(no subject)
Over the last couple of weeks I became very interested in pinball machines and did a heavy amount of research about them. I had my eyes set on a Dungeons and Dragons machine I saw advertised on Craigslist, but decided against it after reading what people had to say. The machine looks pretty damn cool -- it has a backglass with a picture from (I believe) the original rulebook, and has an optional topper with 'eyes' that light up during the game. The game itself is pretty mediocre, so I decided not to get it.
Craigslist is a pretty bad place to buy pinball machines, I found. You might get lucky, but chances are you'll get a damaged machine with little disclosure from the buyer. I came across a site called "Mr. Pinball" which has the largest database of classified pinball ads around, and found a local buyer out of thousands of ads practically five down from the top of the page. What are the chances of that? He had 24 machines for sale, included Dungeons and Dragons, and another I became interested in after taking a closer look -- "Swords of Fury", made by Williams in 1988.
Reviews of it were much more favorable. The playfield is more complex, the sounds and music are great for a game of its time, and it's generally just more fun to play. I was tempted to drive two hours north to pick up Dungeons and Dragons from the seller on Craigslist, but finding this guy local was great. I googled the seller's name and found a personal site showing all the games he had for sale, and instantly found him to be completely trustworthy. He discloses all of the defects, has multiple pictures of each game, all of which you can view up and close to inspect for yourself. I was impressed.
So, I wrote him an email. I was still torn between Swords of Fury and D&D, and asked for his advice. He recommended Swords of Fury, which I had already been leaning towards. I said I'm interested, so yesterday I set up an appointment to meet him. Geemo and another friend of ours went to check it out, and it turned out to be, at least for me, an unforgettable experience.
These guys were awesome. I had a good feeling just from the site, but they really know their stuff, and the last thing they want is to scam anybody, especially a first-time buyer like myself. Apparently, the person selling the machine was actually selling them for a good friend of his, a retired mailman who once had a collection of 120+ machines that had since been pared down to 40, to pay off medical bills and other expenses. We were invited into his basement, where his remaining collection was set up.
In another room, they were cleaning and repairing a "Twilight Zone" machine, one of the most coveted games among collectors. Once finished, it will sell for around $3,700. Definitely not for the casually interested. They explained every detail about what they do, how they're most passionate about restoring old games and seeing that they go to a good home. When I asked each of them what their favorite game was, they responded, "whatever we're restoring." That's fantastic.
In fact, they had been working on and packing up a load of 40-some machines who were going to a buyer in Nebraska, for a total of about $50,000. He's a doctor who is apparently quite passionate about having a nice game room. Given some of the machines he was getting, that much was obvious. After plenty of discussion, we were invited to play what they had set up downstairs. There was a NASCAR machine from several years ago that was a lot of fun. They had everything from Pinbot to Baby Pac (an unusual combination of arcade game and pinball). We tried out Johnny Mnemonic and Independence Day, among a few others, which were good fun. Out front, the seller had a pristine Grand Lizard machine, which I actually had my eyes on after reading up on it and checking out videos on youtube.
Grand Lizard is one of those 1980s classic machines, like Swords of Fury, which are unknown to most people. I also, of course, had my eye on it for its blatantly anthro theme. The game centers around a giant lizard whose eyes light up, and who swallows the ball, etc. Awesome. Well, it had already been sold, and it's no wonder why. It was in beautiful condition. The backglass, the top part of the cabinet where you see your score, was actually only 1 of 4 in existence. The rest have a much older looking backglass, but this one looked great. The buyer will be very happy indeed.
I was set on buying Swords of Fury, so I paid my money, and the two men, who knew way more about pinball machines than I ever knew was possible, showed me everything about it. How to adjust the volume, play with the computer controls, how to fold it up, how to take out the glass, how to take off the legs, how operators play with the settings in order to make more money, etc. It was a fascinating experience.
Well, they were happy to help me transport the machine since I didn't have a truck, and followed us for the 30 minute distance to our apartment. They even brought along an electric dolly to carry it up the two flights of stairs, where it now rests in our loft. They set it up, adjusted the legs to make sure the angle was right, and that was that. I now own a Swords of Fury pinball machine, and am extremely happy to have it; the experience of getting it, and meeting these two men, discussing the games and hearing everything they know and why they love them, was the best part. Pinball is one of those lost arts of gaming that, as things become increasingly centered on the home entertainment center, fewer people will appreciate or even know.
Only Stern is in business making machines today. They've made some great games in recent years, from Lord of the Rings to Spider-Man, and are currently working on a Batman-themed game that looks like a lot of fun. Seeing how much work goes into creating and restoring these games helps me understand why collectors and the people repairing the machines love them. You absolutely must beware scammers and people just looking to unload a broken piece of junk online, but every now and then you find a couple of guys who are just in it because they love what they do. I'm extremely impressed, and thanks to my experience buying this machine, I'm sure it won't be the last I get. Pinball is tremendous fun, and if you're ever in the area, I'd be happy to invite you in for a drink and a few games.
