I just brought my entire collection to Pincinnati. My GOT was a couple weeks old when i took it to LAX.

One awesome Pinsider brought their JJP Pirates to Pincinnati this weekend.

Sure you risk needing to fix something that goes wrong, but that’s a risk at home too.

Just keep an eye on it and you’ll be fine. It’s very rewarding to bring your game to shows imo.

From what I've seen, it's more along the lines of it messing up, but people trying to play it anyway. It can make things worse.

Just take a walk to see your game every hour or so. Make sure everything is working still. If people are playing it, all is well. Lots of times, if your machine experiences an issue, even if you posted contact info, no one tells you about it.

You’re taking a brand new game to a show. If you’ve had it for a while and haven’t had issues, I doubt 500-600 plays across a weekend will do anything to it. I’d be more nervous to bring an older game than a newer one. I was terrified to bring my EMs this past weekend. They held up though.

I haven’t taken any machines to shows as of yet. I’m not against sharing, my issue is I normally can’t make the entire show, or make the beginning and the end. ☹️

I take one or two games a year to both the Allentown show and the York PA show for 3 years now.
The only problem I had was a gate that came lose and fell off on one game. As for the statement of keeping an eye one the game this is what people are talking about. Once my gate fell off it slid down the playfield and got stuck in a return lane. Then the balls also got stuck. People still tried to play it until all balls were stuck. I walk by my games about once an hour to check on them and seen no one playing it. That's how I found out. Took more time to figure out what was going wrong then it took to fix it.

Yep. I have brought a variety of games to shows over the years. However, there's a few games that I probably won't bring because they're either too heavy & unwieldy, or because they are absolutely mint HUO.

Nope. For prep, make sure everything on the game works. Make sure all the rubbers are clean and in good shape (not cracking or fraying), and make sure the balls are new. Make sure the playfield is clean and has a fresh coat of wax.

I would also make sure to install cliffy protectors in problem areas, as well as mylar in high wear areas.

For transport, wrap the game completely in shrink wrap. Then while it's in the car, cover it with a large moving blanket, and protect the sides with large cardboard boxes (I usually get those at home depot, then fold them in half on the seam.).

After the show, wrap it up, bring it home. Then clean it again, wax it, and replace the balls if they're scratched up.

Mainly it's to check for stuck balls and minor malfunctions. I haven't ever heard of a game being stolen. There have been a few minor incidents with people mistreating games over the years by being a bit rough in shaking them or whatnot, but it's incredibly rare that any real actual damage is inflicted.

Out of all the games I've brought to shows, I haven't had any major issues. Every game has survived start to finish.

Be sure to bring a set of tools, soldering/desoldering equipment, and any supplies you think you might need, and you should be able to take care of most issues.

Absolutely, especially at Allentown. It's the largest buying & selling show in the northeast.

There are several booths available where you can buy stuff. Suppliers who are outside of the northeast don't usually attend the show. So if you're specifically looking for comet pinball, they won't be there, but others will.

If you want to get an idea of what a show might be like or to get an idea of what's there, search on youtube for: allentown pinball 2017 or 2018

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=allentown+pinball+2017
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=allentown+pinball+2018

Yes! Lots of buying & selling happens. However, you are under no obligation to sell or trade, so if you don't like deal offered, you don't have to take it. Some people bring games and just put a "stupid high" price on it if they don't necessarily want to part with it at the going market price, but if someone really wants it badly enough at that high price, they might sell.

But, if you really don't want to sell/trade the game, you can put "not for sale" on it too. It's totally up to you. Either way, just make sure to register the game beforehand on the website.

I usually bring games with the intention to sell (I buy projects, & fix them up). Sometimes I end up selling, sometimes not. But I also go to Pintastic in Sturbridge, MA and host my own smaller show in Saratoga Springs, NY.

There is also the White Rose Gameroom Show in York, PA, and the Ohio show in Cuyahoga Falls.

You can see what's coming up here:

https://www.pinballnews.com/site/diary/
http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=2019_Pinball_Show_Schedule

I brought my Joust to the Nashville show recently. Unfortunately I had an issue that I couldn't fix at the show and it was down most of the show, finally got it up and running thanks to Matt from Bowling Green, and another tech who tried for an hour unsuccessfully to help me troubleshoot (turned out it was a leaf switch that needed cleaning and was causing the slingshot to lock on and blow a transistor and diode).

It was up and running Sat evening and it was hit for the time it was working. I didn't mind letting the public enjoy it, without people bring these games no one would have anything to play. If I had help hauling them and loading I would bring more but it is quite a chore to load up even one game.

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Bring your game, don’t be aftraid. They need to be played and are designed to take a beating on location. Most shows I have been to the people are gentle on the games because most are collectors themselves. Just bring 1 game to start and see how it works out for you.
Just my 2 cents
If your lucky Steve Ritchie could play your game.

