How do you decide what to get next?

[Replay]

Just wondering how others decide what to get next as I seem to spend hours trying to decide, watching youtube videos, reading reviews, playing them at shows etc etc........



Of course it usually ends up being what is available due to titles being hard to get in good condition at decent prices..........

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

I don't anymore tbh. Getting priced out

 

[Spandangler]

I inevitably end up You Tubing it to see what I fancy. It's difficult to find pins to try before you buy. Ive missed all the shows since I got into the hobby due to work commitments.

Since I got my first pin in July 2010, I've owned the following machines;

BoP

Hurricane

Fishtales

RFM

Whirlwind

Doctor Who

So as you can tell I don't keep them long as I only have room for one at a time and get impatient!

I've only had DW about 3 weeks and I'm already thinking about moving it on!!

Really want a late 80s early 90's Williams game.

If I had the room I'd have kept all of the pins I've owned (except hurricane!)

Just wish I had room.

Guess it goes to show you tube just doesn't give you the feel of a game. You can't beat playing the real thing to make a proper decision!

 

[ronsplooter]

I decided on my ones in different ways. I got WCS first and that was a combo of what was available at the time in my price range, watching a few YouTube vids and playing a lot of Visual Pinball on the PC. WW was different because I actually played the one I now own at the UKPP and loved it. Nick was looking to sell it and we did a deal a few weeks after the show and I couldn't have been happier

From now on I'm more likely to make decisions having actually played the pin for real either at a show or league meeting....case in point being The Shadow which I played at Ross's not long ago and loved. Hopefully I can pick one up in the future.

 

[jonathan]

Normally decide on a price I can afford then get onto pinside to read the reviews in that price range. RFM next for me

 

[Paul]

I don't anymore tbh. Getting priced out

Ya know - i have to laff - i know what you mean... Everyone on the yahoo list saying "ahh we shouldnt sell at Ebay prices" - however if you dont sell at higher prices you cant afford to buy it's replacement... and then everyone having a go at Jamie for breaking up a machine as it's worth more in bits.



All a little hypocritical if you ask me.... Just IMO of course....

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Ya know - i have to laff - i know what you mean... Everyone on the yahoo list saying "ahh we shouldnt sell at Ebay prices" - however if you dont sell at higher prices you cant afford to buy it's replacement... and then everyone having a go at Jamie for breaking up a machine as it's worth more in bits.



All a little hypocritical if you ask me.... Just IMO of course....

Yep its a vicious circle. And with the game supply drying up ...its an epic task to source a particular machine you might be interested in, and if it is common knowledge that its for sale there is a feeding frenzy around it anyway so you find yrself in a sh*tstorm of panicky offers with evryone else, and finally if you do secure it it'll be at silly price. All of which puts me off getting my hopes up.



All a bit doom and gloom but there we go.



Anyway ....'it's Friiiiiiday - quitting time !!'



I'll have a few games on the pins i do have tonight

 

[JT.]

I found the pin party really helpful. I took a pad of paper and noted a score out of 10 and a few comments for each game I played, so I can look back and remember what I liked. I think the downside of that approach is that only getting a couple of goes max on each machine means that some of the deeper rule-set pins probably did not score too highly, and some games that lack longevity, but have instant appeal, scored better. It did help me to decide that I never want to own a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles though .

 

[Replay]

Yep its a vicious circle. And with the game supply drying up ...its an epic task to source a particular machine you might be interested in, and if it is common knowledge that its for sale there is a feeding frenzy around it anyway so you find yrself in a sh*tstorm of panicky offers with evryone else, and finally if you do secure it it'll be at silly price. All of which puts me off getting my hopes up.



All a bit doom and gloom but there we go.



Anyway ....'it's Friiiiiiday - quitting time !!'



I'll have a few games on the pins i do have tonight

That is the problem - having to make a super fast decision and then finding out that it is not what was described. Still, I would rather miss them than buy in haste. It is a shame that supply is such an issue. Feeding frenzy is a great description and I now think of Fish Tales whenever I hear that

 

[jagman]

to play the machines at the pinball party and the south coast slam certainly helped me decide which ones i liked,along with youtube to confirm,especially on the stern titles,i never see these machines any where

 

[Replay]

There are 4 Stern's at Weston Super Mare on the Pier........SM, BDK, BBH and Shrek.

