Best Birthday Gift EVER!!!

I got into pinball only a couple of years ago. Sure I played as a kid... my parents liked to camp and we always went to the same campground on the Jersey shore. They had a couple of pins in the game room and I used to play them all the time.

In later years when I was living in Boston I never saw pins around until my buddy brought me to this bar with a World Cup Soccer. We usually played darts or pool but here was something totally new - but yet familiar.

Needless to say I got spanked several times that night and kept going back for more. I found myself seeking out other bars in the area with pins. Before long I bought one for my basement.

It was a STTNG. I'm a big Trek fan and grew up watching both ST reruns and STTNG every Thursday night on UPN. I was completely amazed at what I had in my own basement. At first I was scared to take the glass off but this old boy needed a lot of love and before long I had completely taken it apart, replaced all the ramps, full LEDs, new ships, laser cannon mods... etc...etc...etc... I was hooked!

Later that year I was turning 40! That's a big number! As a birthday gift my wife got me a Wizard Of Oz Emerald City... holy cow! I couldn't believe my eyes! This incredibly beautiful green machine with all it's mechanical parts and deep rule set. I was blown away by both the technology and the engineering. I'm a computer engineer so this game was right up my ally.

The cabinet is so solid. The game weighs a ton. The 26" HDTV for a display is so cool. Why has no one done that before? It seems so obvious. The RGB LEDs put on such a show it's breath taking. I have grown to love JJP. It's a great company and they really stand behind their product. Sure I have had a few issues but what do you expect... this is a totally new platform and they had some kinks to work out. Every time I needed a replacement part it was on my doorstep the next day! What more can you ask for.

I now have 3 pins, 2 vids, pool, ping pong, air hockey, and darts in my basement. WOZ is the most played game out of everything. I used to get upset when I saw fingerprints all over the glass after parties until I realized... it's a compliment! Everyone points at the witch's feet when they pop out and say "did you see that?" or when the monkey captures the ball and brings it up to the castle... Maybe it's the invisaglass but that game has loads of fingerprints all the time. I just don't see people react like that with other games.

I have recently traded in STTNG for STLE and although it's the new pin in the house WOZ still gets all the love. Now that the 3.0 code has come out we are all trying to get to Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Don't know that we ever will reach the end but my 9 year old is dying to take the glass off to see what it looks like... I might just have to let him.