I have had one in my collection for a year, good bang for buck machine, fast flowing with a decent rule set, still love mine.

Make sure the one you buy WORKS.....mine the TREX was not behaving and I got a refund because I was so irritated with it.

I have one, it won't leave my collection because I am a huge fan of the movies... BUT...

The machine is just mean. The outlanes are huge. The left outlane was piloted for a post from the factory but they left it out because during playtesting the ball times were too long. The left loop through the pops is almost impossible unless you mod the posts and tighten the rubber, and even then it's hard to hit. The loop around the top using the upper flipper isn't that great of a shot either... there just isn't much to shoot for except start mode scoop, ramp, start mode scoop, ramp, etc.

The machine is very multiball oriented as far as scoring is concerned, and even then only if you get to 6-ball CHAOS mode. CHAOS multiball is just that... CHAOS. Since there really isn't a lot of flow to the game, and the outlanes are so huge, it just becomes kind of a strategic slap fest to try and get the balls in the area you WANT them to go, but they usually just clang around and drain.

The regular modes of the machine are kind of dull and aren't worth going for since the scoring is so low with the exception of maybe 3 or 4, and those would be System Boot, Escape, Feed T-Rex, and Electric Fence mode. All the other ones are pretty much a waste and can be completely ignored on your way to System Failure (wizard mode). Raptor 2-ball is actually a complete waste because it cancels out of the other modes and doesn't stack with anything, and the raptor pit has a tendency to shoot balls straight down the middle, and even though there IS a ball timer after you hit the raptor pit, it often sends it back with such force that it goes up and back down an outlane completely expiring the ball save timer; it is very frustrating. If you get the two ball multiball, the challenge becomes letting only one ball drain

T-Rex can be a difficult shot as there isn't a good way to hit it from the bottom flippers unless you bank it in. You may get a lucky deflect off the captive ball in but its no guarantee. The only sure-fire way to do it is to shoot up the right from the left flipper or backhand up the right from the right flipper and use the upper flipper to shoot it in.

I rerubbered mine with white rubbers and red flipper rubber and I honestly think that was a HUGE mistake. Black rubber is the only way to go on this machine unless you want to be insanely frustrated. I consider myself a pretty good player and the way my current JP is set up, it's just not fun because it's too difficult.

Do I like the machine? Absolutely. It has a lot of problems, but it has great sounds, great theme, great toy in the T-Rex, and the smart missile can be interesting.

I like mine, but I have to admit I don't play it like I use to. Has pretty good modes and awesome 6 ball multi-ball.

I'm looking for a JP as well.

I'm a fan and don't own one. Eventually I'd like one even though it gets little love compared to others. Jealous of your FH too lol!

It is the second machine I bought and I still have it. I don't plan on getting rid of it. I pretty much agree with what has been mentioned so far. It isn't perfect, but it is fun and I enjoy it. As for the left outlane being a drain monster, the playfield is dimpled for a post at the entrance and I installed one on mine. The purists will scoff at that, but I think it makes the game more enjoyable.

I miss mine. It was in great shape, but I traded it toward a creature. Just happened that it was a pin the guy wanted.

JP rocks! love the game

You really need to play it yourself. With the exception of POTC, you have no games other than Bally / Williams titles. JP doesn't play like those at all. I love it for that, you may hate it.

If you get one, I do think you need to set it up hard. Yes, the scoring skews toward multiball, but the multiball progression is insane and if you go in knowing that will give you the most points, and you can pull it off, you deserve it. Wizard mode is achievable even when you set up the game nasty once you get used to it. The Smart Missile in my opinion is one of the most awesome creations in a game, as it becomes *so* strategic on when you use it, hold it, or what.

It will be one of my last machines to ever leave. Your mileage may vary.

Never owned it but it's a fun game for sure. Top 5 DE.

JP is a mixed bag. I have one and like it enough that I blinged it out with LEDs, lit the sign in the back, and added additional dinosaurs.

The pros: sounds are great, the T-Rex eating the ball is one of the coolest gimmicks in pinball, the Raptor Pit rockets the ball back at you, it has a shaker motor, pistol grip ball launcher, third flipper, and the Smart Missile. So, it's really loaded with features and toys.

