Anyone have pinball machine(s). In their house?

[LuminousMaximus]

I have seen a few for sale like the Metallica ones, fun house and similar but some have been critical between the older style and newer circuit boards.

Thought I would get some tips before I delve into the Pinball forums...

[Abdullah71601]

I had a Terminator machine years ago. The thing I learned is that you get tired of the same machine. If I did it again, I’d look into leasing so that I could have a rotation.

[Dqman]

My brother just got the newest Star Wars machine. It's amazing.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

I had a Terminator machine years ago. The thing I learned is that you get tired of the same machine. If I did it again, I’d look into leasing so that I could have a rotation.

I could see this being the biggest issue. Never owned but fondly remember playing them in my youth before Pong, Aliens, and PAC Man ever came along. Sorry but I'm an old fart.

[Fredrik]

I used to in my youth. You do get tired of the same game and they are incredibly loud. You do not really notice how loud they are in a bar, but in a quiet home you do! I turned the volume down to the lowest setting but it was still loud. Oh, make sure your fusebox can handle the load if it is an older machine.

[droptopman]

We had a game room in the early - mid 90's. We owned a restaurant and bar, so when we upgraded neon signs and games at the bar we took all the old stuff home and remodeled the basement. Super fun times. Had a couple pinball machines, darts, pac man, defender, asteroids, and donky kong. Full bar so great for entertaining. We do not have the room in our new house or I would have some vintage machines for sure.

[bdex75]

Had an Adams Family pinball in the basement for years. Sold it about 10 years ago and was shocked what it was worth.


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[maylebox]

One in the house (Tales From the Crypt) and a few in storage. I need a bigger house.

[mmmmp]

Gal Pal of mine when I was about 19 had a couple of Pinballs and a slot machine in their family room. Seemed like the tech was over once a week (I was there almost daily! Loved pinball!) to fix / replace something and I learned quite a bit about them. The most important tip he gave me when I said I was considering buying one was:

"Make sure you buy one reconditioned and overhauled. Parts for some machines are *very* pricy and if you buy a fixer-upper, it might cost a fortune to make it reliable." Considering the massive amount of relays, servos and miles of wiring I believe him implicitly. My friend's father bought the machines sight unseen because he remembered them from his youth. One was called Heat Wave and the other I cannot recall. Interestingly, the slot machine was bought by looking at a photo(no web back then) from a LV broker and worked flawlessly from day 1.

My advice, carefully research and select a dealer you can trust. Just like buying a watch. To be fair, these were vintage pinballs which might not be what you're after. Good luck, I wish they were more ubiquitous - tons of fun if it's a good machine.

Mark

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[Kyle3130]

My in-laws have a Back to the Future one in their game room. As far as electronic components, it’s all original. We did purchase a resto kit a few years back and changed out the bumpers and all the rubber bands and it works like a charm. My kids and their cousins play it every time we visit them.

[brandrea]

I’d love to find a Robotron machine ... I must’ve sank $1000 in quarters into that game in my youth

[sco]

I’ve got an original Surf Champ from 1976. It’s a four player and works perfectly. I have replaced a few parts and recently replaced some rubber on the flippers. I’ll try to take a better picture, but here is what I’ve got on the phone.

[joli160]

Originally Posted by sco

I’ve got an original Surf Champ from 1976. It’s a four player and works perfectly. I have replaced a few parts and recently replaced some rubber on the flippers. I’ll try to take a better picture, but here is what I’ve got on the phone.

That's really nice

[thesharkfactor]

I have a Street Fighter arcade.. I used to have 5 or 6 machines at a time, but this is only one I keep now, the kids love it, I love it, she hates it, all good.
Had pinballs before, they are loud and expensive and when they break down it's a real pain the the ass..and the games gets old quick too. Street Fighter has not got old yet and I've been playing that for 30yrs. This machine actually has 1000 arcade games in it, almost every game you remember is on there..

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by LuminousMaximus

I have seen a few for sale like the Metallica ones, fun house and similar but some have been critical between the older style and newer circuit boards.

Thought I would get some tips before I delve into the Pinball forums...

Buy one from someone who has a b and m and has a ton. They will break and you will need a local contact to help fix it. Be kind to the guy and he always will.

[BigBoy17]

Yep....Last Action Hero Swartzenegger

[ltmgeller]

We had 1 growing up. Got bored of it real quick.

[sco]

Here’s a shot from tonight with the scoreboard. It’s a great game and we’ve had a lot of fun playing it over the years. These days it does not get a ton of use, but my kids really like it.

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Hey Guys,

This is my new hobby now. Honestly sick of the watch game and not getting what i want.
Too many games in the watch hobby i hope that bubble bursts hard personally.
Anyway i started collecting pins in Feb or so 2019 this is my collection so far.
Bought 2 new and 3 used :
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[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

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[Colin G]

I helped a friend move a few vintage pinball machines once.

Never again.

Come to think of it, I helped the same friend move his piano. Twice.

[piratfisk]

Originally Posted by Colin G

I helped a friend move a few vintage pinball machines once.

Never again.

Come to think of it, I helped the same friend move his piano. Twice.

Pinball machines are mega heavy. My parents had "Breakshot" and it was fun in 10min bursts. I remember it being mega loud, too. They also had the Jurassic Park arcade game, where you sat in the "car" & shot off the screen to reload. My brother & I begged for it, got it, played it for a summer, then it collected dust. I just checked online & they're in Submariner territory. Jeez

[rolehex]

Someday hopefully. I have recently started to get into pinball myself but I don't have any machines YET. pinside.com is a good forum and resource.

[andromeda160]

When I first moved out and got my own place one of the first things I bought was a pinball machine. Was more of a short lived novelty.

[Etschell]

Used to. Make sure you buy it from someone who can service it as well. It breaks quite a bit.

[Dan Pierce]

No pinball but how about a little refreshment?
dP