Son is getting me back into pinball- having a blast.

By GranpaDave

March 12, 2019

This story got frontpaged on March 12, 2019

Next April I wll be 60 and have discovered that I have several hobbies I really enjoy. Two years ago I picked up banjo (practice 1 1/2 hours a day- yeah, kind of strange- my OCD is actually useful here) and last year I revisited pinball after my son built me a virtual pinball table. The virtual software and table are amazing and I have been reexposed to many great pinball games (MM, TZ, STTNG, MET, TOTAN) and learned some basic skills. Of course this computerized table led me to explore the real deals- I had forgotten how beautiful and fabulous the real tables are. I learned that playing these real tables required a lot of practice- which was initially very frustrating, but now I am good enough to make the games last longer that a minute (!).

Fortunately I picked a hobby that is making a huge resurgence, thus providing the ubquitous availability of (quality) games, community, and pinball machines (for sale). New pinball companies are slowly evolving and the pinball community is thriving, especially through sites like Pinside. My son and I are both looking for our first new pinball game purchase- he wants to find one that he can work on, and I want to find a newer, but nostalgic game. We try to get together at least twice a month and play in the Columbus (many more choices there!) or Dayton areas.

Several weeks ago we contacted Tilt Amusement (Trent Augenstein), just north of Columbus. We met Trent at a local barcade in Delaware Ohio where they were unboxing a limited edition Primus pinball game. We were two of six people playing the game (not an easy game by the way...). Trent was so friendly as were the rest of the pinball folks, telling us about various games, tournaments, etc. Trent unlocked a couple of games for us and we played for about an hour, making sure he was not watching so we would not embarass ourselves in front of a world class player! After a great time we asked Trent the same question he gets thousands of times, "What game do you recommend?" His answer was spot on, "Play a bunch of games and the get one YOU like. Don't worry about rankings (they can be a guide), as they are all opinions."

Last week we played in our local Dayton barcade, and surprisingly found one we really like- "Iron Maiden". The game play was great for us beginners. Although I was into hard rock in the 70s, I was never a big Iron Maiden fan- too bad or I would get this game immediately. I think Aerosmith or Metallica could work and I need to try those out. I am also a sucker for the 60s sitcoms: Batman 66 and Munsters, as well as WOZ. I really like Guardians of the Galaxy as I enjoyed both movies and my wife loves the music.

Anyway, my birthday is coming up and I get to buy a pinball machine! I hope to add my new game to my currently empty list- ASAP!

Sounds like an awesome situation to be in. Let me know what you get. I am into ( looking to get one of ) WOZ, Ghostbusters, Munsters or Tales from the crypt. I own Southpark now and owned Freefall when I was younger, my parents did anyway, I am now 42. I Liked reading your story.

Great story!It's very cool that you've got a new hobby you and your son can share. You can't go wrong with any of the Chicago Gaming Co remakes. I have MMr and a new MBr. They are a great mix of nostalgia and new technology that will keep down maintenance headaches. Good luck with your choice and welcome back.

What an awesome thing to rediscover. Good luck finding that special first pin. I would have loved to been able to share this hobby with my dad, enjoy!

Last Wednesday we were invited to a pinball party. Our host, another Pinsider, invited about 20 people for brats, beer, and games. We were treated to 15 immaculate pinball games (BM66, LOTR, Iron Maiden, MBr, AFMr, DP, TFTC, CC, Met, AF, and others that I did not have time to play ☹️). What a great venue! Everyone was gracious and each of us quickly found our little niche of happiness, playing, chatting, and snacking/dining. We were able to play and watch others as well as admire the mods and tables you can only see in a HUO environment.

MBr, AFMr, and IM were favorites for me, but honestly, all of the tables were amazing. Most had Pinstadium lights and shaker motors (I had only read about these-initially I thought they were silly- of course now they are a necessity), as well as cool toppers, speaker lights, and extra toys. Going to the arcade won’t be the same now... I decided that there really is no bad choice and had to pick what was best for me.

So, I decided on BM66, mostly because of the theme- spent many an after school day ensuring that BM and Robin escaped from the numerous nefarious traps from the prior day. Fun game with characters and original episodes with which I am very familiar determined my choice.

In the near future I see Munsters, remakes, and possibly some JJP tables. However, I will have my hands full with this new table- should pick it up in a week or two!

Thanks for the comments.

How are you liking BM66?

I now own 20 tables. I enjoy the shopping, maintaining, modding, playing, investigating, socializing, etc., etc.!

Most of my games are the modern Stern titles including recent Elvira HOH and AIQ. However, my favorite is still my first- BM66. My game has over 5k plays, I swapped it for 3 months with an IM (which I ended up purchasing and now is swapped with my son for a WW...!). BM 66 is back, has new flipper rubbers, new balls, and is brutally fast and fun. I can get to Villain escape if I play for an hour or two. I have yet to get to the minor villain wizard modes. Theme integration on this is the best I have seen- I know the show very well- watched every episode as a kid and Stern really built a masterpiece. I am so tempted to buy another one while they are still affordable, but that really does not fit my pinball philosophy- I buy games to play, not collect, although several of my friends would argue that!

This has been a great hobby-hope to enjoy it for another 10+ years.

Cheers!