Good idea....

Or some cheap ass stick on name tags placed on a table at the front entrance with a sign, "for pinsider use."

Next time...

@john...

that's a real nice game, i don't blame you for deciding to hang onto it...

if you do decide to sell it at a non-crazy price in the future though, you may have a buyer...

I swear we had the same discussion before York!
I say someone makes nice tshirts with our names across the back like sports jerseys.

Neat idea I think. Granted not much chance of those shirts getting worn anywhere else.

good idea. i was there for the better part of 6 hours saturday, but have no way of putting names to faces... i was gonna say i was the bald guy with the greying goatee, but i wasn't the only one there who fit that description...

"I also brought the Maresa Flush mentioned in the posts above."

Thanks John! It was a pleasure for me to play such a fine machine.

I was the long haired guy with glasses and backwards cap wearing a Voivod shirt...

See? That doesn't help either! Haha

lol... yea, that probably wouldn't have helped much...

next time... hopefully we'll get a chance to meet up before then anyway...

EA....not sure what games you brought....but there seemed to be quite a bit of BEATERS at the show. There were games that wouldnt even start up...dead left or right flippers...and games that were so dirty I just walked away bc they played so slow and bland. Granted I didn't bring a game to the show (might next year) but if a game plays like garbage....and it's your time play said particular title....you get a bad impression of the game/theme.

That being said.....and I say this with all sincerity.....I would gladly help you (or any vendor) maintain these machines at the best of my ability at one of these shows during the day of the show. I would never look for anything in return but a solid hand shake. I'd pull flipper rubbers off a flipper and clean them....I wouldn't care how mundane the task (I actually do this at home....so to me it wouldn't be mundane). I dont say this to come off like a cool guy or overly nice....I just have much respect for the OPS on this forum who can fix up these torn and worn machines, bring them to shows allowing them to be played for free, and not complain about them being beat to crap after hundreds of plays. I hope no one disrespected your machines bc you always seem to sell quality pins that you breathe some new life into for other pinheads to enjoy...id hate to see that.

It's not all about playing the pins....there's much more to experience at these shows that some people don't seem to realize. I am no pinball tech with board skills....but I'm also not a noob to the hobby. I understand that people are looking for project machines on the cheap....but I don't want to play those. I actually turned off a couple games that weren't working properly.

Anyway....this is getting long winded. Thanks for bringing all those pins to play...don't be afraid to bring the same amount next year....it was awesome you did that!!!

And it looked really great too. One of my favorite parts of the restore honestly.

I joked with my wife that it was like the old song "Some Enchanting Evening" ("You may see a stranger across a crowded room...") That HS really caught my eye.

l must have been lucky because pretty much all the pins l picked out to play, played really well. There were some real gems to be played (lM and STTNG come to mind)
lt is extremely tiring to load, drive, unload, setup, tweak, and then all in reverse. l witnessed several people talking about and enjoying the pins l brought, and that's always a good feeling.
I honestly get some what overwhelmed at times, with so much to do or see, and then before you know it, the show is over. Good times though!
p.s Todd Tuckey is hilarious, he was telling me stories that had me laughing hysterically (and battery holders for a buck!)

What the heck i'll chime in. My 13 year old son and I made the 9 hour drive from KY to Allentown for our first pin show. I picked him up from school and we loaded DH and headed out. We got to Allentown at about 330 AM Saturday, in bed by 4.

With every intention to wake up early and set up DH before the doors opened, it didnt happen. We woke up at 9 or 10, I cant even remember. Knowing we wanted to take the opportunity to play as much as possible we contemplated taking DH in for freeplay at all. The plan was to sell DH and find something new. Not knowing if it would sell I decided to take it in, basically to have the experience of setting it up with Jake for no other reason than to let others enjoy it. With his budding interest in the hobby I felt this aspect was as important as any other. Well, that didnt happen it sold as we walked it in the door before we could even register it! I sold it for a fair price to a nice guy from Canada. I actually overheard his enthusiasm later in the day as he told a few friends about his "new" DH. We resisted looking in hindsight and thinking we sold too cheap, as it clearly went to an enthusiastic player who was happy to have found a DH.

Karma was on our side as it gave us an entire day to play 30 or 40 titles and get Jake tons of exposure to some games he would have never had a chance to play (MM, AFM, CCC, WOZ, BIBLE, AVLE Blue etc). Out of every game we played in our price range, Jake LOVED Stargate. He would play it, play a few other titles then put another game on Stargate, repeat. Neither of us had seen the movie, Jake was sold on the gameplay and I knew the game was worth the asking price based on condition alone.

