Author Topic: What are the top 10 sought after pinball machines? (Read 14475 times)

unclet · « **on:** April 28, 2005, 12:56:18 pm »

If I were going around looking for a pinball machine, which one should I try to locate which is a high collector's item and which hopefully will remain a collector's item (ie: not just a fad):

1) Twilight Zone
2) The Addams Family
etc ...
etc....

clanggedin · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2005, 01:11:02 pm »

This is the most requested pins from the local pinball shop in Utah. I know Mr. Pinball probably has a better list on his site, but I can't find it.

I think the Pinball database has one too.

1. Twilight Zone
2. Addams Family
3. Indiana Jones
4. FunHouse
5. Eight Ball Deluxe - Theater of Magic (tie)
6. Midevil Madmess
7. Cyclone
8. Attack from Mars - High Speed (tie)
9. Creature From the Black Lagoon
10. Scared Stiff

Troz · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2005, 01:30:47 pm »

The list from Treasure Cove (http://www.treasure-cove.net/TOP50.htm)is compiled from a survey taken on RGP (rec.games.pinball). The Top 10 there for 2004 reads...

1. Medieval Madness
2. The Addams Family
3. Twilight Zone
4. Indiana Jones
5. WhiteWater
6. Attack from Mars
7. Cirqus Voltaire
8. Lord of the Rings
9. No Good Gofers
10. The Simpsons Party Pinball

While I don't necessarily agree with that list 100% (Simpons would be MUCH higher, No Good Gofers not on there, etc...) it is a good list. They also have the stats for 2003 listed on there. Go take a look...

As for collectability, it seems like many of the later-produced, lower production run games from Williams/Bally like Cirqus Voltaire and Cactus Canyon have become the big collectors items, along with Medieval Madness.

GGKoul · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2005, 02:19:12 pm »

Starburst Coin in Toronto had a Medival Madness in their showroom and they just sold it for $6300cdn.

I would add Funhouse to that mix. Maybe not a top 10, but in the top 15 for sure.

Troz · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2005, 02:43:07 pm »

Quote from: GGKoul on April 28, 2005, 02:19:12 pm

I would add Funhouse to that mix. Maybe not a top 10, but in the top 15 for sure.

Completely agree 100%. This is making me want to play these games again yet they are nowhere to be found. The majority of pins in my area are the newer Sterns, and most of them are tied to the classic lazy operator that doesn't want to maintain pins. ARGH! At least I've got my Whirlwind at home.

Stingray · « **Reply #5 on:** April 28, 2005, 03:21:13 pm »

My personal top ten list would include in no particular order

Twilight Zone
Adams Family
Dr. Who
Kiss
Star Trek
Corvette
The Simpsons
Star Wars
Godzilla
Spiderman

And yes I know there are multiple versions of many of those titles. In those cases I'd be happy with any variation.

-S

GGKoul · « **Reply #6 on:** April 28, 2005, 03:47:13 pm »

My personal top ten pins..

Funhouse
World Cup 94
Simpsons Party
The Simpsons
Whirlwind
Diner
Comet
High Speed
Indy 500
Any Pitch and Bat game

ChadTower · « **Reply #7 on:** April 28, 2005, 03:55:31 pm »

Yep, I REALLY want a pitch and bat game. Salem (MA) Willows used to have about 15 gorgeous ones that I played every time I was in MA as a kid. Great stuff.

GGKoul · « **Reply #8 on:** April 28, 2005, 04:11:13 pm »

Quote from: ChadTower on April 28, 2005, 03:55:31 pm

Yep, I REALLY want a pitch and bat game.

ChadTower · « **Reply #9 on:** April 28, 2005, 04:16:19 pm »

Cool. The ones I used to play were much like pinball machines, actually... shaped the same way, you would hit the ball into targets on the field and in the backbox they had guys rounding the bases. Very, very cool.

BUCKETHEAD · « **Reply #10 on:** April 28, 2005, 08:33:27 pm »

My personal favorites :

KISS

GUNS N" ROSES

BACK TO THE FUTURE

SOUTH PARK

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

TERMINATOR

And im not shouting !!

rohan · « **Reply #11 on:** April 28, 2005, 09:19:23 pm »

Personal favs:
Funhouse
Cyclone
Whirlwind(because of the fan and spinning playfield!)
Haunted House(the second playfield underneath is pretty cool)
Creature from the Black Lagoon(I just love the artwork)

clanggedin · « **Reply #12 on:** April 28, 2005, 09:51:00 pm »

I've been waiting forever for a WCS 94' to come in my area. I passed up a chance to get a Star Wars and now I'm kicking myself for it.

