I bought a pinball machine!

[exitwound]

I've always wanted one. My uncle had one. They grabbed my attention more than the arcade machines in the pizzerias. Galaga and Zaxxon stood idle while I put my quarters into something a lot more fun. It's been my dream to own one. I found a cheap one on eBay in completely working order (minus a few small items) and had to get it while they were still available. Their era has passed but the fun never stops!

Starship Troopers Pinball

Has one cracked pop bumper and a quirkly ball launcher. I've ordered the replacement parts. Otherwise, the game plays fantastically!

[porsche4life]

Those things are way too much fun. My dad has Blackout Pinball from about '82. It has a slight electrical issue as of late and keeps blowing this one chip. Grr.

[gassy]

That's a cool one

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Those things are way too much fun. My dad has Blackout Pinball from about '82. It has a slight electrical issue as of late and keeps blowing this one chip. Grr.

Get an aftermarket power supply.
I have a Stern Flight 2000. One of the last ones designed by Harry Williams.
Works perfectly, but needs occasional maintenance.
It has a synthesized voice option, but the speech chip was single-sourced from a long expired manufacturer. Made from unobtainium.

[slodave]

I need to stop reading the thread titles so quickly. I thought you bought a paintball machine - you really have a need to make your own paintballs?

[the]

Cool!

When I was a kid, around 11 years old, I loved pinball. The local arcade went out of business, and my parents bought me one of the pinball machines! Imagine how cool that was, having a real pinball machine in our house!

It was a 1974 or so Bally Delta Queen. I played that thing so much, became a master on it. It only had a 5 digit score counter, but I once scored 1,000,000 points on it with one quarter.

[tangerine911S]

My roomate in college had a 6 Million Dollar Man pinball machine. I bet its worth quite a bit. That and the beerpong table took up up the entire front 3rd of the apt.

[trekkor]

I would love to have a "Black Knight" machine.



KT

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by dhoward

Get an aftermarket power supply.
I have a Stern Flight 2000. One of the last ones designed by Harry Williams.
Works perfectly, but needs occasional maintenance.
It has a synthesized voice option, but the speech chip was single-sourced from a long expired manufacturer. Made from unobtainium.

No I dont think the power supply is the issue. Its on one of the main control boards int the upper part of the machine. When you put it to a test run it gets to this certain little chip and then errors and you see smoke come out of the chip and then there is a little burn hole right there.

[pwd72s]

(pete townshend)
[tommy (1914-1984), various artists, 1972]

Ever since i was a young boy,
I played the silver ball;
From soho down to brighton
I must have played 'em all.
But i ain't seen nothin' like him
In any amusement hall
That deaf, dumb an' blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball.

He stands like a statue,
Becomes part of the machine.
Feelin' all the bumpers
Always playin' clean.
Plays by intuition,
The digit counters fall.
That deaf, dumb an' blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball!

He's a pinball wizard
There has to be a twist,
A pinball wizard,
Got such a supple wrist.

How do you think he does it?
What makes him so good?
Ain't got no distractions,
Can't hear those buzzes and bells,
Don't see lights aflashin'
Plays by sense of smell.
Always gets a replay,
Never tilts at all
That deaf, dumb an' blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball.

Even my usual table,
He can beat my best,
His disciples lead him in
And he just does the rest.
He's got crazy flipper' fingers,
Never seen him fall.
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

I had this one when I was a teenager. Ran on dimes.

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Jared Fenton

I had this one when I was a teenager. Ran on dimes.

Yep, in the 70's it was a dime or 3 games for a quarter. Growing up in a bowling alley made pinball mandatory. We would put our dime in and either take turns or compete if the game allowed 2 players. The replay count on those games went to 21 or 25 games. We would then sell the 20 games for a buck for a 90 cent return our dime. We could make $5 each some days just playing pinball.

If a game was difficult or we just wanted to cheat, we put the front legs on those small glass ashtrays that were everywhere back then. That would slow the ball down, but sometimes it would tilt easier. Had to experiment a little. I can remember if there was a lot of static electricity in the air, we could rub the carpet with our shoes and get a few machines to run by sparking them near the coin inserts.

Most of the action was mechanical where you had to depress targets or levers to score. Really relied on accuracy. Heck, I think 4800 points was replay. Now it buzzers and bells and computer driven graphics and it takes 500 million or more points.

I was the pinball wizard!

[TerryH]

I googled 70's baseball pinball and remarkably found one game we about wore out. There are plungers for the ball to depress on both sides, from single to home run depending on accuracy and speed. You could win replays via points or runs scored. Looks empty compared to todays machines. Man, seeing this brings back some fun carefree times. lol

[exitwound]

It's really amazing how much the games had changed. The games now have quests, missions, submissions, etc. They've always been my favorite.

[Rot 911]

I had one a few years back in my law office. Left it there when I moved buildings as that thing must have weighed 300 lbs!

[gprsh924]

We have a Lethal Weapon 3 pinball machine that we bought probably 10-12 years ago. i love that thing. I had some crazy high scores on it until my dad did reset everything for some unknown reason (I think he was just jealous). Now he holds the top two spots, but after seeing this thread, I think I am going to invest some time into getting them back over thanksgiving break.

[Eric 951]

Originally Posted by trekkor

I would love to have a "Black Knight" machine.



KT

Black Knight 2000
Me too...all-time favorite pinball machine...I recall it being the first one that cost 50 cents! double-decked, cool graphics and it spoke.....awesome

[cstreit]

Pinball addict myself. I actually like "Haunted House" a lot. Had 3 levels, 3rd level was underneath the main board with glass to see it.

Thanks for giving me something else to waste my $ on!

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by Eric 951

Black Knight 2000
Me too...all-time favorite pinball machine...I recall it being the first one that cost 50 cents! double-decked, cool graphics and it spoke.....awesome

Multi ball and the 'Magna Save' feature.


KT

[Pazuzu]

I still am a pinball addict, picked it up in college. I hate playing any game with video screens, 5 million points just for kicking the ball into play, magnets, ball locks, jackpots, BLECK! Give me 2 flippers, some bumpers, and some well timed playing to get the ball towards the ramps and I'm happy.