My favorite is Balls-a-Poppin. It was also released with some minor changes as Circus. You start multiball with a center saucer that is very easy to over-shoot but then things get pretty crazy. It's also extremely nudge-able and you can make some really great saves.

For me there are so many great titles to choose from, especially in the 1952 - 1955 era.

The jackpot games are epic as they are comparable to modern day wizard features.

Frontiersman - 10 replay jackpot.
Wishing Well - 10 replays.
Sweet Add A Line - an amazing 26 replay jackpot for completing the game.
World Champ - 10 replays.
Easy Aces - 10 replays.
Ace High - 10 replays.
Derby Day - 12 replays.
Sluggin Champ - 5 replays.

And then there are so many pre 1955 beautiful games with multiple ways to win. These are so good as whilst playing it always feels like you are about to win, but somehow it never works out that way!

I have zero nostalgia associated with these games. I just love the art and the captivating gameplay.

I guess it's really up to you as to what you like. Woodrails have so many different features from one pin to another and also year to year
Gobble holes hate em or don't mind them (nobody loves em) or what about Drop targets. Maybe you do or don't like roto targets and how about animation? There's so many different choices. Balls A Poppin, Jonnyo loves it,I for one couldn't get rid of my Balls A Poppin fast enough. Different strokes for different folks, so you need to choose, especially if you're only going for one. Ha ha, they're like potato chips. Bet you can't eat (buy) just one
I still have about 50 woodrails I've kept through the years. Lots of them are listed in my "collection". Do your research, play a few and make up your own mind. What one person likes, another might not. I rotate woodrails in my gameroom from time to time, but there are a few that never seem to leave. One is Kewpie Doll another is Sittin Pretty and my Knockout will always be up. One with Gobbles, one with Roto and one with the fantastic animation and an awesome backglass.
I wish you were closer, you're welcome here to play some. Or if you're ever by Vegas, stop in Tims place, there should be lots of them there.
Good luck on your search

I have played Sweet Add A Line and it's close cousin Gypsy Queen and love both these games. Gypsy Queen can win 8 replays. Something about collecting the lines on the backglass and they both have a nice layout.

I love my Mystic Marvel - maximum 6 replays with double feature. Great art, great gameplay and gobble holes like sink holes!!!

I think every single pinball wood rail makes you look like you kidnap girls and keep them in your basement. Creepy if you ask me. With the exception when times were innocent in the 1950's and 60's, then it's acceptable.

Otherwise, freaking creepy.

Sorry, just reread the entire thread. It must be because I'm still in shock after seeing this "creepy" machine:

http://www.villagebbs.com/forum/index.php?topic=28466.0

You sure do have a vivid imagination

I've owned several wood rail pins over the years and the only one I've kept is Miss Annabelle.

Clay Harrell has a thorough write up about the history of Gottlieb EMs, and for almost all of the woodrails, he includes information and ratings of each game.

His only A+ ratings are Knock Out, Minstrel Man, Mermaid, and Daisy May. Luckily, I had a chance to play all four of those at his show in Michigan this past weekend.

http://pinrepair.com/gtb/

And did they live up to reputation?

Oh yeah. Daisy May is probably my favorite.

I have yet to own a woodrail. I regret passing on a Gottlieb "Happy Days" a while back.

1950 Gottlieb Madison Square Gardens:
Recent pre-Allentown purchase, I found this pristine survivor requiring very little beyond the routine shopping to get it going.

I had never heard of the game, but I was intrigued to add another boxing themed game to the World Champ and Knock Out. Not much information about it, but from what I understand, it came out in June 1950, a few months before the more popular Knock Out.

The game has a 'boxing ring' formed by four one-way gates with the pop bumpers representing the two boxers. So, for an old game, there is a lot of "action" within this area. Backglass has light animation of boxers fighting. Nice Roy Parker artwork.

As a boxing fan, I noticed the graphic of the two boxers on the playfield is almost identical (and assumed inspiration) to one of the photos from the Marcel Cerdan/Tony Zale 9/21/48 Middleweight championship fight. Cerdan, a 2-1 underdog, becomes the first non-American to hold the Middleweight title in the 20th century. The photo of the fighters was from a French newspaper. The graphic on the playfield even has a tiny drop of blood coming from Zale's nose.

right.jpg

left.jpg

front.jpg

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ring.jpg

boxers.jpg

boxers-newspaper.jpg

instruction.jpg

Awesome collection you have there!! Would love to see them sometime.

Very neat. It would be great if you could upload a gameplay video of Madison Square Gardens pin; would love to the 'action'. It almost looks like Stern's new WWE copies the 'boxing ring' idea!

The playfield has layout similarities to my '49 Gottlieb K. C. Jones, which is awesome fun, imho.

