The Aussie Pinball Arcade
Aussie Pinball Forums => General Discussion => Sunday pinball questionnaire => Topic started by: illawarra_steelers on January 31, 2009, 09:52:54 PM
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Over to you Wotto! *)*
1. Earliest pinball memory?
2. All time favourite pin? Why?
3. Favourite pinball manufacture?
4. Favourite game in your collection? Why?
5. How long have you been collecting?
6. First game and how did you find it?
7. Do you still have it?
8. What are you currently working on?
9. Most wanted game to add to your collection?
10. Best all time bargain game added to your collection?
11. Worst ever miss – tell us about the one that got away!
12. Worst ever purchase – tell us about the game you wished you never bought
13. Describe your collection
14. Describe your gamesroom
15. Do you have other games other than pinball?
16. Where can you see the hobby in 10 years?
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Lucy me - I got to follow Chuck Hess !
Well I guess its close enough to Sunday .......so here goes.
1. Earliest pinball memory?
My earliest memory is playing ( either ) Klondike or Mustang ( it was one of those 2 games ) at a games parlour opposite the council caravan park in Foster on the NSW mid north coast as a kid of around maybe 8-10 years old? Foster had this particular games room with a lot of pool tables and old arcade machines , but...... does anyone here remember The Colony in the main street of Foster ( I reckon Illawarra Steelers will ) – WHAT a place , it had all the bowling alleys at the back of the joint and I recall those old wall hanging games where balls would be flicked around spiral rails ( unsure what they are called ) – GREAT old place with a CLASSIC layout for old fun parlours of that time.
2. All time favourite pin? Why?
What a tough question. I am going to say Hercules ( just kidding ) - Williams 1979 Flash mainly due to the endless amount of brilliant childhood memories I associate with that machine. I thought it was one of the coolest games to play as a kid and I stumbled across one everywhere I went , loved the drop targets ,the plunger 'cross playfield' ball launch, the fast shot up to the spinner and boy those sounds , especially the cool bonus countdown sound if you had 3X and a full bonus card lit up.
3. Favourite pinball manufacture?
Yeah - dont really have a favourite as such , MOSt of my favoruite games however are all from the SS era 79- 82
4. Favourite game in your collection? Why?
In my current collection - Whitewater
Why ? - Its a damn tough game to play / beat, although it doesnt have 'modes' ( as such ) it has some bloody hard 'tasks' to complete and a LOT of them in order to get to the final 'Vacation Planner" and….. to get a nice clean shot between the boulders up to Boomerang Bend must be up there as one of the hardest shots in all pinballs, on top of that it’s a bit of a ‘drainer’ with no ballsaver ! ( well it will have a damn ballsaver when I get my damn LH6 Home Rom - hey Mark ?? :lol) - I feel it is quite under-rated. I rarely have a great game on it ( come to think of it I hardly ever have a GREAT game on any machine :lol ) but I will beat it one day.
5.How long have you been collecting?
Since around 1997 - 1998
Since my first pin I have gone through / turned over about 25 -30 pins , most were purchased as bombs and I restored them, most back to a brand spankin new physical condition, and a few I just tidied up and sold. I kept em for about a year or less and moved them on - the most I have had in the house/ garage at one time was 8 machines.
Shortest trip to buy a machine was 5 minutes from my home for The Hulk from a bloke that looked identical to David Spade, he said it was easy access and when I got there it was BURIED under Totem and Disco fever in the tiniest room with CRAP just everywhere - I had to help hinm clean his room out just to get it out - it was ridicoulous. Furthest trip was Paragon which was about an 8 hour round trip - nice old bloke who knew nothing about pins , I didnt rip him off.
6. First game and how did you find it?
Indiana Jones! - I knew little about where to buy a pinball and I looked and drove all around Sydney , there was VERY few places to go – it was in late 1997. I recall driving from Wollongong to Blacktown ( about 120+ kms? ) on a STINKING HOT summers day ( if you know Blacktown , then you will know it was HOT ) to go to The Pinball Doctor- he was SO EXPENSIVE and after that I nearly gave up. So after looking everywhere for a few months and finding nothing I walked to buy a sandwich for lunch one day and discovered a guy called Rocky who was selling pinballs from a factory complex ( and had been for months ) .........RIGHT NEXT DOOR to my work - LOL.
He had a few machines and I recall he had 2 x Indy's - both $1300.00 each !! I should have grabbed em both.
7. Do you still have it?
No - sold it for $4000.00 3 years later and that financed my Flash, Gorgar, Time Warp and Black Knight back then !And I had change for restore parts !
8. What are you currently working on?
Being a good husband so I can buy another pinball machine ! ( yes dear I will be there to rub your feet as soon as I finish a survey I am doing )
9. Most wanted game to add to your collection?
I want my Gorgar back !! – Yes I do - I MISS that beast.
Or a TOTAN or a Monster Bash or a .........
