(Topic ID: 319631)

Rookie advice

By Bengarce277

1 year ago


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  • Latest reply 1 year ago by Bmanpin
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    #1 1 year ago

    Hello all, I’ve always wanted a pinball machine and I was hoping for your help.

    Anytime I see one, I play, but I haven’t had enough time or variety to figure out which one I would love enough and can afford to have at home. (<$3000)

    Of course gameplay is a priority, but I am also interested in artwork. I’ve read that most of the community does not like Gottlieb, but it seems that they have some of the best artwork to me.

    I typically do not like most of the sports, movies, and tv show themed pins, with the rare exception of Jurassic Park and Bram Stoker’s Dracula Pin to name a few. I tend to gravitate towards original themes based on sci fi and monsters. I really like Grogur, Firepower, space invaders , sorcerer, and elecktra’s artwork that is currently affordable on this marketplace.

    If you have any suggestions that fall into these parameters, please let me know. I’m inexperienced to most of this world, but I’m willing to learn.

    Fun to play
    Artwork
    Sci fi/ monster / original themed
    <$3000

    Thank you

    #2 1 year ago

    Where are you located?

    -14
    #3 1 year ago

    Wow another under $3k pin thread, gotta feeling you should just search the forum for threads for pins under $2,500 (gotta be a few of those too) and you will probably get a decent list of pins in your price range. Due to current pinflation the other under $3k pin threads are probably closer to $4k+ now.

    #5 1 year ago

    Maybe Pinbot would work well for you? They hover around 3K.

    #6 1 year ago
    Quoted from CoachBacca:

    Wow another under $3k pin thread, gotta feeling you should just search the forum for threads for pins under $2,500 (gotta be a few of those too) and you will probably get a decent list of pins in your price range. Due to current pinflation the other under $3k pin threads are probably closer to $4k+ now.

    Yeah, it's a shame 200 hours of hard manual labor have to be expended each time a new thread is created. God forbid OP doesn't dig up some "cheap, good pins" thread from 4 years ago that's 90 pages down. But thank you so much for standing up for the conservation of threads and really giving OP the business

    #7 1 year ago

    I'd recommend either trying to track down some pins at a local barcade or bowling ally in your area and seeing if anything grabs your interest. You can also try out machines via a pinball emulator (VPX, FX3) and get a feel for the game, its rules, shots, and everything else. Given, virtual pinball and the real thing are apples and oranges when actually playing them, but the rules and layout are the same. I find that 9/10 if I like or dislike a virtual pin, I feel the same about it when i play it in real life. it's definitely helped steer my interest in the right direction and I know what real pins I plan on grabbing when the time is right.

    #8 1 year ago

    Some ideas for affordable pins in the Sci Fi/Monster/Original theme area around $3000 or less:

    PinBot
    Taxi
    Meteor
    High Speed
    Firepower
    Flash Gordon
    Xenon

    #9 1 year ago

    Shipping is getting very expensive so keep your search to games you can pick up.

    #10 1 year ago

    I second Paragon. It's an older game, made in 1979, but it's a great game! Even without multi ball it's very fun and challenging. And since artwork is important to you, it has one of the best art packages of any pinball machine made IMO. Also, it's easier to maintain than a newer game and fairly common/popular so parts are not difficult to find. Not sure where you are located but a players condition Paragon usually goes for less than $3000 where I live.

    #11 1 year ago
    Quoted from Foxxstone_80:

    I second Paragon. It's an older game, made in 1979, but it's a great game! Even without multi ball it's very fun and challenging. And since artwork is important to you, it has one of the best art packages of any pinball machine made IMO. Also, it's easier to maintain than a newer game and fairly common/popular so parts are not difficult to find. Not sure where you are located but a players condition Paragon usually goes for less than $3000 where I live.

    ya paragon is amazing, love mine and don’t see myself selling it anytime soon

    #12 1 year ago

    Data East Jurassic Park is a fantastic game! It was my first game and I bet you can find one inside that budget and you're going to love it!

    #13 1 year ago

    Make sure you see the game in person. Do not rely on photos.