GGKoul · « **Reply #13 on:** April 28, 2005, 11:42:05 pm »

Quote from: clanggedin on April 28, 2005, 09:51:00 pm

I've been waiting forever for a WCS 94' to come in my area. I passed up a chance to get a Star Wars and now I'm kicking myself for it.

When I was doing road sales for Costco. I would be on the out for most of the day visiting businesses. You where expected to sell at least one membership a day. So whenever I sold one, I used go to a pub and take a long break and play the World Cup 94 pinball for a few hours. Ever since then, I've always wanted one...

paigeoliver · « **Reply #14 on:** April 29, 2005, 05:17:58 am »

If you are picking based on lists, then pick based on a list of what PLAYERs like, not what collectors like. Collectors are famous for overhyping low production games from big companies. I have never played any of the "R@RE" Bally/Williams pins, but I wouldn't want to if they are anything like the high dollar vector and laserdisc turds that arcade collectors pretend are fun.

My personal favorite pin is Doctor Who.

lordsaryon · « **Reply #15 on:** April 29, 2005, 09:52:18 am »

I've never played it, but on aesthetic value alone, the pinball/video game hybrid of Star wars (with the screen in the back of the field)

ChadTower · « **Reply #16 on:** April 29, 2005, 09:55:36 am »

What is a good sized production run? I see a lot of machines in the 4-5000 range... the TZ is around 15000, I think... but one of my other pins is like 740 or something small. I really don't know what average is here.

paigeoliver · « **Reply #17 on:** April 29, 2005, 10:02:17 am »

Production run is one of those things where you can't say a number is high or low without knowing the company that made it. Goes for pins and vids both.

Gonna talk about vids for a second because I don't know a lot of solid pin numbers.

Any Atari game with a run under 1000 is considered really rare. Even though most COMMON Exidy games had runs in the hundreds.

And it is also a combination of company, and era. Games like Kangaroo (fun, but still sort of a turd), did runs near 10,000 units back in the golden age, while smash hit games in the modern age seldom ever make 5 digit production numbers.

JackTucky · « **Reply #18 on:** April 29, 2005, 05:52:13 pm »

Quote from: GGKoul on April 28, 2005, 04:11:13 pm

I used to play this game at my godfathers arcade when I was little. And I would love to find one for sale. http://marvin3m.com/baseball/basechmp.htm

oh baby, that's the one I want too.

Art

Dire Radiant · « **Reply #19 on:** April 30, 2005, 01:24:27 pm »

Since everyone else seems to be pitching in:

Theater of Magic
Cirqus Voltaire
Star Trek TNG
Dr Who
Addams Family

Call me a modernist but I like complex pins where the gameplay keeps me entertained in the long haul. I'm a player, not a collector btw.

pointdablame · « **Reply #20 on:** May 01, 2005, 09:23:26 pm »

I really, really feel left out of this conversation. As a 20 year old, I missed a lot of the pinball era (and game era for that matter), but the problem was I never had much contact with pins. The Jersey Shore and the like always had a ton of games, and maybe 5 pins, 10 tops. I haven't even heard of most of the pins you guys are talking about, let alone play them

I really love the Star Wars pin, as well has Monopoly and Simpsons, but all of those are fairly new. I wish there was somewhere I could play some older pins

Buddabing · « **Reply #21 on:** May 01, 2005, 10:19:05 pm »

Quote from: pointdablame on May 01, 2005, 09:23:26 pm

I wish there was somewhere I could play some older pins

There is, sort of. It's not the same as real pinball, though.

Dire Radiant · « **Reply #22 on:** May 02, 2005, 08:20:50 am »

No it isn't but it's pretty darned entertaining all the same.

I'm still somewhat in awe of people who make the VP conversions of really complex pins like ST:TNG. That's one hell of a lot of very exacting work.

Chemixtry · « **Reply #23 on:** May 02, 2005, 01:22:22 pm »

My faves:
Star Trek: TNK
Mars Attacks
Theater of Magic
Arabian Nights
Who Dunnit
South Park

Hoagie_one · « **Reply #24 on:** May 02, 2005, 02:41:50 pm »

big fan of south park and whitewater

ChadTower · « **Reply #25 on:** May 02, 2005, 02:44:55 pm »

I'd love to get a Guns N Roses... wonder if I could trade The Shadow for it.