10. Best all time bargain game added to your collection?
Black Knight was a bargain when I paid $1100.00 for it. Now I know thats not as good a deal as some of you have had but its the best deal I recall - great collectible title at a very decent price ( then )
11. Worst ever miss – tell us about the one that got away!
None
12. Worst ever purchase – tell us about the game you wished you never bought
No regrets at all - enjoyed each machine I have had / restored.
13. Describe your collection
Currently Whitewater, Flintstones, Fish Tales and A Funhouse due in a few weeks. All fully restored in very nice condition . I can fit one more machine inside the house but will probably wait till end of 2009 to grab it. I made the decision to switch from my beloved SS pins to 90's pins a couple of years back, mainly due to the un-reliability of the older games and my lame lack of knowledge in the electronics of pinball machines, while my electrical knowledge has improved ( thanks Nino ) it is still VERY VERY basic and limited.
I can change bulbs now :lol
14. Describe your gamesroom
Well it is meant to be a lounge room but it is about 6 x 4 metres , its just an 'open' room inside our home. It only has one main wall , all the pins are against that wall and it doesnt leave any room for 'posters/ paraphanalea etc ' as the opposite walls are not there as the room has large entry ‘cut-outs’ so it is a little bland - but I am very grateful just to have a room available for a few pins.
15. Do you have other games other than pinball?
Yes - a bloody good Mame upright machine loaded with Arcade Games, a juke box, Visual pinball and all the Dragons Lair ( laser ) games. I WILL get in the top 5 at Twin Galaxies one day for Crazy Balloon, wait and see !!
16. Where can you see the hobby in 10 years?
Look- who knows? I would like to hope that it is at LEAST where it is right now with a home market continuing to grow and prosper and loads of good people helping each other maintain these great machines for years to come. I would LOVE to see Nu-Core proceed in the hope that it may be able to go someway to revitalising interest 'out there' in pinball.
Hope that wasnt too boring
!@#
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Never boring mate. Everyone has a different story to tell and i enjoyed yours. Thanks for sharing Wotto!!!
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Great read Wotto ^^^
Millsy
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Great read Wotto..
So out of all the classics - You want your Gorgar back ?
What about trying another classic ?
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Nah, not boring at all Wotto... it was a great read!
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Top stuff Wotto. Thanks for sharing :)
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Great read Wotto !
I tell you what if you can get me an Indy for $1300 i'll pay you for it AND throw in my Gorgar ! :lol
Anyone interested in a Gorgar ? <.> &&
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Well done Wotto $#$ $#$
One day you will return from the 'dark side' and get back into those late 70's early 80's pins, i just know it *%*
cheers
Ian
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Great read Wotto !
I tell you what if you can get me an Indy for $1300 i'll pay you for it AND throw in my Gorgar ! :lol
Anyone interested in a Gorgar ? <.> &&
Very interested in Gorgar ...
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Really nice post Wotto. Great to hear good things about Flash. That's my next machine.
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Great read Wotto, thanks for posting
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Thanks for posting Wotto - ANOTHER awesome read.
Mate one day you will have to try your hand at a real pin - an EM *%*
That place in Foster - memories! That place was sooooo cool, the games were operated by a guy called Harry Knight (sp?) who is still alive today!
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Great read Wotto, love to read/hear peoples pinball stories ^^^
cheers Ian
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Good read Wotto, thanks for sharing. It's uncanny that you drive all day and the pins are under your nose...at work. *%*
Always the way. *)*
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Awesome read ^^^. i always look forward to reading these each week.. always interesting to read about how everyone here got into the hobby, and the places where and when they played their first pin, or got their first pin from.
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Thanks for posting Wotto. Another great read ^^^
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What a fun collection, Whitewater, Flintstones, Fish Tales and A Funhouse. I love whitewater. I want to pickup a flintstones. I've always enjoyed fish tales.
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Great stuff Wotto! ^^^
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Great read Wotto - thoroughly enjoyed it.
Im late replying cos you post got buried under Pinball Fixers mamoth exercise on the keyboard!
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Thanks Wotto, good read mate. IJ was my first pin too. ^^^
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One of the worst things about being off-line over the weekend (other than having to wade through Owen's posts:) ) was missing one of my favorite parts of AP - the Sunday Pinball Questionnaire. Thanks Wotto, yours lived up to my expectations being a great read and different to all the others (as all have been). It's great to see how others made it here, we all have our story and I'm glad so many are sharing.
I remember reading your web site years ago before I knew you about the Time Warp new playfield you got cheaply (was it $25.00 US or something??) Made me bloody envious!
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Top read Wotto, thanks for sharing @@*
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nice one wotto! i owe you so if you are still looking for a LH6 just say the word and its on its way. cheers and thanks
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Good read Wotto, thought you would of mentioned Firepower, that was a nice restore you did on that game. Would you rate Gorgar above Firepower?
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Good read Wotto. And I remember going on holidays to Foster as well and going across the bridge to Tuncurry where they had 2x arcade joints which one had many pinballs and a very large slottcar track with about 10 lanes. The other arcade had shit loads of pins #*#