A few working machines instead of a gameroom full of unfinished projects!

My dream collection is pretty much the colllection I have right now. It's a combination of new and old. EM, SS, 90s and modern Sterns. At any point it can expand or shrink just a bit. Some games are "keepers", and others I just really like right now.

And the reason it's my dream collection is because right now I can play all the different types of games I like. Relaxing, brutal, complex, long, short. A game for any mood.

At the beginning of this year I had 16 games. WW, SS,TOM,MM,CP,TZ,TOTAN,CV,IJ,TAFG,FT,EATPM,RFM,SWEPI,NGG and Hobbit
I realized (at that time) that those were my dream collection. I also realized that there was a lot of money tied up in pinball machines and it was just too much. Sold off 14 (all except MM and SS). Now I have those two plus CC and WOZ. I am wanting one more (AFMR) My new dream collection!

It's the one I see every day when i wake up. Then I say "What have I done!?"

LOL! My jukebox collection is like that! Lots of substance, but it all needs work!

Haha! You never been to my place yet. I'm setting in the same boat. More projects then working games and for everyone I fix, two more breakdown.

My dream collection would be every pin ever made and not one less.
Hey you said "DREAM" collection.

Eight Ball Deluxe 81
Joker Poker SS
Black Knight
FishTales
No Good Gofers
ACDC LE

I actually love the games I have. They fit my budget- I fixed them and have plans to restore each one. Sure- it might be fun to have a couple 8-9K games but honestly the best games are the ones in your basement.

Any pinball machine in my home is a dream to be honest. While I always want newer games, I am very satisfied with my lineup.

Comprised of an assortment of 50's thru current games as well as those yet to be released. As such, it's too many to list here and always changing.

Gotta have them all!

One day I listed out all the games I would want to get if $$ were no object and space was unlimited. Believe it or not, the total was 8 arcade games and 24 pins...

My dream was to have a collection of favorite of titles across a number of eras that were all CQ quality or close.
I've pretty much accomplished that with my current lineup:

Sittin' Pretty
Sweet Hearts
Central Park
Sing Along
Target Alpha

RFM
Safe Cracker
Addams Family
Batman 66 LE
Creature From the Black Lagoon
Medieval Madness
No Good Gofers
Whirlwind
Pinbot (replacing DE Time Machine currently in place)
Bally Playboy
Eight Ball Deluxe

Haunted House
Elvira
Scared Stiff
Star Trek LE

If Stern doesn't screw up Elvira 3 and addresses the recent quality issues, that would replace Haunted House.

Would also like to add a JJP game, but don't know where it would fit.

72 Fireball
GTB Atlantis
Paragon
Frontier
Gold Strike
Sorcerer

And that's what I have in my den off my living room right now. I don't know where to go as I don't like the newer stuff. I'm pretty damn content.

I really like what I have.
Maybe swap out Aerosmith for Tron.

I'll settle for a 20 pin-lineup. One can dream, got space for 6-7.

5 EM:
- Bally Balls-a-Poppin
- One Bally EM with zipper flippers (Fireball, Nip-It...)
- One Williams EM
- One Gottlieb EM
- Sonic Mars Trek

5 Early SS:
- Zaccaria Locomotion
- Bally Centaur
- Bally Medusa
- My Gottlieb Black Hole
- Williams Defender

6 DMD:
- TZ
- My Stern WPT
- ACDC
- LOTR
- Mustang Boss
- WOOLY

4 LCD:
- WOZ
- TNA
- Nemo
- Houdini

Just 3 pins!

TBL...hands down at #1

SB...Custom Spaceballs pin the thread is KILLER!!!

CCC...Caribbean Cruise cocktail pinball

I would be happy to define a dream collection... I love so many pinball machines - no way to make a final decision, so I keep on "rotating"

Nevertheless AC/DC, AFM and Fathom are my personal must haves...

10ish Pins from several periods or styles. I have some of these already.

EM => Centigrade 37 (classic 1p wedge head)

SS => Eight Ball Deluxe (classic Bally)

Alpha Numeric => Banzai Run

DMD => BBB, MM or AFM, Safecracker, TZ, AC/DC BIB or STLE, AMH

Modern LCD => WOZ or Dialed In

Owning one of every EM out there. The GOOD, The BAD & The Ugly!

