We rescheduled Uncle Pinball's interview with Tim. We're going Thursday night.
So you got time to post specific questions!

I have a few Tim stories too

Uncle Pinball

My hat is off to Tim, I have respect for people who do it their way despite what others say. He reminds me of another Las Vegas legend who decided to take his own path in life.

I’m donating. Been there a few times. I try to go every time I’m there. First time I was able to play some classics like mm and afm... then bought the remakes.

Find the Go-Fund-Me here: https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

I have been three times and solely for the EMs. Those of us who play and restore EMs are no different from DMD players. We want games that work. That play the way they are supposed to play.

I noticed a definite downward trend on the game upkeep over my visits. It's not just light bulbs or broken rubbers. It's broken targets, weak flippers and bumpers etc.

Upkeep on that many games is a huge deal and there's no way one guy can do it. I remember seeing it mentioned that guys volunteered to help out when they were in town and were turned down. I guess Tim wants to do it his way and that's fine but when you're drowning you can't be real particular about who throws you the life raft.

I don't expect the games there to play like mine do, that are fully restored and get my full attention every time they have a slight hiccup. It would be nice if they played reasonably well. After my last trip there I really doubted I would return due to the condition of the games.

I hope the place can survive and I am not averse to making a donation but I think there are some changes that need to be made regardless of current circumstances

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Donated for the move. The old location is a dump.

Cool. I'll try to think of some, but since I've never been to PHOF and I've only seen Tim in that one documentary, I'm not sure if I'll come up with anything!

When I go to Vegas it’s not to play pinball

Sorry, no offense. I have plenty of pins at home

That said I donated to the cause

Now there's a true legend. Always dressed to the Nines when performing, and perform he did.

He played at Bally's Las Vegas and Reno several times. He also was a spokesperson for Bally. Also a personal friend of the late, great Bill O'Donnell who made Bally into the largest manufacturer of coin operated amusement and slot machines.

We stopped in Vegas for a few days when making a cross country trip a few years ago and when I was talking to Tim I had the opposite experience. Not only was he interested in having me give him a hand if I could he even offered to have me stay in a mobile home he had behind the PHOF if I wanted to. At the time I had to "stay on schedule" to make it home for a wedding but I am sure Tim would love to get any help he can as long as he is sure the people offering know what they are doing.

I think you will likely see some major changes after the move because with the expansion of the place it will be humanly impossible for Tim to do everything. In my eyes he should add at least one "full time tech" but in the end Tim needs to do what is right for PHOF and for Tim.

Regardless of how things "play out" I am excited to see the move to a new custom built building and am hoping other positive changes will be coming as well. But before those changes can happen Tim needs to get the building paid for so he can get it finished & move in.

Find the Go-Fund-Me here: https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

I was fortunate enough to see Frank on his last tour in Tampa Florida. He sounded great but his son/conductor had to help him out a bit with some stuff. I'd kill to go back in time to see him Dean and Sammy do their thing on the strip.

In a hobby where people regularly spend thousands for a game I don’t think we’re choosing based on price. I’d SO much rather spend $1 for a game that works as intended than $0.25 on one that doesn’t.

At $1 for a working game it’s a bargain because I get to play something I wouldn’t have been able to. At $0.25 and broken I get frustration and have no idea what that game was supposed to be (or could have been).

I hear your plight but do you hear ours?

This is interesting information. Several hundred games are coming from his home? He has a battleship or air craft carrier or something? Question: If you have several hundred games in your private collection-why not sell say 20 of those games to finish the build out of the new building? Once they open up it sounds like they will be just fine and can re-coop cost and begin to add games that they may have had to sell to finish the building?

Before he opened the PHOF, he was an operator who retired out to Vegas and built a huge warehouse out behind his modest bungalow. His original goal was to collect every Gottlieb title and I believe he succeeded.

