Judge Dredd Pinball

[Visitor Q]

Anyone own one of these?

For one in good shape, can anyone tell me the fair market value?

Thank You.

[ChadTower]

The pin market is in the total crapper right now.  If you do find one don't pay more than like $750 for it.  Guys are still listing them for what they were worth a year ago but they aren't going to sell for that.  Right now is one of the biggest buyers' markets I've seen in this hobby.

[Visitor Q]

I was offered one for $950.

I really would like to have Monster Bash.

Any idea on that one, I would not even know where to get one other than eBay... The Judge Dredd is local.

I was just looking over this...

http://www.bostonpinball.biz/05262008.htm

Wonder how up to date that is though...

[ChadTower]

This eBay sales summary has been collected from successful eBay pinball machine sales over the last 30 months (May 2008).

That list is way out of date considering the market changes since May.

Monster Bash is still going to cost you a pretty penny.  The prestige pieces are the last to go down.  IMO Judge Dredd is on the same level as a player anyway.  I'd much rather have a Judge Dredd, a Demo Man, and a Shadow for the same price as a Monster Bash.

[Visitor Q]

IMO Judge Dredd is on the same level as a player anyway. 

Not sure what you mean by that comment.

At first I thought $950 was a good deal but maybe it's not so great. 

[shardian]

A player is a pin that is fun to play, but doesn't have an appealing theme.
It can also mean a pin that is beat up cosmetically, but plays nice.

[ChadTower]

IMO Judge Dredd is on the same level as a player anyway. 

Not sure what you mean by that comment.

I mean it's just about as good a game as Monster Bash.  The difference being that it doesn't cost 3-4x as much.

It can also just be a way of comparing games on a pure gameplay basis.  I'm not saying Judge Dredd is a crappy theme - it's just not as good a theme as Monster Bash.  But if you put the themes aside Judge Dredd is not an inferior game.  It's actually a pretty decent one.

[Visitor Q]

IMO Judge Dredd is on the same level as a player anyway. 

Not sure what you mean by that comment.

I mean it's just about as good a game as Monster Bash.  The difference being that it doesn't cost 3-4x as much.

It can also just be a way of comparing games on a pure gameplay basis.  I'm not saying Judge Dredd is a crappy theme - it's just not as good a theme as Monster Bash.  But if you put the themes aside Judge Dredd is not an inferior game.  It's actually a pretty decent one.

Ok, I see... Still though with all that said, if I can't talk him down to $750 it is not worth buying correct? What if I was to get him to throw in free delivery or warranty it for a year?

Also... If I wanted to buy Monster Bash or find one, where would I look for it other than eBay?

[ChadTower]

Ok, I see... Still though with all that said, if I can't talk him down to $750 it is not worth buying correct? What if I was to get him to throw in free delivery or warranty it for a year?

I didn't say it's not worth his asking price.  We can't determine that for you.  It is worth exactly what you or some other buyer are willing to pay for it.  I am saying, though, that games in this tier are dropping into the $750-800 range and they will probably not stop there in the short term.  Everyone pretty much agrees that values will get worse before they get better.

Also... If I wanted to buy Monster Bash or find one, where would I look for it other than eBay?

I'd start by asking on rec.games.pinball if there are any local collector groups worth joining.  That's where a lot of the better reliable deals will come from.

[Visitor Q]

...and what do you feel the market value of Monster Bash is? What is a fair price for the game?

[ChadTower]

I honestly don't know right now.  It's out of the price range I play in and a game I definitely feel is way way overvalued.  I'd be surprised to see a nice one under $2k, though.

[Visitor Q]

I honestly don't know right now.  It's out of the price range I play in and a game I definitely feel is way way overvalued.  I'd be surprised to see a nice one under $2k, though.

Hmmmm... I would be willing to pay 2 to 3K for one.

There is one on eBay right now for $4,300... I am assuming this is way overpriced?

[shardian]

Monster bash is one of the late 90's William's games that sells for $3k or higher.

[Visitor Q]

I am taking it that this falls into a category of a more wanted pinball machine?

Can you give me an idea of what are the top 10 pinball games that sell for the highest value that are some what common?

I did find this list...

