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Super Mario pinball thoughts

Colywobbles

Colywobbles

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5Years
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Nov 9, 2016
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Never owned a gottlieb or had the fancy of one but Gabe loved the mini one when we were at Sunshine Laudramat and few have said this is the better of the two.

This is the pin in question.

www.ebay.co.uk

NINTENDO SUPER MARIO Pinball *** ONE WEEK ONLY FREE DELIVERY *** | eBay

<p dir="ltr">*** We are open for business and taking orders. </p> <p dir="ltr">SPECIAL OFFER FOR THIS WEEK ONLY FREE DELIVERY TO MOST MAINLAND UK. If you 100s of miles away then please email and we can discuss discounted delivery charge.</p> <p dir="ltr">SUPER MARIO Pinball. Lovingly...
www.ebay.co.uk
So questions are

Gottlieb - are they easy for spare and to work on. What’s the quality like
This specific pin - any good if you big fan of mario
Anyone know the seller or have an idea on it’s true condition? Photos are quite vague and hinges look rusty so maybe the whole thing has oxidised it’s rusted throughout

Thanks in advance Col
 
My 10 cents, for what it is worth, is I think it’s a bit rich for a Gottlieb, especially given the condition it is in. If that is ‘fully refurbished’, I would hate to see a project! I think I read a couple of people having issues with this company too (selling broken machines as working) - Maybe someone else can chip in, as it wasn’t my experience.

I actually really like this theme too, as I am big Nintendo Fan. But having played it again recently I have to agree with the concenus that it’s not a great game......I would still like one in the future though 😀

Good luck either way.
 
I have a super mario. That one is very faded, although the playfield looks pretty good which is unusual. The colours of that cab are pretty bad mine looks new compared. Its an ok game, not deep at all but it’s good as a family pin. Some nice dmd animations and a video mode, some decent call outs and familiar mario tunes. For the mario fan and family player not a hardcore pinballer. I think its good fun and defeating the castles is pretty satisfying. Big, tall game which might surprise you, but the system 3 is a very decent pcb set, mostly need battery changes only.

£1500 is top for this one I would say.
 
Arcade warehouse alert

SMB punches above its weight because of theme and Id put one in our arcade if the price was right as kids would love it. but this price isnt right lol
 
Just to add, those side rails and other external parts are typically rusted. Mine are the same. Prime candidates for powder coating.
 
In terms of quality, spares availability and working on them....

My first pin was a Gottlieb Cue Ball Wizard. I really regret selling it. The tech in these things was a bit of a joke compared to Bally Williams in the 90's. It feels like a machine from the 80's not the 90's. But I really loved that game and would definitely buy another one. Can't speak for Super Mario as I've never played it though.

The side rails rust. The legs rust. Everything rusts. But those bits are cheap and easy to replace (from abroad). Although the leg heights on these are unusual so you can't just buy generic ones.

Flipper feel is a bit different to contemporary Bally Williams. Again more like an 80's machine. People will argue this no doubt.

Fault finding on these System 3's is not easy.....and no ****er will help you out. Try posting a problem on here with a Gottlieb and you'll be met by a wall of silence. Try phoning up any pinball mechanic and they will be busy. So you will definitely have to figure it out yourself. But it's do-able.

£1500 seems ok. If you can get it for £1200 that'd be a good buy. HLD will probably jump on it and sell it to a footballer for £3500.
 
The price is madness but as Steve says, they will deal off Ebay if you give them a ring. Even £1500 is way too much for one of these though IMO unless it was an absolute minter!

Col @Colywobbles do not distance buy from this seller! If you go to theirs with folding and do a deal having seen it with your own eyes then all good but that's the only way I'd go :thumbs: Cool theme, gameplay is a bit sh*t but your lad would probably love it :D
 
Gottliebs are a love/hate kind of thing. I know @Poibug will be able to advise you more. I think in all the years of repairing machines I have fixed maybe only 10.

Andy (Pinball Mania) does stock spares.

BUT - this game was not the best one they did. The tech is a little too clunky for me, and personally I dislike the flipper feel.

£2K is WAY too much. Should maybe a touch over £1K.
 
Rob zombie said:
The tech in these things was a bit of a joke compared to Bally Williams in the 90's. It feels like a machine from the 80's not the 90's.

Fault finding on these System 3's is not easy.....and no ****er will help you out. Try posting a problem on here with a Gottlieb and you'll be met by a wall of silence. Try phoning up any pinball mechanic and they will be busy. So you will definitely have to figure it out yourself. But it's do-able.
Click to expand...

Eh???

I dont think so, plenty of help right here for 80b and system 3 gottliebs should you need it and system3 driver boards were the first to use mosfets, so not really '80s' tech....
 
Regarding the game play. i actually quite like this game, as i love nintendo stuff. The sounds and music are spot on for mario. Of course if you start judging it against the latest sterns and the rules set depth then its going to lose but, so what, its fun!! :) Probably not one to have it you only have 1 game, but for a variation and arcade fans and kids its cool.
 
myPinballs said:
Eh???

I dont think so, plenty of help right here for 80b and system 3 gottliebs should you need it and system3 driver boards were the first to use mosfets, so not really '80s' tech....
Click to expand...

Well I'm just speaking from experience, however much that's worth. I wasn't able to get any help when I had problems. Honestly, I'm not sure if that was before or after I discovered this forum. But I certainly rang everyone I could find within 100 miles. Luckily there's a really good pinball repair group on Facebook and a guy called Jerry (don't recall his surname) massively saved my ass.
 
