Hi jdzwirl123,
Yes, a lot of people don't like Funhouse or Road Show because of the heads. I am guessing you have played Dialed In and Wonka. Those are both solid family choices. Honestly, since you have already put it out there that you want a Whirl Wind, I would say - get a Whirl Wind. Ripley's Believe It Or Not is fun for the family. NASCAR, and Family Guy unless you don't like them? Ultimately, you should get what you want and if you want to please your family something that everyone can play and it isn't too hard. NASCAR and Ripley are fun and fit the bill. Good luck and keep us posted on what you get.

EDIT

for really budget-friendly Lawlor titles i like RCT which is a great family theme, and NASCAR (which i own as Grand Prix.) if i was gonna blow $4k-$5k i'd be looking for RBION or Fun House.

This may not be the most popular pick, but I’ve recommended Jack*Bot to everyone who asks, and probably will forever more. I feel it has the best mode (Casino Run) of most any machine ever made. The risk reward never gets old, nor does learning how the grid responds and how to bounce the shots, along with the rest of the game. It just feels like a solid well thought out machine, that in my opinion makes for the near perfect home machine….plus as per the competition you’ll probably be able to find one at a fair price.

I’m sure you know Pin and Jack*Bot…still…Bowen does a good job of showing how fun it is…it’s all about replay value.

Are you still playing High Speed? And if so is it because it’s the only game you have or do you still love playing it? I ask because these decisions aren’t permanent. If you’re sick of playing it, sell it and you’ll have enough for a DI (fun game and one of the few reasonable deals left). I haven’t seen a Wonka for sale for a bit but I’m not sure if they’re in your price range. I’m assuming Red and Ted and the shrunken head are non-starters or else you wouldn’t have mentioned them. Great games but you have a shot of getting the whole family to play with Dialed In. That camera is cheesy to us but my family thought it was great.

Play as many pins as you can - friends, on location, tourneys, etc
It is always tough choosing. What you may like now - may change.
Don’t be in a huge rush and try to figure out out what you Enjoy the most.

Happy flipping

Take your time. Go out and play lots of games. Find collectors near you and ask you if you can check out their collection. I know when people are in my neck of the neighborhood and they tell me, I invite them on over to play some pinball. Pinball shows are great way to try you haven’t had a chance to really get to know before. Is there a dealer in your neighborhood? If so, they probably have a showing. If they have a show room, they probably have some older games that we’re taking in on trade as well as the new one improved. Play them all.

Also, consider the fact that High Speedmay be your second first pin. What I mean by that is if you find a game that you really like. Keep your money in the bank and consider trading your high speed for a game you really want. Or use both to get a higher priced item.

If you find a seller who has something that you want and is willing to hold the game for you, put down an agreed payment and work your way towards the balance. Pick the game up when it is paid in full.

More than anything else, ask questions in the worst someone will say is no. If they want to make a deal with you, they will make a deal with you. Just figure out a way to make the deal that works out for both of you.

Happy hunting!

2 pins are ALWAYS better than 1, period.
And, you grab what's readily available and the right deal.
Setting your heart to this title or that sends you down the overpaying road, or acquiring a sub par condition game.

RBION is a solid choice for Lawlor games.
Easy to play but hard to complete.
If you're a medium skilled player, nothing wrong with Earthshaker. (Too easy for experts).
Same with Monopoly.

Avoid Dialed IN like the plague.
The flippers feel delayed and weak on practically every copy, and it just is not a great playing game:
Repetitive shots and horribly unbalanced scoring.

PM me if you want some in depth advice.
I used to eat sleep and breath Ritchie/Lawlor in the glory days of location pinball.

Well that’s a lot to think about. All I would say is if you like lawlor and are considering new titles and have a family, Wonka is a great game for veteran pinheads and more casual players as well (rest of your family). It is approachable and fun and has something for all players. I’ve had friends over with zero interest in pinball but who gravitate to wonka and have a good time. I bought it mainly for my family but then I was surprised how good the game is and it’s now one of my favorites. They are making a new run so it’s also available at many distros without lots of hassle or paying outrageous flipper prices. Although the price is certainly still up there. Good luck in total you can’t go wrong with any lawlor pin

Ripley's IMO is just a boring pinball machine. It has a deep ruleset but the game itself is very boring. I owned it for 3 years....played the hell out of it....but man it's just not a very good pinball machine. Roadshow is a suprisingly good enjoyable pinball machine if you've never played it. Whatever you do stay away from Monopoly it's one of the worst Stern Pinball machines...ever made. Wonka is enjoyable but the price is up there. Earthshaker is fun and Funhouse is one of his best.....but the price has skyrocketed because of 2.0. Personally I think Chicago Gaming will remake Funhouse in due time....they might even move it up on their list since the demand for the game will be excellent. Of course there's always Twilight Zone IMO it's Lawlor's best pin....but that is big bucks too! Rollercoaster Tycoon is enjoyable and can probably be nabbed at a good price.

