thanks for the pics!

Looks like a great time. Thanks for posting.

Got to love when the kids get into it. That is the best part. I am sure your kids will remember this for a long time to come. Its something they did with Dad. I missed it this year because we went to ComicCon but looks like you had a good time. Thanks for sharing!

No doubt. This was my first show and really enjoyed meeting Herg and seeing Jester and his family. It was definitely worth going to and will do it again next year. I don't have too many pictures but will see what I have and post them later.

Thanks for posting! That Data East STAR WARS game was sweet - great condition. I kept returning to it LOL.

Sometimes a "least-expected" title can grab my attention and on Friday, it was Star Wars.

BTW...I would lay money that your Royal Rumble got as many plays as some of the "new" games. I never walked by it without seeing someone playing it. Jester...any chance you had a play count before/after the show? I think you might be surprised. And the game looked fantastic, you did a nice job on it...

Pretty sure the Royal Rumble got more plays than anything other than Metallica, Star Trek or WOZ. On Saturday there was *always* a group playing it.

Was great meeting you and your family, and hanging out at the show Jester. Was also great meeting and talking to other pinsiders and non-pinsiders alike. Was an amazing show! I really enjoyed playing Royal Rumble for the first time, and it was truly in my top 3 pins I played at the show all weekend! Loved hearing Macho Man Randy Savage call outs from across the room!!! OH YEAH!!!! The LEDs looked fabulous! That game is definitely going into my wishlist. Thanks again for bringing it Jester and thanks for posting the pictures too! I am already having pin withdrawal today!!!

It was a good show...I wish I had a chance to have met more people! Yet again, I constantly find that these shows and events can be less about actually playing pinball then about meeting others and things like that....all good though!

HUO TAF always had a line. I took a TRS which got a ton of plays. Seems the short supply of DMD titles meant that there were not many machines open

True, a good percentage of the DMDs were with vendors and not available for free play...frustrating!

Us Northern Va/WVa guys should go in on a box truck next year. Hell, if I had a way to get them up there, I would bring all 4 of my machines.

That WOZ has been working on me since I left York...a 2 hour drive, and all day yesterday trying to figure out how/when to grab one.

Yikes sorry. It came home with me Friday night I offered to leave it for another day, but the seller had already started tearing it down for me lol. Amazingly clean machine inside and out. The plastic inside the death star had broken off the target, but it's superglued on - we'll see how long it holds.

This was the machine I'd spent a long time looking for, and didn't think there would be one here at all. Happy surprise to find it, and coincidentally, perfect for my husband's birthday that day too!

Does anyone know what was up with the other Star Wars that was there briefly? It sat with no tag and unplugged at the end of the row for a few hours, then it was gone.

That was the worst thing about this show. Stingy vendors who wouldn't set their games to free play. Pfft. For a game I can't play, I'll get it off eBay and have the buyer protection.

And if you were to play it they would stand right behind you jibber jabbin breaking consitration getten on your nerves...Didn't a seller want a down payment to let someone test a pin last year?

That's why Cointaker is by far the classiest, best vendors at all these shows. Great people to talk to, great discount pricing, great products and they bring machines, new ones even, and let people have at it. Star Trek and Metallica were there for all to play. I bet those machines got 1000 plays total all weekend!

Totally agree!

That is BS. They should not be allowed to have the game there and not be on free play. I could see maybe charging per game for something special or rare, but even then all proceeds should go to charity.

That's a really good idea! Any new pin plays 5 balls for 25 cents. They will still have lines at them.

The vendors pay for the floorspace and it's certainly permissible for them to set up their retail games for display and not for free play.

Having said that, it does not "play" well at these shows because it gains the reactions many of you are expressing.

I would argue that a better "separation" from the free play area might be better. I remember in Allentown this separation was blurred and confusing as well.

Thanks guys we always try to have the newest games at the show for all the people to try out I hope you guys enjoyed them

I'm in sales for a living. I don't know what the fee was for the vendors, but in my opinion, they are loosing more than they are gaining by not having them on free play.

If a vendor set up games on free play and had a nice conversation with a casual soft sell this would go miles. You never know who you are talking to. It may be a guy that looks like trash, but has a wad in his pocket. You might be planting a seed that your business is here to help a prospect to buy a pin. Maybe now, maybe later. The vendor is building a relationship with the prospect. If thats done right, you will have a customer for life.

Cointaker is perfect example of this...their business plan and execution is spot on. They made me feel like a long lost friend when I came up to their booth this weekend, and all three of them were great to work with.

