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Author Topic: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model  (Read 19177 times)

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shardian

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #40 on: February 06, 2008, 04:22:45 pm »
Who Dunnit is a total dog, IMO.

When you get tired of it, which you will, you will be begging people to buy it. 



I'm sure I could say the same about pins you might like to. For instance, I can't stand TAF. I saw one on site at Gatlinburg 2 years ago, and said to my wife "this pin is pretty much the most popular pin ever, we have to play it". After playing it a few times, we both decided it sucked. I can't even get into it in Pinmame.

Apparently you missed the key points of why I want Whodunnit.
1. It is one of the better inexpensive DMD's
2. THE WIFE GAVE THE GREEN LIGHT.

#2 is pretty much a deal maker on any arcade related purchase. ;)

The only other 2 pins she would love to have are Scared Stiff and South Park. Those are both well out of my price range, especially in the condition the Whodunnit will be in. The Whodunnit will be $1300-$1500 and is in excellent shape.

Besides, if I ever get tired of it I can always trade it back to the guy I'll be getting it off of.

ChadTower

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #41 on: February 06, 2008, 04:26:03 pm »

SS is an average Williams DMD but way overpriced.  South Park flat out sucks.

I wouldn't use Visual Pinball for decent evaluation of any DMD game.  Most of them have way too many toys to be reasonably represented in a little 2D half window.  It works well for games prior to the thousand toy parade, though.

shardian

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #42 on: February 06, 2008, 04:37:51 pm »

SS is an average Williams DMD but way overpriced.  South Park flat out sucks.

I wouldn't use Visual Pinball for decent evaluation of any DMD game.  Most of them have way too many toys to be reasonably represented in a little 2D half window.  It works well for games prior to the thousand toy parade, though.

We both played SS and South Park ALOT before I ever even heard of Pinmame. SouthPark was at the local arcade and the movie theater for a long time. Scared Stiff and Theater of Magic were mainstays at the ice skating rink where Michelle was a member and employee when we were H.S. and college. The Whodunnit was with Wade for a few years, and now is with another major local pinhead. I can go play it any time I want (time permitting of course).

shardian

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #43 on: February 06, 2008, 04:46:18 pm »
I'll be the first to admit that SS is easy as hell. I consider it a failure when I don't finish the Stiff-o-Meter. even Michelle can finish the meter for goodness sakes. Difficulty is not a determining factor for us though - playability is. I can play SS all day long. I can hit every shot, and it is a great flowing game.

I hear people all the time saying South Park sucks, but why? The theme is great, the sound is great, the DMD is above average, the playfield is layed out well. If I had to guess, the majority of people give it a thumbs down due to the non-family friendliness of it.

ChadTower

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #44 on: February 06, 2008, 05:51:27 pm »
I hear people all the time saying South Park sucks, but why? The theme is great, the sound is great, the DMD is above average, the playfield is layed out well. If I had to guess, the majority of people give it a thumbs down due to the non-family friendliness of it.

IMO the theme sucks, the sound is annoying, I'm not a fan of DMD games, and the playfield has a freakin' toilet on it.

Toilet on the playfield = no buy for me.  Austin Powers gets a major thumbs down from me for all the same reasons.

WareWolF

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #45 on: February 06, 2008, 10:02:37 pm »
I would rather spend $2000 on 3-4 70-80's classic's than any new DMD pin.   
That way if you get bored of one game you can play the others.

shardian

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #46 on: February 06, 2008, 10:26:01 pm »
I hear people all the time saying South Park sucks, but why? The theme is great, the sound is great, the DMD is above average, the playfield is layed out well. If I had to guess, the majority of people give it a thumbs down due to the non-family friendliness of it.

IMO the theme sucks, the sound is annoying, I'm not a fan of DMD games, and the playfield has a freakin' toilet on it.

Toilet on the playfield = no buy for me.  Austin Powers gets a major thumbs down from me for all the same reasons.

I played an Austin Powers...that is a HORRIBLE pin.

shardian

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #47 on: February 06, 2008, 10:28:32 pm »
Who Dunnit is one of the better inexpensive DMDs?  Wow....   :dizzy:

I think that the WPC-S series of Williams games is just about the boat anchor of DMD titles, with the exception of World Cup Soccer.

