New to pinball, looking for help

[Fleach]

I'm a novice pinball player looking to get my first game. I haven't played many pins, but I'm attracted to DMD and 80s to 90s SS games the most. Bram Stoker's Dracula and F-14 Tomcat stand out as very fun games to me.

I'm hesitant to use kijiji or craigslist as a means to buy a machine since many ads tend to be vague and I don't want a project for my first pin. With that in mind I think my best option is to network with peers to play as many pins as I can to learn where my tastes lie and hopefully a collector can help me find a pin that's in playable condition at a decent price.

Any advice or game recommendations are welcome.

 

[mwong168]

Bstock aka Ben from Timmins is in town for work and planning to stop by after 9pm to play some pins. You are welcome to come on by if you'd like.

 

[REVOLUTION]

well sir, you've come to the right place!

Buying a pin from someone on here is the best advice I can give, simply because it's a very niche market and everyone has somewhat of a reputation to uphold. Not only that, for the most part we're willing to help out in any way we can to keep your game working. And then there's also the network of technicians on here who do housecalls for a fee if it's something you're not comfortable with.

Point is, we're a community dedicated to the preservation and promotion of pinball.

Best place to start.. your budget. What's your budget?

Welcome!

 

[Fleach]

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys!

mwong, I work evenings until 9 so if I were to swing by it would be 10-ish by the time I made it. Where in Toronto are you located?

Revolution, I'd say my budget would be $1500 to $2000. I must admit that that seems like a lot to me, but I'd rather pay for something that plays instead of getting something inexpensive and end up over my head.

 

[mwong168]

Here is a good bang for buck machine to start with Starship Troopers.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2819

Here is a game play video on PAPA's old Vimeo page

http://vimeo.com/38708598

Otherwise if you are able to make it out to my place tonight you can give my Johnny Mnemonic a try to see if you like it. Bstock has one that is for sale and you can ask him any questions about it too.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2634

I also know of a few other pins that might be for sale but not listed. Once you let me know your budget I can try my best to enable you.

 

[mwong168]

mwong, I work evenings until 9 so if I were to swing by it would be 10-ish by the time I made it. Where in Toronto are you located?

No worries, my friend Elliot who lives 2 mins from me often comes by after 11-12am during weekdays. We might be meeting up with brewmanager after midnight for some late night dimsum aka "pinsum" in Scarborough unless he plans on making an appearance at my place too. I right by 401/Yonge.

Revolution, I'd say my budget would be $1500 to $2000. I must admit that that seems like a lot to me, but I'd rather pay for something that plays instead of getting something inexpensive and end up over my head.

Better to spend a bit more and get something that works 100% for your first pin instead of a cheaper fixer-upper. Also doesn't hurt to buy from someone with a good reputation or highly recommended by other members on here.

 

[Fleach]

401/Yonge might be a bit far for an impromptu visit, but I appreciate the invitation.

I think that for $2000 I can find a nice game with some help from the community here.

Data East's Batman has been recommended to me before and I've looked it up on Youtube. It looks like a very fun pin.

 

[REVOLUTION]

for a $2k budget, I'd go for a Data East / Sega game for sure. Bally / WMS game prices have sky-rocketed.

$2k should land you a decent Rocky & Bullwinkle, Last Action Hero, maybe even a Jurassic Park... or that Starship Troopers Mike suggested. I love that game..

 

[mwong168]

There is also this Sega Goldeneye for $2200 obo over on maaca which has been gone over by Ballyboy who does a very good job at shopping games out and making sure they play nicely.

http://www.maaca.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16226

I've played this game briefly and has some decent flow to it. I think if I was to start over again today I would probably go after DE and Sega because they usually offer great bang for buck. I think dbeeson might have a Gottlieb Wipeout available for sale that is well within your budget too and heard it is a lot of fun too.

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=2578&p=22873#p22873

 

[meegis]

I started off with DE when I got into buying games for myself. First I had a Rocky and Bullwinkle, which I followed up with a Simpsons.

Everyone here, as mentioned does have a reputation and some have a form of a relationship whether in person or online. Most people on here selling can be verified by others, so feel free to PM anyone about games. mwong168 is pretty good at connecting others to sales/purchases, and is a very valuable member to speak to.

Something said in this thread that I would say slightly different is this: "Better to spend a bit more and get something that works 100% for your first pin instead of a cheaper fixer-upper." While I agree with the sentiment, I also stand behind buying a game thats 100% working, but might need some cleaning up. If you want to learn a little bit about a game, (i.e. learning how to change bulbs, re-rubber and clean a playfield, etc.) is a fun thing to try out on a game that mechanically works 100%

Depending where you are in Toronto, lots of people here are often welcoming for you to try their games. I only have 2 newer sterns that are well above your budget, so playing them might be an unfair comparison.

I have a DE Phantom of the Opera at my dads place for sale if you'd like to see it. He also has other games that you can gladly play while you're there (but they arent for sale).

