(Topic ID: 29174)

What started you on buying Pinball machines?

By Cobra

11 years ago


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    #1 11 years ago

    I will be 44 next month and when I was a kid I was not big on pins . I would go into arcades and play all the video games. I started finishing my basement in February and got the subfloor down and the framing around the walls and some of the HVAC. I took a break in the summer to do projects outside.

    In March I started to look around for the toys I wanted down there even though it was not finished yet. So I bought a PGA Golf game. Then I bought a Buck Hunter World and a Silver Strike Bowling and a Blazing 7's slot. Then I saw an ad on Kijiji for an Eight Ball Deluxe. I started reading some info on the net about it and figured why not. The thought of one pinball in the basement was a cool idea. So I went and bought it.

    Then I fell on my azz and started sliding down the slippery slope. About two months later I bought a Jp. It was in alright shape.Know these games were 2K each and when i looked at the prices of new Sterns i said that was crazy and i would never pay that ridiculous amount. I heard about a guy starting a company making a WOZ pin. So i read about it on the net and thought, man i have to have one of these.

    So i ordered an LE. Then i read about a couples of guys making a Predator but sounded like they were all sold out of pre orders. I emailed anyway with a rapidly beating heart at the thought that i had missed out on one. Well i got a reply and a spot in line, #114. Wow, what a relief, i got one.

    So now in my den where my computer is i have 3 video games, a slot, and 2 pins. Well i have a retailer by my work and i would go there on my breaks from work and play some pins every now and then. Well wouldn't you know it, an AC/DC premium shows up. So i sell the EBD and fill the spot in my den with the AC/DC.

    In the meantime, i meet a guy about 5 minutes from me that has 18 pins in his basement. So i go over there to play some pinball one night and end up buying his Williams IJ. My wife isn't sure what is happening to the den. So then there was the video games, slot and 3 pins now.

    I like the JP and figure i will keep it for awhile. So i find one in better shape. I sell the first on, buy the second one and get it home. After i sold the first one i forgot to take the ad down. So a week after getting the second one i get a call about the ad. For a few weeks i have been thinking about an Ironman. I am pretty sure i heard a bell go off in my head. I say to the guy, sure i have one for sale. Sold it to him for 300 more than i paid.

    So tomorrow it is being picked up and Thursday i am going to pick up the Ironman.

    Oh and i almost forgot because it is at my nephew's, in between buying the IJ and selling the first JP, i bought a T2 in really nice shape.

    Am i crazy???? Does it get worse??? I went from thinking one pin would be cool to have in the basement to planning on having an area for 13 pins, my lucky number....When the basement is done i would like to find a SM, LOTR, Shrek for my daughter and maybe a MM,AFM or CV...I also am planning to get the next pin from JJP and Skitb if i like them..I heard the slope was slippery but really it is almost like a cliff than a slope....

    #2 11 years ago

    Gets worse. A lot worse. Look at my collection. That's 16.5 months, with practically no budget to speak of...... not including the Galaga and Gyruss cocktails I also bought during that timeframe.

    Sounds like you just have too much money and no willpower to me. You're saying you've bought every 4k+ pin you run across, if I read your story right? Since you apparently have money to burn, I'm looking for a mint Future Spa.

    #3 11 years ago

    No i don't burn my money...i am actually selling my 65 Shelby Cobra replica to help pay for the future pins...I guess because i am new to this and there are a lot of great games out there i feel like i am catching up..

    #4 11 years ago

    Nostalgia and discretionary income. Started in about 1997. Dropped out from 2005 to end of 2011.

    Dan

    #5 11 years ago

    LMAO! Yep, this story does sound like someone I know. ME! You buy one pin and before you know it, you got five! You start to sell or move other things out of the mancave to make room for more pins because they are cooler, more brighter, and they seem to have a bigger fan base. You buy one and before you know it, you're looking to buy another one more cooler than the one you just got. You hate to sell one because you're afraid you'll miss it and may not find it at the price you originally bought it for years ago, and you're afraid to pass one up at a certain price because you're afraid if you don't get it now the pin will go up more in price later. Damn this hobby.... Damn it I say!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go downstairs and hug my pins!!

