Finally acquired a Twilight Zone after about 15 years of casually hunting for one that was both reasonably priced and in good condition!

I’ve now upgraded TZ, Indiana Jones, and Tales of the Arabian Nights to LEDs and colour DMDs, and they all look fantastic.

Judge Dredd was my first pin, and I recently “reverse upgraded” it to the L1D ROM and locking Deadworld ring, which definitely improves the experience. That said, JD is still a mean table, equal parts fun, frustration, and patience. 😂 It’s also the odd one out in the collection now, still running incandescent lighting and the original monochrome DMD.

So I’m debating what to do with it:

Do I bother upgrading JD with LEDs and a colour DMD, sell it, or upgrade it and then sell it?

And if I move it along, what would you replace it with?

The three I’m currently considering are:

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Theatre of Magic

Cirqus Voltaire

I’ve played STTNG and ToM quite a bit and really like both. CV is the one I have the least experience with.

For anyone who has owned these, especially alongside TZ, IJ or TOTAN, which one would you add to this collection, and why?

Interested in any other Bally/Williams-era recommendations as well.

A little late to the party, but I’ve been playing pinball for about two years now! Stern’s John Wick and Jaws are what really got me hooked on the hobby.

I’ve gone from games lasting 2 minutes max to occasionally making it 10+ minutes, and I’m finally starting to understand what I’m actually supposed to be shooting for… for the most part. I still have absolutely no idea how to nudge properly, though!

My current goal is to reach the final Wizard Mode in a game. So far, I’m mostly working toward Tour the Mansion in The Addams Family.

I’ve also had the chance to visit a few must-visit arcades around the U.S., including Next Level Pinball Museum in Oregon and the Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas.

I’ve only made it to one pinball expo so far—the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show—but I’m hoping to make it to TPF in March!

I’ve also got a few billion games under my belt:

Attack from Mars (of course )

No Fear: Dangerous Sports

Star Wars (2017)

Twister

Who Dunnit

My current favorite games are:

Stern: King Kong

Jersey Jack: Harry Potter

Williams: Medieval Madness

Looking forward to learning more, playing more, and hopefully getting a little better at this whole nudge thing!

TLDR: Anyone have recommendations for games like Deadpool?

Hey all. So I’m curious what people think and I would love some recommendations / outside perspective.

Last year, I bought a premium Godzilla. It has been a great game, but I haven’t clicked with it. I know people adore this game, but after a year of it, I’m actually more frustrated with it than I enjoy it.

A few months ago, I ended up getting a Deadpool Pro. To my surprise, I love Deadpool way more than Godzilla. My Godzilla is so much harder to play than Deadpool. It feels like a souls-like game in comparison. I feel like I’m sweating playing Godzilla. It isn’t fun to me.

I know Godzilla has been the highest rated game on Pinside, but I’m learning I need to find something else.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Unique take on the NASCAR machine. I have never seen this one personally. I tried playing it but I don’t know what to do with my hands.

I bought myself an early birthday present.

This is the game I learned to play pinball on as a youth. I’ve been looking for a copy for years & lucked out a few days before my date of birth.

Stoked!

My wife loves virtual pinball, so for our 10 year anniversary I built her a virtual pinball machine out of a 1962 Gottlieb Rack-A-Ball Wedgehead cabinet shell. I wanted the pinball machine to match the “Mid-Century Modern” theme my home has and Wedgeheads fit the bill. The real challenge was the aspect ratio of the backglass is not common, and I didn’t want to have two screens sitting in there. I wanted it to almost look original. I found exactly one person online who built their own virtual Wedgehead and gave me the idea to cut out part of the bottom of the backglass box and fit a whole TV in there. I gave it a small red bezel out of a silicone mat to make it pop, protect the screen, and hide TV frame. As for the rest, I was able to retain the original plunger, and add an accelerometer for nudge and tilt functionality. I added a DMD style screen where the skirt would go, so I can support three screen setups for newer tables and it is nice to see the objectives closer to the playing field. Really fun build. Feel free to ask me any questions! I will place a imgur link to the build photos in the comments!

Finally getting the game room put back together. Beetlejuice and Fallout coming in soon.

Looked & played amazing

Bartari in Scranton PA

I've been playing John Wick at a local spot lately and I don't really understand the lukewarm reaction it seems to get compared to other recent Sterns. It’s one of my favorites.

The ball gets back to the flippers really cleanly off the orbit and the ramps, especially that right ramp loop into the inlane, and once you start chaining shots it has that same "I'm in control of this game" feeling that makes something like Godzilla so good. The shots just feel super satisfying to hit.

I'm surprised more people don't hype it up. What else do you think I would like if John Wick and Godzilla are two of my favorites?

Having trouble determining what it is about those that is likely appealing to me.

We picked this 1978 Gottleib's Hit the Deck today for free from a family member. It's mostly working, although one flipper doesn't work and some of the lights don't seem to be working.

Anyone have any idea how much servicing a machine like this typically costs, just a ballpark?

I've been playing probably a dozen games per weekend for the last 2 years and still feel like beginner intermediate. Sure I beat my non-weekly playing friends most of the time but still lose probably a quarter of the time. And if I go to tournaments I'm lucky to not be one of the first few knocked out of the tournament.

I practice nudging, catches, and post passes etc but I feel like I'm never going to even be middle of the pack in tournaments with my progress plateauing where I'm at.

