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Hi all, I'm Richard from Lincoln,
I finally found space in my workshop to start looking at pinball machines and have a good go at repairing.

I grew up in Great Yarmouth and in the 90s would walk past the arcades on the way home from school, if I had a spare 20p I'd go and play Fun House, Twilight Zone and Star Trek TNG, to name a few. I loved every table I played and looked forward to going each day.
I'd even wait by the 2p pushers in case I could find spare change to make up my 20p when I had no coins.

Fast forward 30 years and a lot of excitement looking at many youtube collections, I found my first machine. I wanted to start with EM and know the basics and operations of a machine and how it all works. Then I'll work up through solid state when I feel ready.

I found a neglected Bally Hi Lo Ace in October, that needed alot of love. All the score reels seized, numbers worn, playfield paint beginning to chip, most of the coil metals corroded.....in short it needed everything doing.

Fast forward to now (Aug 25), the table is fully functioning, still needs some cosmetic work and cabinet repair, but for my first machine I feel I've done well. Its been such a fantastic experience, I can't wait for the next project!

I'm off to Pinfest 2025 next weekend for the Saturday and can't wait to meet people with the same interests and love for these incredible machines.

Looking forward to reading some of the forums topics and items for sale. Hopefully I'll find my next project too!
 
Hello, and welcome,

Your mention of Hi-Lo Ace recalls an account I read many years ago from someone with little respect for 'sacred cows', who wondered what people really saw in Bally's Fireball (the legendary and highly prized/priced electro-mechanical), which they reckoned became "a real stone to play after a short while", compared to the "sweet" Hi-Lo Ace.
 
ExtraBallWorkshop said:
Hi all, I'm Richard from Lincoln,
I finally found space in my workshop to start looking at pinball machines and have a good go at repairing.

I grew up in Great Yarmouth and in the 90s would walk past the arcades on the way home from school, if I had a spare 20p I'd go and play Fun House, Twilight Zone and Star Trek TNG, to name a few. I loved every table I played and looked forward to going each day.
I'd even wait by the 2p pushers in case I could find spare change to make up my 20p when I had no coins.

Fast forward 30 years and a lot of excitement looking at many youtube collections, I found my first machine. I wanted to start with EM and know the basics and operations of a machine and how it all works. Then I'll work up through solid state when I feel ready.

I found a neglected Bally Hi Lo Ace in October, that needed alot of love. All the score reels seized, numbers worn, playfield paint beginning to chip, most of the coil metals corroded.....in short it needed everything doing.

Fast forward to now (Aug 25), the table is fully functioning, still needs some cosmetic work and cabinet repair, but for my first machine I feel I've done well. Its been such a fantastic experience, I can't wait for the next project!

I'm off to Pinfest 2025 next weekend for the Saturday and can't wait to meet people with the same interests and love for these incredible machines.

Looking forward to reading some of the forums topics and items for sale. Hopefully I'll find my next project too!
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Welcome my friend. I’m in Florida. In february attending the 2nd annual pinball at the beach in St Pete/tampa. Went last year it was awesome. Limited ticket sales low crowds. No waiting in long lines.
 
Nicklaur12 said:
Welcome my friend. I’m in Florida. In february attending the 2nd annual pinball at the beach in St Pete/tampa. Went last year it was awesome. Limited ticket sales low crowds. No waiting in long lines.
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If you know or bump into Art (OldPinGuy) from Winter Park please give him my best - I havent been in touch for a while because of... well... life. I must drop him a line real soon as hopefully will be back over next year :)
 
Hi Steve here.
Based in Mid Wales.
Been into pinball since at school.... That was a fair while ago.
At the risk of being hung I'm into the virtual pinball side of things..
Looking to buy my first setup after playing on phones and tablets for the past six to eight years.
Any advice and pointers welcome.
 
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Blackdog said:
Hi Steve here.
Based in Mid Wales.
Been into pinball since at school.... That was a fair while ago.
At the risk of being hung I'm into the virtual pinball side of things..
Looking to buy my first setup after playing on phones and tablets for the past six to eight years.
Any advice and pointers welcome.
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Welcome! Come along to the annual Pinfest show in Daventry next weekend. Loads of games to play, loads on sale too. Perfect opportunity to find a game you like and take it home with you after the event.
 
Wizcat said:
Welcome! Come along to the annual Pinfest show in Daventry next weekend. Loads of games to play, loads on sale too. Perfect opportunity to find a game you like and take it home with you after the event.
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I would do but we are going to see The Petshop Boys.
 