    #6 11 years ago

    I started collecting pinball machines to help kick a crack habit. It worked. No contest.

    #7 11 years ago

    After collecting 40 video games, I got bored with them. I started with early solid states, then moved up to DMDs in 07. I am now holding at 24 pins only because the market has gotten crazy on prices.

    #8 11 years ago

    My story: I grew up riding my mountain bike a block away to play 4 pins at the local strip mall arcade called Thor's. I remember getting dropped off at one of the biggest arcades in elk grove called "game r us". No joke, they started out as a single strip mall store, bought the one next door and knocked down a wall, then again, then again. Used to be a giant arcade/bowling alley called galaxy world in carol stream (only accessible by older brother and his friend's cars). In 2010 I was in a dark place, really hated my job. I thought to myself "when was the last time I was really happy? I remember pinball making me pretty happy, and de-stressed me". So off I went, finding the cheapest pin I could (not sure if I was going to be able to work on them). Found a $150 non-working EM. Got it mostly working, sold it off. Bought a solid state, and then another, and another. I have 5 pins (two that need work), and yet I still find myself looking at CL even though I don't have the funds, space, or time.

    Addiction, you fricken bet!

    #9 11 years ago

    First pin I bought was to put in my game room for my 72 year old dad. Ended up being a blast or both of us and I've always been a tinkerer. Got addicted myself...

    #10 11 years ago

    I hadn't played a pin in 20 years, and BadBrick comes into my office 6 months ago telling me he bought some pins.

    All downhill from there.

    It's fun though, because I haven't played most of the games from 1990 on yet. I get to discover new stuff all the time.

    #11 11 years ago
    Quoted from Indypin:

    You hate to sell one because you're afraid you'll miss it and may not find it at the price you originally bought it for years ago, and you're afraid to pass one up at a certain price because you're afraid if you don't get it now the pin will go up more in price later.

    I hear you on this.. i fear that when i get the cave done and have the 13 pins i want, i won't want to get rid of one to get another..but i guess you just sell the one least played??

    #12 11 years ago

    About 6 years ago I wanted A pinball machine. I drove 3 hours to buy a Waterworld. I didnt musch care fore hearing SINK THE DEEZ over and over again so I bought a ES. Last week I paid $10000 for a CC that I cant afford. I have a CC, MM, TZ, Creech, WW, ES, Spiderman, WH20, STTNG, TAF, FH NGG and a WOZ on order. I have no more room and because of the economy no extra money to buy any more. Its a addiction worse than cigarettes

    #13 11 years ago

    I was never big into pinball as a kid but always liked them. I came across the rolling stones machine while buying some stuff from their website eight months ago. I thought it looked cool and found this place while researching it. That's when I found AC/DC. I decided it i liked that better than RS and got it.
    A month later I had LOTR. Then I bought TSPP. Now Im on the preorder list for predator, and will be getting an IJ soon enough.
    It doesn't seem like it stops. At least not from what I gather around here.

    #14 11 years ago

    Bring that car over and you can take home almost all of my collection.

    #15 11 years ago

    Funny story, and all very familiar. I bought 9 pins in about 10 months time. That's certainly not unusual for some, I'm sure. But for me, well, it's a very big deal. And I'm darn glad that I was able to land each one of them.

    #16 11 years ago

    When I was a little kid around 8-10 (I'm 45 now) my Uncle had an 1965 Gottlieb Dodge City in his basement. I didn't know you could have a full size arcade machine in your home! How cool was that.

    It wasn't 100% but it played and I would play it all evening if they let me. In the 80's I got hooked on Vids - Robotron 2084, Defender, Galaga....etc... but I would still play an pinball games I would come across.

    Flash forward and after getting my first house with a basement I decided it needed some games. First thing that came to mind was a pinball machine. I had no clue what I was doing and bought a POS F-14 for $500. That thing was a money pit and constant, constant repairs. I dropped WAY too much into that machine but I also learned a ton.

