72 FB has been on my list for sometime. But I recently played a Classic and honestly, can't remember the "big" differences. Aside from the em score reel/digital display and a real cabinet vs. pos chipboard, what justifies the huge price difference?
Quoted from Gryszzz:72 FB has been on my list for sometime. But I recently played a Classic and honestly, can't remember the "big" differences. Aside from the em score reel/digital display and a real cabinet vs. pos chipboard, what justifies the huge price difference?
The HUGE difference is no zipper flippers on the classic/home one. One of the coolest features of a "real" Fireball.
Quoted from Gryszzz:Doh. Yes. The zipper flippers. But for a mediocre player is that really a downside? Tiny ass flippers make for a much harder game. That isn't a bad thing really, but I'll take all the handicap I can get.
The classic blows, IMO. Taking out the zipper flippers really takes too much away from the game balance.
Quoted from Gryszzz:Doh. Yes. The zipper flippers. But for a mediocre player is that really a downside? Tiny ass flippers make for a much harder game. That isn't a bad thing really, but I'll take all the handicap I can get.
Since the zipper flippers close half of the time, preventing center drains, I wouldn't say it's a harder game. It's a much different game without a reason to try and roll over the buttons to close the zipper flippers. The EM version is on Pinball Arcade.
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:I had a classic that I threw lightning flippers on.
Had a lot of fun for the price.
Lightning flippers are still not as small as the real ones for Fireball and they don't zip together. I'm sure you had fun, but it wasn't THE Fireball experience.
The playfield just isn't set up right for those larger flippers.
That and the artwork on the original Fireball is far superior. Oh yeah, and bells instead of beeps.
Quoted from Gryszzz:Doh. Yes. The zipper flippers. But for a mediocre player is that really a downside?
Yes. With the '72 version you have one goal in mind: closing these zipper flippers! Until then, good player or not, stress is high. Then comes the (often false) sensation of safety once you manage to close them. And the easiest way to start a multiball requires opening the zippers...
Also note that, once closed, the zipper flippers offer you a few interesting new shot angles.
Priceless!
Quoted from bangerjay:You’re on the sauce!
Quoted from jlm33:Yes. With the '72 version you have one goal in mind: closing these zipper flippers! Until then, good player or not, stress is high. Then comes the (often false) sensation of safety once you manage to close them. And the easiest way to start a multiball requires opening the zippers...
Also note that, once closed, the zipper flippers offer you a few interesting new shot angles.
Priceless!
I wonder why this awesome feature from the past hasn't been brought back from the dead on a new machine? The last game with it was over 30 years ago. Even if it wasn't the main flippers, it could be used for an upper area like Medusa...
While the original Fireball certainly has more charm and deserves its fame, I think the 1985 version is a better player. The scoring rules are much more fun and interesting, AMAZING digital sounds throughout, and frankly the regular 3 inch flippers make for a more enjoyable game across 3 balls. The game is just more playable and more fun and keeps all of the best elements of the original - the art, the skill shot, the multiball, the amazing spinner disc and kickback. And, it adds a great bonus element to the game, which really gives the player a reason to whack at the captive ball.
It does lack the zipper flippers but I consider those more of a novelty than a play asset.
Quoted from vid1900:Classic gets more play around here, faster and meaner.
You need all 4 of them to be bigly.
Maybe 3, but not the 4th. Absolutely not.
Quoted from Gryszzz:Fell in love with this one at LAX.
I've had similar experiences at the airport, to tell you the truth.
I'll chime in on this as I was there at Bally when the Fireball Classic was brought out. First of all, there are 2 big problems with the zipper flippers, they are expensive and take up a lot of room under the playfield.
For a long time in the late 70s owning a Fireball or 4 million BC was a big deal for early collectors. The European market hated multi ball and small flippers. Since Bally shipped a lot of games overseas anything Europe hated was a veto for new games. We would frequently ask to do a reissue of those games as solid state but management was always turning it down.
Finally we got the go-ahead for Fireball II with the stupid doodle-bug mech! As expected, the game was a dog with poor sales. We went back and begged again for a real reissue of Fireball which we finally got. In the negotiations we had to give up the expensive zipper flippers. Sales were down and the factory had just voted to unionize. Bally management was doing everything on the cheap and would soon shut down and move pinball production to a new non-union factory.
As for Europe, when Williams started shipping new multi level multi-ball games it was amazing how quickly they stopped hating them.
Wow. Thanks Al!! Always cool to hear the story from someone that was actually there. I'd love to own a 72, but they're literally triple the cost of a Classic. Maybe one day when I get that f.u. money.
Tell us another story Al!!
Were you there in 95 when they put out my favorite machine of all time: Indianapolis 500?
Quoted from Gryszzz:I'd love to own a 72, but they're literally triple the cost of a Classic.
I've had three of them now, a beater, a German model, and one of the nicest originals out there. Game I played on location when it was brand spanking new. Most amazing pinball game I had ever seen. Just looking at it was intimidating for a 10 year old kid.
I was tempted, but had to pass on a real collector quality one that popped up in the pinside market for $2200 a couple months ago that was about an hour from here.
Last I saw it was a pending sale, but now I can't find that ad at all.
Had a nice Fireball Classic too and that lasted here about two weeks.
Quoted from Gryszzz:Where you there in 95 when they put out my favorite machine of all time: Indianapolis 500?
Down stairs at in the Cal State Fullerton rec room, playing it. They got bowling lanes and everything,,,,
Quoted from o-din:Just looking at it was intimidating for a 10 year old kid.
Oh, who am I kidding. It was the most awesome thing I had ever seen. I walk into the bowling alley, and there on the left, it is.
Quoted from Gryszzz:I wanna hear another story from a Bally employee.
Search for posts by MrBally he has a few.
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