The Pinball Thread

[thrillerman1]

Just saw this RCT pinball posted on Craigslist and figured it might as well go to one of us: http://nashville.craigslist.org/tag/1748999272.html

 

Wish I could afford it!

[Angry_Gumball]

Just finished one of my final projects, based on pinball. Seriously, you guys should check this out, I think it came out real nice.

This is based on myself and my crazy cat (who was shown earlier in this thread on our Taxi machine). My cartoon character also was shown in my cartoon "High Dive" many of you saw in the past. So yea, enjoy the show, feedback is a huge plus! I spent all quarter on this cartoon!

[IBtacoDave]

^Any cat owning pinball collector (a narrow demographic to be sure) can surely identify with this. I loved it! Taxi is one of my all time favorite pinball machines, a true classic.

 

My cat never misses a chance to see the flashing lights and bouncing pinballs. Here he is resting after a frantic game of World Cup Soccer '94. Timely I know.

Even cats get World Cup Fever

Edited June 13, 2010 by IBtacoDave

[Cameron]

^ World Cup Soccer is one of my all-time favorite games .. And definitely in the top-10 Williams/Bally games ever produced. I have room for another game at my place, and World Cup is at the top of my list.

 

Cameron.

[IBtacoDave]

^ World Cup Soccer is one of my all-time favorite games .. And definitely in the top-10 Williams/Bally games ever produced. I have room for another game at my place, and World Cup is at the top of my list.

 

Cameron.

 

You have excellent taste, luckily for you it's a very affordable game. I was fortunate to find mine, It's in great condition and I've never had a significant problem with it. I don't have space for a large collection myself, so far I have just have the World Cup and a beat up Cyclone.

 

Since it seems like there are a few pinball fans out there, I'd like to share some of the pinball related places and events I've visited over the past year. The first is a place familiar to everyone here, Indiana Beach.

 

Photo TR: Indiana Beach Pinball

Along with its great coasters and delicious taco's, Indiana beach also features not one but two open-air pinball arcades. Skyroom arcade is located on the North end of the park, underneath Skyroom bar & restaurant. Inside you'll find eight pinball machines that are excellently maintained. Among them are some of the most popular and highly rated games ever made.

 

The Machine: Bride of Pinbot

Theatre of Magic

Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Twilight Zone

Funhouse

South Park

The Addams Family

The Simpsons Pinball Party

 

Indiana Beach's other arcade is located in the campground across from Schafer Drive. These games aren't nearly as well maintained as the ones inside the park, but still worth checking out for any pinball lover. The campground arcade also has a decent selection of retro arcade-games , skeeball, and redemption machines. Behind the arcade you'll also find an International themed mini-golf course and a hand powered train ride. The campground games include:

 

Rollergames

Jokerz

No Fear

The Twilight Zone

Cyclone

Party Animals

Funhouse

The Addams Family

The Getaway: High Speed 2

 

Enjoy the pictures!

Don't forget pinball tip #1: Make sure the game is in working order before you load it full of credits.

Older pinball machines require regular maintenance, part of the reason why they are nearly extinct in the wild.

Fortunately, the machines inside the park are generally well maintained. The Twilight Zone and Star Trek: The Next Generation are regarded as the most complex pinball machines ever produced. I'm never surprised to see them turned off, waiting for a part or special repair.

Theatre of Magic, a favorite game of many pinball collectors. I consider it a bit overrated.

I'm more of a Funhouse guy. Beat my score and post it here, I'm looking for some friendly competition!

These machines at the campground are a bit more neglected. That's Cyclone on the end there, the second in a three part series of amusement park themed games.

The various ramps and targets are named after rides from Chicago's long lost Riverview Park. How cool is that!

It even has a sweet dark ride! The detail in the playfield is what really makes this game great. And yes, the Cyclone and Comet ramps do count as credits.

Pinball for furries? Believe it or not they made a sequel to this game a few years later. I'd love to listen in on that boardroom think tank.

"Look at the juggs on that cheetah!" wait...what?!?!

Rounding out the campground games, don't forget to check out the artwork in Rollergames. Is that another cheetah suit?