    My 2nd machine was an NIB LOTR....I was done with constant repairs if I could help it.

    So I went from one extreme to the other......now....well I'm somewhere in between with a couple of 90's DMD's and hopefully another on it's way this weekend.

    #17 11 years ago

    Well, at least I am not alone. I'd be interested to hear some informed analysis as to why this is so addictive. I've collected a couple of other things over the years, but this seems especially pernicious!

    #18 11 years ago

    Look on the bright spot ZR, at least the pins won't give you cancer and you can usually, if not always, sell them to get your money back. As a buddy of mine once told me, as long as you feed the kids and pay the bills, why not buy them now while you still can. BTW, that is one awesome collection you have!!!

    #19 11 years ago

    Played a lot of pinball when I was a kid (47 now).

    Played every virtual pinball game I could get my hands on (farsight pinball sims on wii, psp, eventually android & iOS)

    Recently, a friend of mine whom I reconnected with via facebook posted some pics of a gottlieb "Hulk" he was fixing. That got me wondering...

    I ran into him at a benefit I was performing at and we got to talking about pins and such.

    That's when it happened...I started looking on CL and found what I thought was a good deal.

    $150 for a non-working Allied Liesure Dyn-O-Mite pin.

    Talked him down to $125 (shrewd, am I) and scurried home with my prize.

    Come to find out that AL parts are damn near impossible to come by. Put in a call to Steve young, and after he basically said I was S.O.L., I decided to think outside the box a little and try and make the parts I needed.

    About a month later, and a lot of head scratching and cursing, I had the pin up and running, and playing pretty well.

    Next came a bally lost world. First exposure to having to fix circuit boards since college. Got her running, too with the help of Clays blog and pin wiki - two tremendous resources.

    Went on a little buying spree last week and picked up 2 EM's from a local guy, and another Bally -35 from jersey city.

    So 3 out of the 5 pins I have are up and running.

    I'm saving the EM's for something to do during the winter months, or maybe sooner.

    So yeah, you might say I'm a little "hooked"...

    #20 11 years ago

    Shorthand...

    Video Games --> Arcades --> Pinball

    I think it's evolution.

    #21 11 years ago

    I started collecting to pick up chicks

    #22 11 years ago

    The way I see it you can play pretty much any arcade (video game) on a computer and it is close to the real thing. But with a pinball machine only a pinball machine is "the real thing". And most are so different than each other it keeps you wanting more of them.

    When I bought my first machine the guy warned me the "these things are like potato chips you will never stop with just one". Three years and 150 machines later I would have to say he was correct!

    We keep buying older cheaper SS machines, fixing them, enjoying them, and then selling them to buy something else we like even better. Really bad habit - but I guess it could be worse. At least or collection maxes out at about 30 machines due to space issues so everything over about 30 machines has to go to keep getting other neat machines we keep finding.

    #23 11 years ago

    I bought three pinball machines in the last three months.

    I was into pinball when I was a teenager (32 now) because there was a great arcade with a MM, SC, STTNG on route in my hometown.

    Fast forward to this year; work gave me an iPad 3 for free as part of our bonus this year. Downloaded the pinball arcade. Remembered MM. Got the bug. Was hunting on craigslist, not expecting to do much with it. I should mention that I had some ups/downs in the last year; short-sold my condo and lost 100k+ on the deal. Really sucks because my credit is shot and homeownership looks well out of the picture now, even though I found a great girl and we moved in together. Anyways, in a conversation, she says, "You're good with your money and save regularly. You should have fun with some of your money, as long as you're still saving" ... and so I went for it, bought my first pin on craigslist. Shopped it out, learned a ton, and am really into the hobby now.

    As long as you're still saving and taking care of the other stuff in your life, you should enjoy. Selling one hobby to feed another is a smart way of doing it. I sold my paintball gear and other stuff that I don't use anymore.

    #24 11 years ago

    I played quite a bit of pinball back in 1980 at an arcade called Aladdin's Castle. Back then everybody wore headbands and tube socks and we would line up quarters on all the machines. Drank a lot of Orange Julius and ate a lot of mall pretzels.

