New City, NY
Silly OP. Maybe the most silly post in Pinside history.
No line this morning. Posting this while taking a dump on a clean toilet in a mostly empty bathroom.
(Topic ID: 242189)
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider thefamilyarcade.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Quoted from sulli10:LOL. Well that's what I call "On the scenes reporting". Maybe a bit TMI but to the point.
I am stuck working on the west coast. I would love to be dealing with this terrible show.
Lol, yes, the show was terrible! Sorry about the TMI, but I had been hearing Jaws music in my head as I entered the bathroom- and if you’d seen the bathrooms at the York show few years ago you’d know why - but it wasn’t a horror show and I was relieved (lol) for that!
Show was AWESOME! I attend every year with a friend and always meet up with or bump into friends there. All the major vendors attend, all the new machines are set up to play, and the free play area is full of good stuff. Yes, a lot of the pin prices are laughably high. Sorry Ed, but $1,800 for a Dolly? 
Farmers market, as usual, is great for lunch. Stayed sober this year and was exhausted after about 6 hours of steady pinball. I’ll certainly have to train if I ever dare try the 24 hours of pinball at the Sanctum.
Thanks for a great show everyone! Sorry you missed it OP.
Quoted from Whysnow:sorry you misunderstood what I was saying...
'A pinhead show' meaning that the vast majority of people were collectors and those that appreciate the finer aspects of game quality, restorations, rare stuff, etc... It is fun to go to hobbyist shows like that where you can nerd out and learn and genuinely connect with other like minded people.
'A general public show' is what many of these are becoming. Basically a pop up arcade where it is mass promoted to the general publoc and the vast majority in attendance are their for entertainment and not to nerd out as a hobbyist.
Both are fine and dandy. Just pointing out how any show going through growing pains and changes could be alarming for those that go expecting the first and arrive to the second.
Keep in mind that as a person bringing a game and supporting a show, the audience can greatly impact your decision to bring a game.
Also keep in mind that when people bringing games are only compensated with a minimal amount but those same games are the major drawn bringing in big ticket sales for an event... it starts to change the dynamic for some.
Quoted from Nazz26:Hey all I’ve been lurker on Pinside for the past couple of months and this is my first post. My story real quick. Took my family (wife & daughter to Rock Fantasy in Middletown NY it has about 40 or so pinball machines.) My daughter is 16 years old and had never played pinball before and she instantly took a liking to it. We went back a few times to really get a feel for a game that I would buy NIB. After 4 visits to Rock Fantasy. We decided on Gotg. We purchased in late mid March and already has 700 plays on it. From there I became a major lurking on Pinside and began watching many You Tube pinball videos. I found out about The Allentown Pinfest from this forum and I my wife and daughter went not knowing what to expect. We met so many friendly people, we played many great pinball machines including BKsor. We had a great time and while we were there we already started talking about next year. Thank you to all the vendors and people who made Allentown Pinfest happen. This morning I woke and decided to purchase my 2nd NIB machine BKsor and already began ordering mods from Mezelmods and Tilt graphics. My family and I are hooked especially my daughter and The Allentown Pinfest had a say in purchasing BKsor. Like many are saying this hobby is growing and my family and I are becoming part of it.
[quoted image]
Awesome man! That’s what it’s all about! So happy to hear that you’re whole family is digging this fun hobby.
Rock Fantasy is great. I’m about a 50 minute drive away and try and get there every few months. Playing SW pro there last year helped me decide to buy that. I looked for Guardians to play at Allentown and was bummed there wasn’t one to play. I dig that game and wouldn’t mind owning it someday. Because of the “Rocket kicker”, which is so similar to the War Machine kicker in Iron Man (another game I own), I decided to wait on Guardians.
But hey, if you ever get tired of Gotg and want to trade for SW let me know! We’re practically neighbors. My good buddy in Monroe also has a killer collection. Maybe we can get you and your family over sometime when he has a pin gathering.
Quoted from Honch:I haven't been to the Allentown show in several years. I think it's great that it has become a such a huge event,. I always had a good time at that show. But If I were to bring a game ever again, and the turnout is as big as it sounds, Id probably want a little more than free admission.