I agree with the whirlwind suggestion. You want it. It’s a good choice. IMO.

RBION,all Day!!

I’m amazed you’ve been here for 7 years and only owned 1 game this entire time!! Wow.
Keep High Speed, it’s a solid, classic machine. DI would be my choice, I agree along with TZ, it’s Lawlors best machine. Wonka is also excellent, but it’s very brutal at times. DI is a very beginner-friendly game.

If you're looking to be budget friendly (as much as one can these days), you could always sell the high speed and find a getaway. There are other great Ritchie pins out there in your budget as well. ST Pro is usually right around 5K and probably my favorite Stern game.

I own WW, RBION, and RS and would recommend any of them. You can always turn the eye coils off in the settings on RS as well. You are probably looking at 4K+ for any of them these days unfortunately.

NASCAR I owned for a while and it was a decent game actually. Lots of fun shots and good rules that are pretty deep. A few different mutiballs and wizard modes too. If you can get past the theme, I much prefer the game over RTC and Monopoly...both of those are kinda dogs IMO.

Of all the games you mentioned you're thinking about, WW is pretty timeless and the price is where it is for a reason...amazing game all around.

Be careful to not end up like Grant and get a RBION that has the most hideous powdercoated bright neon orange trim on the face of the planet I'd take WW all day over what you listed. I have one as well (and a Ripleys). My WW isn't going anywhere. Ever. Well. Except maybe trade up for a HEP or a better condition one, but as a title it's something that'll always be in my collection. Great game, and sadly one of the cheaper ones now as well as prices are going bonkers.

If you can come up with a couple of extra grand the best bang for the buck Lawler pin wise is Dialed in. They have been is the mid 7k or so range and the game pays homage to his past classics. If you need to be in the mid 5k range Ripley's is the way I'd go. I liken it to Sterns version of Twilight zone a great Lawler machine. Road show was a ton of fun too and would be my 3rd choice based on what your looking at. Good luck!

Get the Whirl Wind and get this to replace the existing fan and people will flock to your machine by the droves when you say "The storm is approaching".

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/big-ass-fans-cool-space-400-evaporative-cooler-with-3600-sq-foot-coverage-110v/657CF400.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIybnRov7o9QIVySCtBh1PbgBiEAQYASABEgLkR_D_BwE

Go and play the machines you are interested in on location,etc. Usually for me a game will 'speak' to me. Pinball is almost too subjective to ask opinions on. What I do now is try and get some good time on a game and when you go home at night and go to bed and all you can think about is a certain game that captured your interest the most(game you cant wait to play again)-that is your next game. Go for the game that speaks to you personally-too hard to try and please the entire family(especially when they barely play them). Take opinions like a grain of salt and do not follow the Pinside sheep-make up your own mind.

Here is my current game room. As you can tell, Lawlor heavy. I just got the Addams and Road Show in. Previously, I had only played RS briefly and it was not a well kept example. This one still needs work, but I will say, the shaker made me smile like a child. I believe that may just be the most powerful shaker I’ve felt.

F590647F-8F0D-422D-8119-39B5B17EF8B7 (resized).jpeg

With a small collection I would not want too many Lawlor pins in the line up. His designs tend to be 'stop and go' and are not flow friendly. Now to put a fast paced Ritchie in there with monster flow to mix it up is another story.

BTW I would not be concerned about the games depth. You mentioned Wh20 having less depth than RBION and Road Show. All I can say is sometimes less is more. I think Wh20 blows RBION and Road Show out of the water-literally(one of my favorites). Another word of advice is theme, theme, theme. To me theme is what makes the game a true keeper and keeps your long term interest. Did I like No Good Gophers while I owned it-yes fantastic game and it was fun while it lasted. Do I miss it-no because other themes have captured my interest more. Lots of great games out there-but what theme will make it the full package? Theme is huge for me now, when I first got into the hobby I wanted every machine made and concentrating on themes I can relate to has helped narrow it down for me.

$5500 budget. Loves Steve Ritchie. Star Trek Pro gets my vote.

I have had Whirlwind and HS side by side for many years. They make a good pair and represent the system 11 years well. I would go that route since you were leaning that way. Then move up to a couple dmd pins to go next to those. I’d recommend WH20 or TZ. Once recovered from those purchases add in a couple modern sterns. I’d recommend LOtR Metallica JP or Godzilla.

One thing going for you is you really like DI,and it's one of the best deals to be found. I did have to shut the selfie feature off,but quest loved it for some reason?

