I have been going to Allentown and York for many years but am considering a vacation next year to visit a show that's not on the east coast. I'm not looking for competitive or tournament play just want to play lots of pinball. How do the shows compare? Which typically have the most machines on free play?
The Texas Pinball Festival normally has 300 to 400 games. Large venue so you're not asses to elbows while you play.
This has become my go to show.
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:The Texas Pinball Festival normally has 300 to 400 games. Large venue so you're not asses to elbows while you play.
This has become my go to show.
I would like to go to TPF also. Everyone says how amazing it is.
Quoted from ultimategameroom:just want to play lots of pinball. How do the shows compare? Which typically have the most machines on free play?
is this all you are interested in? If you really JUST want to play great playing pins then without question the only place to visit is VFW.
As much as I have issue with Clay for the whole Predator BS, the guy has the nicest playing collection of diverse pins anywhere.
VFW is well worth the visit to play lots of games. It does get super packed on the good stuff (despite the limited ticket sales, most people are not there for the older games so there are lines for the popular games), but if you like oddballs and older games then you can play a ton in short order.
If you want more than just playing, then MGC is the best show for pure entertainment value/ # of games /social aspect. Also with the new venue I think they will have more space than any other show out there and should not be elbows and butts. Excited to have it in a real city now also with lots of easily accessible stuff outside of the actual show.
TPF is also a very fun show. Huge space, lots of games, fun people, and it seems to be taking over as the announcment show also. It is in the middle of nowhere so outside of the show there is not much to do.
East coast, lots of pinball? No question...ReplayFX.
--
Rob Anthony
Pinball Classics
http://LockWhenLit.com
Quality Board Work - In Home Service
borygard at gmail dot com
Ann Arbor Michigan Pinball Showcase 2018:
• Game totals as of 09/17/17: 389
• All games are currently set up, 100% working, all either very good to collector quality examples.
• Project total for the May 2018 show: 400+
• The show has limited attendance for each day to prevent overcrowding.
• Onsite repair facility’s and tech’s to essentially guarantee all games will be up and running at the end of the show.
• http://vfwpinball.com/ Search for Pinside threads on the past shows for all the positive comments
Total Gottlieb machines: 75
Total Bally machines: 112
Total Williams machines: 91
Total Chicago Coin machines: 9
Total Dataeast machines: 17
Total Capcom machines: 2
Total Classic Stern machines: 19
Total New Stern machines: 21
Total Other makes: 43
Total 1950s machines: 21
Total 1960s machines: 26
Total 1970s machines: 70
Total 1980s machines: 151
Total 1990s machines: 80
Total 2000s machines: 22
Total EM arcade machines: 19
Total EM machines: 132
Total SS machines: 257
Total Machines (all types): 389
To be clear:
Ann Arbor Michigan Pinball Showcase 2018 = VFW = Vintage Flipper World = Clay = [email protected]
Located between Brighton and Ann Arbor Michigan
Doug D.
Quoted from Borygard:East coast, lots of pinball? No question...ReplayFX.
unfortunately if he does not want to compete then ReplayFx is a bad show to go to.
The vast majority of games are used in the big tournament. After the main tournament they open up a good chunk of games to the general public (during finals) but IME they pretty much stopped maintaining them for the weekend by then so lots of broken down and stuff that had already been put through the paces of long days of tournament play. ReplayFX has a huge list of games but what is open to the general public and what is actually worth playing by the time it is open to the public is far fewer unfortunately.
I think Replay also shows how moving games can be hard on them. This sames games when at the old PAPA facility all played extremely well.
Thanks for all the info. Everyone.
Is the VFW show a one time a year event?
Looks pretty amazing!!!
I always thought it was an event at a veterans of foreign wars hall.
I should have known better.
Pintastic New England has quickly become the best show to attend in the east. The flea market still needs to grow, but in terms of stuff to do for the pinhead AND his family, it can't be beat. I'm already in for next year - that and TPF are my favorites.
VFW show is held in the spring. The 2018 event will be the 4th or 5th year in a row.
A little more shameless shilling for the VFW:
• No duplicate titles.
• 21 Zaccaria (Italy) titles
• The game list (see web site) includes rare games that are typically no shows at other shows; from
• Knock Out (Gottlieb 1950) & Mermaid (Gottlieb 1951), to Cactus Canyon Continued (Williams 1998) & Big Bang Bar (Capcom
Pinball 1996/2007) to Alien (Heighway 2017)
Quoted from nsduprr:Total Gottlieb machines: 75
Total Bally machines: 112
Total Williams machines: 91
Total Chicago Coin machines: 9
Total Dataeast machines: 17
Total Capcom machines: 2
Total Classic Stern machines: 19
Total New Stern machines: 21
Total Other makes: 43
Total 1950s machines: 21
Total 1960s machines: 26
Total 1970s machines: 70
Total 1980s machines: 151
Total 1990s machines: 80
Total 2000s machines: 22
Total EM arcade machines: 19
Total EM machines: 132
Total SS machines: 257
Total Machines (all types): 389
I think it is always important for people to realize that while VFW has an amazing total count of games, over 50% are likely not going to appeal to the majority of pinheads (nothing wrong with that). I mention it because I see the constant hype of the numbers but have also witnessed first hand the people that walk alway saying 1 day is enough due to so many of the games not being what they are in to (and the popular ones having a line to play).