    Flash forward 20 years ... I'm working in a customers basement and he has a broken SeaWolf and an Odds N Evens pin he wants to sell. Instant time travel back to my youth ... I buy them both for $50 each and dig out my tube socks.

    Now, 10 years later, The videos are all gone (I built a MAME), but I've bought and sold over 85 pins. I'm more of a hunter/gatherer than a collector. You build up a stable of machines then sell it off and start over. I've experienced the thrill of the chase and had my share of victories and defeats with crazy people on warehouse raids.

    Keep on Truckin' .... I do everyday!

    #25 11 years ago

    I can only dream of having that much money to be able to buy pins like that. But I'm 27 with a new home and a child on the way and I'm in no hurry

    #26 11 years ago

    It doesn't ALWAYS mean you're going to buy more than one machine in this hobby. I have had TFTC since April, sold off the rest of my collection, and have not looked back. So glad I did it - got tired of working on them all the time. That, and I don't really have the space for more than 1, and I honestly like having just one. It's a good conversation piece.

    Now, when I hit Captain and above in the AF, you can bet I'll have a home with a basement. When THAT happens........................................

    Yeah, there will be more machines in my home again someday.

    #27 11 years ago
    Quoted from NPO:

    got tired of working on them all the time

    I think it depends on how often you play, and what condition it was originally in. I play the hell out of space shuttle, and I only keep tweaking the aesthetics (never have mechanical issues now that i got the bugs out). I can see how having a large collection (anything above 10) where a lot of time could get eaten up just maintaining (mostly cleaning)

    #28 11 years ago

    As a child my grandparents had a pin in their basement and I thought it was the coolest thing ever and swore that when I grew up I would have one of my own. Many years later, at an estate sale there was a pin and it all came back. Bought it and thats when the fun began.

    #29 11 years ago

    I got a deal on a xenon 20 years ago and never stopped

    #30 11 years ago

    I have my brother to blame for my current state of pinball addiction. His pin journey started about 5 years ago, before prices started to climb into the stratosphere, and he amassed some great B/W games -- first TZ, then MM, AFM, Shadow, TOM, CV, WH20, BSD. He lives in Atlanta, and when my son and I visited him every summer I started playing the machines...........and the rest is history. Before that, I played only occasionally through my first 44 years.

    When my brother was in St. Louis last summer he told me about CP Pinball in Roxana, so we headed out there for a weekend visit. I had a blast and started to gain more interest in the hobby. A few months later I was fortunate to find a MB in Denver (I love horror-themed pins), so I took the plunge and bought it.

    I eventually sold the MB, but through that sale I met a fellow Pinsider in St. Louis, and got involved in the STL Pinball League. Have met lots of great people through the local league and am very much enjoying immersing myself in the hobby.

