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Found it! Alien Poker/Laser Cue (or similar pin with scissor flippers/sequenced shots), e.g. Jack’s Open, Nine Ball

VeeMonroe

VeeMonroe

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Not sure how serious I am about this... but just putting it out there.

Reading the 'how much is it worth' thread, Alien Poker seems very affordable (they've gone for as little as £500). Does anyone have one they're thinking of moving on?

I'm also open to being sold on other affordable Early SS or EMs with simple rules and old-school charm that will really sharpen my shooting skills. Other pins I've really enjoyed include Nine Ball, Harlem Globetrotters, and Lucky Hand/Jack's Open. Features I really enjoy include sequenced shots, scissor flippers, and inline knockdown targets (the latter less than the former).
 
I think AP is a great game - I've certainly got no plans to sell mine.

If you can find one under four figures bite the sellers hand off - but in the current market I don't think you will....
 
andy said:
I think AP is a great game - I've certainly got no plans to sell mine.

If you can find one under four figures bite the sellers hand off - but in the current market I don't think you will....
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Hoping you mean under three figures! :oops: I didn't think pinflation had got that bad...!

We've both really enjoyed the Alien Poker at Pinball Republic - it is, indeed, a great game!
 
andy said:
No, definitely four.....would be surprised if a half decent working one could be found for under a grand ☹️
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Yes, sorry. My mistake 😳

I'm willing to consider a 'project', but would prefer not as I'm currently not making much progress on restoring/upgrading our Fish Tales (it's currently out of action awaiting a molex connector).

I've got an idea what I'd be willing to pay for an AP (or other pin), so - if anyone does want to move one on - just DM me or, ideally, post on here.

As I mention, I'm also open to other early SS and also EMs that are also difficult strong shooters. I don't know every pin.
 
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Also, as per the Diner thread, I can also offer cake!*

[Disclaimer. *Cake not as pictured. Probably less likely to collapse, for starters].

37C83B19-B827-4D43-9950-4C5C06E984E1.jpeg
 
steve brum said:
AP great but I never liked the artwork. Laser cue l enjoyed for a few years as well
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Well, I'm not wild about the artwork, but it has a certain retro charm about it.

Mostly, I'm interested in the drop target bank that pops back up if you miss. My understanding is that Laser Cue (which also has "so bad its good" artwork) doesn't have the same 'shoot targets in order or everything pops back up' mechanic. Otherwise, I'd be asking about a Laser Cue as an alternative.
 
VeeMonroe said:
Well, I'm not wild about the artwork, but it has a certain retro charm about it.

Mostly, I'm interested in the drop target bank that pops back up if you miss.
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There was a Jungle Lord on FB and listed on ebay at 1400. Looks interesting??

www.ebay.co.uk

Williams Jungle Lord Pinball Machine. Working condition | eBay

Williams Jungle Lord Pinball Machine. Working condition. There are minor faults such as bulbs out or sticking, I have replacements. The sound card runs fast on the bagatelle table. I have a rubber replacement kit ready to go on. The machine is complete and we still use it regularly. Obvious...
www.ebay.co.uk
 
VeeMonroe said:
Well, I'm not wild about the artwork, but it has a certain retro charm about it.

Mostly, I'm interested in the drop target bank that pops back up if you miss. My understanding is that Laser Cue (which also has "so bad its good" artwork) doesn't have the same 'shoot targets in order or everything pops back up' mechanic. Otherwise, I'd be asking about a Laser Cue as an alternative.
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Same thing on laser cue iirc.
 
Ashbo said:
There was a Jungle Lord on FB and listed on ebay at 1400. Looks interesting??

www.ebay.co.uk

Williams Jungle Lord Pinball Machine. Working condition | eBay

Williams Jungle Lord Pinball Machine. Working condition. There are minor faults such as bulbs out or sticking, I have replacements. The sound card runs fast on the bagatelle table. I have a rubber replacement kit ready to go on. The machine is complete and we still use it regularly. Obvious...
www.ebay.co.uk
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Sadly, the artwork's a bit much and I'm looking for a single level pin, ideally with scissor flippers :(

What I'm really looking for, right now, is something that's ~100% about drop target/shot accuracy - something like Nine Ball, Lucky Hand or Alien Poker.