The cons: the bumpers are low along with a couple of scoops so it's really difficult to get the ball flowing, the outlanes are greedy, only one ramp that doesn't get visited much, and it's difficult to make orbit shots.

Good luck!

Good post. I like it but it does have it's issues, other than being a DE. But it does have the WW layout.

Definitely find a nice one to play a bunch so you can decide for yourself. Data East aren't for everybody

For the right price - I'd go for it. Fun machine & with Cointaker LED's, it looks awesome. While I don't play mine a lot due to time constraints, I don't plan on ever selling it. Of course, being a big fan of the movies, I'm a bit impartial.

Ok, I am going to re-visit this thread, as when I made my original post, I had just gotten my money back from a total douche in my area (who will remain nameless but he is a retailer, not a private sale or fellow pinsider), and I was a bit emotionally driven typing in a one-line response.

First off, am I EVER glad you made an offer. You are making an OUTSTANDING choice. Why? Here I go:

So, first off, I am impartial to the first movie. I was 11/12 when I saw it, and man, that movie for 1993 was simply amazing. I watched it just this year, and realistically, it STILL looks visually stunning. Fast-forward to seeing one at the Grand Casino in Gulfport, AL, and man, I was hooked. It was the first pin that REALLY helped me understand it was not about randomly flinging the ball everywhere; there was a point and an end objective (keep in mind, I'm only 14 at the time - I didn't know ). Tomorrow, I pick up my second JP in 1 month - THAT'S how much I want one - especially after all I went through with my first one, which you can read ALL about here - first post of the thread: http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/what-pinside-is-all-about

So, let's finally get to the game. First off, cabinet art. It is nice and simple - logo on each side with contrasting JP logos on the top side and the main sides (red logo on main side, yellow logo on side of backglass) - simple and straight forward. The translite just looks amazing to me. Yes, I agree, lose the main characters and have ALL DINOS - at first. You gotta remember, this is Jurassic Park, not "10 Million Years Ago". Yeah, the characters do take a slight bit away from the translite - BUT not much - not to me anyways. The TREX is dominant on the translite, and man, the translite, for me, is quite possibly my favorite. The blend of oranges and reds with the TREX is flat-out outstanding.

The playfield art, on the other hand, good mercy.......Nedrys hand directly above the "Lite Extra Ball" insert - OMG - are you kidding me? That just looks HORRIBLE. Other than him, the playfield art looks good, NOT great, but not bad either. This was a tough combination, doing the island map with the characters and all the oranges and reds near the ramp and TREX - tough, tough combo to blend together. Overall, I would say they did pretty good with it. NOT great, but not terrible. Scale of one to ten, I give the playfield art a 7.5, MAYBE an 8 if I'm generous.

The layout is a bit one-sided. Right flipper = 2 ball scoops and MAYBE the back-circular lane if you're good/lucky. Left flipper = one ramp and the boat dock. Top right flipper = TREX or the mid-circular lane. That is pretty much it, there isn't too much more to shoot for. The raptor pit, to me, can be hit with either R/L flipper, and the TREX is pretty much a top-R flipper shot only, unless you get lucky with a bank shot. GET CLIFFY PROTECTORS for all ball scoops - especially the bottom left ones. You will be shooting those very, very often, and they deserve to be kept safe. The pop bumpers are there, but they are nearly non-existent. At the beginning, the ball goes to them, but unless you hit the back circular shot from either direction, they are extra lights at best.

Ok, I've been hard on JP for a reason because now the positives come out. And man, are there EVER a bunch.

The toys: first, of course, is the TREX head. This has to be in the top 5 toys of all time, and quite possibly, the best one ever. The supercharger in HS2, Mist-multiball in BSD, Gumball machine in TZ,now-you-see-it-now-you-dont ball taker in TS, and Thing in TAF - ALL great toys. When that REX head moves all around and watches the ball in play - ok cool - very cool lil' gimmick. When that ball goes into that lil ball pad (which REALLY deserves a toilet seat mod), and he roars and you see him go down and eat that ball, dude, that is it. All other toys pale right there in that moment. Then he actually swallows the ball, "smacks his lips" as if he just ate a BK whopper, and from time to time if you listen closely, he even burps. That alone, right there, made me want the machine. Absolutely AWESOME toy, and it is a HUGE crowd pleaser if you have friends over and they see it for the first time.

