Been a while since I commented here in this thread... but... I've got a couple pins now!
I bought a Lethal Weapon 3 (Data East) in August. I had never played this game back in the day, but it was available locally, a good price and good condition and I wanted to get into the hobby. Not to mention Coronavirus stuff and being home all the time.
And just like old cars, you learn by doing and you learn out of necessity. I have really enjoyed working on that machine. I put a replacement DMD in as the one it came with had a few lines out. Done flipper rebuilds, leaf switch replacements for slingshots and drop targets, got the coin mechs all working, lots of bulb replacements in various spots and some plastics too. The game plays nice and fast and fun. DMDs and ramps a friend said is his two main requirements and I tend to agree with him.
Then, there months later, I find one of my nostalgic favorites for sale. And so a Party Zone is in my living room too. Super fun and great flow to that game. The theme is quirky and the call-outs are great. Another machine in good shape with a handful of things to sort out. Nothing too major, and just like cars, you use what you learned fixing something the last time to help you fix new issues. PZ came with a weak right flipper and I had it sorted out on the first evening. Even had a couple extra coil sleeves from parts orders on the LW3. Nice when you can use common parts on more than one machine.
And then, last night, I find my grail pin. Bought a Highspeed 2 the Getaway!! Will go pick it up one day this week. So super excited. Honestly, haven't been this excited since BEFORE getting the DeLorean in 2007. And I say before because it was crushing getting the DeLorean and realizing how poor of shape it was in. Not the case with this HS2. It is off the charts clean and pretty.
Colour DMD, upgraded speakers (Flipper Fidelity), plenty of playfield add-ons and mods (tasteful, like little decals here and there, a Lambo toy car off to the side, the Donut Heaven mod, etc.) Man it is nice. And again with the similarities with cars, where they say buy the one in the best condition you can find. I definitely got to do this with this machine.
Not as good as a real machine, but I can fit a lot of games in a small space. The plunger works as on a real pinball machine, and if you bang or tilt the machine the ball moves as a real one would.
There are definitely some cool virtual solutions to not having the actual machine. Game play feel is different of course, but it is just amazing how accurate all the graphics are. I have Pinball Arcade for PS4 and it is great. The physics takes some getting used to and subtle differences between tables. Pretty much all those old Bally Williams machines from the early 90s are in there and those are my favourites. I saw a guy selling a nice little box he put together to use it with an iPad. Had side buttons soldered underneath to a tiny circuit board that then connected to the iPad. Perfect size to travel with.
Actually, thinking about video game pinball, there are a lot of different ones that came out over the years for various systems. I was always an original Nintendo guy (NES) and up until a couple years ago, hadn't realized they did a few pinball games for the system. Six different games in fact.
I recently was given a 1972 Williams 'Travel Time' Pinball. It needed some help, after replacing some gamefield target switches and a few coils it now works perfectly!
When I heard the chimes and the score wheels working, my smile was from ear to ear. These machines are great to work on, so simple.
Check out the forums on each machine. There is usually a way to reduce the voltage so the bulbs last longer, it is easier on the power supply. and you don't melt the plastic parts on the playfield. That way if you leave them on for extended periods everything lasts longer. There are also sites that have the game strategy all laid out so you can get the highest scores possible. Yes, they are pretty simple to work on but each game has it's uniqueness and quirks. Fun hobby.
Back in the day, the local arcade/poolhall had a rotation of many of the Williams units (late 80s, early 90s). Funhouse, Diner, Party Zone and Highspeed 2 The Getaway to think of a few.
If I were to get one, and only one (for now!), I would love for it to be Highspeed 2 The Getaway by Williams. I see a couple for sale every so often, on eBay in the US and once in a while, somewhere in Canada too.
Ask and ye shall receive.
Well, that and being bored and stuck at home for over a year thanks to covid cancelling pretty much everything fun in life...
The Getaway, Funhouse and Party Zone are all Diamond Plate playfields and are immaculate... just like my DeLorean
I got Funhouse fairly recently and World Poker Tour got demoted to the dining room area... while my dining room table got demoted to being pushed up against the wall, lol.
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Originally Posted by Jonathan