Ramp-wise, I'll probably be looking for a BK2000 at some point.
 
Dex-Jay said:

One less pop bumper, one more bell and sketchier artwork.... AP wins but LC would do until a AP turns up or get both! :)
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I've got to admit to quite liking the LC artwork. We don't really have room for both!

And, right now, it doesn't seem like there's any chance of getting either!
 
steve brum said:
Andy mania sold one a few years back so at least ONE laser cue in the UK lol
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It'll be bolted to the floor and the owner will only be willing to exchange it for a mint original MM...

Or my Godzilla, which they're not having! 🦖
 
VeeMonroe said:
It'll be bolted to the floor and the owner will only be willing to exchange it for a mint original MM...

Or my Godzilla, which they're not having! 🦖
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You better get finding me a Twilight Zone then! I don't care how rough it is! :p
 
Being honest here, I think you're going to struggle. I have a Laser Cue and had to import it from Germany at higher cost than you're expecting as none came up for years. That Laser Cue of Andy's went to a friend of mine who will never sell it.

Alien Poker comes up more often but for a working one don't expect it to be less than £1,500 unless you're very lucky/quick before anyone else sees it. In these crazy pinball price times I wouldn't be surprised to see a decent one at £2K plus (they often have play field wear) . It's not the best art but has great sound and rules of play and so quite popular. Sourcing one overseas was always easier but shipping and post Brexit duty issues will now apply. Good luck anyway.
 
Might be worth considering a Virtual PIn if you can find one? (or just spending a few hundred quid on a half decent pc, setting one monitor/TV in portrait, a smaller one for backglass/DMD) - that way you can pretty much play whatever you want (pre SPIKE system) - if you can get a setup with low input/video lag and a decent controller/nudge they can be really good.
 
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JMP said:
Being honest here, I think you're going to struggle. I have a Laser Cue and had to import it from Germany at higher cost than you're expecting as none came up for years. That Laser Cue of Andy's went to a friend of mine who will never sell it.

Alien Poker comes up more often but for a working one don't expect it to be less than £1,500 unless you're very lucky/quick before anyone else sees it. In these crazy pinball price times I wouldn't be surprised to see a decent one at £2K plus (they often have play field wear) . It's not the best art but has great sound and rules of play and so quite popular. Sourcing one overseas was always easier but shipping and post Brexit duty issues will now apply. Good luck anyway.
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Wow, thanks for the advice, but that's depressing to hear :(

I've had a couple of people get in touch to either say, if they do sell, I can have first dibs or, alternatively, they know someone who has one who they can ask. That was what I was hoping for because we've just bought Godzilla Prem and I have a bunch of parts to upgrade my Fish Tales with a repro topper - so, I'm not desperate to source one at this exact second.

I was hoping, as much as anything, that I could let people know that I was potentially interested in an AP - so, I'd hopefully hear if one came up.

I'm not sure I want to start considering importing right now. I investigated getting a Black Hole last year and discovered there were probably only two in the UK, and - to import one - was going to cost £4k delivered. As we don't have a massive pinball budget compared to some people on here, that money went onto the Godzilla, which my five year old enjoys much more!
 
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Den - aka Wolfgang said:
Might be worth considering a Virtual PIn if you can find one? (or just spending a few hundred quid on a half decent pc, setting one monitor/TV in portrait, a smaller one for backglass/DMD) - that way you can pretty much play whatever you want (pre SPIKE system) - if you can get a setup with low input/video lag and a decent controller/nudge they can be really good.
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I've thought before you might like a vpin Vee since I know you and your boys have played a lot on the ipads before and you like some of the harder to get machines. I admit it's not the same as a real machine but I still really enjoy mine and the variety it gives. I think there's several older machines I'd be trying to get at some point if I didnt have the vpin. But it just about scratches that itch for something different and covers alot of games I love to play but wouldnt necessarily want to own in a small collection
 