    #31 11 years ago

    I was going out with a really cute girl with a great personality. While I was making plans such as marriage, family etc. she had other ideas. I was ready to look at engagement rings and she wanted out. Fast foward to me with a broken heart and a friend who wanted to take me out to get my mind off of things. We went to a local bar and as we walked in one of the regulars asked if we wanted in on a game of pinball. I declined because I had no interest in something that I considered lame and from the 70s. The guy who was playing saw my long face and said that doing anything was better then drowning my sorrows and feeling sorry for myself. OK. Good point. We played a few games and he explained the rules of the machine. I had to admit that I had a good time. Playing pinball at "Shennanigans" became a constant in my life. The guy who first got me playing became a good friend and 20 years later we still have good memories of marathon playing and local tournaments. My friend Chris who dragged me out that night wanted to go to a pizza joint one time and we noticed that the owner had 9 machines. I asked if they were for sale and I bought all 9 for $1000. Chris introduced me to a couple of girls and we would hang out all the time going from place to place looking for new machines to play or buy. The virus spread through me and after almost 40 machines owned, here I am. I ran into one the girls, "Holly", name not changed because she would be happy to be mentioned on this forum, asked me when we would hang out looking for new machines to play. After all these years. That was her first comment. Kind of cool. I introduced Holly to my girlfriend who later became my wife. She was not into pinball but later converted and has logged more time on my Theatre of Magic then I did. She was so understanding of my passion. I loved playing with her and was happy to see her get into the games and even curse at the straight drains down the middle. Her son got a little older and ended up getting bitten by the bug as well. If he is not playing World Of Warcraft he can usually be found playing Frankenstein or Revenge from Mars. Strange how life takes you in different directions then what you intended. When I lost my sweetheart many years ago, I thought that nothing would make me happy. I hated life and did not want mine anymore. Pinball kind of saved me. That girl did me a favor by leaving me because it opened all kinds of doors. I now have a beautiful wife with two awesome kids. And pinball is still a big part of my life. The hobby of collecting and playing pinball is now something that kind of defines me. The ever growing collection of pins is always a source of pleasure for me, even when I break a screw head off into a post or swear at a straight drain down the middle. Even to this day when things go bad I find it very theraputic to get in under the hood and wax a playfield or change some coil sleeves. I guess thats it for my story. I have to call it a night. Got to work tomorrow. And call a guy about a listing that I saw on Craigslist about a machine..........

    #32 11 years ago

    What started me on buying pinball machines--I could no longer find clean descent pinball machines on route near my home. For the last 20 years I have traveled (locally) for work. I used to be able to play 2 or 3 different pins a week at various places. Now, it is hard to find a pin in the wild. Rather than give up pinball, I bought my own.

    Tom

    #33 11 years ago
    Quoted from lpeters82:

    Shorthand...
    Video Games --> Arcades --> Pinball
    I think it's evolution.

    This was my evolution. Throw a few other collectables with markets in there but pretty much just like above quote.

    #34 11 years ago

    When I was really introduced to pinball around the time Jurassic Park came out (a lot of people have heard that story, I'll spare you), I got really addicted to playing it. I remember one day playing it and thinking to myself, "One day, I am going to own this game."

    About six years later, I started huntin', then buyin' machines. Had very little extra money to do so, but at the time machines were had for pretty darn affordable prices. Along with that, I tend to like stupid games that no one else much cares for and I don't mind waiting a long, long time for a good deal, so even today the majority of the games I have bought are $1k or under.

    I have mostly slowed lately because I feel pretty "done" with what I have wanted to pick up. I have maybe 10-15 more games that I'm looking for, but with one exception that a buddy has told me he'll sell me eventually for a good price, there is nothing in my "REALLY WANT" category...

    #35 11 years ago

    Wow cool stories, i read them all.

    For me i grew up with a Sinbad, i used to pull a chair like bar stool up to it in our basement. Played hours and hours on that thing. Years later, i was thinking about digging Sinbad from the moms basement and getting it going. It had been sitting neglected for a few years. One nigh i saw "special when lit", that was it, the next day i went and got it and brought it to my house and got it going again. After a few months, i started searching for my own machine since technically Sinbad belonged to the family, or more so my mom who loves that machine. I ended up picking up a HS2 and brought Sinbad to my brothers until i clean out a room at moms to bring it back to her and keep it running for her. I love that HS2, i play the balls off it every night. I'm currently searching for number two even though i dont have the space for more than one. My moms will be a staging ground until i get a bigger house. She doesnt mind at all and i know whatever i bring there it will be played. Sometimes i think about what drew me to HS2, given i could have bought a number of machines at that time.

    #36 11 years ago
    Quoted from lpeters82:

    Shorthand...
    Video Games --> Arcades --> Pinball
    I think it's evolution.

    EXACTLY...lol. Almost all my local pin friends (including myself) had this path.

    I always wanted an arcade game or pinball machine. I'd watch Silver Spoons and was FLOORED that Ricky Schroeder had arcade games in his house!!!! I was exactly the right age for the arcade explosion (I was 5 when Pac-Man came out). I enjoyed pinball, too...but I didn't really ever understand it. My dad really liked pinball, and said he was going to buy a game for the basement...but never did. That thought of growing up and having a full sized coin-op game in my house always lingered in my head. Even though I was a "vid kid", I remember playing F-14, EATPM, T2, TAF, STTNG and others during the early 90's.