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This is a topic that hits very close to home for me. I love supporting shows. Most I've ever brought to one show was 17. I've brought about 50 to shows over the last 4 years.

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I never took my games to a show before, but this past weekend was the first event in Cincinnati so I thought I would take a couple games to try it out and support my group. It is a lot of work to do, but am glad I did it. It was cool to watch people play my games and talk to people when I would go to check on them or add credits to my EBD. I didn't walk past my game every hour, but did glance over about every hour to see if they were still on because people generally turn them off if they are broken. I was nervous since both of my games are old, but they both held up well.

Sometimes I feel guilty I have these games at home and they don't get played much and not by anyone except for my friends and I so I think it's cool to get them back out in public like when they were new! As someone previously mentioned if no one brings games there wouldn't be any to play. I kind of think of it as pinball karma to where hopefully I'm bringing a game someone is looking forward to playing and there are people that bring games I want to play. I had been looking forward to playing Grand Prix and Harlem Globetrotters for a while now and they were both at the show this past weekend.

Definitely--I get a kick at seeing folks enjoying the games I bring. It's also fun to see two or more players get on the same game to teach others about playing the game, or get a competitive game going.

The last few years, pinball has gotten an increasing amount of exposure, and people from all different age groups have been joining in on the fun. Some photos of the most recent show I was involved with this past summer, where I brought a whopping 6 games (RFM through DM in the first photo):

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That last picture is Awesome!!! I held my son like that when he started playing on his 2nd birthday. We moved to a chair then a step stool. Now he is just starting to play without anything to stand on. I wish someone took a pic of us like that.

I took 2 pins (pinbot and BoP) to a show 6 years ago and I have been on the board that ran Pin-a-Go-Go and now runs the Golden State Pinball Festival for the last 4. Getting involved with the show is a great way to give back to the community and to meet other pinheads. Clean and wax your machine before you take it so it's well protected and enjoy watching people enjoy it.

I have done it once. Hardest part was watching some people smacking my game around. It was only a few and they did it to a lot of the other games. So, I set the tilt pretty tight to discourage death saves and other big moves. There is never an excuse to rage tilt on a machine that is not yours and that someone was nice enough to bring to a show. But, that being said, there was no damage after the show and it was cool feeling that I was part of the show. Planning on doing it again.

Must have been hungry

You set that too tight and it's just going to make us more angry

Were people actually doing death saves or rage tilting? Or where you just being a bit over protective?

Won't some of the local distributors bring some new games like afmr already. If say don't bring it unless it's going to be the only one there.

Bringing a game to a show is very rewarding. Not only are you contributing towards a better show, but it also makes you feel connected to the show in a very profound way. Sure, it can be a pain in the ass to schlep one or more games back and forth, but there are usually people who can help you unload and load your game(s).

keep an eye on it. is it worth getting in free? not really, but its a nice incentive.
some people abuse, some don't. some people set stuff (drinks, phones, purses, coats) on your game glass, lean stuff against it, etc. things can happen. I've had guys who are setting up games next to mine place pinball legs, coin boxes, tools on my games glass next to theirs.
it happens. Also, lean their games glass against my games cabinet. basically not respectful at all.
id never bring an expensive pin. to much risk.
i don't mind bringing em to use in tournaments as they are watched the entire time.

This is my biggest barrier. I'm a huge believer in the "games are meant to be played" philosophy so I've never had much concern about letting anyone play them in my house. My problem is I have a split level house, so I have basement stairs, kitchen, stairs, then front steps to navigate. It's a pain in the ass two man job and my traverse only holds one game at a time. That coupled with the fact I can rarely devote a full weekend to being "on call" to keep the game going it just isn't realistic. Huge respect for the people that do though - huge pain in the ass and risk on their end to let people have some fun!

Yep. Heck, last weekend at Pincincinatti I saw a guy rage tilt on someone's brand new ACNC.

I run the Pintastic New England show and I can say that it is very rewarding seeing other enjoy your games. Each year I am amazed and very greatful to everyone that brings games to the show. With out game bringers there would be no show.

I set a rule for myself 5 years ago when I started Pintastic. I will always be the one who brings the most games to my show. Last year I brought 21 games. In 2019 it will be more!

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I've been to Allentown the past 2 years. Definitely worth attending!

If you bring an AFMr SE it will be nicer than 99% of the other machines in free-play. This is not to say there aren't nice pins in free-play - really nice, well maintained machines do turn up - but there are also a fair share of beaters looking to get offloaded. Last year I wanted to buy a lower-end DMD and there was so little to pick from I went NIB instead.

I personally wouldn't mind bringing any previously routed machines to a show - another 300 games is not going to hurt them, and if it did, I would have broken it myself anyway.

