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Seeking Advice for First Pinball Purchase – Appreciate Your Input!

Eccentric-Nut

Eccentric-Nut

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Oct 3, 2023
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Leicestershire
Many moons ago, I worked for an advertising agency, and they had a games room. I think the main reason the agency had this room was as an informal setting for entertaining new clients.

However, I managed to take advantage of the games room as much as possible, mainly after work and during lunch breaks. The coolest part was it always had two pinball tables. During my time, they changed them out a few times.

The first two I actually remember were Fish Tails, and I think from memory it was Space Invaders. Basically, it had what, to me, was the typical H.R. Giger alien on the back glass with an infinity mirror effect around the edge, but I'm not 100% sure as my memory is a bit rusty.

I do remember two other pinball machines but cannot remember their names. One had a yeti or a bigfoot in the play area, and another had some workers in hard hats. If anyone knows what these machines are, it would be appreciated.

The pinball I remember the most fondly and was definitely one of my favourites was Fish Tails. It really struck a note with me from the gameplay point of view. It seemed simple and played fast. I very much enjoyed the overall flow of the game. So, with this in mind, are there any similar playing pins?
 
Fish tails should be the cheapest probably around £3k ish depending on how mint you want, super mint much,higher.

Whitewater seems to go for around the £5k ish mark, sometime more, fully restored super mint can be a lot more.

Roadshow probably around the £4.5, 5k mark maybe more

Space invaders the most difficult to work on due to age, but never owned a pre 90's machine, value no idea at a guess less than £2k

Best to buy what you have played and like, a more recent modern ones £5k upwards until about £12k

If you're near pinball rebublic, pinball office or tilt best to pop down and try before you buy.

There some games I thought I liked from memory of playing at the time, but now after playing again wouldn't touch.

Having a game in the home is very different from having a quick £1 go in an arcade, you do have to like it and it might take 30 minutes or so to discover you don't.
 
Whitewater, fish tails and roadshow are all considered classics, so if you don't like after a while there easy to move on and be around what you likely to have paid, unless you paid home leisure direct price, then it will be at a loss of at least the vat -20% more depending which one
 
Jason Catrine said:
Roadshow is probably a bit less than that. If someone offered me 5k for my Roadshow I'd happily let it go without a 2nd thought at that kinda money.
Click to expand...
Thanks, good to know, pinball prices are always a bit tricky, surprised though it's a pretty packed game, better than sttng in playability. Although I do love sttng
 
Thanks for all the input, very much appreciated.

Yes the other two were definatley WhiteWater and Roadshow!

I do really like the look of the 90's pin's so this may be the route I take, however having looked at some of the newer pin's they also appeal, but I think playing some of those will be important in deciding.
 
Though it seems you're settling on newer games, if I may I'll repeat advice I gave another newcomer recently; Space Invaders, which shifted a vast number of units at the time, is in fact an extremely formulaic game. 'Bally by numbers' some would say. There were plenty of other games at the time that outclassed Invaders from a play point of view. The one I owned, bought as part of a job lot from a local arcade being refurbished, was the first to to be moved on.

Fish Tales was a game designed by Mark Ritchie, with his characteristic cross-over ramp shot arrangement. It followed his earlier games, in the sequence Road Kings, Big Guns (co-designed), Taxi, Police Force (also as co-designer) and Diner, and was followed by the wide-body Indiana Jones PBA.

Of the others you mention, Whitewater would be my preference over Roadshow. Whitewater was Dennis Nordman's follow-up to Elvira and the Party Monsters, Dr. Dude and Party Zone, and was followed by Demolition Man, Indy 500 and Scared Stiff. It's supposedly Dennis portrayed as Bigfoot.

Roadshow is one of the succession of Pat Lawlor's games, following hits like Earthshaker, Whirlwind, Addams Family and Twilight Zone. I was fed up with the repetitive elements to his games by then, but try them and any other game which interests you for yourself.
 
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