Just go play on location. You are not that far from Lexington. I'm not aware of a large route location there but there's lots of places with a couple of pins.

Suggestion: Why don’t you buy an cheap small truck or van. That way you can transport your own pins and not have to rely on anyone else. A vehicle may be cheaper than the pin! Hey, if we were closer I’d trade with you every month.

Why do you feel the constant need to trade games? Do you not feel enjoyment with them? Maybe pinball itself isn't really your thing. It seems like you enjoy bartering better. I've never grown tired of a game the first day I get it. Virtual pinball is horrible. It is nothing like the real thing. It's like comparing playing call of duty to actually going to war. I agree with the previous poster that playing on location would be your best bet. It's awesome if you can find a good location and tend to keep a fresh variety of games if you have a decent operator in your area.

Locations, join or start a League, make friends with other people at leagues that have collections, send messages to other pinsiders in your area and setup a gathering.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR DEBTS FIRST!!!! What are you, a DUMMY!?

(hey, you asked for honest opinions, yelling, and name calling)

Pinball money is funny money. Family stuff comes first. You have another kid on the way and have debts that you owe multiple people? WTH dude? Buckle down, no pinball for you! Make a budget, pay off your debts, and start squirreling away funny money till you have cash o plenty.

Most of us are not rich and just make a plan and stick to it.

I think Knockerlover has the right idea, meet other pinheads and see if there is a league near you. That should fulfill your Pinball needs until you get back on your feet again. Also stop trading games so much when you get one. You aren’t dumb though and you actually seem like a pretty cool guy. We all make mistakes and bad deals. I know I’ve made my share of them through life and still do sometimes. The key is though to learn from your mistakes and become a better person from them. If you keep repeatedly making dumb mistakes then you are dumb but as long as you try and do better you’re not dumb.

I agree!! Family first!

My local league is probably 50% pinball owners, and 50% guys who don't own pinball but like to play pinball. So ownership is not a mandatory part of pinball.

I acknowledge that Pinside is full of enablers that egg each other on with insane buying, but I'd never suggest someone be part of that if they didn't have their financial house in order first.

Visual Pinball is free to download. Future Pinball is free to download. Yeah, playing virtual pinball on your computer is a step down from the real thing, but it's cheap, you have a vast selection of tables to choose from, and you don't need a van.

Wait, I thought wasp was a fake internet meme. No way someone buys games to sell them the same day. I thought it was a gag. He's a real person?

Get pinball arcade on one of the various platforms (ps4, pc, xb) and buy all the tables you would consider buying in real life.
It's not like its the real thing, but it scratches the itch while you save cash and pay down the debts.

Make that your mission! Like geocaching - find (play) and update the map. You’d be having fun and helping the community! You can write reviews of the machines, locations and food? It seems like you like to write your opinions?

Also, do something nice for your wife, she seems a real good sport.

I got back into the hobby via visual pinball. I think it is currently the best (physics) option right now. And it's free and has a very rich online community like pinside. Check out vpforums.com and vpinball.com. Future Pinball is fun, too with lots of original material (easier to program as I've done some game mods myself) but physics aren't as good. Lots of info on how to make your own cab, too. I bought my cab from VPCabs with all the bells and whistles (has solenoids, shaker, leds, etc). But now that I know more would have just built my own for 1/3 of the cost. Some games are emulated quite well and is a very cheap way to test out a game before you buy (like I did with AMH and Tomcat). On pinside your gonna always hear vp sucks, but it doesn't. Is it the real thing? No. Is it darn close? Depends on the game and the setup. But, it never breaks and no switches need adjusting. I can play AFM, Monster bash. MM, Twilight zone, Indiana Jones, Shadow, etc whenever I want without breaking the bank. Just my two cents
I've never cared for the FX2 gameplay and haven't tried pinball arcade.

I have always thought VP sucked, but I have a buddy building one and look forward to giving it an honest shot...

Aw man, I got nothing to offer as far as advice, but if you and the family find yourselves in Charleston, you can always play and hang here. Our kids can go play mario kart or something and we can get blasted in the garage, lol.

Don't take this wrong. You aim to high for your budget and can't be happy with the pin you have. I still have my first pin ($600) and it's the first machine when I turn stuff on. I bought my second pin through a pinsider off eBay ($650) and still have it. I got my ($400) firepower here on pinside missing all the boards and needing most everything. I enjoy the restoration aspect more than the need for a new flashy pin that I can't afford so it's a perfect match.
Maybe find a nice older classic, fix it up and slow down a little.

Find a location to play for your pinball ADHD and hook up with some locals. Your good with streaming and stuff. Try to find a way to work that in.

Looks like there are about 13 games on location in Lexington that are on the Pinmap on pinside.

Get your debts settled and an emergency savings account saved up before you consider another pin. Play on location, on your phone, and at friends houses in the mean time. Owning a pin isn't particularly important in the big picture of life.