Only one woodrail in my collection so far: Crossroads from 1952. Great artwork and a completionists challenge to get all the bumpers lit in sequence.

If you get all five balls trapped in the center, you win 3 replays. But this is only possible if you trap each one. Lose a ball along the way, and they all work against you. Pretty cool twist... and so easy for victory to slip away at the last moment.

poppapin - Green Lane is only an hour from Holland. I am always pleased to welcome guests. Please PM me if/when you are coming in to the area.

Joel

Odd cabinet graphics on that game for a boxing themed pin. I've seen others like that. For some reason, they were pushing air and space travel on their cabinets, regardless of the game's theme.

Jet airliners were the "wave of the future" in 1950. The first prototypes were in development.

Gottlieb modernizing with their 4 color design (dark blue/light blue/brown/orange). Nice color theme.

That's what I was thinking too, jr.

Almost thought the game was in the 'wrong' cabinet until I looked on the IPDB.

Here's a video of it, as requested:

https://vimeo.com/128299295

As with all my titles, I am appreciative for the restoration help and guidance from Pinrescue...

Joel

Wow, nice video! Love that intro.

Great action! Cool, thanks!

Those are some pretty cool gates at the top oldcarz! You have a nice line up of boxing games right now!

Nice game

Like the way it plays and the bell sound on certain points.

The gobble hole in San Francisco is pretty good. Technically it's not a woodraid, though. You have to advance the meter on the backglass and then shoot the gobble hole for big points. It's sort of like setting up a jackpot shot and then collecting, so not the usual mindlessness of some gobble holes.

I have a standard 1955 Sluggin Champ for 8 years or so, and find it a one-more-game type of play. Love the Brooklyn Dodgers and Milwaukee Braves backglass for a measure of the time in baseball. National versus American League. Love one, hate the other....LOL.
Great to accumulate all the teams from both leagues and hit the lit gobble hole...nudge city.

Sluggin Champ is as good as Daisy May and Frontiersman. All three are to-the-grave keepers. World Champ is another keeper, IMHO.

How old did you say are? Just curious...

That's cold .... but funny at the same time.

Steve

Here is my latest pic. The Paleo diet has done me wonders.....gluten free!!

OldmanIn-The-GravePinball.jpg

Looks like you need a little more gluten in your diet.

Man, that's sad. Do his friends call him "wingnut"?

Resurrecting a good thread.

I have a couple few from the late 50's early 60's. Dancing Dolls, HI-DIVER, Criss Cross, Wagon Train...and hopefully a Sittin' Pretty, soon. You reading this DF?

I like the jackpot features mentioned of the '50-'55 Gtb's (sounds like fun), but understand they may be easier to beat than the later years. ??? Were the replays much more liberal during the earlier years of woodrails?

No, not particularly.... much like the metal rails, it just depends on what 'title' you're talking about.

Some woodrails are actually pretty hard to beat.

Interesting thread. I have thought about woodrails too, and have pondered if I should get one example. I am thinking I'd like to find one really nice woodrail.... Maybe I should start looking ! Probably would be nice to have at least one. Would be tough to pass up a really nice one...

Wagon Train is a great machine!

Picked up and fixed up a '59 Gottlieb Straight Shooter last year but still have to record a gameplay video. Challenging game.

Presently restoring a 1956 Gottlieb Classy Bowler pin for a friend that is already fun to play, challenging, and it even needs a pop bumper and flipper rebuild so that should tell you something.

Ken

Yes it is! Thanks. Having some problems uploading pics at the moment but I have a real purty one. I guess the later years had a lot of rotos eating up space...but I really like them. There is some variation between them. Also, some awesome back box animation going on at that time, Dancing Dolls being my favorite.

Here's a distant shot of a few in the disco.

image_(resized).jpeg

Yes, you should get one. And don't look back!

I'm not.

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Day yum. Do you still have the 'visitor' camping trailer?

That's where I'll be living soon.

Sweet. I did know of a guy who had pins and p&bs everywhere in his house. No kitchen appliances either, just pins. Still lived in the house though.

And to answer this question, the Frontiersman you can win lots of games at once, but not every game.

The Williams games are very hard to win a replay, something that continued on thru the 60s.

I just don't see those around here, at least in the condition I look for. I'm a 'maintainer' (but slowly learning) at the moment. Yes, lots of great Williams and Bally games. I also had to streamline my maintenance time. Thought having similar years, maker, would be an easier curve for me.

You don't see them because they didn't make many of each title and most got played into the ground. They cost a dime to play as well, but even with that and not giving out replays like candy, it didn't stop people from stepping up to the challenge. If you look at the pics you will see they are also very stout relatively speaking. I like having games from different makers to keep things interesting. If I stuck with only one, it wouldn't be as much fun.