Flinkly · « **Reply #26 on:** May 03, 2005, 07:17:12 pm »

i also missed out on this pinball stuff...

the funny thing is that i brought it up with my ladyfriend and she loves pins. after that, i told her i was interested in getting one, since i obviously missed something great and she automatically shot me down. i guess i've spent too much on an arcade machine already.

she actually told me to just put some pinball games on the arcade machine. man, and i thought she didn't know anything about games (or listened to me when i talked about them either

)...

Zook · « **Reply #27 on:** May 04, 2005, 09:30:20 am »

As a kid, I thought Black Knight was the best pinball table around. Very advanced for it's time. The sound featured a talking voice instead of just beeps and dings. Also one of the first I remember to have a split (2 level) playing surface.

I'm kind of surprised it hasn't been listed yet.

Black Knight and Kiss are the top 2 on my list.

Dire Radiant · « **Reply #28 on:** May 04, 2005, 04:18:02 pm »

Black Knight is one of those tables I keep coming back to thinking "I'll give it another chance" but I something about it never clicks with me. I think the split level playfield is one of those ideas that look great on paper but in practice it just doesnt work for me. Whatever you're doing on the table feels cramped and I think the gameplay suffers as a result.

TheOtherBob · « **Reply #29 on:** May 06, 2005, 04:25:29 pm »

Quote from: Chemixtry on May 02, 2005, 01:22:22 pm

My faves:
Star Trek: TNK
Mars Attacks
Theater of Magic
Arabian Nights
Who Dunnit
South Park

I have a WhoDunnit... while it isn't my first choice I do enjoy it.

Zero_Hour · « **Reply #30 on:** May 08, 2005, 01:07:12 am »

So many good tables to look for, and not enough $$$ or space to have them all...

I'm finally building my first cabinet this summer, and after that The wife wants to get a pin. Our choices are:

Tales of the Arabian Nights
Attack From Mars
Road Show

Addams Family would also be considered if the price was good. It's a table both of us like, and for some reason seems to have a lot of appeal to new (non) players.

Still it always comes back to what you like to play - regardless of what its potential as a collectible is, that would be the only factor that matters in my oipinion.

Dire Radiant · « **Reply #31 on:** May 08, 2005, 12:38:40 pm »

Exactly. Questions like "What is this pin worth" are pretty pointless. Twilight Zone is supposed to be a desirable pin but if you're trying to sell one to ME it isn't worth beans. I don't especially like the table and I wouldn't pay through the nose for one. If you had a Cirqus Voltaire on the other hand I'd probably pay over the average price for one since I love that table.

It all depends on what it's worth to the person you're selling it to. If it's someone whos buying just one pin for their home because its always been a favorite of theirs then suddenly it's worth a hell of a lot more money.

(and BTW I'd go for AF but that's just my opinion

)

menace · « **Reply #32 on:** May 08, 2005, 02:09:56 pm »

From my own playing experience i like Stargate (Have that one)
-Indiana Jones (love this on pinmame--would love to get one of these machines someday)
-star wars (any flavour)
-lord of the rings
-southpark

basically any game where i like the theme and it has lots of toys to keep me interested--explains why I like robot chicken so much, my attention span is that of a 12 year old

Gunstar Hero · « **Reply #33 on:** May 08, 2005, 02:18:30 pm »

I love Who?Dunnit. It's one of those magical final Williams pins that were so great just before the bottom fell out for good.

I also love...

Back to the Future
Black Knight 2000
Medival Madness
Twilight Zone
Monopoly
LOTR
Simpsons Party
Star Trek TNG

...and...

The Addams Family (of course!)

ClubNinja · « **Reply #34 on:** May 13, 2005, 11:29:06 pm »

My pinball most wanted includes:

Bobby Orr Power Play
Phantom of the Opera
Street Fighter II
Royal Rumble

I'd be happy with just those four.

clonestar · « **Reply #35 on:** May 23, 2005, 05:58:35 pm »

I collect older Bally pins from the late seventies early eighties, the most sought after pin I own is probably KISS but the game play isn't particulary great.

mrhowell · « **Reply #36 on:** May 31, 2005, 11:29:29 pm »

addams family
comet
elvira and the party monsters

ChadTower · « **Reply #37 on:** June 01, 2005, 08:46:26 am »

Anyone here ever play any of the following? I'd like some opinions if I can get them:

Phantom of the Opera
Guns N Roses
NFL
Super Bowl

GGKoul · « **Reply #38 on:** June 01, 2005, 02:16:41 pm »

The Guns N Roses one is pretty cool. But you'll need to enjoy their music in order to enjoy the game...

ChadTower · « **Reply #39 on:** June 01, 2005, 02:20:46 pm »

I'm a big fan of much of their music, which is why I'm interested.


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