Anyway, if you like Who Dunnit, then great for you.  But when you see a lot of super nice examples of a title, particularly a low production one, selling for $1200-1500, it should really give you some insight into popular opinion.

I have yet to see a single Who Dunnit that wasn't nearly cosmetically perfect.

And, objectively, it's not a title that plays anything like most traditional machines (and I think it'd be a poor choice for a single game in a home environment)







To each his own. That is the beauty of pinball- there is something for everyone.

ChadTower

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #48 on: February 07, 2008, 07:52:01 am »
I would rather spend $2000 on 3-4 70-80's classic's than any new DMD pin.   
That way if you get bored of one game you can play the others.

You'll be hard pressed to find 3-4 of those in good shape for $2000.  3, maybe, but not the real players.

JeepMonkey

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #49 on: February 07, 2008, 09:06:56 am »
I see that locally there is a 2002 Playboy pin for sale on ebay.  With four hours left it is only at $1500.  I thought this sounded very cheap.  It appears to be in good shape.

Does this pin play worth a damn or is it purely a cool looking / theme only pin?
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WareWolF

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #50 on: February 07, 2008, 11:35:31 pm »
I would rather spend $2000 on 3-4 70-80's classic's than any new DMD pin.   
That way if you get bored of one game you can play the others.

You'll be hard pressed to find 3-4 of those in good shape for $2000.  3, maybe, but not the real players.
Depends on what you like...  classic 80's sterns, gottleib system 80's (except BH & HH), and wms sys 3-6's except BK usually go in the $500-700 range for pretty decent clean games, sometimes cheaper for worn out ones that may not look as nice but are still fun to play, many are really good players even if they are not the most popular titles, a little more up the $$ ladder are lots of good bally games & some later wms games like High Speed that go for around $750-1000.   Places to look for games in addition to eBay are Mr. Pinball, Craigslist & rgp. 

slycrel

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #51 on: February 08, 2008, 12:58:03 am »

I had that typed in and deleted it - even though it falls right into that category I didn't want to undermine myself by recommending a pin I have.   :)

I've been looking around for a Genesis lately.  The theme is sort of cool but the backglass is so horrifically bad that people part it out just so they don't have to look at the midget.  Strong playfield layout, good ruleset, can probably be had working well in the $500 range if you can find one.

There's one here locally for $1000, but probably more than you want to pay.  I just saw it today, thought I'd share.  =)

slycrel

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #52 on: February 08, 2008, 01:14:01 am »
Who Dunnit is a total dog, IMO.

When you get tired of it, which you will, you will be begging people to buy it. 



I wouldn't go that far...  It's an interesting concept and a good theme.  I wouldn't want to own one though.

I talked with the guy who runs action pinball in Denver about a year ago.  He mentioned that addam's family and twilight zone were pretty polarizing for the pin playing population.  Usually people gravitate towards one or the other, and stick with similar styles of games.  I've found that to be true as well.  Addam's family has a much more classic pin feel with an open playfield, but enough bells and toys to keep it modern.  Twilight zone is a control freak's pin -- everything is about making specific shots all the time.

I think your best bet is to look around locally and see if you can play some different kinds of pins.  If you could find a local collector to talk with and possibly play his collection, that would be better.

But don't rush into it or you may have regrets.  Unless you're a good salesman and can sell any given pin for more than you paid for it.  :D

Edit:  I almost forgot, one of my favorite older pins is pinbot.  It's got a good feature set and a reasonable depth for the era.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2008, 01:16:41 am by slycrel »

ChadTower

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #53 on: February 08, 2008, 09:07:18 am »
classic 80's sterns, gottleib system 80's (except BH & HH), and wms sys 3-6's except BK usually go in the $500-700 range for pretty decent clean games

Anything more than 500x4 > 2000.

A well shopped SS game in decent shape is worth more than $500.  Some can be had in the $600-650 range but you're not going to get four of them for $2000.  The ones you do get in the $600 range are going to be bad players like Caveman and Rock.

Note that I said "3 maybe, but not 4, for $2000".  Even the figures you gave prove my statement.

You can always find a mediocre game poorly shopped for $500 or less but that's not what this guy wants.