    Flash forward to 2003, I heard about arcade auctions & got hooked on them. Cheap classic arcades a plenty...then I discovered Craigslist...lol. I couldn't believe how cheap classic machines were! I'd do bulk buys...keep a game or two I wanted, sell the rest. My collection was kinda paying for itself! Pretty soon I was up to 20 vids or so. I kinda wanted a pin but thought they were too scary to maintain & too expensive. During an arcade bulk-buy, a guy offered me a BTTF pin for $300. I had to take it! BTTF is one of my favorite movies, so it had to be awesome! Right!? ...right? Well, when I was a newb, it was the greatest game ever! I cut my teeth on repair, restoration and maintenance w/ that BTTF.

    Forward to 2006, I was still all vids, 1 pin. For those who don't know, I work on Family Guy... Gary Stern & Pat Lawlor came to visit the animation studio to pitch us the machine they wanted to make. Pat brought all the mini-playfield parts to show us the concept of Stewie's Mini Pinball. That flipped the pinball switch for me ...I became fascinated and obsessed with pinball. I ended up designing/drawing the cabinet & translite art....I couldn't wait for the game to be completed, so I bought my 2nd pin - BSD. It was filthy and broken...my first opportunity to really shop out/repair/restore a game. I was a bit scared, but I tackled it...and when I turned it on and it was all bright and shiny and working 100% it was such a satisfying feeling! I needed more...I built my collection one by one, mostly from Craigslist. It was a real rush bringing game after game back from crustiness!

    Long story short...I never touched the vids anymore, slowly sold them off to make room for the pins. I still have a few vids, but mostly for nostalgia...I honestly don't play them anymore. I play my pins every day if I can. I'm at the point where I'm pretty much burnt out on shopping out and restoring games...but, that's fine...I have more than enough to jam on!

    #37 11 years ago

    I never played pins much growing up because I was always into video games. Being 30 I grew up in the console era, but hit the arcades when I could. Three years ago i wanted to build a MAME cab so I started researching and of course I found Hyperspin. I completed my cab for the most part and saw Hyper"pin". I was like WTF is Hyper"pin"? I started looking into that and was amazed with Visual Pinball and the cabs guys were building. I wanted one really bad, but I started looking at the cost and said HELL NO! Much has changed since 3 years ago when I discovered Hyper"pin" with my job and buying my first home. I said to heck with it i'm building my own Hyper"pin" cab to go with my Hyperspin cab! I also told myself I wanted a real pin since I have a dedicated gameroom now. I started my Hyper"pin" build and passively checked out craigslist and the marketplace here for a real pin! Through this site I met a local Pinsider "Pintucky" and after seeing his collection I aggressively started looking for a pin since I have all the parts bought to complete my virtual. To make a already long post shorter. I bought a VERY NICE DM from "Celiac502" and am currently about halfway through my Hyper"pin" build. Which brings my to this. I have seen "some" hate for Visual Pinball. Which I can totally understand and to each his own, but if it wasn't for VP I probably would have never came this far into the hobby.

    #38 11 years ago

    Great stories fellas and + 1 for the topic!

    #39 11 years ago

    My wife says it was mental illness that got me started.

    My story echos most of those here...

    1) had a couple of pins in the basement as a kid I played all the time (still own one of them).
    2) video game player in HS.
    3) Arcade game collector in the early to late 90's (have 23 machines).
    4) Mame killed the market for video games, Play Mame on my pedestal system with 37" monitor, never turn the cabs on.
    5) Wanted to get into pins for a while, but the price kept me away.
    6) Kids are grown and gone, had some money saved, decided to get in now because prices don't seem to be going down.
    7) Bought 11 machines since August 16th.
    8 ) Having a great time playing, (trying to) fixing, and loving on these magnificent machines!

    #40 11 years ago

    My brother called me one day in Sept '08 and said "I got a pinball machine for you...".

