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Diagnostix3000

Diagnostix3000

Registered
Joined
Dec 31, 2024
Messages
9
Location
Coventry
Total noob here in terms of owning any tables but I'm hoping that will change in 2025. The father in law is thinking of buying a table as he approaches retirement so we're off to Tilt in Birmingham this coming weekend to check out some of the newer Stern stuff as well as hopefully some more familiar ones from the 90's. T2 was my favourite from back then but I'm wondering if it might not be the best one to buy with zero repair experience. The journey begins! :)
 
Going to Tilt is a great way to start.

Bit of advice: make sure to post in the "How Much Is This Pin Worth" thread before buying anything. There are bucket loads of machines for sale on here, but most are at least £1-2k overpriced in the current (absolutely dead) market.
 
Welcome!
Don’t be afraid to get stuck in with the repairs side of things. Even newer games require repair and maintenance.
You can ‘learn on the job’ and if you get stuck, plenty of knowledgeable folk on here that can help & advise, etc.
Also, YouTube is great for tech stuff, and for watching gameplay so you can get idea of game rules etc.
 
Dave Playman said:
Welcome!
Don’t be afraid to get stuck in with the repairs side of things. Even newer games require repair and maintenance.
You can ‘learn on the job’ and if you get stuck, plenty of knowledgeable folk on here that can help & advise, etc.
Also, YouTube is great for tech stuff, and for watching gameplay so you can get idea of game rules etc.
Click to expand...
Thanks Dave. Yes I'm looking forward to getting familiar with the maintenance and repair side of things so I'm glad I found this place. Makes it all a bit less daunting!
 
T2 is a relatively limited game to have at home. It was one of the first games I played in the pubs so I always wanted one but it’s probably one of my games that I play the least.

On the plus side it’s also probably possible to pick one up for under 3 grand in today’s market.

All pins breakdown so whatever you buy will need repairs sooner or later. Most can be solved yourself but there are people on here who will do paid visits.

Going to Tilt is a good idea in order to get a feel for which games you like.

An alternative might be to hire a game rather than buy initially.
 
johnwhitfield said:
T2 is a relatively limited game to have at home. It was one of the first games I played in the pubs so I always wanted one but it’s probably one of my games that I play the least.

On the plus side it’s also probably possible to pick one up for under 3 grand in today’s market.

All pins breakdown so whatever you buy will need repairs sooner or later. Most can be solved yourself but there are people on here who will do paid visits.

Going to Tilt is a good idea in order to get a feel for which games you like.

An alternative might be to hire a game rather than buy initially.
Click to expand...
Many thanks John. Yes, the T2 is most likely a nostalgic hankering for me more than anything and I know it isn't as deep as game as other tables. That said, I'm happy to get to grips with the modern machines and see what's good so I'm sure I'll be swayed in the near future. It's all a learning process so I'm glad there's a community here where I can ask some questions if need be.
 
You are doing the right thing by trying out many games before you buy.

Only suggestion, do not buy a project, trying to save a few dollars. nothing worse than buying a new game and not being able to play while you wait for parts, or find that a part is not available
 
Bigr1ch said:
I went to Tilt to try before I bought too. Great place, and great coffee too.
I'm 2 machines in now, it's an addictive hobby! 🤪
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I'm looking forward to Tilt this weekend. I'm assuming Pinfest is another popular destination for peeps on here so I'll have to try and get down this year.
 
Diagnostix3000 said:
I'm looking forward to Tilt this weekend. I'm assuming Pinfest is another popular destination for peeps on here so I'll have to try and get down this year.
Click to expand...
PinFest is great if you want to play as many different machines as humanly possible in one weekend, it’s by far the largest assembly of machines from private collections so not the ones that are already out there on location. It’s also an excellently social environment for making friends in the hobby.

But it is a very loud and busy environment so you don’t get to spend much time one-on-one with a specific pin you might be interested in to see more of the code, listen to the call-outs etc. You are better off at places like Tilt for that.
 
