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 ??  ) - 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  ) 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 


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