I would have more fun buying 50 $100 games if I had the room... A new game would be great to unpack & put together but I would buy the most I could with the money I had.

I would buy as many pins as I could for the money that I had. I don't have a collection, I have machines that I play. Spending 3-4-5-10 thousand for 1 machine I think is pretty stupid if you are thinking its an investment. Sure I would love to own a Medieval Madness but I would only buy one if I had unlimited cash. It's like a car....wouldn't you buy a Ferrari if you had the money? Out of the machines that I have I play the lesser expensive, simple ones moreso than my newer more costly machines. Go for quantity, and not the expensisve ones!!

Well you know you can find some real good 'pins' for $1200 or less.
Try to find a pinball show in your area -a great way to compare games side by side.
How much room do you have? Can you fit more then three?

Totally agreed! There are so many underdogs out there: Demolition Man, Johnny Mnemonic, Dirty Harry and such. They won't break the bank (as compared to the Medieval Madnesses out there) and are great value and fun to play!

I'd keep the rotation going until I find the 3 games that I wouldn't sell for "any" price

It feels better with more machines, but be warned; those old machines can get old quickly. I would get a (full-packed!) piball machine personally...

Hmm, well, I just sent off payment for my first top ten game tonight, so I guess I went that direction!

I think you'll be happy either way. With a top ten game you'll always be improving on the machine, as many of them have deep rule sets or modes that are tough to get to and master. When you have a variety of games, you can spread your attention out and you won't grow old of them as fast.

In the end, if you have one machine you really love or three that are all fun, you're a happy pinhead.

i went the top ten route to start with and got tz. i have no problem getting lesser pins but will not be a warehouse for other peoples garbage either. i have no problem with a new machine but these sterns are a slight disappointment so far. so for 5000 a nib stern cannot touch a pair of 12year old bally/williams machines that need a bit of work imho. i really hope that one day stern gets a decent machine worthy of collectible status, i would be all over it!

peter

Yeah I'd have to agree with you vex on 12 year old bally and williams,
too bad Stern doesn't have any competition in the States or Europe to think about.
could you imagine a pinball war between two MFGs? or even a resurgence of pinball in general?

Well I think spider-man is a GREAT recent game from Stern. I agree that most have not been up to snuff but spider-man is and Awesome pin.

I'm having the same dilemma....two 'cheaper' pins, or Guns n' Roses. I keep thinking logically that it would make more sense to have a couple of fun pins, but Guns is so fun AND rare. I go back and forth...

Also do not forget that more machines means way more up keep. They can be a handful sometimes. Not that I don't wish I had more. I went the top ten route and have been happy but have had to put some work into it. I can't imagine right now having the time to keep multiple pins running well.

Good point, Savage. I think sometimes I get lulled into thinking they'll just keep working with no upkeep lol

Maintenance, upkeep, mods, thats half the fun!!

Oh yeah I'd buy as many pins you have the room for, the more the merrier.

Alright question for you guys....which setup should I go for?:

1) Bram Stoker Dracula & Guns n' Roses OR...
2) Bram Stoker Dracula/Blackout/Demolition Man

Only if you have the time bugray. The upkeep takes time and if you don't have the time the machines will run down that is all I was saying. Plus, I may be in the minority but I think that one of the great pins would be/is funner to own than 2 or 3 okay pins not to mention less time and money to upkeep once you have it.

jk2171, so your set on Dracula huh, I would probably go with option 2 myself. Try to get some play time on the machines you want to buy. If not do a lot of research to make sure you will like what you get.

No drama, it's all good fun. I like Dracula too.

Blah ! Blah ! Blah ! I want to suck your blood ! (and drain your pinballs)

bela_lugosi_aka_dracula_15.jpg

You cant go wrong with a new NIB or used Spiderman. Even if your arent a huge fan of the movies or comics, the game play is fantastic. and when you change the machine over to all LED's, its a mind altering trip. I would recommend this machine to anyone without hesitation.

Yeah, Dracula I already own. I was looking at the other two or Guns...but just decided today to go with Guns. Should be here next week.

I think if you consider maintenance, its more practical if you have the same brand. A Data East is slightly different than a W/B

I hear that, i've got a few bits and pieces/spares Bally and Gottlieb, mostly board components. I managed to sell off some excess this year, not for profit just because i had so many of one kind. Sure i'll use the rest at some point. I think I should have a clear out and post my excess on this site.