    From there it's been a steady downward spiral. I eat, sleep and breath pinball every single day.

    I'm also guilty of starting others on the same path. One Pinsider here has been thoroughly inflicted by me. He's so hooked its disgusting. I feel guilty ... but perhaps no

    #41 11 years ago

    When I was in my early teens, I played a lot of pinball at my local Putt Putt Golf 'N' Games (Anderson, IN). I remember playing Addams Family, Funhouse, Bride of Pinbot, T2 and Demolition Man. As I got older, I'd play pinball whenever I happened to stumble upon a game, but I didn't really seek it out.

    For probably the last 10 years, I always thought it would be cool to own a pinball machine, but I assumed that if something went wrong, I wouldn't be able to fix it. Fortunately, there are tons of resources -- forums, instructional websites, blogs, parts vendors, etc. -- online that make it possible for a noob like myself to do my own repairs.

    I bought my BoP in April. I panicked that there were so many things wrong with it when I got it home. I ended up paying a guy $250 to come out to my house and fix a few things that I later realized I could've done myself, but just didn't know it yet. Since then, I've learned how to fix a variety of issues and even replace some board components. I bought a Pinbot a few weeks ago. Both games could use some touch ups on the playfield, but I'm not quite ready to tackle touching up and clearcoating. For now, I just take pride in getting the games playing 100% and as clean as possible.

    Hopefully, I will be buying more games down the road. Space is not an issue, but justifying today's prices is tough for me. I wish I'd gotten into the hobby earlier.

    #42 11 years ago

    First started playing pins in the mid 90's. First pin I truly got attached to was a TOM in an Aladdin's Castle. Put many $$$ in that machine.

    Fast forward to 2001. Bought a routed TZ while I was in college. Haha had the machine delivered to my dorm room and completely shopped it out there and kept it in the dorm room for a year or so. Traded it off for a nice AFM.

    Fast forward to 2009. Foolishly sold my AFM because I needed cash to finish my basement. Now it is worth 2-3 times what I sold it for. DANG!!! Anyways got back into pins a few months ago and picked up a TS and NGG. It is very addicting!!! Would like to try out a new Stern now.

    #43 11 years ago

    I grew up in the arcades in the 80s. My whole life I dreamed of having my own pinball. Now that I have a house and some money, I finally pulled the trigger. In 2 months I had 2 machines.

    I wonder though how many of us would have bought if arcades still existed like they did back in the day and pins in the wild were readily accessible.

    #44 11 years ago

    Great stories.

    #45 11 years ago

    Chris Bucci.

    I was searching for Turbografx reviews and his shows came up.

    Like others have said, I went from video games to this. Back when I was younger, my uncle had an old Hang Glider that I used to play. I guess something just clicked when I got the "bug" a little more than a year ago.

    #46 11 years ago

    >>WHAT STARTED YOU ON BUYING PINBALL MACHINES?

    Video pinball sucked back then

    (except for the Sierra pinball games...those were pretty good)

    #47 11 years ago
    Quoted from lpeters82:

    Shorthand...
    Video Games --> Arcades --> Pinball
    I think it's evolution.

    Someone totally needs to make one of those evolution graphics where it first shows a human hunkered down in a beanbag or something playing a console, then hunched over or sitting at a cocktail table... and then upright playing a pin.

    Please?

    #48 11 years ago

    I wish i had a reasonable excuse but i'll have to with "insanity".

    #49 11 years ago

    First contact was in 1984 during a family celebration in a restaurant. The owner saw us kids bored and switched his pinball to free play - yay!

    Around '92/'93 I often visited a local billard bar. They had a pinball machine in one corner (still remember playing TAF and IJ).

    In my first apartment would have been sufficient space, but I decided for a table and some chairs to accommodate friends. The next apartment had enough space for my fist pin and now we have a games room - enough room for up to 3 pins and 4 yards of shelves for board and roleplaying games.

    #50 11 years ago

    Decided to give up crack, figured I should find something more addicting to offset the withdrawal

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