Get a used gaming system...xbox 360, ps3, xbox one, or a ps4 and buy the respective pinball games for them. Couple hundred invested total vs. couple g's invested! Win win all the way around, and your son can play other games too!

As others have suggested, Pinball Arcade and Zen Pinball FX3 is a ton of fun and people also enjoy watching those games being streamed. I watch quite a bit of virtual pinball on Twitch. You also live in one of the most beautiful states in the country, I am jealous of you for that reason alone. Stream some virtual pinball and enjoy the great State of Ky Wasp. Be high on life bro!

Why did you sell Stargate out right? Couldn't you find a single trade or was it strictly financially motivated? I'm really sorry that you don't have a machine right now.

What happened to the go fund me and the guy who said he was really generous and was going to hook you up?

This.

I use pinball arcade on my iPad. Still just enough to keep from going crazy.

Play at tolly ho every day. Get to know whomever operates those games and see if you can lend them a hand to keep them clean and running good. Make it your own pinball spot.

Also don’t not buy a pinball machine when your debts are paid. Buy a pinhauler and a nice dolly and all the gear to move pins. Then buy a pin.

One thing I've learned hanging around these forums: It's REALLY easy to feel inadequate. You've got some guys arguing over why their CPR replacement playfield doesn't have the exact shade of orange for one insert that the original had, and others arguing over why the upper flipper on their Hobbit Ultra Deluxe Super Different Paint Color Edition doesn't quite have a use. Hell, even hanging around with the EM guys (who are probably the chillest of guys around these parts) can feel intimidating when one of them posts a picture of their immaculate HUO Atlantis.

It's easy to be swept up into the hype, and start looking for top tier games, or looking to perfectly restore every game, etc. etc. I think when I got my first full time job out of college was when I went overboard. Still living at home, and having few expenses (and very easygoing parents who let me use the basement for whatever I wanted), I bought up an Earthshaker, Whirlwind, WH20, and a Lights Camera Action--all pretty much within the same year. Do I regret it? No. But it was a dumbass decision on my part. I should've been happy with the couple of EMs I had, and saved up for more important things--like retirement and wedding expenses and a house.

Bottom line for me, and perhaps for you, is to just be happy with what you got. Don't get swept away with any hype. It's easy to forget about how fortunate we all are. That we even have the ability to own even a single pinball machine--even if it's a $100 William's Darling or some other (imo) terrible game. Slow down, and enjoy the ride. Stop to smell the roses every once in a while. Pinball isn't just about playing. It's about the experience. It's about taking in the artwork, tinkering with the mechanics, and really appreciating the engineering.

Chevy Chase Inn has an Aztec. Go there drink $2 beers and play the shit out of that thing. I cannot believe you’ve never been to tolly ho to play.

The suggestions to start a league or great. Tolly ho would be perfect for that if you can get to know the operator.

Or if you get to know other collectors in the area and they are interested the league can rotate from collectors homes.

Why not enjoy location pinball for now while starting your new child early on with a cheap reliable classic without any board issues.

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Go to every one of these places and update the pinmap. Then find the ones in the best shape and play them. Also try and find who the operator is at each place and get to know them and report issues to them. Volunteer to help them keep the games up.

Might lead to an awesome deal for you down the road

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To be honest, I've been reading all your for sale/trade threads & kept thinking to myself "this guy will be outta the hobby in a year."

Slow down & enjoy a pin for a while.

This. I thought there was a guy that was going to buy you a machine?

Just use the Magic Words with your pin buddies...

"Hey I got space, anything you need out of the way for a bit?"

Especially if you're willing/able to clean em up a bit / keep em clean, you'll probably have a couple games to play in no time!

My wife and I both have trailer hitches on our vehicles. I found an enclosed 5 x 8 trailer on craigslist a few years back for $900. That trailer has been everywhere! Now I never miss out on a two/three pin deal because I have no room to transport. Ever make a deal for 1 machine, get there and there is more to be had?

Here's what I did. This is only my experience and everyone's different, so take it for what it's worth.

I started by going to a local pinball league. Learned what I liked in machines and made some connections. I was able to affirm that I truly wanted a pinball machine

Bought a stern wild fire solid state game for $200. Enjoyed and fixed that game. Sold that and used the money to buy a comet. Got it working and cut my teeth on an amateur restoration. Sold that and used the money plus my pinball connections to buy a judge Dredd. Enjoyed that for a long while and reached the wizard mode several times. I was looking for something with more depth, so I made an ad that I was looking to trade that plus cash towards a deeper pin. I got lucky and got a twilight zone.

Played that and beat it several times so I traded that towards two dmd games. I wanted to get two games to fill out the gameroom I was building. Traded those pins around a few times to get other games I wanted, sometimes adding a few dollars to help with the trade. Eventually I had worked my way up to potc and jy. Used some bonus money from work to buy an ebd that needed work. After fixing that I was able to trade ebd and potc and get a metallica premium.

I had also met two local friends with great collections and I was fortunate enough to play sometimes. That connection turned in to me selling him the met. Premium and him finding me a great deal on a lotr. I had sat on the cash until I found a great deal, because deals do come along pretty often if you can drive.

