The very top only on the plunge and each plunge is very important as you need to collect the 1-4 holes to increase hole value and also get 5 and 6 to light one of the specials. Once special is lit then you want that upper right lane which is all easier said than done.

A special will also light for completing the Pinky lane letters. The most satisfying shot is the right hand "Y" lane off the left flipper. Hit it clean and the ball will go into the pops and possibly into one of the 1-4 kickout holes.

Lots to do, but only 5 balls to do it.

I forgot to mention besides the two specials available in that right upper lane, complete all numbered kickout holes and all pinky letter lanes will light the center rollover button for another special which I am yet to see done.

That is almost the same question I asked him. The first time he posted photos of this pin.
Kind of interesting, with the reversed flippers.

Just what happens when the ball gets between the raised flipper and the post next to the flipper?

That never happens. Or hasn't happened yet. Impulse flippers don't stay up very long.

Can't remember if I ever did win a special on it either. It's just that it usually comes down to the last plunge and you have to drop it in that right lane. Those left upper lanes are really tricky too as most balls plunged don't want to go in any of them.

Diamond Jack.

Who wants to buy it?

It does look like it is very hard to play. But it must be satisfying or you would of got rid of it by now. It must have that, "One more play. I almost had it", appeal.

It's just so fun and there is a lot of action on the lower part of the playfield. That center button rotates value and you can collect all the numbers and letters there although there is only one spot where you can get the letters so it is best to collect those in their respective lanes.

Most of all it is very unique for 1950. I see no reason to let it go.

And Pinky is a very pretty lady.

Seriously? I just sold a"DJ" at Pintastic. During one game, I completed the entire rack three times. That machine is usually good for at least three or four pops a game. The key with that game is to tune the slingshots to be strong and very touchy. Same with "North Star".

It's called trapping the ball for no apparent reason. And then the glass comes off. Ironically it has only happened once since I got it and on the same day you asked. It took real skill to do it. Which is why this game would not work well without the impulse flippers. They are very snappy but require good reflexes.

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Gusher. Find it very hard to break 5M. Also find it nearly impossible to get all 12 numbers.

My High Hand is another tough EM to beat without a doubt. Getting replays for scores or specials is not easy to do and this game really keeps a player on their toes because of the extreme ball speed this game seems to have. I do have it setup with the back legs extra high though.

This was the last flipper game i played on route in 1973 when it first came out. That year got my driving license and moved off the street where the candy store was where i was playing many EM games for 10 years.

I have had 3 other High Hands pass through my collection over the years, but this one has very low plays on it and didn't get much use on its short route life wired as an add a ball from a NY vendor. I'm attracted to playing it because it challenges me every game and makes me use all my nudging skills require to beat it and i always get a thrill dropping the ball in the kickout hole for special and bonus card value.

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Very nice Vic! Thanks for the pics.

Yeah, "Capt. Card"'s evil twin! Those two can make you tear out your hair! Nice game you got there...cough...cough!

Atlantis. If it wasn't for an occasionall Match, I'd never know it had a knocker.
Wasn't sure it had a 100k light or not either, but then someone told me it didn't.

Any of the 4 diget Gottlieb Add-a-Balls is a task to flip, but for me,
Ice Show is probably the toughest (and one I'll probably never turn
over) and next up would maybe be Hurdy Gurdy. But flipping any of
them would mean that you got your dimes worth...

Moulin Rouge. Check out those four outlines with entrance areas the size of the grand canyon. Don't nudge too hard - it's from the tilt penalty = game over era. And then there's the two-inch flippers with kickout saucers to either side. I love it. Lighting the entire easel by hitting all of the numbered targets is really tough for me. I just restored the playfield on this one so it also plays relatively fast for a 1965 game.

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Lawman. Insane pace from the plunge if you have a restored copy like I do. Balls on you like white on rice. The left outlane is the Grand Canyon. The only breathing time is the right side bagatelle lane but then suddenly it bounds out of there after it rolls over just one rollover lane and it's SDTM. For those who say EMs are slow try playing a restored, waxed up and high pitched Lawman!

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Loves me some "Moulin Rouge"!

I was on a quest to do that. Had about a dozen games ending about 100-300 short. Finally did it with my daughters bird on my wrist as I was playing

Queen of Diamonds for sure, a nudge fest to get all the targets down!

Ice show for me also. I havent even sniffed 5K yet. My flippers are turbo charged , I may see if they're yellow dots and put in normal coils. The speed and power of the ball coming from the flippers makes hitting the center kickout holes darned nearly impossible. Ive hit 6K on Hurdy Gurdy and Subway. I have these 3 1966 Wedgeheads together in one corner.

The 4 & 8 lanes are a bitch , i got this shot where I lob the ball up towards the K or Q then nudge to curve it into the side lane

Had you known, only 400 US units of Ice Show were produced?
Mr. Pinball list 2,000 were made, but appearently 1,600 were the
Italian version. IPDB has it 400 US units (confirmed)..

