you'll get most of that back when you sell it but it is a lot of capital tied up in a private piece of amusement that you will likely to be bored of after 200 games.

 

That is the nature of the beast when it comes to pinballs. Personally I prefer a few pinballs so I don't get bored of them so quickly but in saying that I have over about 60 different titles in the time I have had things to do with pinballs.

 

At the moment I am only playing a $1000 Black Pyramid and the Getaway and AC/DC were last played 6 months ago simply because I am bored with the two more expensive titles so I guess it is time to move on the Getaway and AC/DC.

 

What I have found is it really doesn't matter how much you pay and how old the machine is, they all break and if you can't fix them be prepared to pay. You also get bored with them over time and my attitude is move them on and get something else.

 

Share the love and enjoyment they give.

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I will add you are getting alot of info at the moment

so i would say dont rush in ...

I didnt as i thought i can fix this and that was 7 years ago :lol

have a think post a wanted add on here and see what is up for offer and ask a member in your area to view it

 

as per autosteve said about playing

i use to play my pinballs every morning before work and after work

now i have a pinball meet once a year with the exception at the moment of playing blackout

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My advice would be to get a solid, reliable, well maintained, good condition machine as your first pin... don't get a fixer upper

Secondly, what is your price range?

* If under $2000 you might want to consider an EM or less sought after Solid State (SS) pin (but be aware that there is a reason they are less desirable)

* If up to $5k you can consider a Bally Williams (DMD) or even some modern Sterns

* Over $5k you are looking at modern Stern Pros or classic more sought after Williams DMDs

Decide what type of game you want

* fast simple fun, not too deep

* deep & complicated rulesets with a difficult to get to end game (wizard mode)

* or something else with good shots and a lot to do

Next, do your research

* view it on youutube gameplay videos

* or better still play them on PinMAME

 

Enjoy the experience, you won't stop at one

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Ask yourself: Do I prefer playing pinball or repairing pinball or a bit of both.

If you are handy and like tinkering with pinballs by all means buy a cheaper one you can work on.

If you are inexperienced with pinball repair get the highest quality or new machine.

Nothing more frustrating than a pinball that constantly breaks and you don't know how to fix it. It gets expensive very fast to constantly pay for a technician to come for a fix. Better to buy a good restored or new/ near new machine.

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Sorry but I don't understand why people would want a game with the view of losing interest in it after say 200 games. The hassle of lugging it to your house, set it up, play it and use your own power, advertise it and deal.with some idiots, pack it up and probably help with the loading into car/ute etc. Wouldn't it be easier to simply go to a pub or meets that happen? A bit like grand kids, enjoy them and then hand them back.

 

What is the obsession in ownership if it's so short term?

 

Playing sited games doesn't jeopardize other things in life like unforeseen bills and house payments. Less emotional pressure too

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Sorry but I don't understand why people would want a game with the view of losing interest in it after say 200 games. The hassle of lugging it to your house, set it up, play it and use your own power, advertise it and deal.with some idiots, pack it up and probably help with the loading into car/ute etc. Wouldn't it be easier to simply go to a pub or meets that happen? A bit like grand kids, enjoy them and then hand them back.

 

What is the obsession in ownership if it's so short term?

 

Playing sited games doesn't jeopardize other things in life like unforeseen bills and house payments. Less emotional pressure too

 

I can only speak of myself but I always like to play pinball especially against others but solo, not so much. It's the competition I love especially when in the "zone".

 

As for 200 games and then getting bored and what is the obsession in ownership if it's so short term I guess it is simply the money tied up in holding onto machines I simply don't play any longer and the chance to swap to another machine with it's problems that need to be fixed is more of a pleasure for me than becoming a hoarder.

 

I would prefer to "have owned" 60 different titles than own 10 titles for 20 years though to tell you the truth, even though I may have owned a title doesn't mean I don't enjoy playing someone elses because no two machines of the same title play exactly the same. Some play totally differently and that in itself becomes like a different machine and therefore no the same as the one I got bored with.

 

In my opinion better to allow someone else to get the pleasure I got when I first got the machine in my hands rather than simply build up a fleet of machines with a hell of a lot of money invested in them I simply can't justify to myself.

 

It is the working on them I really enjoy also though and moving them on is simply part of the deal.

 

Machines come here, I unload them, set them up, work on them, test them, pack them up and load them up...next.

 

The machines I work on are sited machines that MUST have reliability and I know if they break, I fix them again for nothing so you learn what works real quick or it costs you.

 

It's a totally different environment when machines are out on there own with no one around to do running repairs when necessary.

 

These machines are played to the death sometimes for weeks at a time on free play before the owner or I get anywhere near them again.

 

That is basically what I do now days.

 

Moving a pinball...

 

Yes hard work but no where near as hard as unloading a truck load of pinballs, a couple of pool tables and an air hockey in one day like I did in my earlier life.

 

You do actually learn to only use your legs when lifting pinballs and not your back but pool tables, no. Slates are always heavy and air hockeys, while they are lighter they cannot be broken down at all.

 

Now days while I like to still work on them I'm really into building one where there are no restrains.

 

I guess the best way to describe what I feel is that feeling some of you guys get after you change all the lighting for LEDs on your machine, replace the playfield, throw in new sound systems and a colour display only in my case of building one, it is every aspect of the machine I'm trying to do with no time restrains. The no time restrains is something I have never had before.

 

People always want there machines yesterday.:)

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There is nothing wrong with older pinball machines, I have a room full of Electro Mechanical, Solid State & Dot Matrix Display pins, Variety is the spice of life, & instead of owning a pinball machine for the same money you can own many others titles & love playing them too!
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well @Thefluffyduff a lot of advice and opinions have been posted but one I don't see any mentioned that is my advice, and just my opinion, if you are unsure on what to look out for when you finally decide, or even when checking one out is, take someone with you that is pinknowledgeable, yep new word, but you know what I mean. There is so much to take in and look at, a second pairs of eyes on someone that is familiar with pinball machines can only help.
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What I’m currently investigating buying is a standard edition Lord of the Rings or monster bash or white water.

 

Of those three, I would say White Water is probably the best 'first pin'. The ruleset allows you to play for points or work towards completing goals, so there's different ways of approaching gameplay. It's an easy game to get into for when you have guests and provides enough of a challenge that it should take you a while to complete the game.

 

Monster Bash has a very shallow rule set and it won't be long before you've seen everything in the game. It's a machine that's better in a larger collection.

 

Lord of the Rings is excellent, a better game overall than White Water, but has a few features that are problematic if it's your only machine- long ball times mean that you can never just have a quick session, and make multi-player games tedious. It's also a game where the story dominates everything else, including scoring, so every time you play you're basically trying to achieve the same thing.

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