    #14 1 year ago
    Quoted from Mike_J:

    Make sure you see the game in person. Do not rely on photos.

    That's real good advice, if you pick up locally try to find someone who knows about machines to go with you. I owned Jurrassic for about 3 years. Picked it up and it did not work. I braced myself for a long arduous fix. Turned out to be the famous Data East fuse holders. Had it up and running the next day.

    #15 1 year ago

    I recommend putting Visual Pinball on your PC and trying different games
    you mention the art on a Gottlieb, then they were good in the 70s, then you mention Dracula a great game from the 90s
    You cannot compare the two
    Using Visual Pinball will give you a chance to find out what you like, then you can make a list of 10 games that would make you happy and then you can start your search

    #16 1 year ago

    I personally love Gottlieb games, they have great art, great sounds and usually always have an interesting layout and most are affordable even for a game that has a dmd. Gottliebs tend to be alittle harder to work on then say a Williams. I started out with a Williams Firepower. Great art with great speech and sound. It has good multiball and it is very affordable. I would say any early Stern like Meteor, Galaxy, Flight 2000 would be a good option also. I have a Meteor and have the new code installed, and that gives the option to go back and forth to play the old code and the new code. Very cool.

    Quoted from Bengarce277:

    Hello all, I’ve always wanted a pinball machine and I was hoping for your help.
    Anytime I see one, I play, but I haven’t had enough time or variety to figure out which one I would love enough and can afford to have at home. (<$3000)
    Of course gameplay is a priority, but I am also interested in artwork. I’ve read that most of the community does not like Gottlieb, but it seems that they have some of the best artwork to me.
    I typically do not like most of the sports, movies, and tv show themed pins, with the rare exception of Jurassic Park and Bram Stoker’s Dracula Pin to name a few. I tend to gravitate towards original themes based on sci fi and monsters. I really like Gorgar, Firepower, space invaders , sorcerer, and elecktra’s artwork that is currently affordable on this marketplace.
    If you have any suggestions that fall into these parameters, please let me know. I’m inexperienced to most of this world, but I’m willing to learn.
    Fun to play
    Artwork
    Sci fi/ monster / original themed
    <$3000
    Thank you

    #17 1 year ago

    If you like art possibly a nitro groundshaker by Bally.

    #18 1 year ago

    I third Paragon...but seems like a hot pin right now.
    3K will get you a solid condition Paragon...if you can find it

    Art is crazy cool!

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    #19 1 year ago
    Quoted from Bengarce277:

    Hello all, I’ve always wanted a pinball machine and I was hoping for your help.
    Anytime I see one, I play, but I haven’t had enough time or variety to figure out which one I would love enough and can afford to have at home. (<$3000)
    Of course gameplay is a priority, but I am also interested in artwork. I’ve read that most of the community does not like Gottlieb, but it seems that they have some of the best artwork to me.
    I typically do not like most of the sports, movies, and tv show themed pins, with the rare exception of Jurassic Park and Bram Stoker’s Dracula Pin to name a few. I tend to gravitate towards original themes based on sci fi and monsters. I really like Grogur, Firepower, space invaders , sorcerer, and elecktra’s artwork that is currently affordable on this marketplace.
    If you have any suggestions that fall into these parameters, please let me know. I’m inexperienced to most of this world, but I’m willing to learn.
    Fun to play
    Artwork
    Sci fi/ monster / original themed
    <$3000
    Thank you

    Best advice I have for you is to not be picky with your first game. Get whatever is in your budget and seems like a fair deal. Need to really find out if you’re okay with the maintenance and upkeep side of owning a game. If you’re not, it can get crazy expensive really quick (if you can find a good tech in your area).

    Pick the game up in person, inspect it top to bottom before taking it home. Bring a friend to help you move it.

    #20 1 year ago
    Quoted from RGarriott:

    I personally love Gottlieb games, they have great art, great sounds and usually always have an interesting layout and most are affordable even for a game that has a dmd. Gottliebs tend to be alittle harder to work on then say a Williams. I started out with a Williams Firepower. Great art with great speech and sound. It has good multiball and it is very affordable. I would say any early Stern like Meteor, Galaxy, Flight 2000 would be a good option also. I have a Meteor and have the new code installed, and that gives the option to go back and forth to play the old code and the new code. Very cool.

