(Topic ID: 333636)

What is your favorite value pin?

By swf127

12 months ago


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  • 134 posts
  • 101 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 12 months ago by Daditude
  • Topic is favorited by 4 Pinsiders

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    There are 134 posts in this topic. You are on page 3 of 3.
    #101 12 months ago

    JM, NBAFB, and DM are great games with a lot going on…good examples can be found for under $4k…maybe even closer to $3k. Great values IMO.

    Sharkys shootout offers a lot for ~$2500.

    #103 12 months ago

    If we keep thinking $6k is not in the “value” category, we’re all in denial. This is a good thread for anyone who’s shopping for their first game, lots of good games have been mentioned.

    Bsd, T2, fish tales, Star Trek pro, WCS (my personal choice).

    #104 12 months ago
    Quoted from Norcalpin:

    If we keep thinking $6k is not in the “value” category, we’re all in denial. This is a good thread for anyone who’s shopping for their first game, lots of good games have been mentioned.
    Bsd, T2, fish tales, Star Trek pro, WCS (my personal choice).

    WCS for sure is still a great game for the price!

    #105 12 months ago
    Quoted from Norcalpin:

    If we keep thinking $6k is not in the “value” category, we’re all in denial.

    I think it's a bit silly to think of 6k as the value threshold, when you can get a brand new Stern Pro for not much more than that, or even a Home edition for less. I'd advise either of those for a first time buyer, over anything in the 6k range that's older and will need more maintenance. I'd think of value as more like 4k, where you're looking at some of the lesser WPC or System 11 or Sega titles, or unwanted Sterns like Nascar or Wheel.

    Anyway, not mentioned yet for value: Revenge from Mars. I probably wouldn't recommend P2K for a first time buyer, but it's definitely a decent value to round out a medium sized collection.

    #106 12 months ago
    Quoted from vikingerik:

    or even a Home edition for less

    Unknown-2 (resized).jpegUnknown-2 (resized).jpeg

    #107 12 months ago
    Quoted from vikingerik:

    I think it's a bit silly to think of 6k as the value threshold, when you can get a brand new Stern Pro for not much more than that, or even a Home edition for less. I'd advise either of those for a first time buyer, over anything in the 6k range that's older and will need more maintenance. I'd think of value as more like 4k, where you're looking at some of the lesser WPC or System 11 or Sega titles, or unwanted Sterns like Nascar or Wheel.
    Anyway, not mentioned yet for value: Revenge from Mars. I probably wouldn't recommend P2K for a first time buyer, but it's definitely a decent value to round out a medium sized collection.

    I'd tend to agree with most of this, but if you can find me a nice Wheel of Fortune for 4K I'll buy it.

    Chris

    #108 12 months ago

    Whirlwind or Road Show

    #109 12 months ago

    For me personally I think a lot of Data East titles give you a lot of game for the price. I held onto Rocky & Bullwinkle for a long time. World Cup Soccer is a really good one too when a lot of other WPC titles are much more expensive but not necessarily better.

    #110 12 months ago

    If you took all my games away and gave me 6k to buy one game to play, it would probably be Avengers IQ pro. Just bought one last month for 5800. I also agree that Star Trek pro is a good buy, but prices lately are creeping above 6k.

    #111 12 months ago

    I will point out that there is already a list of these on pinside under bang for your buck:

    https://pinside.com/pinball/top-100/bangforbuck

    Having said that...this is a bit of a loaded question since the 'fun' level would be different for everyone, and since a $300 pin has a lot more bucks leftover than a $6000 pin, so there are really 2 ways to approach this...but I digress.

    EMs are cheaper and were literally made to chew pocket change up, so they are challenging and oftentimes have that one more game appeal. I own 2 that I would put on the list (Teacher's pet...actually rated as the #1 overall bang for your buck) and Wizard. I would throw heat wave and fireball in that mix as well.

    If we are looking at SS machines...early Bally or Williams system 11 games have the best bang for buck. Paragon, Flash Gordon, and EBDLE all fit the bill. Highspeed, Pinbot, and Taxi all work well for those slots as well.

    DMD machines start to see massive price increases over earlier machines, but there are values like Stargate, world cup soccer, Judge Dredd, and fish tales still out there.

    Now let's cut to the NITTY GRITTY: If you've got 6k and you want the absolute BEST possible game for that price...here are the true gems:

    Star Trek The Next Generation - this game can be had for 6k and it's LOADED. Mechs, art, call outs, theme integration, rules, gameplay, scoring, and flow are all top notch. It is always consistently considered one of the top pinballs ever made by pinside, ipdb, and every other worthwhile list. By today's pinball prices, it should cost 12k.

    The Shadow - Many consider this to be one of the most underrated games of All-time...I'm one of them. Serious pinheads that have amazing collections swear by this game. The layout is truly unique, so it would fit in any collection. The gameplay is masterful. It is an amazing pin.

    Honorable Mention

    The Getaway: High Speed II - this seems to be forgotten by many on these lists, but at 5k and under it needs to be brought up more. Game flow, rules, one more play appeal, art, and mechs/gimmicks are all great. I feel like there is no one thing you can say is the 'best' in pinball, but the sum of its parts are fantastic...which is probably the only reason it isn't several thousands more.