— Top 10 Player Rated SS Games —
 
#1  Twilight Zone   (Bally,1993) 
#2  Star Trek: The Next Generation   (Williams,1993) 
#3  Medieval Madness   (Williams,1997) 
#4  The Addams Family   (Bally,1992) 
#5  Creature from the Black Lagoon   (Bally,1992) 
#6  Cirqus Voltaire   (Bally,1997) 
#7  Theatre of Magic   (Bally,1995) 
#8  Funhouse   (Williams,1990) 
#9  The Lord of the Rings   (Stern,2003) 
#10  Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure   (Williams,1993) 

[shardian]

The only one on that list that doesn't routinely fetch $2k+ is Funhouse, but it is close to that for a good condition one.

[Zero_Hour]

AS far as finding pins for sale, check out Mr. Pinball classifieds :
http://www.xmission.com/~daina/classified/index.html

That's how I found my pin. I wasn't planning on buying another anytime soon, but with the prices in decline, I've started casually looking again, and Mr. Pinball is where I look the most.

[ChadTower]

Mr Pinball is where guys list games at 2x market value and hope someone will bite.  It hasn't been a good source for reasonably priced games for a long time now.

That list is a pretty pricey list.  There are plenty of games out there that are much better values.  Can we assume you want a DMD game specifically?  All of the games on that list are DMD games except Funhouse.  IMO, Funhouse is the best one on the list, too.  I had a TZ and sold it because I didn't dig it as much as I dig having its value in cash.

[Visitor Q]

The local guy has Funhouse, I am sure I could get that for around 2g... Not sure what a good price is on something like that. He also has Star Trek which I loved playing but I hate Star Trek, so I would not want that sitting in my home. 

Anything newer for the most part...

TZ
MB
Adam's Fam.
Theatre of Magic

I think Monster Bash and Twilight Zone would be my top pick, I do like Funhouse though for an older game.

[HaRuMaN]

Ouch... 10K for a Medevial Madness @ Mr. Pinball 

[ChadTower]

My suggestion is to learn about other titles and manufacturers first before buying anything.  There are a whole lot of good titles that don't get any love because the collector community is locked into a specific few.  Those games are a far, far better value than any of the $5000 games.  Why have one decent game when for the same price you can have four decent games?

[shardian]

Mr. Pinball classifieds is a joke.

Seriously, there are only a handful of games that regularly draw over $2k. Unless you have a specific reason to love one of the games on the short list, you are much better starting with a player pin. I prefer my games/pins to have a few dings on them anyways. That way I don't feel bad when I inevitably add a few of my own. 

[Visitor Q]

Honestly guys, right now I don't have the room for more than one and may never buy more than one so I want to buy what I want... Pretty plain and simple but I do understand your logic as well but thats not going to work for me. 

If anyone here can help me locate something I am looking for at the right price, I am all up for the help and many thanks in advance. 

[Visitor Q]

I pretty much have my mind set on what I want.

Monster Bash
Twlight Zone
Theatre of Magic
The Addams Family

In that order, infact I should post a wanted cause I am buying.

[shardian]

Wow, someone has money to burn!

[Visitor Q]

I want "one" of them.

[shardian]

Ahh I misread. It looked like you said you wanted to buy all of them in that order.

[Visitor Q]

My bad... hahaha Maybe someday but not all at once. 

[nostrebor]

Judge Dredd is a hideous turd and you'll be sick of it in a week.  Find another game.

Don't pay huge money for a Dredd. I suspect that you can easily scrounge one up for $7-800 depending on your location. I have one and it's not the turd Jim says it is, but I'm not going to pour money or effort into it either. If you really like pop bumpers, don't buy one. We enjoy ours, as it is a pin that will force you to get better at ball control and making shots. At some point mine will go on down the road, but I'm not tired of it yet and it's been here for 6 months.

[Visitor Q]

Yeah I decided to pass on the Dredd and go after what I really want.

[pinballwizard79]

My $0.02

If you pay market value for a machine you bought a POS.

Of course there are exceptions to this statement but I have walked from 10 times more machines than purchased (so I have walked from 40 so far apx).

[Visitor Q]

My $0.02

If you pay market value for a machine you bought a POS.