Craigslist is a pretty bad place to buy pinball machines, I found. You might get lucky, but chances are you'll get a damaged machine with little disclosure from the buyer. I came across a site called "Mr. Pinball" which has the largest database of classified pinball ads around, and found a local buyer out of thousands of ads practically five down from the top of the page. What are the chances of that? He had 24 machines for sale, included Dungeons and Dragons, and another I became interested in after taking a closer look -- "Swords of Fury", made by Williams in 1988.
Reviews of it were much more favorable. The playfield is more complex, the sounds and music are great for a game of its time, and it's generally just more fun to play. I was tempted to drive two hours north to pick up Dungeons and Dragons from the seller on Craigslist, but finding this guy local was great. I googled the seller's name and found a personal site showing all the games he had for sale, and instantly found him to be completely trustworthy. He discloses all of the defects, has multiple pictures of each game, all of which you can view up and close to inspect for yourself. I was impressed.
So, I wrote him an email. I was still torn between Swords of Fury and D&D, and asked for his advice. He recommended Swords of Fury, which I had already been leaning towards. I said I'm interested, so yesterday I set up an appointment to meet him. Geemo and another friend of ours went to check it out, and it turned out to be, at least for me, an unforgettable experience.
These guys were awesome. I had a good feeling just from the site, but they really know their stuff, and the last thing they want is to scam anybody, especially a first-time buyer like myself. Apparently, the person selling the machine was actually selling them for a good friend of his, a retired mailman who once had a collection of 120+ machines that had since been pared down to 40, to pay off medical bills and other expenses. We were invited into his basement, where his remaining collection was set up.
In another room, they were cleaning and repairing a "Twilight Zone" machine, one of the most coveted games among collectors. Once finished, it will sell for around $3,700. Definitely not for the casually interested. They explained every detail about what they do, how they're most passionate about restoring old games and seeing that they go to a good home. When I asked each of them what their favorite game was, they responded, "whatever we're restoring." That's fantastic.
In fact, they had been working on and packing up a load of 40-some machines who were going to a buyer in Nebraska, for a total of about $50,000. He's a doctor who is apparently quite passionate about having a nice game room. Given some of the machines he was getting, that much was obvious. After plenty of discussion, we were invited to play what they had set up downstairs. There was a NASCAR machine from several years ago that was a lot of fun. They had everything from Pinbot to Baby Pac (an unusual combination of arcade game and pinball). We tried out Johnny Mnemonic and Independence Day, among a few others, which were good fun. Out front, the seller had a pristine Grand Lizard machine, which I actually had my eyes on after reading up on it and checking out videos on youtube.
Grand Lizard is one of those 1980s classic machines, like Swords of Fury, which are unknown to most people. I also, of course, had my eye on it for its blatantly anthro theme. The game centers around a giant lizard whose eyes light up, and who swallows the ball, etc. Awesome. Well, it had already been sold, and it's no wonder why. It was in beautiful condition. The backglass, the top part of the cabinet where you see your score, was actually only 1 of 4 in existence. The rest have a much older looking backglass, but this one looked great. The buyer will be very happy indeed.
I was set on buying Swords of Fury, so I paid my money, and the two men, who knew way more about pinball machines than I ever knew was possible, showed me everything about it. How to adjust the volume, play with the computer controls, how to fold it up, how to take out the glass, how to take off the legs, how operators play with the settings in order to make more money, etc. It was a fascinating experience.
Well, they were happy to help me transport the machine since I didn't have a truck, and followed us for the 30 minute distance to our apartment. They even brought along an electric dolly to carry it up the two flights of stairs, where it now rests in our loft. They set it up, adjusted the legs to make sure the angle was right, and that was that. I now own a Swords of Fury pinball machine, and am extremely happy to have it; the experience of getting it, and meeting these two men, discussing the games and hearing everything they know and why they love them, was the best part. Pinball is one of those lost arts of gaming that, as things become increasingly centered on the home entertainment center, fewer people will appreciate or even know.
Only Stern is in business making machines today. They've made some great games in recent years, from Lord of the Rings to Spider-Man, and are currently working on a Batman-themed game that looks like a lot of fun. Seeing how much work goes into creating and restoring these games helps me understand why collectors and the people repairing the machines love them. You absolutely must beware scammers and people just looking to unload a broken piece of junk online, but every now and then you find a couple of guys who are just in it because they love what they do. I'm extremely impressed, and thanks to my experience buying this machine, I'm sure it won't be the last I get. Pinball is tremendous fun, and if you're ever in the area, I'd be happy to invite you in for a drink and a few games.