2. All time favorite?
Gtb Outer Space (1972) for a bunch of reasons. It was THE game at Dee Why beach and always in play....whenever I went to put my 2 bob down I was told to "go play Travel Time" by the older, tougher guys. I probably only played half a dozen games total! Outer space has lots of nice features for the time...spinner, vari-target, plunger re-entry gate: it's asymetrical and has a nice b/g. Ive seen a 4 player (Orbit) this week on Gumtree, but its pricey ($1700 unshopped/unrestored) and in Tasmania. As much as I love the look of Travel Time (One of Williams /Marches best in my opinion) I don't think I could bring myself to play against that bloody clock again!
3. Favorite Manufacturer?
Being the early 70s, only Gottlieb and Williams games made any impression on me....honestly cant think of any E/M Ballys around this time.....Love that "extra touch of quality and originality" of Gottlieb but also love the brutality of Williams D.C. bumpers and slings, not to mention the over the top artwork of Christian Marche. Wedgeheads have nicer chimes but Williams' violent bumper rattles (think the 5(!) bumper cluster on Klondike) always make me smile. It's like a crazy drum solo.
For this era I'm calling it a draw.
4. Favorite machine in collection?
Right now Klondike. Mitch did a stellar job on the restore. It feels tight and new, looks beautiful and has a great layout. The reels throw in a nice mix of luck and skill and lighting up the 1k red bumper is always a treat. Superstar needs a fettle and a clean to be it's best. I've always loved the simplicity and pace of this title. it may have one of the ugliest b/gs Ive seen but the p/f is a beautiful combo of circles and stars in strong primary colours.
Once the wedgeheads and all those drop targets turn up I'm going to have a lot of trouble choosing a favorite.
Historically, High Hand is the machine I've enjoyed the most and am most familiar with. I'm stoked to be getting an APR restoration for this title.
At the moment I'm limited to 4 machines. 2 early 70s Williams( Klondike, Superstar) , Two wedgeheads ( Abra-ca-dabra, High Hand).
All titles I played heaps as a kid.
Abra Ca Dabra:
High Hand:
Klondike:
Superstar:
5/6/7.
How long have you been collecting?/1st machine?
A few months ago I put the idea of buying a machine off Ebay to my wife. She was cool and said i deserved a treat. I got an idea of prices and started making a few bids. Superstar was the 1st game i seriously bid for and the owner reassured me it was properly shopped and reliable. I started researching E/Ms and was reassured about it being a practical, sustainable proposition from these forums. I read the Clay Harrell repair guides http://www.pinrepair.com/em/index.htm and felt like I could cope with the basics as long as I had some experienced backup for the complex stuff. When I realised that Mitch lived just down the track and did house calls, that sold us on the idea of actually putting a collection together.
And yes, Superstar is a keeper.
8.
What are you currently working on?
No restoration as yet though the superstar is a good prospect. Right now I'm learning basic e/m maintainence and fault finding, I've managed to get a few hitches sorted out by carefully fiddleassing about ....manually advancing a stuck stepper and score reels, finding a bad solder joint, minor things for you guys but a real buzz for a guy who didn't even know how to solder last week!
Just the fact that these forums exist is the single greatest asset a newb could have.
9.
Most wanted game?
Outer Space (Gtb 1972)...See above.
10/11.
Best all time bargain/One that got away?
Daves (Goodolddays) Gulfstream. Seriously. I want the game but I'm limited to 4 machines and had to make the decision to get the 2 williams and the 2 wedgeheads for the sake of balance. Carolyn and I are just about to go into stage 2 of house renovations which means 6 months of haemorraging money and something had to give....I really want that title and Daves is really beautiful. I know when I eventually get the green light to expand the collection It will cost substantially more and I probably won't get such a nice example.
12.
Worst ever purchase?
No bad experiences so far...
13.
Describe your collection.
See above. Eventually i'd like to be a bit more open ended about the size and a bit more diverse. I have virtually no experience of modern machines, so maybe going to a few expo's will educate me a bit. Right now I'm just enjoying the nostalgia.
14.
gamesroom
one of these days..... right now machines are in the bedroom, which, ironically is the old games/billiard room. Convenient but eventually we are doing up the double garage under the house. When we bought the house they threw in an antique Ainsworth billiard table and cabinet. Sometime in the next 2 years we'll get everything set up and replace the rollerdoors with windows/doors and stick in a wet bar. Stay tuned...
15
other games?
Just the billiard table and a few consoles. And that's another wonderful thing about pinball. it bareley wastes time. unlike computer games, you can get a game going in 10 seconds and be on your way a couple of minutes later. Brilliant.
16
Ten years time?
For me personally, a bunch of machines in working order, maybe something in bits being cleaned up, maybe a successful restoration or two under my belt. I'd like to pick up a few reasonably complete games now while they are still comparatively cheap because i reckon they will pick up in value in the next few years as older blokes like myself who finally have the cash, time and space do the memory lane thing and discover a long lost love.
I used to spend all my money on bikes and cars, but ive outgrown that!
