Pinball machines

 

Archive-name: games/pinball/part1

This is the first half of the monthly posting for rec.games.pinball.

If you have any comments, additions, or suggestions for this posting,

please contact the editor, Andy Oakland, at sao@athena.mit.edu.

There's an ftp archive for the newsgroup at ftp.rahul.net (192.160.13.5)

in /pub/sigma/pinball.  This is maintained by Kevin Martin, and

contains rule sheets and a wealth of other information.

There's also a WWW (World-Wide Web) site, the "Pinball Pasture," maintained

by David Byers.  It's located at "http://www.lysator.liu.se/pinball/".

Also, the FAQ editor (that's me!) has finally joined the Web!  You can

find my personal web page at "http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/sao/home.html".

And with luck, I'll soon have an illustrated FAQ online!

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Frequently Asked Question number one:  "How do I buy a machine?"

Buying a pinball for home use has a lot in common with buying a car: It is

a big investment, the item requires proper care, and the business is filled

both with honest, decent people and sleazeballs.

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===============  Decide what sort of machine you want  ==================

=========================================================================

Games available for home purchase fall into three categories: Used electro-

mechanical, used solid-state, and new (all new games are solid-state). Which

is right for you depends on what you want, how much you're willing to spend,

and whether you ever intend to sell or trade the game.

 

Think a bit about why you want a game. If you want it to play, chances

are that you want a solid-state game.  They play faster, and the software 

has features that could take you some time to uncover.

If you're looking for something to tear apart, down to the bare wood, and

build back up again (only better), buy an electro-mechanical.  Doing the 

fix-up on a solid-state game wouldn't be as fruitful--At some point, 

you'd be staring at an IC-laden circuit board, and that's way beyond 

cleaning contacts and tightening springs.

Aside from knowing why you want a game, you should zero in on which game you

want. The market is fat with choices, and there is a fair chance that,

if you look in the right places, you can eventually find what you want. But

you can't go into the market saying, "Oh, just find me something you think

I'll like." It goes deeper than issues of color and whitewalls or no: You

will fare best if you have a wish list of games you are interested in.

How much will it cost?  It depends on the popularity and rarity of the 

game, the condition of this particular machine, and whether or not you live

in California.  (Not a joke ... Prices run higher in The Golden State!)

A semi-functional older solid-state machine can be had for as little as 

$100, while a new game fresh from the factory runs about $3500.  Typical 

price for a game that's seen a couple years of use would be $400-$1000.

An electro-mechanical game can run anywhere from $150 to $750, with

real collector's items (like Humpty Dumpty) significantly more.

If this is your first machine, it's highly recommended that you get a working

one!  Picking up a cheap junker may be tempting, but you'll never get it

going without experience, specialized equipment, and a stock of spare parts.

Try to buy from someone who'll deliver it in working condition, and stand 

behind it for a while.  Ask for references!

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=======================    Go looking for one   =========================

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The path a pinball machine travels typically looks like this:

Manufacturer--->Distributor--->Operator--->Collector or junkyard

Unless you have very deep pockets, you won't be buying your machine

from the manufacturer or distributor.  Operators are the ones who

put machines out in the field and maintain them...They're usually

willing to sell used machines once they stop pulling in the quarters.

Go to your favorite machine in the field, and ask who owns it.  If the 

location doesn't, there's probably a sticker on the machine pointing you 

to the operator.  Another way to find operators is to hit the Yellow Pages,

and call up the companies listed under "Amusement Devices."  First ask 

them if they sell machines for home use, then ask for the specific machines

you're looking for.

You can also buy machines from collectors.  In fact, this is pretty much

the only way to go to find an Electro-mechanical.  You probably aren't 

going to find an EM in the field, or with an operator.

For both EM's and solid-state machines, the little ads in periodicals like

Game Room are an excellent source of leads.  (See list of periodicals

below)  Also, you can try to find something locally.  Buy every newspaper 

you can, including the little "nickel ads" type, and check the classifieds.

Keep doing this for months.  Takes time, but good deals occasionally pop up.

You can also find a "broker," a sort of super-collector in business

to buy up old used games, fix them up, and resell them.  Again, you can 

reach these people through publications like Game Room Magazine

Also, believe it or not, check with a dart supply store!  I know of two

in my area (Boston) which sell used pins, and at least one Norwegian

store does.

