Williams
Junk Yard Pinside Rating
This game received 337 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.621 /10
Junk Yard
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 7.676
Artwork: 7.861
Sounds/Music: 7.062
Other Aspects: 7.481
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 8 of us have rated this game.
Found 172 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 172 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 2 of 7.
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Gold Coast
La Monnerie-le-montel
6.764/10
4 years ago
Washougal, WA
I owned this game for awhile many years ago because the price was right. At the time I only had 4 other machines, and since my White Water wasn't working, this got played a lot. The crane is the coolest toy in pinball (although I think George Gomez improved it for the Dark Knight), all the retro videos modes (Time Machine) are awesome and the concept of building a spaceship jalopy from junkyard parts is brilliant. The other toys are okay but mostly just window dressing.
Unfortunately, like others have said the game suffers from being a one-trick pony (shoot the crane to start multiball, other "toys" like the toilet and bus do nothing), no pop bumpers and tough side drains. But perhaps the worst feature is the music and callouts. I'd rather hear Rocky and Bullwinkle's "wrong hat" and Fish Tales' "gone fishin!" all day than to listen to this. It constantly grated on me more and more with each game I played. The devil and angel concept make absolutely no sense with this theme, and since they are the primary source of the callouts, they really hold the game back.
Don't get me wrong, I think the game would be fun playing on location for anyone else, I've just had my fill and moved on. With so many better titles available to put into the home collection, I only recommend it to a collector looking to add it to a large collection. In a small collection you will tire of it quickly. I guess the best thing I can say is that I made a decent profit when I sold it.
Unfortunately, like others have said the game suffers from being a one-trick pony (shoot the crane to start multiball, other "toys" like the toilet and bus do nothing), no pop bumpers and tough side drains. But perhaps the worst feature is the music and callouts. I'd rather hear Rocky and Bullwinkle's "wrong hat" and Fish Tales' "gone fishin!" all day than to listen to this. It constantly grated on me more and more with each game I played. The devil and angel concept make absolutely no sense with this theme, and since they are the primary source of the callouts, they really hold the game back.
Don't get me wrong, I think the game would be fun playing on location for anyone else, I've just had my fill and moved on. With so many better titles available to put into the home collection, I only recommend it to a collector looking to add it to a large collection. In a small collection you will tire of it quickly. I guess the best thing I can say is that I made a decent profit when I sold it.
5.437/10
4 years ago
Glasgow
Played this originally in pinball arcade, thought it was ok, played the real machine, really didn't like it, pretty boring and clunky, just couldn't get into it.Lots of uninteresting shots. The theme is rubbish, build quality quite good, pity the game rules and play weren't up to the same.
6.081/10
5 years ago
Malmö
A game that really makes a statement with it's crazy looks and tempting playfield design - but falls short due to linear game play and some really annoying music and call outs.
The playfield design is spectacular and I think that the whole idea with that swinging wrecking ball obstructing the upper targets, which btw blend in perfectly with the whole junk yard theme, is one of the coolest playfield toys ever.
Unfortunately this game really don't offer much depth and feels a little underwhelming once you look past the playfield toys.
This table was actually on my home collection wish list at first. After playing it - well: next please........
The playfield design is spectacular and I think that the whole idea with that swinging wrecking ball obstructing the upper targets, which btw blend in perfectly with the whole junk yard theme, is one of the coolest playfield toys ever.
Unfortunately this game really don't offer much depth and feels a little underwhelming once you look past the playfield toys.
This table was actually on my home collection wish list at first. After playing it - well: next please........
6.717/10
5 years ago
Just played this pin. Not bad. Keeps you wanting to play when you go down the toilet. Play the game an you’ll get that.
7.872/10
5 years ago
This game has been at my local arcade for the last 2 years I've lived here, and I haven't stopped trying to get him to sell it to me. I think it is a really fun machine, and definitely underrated. There are at least 10 machinesI can think of off the top of my head that are rated higher, and don't even compare. Building all the contraptions from the junkyard, the callouts, the shots, I just love it. I'd love to own one.