You do get more than free admission, as has been repeated in this and other threads and extolled for years. The main value is you get to attend on Thursday, which is otherwise closed to the public. I’ve heard for years that the best deals and trading occurs Thursday, before anyone else even gets a sniff of the show. In essence, the public gets the leftovers. That’s about as good as it gets in this hobby.
Quoted from andrewket:I went on Friday. It was my first pinball show. I drove 3 hours and arrived around 5pm. I was able to play one game each of Wonka, black knight, and Iron Maiden. I walked around the free play area, and met a few vendors that I’ve purchased from in the past but had never met. I didn’t buy anything.
Not knowing what to expect, I would say I was mildly disappointed. The lines to play the new titles were longer than I expected. I thought stern/distributors would bring more of the new titles, having pre-sold them or selling them at a discount at the show. I’m not sure it was worth the 6+ hours of driving and the hotel stay. If I go again I’ll do it as a day trip and save some $. One of the vendors actually recommended that I not come back Saturday if I thought the lines were too long Friday evening. I took the advice and was back on the road Saturday by 7:30a.
I unfortunately discovered the farmers market too late, they were closing as I walked in. It sure looks like a great place for lunch or dinner.
That was a mistake. Saturday was a breeze - opening at 9am - and wasn’t even busy until after lunch. Part of that, I imagine, was the uproar over Friday. Some people obviously begged off, and made Saturday a great show day.
Honestly, I don’t know what people expect. A packed house, full of games, fans, friends, vendors...Jersey Jack in the flesh. For two straight 9 hour days. In a hobby we love. I know what I’m getting at Allentown. And as it’s gotten much bigger in the last 5 years, it’s gotten much better too. More vendors, many more new games to play. What’s not to like?
YMMV I guess.
Unlike pro sports, which are often better watched at home on the new TVs, watching pinball streams sucks. Ya gotta show up and play, and these shows provide that at scale.
Quite rundown
Quoted from Fourbyracer:My wife and I have traveled from California for this show for the last 4 years. We arrived at 1pm on Friday and there was a long line, but we went over to the farmers market, ate pizza, and the line was gone by 1:45. It was a little crowded inside, but I think it's great to have new people, or any people, coming to enjoy our beloved hobby of Pinball! From an outsiders point of view, this show has not changed significantly in the last 4 years. Only thing I would say is come the first day as many games are sold and/or packed up early, so much less available to play on the 2nd day.
Very impressed by your Cali trip. I miss the PPE when it was held in Marin. That was a great show.
I played one game of Oktoberfest. There is a lot to like. The art package isn’t one of them! The playfield art is a miss, but I wouldn’t not buy the game because of it. The animations on the LCD leave a lot to be desired too. I know what they’re going for. Carnival, old school hokey. And some aspects are charming, but it does see, a little low budget. Again, not a deal breaker.
It’s Woz like in terms of the playfield and ligtshow. Lots going on. Not surprising since Balcer did both. The curly cue habitrail is the coolest habitrail ever. It’s as god as a good year. It’s bitchin’.
The game has a lot to do and my game kinda sucked. Although Balcer was standing right there, coaching me. He’s very proud of the game, and I think he should be.
I wanted to start a petition to bring back the monkey, but that probably wouldn’t end well. I think Oktoberfest will go down as a well liked and very good game. Whether it’s successful remains to be seen.
While Oktoberfest is reminiscent of WOZ, it’s so much different than Wonka. Which I also played once (the standard). I shredded Wonka pretty good, and there’s alot to like there too. But one game in a crowded, noisy pinfest Hall is not going to tell you anything valid.
It seems like a simple game and layout, but there’s a lot going on. I think I like it but I’m not sure. There are two flippers in the upper right corner of the game - opposite each other, but not mirrored - that have a lot of shots to shoot in a small area. This might be cool. I’m not sure yet. The gobstopper toy is cool. Not groundbreaking, but neat.
Dialed In has way more going on, but that may not mean it’s more fun. Wonka has potential. It’s certainly a good game, but Kaneda did oversell it in my opinion. And I’m confident he’ll back out of his CE because....well....Kaneda. Don’t read anything into it. No pinball is worth $12,500. That’s such a fucking joke. And $15k for Batman is worse IMO.
But at $7,500, it’s going to sell. And hopefully please.
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider thefamilyarcade.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