Lots of EMs and oddballs, while enjoyed by me, are not considered fun by much of the more casual pin playing population.
In short, dont oversell the VFW show. It already sells out every year anyway, so I see no reason to oversell as it just leads to false expecatations.
Quoted from ultimategameroom:Thanks for all the info. Everyone.
Is the VFW show a one time a year event?
Looks pretty amazing!!!
I always thought it was an event at a veterans of foreign wars hall.
I should have known better.
The primary open house/event/show/showcase is over one three-day period in May. 2018 will mark the 5th year of the show. There have been some charity events open to the public in exchange for donations of goods to charity organizations. They get announced just before the event so basically only good for those close by to attend.
Yes the event is held in a former Vetrans of Foreign Wars hall. Hence the "VFW Pinball" name.
Quoted from Whysnow:I think it is always important for people to realize that while VFW has an amazing total count of games, over 50% are likely not going to appeal to the majority of pinheads (nothing wrong with that). I mention it because I see the constant hype of the numbers but have also witnessed first hand the people that walk alway saying 1 day is enough due to so many of the games not being what they are in to.
Lots of EMs and oddballs, while enjoyed by me, are not considered fun by much of the more casual pin playing population.
In short, dont oversell the VFW show. It already sells out every year anyway, so I see no reason to oversell as it just leads to false expecatations.
I have PERSONALLY invited a little over 100 Friends, co-workers and acquaintances to the past VFW events and not a single one has said anything to the effect that many games were not for them. All have attended and most have attended multiple events.
If you just want to play pinball, arcade expo in banning, CA (actually they have a Halloween event in a couple weeks).
TPF is my favorite and if you want to play a ton of pinball on really dialed in games replayfx on Saturday and Sunday when the tournament games free up.
WEll pinball expo in Chicago does not have the largest amount of games overall it still offers the most variety of any show.. We have a great variety of vendors, A factory tour of Stern pinball plant, a large amount of industry people now and in the past ,The most seminars of any show and a banquet which always features a pinball celebrity . Out tournament is second only to REPLAY as far as payouts. WE have been running 33 consectutive years .Our 2017 show is next week see www.pinballexpo.com for all details
Quoted from beelzeboob:Pintastic New England has quickly become the best show to attend in the east. The flea market still needs to grow, but in terms of stuff to do for the pinhead AND his family, it can't be beat. I'm already in for next year - that and TPF are my favorites.
Don't forget we are open 62hr strait pinball play if you a VIP in 2018. Can you stand up that long? If your not a VIP the free play room is still open to 2am. Full bar and craft beers. It's a 3 day party for the whole family with over 250 pins in 2017. If your family does not want to play that much pinball well we have a beach on a fresh water lake and many attraction close to the show. Don't forget the free kids entertainment. Face painting, caricature artist, ballon animals and new for 2018 a fire breathing gipsy!
I think your answer should begin with you saying exactly what type of pins you want to play at the show you're visiting, and then you should also think about how long you want to play them.
MGC has Toms on Friday that has about 360 machines set up, some newer and a ton of older ones. But it's only a few hours, so it's not as good as they as the VFW show.
If you want to play the new games immediately after they are revealed, Expo and Texas get all the new reveals.
There are lots of different reasons to attend each show, it's worth really defining what you are interested in and then seeing what fits the best.
Quoted from mikepin:WEll pinball expo in Chicago does not have the largest amount of games overall it still offers the most variety of any show.. We have a great variety of vendors, A factory tour of Stern pinball plant, a large amount of industry people now and in the past ,The most seminars of any show and a banquet which always features a pinball celebrity . Out tournament is second only to REPLAY as far as payouts. WE have been running 33 consectutive years .Our 2017 show is next week see http://www.pinballexpo.com for all details
I can say after being to expo for mutiple years, it is definately not worth the cost to travel to if flying. It is a very expensive show to attend (just hotel and show/seminar tickets).
Sorry Mike but hard reality is Expo is way down the list in overall # of games and diversity of games to play. It is NOT the show to attend for someone looking to play games.
It is fun for the epxerience, but the OP is asking about shows where he can play lots of games.
Quoted from Whysnow:It is fun for the epxerience, but the OP is asking about shows where he can play lots of games.
It depends how you define playing a lot of games. Expo has the most time that the game hall is open for play. That's definitely a bonus and the tour of Stern is awesome too.
Quoted from Whysnow:I think it is always important for people to realize that while VFW has an amazing total count of games, over 50% are likely not going to appeal to the majority of pinheads (nothing wrong with that). I mention it because I see the constant hype of the numbers but have also witnessed first hand the people that walk alway saying 1 day is enough due to so many of the games not being what they are in to (and the popular ones having a line to play).
Lots of EMs and oddballs, while enjoyed by me, are not considered fun by much of the more casual pin playing population.
