Twilight Zone
Bally, 1993I'm looking to pick up my first pin, and I've always loved TZ. In doing some research, I've discovered that there are some early versions of the machine out there with a third magnet. Does the third magnet offer anything as far as enhancing the game play. Given a choice, which version of the game would you guys recommend? From a collector's standpoint, is the three magnet version more or less desirable?
If that is true, the early version would be worth a bit more because it is a lower Serial number and rarer with the 3rd magnet. How much more it is worth I have no idea.
I disabled the magnet circuit on my LAH - The ball can drain direct to the central hole , due to the magnet action instead of a normal way to your flipper . 
And i read , it's frequently a cause of playfield destruction burnt by magnets.
Don't search any special-model with magnet included !
I don't know the answer to your question - but I hate Magnets . 
But i like motor-shaker ! 
Hmmm....All I can say is TZ is an excellent 1st pin 
even if after doing all the research it's game play that matters most,
you can have two of the same machines side by side and after playing both feel one is light years ahead of the other - why?
Well its all in the details, a collector/player may go that extra mile to get his TZ to 100% while some flipper cowboy might just want to turn a profit and do very little to move it out the door and charge more.
Play as many TZs as you can find -I wouldn't die for a 3rd magnet if I come across a fantastic older version- hope this helps some
Lots of people drill holes in their TZ to install the 3rd magnet which was "cut out" to reduce the final cost of the machine. The 3rd magnet changes the game a bit but i dunno if its worth it. I didn't go that far to drill the holes... oh yeah and you would also need the final version of game rom to activate the magnet.
For the price - it surely is more expensive then the usual TZs (if it's factory installed)
I ended up purchasing a refurbished prototype machine. It has the hole already drilled for the third magnet, but the magnet is not installed. To me, this is the best of both worlds, since it will be relatively easy to add the magnet in the future if I decide to do so. Here is a link to the machine I bought:
I have to say, Mike from Great American Pinball is a super nice guy and he really knows his stuff. I drove out to his house and played the machine for a while. It is in terrific condition. Mike is finishing up a few things and doing a couple of mods for me. The machine will hopefully be ready sometime this weekend.
The third magnet is sought after for hardcore TZ fans. In reality, its pretty cool to say yours has one if it does...otherwise, its really just something else to watch when your machine starts to have problems. TZ is still a ridiculously good game either way.
Grats on your TZ gweempose!
Welcome to the club. 
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Larodde
Ljubljana
Somers Point, NJ