 

[Judge Dreads]

I don't anymore tbh. Getting priced out

Thought you had them all by now anyway

Guess it goes to show you tube just doesn't give you the feel of a game. You can't beat playing the real thing to make a proper decision!

Certainly helps though, I saw Creeeeeeeeeech being played on youtube and decided it was a no go on the strength of what I saw and that music, oh dear.

Normally decide on a price I can afford then get onto pinside to read the reviews in that price range. RFM next for me

RFM was the machine that I owned for the shortest period, searched for about 12 months before getting a peach, it was out of the door in less than a week, it got old extremely fast, ironically it felt very dated, Bill Clinton?? etc etc, more dated than any other pin I have owned, more depressing than TZ also which takes some beating.



Different horses etc

Ya know - i have to laff - i know what you mean... Everyone on the yahoo list saying "ahh we shouldnt sell at Ebay prices" - however if you dont sell at higher prices you cant afford to buy it's replacement... and then everyone having a go at Jamie for breaking up a machine as it's worth more in bits.



All a little hypocritical if you ask me.... Just IMO of course....

This was the horn lock session I had with a group member recently, he suggested that I made the 2K Scared Stiff price tag up in my head only to be proved wrong, (people that are currently buying these titles know the prices, that includes me) then it was a case of "people paying over the odds" well that is just plain nonsense, I am well networked in and even got offered that SS currently up on ebay before it was listed and that was also for market value (yup, you guessed it).



I was offered a ropey SS off a group member a few weeks back............. yup you guessed that one too............ guy wanted 2K............. Paul has hit the nail on the head, you will pay through the nose for your next pin (unless it’s a Popeye) so you need to recuperate as much as possible on the one you are shifting to soften the blow, I know that goes against the grain a bit with some members and that is fair enough (you might think I am a **** but I still love you) but if you want to buy a 5K MM, why should you sell your current line-up of 6 average titles for less than what you can get for them when you have to take a 5K hit on your next “singular†machine.



No one has offered me a SS for less than 2k after the group post, no surprise there (ebay prices may be your only option and no one was making any better offers outside), who is going to sell me a machine for less than it’s worth? Unless it’s a mate etc? (we all know I don't have any so that's a non starter) Nobody owes me anything and no one came forward with a mint £1800 SS.



Jamie is right to part out his machine to give others a new lease of life if it's not cost effective to restore it, he is a business not a charity, if someone cares for the machine that much they can buy it for what he would make on it in parts and then restore it themselves, fair point...... going to hide now before I write the next bit...here it comes.....on the plus side that is one less RFM in circulation which will only increase the value of yours.....stones are flying now I'm sure



At the end of the day, ask a fair price for your machine but don’t feel obliged to mug yourself, only you know how hard you worked for the initial funds to purchase the machine and then all the unpaid work done to it (parts - labour, collecting, van hire etc), it all adds up without you noticing.



Time for a cup of tea and a custard cream



Talking of pins for sale, if anyone wants to stop me from paying “over the odds†on a AFM, CV, TOTAN or MM, then PM me, I will give you £2500 for your MM as that's what I think it's worth and I don't want to pay more than it's worth, same goes for the CV 2K, AFM 2K, TOTAN £1500, I expect my inbox to be full by the end of the day as you all love me and are dying to make sure I get a good deal, c'mon no one is going to give you more than my generous offers so you can't loose

 

[Guddler]

I'm 100% with Griz on this too. Doubt I'll get anything else unless it's a loaner. Thankfully, that's a possibility. Need to do up the BK2K before I push the ones I have together to make the space anyway. An open wpc new build always feels tempting to solve the problem (or a virtual pin) but that's just yet another project and I have too many with too little time as it is.



I'm guessing eventually things may become a little more affordable again. There's only so many people interested and even less of them can or want to afford the stupid money.

 

[Judge Dreads]

I'm guessing eventually things may become a little more affordable again. There's only so many people interested and even less of them can or want to afford the stupid money.

I think it would be wise not to underestimate the global demand, it was just posted on the group that there are a lot of Pinball’s floating around for all to see and play down under, there is definitely a demand right there and they are quite happy to pay good money to have a machine shipped over (Manny had some requests I think, may have even shipped), add to this that they are financially in a different league to us in the UK, (min wage is something like £15 per hour) this will make importing UK machines a very attractive option, while that option has some vitality I doubt there will be a decline in prices, JMHO



Again not what everyone wants to hear but it’s an open topic.

 

[Replay]

As for SS being a 2k pin.......



