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Christmas Fair Pinball x 2

Nedreud

Nedreud

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Joined
Feb 12, 2013
Messages
3,092
Location
Aldershot, UK
Did this last year just with VECTOR but this year I took GOLD BALL as well to the School Christmas Fair. It's a charity event to raise funds for the school.

Machines were on free-play as coins mechs don't work but it was 50p per 3-ball game or £1 for 3 games. GOLD BALL was as the high score comp for KS1 kids and VECTOR as high score comp for KS2 and older kids.

They were playing non-stop for 2 hours! The kid who won the KS1 group had never played pinball before! Tiny little lad just 7 years old, eyes like saucers watching the ball. He had lightning reflexes!

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Couple of niggles from both machines at the start. VECTOR decided it would only show the number "740" in display 1 and wouldn't start a game and GB refused to fire a single solenoid! Reseated all the connectors and everything worked in the end.

I can definitely confirm that it is possible to fit 2 pinball machines in Vauxhall Zafira but they have to go in on their sides with backboxes off. ;)
 
replicas said:
Great to see the young kids enjoying pinball.
Click to expand...
It sure is! Particularly interesting was the younger KS1 kids (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, ages 4 to 6) because they've never seen a pinball machine yet still instinctively they know how to play. Still such strong cultural references that pinball pops up enough in kids TV shows and video games they know what it is. But almost none knew how to use the plunger and all of them used the typical double-bat button-hammering technique! Main thing is they all loved it. Pinball really so tactile. Sights, sounds, real-world physics. Something to actually get hold of. I'm not anti-video games (I've got cocktail cabinet arcade, every Nintendo console except the WiiU, MegaDrive and 2 self-built custom gaming PCs) but there is something magical about a game of pinball. I think it's because it's not a simulation. It's real. It's unpredictable.

Always interesting chatting to the parents too. "Are these your pinball machines?" "I remember playing pinball when I was a kid!" A french woman who's a parent from my daughters class says she remembers pinball used to be everywhere in France with seemingly every cafe having one. And I got asked several times if I hire them out!
 
And I got asked several times if I hire them out!
there you go make a fortune not:tut:
 
Just as a "What if?" type of thought, but what would folks say is reasonable to hire a pinball machine for a day? I got a quote from RGP for video games hire:

"The cost of hire to Guildford area would be £1,100 all inclusive for upto 10 machines"​

I make that £110 per machine per day. Does include delivery, setup, teardown and an onsite staff member to look after the machines.

I was thinking maybe £50 a day/night plus £300 deposit. I could do that locally for house parties, etc. Would need a much less temperamental machine though ;)
 
IMO If you're thinking about operating games in any capacity then you're best off with modern Sterns just from a reliability standpoint. While we all on here know that pinball machines break down and you accept that, if you rock up at a party with games and they have problems your customers will not be so understanding :)
 
Yeah... that was pretty much my thinking too. Would be ok doing it for friends as they'd understand but then you'd have to do mates rates ;)
 
you could also check the prices of others that offer this service - like Pinball Pleasures, the Pinball Parlour, maybe even Pinball Heaven. obviously they might not be too keen to share their business so you would have to pose as a customer and promise to stay off their local patch if they got suspicious
 
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