And we'll end with a view of the mini-golf course for Electerik. Because of whom I know far too much about the Smokey Mountain region of Tennessee.

[Angry_Gumball]

^And what would your Funhouse score be? In real life, my high was maybe 15,000,000 on our Funhouse machine. On the Wii Pinball Hall of Fame game, I had like 30,000,000. Now, I need to work on Rudy's eyes as they won't close...like the solenoid is froze that controls his eyelids.

[IBtacoDave]

^Early last season I set the grand champion score at 26mil, my best game ever, and it stayed there all season. Unfortunately, the scores were erased over the winter and I could only come up with 13mil my last visit, good for 3rd place. My high score initials are DJS. I like the Funhouse machines at IB because they are slow (I prefer stop and shoot style games), and the mystery mirror kickouts are generally predictable.

 

Photo TR: Chicago Pinball Expo 2009

 

Chicago has long been regarded as the center of the pinball universe. At one time there were well over 100 pinball machine/parts factories in and around the Chicago area. Now only one in the world remains, and fortunately, it is still located right here outside Chicago. So while the Chicago Expo is not the biggest or highest attended pinball show, it nevertheless possesses an inherent importance among pinball enthusiasts.

Here we are at the Westin North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, IL.

People bring their machines here from all over the country. Some are just to show off but many are for sale. They are all set on free play for everyone to enjoy. Here's one of my favorites, Elvira Scared Stiff.

Here's Scared Stiff's playfield. Believe it or not this game was made by the same design team as the furry themed game in my last update. They came along way!

Attack from Mars is considered one of the best games ever produced. After playing for the first time I concur, its a fantastic game, definitely in my top 5.

Along with all the games to explore, there are also plenty of vendor booths to check out.

They also have pinball seminars, tournaments, and other special events going on throughout the weekend. Pictured is the autograph signing session.

Here's a rare Atari pinball machine. You don't see these often.

Speaking of rare, here's the Aaron Spelling table. It was commissioned by his wife in 1992 as a gift for the man who has everything. It's really just an overhauled Lethal Weapon 3 table that appears to have been vomited on, oh wait that's just Tori. Only two were made, price tag: $10,000.

Here's a rare prototype for Cirque Votaire. This is the mock up they would make at the factory before they went into production. I was happy to get the chance to play it, but I still haven't played a real Cirque Voltaire yet. It was created by my favorite designer, John Popadiuk. He also designed Tales of the Arabian Nights and World Cup Soccer '94.

This game used a real pool cue ball instead of a pinball. It got old fast, but was still fun to see.

A very rare Australian, Empire Strikes Back machine. Although the gameplay is mediocre at best, the artwork really makes up for it. I really like the Millennium Falcon shot and the Blackhole style infinity backglass.

Some bizarre redemption game.

$975 is quite a bit for an old electro-mechanical game. I giggle a little every time the monkey hits that bell.

One of many great games in the category of "Fun pinball machine with forgettable and or awful 90's movie theme".

So don't be sad Johnny Mnemonic, it's not the games fault.

The main reason I look forward to this event so much every year is that I can literally play pinball all night long.

I feel some things are just more fun at 4 in the morning.

This Guns N' Roses game was modded to use a guitar hero controller. Much like any rhythm game, I wasn't very good.

Popeye has some awesome sideart. Too bad the game is a real stinker.

Some of these video pinball cabinets are really well done, this miniature one in particular.

Much better than this glitchy, awkward, poorly-themed, production model.

And this atrocity, which seemed to have an old Intel 386 under the hood. With such low framerates on both the OCC pinball and Spongeball tables, I couldn't finish a game on either one. What a way to turn kids off to pinball.

There were a few other non pinball coin-op games there as well. I really enjoyed this Williams upright game.

Some artists and designers had their own booths. I liked this one because Star Trek 25th Anniversary is hands down my favorite Data East game.

I'm glad I had some time to spend playing a few Gottlieb/Premier games. Although they aren't quite up to the quality of games that Williams/Bally was producing at the time, they still had some fun toys. This Wipeout machine has a working ski lift for example.