I had the pleasure of visiting his warehouse back then and it was enormous, and also completely packed to the ceilings. He had over 1,000 back in the 90s.

If anything, 700 games on the floor is only a small part of his collection.

So I will ask again if you have 1000+ games why not sell some off to open the new building? I actually had the thought about those Disney injection mold novelty games sitting in the back collecting dust? (nothing to do with pinball). What about all the other non-working novelties sitting collecting dust? Seems like PHOF could purge a considerable amount of un-used equipment?

They've already sold games to locals on craigslist, someone posted a link earlier in the thread.

Sounds like they just sold a handful of games?(mainly duplicates?)

As Tim has said in audio posted here, older video posted here, and clearly in several of his posts here, he's not asking for suggestions on making changes to how he does it. He's just looking for donations. People can be mad at him for not doing what they suggest all they want, it's not gonna change. You can visit PHOF as it is or not.

Sounds like he wants to pick the low lying fruit and ask for a Go fund me and claim a crisis is at hand to finish the new building instead of trying to dig deeper and sell some stuff off(especially stuff that is collecting dust and not pinball related). Having 1000+ games is mind-boggling to me-sell some off and then concentrate on having a collection that you can maintain properly. No sense filling the entire building with games if you really cannot maintain a full building of pinball machines. Again quality over quantity. Is Tim a Hoarder?(no offense intended)

Great idea! Tims gofundme is looking for 200k, sell 20 old, partially working, crappy games for 10k each. Problem solved.

Sorry but I feel if you own 1000+ games you could afford to sell some. Can't bullshit a bullshitter

Nothing for anyone to be offended about. 99% of the people who go to Vegas are not going there to play pinball. But guess what? When they read the tourist guides of things to do, that's one of the places they end up. That thing is in every single hotel room in the Vegas area.

I go to Vegas every year in Sept to bet on Football and play 3 days of poker tournaments. Somehow, I always find 2 to 4 hours to spend at PHOF.

Some pictures of his collection 20 years ago are here..
https://www.flippers.be/tim_arnold.html

He has a huge hanger behind his house and has there almost every Gottlieb game ever made.
Not sure if the 1000 nr is still correct - maybe he had so many but they're definitely all in working condition..

Who other than Tim would give you this level of detail and transparency before asking you to help him out. Donation made. And rest assured things will be better the 2nd half of the year.

Wait... you've had a dozen plus posts in this thread being critical about the sustainability or practice of Tim.. and you don't even know the premise and history of this place??? da faq??

Do yourself a favor - step away from this thread until you've caught up. You can listen to the old TOPcast interview as a good start - http://www.pinrepair.com/topcast/showget.php?id=51

And then watch this presentation for kind of an 'update' of where they were afterwards

Then read Tim's description/updates here. You'll see Tim is already expanding their scope a good bit vs their traditional laser focus on operating pins and NOTHING else. You'll hear Tim mention time and time again what he sees as the evils/mistakes of others for not staying on target.

Listen to those sessions... respect how far they have come and what they've accomplished... then consider maybe they aren't as dense as many armchair QBs think.

What is the name of the entity? I went to guidestar to try and find it and couldn't locate it?

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/26-0060884

Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club (which is what the thank you from gofundme said....)

I do understand why he runs his business the way he does but it does make it hard to go there. It is completely tailored to pin heads that just want to go and play. I'm never in Vegas alone, and it's the same situation every time. Hey how about we hit the PHOF. Sounds cool, we can grab lunch have a few beers and check it out. There is no food, there is no beer, there is only pinball. Ah... never mind how about you go and catch up with us later. There are places I am happy to turn my wife loose in the spa for an afternoon but Vegas is not one of them.

Thanks! Nice pics aeneas!
I visited first time in 2010 and I always believed phof was already there way longerthan since 2006. Hope to visit once more! Great work and inspiration for the hobby!

Dang, still no Indoor Tanning services.... Maybe someday at the new location.