GOTTLIEB machines (dmd’s. Not talking about e.m. Or s.s. As there are some real great games by GOTTLIEB in those categories...that’s for another thread...). Are a real paradox to me personally. I always want to play any dmd GOTTLIEB once or twice when I come across them for the following reasons......
1). So that when someone like Colin @Colywobbles asks for your opinion you are in a position to give an honest one....
2). My heart wants me to say “I played “x” GOTTLIEB pinball machine and it was great 👍🏻 “ but so far that has not happened.
(The only GOTTLIEB dmd machines I have not played , that immediately come to mind is barbed wire and wipeout). There maybe others.
Don’t get me wrong, In a larger collection, say 10 plus machines, one GOTTLIEB dmd would be good fun to go back to now and again for a quick fix. (I am thinking dmd games like tee’d off, shaq attak, waterworld, stargate, cueball wizard, sf2, or Freddie..but you really got to like the theme.......).
Back on topic....to answer your question Col , supermario bros as others have said is poor. Not even sure if it would find a place in your collection without you being bored of it after the first day. But if bought at the right price..(circa £1.3 -1.5k) your young lad could have a quick blast on it then sell it on, no dramas. On eBay of course not here.....
Oh and before I go.it’s no where near as bad as the ultimate GOTTLIEB dmd turd world challenge soccer..🤣
take care y’all ....K.
 
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Thanks everyone For all the honest opinions you have definitely put my mind at rest and for that reason and in the words of the dragons “I’m out”

luckily I didnt show this to Gabe and he will just have to suffer on playing the likes of GOTG, DP, TH, GB, FG, IMDN, IJ & hopefully if Martin fits me in soon IM

thanks again Col
 
Neil McRae said:
You need to get a classic stern or Bally mate everyone should have one of those in their collection.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
I’ve had all the Ball/Will pins several times over and the guy across the road has bought several of them off me so I have access to TAF, JY, CV, TOM, FH, TZ to name a few and also STLE and more that skip my mind.
As for older sterns I’ve got FG and incoming IM soon too and they cracking pins.
Somewhere down the line I’ll get TWD, SM & Met.
Col
 
In my opinion I think Gottlieb games build quality is fantastic, the machines are built like tanks. System 3's are the most reliable by far in my own opinion. The only problem I have is with the flippers, something about them feels cheap and a little bit off compared to Bally/Williams games. If you're looking for something a little different I'd highly recommend a Gottlieb System 80b or system 3 to mix up your collection.

I do adore Gottlieb games as they're a little quirky and there's a lot less love for them but Super Mario really isn't one of their best games, the theme carries it massively. It's a game I'd love to have some day though as have lots of fond memories playing it as a kid but I wouldn't want to pay more than £1500 for one.
 
MajesticPinball said:
In my opinion I think Gottlieb games build quality is fantastic, the machines are built like tanks. System 3's are the most reliable by far in my own opinion. The only problem I have is with the flippers, something about them feels cheap and a little bit off compared to Bally/Williams games. If you're looking for something a little different I'd highly recommend a Gottlieb System 80b or system 3 to mix up your collection.

I do adore Gottlieb games as they're a little quirky and there's a lot less love for them but Super Mario really isn't one of their best games, the theme carries it massively. It's a game I'd love to have some day though as have lots of fond memories playing it as a kid but I wouldn't want to pay more than £1500 for one.
Click to expand...

Never knew you liked Gottliebs...........
 
All these comments 'oooh gottliebs, they're a bit weird aren't they', 'nobody knows anything about them ', 'they are all ****', 'the flippers are rubbish' just feels a very old fashioned view to me and very uneducated, like 15-20 years ago when there were so many people who wouldn't touch a data east or stern and anything other than williams was fire wood. They also never wanted to mentioned all the crap williams games that came out during the 80s and 90s to!!

Times have changed and the game collection pool is a lot bigger now and there are people out here who know and appreciate all solid state games for their merits.

As i've said before, if you happen to like a simple game, or an 'unpopular' game, so what, you like it, thats good enough... things like the pinside top 100 really are self fulfilling to.
 
Colywobbles said:
I’ve had all the Ball/Will pins several times over and the guy across the road has bought several of them off me so I have access to TAF, JY, CV, TOM, FH, TZ to name a few and also STLE and more that skip my mind.
As for older sterns I’ve got FG and incoming IM soon too and they cracking pins.
Somewhere down the line I’ll get TWD, SM & Met.
Col
Click to expand...

No, I’m talking about 70s/80s pins -

Flash Gordon, meteor, 9 ball, embryon, space invaders, EBD, etc etc


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
myPinballs said:
All these comments 'oooh gottliebs, they're a bit weird aren't they', 'nobody knows anything about them ', 'they are all ****', 'the flippers are rubbish' just feels a very old fashioned view to me and very uneducated, like 15-20 years ago when there were so many people who wouldn't touch a data east or stern and anything other than williams was fire wood. They also never wanted to mentioned all the crap williams games that came out during the 80s and 90s to!!

Times have changed and the game collection pool is a lot bigger now and there are people out here who know and appreciate all solid state games for their merits.

As i've said before, if you happen to like a simple game, or an 'unpopular' game, so what, you like it, thats good enough... things like the pinside top 100 really are self fulfilling to.
Click to expand...

There are some good gotts for sure, mostly earlier ones.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I gotta admit I love Gottlieb games. Yea they’re different to work on but ain’t that half the fun?
Variety is the spice of life so the saying goes.
 
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