7.713/10
5 years ago
Nice game play , looks nice, i didn't care for it much upon its release, crane is cool..i like the junk yard feel , i put lots of games on it late 90's, never cared to buy but probly would at a fair price.. I like it more now than back then..very fun to play ...i like it ..gets old fast...all pins do...on the fence.....keeper? Should be rated a bit higher?
7.816/10
5 years ago
Great example of how unique Bally/Williams pins often were. White Water, Arabian Nights, Fish Tales, Scared Stiff, Indy Jones, etc. etc. etc. These pins were actually quite diverse and offered ORIGINALITY. Now, look at pins like Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Iron Man, KISS, Guardians of the Galaxy. Many modern Stern pins feel too similar and they take few risks. This pin has no pop bumpers. It has a horseshoe shaped bank of standup targets, with an opening in the center for the junkyard entrance, and a huge crane and wrecking ball dangling. This pin will never be confused with any other. The theme is bonkers. Hippie art with VW bus and a toilet and junk and a time machine and a junkyard dog video mode(s). Plus you collect junk to build some kind of jalopy aircraft that will take you into...space. Just plain weird and unique and FUNKY. It oozes originality. Gameplay is good, not great. Shots are good, not great. It's a pretty good pin for what it is. My fiancé loves this pin. This was the first pin I ever beat to advance in my first pinball tournament. Shoot that toast!
7.296/10
5 years ago
Everything about Junk Yard is just good. There's nothing absolutely amazing about it, but the music, callouts, art, layout and rules are all perfectly good. Definitely a unique game, especially with no bumpers. Thank God the wrecking ball works so well because it takes up most of the game. Perhaps doesn't have the lastability of other titles from it's time, but a perfectly adequate game and would be good in a larger collection to offer some variety.
9.100/10
5 years ago
At first i find JY on Pinball Arcade and played it over and over again on my iPad. Then i found it in a pub and had the oportunity to play it for real one night. Because i fell in love with the pin i searched for it to buy for my collection, but it was very rare and never sold on the market. I Tryed to contact some owners thru ”pinballowners.com” but no one wanted to sell. Finally, in june 2018 i got i and im so happy to have it in my home! Now i can play whenever i want! Fantastic!
I think this pin will stay whit me all my life!
I think this pin will stay whit me all my life!
7.349/10
6 years ago
I love Junkyard. Building all the components of the machine and collecting junk is really fun. The modes are decent and the final fight against Crazy Bob is fun, with a great animation at the end. I also really love the inclusion of game modes from other pinball machines like the mamushka from Addams Family and move your car from Creature from the Black Lagoon.
8.335/10
6 years ago
I love Junkyard. Its theme is unique and honestly doesn't make much sense, but I like that about it. My favorite parts of the game are the junk collecting and building aspect, the time machine, and the crane toy. It has some great shots and there is always at least three shots you can go for from each flipper. Building up a large score takes quite some time and skill. The outer space wizard mode is a challenge to achieve, but always feels possible once you start racking up the junk. The ball gets moving very fast on this game and the shots are very satisfying.
Some of the things I don't love about JY are the difficulty of the toilet shot. Fortunately this shot is mainly used for collecting junk and building up the toilet jackpot. When you do hit it though, its a very satisfying shot and can be lucrative if you can build up the toilet jackpot for use during toilet adventure mode. I understand that the strobing is intentionally done due to the theme, but it's very hard to see the ball in a dark room and I don't like that personally. My final gripe is the skill shot, it's not the best and mainly just ignored.
Definitely pick up this rare pinball if you see one for sale and decide for yourself. I searched for quite a while for mine and don't think it will be leaving for some time.
Some of the things I don't love about JY are the difficulty of the toilet shot. Fortunately this shot is mainly used for collecting junk and building up the toilet jackpot. When you do hit it though, its a very satisfying shot and can be lucrative if you can build up the toilet jackpot for use during toilet adventure mode. I understand that the strobing is intentionally done due to the theme, but it's very hard to see the ball in a dark room and I don't like that personally. My final gripe is the skill shot, it's not the best and mainly just ignored.
Definitely pick up this rare pinball if you see one for sale and decide for yourself. I searched for quite a while for mine and don't think it will be leaving for some time.
8.000/10
6 years ago
Fun game! Keeps me coming back! I wouldn't be letting this one go for a long time
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