Anyone here have any pinball machines??

[FADEC]

I have three of them. Two vintage Bally's, a Air Aces and a Captain Fantastic. Both are from the early-mid 1970's and are electro mechanical. LOVE the EM's with all the switches, solenoids, levers, etc. Both were in decent shape, I just had to do minor repairs, cleaning to them. They work very nice and are very reliable. Also have a Williams Cyclone solid state from I believe 1986. Another great machine. Their great to play after a stressful day at work. I'm in serious withdrawl now. I'm having a house built, and living in a small apartment, while all of my household goods are in storage, so no pinball until April. I'm almost 45 and grew up in the 1970's playing pinball as much as I could afford. Remember going into arcades with ROWS and rows of colorful pinball machines. Still recall the sounds and smells of those heated up machines, especially when a skilled player is giving them a good work over. Man those were the days. Have had friends bring there kids over to my house, and they had never seen a pinball machine, couldn't figure out how to play it, and didn't have the interest or span of attention to play more than one or two games on them.

 

[Greggy_D]

I would LOVE to own one someday. How hard are these things to maintain? Is it easy to find parts?

 

[Captain_Klink]

the old pinballs supplied a very nice diet of adrenaline, but they also seemed to have quite a few magnetic fields that would change the ball direction - usually toward the sewer.

modern kids are addicted to much higher levels of adrenaline, such as in a game where you shoot at it, and IT SHOOTS BACK AT YOU!!!

By going into the digital domain, the big companies have been able to produce cheap crack, and sell it for outrageous prices.

So..."Is our children learning?" - no. "Is our children being entertained even?" - no. So..."What is going one?" what is going on is the manufacturer can tap into a supply of "built in" drugs, and use this drug addiction to sell and extract profit.
So - why does no one complain about this drug addiction, and they do complain about all others, irrespective of whether the others are lethal, cause cancer, etc., or whether the side effects are minimal and there is never any lethal problem, except from drug cartels becoming extremely rich in Mexico, and driving out legitimate business, so we end up getting a huge influx of "aliens", who wouldn't be coming here, if it weren't for the end result of our incomprehensible penal code and drug laws. Maybe someone should ask Mr. Dobbs. Oh, I forgot, he would shout you down, because only his speech is free, and not ours.

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: Greggy_D
I would LOVE to own one someday. How hard are these things to maintain? Is it easy to find parts?


The older ones are not hard to maintain. Depending on the previous care, or lack of. Sort of like buying a classic car, depending on how much you want to spend, and the popularity of it, and the condition will dictate price. Since they were made heavy duty commercial grade to begin with, once you have them sorted out they should play great for many years. The newer solid state are another experience altogether. They are full of circuit boards, and are best left to someone with a good knowledge of circuit boards and electrical toubleshooting. Parts are usually not too hard to find. Either from parted out machines or newly made reproduction parts. There are several online vendors that usually have what you need.

 

[Greggy_D]

Is there a vendor you recommend for buying an old machine?

 

[mechtech2]

I have some nice ones on my computer. Don't laugh. An insanely cheap old program with great sounds and visuals.

 

[wavinwayne]

Originally Posted By: Greggy_D
Is there a vendor you recommend for buying an old machine?


Most skating rinks have pinball machines. Talk to an owner; he/she should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
Originally Posted By: Greggy_D
Is there a vendor you recommend for buying an old machine?


Most skating rinks have pinball machines. Talk to an owner; he/she should be able to point you in the right direction.


Most larger cities have companies that get machines off the route then totally refurbish them, also known as "shopping" them. They should have a showroom where you can look at/play several different machines. This way you can get the one that you and your family prefer. They will also ususally put a warranty on it, and deliver it (they are heavy). BTW pinball machines are usually a decent investment. As long as you buy it at a fair price and keep it in good condition, it will usually be worth at least what you paid for it. You can sometimes find good deals at yard sales, craigslist, etc. but you really have to know what your looking at. A lot have had improper maint. and hacks on the circuit boards, and can drive you nuts trying to chase down a problem.

 

[PRND3L]

very cool daddi

My youth was similar to yours -- I had a paper route just to support my pinball habit in the 70s. Williams Cyclone (circa my college daze) -- what a great machine -- probably my all time favorite!

 

[Gary Allan]

I was going to open an arcade when they were HOT. The first thing the guy on the phone from the pinball machine outfit did when I said I had a location suited for it ..was to try and get me to pinpoint it on the map so he could go to the owner (strip mall) and beat me at signing the lease. He wasn't just interested in if it was feasible in terms of distance.