Note that I am NOT suggesting this. It's only because of the ridiculous line on IRS Form 990.

The 7-11 500 ft down the road from the current location sells tall boys of Corona 2 for $3, along with a bunch of other beers. Vegas doesn't have "open container" laws, so you can walk down the street and chug them on the short walk back. Just don't litter.

While not the gastro-pub atmosphere some people are looking for, chugging beers walking down the street while housing some cheese drowned nachos doesn't even garner a second glance from anyone, especially in that area of town. Perhaps Vegas as a whole?

Isn't that half the fun of Vegas? There's a Duane Reed, CVS, or convenience store every block so you can just walk down the strip slugging beers until you get to your destination. You can practically drink a 6-pack in stride between the Wynn and MGM without skipping a beat.

That is exactly the point. I'm not in Vegas for a stag with a bunch of 20 year old guys. Telling people we can chug a few beers from 7-11 on the street corner is not making anyone change their mind about coming along. The PHOF has nothing to make it tolerable to someone that is not hardcore into pinball. If I was in Vegas alone I would go but there is just so much to do in Vegas and basically all of them are designed to be fun for newbies and groups. At least a dive barcade usually has some food a TV with the game on. People can socialize a little if there not in to pinball.

I really hope the new service area will help with this issue. Hopefully they can develop a system of pulling off non-working games and carting in a freshly repaired game to take it's place.

I disagree. I'd wager that most of the complaints come from those who are really into pinball. Every single time I've brought someone new they have a blast. They don't care if some random target in the game isn't working or the flippers are a little weak. Granted they are not going to be spending all day at the arcade. They will enjoy playing for an hour or two before moving on to other attractions.

If you are into pinball it's great, if your not it has nothing to offer. If someone is new to pinball sure they would love it. I'm not saying it isn't great for people that enjoy pinball. I'm just saying it's not ideal if there are people in your group that are not into pinball. Almost ever activity in Vegas has a viewing deck, snack bar, lounge, gift shop. Something that can keep the people in a group occupied that are not really interested in the activity.

Good lord, people. Have you stopped to think about the fact that, rathering than banking all of his profits for himself, this man has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity? If you, yourself, don't want to help him out during the middle of a catastrophic pandemic... don't do it. If there's another place you want to send your money, send it there. But, why waste your time by assasinating his intelligence, character, and intentions.

Really poor taste, IMO

We may just have to agree to disagree. If individuals have a strong negative opinion of pinball and other coin-op then they probably shouldn't go to the Pinball Hall of Fame, period. I've brought a bunch of people that aren't into pinball at all, and they have always had a great time despite not having a snack bar, lounge, or gift shop. I typically bring people just after lunch, so not having food or drinks has never been an issue. We play for an hour or two and then the group will head back to the resort for some naps or pool time before enjoying the Las Vegas nightlife. If I'm having a real good time, I might stay for some bonus flips before rejoining the group. The most frequent comments are being pleasantly surprised that they can actually play all the games. I think the name "museum" makes people think it's going to be a display behind glass, which with pinball it kind of still is behind glass, just not in the way they were expecting.

That is the weird thing. We can both be right, there is nothing to disagree about. As you stated its for pinball and if your don't like that don't come, period. That is my exact point. You are disagreeing with me by agreeing with me and stating the identical point. It's great that it works for you and your group. Sadly for me that makes it hard for me to go there as often as I like. With the new location being closer it will probably be easier for me to get away and go alone but I did hope the new iteration might modernize a little. It's reputation of take it the way it is or piss off is justified and very well known.

Fair enough, I'm probably just caught up in semantics at this point. I was under the impression that you were stating that you had to be "hardcore into pinball" to enjoy the Pinball Hall of Fame. I do not agree with that statement, but I would agree that they aren't doing anything to attract those that dislike pinball.

Tim, I'm a local and have already donated, but will gladly donate again. I plan on heading over to drop some coin in the next week, and will make sure to drop off another donation while I'm there.