Used the rest of the money from selling met. To get a jp to go along with the jy and Lotr. I also worked out a deal with the local friend to store his Congo here while he paid me for the metallica. That only came about because I had reached out and made a friend and used clever thinking to sell him the game and store the Congo. I did all this slowly and financially responsibly so that I was never in a precarious position money wise.

So my advice to you through my experience would be to find a way to get a vehicle that can haul a pin so that you can get those deals when they come up. Find some local friends or a league so you can make connections and determine what you like, all while enjoying some pinball. Don't be afraid of a project, pinside is helpful and sometimes working on a pin is very satisfying. Enjoy the pin you do have and set goals for yourself if you find yourself getting bored with it. List it eventually but wait for a good offer before selling or trading. If you sell, wait and use the money to get better pins when deals come up. Don't buy the hype that others sell here, some of the a list games you may not actually enjoy that much and you can usually find them at arcades anyway.

I would concentrate on debt & family 1st but if able to find cheapest EM garage sale pin possible close by.

Wasp - you seem like a great guy and I wish you were closer so you could hang out and play some games while our wives laugh at our hobby. That being said - I’ve posted in several of your advice posts and I feel like this should be my last because 90% of people say the same thing and you always do the opposite.

You are a guy who knows the right thing to do — but then consistently does what you WANT to do. You have remorse quickly and it (appears) to have put you in a bad spot financially. I’m sure you lose a bunch on every trade because people want to be compensated for travel and (frankly) they see how desperate you are to flip your games immediately.

This hobby is not for the impatient unless you have a pile of cash.

You have a baby on the way and a kid already — if you have ANY debt other than a mortgage and maybe a car payment you shouldn’t have multi thousand dollar toys. Period. That is advice you ALREADY know. No random people on the internet need to tell you this. In life it’s so hard to do the right thing especially with credit cards and with friends and neighbors who always have nicer stuff...

So I get to yell at you? I’m not going to do that. You know the right and appropriate thing to do. You KNOW it. You just don’t want to do it. It’s way easier to keep getting games.

One day you may wake up and realize the vicious cycle isn’t really worth it. Or you may not.

If you like video games I think you need a raspberry PI loaded with the classics. You can put that together with a joystick for under $75. Build an arcade game with the PI like I did. Work on a project maybe. Learn to wire an arcade game up. That will take hours and I bet your son would enjoy learning with you. Arcade stuff costs pennies on the dollar to pinball.

Anyway - I really like you man and I hope you listen but you likely will do what you want to do until you are literally STOPPED (for whatever reason...)

Have a budget/plan and stick to it. Not everyone has cool cars and bulldog. I have been driving a 99 camry since 2002. I use the money I would spend on a car payment on guns/pins. I only started pinball a month ago...hopefully I last more than year.

I thought that a bulldog was mandatory on Pinside?

I only got some mongrel Shitzus but somehow I scraped in ....

rd

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Dude, don’t tempt him with exotic bulldogs, he’s got it bad enough with pinball, he doesn’t need another rabbit hole to go down. The poor guy is asking for help not more temptations. Next you’ll bring up really big 4K TVs.

If you would've sold me Stargate you could've come over anytime and play!
No hard feelings, if I find another one or Jurassic park I'll let you know. I have a truck so if you ever need help just message.
West 6th brewing is supposed to be nice but I don't know what machine they have.
Champs over by the mall had a family guy pin..not sure if it's still there though..
Cheers

Demo man and its for sale I think. They may have sold it.

Wait, didn’t this guy have a brand new GOTG like yesterday? And now he has nothing at all and no money?

I’d like a diagram of how this happens.

Flow chart lol.

I still don't understand the rampant flipping, sometimes 1 day after landing a new machine. And GOTG was commented on like it was a dream pin for his son and it would stay, and now that is gone? Might I suggest the OP find a different hobby? Or at least pay the bills, get in right state of mind. In meantime, play virtual pinball to try other games he hasn't had before and try to MASTER them. Then he might be able to find a pin that works for him, and it will match with getting out of debt and finally being able to afford to get back into the hobby. Best of luck OP.

You might want to get one of those wallets with a chain.

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Good looking dog! Better than a bulldog IMO.

Wasp isn't going to follow any advice we give him unless it's what he already wants to hear or it's an instant fix-it button. It's not a knock on Wasp. This is pretty much true of everyone. Don't be discouraged from giving advice though. It plants a seed, so he will stop making the same mistakes over and over.

Wasp - Pay off your debts and play pinball arcade if you have a display with low latency. Season 2 and 5 are currently on sale on steam.
I suggest Pinball arcade and zen pinball, because I doubt you have the patience needed for virtual/visual pinball.

The only other suggestion I know is to make pinball repair a hobby. I'm leery of suggesting this, because you absolutely cannot buy more broken machines before you've fixed the first one. Don't do it. Fix one at a time.