First pin
- Thread starter Shinydaz
- Start date
I'm no expert but will try and give some advice as I have just bought my first pin
go and play as many pinball machines as you can so you can work out which games you like everyone's taste is different
eg I don't like Adams family ,or attack from mars but everyone else seems to love them
I like data east hook but no one else dose
electric circus or tilt in Birmingham are good and have a mixture of all tables from different manufacturers and years
pinfest is soon also
I was warned not to buy gottlieb machines as they are harder to fix and parts are expensive or hard to find
I was also warned away from electro mechanical machines because they are hard to repair I don't like how slow they play anyway
For a first pin
I would go for something solid state from bally or Williams as most of the fixes for stuff are well documented
you need to be fairly handy with a soldering iorn but no different to repairing arcade boards / monitors really
Recapping ect
any pins you are looking at check playfield wear and broken ramps and plastics as some are not reproduced and are unobtainable unless some one breaks a pin for spares
Playfields that are worn out down to the wòod or have planking unless really cheap arnt worth bothering with home
Repair and touchup without it looking s**t
Is hard unless you have an artist in the family
cheapest projects I have seen start at around £500 upwards if you have more money the dot matrix stuff is available
I have been lucky with my pin its been quite an easy project so far
probably a bit too easy tbh
but I have still had to put a couple of hundred into it
and still have stuff to do to it
Fun when you have a nice working game though
robotech2018-07-14 04:37:47
go and play as many pinball machines as you can so you can work out which games you like everyone's taste is different
eg I don't like Adams family ,or attack from mars but everyone else seems to love them
I like data east hook but no one else dose
electric circus or tilt in Birmingham are good and have a mixture of all tables from different manufacturers and years
pinfest is soon also
I was warned not to buy gottlieb machines as they are harder to fix and parts are expensive or hard to find
I was also warned away from electro mechanical machines because they are hard to repair I don't like how slow they play anyway
For a first pin
I would go for something solid state from bally or Williams as most of the fixes for stuff are well documented
you need to be fairly handy with a soldering iorn but no different to repairing arcade boards / monitors really
Recapping ect
any pins you are looking at check playfield wear and broken ramps and plastics as some are not reproduced and are unobtainable unless some one breaks a pin for spares
Playfields that are worn out down to the wòod or have planking unless really cheap arnt worth bothering with home
Repair and touchup without it looking s**t
Is hard unless you have an artist in the family
cheapest projects I have seen start at around £500 upwards if you have more money the dot matrix stuff is available
I have been lucky with my pin its been quite an easy project so far
probably a bit too easy tbh
but I have still had to put a couple of hundred into it
and still have stuff to do to it
Fun when you have a nice working game though
robotech2018-07-14 04:37:47
jugemscloud
Active member
i would say that a restoration project probably isn't the best way to get into pinball unless you are talking about relatively minor repairs (part for part replacements) which even in themselves can be costly dependant on machine and by the time you factor in locating parts and shipping (a lot of specific stuff needs to be imported from america) you may have been better off waiting on a complete functioning example or getting a different table. also if the play field is heavily worn thats a hell of a lot of work to restore and heavily influences how the table plays (especially if it has a mylar that needs removed and replaced or clear coated).
as above try machines from different eras loosely defined there are 3 - pre 80-85 EM, 80-90 solid state and 90 onward solid state dmd. check if theres pinball league meetings near you as you should get an idea from the tables there what era you like and what type of gameplay. if you find something you like look at the designer and what other games they've made as most tend to have similar styles, for example high speed 1 and 2 are designed by steve ritchie who also designed terminator 2 all of these tables have quite open play fields and play very fast and smooth
the thing i look for in games is how many shots are available off the main flippers and what is the level of skill or understanding required to shoot these. a game might seem complicated with lots of features or fancy gadgets/toys/ramps but the gameplay is limited due to what is actually available from the flippers and you end up with only 2 or 3 options that quickly becomes repetitive, or the game isn't well balanced and getting a good score through choosing to limit the shots you go for making the gameplay repetitive
as above try machines from different eras loosely defined there are 3 - pre 80-85 EM, 80-90 solid state and 90 onward solid state dmd. check if theres pinball league meetings near you as you should get an idea from the tables there what era you like and what type of gameplay. if you find something you like look at the designer and what other games they've made as most tend to have similar styles, for example high speed 1 and 2 are designed by steve ritchie who also designed terminator 2 all of these tables have quite open play fields and play very fast and smooth
the thing i look for in games is how many shots are available off the main flippers and what is the level of skill or understanding required to shoot these. a game might seem complicated with lots of features or fancy gadgets/toys/ramps but the gameplay is limited due to what is actually available from the flippers and you end up with only 2 or 3 options that quickly becomes repetitive, or the game isn't well balanced and getting a good score through choosing to limit the shots you go for making the gameplay repetitive
Some good advice there from jugemscloud.
You say you want a project - do you mean you're on a tight budget?
The 2018 season has just finished, but have a look at
http://ukpinballleague.co.uk/schedule.php
You could go along, play some machines, meet people and ask questions.
You may even be able to borrow a machine - collectors have been known to have more machines than they have space for, and are happy for a fellow enthusiast to babysit a machine.
The older EM machines tend to be a lot cheaper because they're underrated. I personally think they can still be good fun, the newest machines I find quite ghey with all the flashing lights and puerile plastic dollies and whatnot.
You say you want a project - do you mean you're on a tight budget?
The 2018 season has just finished, but have a look at
http://ukpinballleague.co.uk/schedule.php
You could go along, play some machines, meet people and ask questions.
You may even be able to borrow a machine - collectors have been known to have more machines than they have space for, and are happy for a fellow enthusiast to babysit a machine.
The older EM machines tend to be a lot cheaper because they're underrated. I personally think they can still be good fun, the newest machines I find quite ghey with all the flashing lights and puerile plastic dollies and whatnot.
Hey thanks for all this great advice guys, much appreciated. I see there is a meet at Colsterworth and Newark which is only 10 mins away
Yes I'm on a budget, I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron and have been fixing arcade pcbs for a couple of years now. I guess I don't want anything that needs a huge amount of work. I haven't played pinball in years, I just want it mainly for parties, to keep people entertained and for me to play when I'm bored, which isn't to often to be fair.
Daz
Yes I'm on a budget, I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron and have been fixing arcade pcbs for a couple of years now. I guess I don't want anything that needs a huge amount of work. I haven't played pinball in years, I just want it mainly for parties, to keep people entertained and for me to play when I'm bored, which isn't to often to be fair.
Daz
Okay, well sign up to http://www.pinballinfo.com and don't rush in, take time to get your head round things.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F113138354027
About as cheap as you will find for your first decent pin. Good game. You will sell it for the price you bought it so just consider it an expensive refundable deposit!
About as cheap as you will find for your first decent pin. Good game. You will sell it for the price you bought it so just consider it an expensive refundable deposit!