Vendors, if you want to suceed in this business....watch and learn from the Cointaker crew....

PennSkier has it right. The vendors that pay for space can do whatever they want with their games. It isn't that hard to pick out the vendor spots. The vendor spots are along the outside walls. It has been that way for the past 17 years that the show has been around.
But the problem is for the vendors that letting the game get played all weekend at an event like the show is that now the game is not "new" and most people will expect to get a huge discount on a "used" machine.

The Star Wars that was powered off was one that someone had brought in to "test". Which caused a lot of confusion as to why it was there, who it belonged to and if the person taking it out really owned it.

The games I noticed that were not on free play were shopped games. Not new titles...
lol, seemed like the "new" games were all on free play...Metalica, Star Trek, WOZ x3

shoot...the HUO Addams Family that had only 200 plays on it probably added another 500 after the weekend.

The vendor in question who had there games on attract mode only were selling routed games, that were far from shopped or even serviced. They were high priced to most peoples standards and if they were to turn them on free play, might be able to sell more of them, along with talking with the people playing and developing some sort of business relationship with the potential customers.

Agree! It's the same story every year with those guys. Their TZ had a beat pf.

Speaking of Super Mario Mushroom World, my friend's machine shows this error message. If anybody knows what it means, I'd be in your debt!

photo.JPG

looks like it was great show.

I don't have a manual, but it is telling you that chip U3 is bad (it also looks like or W6 ?)

Whats the point of this pinball show if games are pay to play? I guess I am spoiled by TPF. The way people were talking up the York show the past month I figured this one was a big deal, but if you have to pay to play most of the DMD games......

These are games brought by paying vendors that have chosen not to have their games on free play. Some vendors do but if they show up and sell everything than those games are gone as well. If people want games in the freeplay area they should bring a game. These shows exist because of collectors/hobbyist. Want bigger shows with more games? Bring more games.

I brought a game for the time to this show, in the pouring rain no less. I'm glad I did, it was cool to see other people interested and excited about the game as well. I will do it again.

first

I'm not sure what language that is or why it is in that but usually the Bad u3 or u6 message is caused by the battery being dead. My game (the one in the picture) did the same thing the day I was packing it up to bring to the show. You will need your soldering iron to replace the battery. Gottlieb soldered them in. You can either get the new battery that also needs soldered in or just solder in a holder and make it easier.

Glad you had a good time. Thank you for taking time to share pics.

The only games that were pay to play at any point was when the Wizard of Oz tournament was ongoing and the money from that tournament benefit a children't charity. Other that that NO GAMES WERE SET FOR PAY TO PLAY!

Once again, the vendors that pay for the spaces can do whatever they want with their games and do not have to set them for free play, turn them on or anything else. They do not even have to have games in their booths. This has been the case for the 17 years that the show has been put on and will always be the case.

I guess you mean that no games in the freeplay area were set for pay to play, as the wall of games from the vendor was not freeplay at any time, regardless of WOZ schedule.

THANK YOU!!!

hey Jester...I have a few pics but they are only of specific games...I will post those later tonight.

LOL...you are too funny Jester! Before this tournament, I didn't even know there was a ranking system where you accumulated points. You can be in my corner..."Cut me Mick" You got it on the Cointaker LED bulbs...thanks for taking the time to show me those and explain what you use. I am hooked. Going to buy some from them very soon.

Here is a pic. Jester and Vlad (left to right)...I know you are all intimidated!!! LOL

DSC01393.JPG

Here are some of my pics. While I loved getting the chance to play the newer Sterns and Jersey Jack pins, and the DMDs that were there, I was just as thrilled to play the EMs and non-DMDs. I just love seeing and playing any pin I haven't played before, or pins I haven't played since I was a teen. This show was great for that! That's my girlfriend with the curls. She played in her first ladies tournament and took 4th. She had a blast and is looking forward to our next show. A girlfriend that loves pinball...I am a lucky guy!!! In fact, she wanted to play again on Sunday after the show ended, so we drove to Hanover, PA and played for several hours at Timeline Arcade. Highly recommended!!!

DSC01391.JPG

DSC01392.JPG

DSC01394.JPG

DSC01395.JPG

DSC01397.JPG

DSC01398.JPG

DSC01402.JPG

DSC01406.JPG

Ha! I played that 24 next to the Terminator. It played well.

I missed playing 24 and Independence day on the other side of Terminator. They were gone on Saturday, or at least I don't remember seeing them. I also missed out on playing Johnny Mnemonic and F-14 Tomcat also gone on Saturday. There appeared to be a lot less pins on Saturday than Friday.