Stargate was out of our available budget (our DH money) to the point that I did not want to insult the owner with an offer. Jake wasnt having that. As we planned out the end of our day and what games we would play before we left he would run back and see if the price was lowered. One time he came running back "dad he lowered it $200!". I explained to him the dynamic of when a price gets lowered it gets firmer. Again he checked, "Dad it says obo now!" I didnt want to bust his bubble but I just didnt feel we would be able to score the SG, so I told him I had a lead on another one. He wasnt having it. We waited until later in the show to make the offer. I wanted to give ScottC every chance to field any offers he might get before unintentionally lowballing him. After a text and a phone call we came to a price that was doable (after I ran to my car to get every dollar I had!).

It seems as though the PinKarma we earned with our DH sale was redeemed with a more than fair deal on Stargate. After a 9 hour drive home today it was decided I would pick Jake up from school tomorrow so he could set up "his" Stargate. This my friends is what the hobby is all about for me. Thanks to Ivan, ScottC, Marco, JJP, Skit-B, cny and Eric with CCC, and a cast of many others that made this a 3 day, 1200 mile trip that we will both remember for years to come.

Jason

Great story, I am sure you will love your Stargate. Got mine for a year now, and this is still the pin I play the most in my lineup... I just changed settings to Hard / Tournament play with no extra ball in preparation of a small tournament at Home.

Wish I could meet the Skit-B guys someday !

@MrPostman - Thanks for sharing. I played that Stargate and loved it. I think you got a great game....and VERY happy to hear of a 13 year old with enthusiasm and passion for the hobby!

All your driving and efforts paid off.

Coming back to Allentown next year? (Or York in October?)

Yeah very cool!
Seeing and playing the BIB a few times was one of my highlights.
Cool guys with cool products.

I brought my party zone to the show, I was across from Micky treat. I brought my game for free play because I wanted to support ivan and the show,it was not for sale and the right ramp is now cracked, I don't mind. When you bring a game to the show you get the benefit of being in the show early, you meet lots of other collectors just doing it for the love of collecting, you get free admission. If only sellers brought games to the show it wouldn't be much of a show.
To all that are reading these replies please don't let it discourage you from bringing a game or supporting the show if your thinking about it. Can't wait for next year and I will bring a game again.

Thanks for the great feedback and the positive perspective. I just might bring one next year. For me pinball is a hobby - not a business - I could care less about the $$ aspect.

Who is the gentleman who ALWAYS brings multiple CLASSIC 1950s/60s era EM games in great working order to the shows? His are rarely for sale but he is always there and clearly loves to share his games and their history. I LOVE his games and passion for the hobby.

Thanks Jess! I love bringing games to the show. LW3 never had a single issue and played like a champ all weekend. That was the one next to Stargate. Stargate was a workhorse all weekend. I couldn't beleive I saw people waiting in line to play it!

Nice meeting you Lorenzo. That BIB LE is beautiful and the headphone kits are awesome as well.

Great story. My son is also 13 and I've been trying to get him into pinball, but it hasn't worked that well. I actually bought a Doctor Who for him to play a few months back since he loves the show and after a few days of him playing he lost interest. Now I find myself playing it a good bit as I really enjoy the game. I'm curious did your topper move? My son might be more interested again if I get that Dalek head to move. Enjoy the Stargate game and thanks for sharing your story.

1. The road trip. Just getting out of the house for a few days, enjoying the drive down with Drano and Tom, and meeting up with some good friends down there as well. Good music, and I wish I enjoyed the scenery on the way down, but it was kinda dark. I think there were mountains...
2. The pins. Yes, some were having issues, but having been responsible for a pin at another show and the amount of hustle it required just to keep that one up for a couple of days, I understand it completely. I really enjoyed just getting to play at this show.
3. The shopping. Oh, the shopping. I was thinking of bringing back two pins, but I only wound up getting the one...mostly because of the shopping. I didn't have enough money left to get the nice Big Guns I was eyeing...or drooling over.
4. The people. While I mostly met up with people I knew, it was great to see them again. Pinballers in Canada, while a great group of people, are also generally separated by our immense geography. To have so many of them in one place is highly unusual.
5. Jokerz. I had pre-arranged to have this brought to Allentown, and while I'm generally nervous sending money ahead of time, my seller came well-recommended and the pin is in my garage awaiting work. In fact, the new translite for it was waiting for me when I got home, too!
6. Flintstones. Having met one of these Cdn pinballers whom I never had before, I happened to mention that I was looking for one in the show. She happened to mention that she had one for sale. Karma. Sold. Can't wait to get it, it's the last pin on my list (for now), especially since I showed my kids the entire series. Seriously excited about it!
7. Cointakers. I had mentioned the possibility of picking something up to Melissa in an email, and I walked up, just mentioned the machine, and she had everything packed and ready to go, and remembered my name! Awesome service.
8. The pyrohy in the market. Some of the best I've ever had, and that's saying something, since I'm Ukrainian.
9. Pacificopa. Not even in Allentown, but recommended by our hotel. The Scallop and Shrimp dish took these ingredients to a new level.
10. The show in general - a great experience. I'm glad I was able to meet and thank Ivan, even though he didn't have time for more than a few brief words.