Next is the raptor pit. This is a ball-save kicker, exactly like the ones in LW3 and HS2, except that instead of saving the ball, it launches it RIGHT to your left flipper (most of the time). If it drains, the game is forgiving and gives you a "ball save" 9 out of 10 (of which the 10th it goes too far back up the outlane and you get screwed). The raptor pit's speed is all about how quickly the ball heads to the RP. If it is just meandering along and happens to go in the RP, it'll come out but you'll be ready and it won't be TOO fast. If you shoot that ball right in there though, and it makes a clean hit on the kicker, ho (not oh...ho) boy, you better be ready. That sucker will fly in the blink of an eye, and I've even had it hit my flippers with such force that it has gone airball on me. GREAT supporting toy to the TREX.

There's two instances where you have to shoot a raptor on the DMD. One is at the start of every ball (with exceptions of extra ball), and he runs across at different patterns and speeds depending on which ball you're on. The second is in mid game, the DMD POV is diagonal, and he is running across a field in front of your gun. You have to fire multiple times to take him out WHILE the ball is on the playfield. Not too hard, but I have lost a ball here and there trying to multitask. Sometimes, you have to ask yourself, is it worth it...?

All the other dinosaurs are support acts, and you'll see them here and there, but it's mainly for hitting bumpers or stationary drop-targets. Still, good to see the triceratops and dilophosaurus (spitters) on the DMD screen. There is only one ramp, but thankfully it does have a diverter, so in essence, one ramp becomes two - each resulting in a ball going back to each flipper. Also got 1.5 habit trails - one diagonally across the main portion of the playfield (like a mirror image of TZ's), and the other comes out from the table and brings the ball back to your right flipper if TREX is fed or you hit the "S" ball scoop".

One valuable "oddity" exclusive to JP is the Smart missile. It has its own lil' lit button on the ball launch gun, and from my understanding - whatever is lit up on the playfield when you launch that missle = you get. I don't have a complete understanding of its function yet, but it is a GREAT game saver if your two balls drain on you. On the third ball, it is an "instant" multi-ball starter. If your third ball drains and you're fast enough, launch your smart missile, and you get tri-multi-ball right out of the gate. I have done this and racked up extra balls and taken a game that could have been easily x < 20 mil become a x >200 mil points game VERY quickly.

The shaker motor is used VERY well in this game. It goes absolutely insane when you get tri-multi ball or whenever the TREX is headed your way (particularly during the "Feed TREX" mode). Do not disable it unless you're a huge preventative maintenance guy (like me :/ ). It REALLY adds a lot to the game.

The sounds are outstanding. Pretty much, all the voice actors are from the movie and add greatly to the atmosphere. By far, the dinos steal the show here. The TREX roars are simply awesome - especially the one he does after he destroys the jeep during the "match moment". You'll recognize pretty much every noise all the dinosaurs make from the movie. The light show, like any pin, is really good, and I found the attract mode to be simply that - attractive and eye catching. Pretty solid use of flasher bulbs that don't make too much of the game, yet don't take away from it either.

Also, don't be afraid to do some mods. I'm adding two dinos to mine - a triceratops and a raptor. Raptor is going to the pit, and the triceratops is going near the habit-trail. Pics included!

Overall, just an outstanding game. I am a bit biased, I love the first JP as a kid, and my first memories of pinball really stem from this machine, so I may be giving it too much good press, but I simply can't help it. Getting my 2nd machine in 1 month's time span tomorrow, and man, I am PUMPED. I can't wait to get it home and start "touring the park" !

Bottom line, this game and BSD have gotten hot all of a sudden. It has no danger of becoming a "crude oil" game like MM or AFM (Thank God, let some of us youngins afford some good games, thank you!), but it seems to have caught-on lately. If this game had the Bally/Williams badge on it, I really do think it would be a $3000-$4000 title right now. It's in the top 20 of the BangBuck list for a reason, and I'd snag one before the prices take off (remember in 2009 when you could get a AFM for $2500-$4000...?), which thankfully, it's looking like you did!

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Get mine tomorrow!!!! Hope you get yours soon too - post pictures when you do!!! Dinos.jpg DinosinMachine.jpg