Back in 2003, I saved up my money and bought a LW3. I remember the excitement of going to the terminal and finding the crate it was in. Man, was I pumped. Got it home with the help of a friend and a dolly, and opened the crate. Dragged the machine out, got the legs on, plugged it in....and.....nothing. What in the world has gone wrong???? I was freaking out; I thought I had wasted some mad money. Got ahold of the seller, where he snickered a little bit and informed me about the toggle switch near the front right leg. Flipped it on, heard the "POP" of the power turning on, and man, I was in LOVE.

I beat that poor lil game into the ground and sold it about 2 months later. All in all, it was a very fun game. Now, fast-forward to last week, and I brought my first pin since 2003 home - a JM. Man, it is a GREAT feeling to have a pin in the house. It's a real conversation piece - just not many people have one or have the love of pinball to own one. It's one thing to go to a bar/poolhouse/bowling alley and play - it is a ENTIRELY different world to have one at home.

With that, I find that I have to be conservative with my JM. I don't play it every single day. I play every 3-4 days for about 30 minutes, then I turn it off and do something else. I'm trying to keep my replay factor high, and I don't want to burn out on my one machine. So what am I doing - buying my SECOND pin in under 1 months timespan xD. JP comes home tomorrow, and man am I excited!!!!

That's my story . You'll be bringing yours home REAL soon!! Post pics when you do and let us know how much fun you're having!!!

Good for you it is a great feeling BUT,its only the beginning!!!

Yeah great feeling and always buy first then figure it out or by the time you make room the machine is sold. I agree with all others chocky this is the beginning. Have fun doing whatever you do at 5am before playing pinballs. =-) Best of luck in your purchase.

savor that feeling, you'll never get it back.. the thought of owning something that used to be in a public setting (usually), and now you have the power to add all the credits you want. Of course the feeling of "shit, it doesn't work, what do I do" isn't a nice feeling, but with time you'll figure things out, which is rewarding in itself.

Grats chocky! Fortunately I know exactly how you feel as I will be picking up my very first pin tomorrow morning. A '79 Flash! It's a beautiful machine and I can't fricken wait!

It's one of the best feelings in the world when you get your first pin.

Congrats!

When I was about 4 years old my parents dragged a Victory Derby into the basement for me.

it was awesome.

You'll have a blast, enjoy it ! And all the others that follow.

LTG

good job, I bought my first pin about 7 years ago, a twilight zone. My wife was going to surprise me for christmas , but knows how picky I am. She found a dealer in milwaukee and told me we were going to pick one out before driving to Illinois for a family christmas play outing. I spent half the night on the internet researching machines, and picked this out from a nice selections of games which included tz, funhouse, cv , diner, nng , junkyard, etc. Unfortunately once your bit by the pinball bug...., well you better make more room.

Crank up the metal and enjoy it~!~!

Congrats!

Flash is a blast. My first machine is Flash's younger brother, Skateball.

I hope it plays nice and fast for you. I had a real nice time learning the basics of repair on my Skateball. A lot let overwhelming than a DMD.

Have fun.

My first pin was TAF, and I caught the pinball sickness soon after adding another machine & then another, etc. Just be prepared for that. And yes, the freedom of having your own pins in your home, being able to play in your underwear if you want, at any hour of the day is a great feeling.

You're totally right! It's kinda hard to describe the feeling of having my first pin but I'm pretty sure it's something akin to AWESOME!

Haven't played in my underwear yet but I'm working up to that...

Damn straight! The new High on Fire album dropped this week on iTunes so that worked out perfect!

My first was also TAF. I can remember getting to the wizard mode the first time. I screamed at the top of my lungs for my wife to come see it haha...by the time I sold it, I could get to it practically every game if I wanted too :p

I miss that game

Wow thats nice! Grats dude! Doctor Who is just awesome in general but to have the pinball machine that is just kick-ass! You will need a way to mount a bucket of jelly babies on the leg somehow Tom Baker FTW

June 2012 will be the 1 year anniversary of my 1st home-pinball-feeling.

Had mine delivered from the seller. Couldn't wait for him to leave so I could get to playing,
then cleaning it. It was unbelievable that the pin that I once played for many hours and spent
countless quarters on was IN my house, and it was MINE. Definitely one of the best days of my life.

Congratulations Chocky!!! I know how you feel, as I just got my first pin last October. It is a rush!

Congrats. Its a great feeling for sure. Kinda like getting laid for the first time. The smile on my face was just as big.

Except you don't have to worry about a little gumball machine appearing this winter!