You can get dibs on my SG when I get done with the restoration

Scottc's SG playfield was gorgeous, but I felt the coils were weaker or maybe just not dialed in vs my flippers prior to tear down. STILL - pretty darn good SG. Glad to see it is popular Look forward to putting it on the market asap.

the "CCC" Catus canyon... belongs to James "CNYpin guy"...

You should be thanking him, it was his game.....

And he brought it from rome NY...

Sorry for the misunderstanding. Much thanks to James, CNYpin guy. Such a beautiful pin. Glad you took the time & effort to bring it to the show. Was on my list of must play pins.

I was proud to have one of the few teenagers there. I have to say I was just short of amazed that his iPhone didnt get used the entire day!

How does York compare to Allentown?

To all that are reading these replies please don't let it discourage you from bringing a game or supporting the show if your thinking about it. Can't wait for next year and I will bring a game again.

After the experience we had, I will always try to bring a game for freeplay. THere are a couple of ways to look at it. If a buyer has a game for sale and it does not play perfectly, I don't see a problem with that. The item is for sale as-is, where is. A dead flipper is not going to kill the deal at a pinball show IMO, especially if the buyer has experience with the gameplay. Its the seller who is limiting the potential market for the pin and thats the sellers prerogative.

If a game is brought for freeplay and is NOT for sale, the flippers should be able to make the ramps at a minimum I agree with that.

Jason

York...long way away!
My own opinion...York very different crowd as far as machines and people. Allentown was much bigger. York was smaller and had a different batch of machines. If I recall, there were three or four gorgars, and a few more A-listers, but the lines were a little longer. The flea market seemed bigger with more "stuff" to peruse. Allentown seemed to have more complete machines for sale in the market.

Agree that the games there may not all be in perfect order. For sale games definitely as-is. Not for sale games brought for free play should at least be able to play though!

True, but York is still a ton of fun and a good show...

And I'm happy they still put it on for us

One of the best parts of the show for me were the surprises. By this I mean playing a pin you prejudged as unappealing and finding it to be a blast. Several times I walked up to a pin just because it was open and found some gems. Roller Games has that backglass that makes me want to hate it, but I found myself just loving it. Another was Kings of Steel. I walked up to it thinking it was anther card themed pin, but the darn thing won me over. After I finished a game on these two pins I looked behind me and was glad to see nobody there. I then played another game.

Exactly. There were several games that I liked more than expected--not quite enough to buy them, but enough to see why others would.

+1 on Rollergames, I had definitely judged a book by its cover with that one. It was fun. My biggest surprises were Fire! and Radical I had a blast on those 2.

Jason

I think there were more 'flea market' vendors Saturday, and definitely more customers too!

Heh - I brought my 13 year old daughter too. Can't think of a better reason to miss school on a Friday. You might have seen her - long red hair.

I have Doctor Who as well. The toppers only moved on the first 100, after that it was deemed "too expensive" and the electronics were left out of them, although the software is still installed. You can get kits to make them move, they are about $300. Price doubled when they realized there was an interest

Hi Sharon!

Hope the Fire! made it home safely! Was great meeting you and your daughter. I found the coin box for Fire at home. If you PM me your address (and you want it), I can send it to you.

Chris

speaking of which, it really sucks when you are waiting for a pin, and the guy looks over at you in between ball locks on the third ball, and then just pushes start when it's game over.
I hope he's a pinsider and sees this. The game was Corvette. You don't go for the double dose.

Agreed! I was really hoping to get in a game on the TF there and had two people in front of me. Guy started a 4 player game and played all 4 players himself

But then again, I had a complete stranger offer to partner a two player with me.

I love the chance to play games I've never played and I also love the chance to see how two identical games can play totally differently.

Hi Chris, that would be great Didn't move an inch all the way home. It cleaned up beautifully and boy is that bell loud in a basement! Hoping to get up there and remove it for a good clean and shine too. Was good to meet you too ! And Todd - thanks for the manual labor lol.

I found myself waiting behind that same guy! He sure took his sweet time too. Some people just don't get it...lol

I was texting someone, I told them I was easy to see - spikey hair and a redhead with me. Still doesn't put names to faces though!

It worked for me (well, sort of!) LOL

Chris

So\\\

This dude did the same thing when I was waiting for X-men, what a douchebag, have some concideration.

He wouldnt have been able to get away with that at WOZ, that area was packed both days.