Welcome. You will get a lot of advice and we all started this journey slightly differently. I got desperate, bought a project and happily fixed it as I learnt. Others try that and it ruins the experience as they get so frustrated.
Pretty much any working game is better than no game, so the advice to buy at a good price means you can enjoy it and then move it on. So as long as the theme motivates you to play, you can grab anything to get you started.
 
Calimori said:
Welcome. You will get a lot of advice and we all started this journey slightly differently. I got desperate, bought a project and happily fixed it as I learnt. Others try that and it ruins the experience as they get so frustrated.
Pretty much any working game is better than no game, so the advice to buy at a good price means you can enjoy it and then move it on. So as long as the theme motivates you to play, you can grab anything to get you started.
Click to expand...
You've summed it up perfectly I'd say. I'm looking forward to the possibilities and I've booked in to sell a kidney next week 😂
 
Go to Tilt, play some games and my advice would be to get a cheaper first pin as others have suggested.

Don't worry too much if it's a shallow game because you'll just enjoy hitting the shots to begin with. Once you know you're hooked on the hobby, then maybe move up to modern games.

Scott wrote an excellent guide to getting into pinball which is somewhere on this forum, pinned to a page I think but honestly couldn't say where. It's full of really good tips and worth a read.

Good luck.
 
Gonzo said:
Scott wrote an excellent guide to getting into pinball which is somewhere on this forum
Click to expand...
s000m

Thread 'A 'complete' newbies guide - perspective from someone who came in knowing nothing about pinball'

Hi all,

So I've been in this hobby about a year and within that time I've had:

  • Star Trek Premium
  • Black Knight Swords of Rage Premium
  • Stranger Things Pro
  • Hook
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pro
  • Alien SV (Pinball Brothers)
  • Bram Stokers Dracula
  • The Shadow
  • Creature From the Black Lagoon
  • Jurassic Park Limited Edition (Stern)
  • Gun's N' Roses LE (JJP)

I wanted to Share with people the knowledge and tips I've learnt along the way across fixing and restoring the machines from all the different brands of machines I've owned.


Purchasing a used...
  • Like
  • Love
 
Marvello said:
s000m

Thread 'A 'complete' newbies guide - perspective from someone who came in knowing nothing about pinball'

Hi all,

So I've been in this hobby about a year and within that time I've had:

  • Star Trek Premium
  • Black Knight Swords of Rage Premium
  • Stranger Things Pro
  • Hook
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pro
  • Alien SV (Pinball Brothers)
  • Bram Stokers Dracula
  • The Shadow
  • Creature From the Black Lagoon
  • Jurassic Park Limited Edition (Stern)
  • Gun's N' Roses LE (JJP)

I wanted to Share with people the knowledge and tips I've learnt along the way across fixing and restoring the machines from all the different brands of machines I've owned.


Purchasing a used...
  • Like
  • Love
Click to expand...
Many thanks for the info! 😀
 
I got into pins last year. Currently only have one. Like yourself I felt it would break and that I would be left with a £2k paperweight. My advice is that although you need to think about reliability, don't pass up on an older game just because of that. Sterns go wrong too. If you go for an early Stern/Bally SS game you can get modern versions of all the boardsets. Get a game you genuinely like to play rather than just going on things like the theme. It's a bit investment and you want to play it. As others have said, it's a buyers market so you can be picky.
 
Antray84 said:
I got into pins last year. Currently only have one. Like yourself I felt it would break and that I would be left with a £2k paperweight. My advice is that although you need to think about reliability, don't pass up on an older game just because of that. Sterns go wrong too. If you go for an early Stern/Bally SS game you can get modern versions of all the boardsets. Get a game you genuinely like to play rather than just going on things like the theme. It's a bit investment and you want to play it. As others have said, it's a buyers market so you can be picky.
Click to expand...
Yes, I feel like I need to have some patience and get a feel of what's fun to play. Back in the 90s, I only ever played the 6 or so machines that Mablethorpe so my horizons aren't particularly as broad as they could be so I'm looking forward to seeing what's out there. 👍🏻
 
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