In short, dont oversell the VFW show. It already sells out every year anyway, so I see no reason to oversell as it just leads to false expecatations.
I agree with you except for the last two sentances.
I'm not "overselling", just clarifying what the VFW is all about. That is, don’t expect multiple copies of your favorite Stern or WPC tiles. You can expect to find one of “almost” everything SS or DMD.
Yes, the show sells out on Saturday (as in weeks ahead of time) and nearly sells out Friday and Sunday. But to the OP, the 20 newest Pinsides as of yesterday, or relative newbies to the show scene, the “selling” discussion may be worthwhile to them.
Doug D.
VFW Member (full disclosure for those wondering)
TPF seems like a good one, a lot of games and activities. Never been there yet, but I'd like to get out to it eventually.
Personally Expo would be my pick though. Being right in the heart of Pinball manufacturing means Expo has a lot going on that other shows don't really get. A lot of great panels and reveals too, as well as just being a good place to gather as a community.
Quoted from WaddleJrJr:TPF seems like a good one, a lot of games and activities. Never been there yet, but I'd like to get out to it eventually.
Personally Expo would be my pick though. Being right in the heart of Pinball manufacturing means Expo has a lot going on that other shows don't really get. A lot of great panels and reveals too, as well as just being a good place to gather as a community.
Pinball Expo and Texas and Allantown are all great shows no doubt about it. I go to them every year. So much fun!
Quoted from dannunz:Pinball Expo and Texas and Allantown are all great shows no doubt about it. I go to them every year. So much fun!
Allentown is a great buy/sell show. Also the Farmer's market across the street is a must visit.
Expo is the grand daddy of industry shows. People from all over the nation and world converge there every year.
http://www.pinballnews.com/site/ Pinball News has a diary of up coming shows and show reports. So you can read and see what shows have to offer.
Pinball Expo is next week, if you want to get a jump on your pinball show tour.
LTG : )
Thanks again for all the info everyone!
I hope to make it to many of the shows mentioned over the next few years.
Quoted from dannunz:Don't forget we [Pintastic New England] are open 62hr strait pinball play if you a VIP in 2018. Can you stand up that long? If your not a VIP the free play room is still open to 2am. Full bar and craft beers. It's a 3 day party for the whole family with over 250 pins in 2017. If your family does not want to play that much pinball well we have a beach on a fresh water lake and many attraction close to the show. Don't forget the free kids entertainment. Face painting, caricature artist, ballon animals and new for 2018 a fire breathing gipsy!
Pintastic New England has:
Multiple rooms with games on free play
Vendor/exhibition hall
Tournaments
Seminars
Some degree of flea-market activity, and we are discussing how to expand that
All the non-pinball stuff dannunz mentioned, plus arcade and console video games
In 2017 we had a world premiere, though not a "reveal" as people already knew the title. I agree with LTG that you should check the calendar listings on PinballNews.com (and the calendar here on Pinside) to get more leads and info.
.................David Marston
Quoted from LTG:http://www.pinballnews.com/site/ Pinball News has a diary of up coming shows and show reports. So you can read and see what shows have to offer.
Pinball Expo is next week, if you want to get a jump on your pinball show tour.
LTG : )
Thanks you! Lots of great info on this site.
The VFW ann arbor show for 2018 will have 400 games. They're all unique and they cover nearly all eras of postwar pinball. And when we start with 400 games, we end with 400 working games. Because there's an on-site repair, parts and restoration facility, we have all the parts and expertise to keep the games running for the entire show. There are lots of unique games there that you just will not see anywhere else. Of course there's all the popular stuff too, but the whole point of the show is to introduce people to games that they do not see at other venues.
For example we probably have the largest collection of Italian pinballs in North America (zaccaria). And a nearly complete collection of Bally –35, Dataeast and stern games, Bally zipper flippers, stern m200, WPC, system 11, system 3-7, and awesome wedgeheads, woodrails, ball bowlers, gun games, etc etc. It may be the best working and diverse and set up pinball collection in North America.
www.vfwpinball.com
Quoted from cfh:The VFW ann arbor show for 2018 will have 400 games. They're all unique and they cover nearly all eras of postwar pinball. And when we start with 400 games, we end with 400 working games. Because there's an on-site repair, parts and restoration facility, we have all the parts and expertise to keep the games running for the entire show. There are lots of unique games there that you just will not see anywhere else. Of course there's all the popular stuff too, but the whole point of the show is to introduce people to games that they do not see at other venues.
For example we probably have the largest collection of Italian pinballs in North America (zaccaria). And a nearly complete collection of Bally –35, Dataeast and stern games, Bally zipper flippers, stern m200, WPC, system 11, system 3-7, and awesome wedgeheads, woodrails, ball bowlers, gun games, etc etc. It may be the best working and diverse and set up pinball collection in North America.
http://www.vfwpinball.com
I am planning my second kid around this show, can't wait to go! I heard it does close early compared to most shows. Is this accurate for 2018?
Quoted from Beyndtstng:I am planning my second kid around this show, can't wait to go! I heard it does close early compared to most shows. Is this accurate for 2018?
No.
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