Williams
F-14 Tomcat Pinside Rating
This game received 323 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.592 /10
F-14 Tomcat
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.576
Artwork: 7.411
Sounds/Music: 7.098
Other Aspects: 7.851
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 6 of us have rated this game.
Found 197 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 197 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 7 of 8.
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Dike, IA
9.180/10
11 years ago
Kitchener, ON
It's very fast, there's huge risk/reward for the shots needed. The light show is one of the best. This game will beat you up, then you will "get it" and ball times last a long time. 4 ball multiball is chaos.
Lille
Vantaa
8.989/10
11 years ago
F-14 is all about 2 things: Flow and lighting. Overall a fun game, a bit repetitive. Noisy and flashy, combined with blistering speed...newbies will get frightened off so that knocks it's rating down just a small amount. There is no better light show in this era.
8.619/10
11 years ago
I own this pinball for nearly a month now and can't stop playing it. Ok this is not a deep
Ruleset pinball but this machine is so fast and can be so frustating that it only make me want to
Beat the crap out of it more and more(the good way). I love it and plan to keep it forever.
Ruleset pinball but this machine is so fast and can be so frustating that it only make me want to
Beat the crap out of it more and more(the good way). I love it and plan to keep it forever.
9.853/10
11 years ago
I am absolutely amazed that this pin is not rated higher. Without question one of the fastest pins out there, even 20+ years after it hit the market. And while the rule set may not be deep, it is the type of game that can punish you. One of the few games that I can actually say that there is this sense of urgency to get the multiball... and without question, the one game that when you just fall short of multiball, will have you crying, cursing, and then playing it all over again. One of SR's best with HS2 and ACDC.
7.515/10
11 years ago
This is fun and fast game. It's visually one of the brightest games out there...swap the controlled inserts with LED's, turn out the lights, and WOW!
It is also a fast game. THe ball never stops and it's over before you know it. The kickback still surprises me at how fast it is!
It is very much a dated relic of the 80s which I happen to like. It oozes the 80s. From hearing "commie" in the voices on out, you almost expect to hear Reagan speaking!
On the other hand, it isnt deep and you don't get a lot of replayability. But it is a quick break from the norm!
It is also a fast game. THe ball never stops and it's over before you know it. The kickback still surprises me at how fast it is!
It is very much a dated relic of the 80s which I happen to like. It oozes the 80s. From hearing "commie" in the voices on out, you almost expect to hear Reagan speaking!
On the other hand, it isnt deep and you don't get a lot of replayability. But it is a quick break from the norm!
8.468/10
11 years ago
This was the game I remember the most as a kid in high school. I didnt play a lot of pinball because I didnt understand it. But I thought this and HS was really cool.
I finally got around to picking up a minty mint one and rebuilt it. Of course, I added all LEDs, modded for LED flashers and did a cabinet led kit. I wanted this machine to make my eyes bleed.
The game is as fun as I remember. Fast fast fast. I also love the normal scoring where if you drain right away, you only have 11,000 pts (not millions). This game is not hard to understand, and by far is the most simple machine I own. However, I cant seem to stop playing it. I also am a huge fan of light shows, and this one is the grand master. The theme is perfect and current. If you are even remotely patriotic, this machine needs to be in your collection.
I finally got around to picking up a minty mint one and rebuilt it. Of course, I added all LEDs, modded for LED flashers and did a cabinet led kit. I wanted this machine to make my eyes bleed.
The game is as fun as I remember. Fast fast fast. I also love the normal scoring where if you drain right away, you only have 11,000 pts (not millions). This game is not hard to understand, and by far is the most simple machine I own. However, I cant seem to stop playing it. I also am a huge fan of light shows, and this one is the grand master. The theme is perfect and current. If you are even remotely patriotic, this machine needs to be in your collection.
7.982/10
11 years ago
A great Williams system 11 game. Fast gameplay and a real ball drainer is what I remember most about this pin. I owned it for about six months and never had a repair issue. Very sturdy and well built. The most exciting multiball I have ever seen (thanks to the beacon lights)!
9.400/10
11 years ago
Coatbridge
Excellent game and fun to play. Fast moving and deadly! The flasher lights are many and impressive. The sounds are cool with jet engines and machine guns going off all the time. Excellent machine - GET ONE...
PS. I have modified my spinner to the upper playfield RED flashers to flash along with the spinner. Just adds to the impressive lighting on this pin!
PS. I have modified my spinner to the upper playfield RED flashers to flash along with the spinner. Just adds to the impressive lighting on this pin!
8.489/10
11 years ago
I played this game while courting my wife in college in the late 1980's. There was always fast ball movement, cool sound effects and the thrill of multi-ball. It was fun to play, and when you really got everything going it was a blast.
10.000/10
11 years ago
Sana'a
F-14 is one of those super fast Steve Ritchie games. Its claim to fame is that has a surprise "fire back at the flippers" launcher in it. It is not unusual for visitors to say that the game is simply too fast to play.
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The game is built like a tank, no plastic ramps to crack at all.
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There are a few downsides to the construction of the game that keeps many people from ever having experienced the game as intended:
1. Most of the playfields have a ton of raised arrow inserts. The games came with complete mylar installed from the factory, complicating the resetting of the inserts. The arrow inserts would seem to have extra surface area to hold themselves in place, but almost always they are all popped up every which way.
2. More so than other games, the pop bumper needs to be in great working order to keep the upper loop in play. Most games have a sluggish bumper and old rubber across from it.
3. Williams issued a service bulletin requiring the replacing of the upper flipper coils. Games should now have FL11722 coils installed.
F-14 is a super fast fun game to play. Too bad most people have never had a chance to play it corectly. If you play a properly maintained game, you won't soon forget it.
-
The game is built like a tank, no plastic ramps to crack at all.
-
There are a few downsides to the construction of the game that keeps many people from ever having experienced the game as intended:
1. Most of the playfields have a ton of raised arrow inserts. The games came with complete mylar installed from the factory, complicating the resetting of the inserts. The arrow inserts would seem to have extra surface area to hold themselves in place, but almost always they are all popped up every which way.
2. More so than other games, the pop bumper needs to be in great working order to keep the upper loop in play. Most games have a sluggish bumper and old rubber across from it.
3. Williams issued a service bulletin requiring the replacing of the upper flipper coils. Games should now have FL11722 coils installed.
F-14 is a super fast fun game to play. Too bad most people have never had a chance to play it corectly. If you play a properly maintained game, you won't soon forget it.
9.389/10
12 years ago
As of now, it is my favorite game in my collection. Better than whirlwind in my eyes!
7.315/10
12 years ago
Lighting good. Artwork sorta ho-hum. 4 flippers & multi-ball keep the action moving along good. Fun factor pretty good.
8.383/10
12 years ago
Simple game, simple rules and pretty easy shots, but still a$$-kicking fun and an awesome lightshow especially with LEDs. Ritchie nailed it with this and high speed back in the day. Most definately a keeper in my place and under-rated bang for yer buck fun!
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