FOUND Looking to buy my first pin, have a few that I'm interested in

[Corrie]

I just built a Virtual pin and me and my GF are enjoying it so much we're looking to get our first real pin, if you have any of these and are willing to part with them let me know what you are asking and we can work something out.

Metallica any version
Iron Maiden pro
ac/dc any version
Class of 1812
Bone Busters
Haunted House
Theatre Magic
world cup 94
Tee'd off
Pretty much any 90's Gottlieb or any of the classics, Monster Bash etc.
Pretty much any of the earl 2000's dmd pins would interest me too.

I know it's kind of a broad ask but just putting the feelers out there in case anyone has any of these machines. thanks!

 

[Honey Badger]

Good luck in your search. I definitely wouldn’t recommend haunted house unless you are a repair guy or have one handy all the time.

 

[Corrie]

Good luck in your search. I definitely wouldn’t recommend haunted house unless you are a repair guy or have one handy all the time.

You're probably right that 8 flippers and 3 levels is a bit much for a first time owner... thanks for the advice!

 

[MrMikeman]

You're probably right that 8 flippers and 3 levels is a bit much for a first time owner... thanks for the advice!

Actually it's more about the age of the machine and the fact it's a Gottlieb. They are somewhat harder to work on than other makes. Edge connectors, proprietary chips on the boards, etc.

 

[Corrie]

Actually it's more about the age of the machine and the fact it's a Gottlieb. They are somewhat harder to work on than other makes. Edge connectors, proprietary chips on the boards, etc.

Ah got it, thanks. I'm pretty handy with arcade machines already but never worked on a pin before. I assumed the skills would transfer over mostly but it sounds like there is more I should look into if I go with an older machine.

 

[pinballjah]

I might be selling some games in the near future, IM Pro, DE GnR, Shadow. Not sure yet? Still have to decide if I want to keep them. Thanks.

 

[thewebexpert]

I found my stargate pretty easy to work on though ... good manuals etc ... It was my first major repair and was easier than Dr Who....

 

[TwilightZone]

I found my stargate pretty easy to work on though ... good manuals etc ... It was my first major repair and was easier than Dr Who....

Totally different generation and board sets. Those early Gottlieb SS games are a bitch. There's a reason we didn't see them working back in the day. They were always broken.

I'd also echo what Honey Badger said. Avoid Haunted House. Fun game, but a technical nightmare.

For your first game, if you have the budget, I'd suggest newer Stern. Basically from the 2000s on and buy HUO. My Sterns, knock on wood, have all been incredibly reliable.

 

[Corrie]

Totally different generation and board sets. Those early Gottlieb SS games are a bitch. There's a reason we didn't see them working back in the day. They were always broken.

I'd also echo what Honey Badger said. Avoid Haunted House. Fun game, but a technical nightmare.

For your first game, if you have the budget, I'd suggest newer Stern. Basically from the 2000s on and buy HUO. My Sterns, knock on wood, have all been incredibly reliable.

Thoughts on the spike 2 controversy? I've seen complaints that if a component breaks you have to replace a whole board, I've also seen that promoted as a plus since it's "easy".

 

[TwilightZone]

Thoughts on the spike 2 controversy? I've seen complaints that if a component breaks you have to replace a whole board, I've also seen that promoted as a plus since it's "easy".

I was very hesitant to buy spike 2 and last November got my first one. So far so good. I realize I could have an issue in the future, but I look at that as the price of entertainment. My tv depreciates to nothing pretty quickly. Pinball has more than held value and actually increased consistently in the over 20 years I have been collecting.

 

[Corrie]

I was very hesitant to buy spike 2 and last November got my first one. So far so good. I realize I could have an issue in the future, but I look at that as the price of entertainment. My tv depreciates to nothing pretty quickly. Pinball has more than held value and actually increased consistently in the over 20 years I have been collecting.

Thanks. I think I'm pretty much set on Iron Maiden at this point. It's a beautiful table and it's pretty much the only machine we've had enough time to play in real life enough to know we really like it.