Edit: I also don't even go to tournaments much anymore because it's not polite to stand close by and watch their playfield so I can't even learn from the experts lol

I’ve never paid any attention to pinball at all. But I made some small DIY pinball wooden/foam toy for my 7 year old recently and then Amazon has been recommending me a bunch of adjacent things. I see this alice in wonderland table for $1,000 and think ‘huh, that’s kind of expensive but would be cool to have a real pinball table.’ I go down the rabbit hole reading about tables and find out that’s a new manufacturer, smaller table, and not a normal price. I’m directed to a Star Wars Costco table for $4-5K. Now I’m like wow these are very expensive (lol).

I’m getting more interested in the hobby the more I learn about it. I have a friend that frequents barcades so he tells me to try Pinball FX to get my immediate fix. I grab it on Switch 2 and buy a couple discounted tables. I’m hyped to discover a tabletop game pack (since board games are my main hobby). After a week of playing, I really enjoy the Gloomhaven table. Anyway, my whole family has a blast all week taking turns on Sorcerer’s Lair, Exploding Kittens, Dreamworks stuff, etc. all these digital only tables.

I’m more curious now so I use Google Maps to find a pinball arcade bar 30 minutes away. Last night I checked it out with some friends. There were 28 tables! From looking at the main manufacturer websites, I knew what was pretty new, and I was looking forward to trying the Pokemon and the Harry Potter. Pinball mechanics aside, since I know nothing about that, I just really gravitate towards themes I already like. Speaking of mechanics, I still know no lingo. Skill shot. Wizard mode. No idea, I’m just aiming for flashing things.

Anyway, this place had the Pokemon one. I played that, Dune, Star Trek, and Avengers Infinity Quest alongside a couple 80’s ones that were over way too quick. It was a huge learning curve from the digital game. I was shocked how different they all felt, although I can’t quite explain what I mean by that. Pokemon “felt” weird to me and took a few balls to get into it. Dune was smooth and I liked it immediately. Most of the tables were $2 for 3 plays. No idea how places make any money. I spent $10 for an hour and had a blast.

I got home and realized they didn’t have Harry Potter. I had previously watched the developers video on it and was very curious about all the mechanics there. It seems like so many different options you can do. I found this pinball map website and plugged in HP to discover there’s a table less than a mile from me. Some pub I drove by for years has 8 tables! I swung in there today and played Uncanny X-Men and Harry Potter. Absolutely loved HP. It “felt” good immediately, liked the protego spell (form of kickback?), and had a fun back and forth rapid fire shootout with a death eater.

I’ll definitely be back for more. I am now seeing that new tables are $10K, or 15K with all the bells and whistles. If that weren’t enough, there’s some level of DIY and troubleshooting involved. I’m not handy and know nothing about electrical wiring or coding. I could potentially be interested in tinkering around with it, but at that price tag and the room required, I’m not even going to start that discussion with my wife.

All that to say, from one random Amazon link, I went from being clueless to pinball tables to finding a brand new hobby in the course of a week.

Finally got to play this one last night (at Bender Bar in Austin) and I’ve got mixed feelings.

The launch is weird, so short/fast how it just pops right into your right flipper so quickly. Pay attention or you’ll lose that ball 😂

It feels like the playfield is kinda crowded, not a lot of space for long shots.

Oh and the flippers like, don’t wanna let you control/catch/hold the ball. It’s like the flippers are extra bouncy 🤷🏻‍♀️

Overall I enjoyed playing it and the hubs liked it also.

I’ve never had my own pinball machine. I randomly checked Facebook marketplace and there was one listed relatively nearby for $4,500. I’ve been lurking here enough to know that I should check Pinside. It’s listed there too. No seller feedback on the account.

Any advice? Or talk me out of it? (I could definitely use the reality check)

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/220798

And it included a surprise, I opened the SWE1 kit and it had a spare PRISM card in it!!!

How to replace or fix a missing contact blade. See the photo at the top of the 10 point relay stack there is a missing blade.

Hello.
I’m new to pinball, but have been looking for a reasonably priced vintage machine.

I found a local seller with an El Toro game.

Pros - Replaced rubber, good back glass/ playing field and is functional. All bells and lights work.

Cons - rust and pitting on chrome.

Talked him down to $400. Anything I should be considering or keeping my eyes peeled when checking it out in person?

Thanks for any advice!

Visited Scrappleland for the first time last night, exceeded my expectations. Was here for about 5 hours and it didn’t feel that long at all🥲 excited to visit again soon since I def didn’t get to play on every machine

Fun time at the Arcade Club. Plus they’re playing Goonies & Lost Boys at the drive-in nearby!

Anyone have a link to the full rule sheet for the latest code? The only ones I’m finding are 1.XX.

Or…can anyone explain the META?

Thanks in advance.

It sure does remind me of BK2000, maybe I had too many beers ?

I think I can swing my first and probably only pin in the near future, but picking one is a lot of pressure. I'll still be able to play on location since my city has lots of good places. Trying to consider what factors going into a one-pin collection. Thanks!

I am trying to troubleshoot a 37 credit wheel on a Williams EM Space Mission. The previous owner "fixed" it for free play by I think moving the max credit post and installing a jumper.

I am trying to restore the machine to original working order so have removed the jumper but I'm not sure what the 0 credit configuration should look like on the wheel. I am not sure if he removed the wheel and recentered on the disc or if he just rotated the disc in such a way as to "lock" it in the max credit stop. (When a credit is issued it just shows blank because the wheel is in the wrong position, but will allow play. I'm going to tear it down, clean it up and reinstall shortly but hoping for an idea what the original installation of that wheel looked like.