Shoot me, or anyone else here a PM any time you'd like.


Welcome to the forum!

 

[Honey Badger]

I also have a players condition Fire! that I will be selling below book value at a good price. If that title interests you let me know. It works 100% and plays very well and I can deliver to Toronto for you.

 

[Bigbossfan]

Congrats on finding PRev. You'll find a tonne of helpful folks here on the boards. Good luck in your hunt!! But be forewarned. This hobby is very addictive. I bought my first pin last September (with the help of THE ENABLER!) and since then have moved through 7 pins. I've got four in my collection now, figuring ways of making more space!

Enjoy!!

 

[frolic]

Hi Fleach, welcome.

The more you get introduced to the local pinball community, the easier it is to find pins. There really aren't that many of us, and most everyone is tight on space so everyone is flipping pins all the time.

You are also welcome to check out the Toronto Pinball League (topl.ca). We currently have 10 hosts, so that is 10 large collections that the league gets to play in regularly.

 

[Fleach]

Thanks for the welcome, Bigbossfan. I was browsing Pinside when I found this site, and I'm glad to have stumbled upon a community of Canadian collectors.

I already collect retro video games so I'm not new to the collecting mentality. It was actually through a few fellow game collectors that I was bitten by the pinball bug and I'm just now starting to understand why they call it a sickness (in a good way of course).

 

[REVOLUTION]

Thanks for the welcome, Bigbossfan. I was browsing Pinside when I found this site, and I'm glad to have stumbled upon a community of Canadian collectors.

I already collect retro video games so I'm not new to the collecting mentality. It was actually through a few fellow game collectors that I was bitten by the pinball bug and I'm just now starting to understand why they call it a sickness (in a good way of course).

Consoles you mean? I was a console collector myself (had over 80 of them).. then got bit by the pinball bug. Sold my console collection and never looked back -- it was collecting dust anyway.

 

[mwong168]

Congrats on finding PRev. You'll find a tonne of helpful folks here on the boards. Good luck in your hunt!! But be forewarned. This hobby is very addictive. I bought my first pin last September (with the help of THE ENABLER!) and since then have moved through 7 pins. I've got four in my collection now, figuring ways of making more space!

Enjoy!!

Don't worry Reg, you dodged a bullet this weekend and sorry I couldn't make it up as we planned earlier this week. I'm sure I could help you find some non load bearing walls you can knock down to make more room for pins

You missed a good time last night Fleach, bstock didn't leave till about 2:30am and was like a kid in a candy store playing all my pins last night. I was pretty tired and woke up late at 8:20am this morning. It's a good thing my commute to work is opposing grid lock and takes me only 15 mins to get from North York to Vaughan including my morning coffee too Anyways, if you wanna drop by anytime send me a PM.

 

[Fleach]

Thanks for the welcome, Bigbossfan. I was browsing Pinside when I found this site, and I'm glad to have stumbled upon a community of Canadian collectors.

I already collect retro video games so I'm not new to the collecting mentality. It was actually through a few fellow game collectors that I was bitten by the pinball bug and I'm just now starting to understand why they call it a sickness (in a good way of course).

Consoles you mean? I was a console collector myself (had over 80 of them).. then got bit by the pinball bug. Sold my console collection and never looked back -- it was collecting dust anyway.

Yeah. Consoles. It seems that people who like video games tend to like pinball as well. Figure a pin will be a nice addition to the game room.

You missed a good time last night Fleach, bstock didn't leave till about 2:30am and was like a kid in a candy store playing all my pins last night. I was pretty tired and woke up late at 8:20am this morning. It's a good thing my commute to work is opposing grid lock and takes me only 15 mins to get from North York to Vaughan including my morning coffee too Anyways, if you wanna drop by anytime send me a PM.

I'll have to figure out a day that works and I'll shoot you a PM. I appreciate the invitation. Hopefully this will be an opportunity to to figure out what pin I'd like to have and get some perspective on pinball collecting.

 

[Menace]

By visiting Wong it will only confirm if you like or don't like DMD era games. His mantra is "No ramps, no DMD, NO THANKS!" So you'll have to visit a couple other collectors with a larger cross section to get a good idea of what era you like.

D

 

[DRANO]

What part of the GTA are you in?

 

[Chris Bardon]

Yeah. Consoles. It seems that people who like video games tend to like pinball as well. Figure a pin will be a nice addition to the game room.

Heh... A pin... It certainly starts that way, doesn't it?

I still have a small collection of consoles, but really it's just the stuff I play (or played) and never got rid of. TOPL is definitely a great option-depending on where in the GTA you are, we play anywhere from as far west as Carlisle, and as far east as Whitby (with a bunch of locations in between). It's really a pretty liberal definition of "toronto", but there are some amazing collections out there. Plus, it's a great way to met people and engage in some friendly competition.