And this Rescue 911 machine features a helicopter that picks up your ball and moves it around. Gottlieb/Premier is the Vekoma of pinball. Usually they're pretty rough but you come across a decent one from time to time.

I spent some quality time on this Red and Ted's Roadshow. I love this game, even with the awful soundtrack.

I found this Lamborghini modded Getaway 2 pinball on ebay autos for $13,000 a few weeks after the show. I'm sure whoever spends that will be more than happy with the shoddy work on the electro-luminescent wire. Stay classy pinball people!

This year the expo runs from Wednesday, October 20th to Sunday, October 24th. I must warn you that if you only plan on only attending one day, make sure its not the first or last days of the event. I would highly recommend visiting on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday to see the peak amount of games.

As the expo wrapped up the Tournament raged on. Can you feel the excitement in this room? I'd also like to take this time to inform you that pinball expo is held just a few miles from one of the best restaurants in the Chicago area, Bob Chinn's Crabhouse!

Most people started packing up early on Sunday morning. And that was it, see you next October!

 

Next update I'll take you to the pinball mecca of the midwest. One of the best collections in the world open to the public, thanks for reading!

Edited June 15, 2010 by IBtacoDave

[Angry_Gumball]

The previous owner of our Funhouse has like 25 million on it. None of us in my house have been able to top those off though. The absolute highest I've seen a Funhouse score was up at 95 million when we went to SCBB last summer.

 

Those of you who have played Taxi, what's your high score on that? Anything higher than close to 7 million? (No one's been able to top my score in the house regardless how hard they try )

[brilinjo]

^^ I know this is the pinball thread, but you know waaay too much about pinball

[Cameron]

That Cirqus whitewood is actually mine

[IBtacoDave]

^That's really cool! Transporting a pinball machine is neither easy nor fun, thanks for bringing it to the Expo to share.

Photo TR: CP Pinball in S. Roxana, IL

 

Whenever I visit a new city or one that I haven't been to in a while, I like to do a quick web search to see if there are any pinball arcades in the area. Usually I don't come up with much, however,while planning a recent trip to St. Louis I hit the veritable jackpot (or the double jackpot with bonus multiplier if you will). CP Pinball is only open 4 days out of the month, so I had to cancel some reservations and re-plan my trip. It was well worth it. Check out CP Pinball's website for more information about the collection and it's owner.

Here we are just a few miles from where the Missouri river meets the mighty Mississippi. What could possibly draw our attention away from such a historic confluence?

Pinball!

This is a comprehensive collection of 1990-present Williams/Bally and Stern games. I would list them all but it's easier to list the ones I didn't see. It's also BYOB and most of the machines have cup holders.

There were only a few Williams/Bally DMD games absent. Most notably Cactus Canyon, Champion Pub, Scared Stiff, Cirque Voltaire, and Safe Cracker. I only say this to illustrate the size of the collection, as virtually every other top 100 game was here to play.

I was especially excited to see this Tales of the Arabian Nights. It was among the handful of games not listed on the website. Needless to say, it was a welcome surprise.

This game seamlessly combines gameplay with story, a fantastic execution of theme. Check out the plastic scimitars that cover the flippers. I like everything about this game.

We fired up Tommy in pinball wizard mode. This is among only two Data East games I saw on my visit, the other was Tales from the Crypt. Even if there were more here, I probably wouldn't have played them. In my opinion they just aren't as fun as the classic Williams/Bally and Stern games.

It was hard to think about just one game at a time. It was around the time I took this picture that I contemplated moving closer to St. Louis.

Until then, it's still worth the five hour drive.

There are dozens of great machines in 2 buildings, we'll check out the other building in a moment (after a few games of Funhouse).

In this building we find what else? More pinball machines!

No bush here, the Stern Playboy was the PG version. Also pictured, No Good Gophers. I don't think the 360/PS3 version of this game does it justice.

Here's Hurricane, the last in the Williams series of amusement park themed games.

It has some great artwork.

And the same playfield details as Cyclone and Comet.

My personal favorite in the category of "Fun pinball machine with forgettable and or awful 90's movie theme".