-JP

Scolds people for suggesting changes on how he should run his business.

Gives suggestions on how to run his business lol.

Again - put yourself into Tim's shoes. He wakes up everyday and works all day for free typically giving close to (or over) a half a million dollars a year to charity. He is always behind - has a ton of machines to fix and all other aspects of a business to run. He really doesn't have time to sit around hearing (or reading) about how he should change things and why.

When any of us get to the point we are doing as much for charity as he is I am sure he would gladly sit down and hear ideas but for now he just needs a little help getting the final money it is going to take to get the new place open.

So a guy who has already done more than anyone else in the hobby to help both the hobby & charity should donate more of his personal stuff to PHOF. It isn't enough that the majority of the machines in PHOF were already donated by him and that he also works every day for free - you think he should be doing more instead of asking a few other people to step up and give a little?

I was simply replying to the person I quoted, as it seemed hypocritical. I have no desire to run something like this. I do have some ideas like others, but even ideas from a consumer dont seem to go over well.

Been to PHOF a few times, will be back and will donate.

This is entirely true. By definition if one is going to expand to 3X the size with 3X the number of machines, one needs 3X the prior labor force just to keep status quo. I think any required change will be likely embraced out of simple necessity more than anything.

Tim my first memory of Pinball greatness was at the PHOF - just started getting into it had read a few collector books and was amazed to play some rare ones. I really wanted to play going nuts but the game was removed for a coil issue, the working tech showed me the game, and said if your around in 7 days come back we will have it up, I can get it to the front of the line. It was my last day, but something I won't forget. I went to 2 of your locations and will make it to your third. donated!

I enjoyed the time I visited the PHOF. I was just getting into pinball and got a chance to play many games that I had read about that weren't available locally. There was only one or two games I had hoped to play that were not working.

After reading about the current construction schedule, I'm worried that I may next visit may be right when the old location is being closed and the new location hasn't opened. I'm going to be there the 4/18 to 4/21. It'll be too bad if I miss it but it's not the last time I plan on going to LV.

I'm not big on paying fees to go fund me so I just wrote a check and dropped it in the mail. The PHOF will get 100% of my donation. It's certainly not as convenient as going to a website and putting it on a credit card but it works for me.

I was new to the hobby when Tim graciously invited my wife and I to his house to see the collection in the tin shed. We were able to see both PHOF locations on separate trips prior to them being open to the public. Tim has been nothing but courteous, respectful, and funny during our encounters. We look forward to seeing the new location once we get to the other side of COVID. It will be easier to visit now as the new location is 10 minutes from home. Donation sent.

The idea to move the PHoF was simply a bad business decision. Even before the pandemic... An arcade business with no marketing plan, maintenance issues, poor customer service and a rapidly declining customer base is a recipe for failure. And Tim wants to move all of this to a new multi-million dollar building on South Las Vegas Blvd? Add Tim's ultra-hostile attitude towards his customers and the PHoF probably won't survive for long.

Donations??? The pinball community has graciously donated to the PHoF project for over 25 years. The result was a great home for the PHoF on Tropicana Ave. Now Tim wants more donations to move the PHoF and to help with his financial SNAFU??? No, thank you.

I have read through many of these posts with interest.

People seem not to be able to separate the Pinball Hall of Fame from Tim and the link to Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club in the Go Fund Me.

Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club Is listed as a non- profit in NV and it shows it’s history on the Pinball Hall of Fame website.

All non profits are required to have a Board of Directors with specific Officers. Non profits are created to benefit the public.

That means the Board , not Tim , defines the vision and make the monitory choices by Board vote.

No Board Member can take money from a Non Profit - it’s called inurement.

I am guessing, as I don’t see it clearly defined that Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club is running the Pinball Hall of Fame and that Tim is lending or renting the machines to them.

Looks like we can't count on a donation from you, eh?