Jib said:
I've thought before you might like a vpin Vee since I know you and your boys have played a lot on the ipads before and you like some of the harder to get machines. I admit it's not the same as a real machine but I still really enjoy mine and the variety it gives. I think there's several older machines I'd be trying to get at some point if I didnt have the vpin. But it just about scratches that itch for something different and covers alot of games I love to play but wouldnt necessarily want to own in a small collection
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I'm not really interested in a vpin TBH :confused: I don't play much at all on my iPad Pro (which is tabletop sized) now I have the three pinball machines. The physics simply isn't the same and the main reason I'm interested in some of the older pins is either a) because I'm hoping to move somewhere with space to do restoration in a couple of years, and b) because I want to practice my accuracy/ball control :oops:

I was trying to practice accuracy shots on Jack's Open on iPad last night and, to be honest, the flippers don't have any weight or snap. Black Hole has no resemblance to the Spirit or the Genie in Pinball Republic. Before I stopped playing, I could also get massive scores on Williams Pinball, on games I can't play well in real life, because the ball movements are so predictable that I can just cradle the ball consistently and aim consistently to the same place. I appreciate that virtual pin software may be programmed differently from the Williams app and Pinball Arcade, but - from my iPad experience - it's simply not the same thing at all.
 
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Aye, sorry to be a downer but keep at it and one (probably AP) will turn up... even if needs some work there's plenty of help about.
 
VeeMonroe said:
I'm not really interested in a vpin TBH :confused: I don't play at all on my iPad Pro (which is tabletop sized) now I have the three pinball machines. The physics simply isn't the same and the main reason I'm interested in some of the older pins is either a) because I'm hoping to move somewhere with space to do restoration in a couple of years, and b) because I want to practice my accuracy/ball control :oops:

I was trying to practice accuracy shots on Jack's Open on iPad last night and, to be honest, the flippers don't have any weight or snap. Black Hole has no resemblance to the Spirit or the Genie in Pinball Republic. Before I stopped playing, I could also get massive scores on Williams Pinball, on games I can't play well in real life, because the ball movements are so predictable that I can just cradle the ball consistently and aim consistently to the same place. I appreciate that virtual pin software may be programmed differently from the Williams app and Pinball Arcade, but - from my iPad experience - it's simply not the same thing at all.
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VPX which you would run in a proper cab is much better than the ipad apps and you can mess with the physics to get them how you like on every game but it's not the same as a real machine. There are some things about it that help improve play on real machines even if they don't play exactly the same. I look at it as more of a different thing to have fun on, like a computer game, than a replacement for a real machine. But fair enough, they're not for everyone :)
 
JMP said:
Aye, sorry to be a downer but keep at it and one (probably AP) will turn up... even if needs some work there's plenty of help about.
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Thanks :)

If one doesn’t turn up, after a while, I might try Pinball Owners.

Jib said:
I look at it as more of a different thing to have fun on, like a computer game, than a replacement for a real machine. But fair enough, they're not for everyone :)
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I’m a bit of an Analogue Renaissance type, unfortunately. Most of our gaming, pre-pinball, was card/board games :)

I got into pinball through my tabletop pinball game from my childhood… and from a paper-and-dice game with a pinball theme.
 
You might have more luck if you say how much you're willing to pay.
 
Arv said:
You might have more luck if you say how much you're willing to pay.
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It’s not clear TBH 😒 Originally, I saw someone on the ‘How Much is it Worth?’ thread saying APs had gone for £500-£800. I checked the forum archives and had a “Wow, that’s a great pin - didn’t realise it was that affordable“ moment.

Obviously, it’s now turned out that AP - like a lot of late 70s/early 80s pins - seem to be now going for £1,300-£2k delivered. We’ve just got Godzilla Prem last month, have bought our entire pinball collection since July, and only have the space for five pins, absolute max, with one space reserved for an MMr…

So, I’m definitely open to an AP, as it’s a great pin, but I think - given the similar rarity and price of all the late 70s/early 80s pins - that I’m probably now going to play a lot of older stuff I’ve not played yet and see whether AP is the right choice for the open slot.

Obviously, if I turn out to want something rare, I might need to import - which will push the price up some more.

OTRawrior said:
Not super skill pinball 4cade was it?
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Yep! That’s the one :)
 
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