All Pins should come with a warning: "Buyer Beware - these machines may breed"
As with most, it started by me buying 'just one' which I did at the beginning of last year (DE Tommy). It didn't take long for me want to get another (Getaway HSII),.... and another (WH20 - project), and,..... and now two more.....
On holidays in January this year I was at an arcade near where we were staying and was playing the only two pins in the place. It was sad that out of the 40 or so machines, that only two were pins - but I was happy that they even had some.
I had played them the year before and noticed that they hadn't really changed much in the 12 months since I last saw them. They both had the customary dicky flippers, a layer of quality black grime on the PF, the odd missing and broken plastics, and one of them still was missing the rubber tip from the shooter - which I must say makes an interesting sound when it hits a ball.
Anyhoo - I later decided to shoot the owners an e-mail later asking if they wanted to sell one of them - The Twilight Zone. I got a response saying that they weren't interested in selling it, but maybe check back with them later in the year.
Last week out of the blue I got an email from them asking if I was still interested in the Twilight Zone, which I quickly replied I was - depending on the price. The next e-mail they sent asked if I was interested in taking the other pin as well, a DE Jurassic Park, as they would probably do a deal for both, and if so - make them an offer. I think I waited about 24 hours before I sent them an offer - which I must add, was approved and endorsed by the missus beforehand.
The end result was a good result for all, 2 x pins for me, 2 x slow money earners moved on for them, and a wife who has me over a barrel for the next 12 months
So yesterday morning at 5.00am, my 10yr old daughter and I set off for the 3 hour drive to the coast to pick them up. By 2.00pm they were both back and set up in my
garage man-cave.
Twilight Zone:Pros - Main PF looks to have minimal wear, from what I can see and feel through the black grime
- Translight is nice and clean, with nice colours
- Cabinet is solid and in good condition 7/10
- Clock works - but the lights don't
- Gumball machine works
- It actually has a Powerball
- Came with the original manual
Cons- DMD has some out-gassing, and burn-in which appears to be from a different game
- Legs were mounted using upper two bolt holes - making it very low, and decal marks visible when using lower holes.
- Some broken plastics
- Some fine planking on mini PF
- Upper left flipper not working, Upper right weak
- Most things need to be tightened and adjusted
- Need new rubbers throughout
- Needs a good clean!
Jurassic Park:Pros- Cabinet is in reasonable condition - 7/10
- PF appears in good condition, but has some wear on the 'Bunker' and Control Room' holes
- T-Rex is works - needs adjusting
- Translight is good
Cons- Background sound dropping out, or looping - maybe a loose connection, chip issue
- T-Rex - doesn't move in game, but does in test mode, however both left and right flipper buttons make it move the same way. Might be a switch problem
- Intermittent lower left flipper. Button registers in test mode – so maybe a coil power issue.
- Missing some plastics
- Topper is missing
- Needs new rubbers / flipper bats
- Needs a clean!
Overall I'm happy with them both, and no doubt will have more odds jobs to do here and there. I've still got a WH20 in a million bits and really must start putting it back together, but there was that mention of maybe one more pin for sale from there guys…….