    #112 12 months ago

    Roller games

    #113 12 months ago

    Maverick is a great machine for the money. Fantastic drop targets and software with some Lyman programming. Cool extra big DMD. Achievable modes. Difficult to master. Some ok call outs and music. Family friendly, once you get past Mel Gibson on the back glass staring at you.

    #114 12 months ago

    Shadow, BSD, Houdini

    #115 12 months ago
    Quoted from Gryszzz:

    SM has been straddling that line but looks like it's over the tipping point these days.

    Just got one 5500 delivered

    #116 12 months ago
    Quoted from Daditude:

    Now let's cut to the NITTY GRITTY: If you've got 6k and you want the absolute BEST possible game for that price...here are the true gems:
    Star Trek The Next Generation - this game can be had for 6k and it's LOADED. Mechs, art, call outs, theme integration, rules, gameplay, scoring, and flow are all top notch. It is always consistently considered one of the top pinballs ever made by pinside, ipdb, and every other worthwhile list. By today's pinball prices, it should cost 12k.
    The Shadow - Many consider this to be one of the most underrated games of All-time...I'm one of them. Serious pinheads that have amazing collections swear by this game. The layout is truly unique, so it would fit in any collection. The gameplay is masterful. It is an amazing pin.
    Honorable Mention
    The Getaway: High Speed II - this seems to be forgotten by many on these lists, but at 5k and under it needs to be brought up more. Game flow, rules, one more play appeal, art, and mechs/gimmicks are all great. I feel like there is no one thing you can say is the 'best' in pinball, but the sum of its parts are fantastic...which is probably the only reason it isn't several thousands more.

    I currently own STTNG, TS, and HS2. HS2 would be last to leave, yet it’s usually cheapest of the three mentioned.

    #117 12 months ago
    Quoted from Doctor6:

    Again, we are aiming high on this list. Many of the games you mention are going to be fairly rough if they're sub 6k. If most of the games you mentioned were in NICE shape, you better bring more money with you.

    You can definitely get any of these in decent/good condition for under $6k, with the exception of maybe Shadow which is right on that line. Not sure what you define as fairly rough, but unless you are actually looking for really nice, these can all be had.

    For the record, I own a couple right now and I wouldn’t pay $6k for any of them.

    #119 12 months ago

    This thread got me thinking. With Stern Pros NIB at ~$7k, it’s kinda weird for older DMD games to keep creeping closer to $6k. Currently is there more value in:
    - HUO Spike 2 game TMNT Pro or Rush Pro for about $6k
    - HUO SAM game like Star Trek Pro or Iron Man for about $5.5k
    - B list 90s pin like Fish Tales, Indy 500 or World Cup for about $5.5k

    I’m kinda surprised the older DMD games are selling for as much as they are.

    #120 12 months ago

    I take it all back. THIS is the best value pin!

    Screenshot_20230322-170706 (resized).pngScreenshot_20230322-170706 (resized).png
    #121 12 months ago

    No love for rbion?

    #122 12 months ago
    Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:

    Pick it one? Stern Star Trek.

    Stern Star Trek does not hold a candle against STTNG. Go with the real Star Trek-the Super Pin-nothing comes close.

    #123 12 months ago

    BSD can be found for sub 6k. My first game and have had one for over 20 years. If you're a novice its a bit brutal Fish Tales is a great beginner WPC but will be more than BSD. Dr Who, Demo man, WCS, NGG, Junkyard, CFTBL would all be sub 6k and provide a novice with good bang for buck. Plus they are easy to fix and rock solid once you recap and re bridge rectifier them.

    #124 12 months ago

    F-14

    #125 12 months ago

    Judge Dredd, Roadshow, Taxi, Diner

    #126 12 months ago
    Quoted from DropGems:

    No love for rbion?

    Oh damn, I forgot that One.

    Absolutely a great value and fun pin!

    #127 12 months ago
    Quoted from Daditude:

    I take it all back. THIS is the best value pin![quoted image]

    Great score, you lucky dog!!!

    #128 12 months ago

    Hard to name just one so here's my short list;
    Sinbad, Gtb Spiderman, Black Hole, LW3

    None of these cost over $500 (needing work of course) and
    over the years I've found I play these more than others

    #129 12 months ago

    Demolition Man, Johnny Mnemonic, Judge Dredd, all can be found for $4k or less and are worth it.

    #130 12 months ago
    Quoted from zarco:

    Hard to name just one so here's my short list;
    Sinbad, Gtb Spiderman, Black Hole, LW3
    None of these cost over $500 (needing work of course) and
    over the years I've found I play these more than others

    Blackhole,lw3,and Spider-Man for $500? In my area those are double that and need tons of work

    #131 12 months ago

    Galactic Tank Force.
    Give it a month or two.

    #132 12 months ago

    Stern NBA, WPT, NCIS, and Ripley’s.

    #133 12 months ago

    Most System 11s are still a good "value". I kind of look at ranking vs. what the machine is selling for in working order (player's condition or better) to get more objective analysis on value (yes, I know rankings are subjective).

    #134 12 months ago
    Quoted from Norcalpin:

    Great score, you lucky dog!!!

    Oh...it definitely wasn't me that got it. I wish!!!

    There are 134 posts in this topic. You are on page 3 of 3.

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