Vail, AZ
Quoted from the_pin_family:I don't see what all the fuss is about. I want a NIB so bad I can taste it. Mmmmmm yum. I could probably come up with one but it wouldn't be a responsible move on my part at this point in my life. But to say their over priced is ridiculous. Have you taken a good look at a pin these days? Over 3000 individual parts, art, programing, labor, overhead, advertising, etc,etc etc. I'm sure they would like to make a small profit somewhere along the line.Pins were not designed to go in the home, they were designed to make money. They stopped making money so they stopped making them. We as collectors decided we wanted them in our homes so they started making them again. We have made it clear we didn't want them to change a bit, hell we still want the coindoor. There not going to get cheaper just because there toys unless we let them make them cheaper. We will not have that though(sterns build quality). NIB pins are fairly priced for the Times and for the profit margin required to keep someone interested in making them for us. Does anyone know what a nib coke machine cost in 1990? What's it cost now? I bet it's increased about the same. Along with cars, houses, the list goes on and on. You get what you pay for in the Times you pay for it. The whole pro vs le argument is silly also. When.I bought my jeep I got the same option. Upgrade for more coin. Happens with everything. Everyone looks at it backwards. They think the le is the pin but you can buy a lesser version and save money. No, the pro is the pin and you can buy a nicer version for more coin. We all want a commercial product at a residential price. Same with air hockey tables and pool tables etc. It's expensive as hell because it's a commercial product designed for a business to buy to make money. We just decided to put them in our basements and set them on free play.
There are so many great points in this post, I won't even try to dissect it.
As for the reasoning for new members, here is my story. I wasn't able to go to arcades when I was a kid. Living on base in Germany didn't leave me with too many options. There were video games, but I liked pins more, even though I almost never had access to them. 20 years later I have a life, family, and income of my own and wanted to have an awesome toy. I looked through ebay for several weeks looking at all of the themes available. I narrowed it down to a few and took to CL as well as continuing on ebay. I found my Super Mario ~120 miles away and drove up a few days later. I had my Super Mario for over 2 years before the upkeep issues I wanted to address finally got to me. I am not forum novice, so I searched out for pinball forums that had the right feel, but also the right finish. I ended up here, and just like many things I do, have found a lot of people, with a lot of experience, and a lot of patience.
I can't afford the $2K machines, let alone a NIB, but plan to some day. I will learn what I like and get some maintenence practice in the meantime and enjoy the fact that my 3 and 5 year old ask to play SMB several times a week, if not every day. Anyone can play these things, and that's what's so nice. I don't have to find computer games that are not too easy or too hard for my boys, pinball is just 2 buttons and try to last as long as you can. That's all they care about, and so that is all I care about. They like the theme too.