Well, I started looking out for one about a year ago while it was a £1600 tops pin. Recently I have been to look at 2 and been offered 2 others.........all 2k!!



I would pay 2k for a SS but only a nice one and preferably that means no chunks out of it, non faded decals and a good playfield. I guess I am too choosy and have missed out on a lot. I will pay a higher price but only if the pin is in very good condition.



Given up on a TAF as they are going for 2k plus and some on ebay have been not that great, lets say



Prices will level out as the NIB option becomes more and more tempting. A titles are hard to buy as we all want the same games and there are not that many in the UK

 

[Judge Dreads]

Given up on a TAF as they are going for 2k plus and some on ebay have been not that great, lets say

Yup, that one with a ropey pf just made £2k on ebay, now that is scary, it was only a couple of years ago I saw a collector quality one with new pf on ebay for £2500, ok seller removed it within a couple of days but my balls would drop for the second time if I had to guess how much they would want for the same machine now .

 

[mufcmufc]

I used to play them on pinmame to get some sort of idea, then I started going to shows - but it's very easy to dismiss a game at a show (you don't necessarily know what's going on AND you can't hear it). Then I just decided to buy most games that came along to try them out, I found that the easiest way - but not necessarily easy to do now. The best thing I would suggest now is joining the league and playing games in a more relaxed environment. I'm lucky that there are only a few machines that I want to play that I ahven't spent any or much time on.

 

[wayne g]

this may sound ridiculous but i see what comes along...and if i like the look..i then check the reviews.

if the value is about the same i take a punt!

if i like it or love it or loathe it i give it time and then when i'm bored of it i move it on.

works for me so far in my one pin house!

 

[I TiltAlot]

First of all I have tended to read up on any reviews of the games that I might like on the internet. Forgive me for promoting another forum, but Pinside is a good place to look for reviews and general ratings on each game. I'll normally take along a printed copy of the Pinside Top 200 game list to a show, and then try out all the games that I haven't played before. If a game then interests me, I'll also watch videos of it on YouTube, if any are available.



As has already been said, you won't really get a good impression of a game at a show, because all the sound and voice calls tend to get drowned out by all the other machines around you. Again watching a video of a game afterwards will let you hear what it sounds like. Playing the game at an arcade is better, but that normally limits you to the latest Stern titles. Look up the game you are interested in on the Pinformer database as well to see if one is available to play in the wild. Make sure the sighting is fairly recent before travelling a long distance to play a particular game though. You cannot beat playing a game that you are really interested in at a fellow collectors house, or at a competition meeting to get a true idea of how it plays. Make the owner a sensible offer, or a trade with one of your existing games if you are really interested in that pin. Sometimes that's the best way for each of you to get a fresh machine to play.

Now with apologies to Jonathan on the group, I traded my old TSPP for his Shadow recently. I hadn't played a Shadow before, and after reading up all the good reviews of this game elsewhere, I decided to go ahead with the swap. There is nothing wrong with the working of his old game, but I just do not enjoy playing it. I tried playing one at the Northern Lights show recently, and I found that one was exactly the same. It just goes to show how important it is to actually play a game first before buying it.

 

[jonathan]

Sorry to hear that mate. I quite enjoyed the Shadow. Loving TSPP though, bought a new couch, cliffy and gave it a good old scrub and its its good nick!

 

[Judge Dreads]

Now with apologies to Jonathan on the group, I traded my old TSPP for his Shadow recently. I hadn't played a Shadow before, and after reading up all the good reviews of this game elsewhere, I decided to go ahead with the swap. There is nothing wrong with the working of his old game, but I just do not enjoy playing it. I tried playing one at the Northern Lights show recently, and I found that one was exactly the same. It just goes to show how important it is to actually play a game first before buying it.

I also don't get the Shadow.........yes............ball lock is the best but the game just does not do it for me, good ratings or not, when I was at Poi's a while back I did not request a go on his CV or MM for the following reason........... Don’t get to liking something you may never own, mad you may think but better than fuelling the burning desire for something elusive, at the moment I can take or leave these two titles even if they are top of my “next to own†list ....not playing them helps.