Wonka and Dialed In are both great machines. My Wonka will never leave, it is fun and for a Lawlor game flows nicely inmy opinion. Best advice is to play the machines. I had room for a last pin, and was leaning towards Indiana Jones TPA. Prices are crazy, but I love the theme and enjoyed playing it years ago on location. But after going out and playing one, and then firing up a Wizard of Oz at the same location, Oz totally drew me in, wound up changing my mind, and couldn't be happier with my decision to go with WOZ.

I enjoy Lawlor style games the most, and of the ones mentioned and for the money Roadshow would be my clear personal choice. Good luck deciding ... life is good when these are the tough decisions we have to make

Sage advice...

Get your SUV gassed up, load up the family and drive from Reno to the Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame. Make sure you have a mask so Tim's crew does not assault you(do not try and drink with a mask on-lol)

-Then play the shit out of a bunch of games-drive home-then wake up in the middle of the night thinking about your next game-bam-that's the way to do it!

Your question has shifted since inception. You listed five Lawlor pins of which three of them cost $4k each and two of them cost $8k each, then later state your budget is $5.5k. Wonka and DI would not be options. Nor would an option to buy two pins instead of one. So I’d ask again what your budget is. If it is still $5.5k then you will focus on RBION, WW or RS. I would also ask if you’d considered adding ES to your list because many people pair ES and WW or ES and RS. Either of these,would be my recommendation. Even better, you can afford to buy one now and once you’ve saved another $2.5k, you can buy another. I am not a fan of RBION gameplay and DI or Wonka are out of budget. Track ES, WW and RS in the market and buy one that meets your criteria and is within driving distance.

Please find me this 2.5k earthshaker, I want. I’ve eased off on my search for them because anything less than 3500 these days seems roached

The first pin costs $4k, leaving $1.5k in the bank. So once he saves another $2.5k, he’ll have $4k needed for another.

Touché

I remember reading posts in RGP and ES and WW owners were equally split between which was better and many people would try to buy this pair. RS is a very fun widebody pin that is fun to shoot. RS is packed with features and the use of the shaker motor is very effective. ES and RS are considered Lawlor’s shaker duo and are popular also. I’d recommend all 3 pins for the Op and buy whichever one he can find. Save another $2.5k for pin #2 and save another $4k for pin #3.

Time to get up, come on, get down with the sickness.

I like JJP games too. So DI or Wonka? That is going to be interesting choice because each tends to attract some and repel others. [for instance I really like Wonka and really dislike DI, and for no good reasons]. So you plus: the decision maker, the bag man, the wheel man and cheerleaders will need to play and decide. I’m sure one will emerge the winner. For your two finalist, you really just have to play them. Check with PHOF or other locations, but do it!!!

Have you played The Shadow? In my opinion it is the best pin to be had for your available budget. A High Speed and a Shadow would be an excellent 2 pin collection.

Best advice yet. Many games that are “have to have” games I just wasn’t that in to. Tron, Star Trek, BBB even just didn’t have that “just one more game” draw for me.

Take XMLE for example. Not many people like it, but once dialed in properly, it’s one hell of a pin for the money. Even on deep games like WOZ, I find myself doing the same strategy over and over to get a high score. Set up all the mulitballs, shoot rescue, then ECMB, then the CB, and then HFMB and try to get a munchkin mode going. Even that gets redundant over time.

I don't have space for a deep collection, but I think Whirlwind is a great choice and compliments a Richie table for something different. For me, System 11 is the sweet spot of pinball, faster gameplay than an EM, and it doesn't feel like a video game of the DMD era and beyond. I like games than anyone can pick up and play for when guests are over. For a deeper game, Road Show would be my next choice, but with the talking heads, the machine feels like it would be a PITA to service for a novice like me if something were to go wrong.

Edit: You can forget about any suggestions about Funhouse, you'll be lucky to find one under $7,500 because of the 2.0 code update. I think you would want to keep the High Speed if you enjoy playing it.

Be ready for your 3rd
I just got my 2nd pin 2 weeks ago and I was already looking the next day for a 3rd l

How about TMNT,great family game with Co-op

Like others say play play play and make a choice after playing a few

If you can get to TPF it begins Mar 26 and you’ll be able to play everything. Also if you fly from LV you can stop by PHOF on your way home for lots of action

Take the recommendations above, about playing a variety of machines before buying. My thought, and how I keep (and happy with), is having games that don’t play like the other. Why have two that play similar? Sure, toys and features may be slightly different, but what about feel?

I say this, don’t rule out any Gottlieb, Sega, or Data East pins, there’s plenty of good titles there without breaking the bank. And most of those, you won’t lose money if you decide to sell later on, they usually maintain their respective pricing.....or at least did before the huge pinball spike.

There are a lot of sleeper pins out there, find one “you” like to play.

If you want a Whirlwind.... Just go buy a less expensive Monopoly..... close to the same thing. check the layouts....shots are the same,may be a ramp instead of a scoop, but it's all there