Of all the games that do the "loop underneath the flippers" (including Hurricane & Rollercoaster Tycoon) Flintstones seems to do it best. It also has a working mini bowling alley. I found it to be an underrated game that was a blast to play.

King Conga does not appreciate being called forgettable and awful.

Meanwhile, Starship Troopers and Demolition Man agree. Its good enough just to be a fun game.

I got plenty of games out of this Dr. Who.

I also got plenty of Medieval Madness games in, I was quite excited to play this one for the first time. For those that don't know, this is generally considered the most valuable full-production pinball game. Owning one of these will set you back the same price as a new Hyundai.

Why is that? The humor really works, the theme is universally accepted, the ruleset is deep yet intuitive, the artwork is fantastic. Should I go on?

The staff at CP Pinball was fantastic. They were all really friendly and quick to fix any machine that had a problem. The only machine that wasn't working on my visit was NBA Fastbreak. This is understandable, because every one I've tried to play has been broken.

As a fan of poker I was anxious to play World Poker Tour which is considered a lousy game by collectors. I have to agree, this game is just bad all around.

Swords of Fury was the lone Williams series 11B in the collection at the time of my visit (there was an Earthshaker parked outside). Although its not the first late 80's Williams that comes to mind, I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

Judging by the wear on the cabinet near the flippers, this was one of the most popular games at CP Pinball. It was occupied most of the night.

It really is a great game though. It deserves all the praise.

Dolly was making an appearance as well.

All of these games are clean and well maintained. Most are collectors quality. Tee'd Off was one of only two Gottlieb games (the other was Strikes and Spares). Much like my indifference toward Data East, this didn't bother me at all.

There were also a few MAME cabinets if you're into that sort of thing.

We had a fantastic time here, thanks to everyone at CP Pinball.

I hope to be back very soon!

The next morning we got a tip that Napier was cleaning out Axis Chemicals. A bonus pinball credit at Six Flags St. Louis.

Once we made our mark we left for the real reason we came to Eureka, MO.

Super Smokers BBQ!!! The best BBQ I've ever had.

This is the menu, they also have plenty of trophies from BBQ competitions.

It's a great place to eat next time you find yourself in the "land of the million mile queues".

 

Thats all for this update, don't forget to check out CP Pinball's website for more information. Thanks for reading!

[no_brain_er]

I don't know much about pinball, nor am I really good at it, but I love playing! The only place I can really play is at my uncle's house, he always has four or five machines in his basement, and he constantly sells them and buys new ones (or new to him, at least). Last time I went over to his place, he had Pirates of the Carribean, Monopoly, Lord of the Rings, Elvis, and... the name of the fifth one escapes me.

 

I still think the best machine he ever owned, and the one he shouldn't have gotten rid of, was his Twilight Zone. I loved that one! He also had, at one point, a machine called Diner, which was pretty fun to play as well.

[thrillerman1]

Just when I don't renew my subscription to Game Room magazine, Castles n' Coasters in Phoenix gets the cover story:

 

http://www.gameroommag.com/index.php

 

Does their arcade feature pinball?

[IBtacoDave]

I know I saw a pinball arcade in one of the C&C trip reports.

 

 

I guess you could say they have a few .

 

The full TR by JimmyBo is here.

[thrillerman1]

Now that's what I call an arcade!

[thrillerman1]

I've just finished watching the documentary, "Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball". I bought it off Amazon.com. I thought it was really good and enjoyed watching it a lot. Has anyone else seen it? You can watch the trailer here:

http://www.tilt-movie.com/trailer.php

 

Oh and by the way, it was a nice surprise to see you in it Cameron!

[nowaymang]

I figure I'll just leave this link here of the sickest save I've ever seen live and in person.

 

Footage is from the World Championship A-Division Finals at PAPA 13.

http://www.funwithbonus.com/2010/08/18/papa-13-bowen-kerins-how-did-you-make-that-save/

[thrillerman1]

That really was an amazing save. I've never seen anything like that - much less in person. Thanks for sharing!

[thrillerman1]

Is anyone at the Chicago Pinball Expo? I would love to see a photo TR from it!