 

[Replay]

Well, I have played MM maybe only 10 times and whilst it is a great game, if I did not know it was the number 1 game, it would just be another top 15 game........but maybe I need to play it more to appreciate it fully

 

[Judge Dreads]

I think it would be wise not to underestimate the global demand, it was just posted on the group that there are a lot of Pinball’s floating around for all to see and play down under, there is definitely a demand right there and they are quite happy to pay good money to have a machine shipped over (Manny had some requests I think, may have even shipped), add to this that they are financially in a different league to us in the UK, (min wage is something like £15 per hour) this will make importing UK machines a very attractive option, while that option has some vitality I doubt there will be a decline in prices, JMHO





Again not what everyone wants to hear but it’s an open topic.

New post today on the UK group, I think my comments above speak for themselves



Gidday there



When I bought some pins from London and shipped them to New Zealand I

used DHL , mind you they were already palletted and cling wrapped.



If someone has a Paragon ( either going or project ) or a Target Alpha

EM or ( derivative i.e solar city, canada dry etc) I would be keen to

organise the shipping for both Safe Cracker and one of these.. It is

only viable shipping in 2's and 2 pins fit on a pallett which is the

cheapest way to ship. So if someone comes up with a pinball for me

and can get it to the safecracker pinball we can split the freight.



I can check with DHL but I am sure they will pallettise the pins once collected.



If there is any other games near Bracknell for sale let me know as I

might be tempted , lord knows I do'nt have much room left but the

abovbe 2 games would complete my collection. ( well at least for the

mean time)



Regards

Clive

 

[Paul]

Another "demand has gone up therefore prices have gone up" point - Lots of people will happily purchase from anywhere if the price is right - if shipping is £600, however the machine (as has been for a long time in the uk market until now) is much cheaper then people will just buy and ship at a price lower than they could get it for (the US market a case in point where for a while now DMD machines have been rolling in at around 50%+ prices on top of UK).



I have for a while been of the belief that whilst we all do what we can to promote Pinball. it's a road to self distruction - More interest = more potential buyers = less pins 'available' = higher prices.... And here we are today

 

[Judge Dreads]

It's a double edged sword for sure, promoting brings vitality to the hobby but also hinders ownership due to price hikes, maybe we are looking at it the wrong way and ownership should not be the focus, if they were in an arcade environment then people could enjoy them regardless of cost-hikes without the thought of owning, maybe one good thing that will come out of all this is that the sale of NIB machines will get a boost when all the trophy titles are locked down in collectors hands. NIB's need to see the light of day though and made available to the public if the hobby is to benefit otherwise there is nothing gained only money for those in the chain between manufacturer and collector.



Not sure what I am waffling about here so feel free to shoot me to bits

 

[Replay]

I think I agree



Lack of availability means all of us are now less likely to flip trophy titles because they are so hard to replace. More and more people are trading thereby ensuring they have a title they want straight away.



Also, I think NIB will sell more than they have for the last few years. 2 reasons. Jersey Jack has made Stern be much more competitive and with less availability of A titles, then a NIB might become more tempting. JJP's second unlicensed pin could do very well for example if WOZ is a success.

 

[Guddler]

How's the buyer fitting 2 on a pallet?? Must be a bigger pallet than the one mine was delivered on. Either that or he's after kids toys

Basically, I'm pretty much out of getting any more machines unless I happen to be left some money, win some money or accidentally trip over an absolute steal of a bargain. Shame really.



Having said that, making a pin from scratch is becoming more and more appealing all the time. If only I didn't have so many projects - and such a lack of imagination.

 

[johnwhitfield]

One ray of hope.....Wait until the Euro crashes in the near future. A 50% reduction in the value of it would make a HUGE difference to the viability of importing a machine in from Europe. 5-6 years ago we were around £1=1.6 Euros, compared to 1.1-1.15 at the moment. Even a return to this level would shave about £500 off a £1500 machine.



Not too sure why the current exchange rate hasn't shifted in the last quarter or so. Maybe we are more ****ed than the rest of Europe!



A shift in the £:$ ratio would also make a big difference to the viability of a NIB but I suspect this is less likely in the near future.



I'm not to sure at the moment how many machines are going from the UK to the mainland but it's got to be tempting for them with the strength of the Euro.

 

[Judge Dreads]

or accidentally trip

Thought that was going to be money from "Had an accident, trip or fall" for a moment, one way to raise some pin money, dig up the pavement and then trip over it like they do in a nameless city across the border

 

[Guddler]

LOL!



On Europe, annoying as it might be that they're going over there, it's only fair I guess. Tonnes of vids and pins were brought over in the early 2000's. I was personally responsible for quite a few