Allentown Rocked!
I took Friday off to drive up to the show and it was totally worth it. There was a wide selection of pinball machines there on free play and I really enjoyed getting to play some different things. Highlights for me were the pimped out Paragon, the BKSOR, Thunderbirds, the Rocky and Bullwinkle, and the vendor selection. I have only really been into the pinball scene for about a year and this was the best selection I have seen in this time. I really appreciated being able to play some new releases I have not seen including Thunderbirds, BKSOR, and seeing WONKA (didn't want to spend an hour in that line). I also really enjoyed getting to play some things that were new to me, like RollerCoaster Tycoon, Airborne, and Rocky and Bullwinkle.
I understand that to the Pinball Veterans there may not have been anything special there, but to those just taking the plunge it was awesome. There were lots of people there, and I'm okay with that. I have seen dozens of threads on this site about younger people not getting into pinball and that show did not reflect that. This did not look like a model train convention and thats a good thing for the future of the Hobby. I understand that many of the deals may have been done by the time doors opened to the public, but there were people coming from all over to this site. This enabled me to pick up a pin for my friend, and pick up one of my own. I was able to pick up a trashed Pinbot for cheaps, along with a nicer project Pinbot to Frankenstein 1 working machine out of. This was only possible because people from Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey were all coming to one location to see the show. I can understand putting the "I don't want to sell it" price on the machines that are just there for show.
I'd also like to state that the Farmers Market was awesome and totally okay for lunch.
My only big regret was not supporting the show with a machine of my own. I saw alot of the same machines (6 Judge Dredds) but there were notable omissions. Were I to have brought my Hobbit, Jurassic Park, or soon to be fixed Pinbot, I would have had the only one there. I hope in the future there is a way to deconflict what gets brought to the show.
All in all it was a great show and I'm glad that I went.
Here is a walkthrough to get an idea of size.