Hello from the most remote capital city in the world, Perth Western Australia.
I’ve joined this forum as I have English heritage from Leicestershire , love pinball and after subscribing to
Gonzos pinball ( yes I know Enzo ) thought I would have a bo peep.
I have a varied selection of pinball and arcade games which I enjoy restoring or letting people play.
My handle name says it all really, just now you can add busted to the title , ha ha.
You may also know my avatar is similar to another forum with a different name.
If you ever see BBB BACK BOX BANDIT on a game it is me.
Looking forward to the experience here.
SHOOT AGAIN
 
Hello all,

My names Jarryd aka hynesceltics. Long time collector of 15 years or so. Collection is small these days due to space but my games get a lot of play and love! Ill probably post a lot asking for help because as of late ive really been trying to learn more on the tech side of things! always happy to help out where possible also :) happy flippin all!
 
Hi everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster.

I've been interested and playing pinball regularly for a good few years now. Recently took the plunge with a Godzilla and a regular league player at Tilt until it sadly closed. I've met a few people here at Pinfest, PBR and a few of Tilt's comps.

Here for a long time and a good time!
 
Hi to all.

Was a big silver ball fan through the 80's and 90's, but fell out of love when machines started to disappear from cafes,pubs and arcades limiting the opportunity to try new tables or perfect some of the older ones.
I've owned the following machines at one time or another:
Six Million Dollar Man
F14 Tomcat
Scared Stiff
Tales from the Crypt
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Theatre of Magic
Tommy

Sort of feel it's time to try what I missed before I kick the bucket, so joined the forum today to explore and gain a bit of knowledge before I look at buying a table again.
Do modern Sterns,JJ's etc really have the depth of play and flow found in some of the old Bally/Williams/DE classics?........
 
Martymillwall said:
Hi to all.

Sort of feel it's time to try what I missed before I kick the bucket, so joined the forum today to explore and gain a bit of knowledge before I look at buying a table again.
Do modern Sterns,JJ's etc really have the depth of play and flow found in some of the old Bally/Williams/DE classics?........
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Welcome to the forum! Nice selection of games you've had there :)

Whereabouts are you in the country? I'd recommend finding a location where you can try some of the modern games, there's a few.

In general modern games have way more depth of play (rules) as they're aimed at the home market. Some games have more flow than others but that's not an old/new thing.
 
Martymillwall said:
Hi to all.

Was a big silver ball fan through the 80's and 90's, but fell out of love when machines started to disappear from cafes,pubs and arcades limiting the opportunity to try new tables or perfect some of the older ones.
I've owned the following machines at one time or another:
Six Million Dollar Man
F14 Tomcat
Scared Stiff
Tales from the Crypt
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Theatre of Magic
Tommy

Sort of feel it's time to try what I missed before I kick the bucket, so joined the forum today to explore and gain a bit of knowledge before I look at buying a table again.
Do modern Sterns,JJ's etc really have the depth of play and flow found in some of the old Bally/Williams/DE classics?........
Click to expand...
Welcome!

The depth is much greater now, in the 90s most rule sheets were something like three or four pages. Nowadays more like 30+ if you want to cover everything. Of course you don’t need to know every single rule to be able to play and enjoy a machine.

The biggest development since the 90s has been the introduction of screens and greater computing power, which mean much more can be happening at once.

Flow is a bit more subjective, some moderns have amazing flow (King Kong, Foo Fighters) and others don’t in my opinion (D&D).

Certainly try before you buy, pinballmap.com is a great resource and will show you what’s on location in your area. If you’re from Millwall as your username might suggest, you have Medway Pinball (near Dartford Crossing) and Pinball Republic (Croydon) fairly nearby. Medway has nearly 30 machines and Pinball Republic has about 70.
 
Thankyou both for the info, all appreciated.👍 Didn't realise the depth of play on the modern machines was so deep, I'm now worrying that my memory won't allow me to remember rule sets ! (I've played thousands of hours on Tommy and still forget the next shot required on some of the features 😳)
 
Martymillwall said:
Thankyou both for the info, all appreciated.👍 Didn't realise the depth of play on the modern machines was so deep, I'm now worrying that my memory won't allow me to remember rule sets ! (I've played thousands of hours on Tommy and still forget the next shot required on some of the features 😳)
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Don't worry, keeping that sucker out of the trough is still the main obstacle
 
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