[Kyle Coleman]

Just spent an enjoyable 45 minutes or so reading through this thread and felt the need to contribute the pinball hall of fame here in vegas. 100's of machines all in pristine working order. They have twilight zone, attack from mars, and many rare and old games(including one with a weird vertical playfield where you have to shoot the ball up a series of ramps to the top of the machine). They claim it is one of only two in existence. So if you are a fan of pinball machines and here in vegas do yourself a favor and check it out. You won't be sorry.

[thrillerman1]

Is anyone planning on attending any of the Stern Tron pinball release parties?

[Angry_Gumball]

Today I finally checked out the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda, CA. Any bay area members who are into pinball need to check this gem out now! They've got like 90 or so machines spread out in 5 or so rooms. The main room has some of the oldest pinball machines including some antique flipperless machines on display only. The rest are all primarily Gottliebs. Further in the back there's a room with some newer pins, a decent collection. As stated, this place is known as the Pacific Pinball Museum, also known as Lucky JuJu. $15 for all you can play, they've even got some penny arcade games and shooting gallery games. I'm definitely visiting that place again. We found ourselves addicted to this real simple game called "Spinner" put out by Bally. No electronic scoring, just matching up balls in color coded slots and adding up the scores in our head. In the end, it made me realize how simple yet amusing these classic games are and how much more we demand of games today.

 

Any Bay Area TPR members interested in checking this out, it's in Alameda on Webster St. As I said, this is a must if you're in the area and you have a few hours to spend.

 

Onto the photos of this Bay Area gem.

Yay, we made it to the Pacific Pinball Museum. It doesn't look like much on the outside but...

when you get in, you're greeted by several machines lined up in the main room. These are primarily old-school Gottliebs.

Noted...

Wait a sec...what?

Yup, no farting! Seriously, it wouldn't be a good idea to do so in here due to the warmth and stuffiness from some of the rooms.

One of the smaller rooms in the back full of even more EM pins, slightly more modern...some had digital displays.

Visible Pinball, as they dubbed it. It's a Gottlieb Surf Champ with a custom built cabinet. Awesome stuff, fun game!

The see-through playfield, the ball can be hard to spot sometimes.

The family including myself taking in some old-school greatness

Central Park, another Gottlieb classic that was featured on the Gottlieb Hall of Fame video game. It is just as unforgiving in real life as it is in the game!

Some of the newer stuff they had, a Red & Ted's Roadshow. Note the 2 heads, similar to Rudy from Funhouse.

And look who got himself on the scoreboard! This was probably the only pin I lasted the longest at.

Some antique greatness, very unforgiving games!

Some artwork on the walls, creates a great atmosphere. There's all sorts of oddities throughout the facility.

The one pinball game that features a Whirlwind spinner and "Zipper Flippers" where the 2 flippers move in closer and farther. Fun game!

I'll end it with some of the penny arcade-like games. We're all playing a Bally Spinner game. Simplicity at its finest!

My dad also got some photos so from here, these are his photos.

Old school crane game....literally a crane!

Shooting gallery, my aim sucked!

Looking from the back of the main room up towards the front

Juke Box greatness, complete with classic songs!

Ditch the iPod and iTunes...here's your playlist some oldies but goodies!

More spinner chaos

Some old stuff here...not the lack of any flippers and being purely a game of luck.

The lone solid state Gottlieb they had. Hopefully they'll get a Black Hole...I'd really like to try one out!

Some of the rest of the newer pins...there are tons more in this room, didn't get photos of the entire room. I see a familiar pin! I like how they illuminated the plunger grips on it Thanks for looking at this TR!

[thrillerman1]

WOW...this place looks stunning. I'd love to visit it. Thanks for sharing your photos!

[thrillerman1]

Interesting news coming out of Stern Pinball yesterday. Apparently, George Gomez of Midway/Williams fame has joined the company as vice pres of game development:

 

http://www.sternpinball.com/Community/Blogs/news/gomez-joins-stern.aspx

 

This could get interesting for the pinball community.

[thrillerman1]

Anyone play the new Stern Tron pin? My thoughts...extremely fast, challenging, and one of the better Stern games.