    I think that Firepower would be the perfect first game!

    #21 1 year ago

    I usually recommend it as a good first game but unfortunately T2 has crept over the 3k mark, unless you get lucky. Great sci fi theme, DMD, cool audio and dots. My first DMD game so I could be biased....

    #22 1 year ago

    You can’t go wrong with games like blackout, firepower, sorcerer or flight 2000. Lots of food early solid state games that are good for learning repair and playing.

    Be patient and wait for something at a fair market price and you’ll be fine. Very easy to buy/sell and upgrade over time.

    #23 1 year ago

    Paragon.
    Pinbot
    8 ball Deluxe LE
    Centaur 2
    Firepower
    Jokerz

    But serioulsy..seriously... with your asks... Paragon

    #24 1 year ago

    And Bally Space invaders if you just want a looker... that and Black Hole

    #25 1 year ago

    Lot's of great suggestions so far, I would also say it depends somewhat on your skill level and the skill level of people you think will be playing the game. I love my Paragon, but she can be a cruel mistress sometimes. Great bang for the buck there though based on your criteria. Speaking of bang for the buck, I'm going to go in a different direction with my suggestions. An era of games where you can really get a lot of bang for the buck now are big flipper EM's, roughly earlyish to later 70's. The other upside to them is that they are generally built like tanks. Once you get them in place, you can go for a long time without ever needing to fix anything. If that's a consideration, I'd take a look. They also have a much lower price point for entry. Some games that I like and think would fit your criteria would be;

    Abra Ca Dabra
    Atlantis
    Capt Fantastic
    Centigrade 37

    Others in this category that hit most of what you're looking for

    Fast Draw
    Grand Prix (WMS)
    Jungle Queen
    Old Chicago
    Prospector
    Surf Champ
    Target Alpha
    Wizard

    Keep in mind that these games also have simpler goals, no multiball, no modes but there's a beauty in that sinplicity and a certain elegance to that from my point of view. You're also usually not waiting a long time between ball times if you're playing with friends. Keeps everybody engaged if you're playing with non pinheads, there's nothing my non-pinhead friends love more than watching me blow up a ball on a more modern game, (sarcasm alert there lol). In general, I would not invest a lot into a game until you figure out if owning a pin is right for you. There's a lot of reasons to collect and have a pin at home but ask yourself some questions to help figure it out. Are you going to swap through a game when you get tired of it? Then you might want to stick to more desirable titles to make that easier. Are you going to learn to fix them when things go wrong? May want to look at simpler/earlier more reliable games etc. Good luck!

    #26 1 year ago

    I would suggest you look at Pin Map, and go to some local places that have pinball. More often than not locations will have 90s Bally/Williams or modern Sterns, which are out of that $3k price range, so try to go to places with a large collection, as they're more likely to have the older stuff. My suggestions:
    Blackout
    Firepower
    Gorgar
    Scorpion
    Black Knight (might be hard to get in your price range but if you're patient or are cool with a player's condition game it can be done)
    Paragon
    Pinbot
    Fireball
    Galaxy
    Meteor

    and fuck the Gottlieb haters, I would suggest
    Mars God of War
    Devil's Dare
    Black Hole

    As for EMs:
    Mars Trek
    4 Million BC (dinosaur themed, not exactly monsters)- for an EM this one is pretty loaded. Zipper-flippers, skill shot, multi-ball

    #27 1 year ago
    Quoted from Daditude:

    You want a Paragon

    Paragon is great, but it's pre-soundtrack, pre-speech, pre-multiball. Great layout and amazing artwork. I dig it, but not all like the pre-80's stuff.

    I recommend this guy checks out the Williams System 9 and Williams System 11 pins.

    #28 1 year ago

    You could also go with Paragon’s little brother Bally ‘Lost World’. Nice looking, fun to play and you’d have some cash left over.