Of course there are exceptions to this statement but I have walked from 10 times more machines than purchased (so I have walked from 40 so far apx).

Say what now?

[pinballwizard79]

You will pay above market value for above market condition.

Its undeniable statistics.

You know what I am talking about man.

Pretend some drunk guy just ate hot wings, pet a dog, stuck his fingers in a ball & then used the urinal at the bowling alley. He walks right past the sink & soap (without using either) on his way out just to get in line & tilt the hell out of that new Terminator2 machine he doesn't own or appreciate that "ripped him off his last ball".

Years later its in a dusty crate & dumped on ebay by a guy selling the machine for nearly nothing who swears he shopped it out with $200.00 in parts & spent 30 hours cleaning it.

Thats why I dont have a sit down racer right now too by the way, damn!!! 

[pinballwizard79]

Or were you asking about the "Of course there are exceptions to this statement " part?

 

[RichSorr]

just got offered one for 1200..I declined at first glance. I must say the condition was impressive, obviously always a in home game. just not worth it.

[Visitor Q]

You will pay above market value for above market condition.

Its undeniable statistics.

You know what I am talking about man.

Pretend some drunk guy just ate hot wings, pet a dog, stuck his fingers in a ball & then used the urinal at the bowling alley. He walks right past the sink & soap (without using either) on his way out just to get in line & tilt the hell out of that new Terminator2 machine he doesn't own or appreciate that "ripped him off his last ball".

Years later its in a dusty crate & dumped on ebay by a guy selling the machine for nearly nothing who swears he shopped it out with $200.00 in parts & spent 30 hours cleaning it.

Thats why I dont have a sit down racer right now too by the way, damn!!! 

Gotcha

[nostrebor]

Dave's a nice guy, but he's trying to protect the market on his machine.   

Awful theme, disgusting artwork, bad music, and a 3" wide ramp that's virtually unshootable.

The lower left corner of the machine is dead and unused.  No pop bumpers (hello? it's PINBALL) and a dull toy that was eviscerated before production.  I've had owners of this game all but beg me to trade me ANYTHING for it.

You'd think a widebody machine with a DMD and a bunch of junk on the playfield would sell for more than ~$1,000.... there's a reason this one doesn't.

Oh. I forgot thst only Jim's opinions were valid.

Just ignore me. I'm dishonest and protecting the value of my precious pinball machine.

[Visitor Q]

The theme itself is more violent than I like, even if it's comical. 

Judge Dredd offends you?

[Visitor Q]

Not me, HORROR ALL THE WAY! 

To each his own. 

[nostrebor]

Oh. I forgot thst only Jim's opinions were valid.

That would be correct, but doubly so for pinball matters. 

Just ignore me. I'm dishonest and protecting the value of my precious pinball machine.

Well, Judge Dredd was yet another one of those themes designed for the european market (Dr. Who... Cirqus Voltaire...) that doesn't seem to resonate with Americans.  Even though the designers try to distance the pin from that disastrous movie, I think there was some 'tip off' that the movie was in the works when the game was released.

Some folks really like the game, there's a lot of stuff on it, but there's a lot of things that don't work.  The lower left hand corner is just a dead zone, and the Dead World toy is just a time waster.  I have yet to play the game with the mod to restore the toy back to the prototype stage, so there may be some potential there.  The ramp has a huge entrance and is very difficult to hit, and the dead world targets make the central gameplay clunky.

The theme itself is more violent than I like, even if it's comical. 

And just like that you make a reasonable post without being an ---uvula--- about it.  See how easy that is?!

I'm with you on the lower left field and the targets. The deadworld is better with the mod, but still slows the pace more than I like. I can hit the ramps pretty good, but you have to be dead on. I (and my kids) enjoy the extra games in the supergame. I think the pin has WAYYYY to many multiballs. Overall it is a fun play if you like to be very specific goal oriented.

The biggest difference between us is that I liked Judge Dredd before I liked pinball. I dig dark comic themes. So the theme was my initial draw. Now that I have had one for a while, the gameplay is ok, but maybe too specific. I'm in it for almost no money, so no biggie.

[Visitor Q]

I never really considered JD to be a bad theme either but I guess it's no Spiderman or Batman which I consider to be a bad theme for my taste.  HAH!