JeepMonkey

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #54 on: February 08, 2008, 09:16:08 am »
There is a local company selling an Addams Family on ebay.  I am interested in it, but it has the lock bar across the coin door  :banghead:.

I hate it when I find a machine I like and there are holes from a lock bar.

FWIW - I sold my Solar Ride last night.  It is a 1978 SS.  Everything worked and the playfield was is real good shape.  It was missing a dozen bulbs or so.  I paid $375 at an auction over a year ago and sold it for $400.  I was just happy to get about what I paid for it, not really concerned with making a profit.  I might have been able to get a little more, but I just didn't want to mess with selling it for a long time.
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ChadTower

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #55 on: February 08, 2008, 09:31:05 am »

That is probably about right for that game nonshopped.

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #56 on: February 08, 2008, 07:35:14 pm »
bad players like Caveman and Rock.

Caveman is no good eh?  There's one for sale local to me.  Looked interesting because it has a video game on it too.  Guess I should pass?

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #57 on: February 08, 2008, 07:56:55 pm »
bad players like Caveman and Rock.

Caveman is no good eh?  There's one for sale local to me.  Looked interesting because it has a video game on it too.  Guess I should pass?

It's probably only worth owning for the novelty factor, neither the pin portion or the vid portion were very good, IMO.
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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #58 on: February 08, 2008, 08:25:10 pm »
A good list.
Firepower
Blackout
Scorpion
Black Knight
Xenon
Mars God of War
Jungle Lord
Centaur
EBD
High Speed
Grand Lizard
Pinbot
Flash Gordon
Comet
Space Shuttle
Countdown
Fireball II
Kings of Steel


EM's

Bow and Arrow
Royal Flush
Spirit of 76
Space Station




Curls in the squat rack !?!?!

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #59 on: February 08, 2008, 08:35:26 pm »
I agree a lot with shardian on pins I would like to have a Who Dunnit if I had room, also the Austin powers is a pretty bad pin.
I carry both ultimarc & happ items, all brand new & I ship from the united states. My online store is ARCADEEMULATOR.NET, pm if I can help in anyway.

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #60 on: February 08, 2008, 10:15:00 pm »
Caveman is no good eh?  There's one for sale local to me.  Looked interesting because it has a video game on it too.  Guess I should pass?

It's terrible.  If you want it for historic value, get one, but if you want a game worth playing, find a Baby Pac or Granny and the Gators.

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #61 on: February 08, 2008, 10:19:35 pm »
Chad are you a huge pinball fan by chance, a lot of the the titles I have never seen, the baby pac yes but not caveman
I carry both ultimarc & happ items, all brand new & I ship from the united states. My online store is ARCADEEMULATOR.NET, pm if I can help in anyway.

ChadTower

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #62 on: February 09, 2008, 08:44:12 am »
Chad are you a huge pinball fan by chance, a lot of the the titles I have never seen, the baby pac yes but not caveman


I know guys who are far more hardcore than I am, but for BYOAC standards, probably.

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #63 on: February 09, 2008, 09:33:54 am »
He he...there is also a Disco Fever local to me. 8)  The theme amuses me but I don't know if I'd actually want it in the basement.  Anyone ever play one?

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Re: Pinball - Buy Older Classic Or Newer Model
« Reply #64 on: February 11, 2008, 12:11:32 am »
Contact the seller and go play it to determine if you like it or not, pinballs are very subjective, one person may hate the game and another may love it.   

Keep in mind that with older machines you will need some electronics knowledge as well as a little mechanical aptitude to keep things running.

If you need to do any board work and you cannot do it yourself you will almost guarantted having to sooner or later pay for repair work unless the machine has already been rebuilt and/or had new replacement boards installed.

If you want "fully shopped" machines as stated above, then buying a used 80's machine is not going to be worth your time unless you buy from a dealer and get a warantee, which if you do that you will be paying probably about 2x what you could resell it for, in which case a newer machine may be a better buy for you.

Regarding Caveman, I am probably in the minority but I think it was a kinda ok game, I would not want it as my only pin but as a novelty game if I could get one really cheap I would consider it.  I think it is a better game than Baby Pac since it's full size.