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=======================     Publications        =========================

=========================================================================

There are many periodicals good for getting background information

on the pinball world, and for contacting other collectors.  The first

two, pinGame journal and Game Room Magazine, are probably the best ones for

those interested in home games.  Both of them are sporting slick new

logos, which is probably a good sign of health!

pinGame journal

31937 Olde Franklin Drive, Farmington Hills, MI  48334

Written by pinball collectors.  Includes info about new games in 

development, as well as articles on finding, reconditioning, and playing

older games.  Subscription includes one free classified ad per month.

Often includes cool plastics and flyers.

$30/year for US, $34/year Canadian, $63/year European(air), $74/year

Pacific Rim (air), $36/year Pacific Rim(surface).  Sample issue $3.50.

Game Room Magazine

1014 Mount Tabor Road

New Albany, IN  47150

A monthly hobbyist publication, covering pinballs, slots, jukeboxes, Coke

machines, neon, etc.  High proportion of advertising.  Lots of pinball

articles, now that they've picked up the Pinball Trader subscribers.

$24/year for US, $30/year Canadian, $48/year European(surface), 

$84/year European(air), $52/year Pacific Basin (surface), $92/year

Pacific Basin(air).  Sample issue $3.

The Flipside

81 Carrar Drive, Watchung, NJ 07060

Bimonthly just getting started, written by fans and collectors, many of whom

are r.g.p.  regulars!  Includes reviews of new games, articles about pinball

and pinball players, and a national high score list.

$18/year for USA, $28/year for Canada/foreign.  Sample issue $3.

Coin-Op Classics

17844 Toiyabe Street

Fountain Valley, CA  92708

Bimonthly, editted by Dick Bueschel.  I haven't seen an issue, so I can't

make any comments here.  Any suggestions?

$48/year for US, $57/year for Canada.

Play Meter 

PO Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184

Thick, slick trade journal, mostly aimed at arcade owners and operators.

Provides uniformly glowing reviews of the latest games.  Covers crane

games, kiddie rides, etc., as well as video and pinball.

$50/year, sample issue $5.

RePlay

P.O. Box 2550

Woodland Hills, CA 91365

Another monthly trade magazine with the same content as Play Meter.

$60/year, sample issue $5.

Coin Slot 

4401 Zephyr St., Wheat Ridge, CO  80033-3299

A quarterly covering all collectible coin-op machines. $28/year.

The publisher, Donald Hoflin, can be reached via E-mail at donh@hoflin.com.

Distributors Research Associates

197 S.W. 20th Way, Dania, FL  33004

The DRA Price Guide lists "average" prices of games, jukeboxes, and 

vending machines that are actively traded on the distributor level.

Note that this does not include games more than a few years old.

$75/year for 4 skinny issues and 4 even skinnier updates.

Canadian Coin Box

NCC Publishing, 222 Argyle Ave., Delhi, Ontario N4B 2Y2 Canada.

$38/year, sample issue $3.50.

Coin-Op Newsletter

P.O. Box 2426, Rockville, MD  20852

A bimonthly hobbiest publication.  Covers antiques and coin-op collectables.

$24/ten issues.

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=======================     Manufacturers       =========================

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Alvin G. & Company (Alvin Gottlieb, without the rights to his name!)

        905 W. North Ave

        Melrose Park, IL 60160

        tel: 708-345-9000

        fax: 708-345-2222

        toll free: 800-858-flip

Sadly, Alvin G. & Company has gone out of business.  I'm keeping the

company listed, though, in case people want to send fan mail or obtain

spare parts for existing machines.

        Data East Pinball Inc.

        1990 Janice Avenue

        Melrose Park, IL 60160

        tel: 708-345-7700

        toll free: 800-kickers

        Premier Technology (Includes Gottlieb and Mylstar)

        759 Industrial Drive

        Bensenville, IL 60106

        tel: 708-350-0400

        fax: 708-350-1097

        toll free 800-444-0761

        Williams Electronic Games Inc. (Includes Bally and Midway)

        3401 North California Avenue

        Chicago, IL 60618

        tel: 312-267-2240

        fax: 312-267-8435