Airborne
Capcom, 1996
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Williams, 1993
Demolition Man
Williams, 1994
Frontier
Bally, 1980
Pinball Magic
Capcom, 1995
TX-Sector
Gottlieb, 1988
World Poker Tour
Stern, 2006We hear a lot of talk about what pins have gotten overpriced, but I've not seen a thread about the most undervalued machines... so let's start one!
What do you think are the most undervalued machines? Why do you think they are undervalued?
Almost any Williams System 11's. Great play and very reliable. These will soon be going the way of Fathoms and Centaurs.
Quoted from jamieflowers:any game that I am trying to sell
That wouldn't pass muster on the "why" part of the question.
EMs. Too many pinball collectors dismiss them because they've never really played one in good operating condition and/or taken the time to appreciate the creative design and challenging gameplay of most.
- Tim
Doctor Who - great theme integration, great game play, one of the best toys in pinball. Also, it is very approachable for new players and though easy to understand has a reasonable amount of strategy needed.
Most of the games people love to play have already been discovered by now. There are some diamonds in the rough that just haven't caught on yet. Either from lack of exposure or availability, manufacturer snobbery, better choices, or who knows why.
There are a few System 3 Gottliebs that are a blast to play, still relatively cheap and fairly reliable. Surf N Safari, Cactus Jacks, Class of 1812 are all fun to play. All three are quirky in their own way. Gameplan Cyclopes is on par with some of the best games from that era, but very hard to find. I agree that many Williams System 11 games are good, but in my mind that ship has already sailed as prices have jumped on most of those games, too.
Some games take a long time to really take off. I remember collecting Bally/Stern games back in 2003 and I thought I was already late to the party. Turned out that the party was just getting started.
One other thing to think about. Some times manufacturers tend to just catch on. It could be Bally/Williams games, or classic Bally or name your favorite manufacturer. Game titles that really aren't that good tend to be swept up in the buying frenzy along with the good ones. It is not always clear which ones those are, so be sure to get a lot of play into any title.
Most of the classic Bally games. Sure, Mata Hari and Evel Kneivel still can fetch a price in nice shape, but I practically stole a nice Harlem Globetrotters about a year ago, and for some reason I seem to see a lot of Eight Ball machines sell pretty cheap (mine was $150, not working) and that is a great game. People discovered them for a while, but now everyone seems to want more flashy games. I like new games as well, but I couldn't imagine owning games without a bunch of classic beater games in the house.
This is kinda the same question as best bang for buck pins.
i still love dm for flow and combo's and for the price its great .
Jd is the same way has alot going on and great art and sounds amazing with a polk sub .
Jp also has a ton of modes and is pretty difficult just wish it had magnets like lah which also you get alot for the money.
My personal favorite for the money is rs it has so much going on and was designed by one of the best and has probably the best incorporated shaker in pinball .its a beast of a shaker unlike data east and others
There are many others but they are the ones im most familiar with
Congo. I paid about half of what I did for LOTR to get Congo, and it's just stupid fun. I put a FF speaker system in (putting a shaker in tomorrow), and the whole house shakes like a ghost tribe is having a party downstairs. Lower PF, awesome ramps, bi-directional VUK, and a volcano that spits multiballs when it erupts. Oh yeah...and there's probably far less than 2000 left in existence. Yes, the price has been creeping up--as well as the appreciation for the machine--but I don't know why it hasn't happened faster. Glad I got in when I did.
Game: Rollergames
Why: It's an updated & faster High Speed style layout with additional "toys". It has the same upper-flipper drop ramp that Star Trek does, and people seem to like Star Trek's.
Problem: People usually can't get past the campy theme. But once you realize how silly the theme is and how bloody catchy the music is then the game really becomes wicked fun!
Quoted from DaveH:Most of the classic Bally games. Sure, Mata Hari and Evel Kneivel still can fetch a price in nice shape, but I practically stole a nice Harlem Globetrotters about a year ago, and for some reason I seem to see a lot of Eight Ball machines sell pretty cheap (mine was $150, not working) and that is a great game. People discovered them for a while, but now everyone seems to want more flashy games. I like new games as well, but I couldn't imagine owning games without a bunch of classic beater games in the house.
All you hear now is deep rule set it seems the classics are out of favor.
Tommy, although prices have gone up some. I still believe it is the best playing Data East game out there. I bought mine about 6 or 7 years ago for $1800. I over paid at the time but it has finally caught up.
WCS94 is another that is under-valued. About 3 years ago I bought a partially working WCS for $650. Did a semi-restoration on it and sold it for $1050. Again, prices have gone up.
Here's some off the top of my head that I think are under valued. But it's just my personal opinion really. I tried to list a lot that I don't currently own.
Mr/Ms Pacman
Elektra
Sinbad
Split Second
Barracora
T3
Transformers Pro
High Roller Casino
Star Race
Star Trip
The Simpsons (DE)
Hollywood Heat
Bone Busters
Waterworld
Barb Wire
Firepower II
Heavy Metal Meltdown
Most classic Stern titles
Quoted from JonH123:Star Trek tng and White Water
No-way-in-hell. This is the undervalued thread, not the overvalued one!
Quoted from ItsOnlyPinball:Bally Heavy Metal Meltdown
Data East Time Machine
Williams FIRE!
I agree with Time Machine!
I know I'm being "that guy" naming two machines I own, but here are games I think are great bang for the buck:
Black Hole - GREAT game, total classic, looks amazing too .. All for typically around $1000!
STTNG - best theme integration of all time with full-cast custom callouts, packed to the gills with features, toys, and multiball modes, legendary Picard Maneuver shot. No good reason for this to be half the price of a Cirqus Voltaire and cheaper than CFTBL or PotC.
High Speed - hugely influential game. Ahead of its time. super fast gameplay. Tremendous bargain at under $1000.
Black Knight 2000 - simply the best pinball soundtrack ever. Wonderfully cheesy. Gameplay is decent too. Pre-DMD Solid State games are generally a great deal right now.
Mousin' Around - fast and fun. unique lock mechanism. Great flow. Cool shots. Unappealing theme keeps prices on this one very low relative to the quality of gameplay.
Elektra? I am sometimes forced to play Elektra in league. Now granted, it is not in the best of shape, but I wouldn't give $500 for that bucket of bolts!
Quoted from pezpunk:Black Knight 2000 - simply the best pinball soundtrack ever. Wonderfully cheesy. Gameplay is decent too.
Agreed! Except I think the game play is great for the era in which it was made.
Flash Gordon
Ok, I may be biased because I own two of them but you often see them for $500 - $600. The playfields can be a bit worn but they are still very playable and are extremely challenging to play well.
Pool Sharks is generally $1K or less. I thought I'd get tired of it quickly and sell it, bought I'm still enjoying it. Many cool features:
2 timed "jackpot" shots, one of which decreases as the time counts down
timed shot to lite extra ball and then use flippers to change the lit extra ball inlane / outlane
captive ball shot that increases in value and has a timed 2X multiplier
funny callouts from the talking shark and the babes - "don't poke it stroke it", "nice follow", etc.
cheesy music that relaxes and hypnotizes you
eight ball or nine-ball - two games in one although not much different
those buxom babes on the backglass that whisper your name - oops never mind 
Quoted from LOTR_breath:Elektra? I am sometimes forced to play Elektra in league. Now granted, it is not in the best of shape, but I wouldn't give $500 for that bucket of bolts!
Quoted from LOTR_breath:it is not in the best of shape
My guess is this is the real problem here. Although, I admit - I did not keep mine. The opinion of yours is shared among many, it's a love/hate game. I miss it sometimes
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