    #29 1 year ago

    If you are only in at 3k lvl and not to cerain, i'd look around if it's somebody or company willing to have you lease.

    #30 1 year ago

    F-14 Tomcat is a good choice, too, not too hard to work on, 4 ball multiball, ball save, speech, and one of the best lightshows in the game

    always a delight when a new player discovers the Yakov kicker, as well

    #31 1 year ago
    Quoted from Bengarce277:

    Hello all, I’ve always wanted a pinball machine and I was hoping for your help.
    Anytime I see one, I play, but I haven’t had enough time or variety to figure out which one I would love enough and can afford to have at home. (<$3000)
    Of course gameplay is a priority, but I am also interested in artwork. I’ve read that most of the community does not like Gottlieb, but it seems that they have some of the best artwork to me.
    I typically do not like most of the sports, movies, and tv show themed pins, with the rare exception of Jurassic Park and Bram Stoker’s Dracula Pin to name a few. I tend to gravitate towards original themes based on sci fi and monsters. I really like Grogur, Firepower, space invaders , sorcerer, and elecktra’s artwork that is currently affordable on this marketplace.
    If you have any suggestions that fall into these parameters, please let me know. I’m inexperienced to most of this world, but I’m willing to learn.
    Fun to play
    Artwork
    Sci fi/ monster / original themed
    <$3000
    Thank you

    I am looking at selling my BSD. It won't be $3000 or under. That ship has sailed for BSD in that price range.

    #32 1 year ago

    Big Guns, Fire!. Both have excellent artwork detail and are fun

    #33 1 year ago

    I saw people recommend EM games but I wouldn't recommend those to a person that never owned a pin. I find SS pins easier to fix than EMs. Opening an EM and seeing those bazillion switch stacks is REALLY intimidating and will be hard to troubleshoot for a new person. How to find exactly the switch having problems reading a schematic , adjusting switch gaps and so on.

    Go with an 80s game if you can't afford more than 3k. If you raise your budget a bit more you can get a good 90s game with DMD display and the whole shebang though.

    Just my thoughts.

    #34 1 year ago

    Space shuttle
    Blackout
    Xenon
    Embryon

    #35 1 year ago
    Quoted from DK:

    Where are you located?

    Central Louisiana

    #36 1 year ago

    Thank you for all of your posts!

    Out of what has been mentioned my top 10 are in no order:
    Paragon
    Meteor
    Firepower
    Xenon
    Black Hole
    Abra Ca Dabra
    Blackout
    Embryon
    Grogar
    Space Invaders

    Based only on looks and playfield. I have a lot of work to do. There’s a Firepower nearby I plan to frequent. Honestly the cheaper the better for a first pin.

    I do plan to try out some virtual if I can figure that out. I have the Williams app, but those are all >$10k machines.

    #38 1 year ago

    as far as price, most people do overpay on their first purchase.(and that's ok).

    The big question is how important is the cosmetics of what your thinking of getting.

    The big three(in my opinion) in order are...playfield, blackglass and cabinet.

    That being said, you do NOT want your first pin to be a basket case/hack job gone wrong!

    Your first pin should boot up and play...if the little things start to add up(switches/coils/plastics etc., there's your ammo to get a better deal.

    And as the great and wise Bally lama once told me...

    "There's ALWAYS another pin"

    If it doesn't feel right, walk away.

    Good luck

    #39 1 year ago

    I own 5 on your list...

    #40 1 year ago

    If you can get a nice pinbot, that will be the best bang for your buck.

    - Great layout
    - Cool mech
    - Excellent code
    - Top 3 pinball soundtracks of all time.
    - pretty good lastability

    I would never recommend Paragon to a new collector. It's far too unique and frustrates other newbs. That's clearly not the popular opinion though.

    #41 1 year ago

    Went to the local arcade

    Liked
    Stranger Things (don’t like hidden pop bumpers)
    Star gate (almost too easy to trigger things)
    Firepower (could not activate multi ball)

    Meh
    Steller Wars
    Close Encounters
    SpiderMan
    Fire!
    Game show

    Nah
    Gold ball
    T3
    Back to the Future
    Popeye
    Tee’d up?