I brought a game to the local show for the first time this year. Technically it was a friend's game that I had on loan. It got me a free ticket, a discount on colordmd, invite to a party, and some other perks. It also gives you an opportunity to get to know other pinheads better and just fun to share pins. It's a bit of a pain to get a game to and from the show with work, kids, and life but worth it. Pin I brought had a post come off and got all the balls stuck. Easy fix - just had to screw the post back in. If something more serious breaks, there are usually other guys at show that can help with repairs. Definitely a fun experience and plan on bringing one of my games next year.

Big thanks to you guys that bring new games or old games in great shape. Those are great fun to play.

Make sure and let us know if anyone is getting out of hand. If one collector bringing games feels someone is being too rough, that is too many, so we will do our best to nip it in the bud.

I'll tell ya who SHOULDN'T be bringin games: the obnoxious asshole that brought that ACDC and left it on full blast all weekend in Cincinnati.
It was Bon Scott atleast, so there's that.

I had a BAD experience so I will no longer be bringing pins for general admittance. I will for the tourney area though...

To be fair, that was a tad loud. Haha. So much so that it was distorted through the speakers. 5 ticks down and it would’ve been perfect.

And I would do it again in a heartbeat. But you should stick around as much as you can. For Pirates, it was brand new and other people at home are having problems since it is so new with a handful of items that I didn’t have yet. My view was it was going to happen anyway and this just accelerates being able to see any issues for new games. I had a couple of screws come out, a ball get stuck here or there, a sling that would chatter, etc. Easy fixes if you are around and paying attention to it. I had enough people looking out for me and all of the games that were just great people. If I was going to have to make some critical repairs, these are the people I want around me to help out! Put it in the middle of a row so the sides aren’t exposed.

Can’t say for other shows but I am already looking to see what will be new that I can bring to the next Pincinnati. I absolutely loved it. But to be fair, Pincinnati was extremely well run. I met so many solid people doing it. But I really got a kick out of people playing my game and enjoying themselves. Never saw anyone disrespect the machine to the point where I was concerned. Got the pin home and by that night it was back up and running perfectly. Waxed the playfield, cleaned it off, and it still looks perfect.

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Just wanted to reiterate that my one experience bringing a game was much more rewarding than stressful. Being a part of something is a great feeling. I think I will be less stressed next time. Plus, it was a NIB Marco deal, so always gonna be more stressed about a game you just unboxed.

My SO and I bought Escape From the Lost World at Allentown last year and left it on the floor all weekend without any major issues. So when chuckwurt and Jjsmooth announced Pincinnati and they were looking for locals to bring games we were confident that it would make it through. If anything it forced us to clean up and fix some of the little issues. Like Chuck said earlier, I was more nervous about the older games.

We cleaned up her 1934 Bally Signal Jr. from top to bottom and brought it out. We were both a little nervous about how it was going to hold up and how it was going to be received, but on both accounts it was great. I think it was the most popular games for kids under 12 at the show. Again taking it forced us to get it up and running and I'm so glad we did.

Jimmy does not go down, only up.

I kept askin people!
Next year 2 clicks lower you got it Chuck.

Yes

That's crazy--I can't imagine how much work that is. I had my hands full with 6. Thanks for bringing them all, and looking forward to Pintastic 2019

(After adding another subwoofer)

JIMMY LKES ELAINE

I brought two games to the old Southern Illinois game expo that Rob ran - it was a great experience, and I would do it again if it ever returns. They held up nicely. Lots of help, and lots of eyes on all machines, so I felt very safe and comfortable for my machines.

I keep thinking about bringing a few games to Chicago, but my schedule just won't coincide. Someday, maybe. If I had to choose now, it would be Blackout and BSD. Not museum pieces, but solid players.

Go ahead and bring your machine - its a good experience.

Definitely bring that sweet AFM. Being fairly new it should hold up just fine. These shows don't work without people bringing games to them.
One cool benefit is getting into the show early and meeting and hanging out with the organizers and others who bring games as well. If they're bringing games to a show, they're probably cool folks and good people to know in this hobby.

I'm STILL grateful to the people who supported SFGE and brought games those first couple of years we were involved. Contributing to a great event like Allentown will definitely give you a little pride knowing that your game helped bring a little happiness to a bunch of folks at the show.

Oh so that was Gryszz's game that was annoyingly loud huh? That explains everything i guess.

I bring games every year to our local show(yegpin)
Bringing games is a big part of the show.
So I say to all support/contribute to your shows... if it wasn’t for people contributing games there would be no show.

I’ve brought games games to TPF every year I have attended. I find it rewarding to share and the incentives are generous.

LOL same exact thing I said in the show thread!

Disrespectful to Brain Johnson man!

Awesome! Glad to hear it. Have fun!