 

[ZoomZoomBoomBoom]

I'm new to the pinball thing as well. I got my first machine in March 2021 and went kinda nuts over it... Machine numbers 17 & 18 are arriving this week. (Star Wars Premium and Iron Maiden Premium). I'm generally sticking to newer machines, my oldest 2 being Star Trek The Next Generation and Lord Of The Rings. The "older" (80's-90's) stuff terrifies me in regards to them breaking down and having to repair them/ find parts etc. I would aim for something newer (2005+) so you don't have to worry about fixing it right away. So far, I have done some minimal maintenance/ mod/ upgrade work to most of the machines and am learning stuff bit by bit. I'm also learning how incredibly different the machines are in regards to how they play. "Fast and flowly" vs "target shooter pins" vs "stop and go" pins etc. (I don't even know the proper lingo yet!) I also have 4 virtual pins and the difference is night and day between them and a real pin. (Real pins being 997.5% better!)

Feel free to pm me if you have any "fellow newbie" questions.

 

[MrMikeman]

I'm new to the pinball thing as well. I got my first machine in March 2021 and went kinda nuts over it... Machine numbers 17 & 18 are arriving this week. (Star Wars Premium and Iron Maiden Premium). I'm generally sticking to newer machines, my oldest 2 being Star Trek The Next Generation and Lord Of The Rings. The "older" (80's-90's) stuff terrifies me in regards to them breaking down and having to repair them/ find parts etc. I would aim for something newer (2005+) so you don't have to worry about fixing it right away. So far, I have done some minimal maintenance/ mod/ upgrade work to most of the machines and am learning stuff bit by bit. I'm also learning how incredibly different the machines are in regards to how they play. "Fast and flowly" vs "target shooter pins" vs "stop and go" pins etc. (I don't even know the proper lingo yet!) I also have 4 virtual pins and the difference is night and day between them and a real pin. (Real pins being 997.5% better!)

Feel free to pm me if you have any "fellow newbie" questions.

SW Prem is a FAST machine! Wait for it! Lol

 

[TwilightZone]

Thanks. I think I'm pretty much set on Iron Maiden at this point. It's a beautiful table and it's pretty much the only machine we've had enough time to play in real life enough to know we really like it.

Great choice. Fantastic game. Stick with the Pro. Premium isn't worth the extra dollars.

 

[SteveShady]

My first pin is Gottlieb "Waterworld" that I've owned for 3+ years; its been really reliable and anything I've had to do was easy and there's been no problem getting parts. Same goes with my DE "The Simpsons"

 

[mwong168]

A Gottlieb System 80 is just 79 more problems then a Gottlieb System 1 I would stay away from these unless you are buying from someone reputable in the community who has owned and bullet proofed the game over the years.

You should check this video George Gomez made about a year ago going over and explaining how the new Spike system works.

A lot of my friends have newer Stern Spike games and so far no major issues so I wouldn't let that dissuade you from owning one. Same goes for WPC 90's titles as there is a tons of parts and repair information available online. Good luck!

 

[Corrie]

Great choice. Fantastic game. Stick with the Pro. Premium isn't worth the extra dollars.

Good to know, the bells and whistles tempt me but I don't think can justify the price increase. I like the pro art better too.

My first pin is Gottlieb "Waterworld" that I've owned for 3+ years; its been really reliable and anything I've had to do was easy and there's been no problem getting parts. Same goes with my DE "The Simpsons"

Nice, I feel like I'm the only person who liked the movie Waterworld!

 

[mwong168]

Also for those that are new to pins and repairs I highly recommend subscribing to pinballninja.com which I believe was a one time fee of $20-25usd to access. It was the best $20-25 I ever spent in this hobby as it teaches you quite a bit on common repairs and issues.

Log In ‹ Pinball Ninja Webzine — WordPress

This was Clay's blog and hasn't updated it since 2018 but as you can see from this screen shot there is plenty of documented repairs going back 10+years with accompanying pics, vids and description of what he is doing to troubleshoot. The documented repairs range from all eras of pins from EMs -> SS -> DMD.



He stopped updating the word press blog and now maintains a "lite" version on Facebook. Perhaps you can send a message to see how you can get access to his pinballninja.com website.

Michigan Pinball Repair In Your Home

Michigan Pinball Repair In Your Home. 1,108 likes · 124 talking about this. Have a broken pinball machine in SE Michigan? We can help! Just send an email or facebook message with your game name and...

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[KelleyG]

I have a WCS 94 and NBA Fastbreak that I’ve been thinking of parting with. PM’d

 

[SteveShady]

Good to know, the bells and whistles tempt me but I don't think can justify the price increase. I like the pro art better too.



Nice, I feel like I'm the only person who liked the movie Waterworld!

Honestly, I hadn't even seen the movie before I bought the pin, the colour scheme of the game is one that the kids in my house like. Contray to popular opinion, I like the game... lol