    Tried their virtual pin, but it was laggy as hell. Great list of games I wanted to try out. But either the flippers would flip or game like Xenon kept going back in the hole for a solid minute or 2.

    Wife did enjoy how smooth the older games played. Newer ones had choppy actions. Not sure if that’s the machines or wear. Plunger, flippers, playfield. 3rd flippers we’re nice additions.

    #42 1 year ago

    Your first list is full of solid games with the exception of one. I'd drop space invaders off.

    Great looking game but the couple I've played were all slow, floaty and pretty uninspiring. Maybe I've never played a good restored example but the game play doesn't live up to the artwork.

    #43 1 year ago
    Quoted from jgreene:

    Your first list is full of solid games with the exception of one. I'd drop space invaders off.
    Great looking game but the couple I've played were all slow, floaty and pretty uninspiring. Maybe I've never played a good restored example but the game play doesn't live up to the artwork.

    I remember playing it in the arcades when I was a kid.
    The machine is gorgeous, but the game play is terribly boring.

    #44 1 year ago

    Man, you really got to play some more games…. Is there another location you can try stuff out. Based on what you wrote, I think you kind of know none of the games really wowed you… keep looking. And for the love of Jesus, buy something local or a machine you can drive to pick up with cash… don’t ship anything!

    #45 1 year ago
    Quoted from snyper2099:

    Man, you really got to play some more games…. Is there another location you can try stuff out. Based on what you wrote, I think you kind of know none of the games really wowed you… keep looking. And for the love of Jesus, buy something local or a machine you can drive to pick up with cash… don’t ship anything!

    The next closest is 2hrs away with 7 pins. Everyone else only has 1 or 2.

    #46 1 year ago
    Quoted from Wiggles:

    Yeah, it's a shame 200 hours of hard manual labor have to be expended each time a new thread is created. God forbid OP doesn't dig up some "cheap, good pins" thread from 4 years ago that's 90 pages down. But thank you so much for standing up for the conservation of threads and really giving OP the business

    I think Wiggles is my new friend! Is it that hard to be accommodating in a forum anymore?
    We should just tell the new guy to get bent! Alot of receptions on this site suck...can you tell I am bitter?

    #47 1 year ago
    Quoted from Bengarce277:

    The next closest is 2hrs away with 7 pins. Everyone else only has 1 or 2.

    Maybe someone close will reach out to you to try out some games in their collection. That’s what happens round these parts quite often.

    #48 1 year ago
    Quoted from Bmanpin:

    I think Wiggles is my new friend! Is it that hard to be accommodating in a forum anymore?
    We should just tell the new guy to get bent! Alot of receptions on this site suck...can you tell I am bitter?

    Some people on here like to lose their shit if a post gets repeated....yeah yeah, I get it, some people that have been on this site for a while are tired of seeing topics repeated over and over again. But for us new(er) people it's nice to start a thread and be actively involved in and ask questions vs. reading old threads that may or may not have the information you're looking for. I mean that's kinda the point of being on a forum, to be actively involved.

    With that being said, I use the search function often. Whenever I have an issue with my machines, I always check first if someone else already posted the same issue. Often time I find a thread (or several) relating to my problem and am able to fix my machine without ever having to post anything.

    #49 1 year ago
    Quoted from Foxxstone_80:

    Some people on here like to lose their shit if a post gets repeated....yeah yeah, I get it, some people that have been on this site for a while are tired of seeing topics repeated over and over again. But for us new(er) people it's nice to start a thread and be actively involved in and ask questions vs. reading old threads that may or may not have the information you're looking for. I mean that's kinda the point of being on a forum, to be actively involved.
    With that being said, I use the search function often. Whenever I have an issue with my machines, I always check first if someone else already posted the same issue. Often time I find a thread (or several) relating to my problem and am able to fix my machine without ever having to post anything.

    Agree, there is a lot of this here:

    04202505-76E7-4A0B-8D16-206A4392D8F8 (resized).jpeg04202505-76E7-4A0B-8D16-206A4392D8F8 (resized).jpeg

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