A couple weeks ago I hit this score on Subway, which is to date my best.
For me Hurdy Gurdy is a tougher machine, but the high scores are set on
3,000 and 5,000 points. Subway's is 2,000 and 4,000..

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That's a very respectable tally on "Subway". Have you shopped it since picking it up at the show? Probably plays better at home anyway due to the line voltage.

Oops! Confused you with 74 DQ!

"Ice Show" can be tough. I wonder if anyone has ever gotten one up to ten balls. Even nine or eight, for that matter!

JR, I still want to strengthen the flippers, they feel weak compared to Ice Show and Hurdy Gurdy, all 3 are lined up on my back wall. I will check the spring tension, I think I have a rebuild kit for Flipper Pool that I didn't use.

I really like all 1966 games, I just saw that on IPDB that Ice Show (400)was in fact more rarer than Majorettes (425) and Dimension (490). But they made a shit-ton of Subways (3200) and Hurdy Gurdy (3186)

Moulin Rouge looks tough, but check out all the exits on Trade Winds.

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Yes, that is many Subs and Hurdys, and because I had at least a dozen Dimensions,
and have 2 Ice Shows, and only had 2 Subs, and 3 Hurdys, I have to believe that
the majority of Subs and Hurdys had to of gone to Italy..

I do like the Add-a-Balls, but was heavily encouraged to trade in a Trade Winds.
Still has to be gone through, but wondering if it's as good playing as I have heard..

It is a game of finesse more than that of brute nudging, where you have to keep your eye on the ball at all times and learn the geometry so you you can keep the ball in play.

I think it's one of those games that once it enters a collection and gets played, owners don't often think about selling it which may be why you rarely see them for sale. Which is the case with mine. It is a good looking machine as well with great set of rules. And it does qualify as one of the tougher games to succeed on I think.

The majority of "Ice Show", "Subway", and "Hurdy Gurdy" games were exported. They actually produced more of "Subway" than "Cross Town". My brother has owned his first game ever, a "Subway", for 40 years now. We didn't see a "Cross Town" until about 20 years later.

Not owning any pinballs yet but going from when I was a kid. Any 2 inch flipper would fit the bill. There was only one I remember at the arcade. I put some quarters in that machine and it would kick me many a time. But I found I kinda liked it. As I got better the more I played it. The owner finally took it out as it didn't make as much money I guess. But anyone that says EM's are too easy hasn't played any of those 2 inch flippers.

I have a couple 2" flipper GTB games, and of those, Pop-A-Card is the toughest. But the one I have set up really hard is Super Star. The outlanes have vacuums attached to them.

Williams "Space Ship" has two gobble holes, five outlanes, and you can lose the ball behind the flippers too. Despite that, it's not by far the worst drain monster..

+1. I've gotten close but......

The Gottlieb Out of Sight we just finished restoring is a tough one. Still haven't managed to roll it yet even on 5 balls.

I am almost 99% sure it was 4 Square.

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Oh yeah you gotta be precise on that one...lit side/target is everything.

The problem with 4 square is the scoring is shit imo. Completing target banks make each target worth 200...big woop! just throw it in the pops and you're bound to get more than that with a chance of hitting those targets.

You can hate it , but doesn't that make it more challenging to play? Would you want an easy scoring game that you can beat every time or one that doesn't give up easily?

King Pin is on my first 5 pins I would buy. Played it many times as a kid and loved playing it. But was always being played at the arcade so you had to wait.

Well I don't hate it , I'm just saying it doesn't seem weighted correctly. Doesn't seem like the risk of completing 1234 is wroth what you get.

I've got to mention Williams El Toro as one of the tough ones.

I've seen games where neither player can hit a single drop target or the extra ball star target thru an entire five ball game. That's what I call tough. But when you do get that thing rocking, it feels so good.

4 Square is a score fest for sure. Mine didn't last very long because it was too easy to beat and even with long levelers on the back, I wasn't going to jack it up any further with wood blocks.

Yes, can be easy. But you can't beat childhood memories. Mine is a never sell, because every time I play it there is a little reminder of all those hours at Kings Skate Country. Would run the game up to 15 free plays, sell them to some kid for a buck fifty, then an hour later do it again. Some days think I made more than the operator.

If that is the case then my entire collection is somebody elses childhood memories. I played enough of the easy games on location because I wanted to stretch my pocket money. Those games didn't last too long in this home environment. But I still have my memories...

Yeah, I'd have to say the same for my collection as well. Except for High Speed; my first pin and easily one of the first I remember playing (born in '74). Was more of a vid kid, growing up and didn't really get into pinball at the arcades until DMD's showed up. I've been exploring pre-90's pins like crazy since getting into the hobby 8+ years ago and appreciating the gameplay I missed/ignored! Awesome pins throughout the decades, imho.

Quintette was excellent but beat me up too much. Sold her. That said, not a big fan of gobble holes.