I'm very content with the collection I have right now. Wouldnt change a thing. I may favor the new kid on the block for a short time, but I play all of my pins almost equally because on any given day anyone of em can deliver what I need.

The group I have now is hard to beat. Most have been with me for a while and are keepers.
TZ
IJ
WH2O
BSD
MET
TWD
I500
EATPM

Just one more and I'll have my dream collection. Well, that's what I've been saying since 1996.

EMs: Jacks Open, Abra Ca Dabra, Pro Pool
SSs: ---
DMDs: MM, BSD, WH2O, ToM, TOTAN, CC, CFTBL, Whirlwind, No Fear
Sterns: Met, ST, AC/DC

Halfway there

I would still love to track down these but I'm not losing any sleep over it:

Spooky 1987
Star Light 1984
Barracora 1981
Iron Maiden 1981

I think a dream collection all comes down to space. Your wishlist might have 20+ games, but if you don't have the space (or cash), it's never going to happen. You have to be realistic. Now that my tastes have developed, from actually PLAYING pins firsthand instead of discussing them on a forum, I have a good idea of what I want.

Here's what I'm working on....

3 modern pins................(MET, IMVE, TWD)
1 90s Bally/Williams........(BSD)
1 Early 80's Bally SS.......(Flash Gordon)
1 System 11..................(Taxi)

Paragon
Silverball Mania
Gorgar
Black Knight
Haunted House
Spirit

Some Sterns plus the following HEP-restored titles:

Cyclone
Sorcerer
Space Shuttle
High speed
Flash Gordon
Fathom
CV
TS
BSD
MM
CCC
TFTC

I am kinda going for a "greatest hits" of ONE from every "big" designer. That's cool because I get a mix of styles and also have some limits but lots of options... plus pretty much every designer has a "budget" title you can place until you get the AAA one you want:

I have...

S. Ritchie - BK2K
Lawlor - TZ
Oursler - Jack*bot (I'd MAYBE swap out for a Who Dunnit? or a Pin*Bot depending on my mood that day)
Jpop - WCS (would trade out for one of his better games... TOM probably... but WCS is the wife's fave)
Trudeau - JD (would trade out for CFTBL)
Eddy - MM (MMR on order)

I'd like...

Nordman - Party Zone (don't judge me, lol)
Gomez - Monster Bash
Borg - GnR
M. Ritchie - IJ

I can't think of the rest right now but in my head it went on a bit.

Add my current collection plus my wishlist and that's my dream collection!!

Space Jet
FishTales
TAF
MM
AFM
GB
Met
DI

LOTR, AC/DC prem,METALLICA,TZ,TAF,CV,AFM

I kind of own my dream collection now.

Me too! Well, except for TBL; hopefully that will be sorted out soon.

I know there are some great old titles, but imho they seem a little lackluster compared to shiny and new.
I guess this is a compliment to where pinball is going.

Wizard of oz.
Pirates JJP
Wonka

Metallica
The walking dead
Jurassic park (stern)

Total nuclear annihilation

Must owns

-Medieval Madness (Williams)
-White Water (Williams)
-Attack from Mars (Bally)
-Scared Stiff (Bally)
-Bride of Pinbot (Williams)
-Star Wars (Data East)
-Jurassic Park (Data East)
-Monster Bash (Williams)
-Black Knight: Sword of Rage (Stern)
-Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (Stern)
-South Park (SEGA)
-Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure (Williams)
-Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Williams)

If I had a much bigger basement...

-Star Trek: The Next Generation (Williams)
-Safe Cracker (Bally)
-Deadpool (Stern)
-Back to the Future (Data East)
-Apollo 13 (SEGA)
-Batman Forever (SEGA)
-Theater of Magic (Bally)
-Cactus Canyon (Bally)
-Phantom of the Opera (Data East)
-Lord of the Rings (Stern)
-The Mandalorian (Stern)
-Stranger Things (Stern)
-Star Wars Trilogy (SEGA)
-Tales from the Crypt (Data East)
-Tales of the Arabian Nights (Williams)
-Robocop (Data East)

I'm assembling the Microsoft Pinball Arcade from 1998.

Still need Baffle Ball, Humpty Dumpty, Spirit of 76 and Cue Ball Wizard.

Unfortunately HD is silly money for what it is. The last two should be pretty easy.