7 replies to this topic

[Pintrepid]

I happened to watch the "Special When Lit" documentary today. I thought it was far better a view than I thought it would be.

It was especially interesting when they interviewed a few of the pinball collectors and showed brief views of their huge collections. Some of these guys are like me, who at one time never thought they could own their own pinball table. Later on in life, I had a friend that had a real life Pin-Bot, and he thought that was everything. Later on, I was over a friend of a friend's house where he had all of three tables and two video games in his finished basement ... I remember thinking how he had quite the set-up. I knew where the kids spent their time whenever he had relatives over for the holidays.

But it seems some people just aren't happy with a game "room". They just have to have more and more ... and MORE!

Here are a few screenshots from the show that depict the many tables of Steve Keeler. He and his wife may have to soon find a new house ... they have completely outgrown the one where they're at now!

The Basement

Here we see the ubiquitous Gorgar, an Indianapolis 500, Judge Dredd and I can't quite make out the table on the right ... I think it says Dracula.

This kind of thing may be considered normal. He might be one of my friends from high school who "never really grew up".


The Bedroom

But where it starts to get a bit abnormal is that he has not one but three tables right in The Bedroom. Here's a STTNG, Capt Fantastic and The Incredible Hulk.

Well, the only way I can see that happening is if the wife is also as crazy as he is about pinball. I mean, can you see it if he can't sleep one night, and gets up at 3 AM to play a game of Capt Fantastic? The Mrs. would have to be hooked on pinball, too ... or it would most certainly be WAR!!!


Dining Room

A Scared Stiff table in the Dining Room? Hmmm ... what exactly IS that meat that he's serving you at dinner?


Circus Shed

This is one small tool shed, can't be 10 foot square. In a previous frame we saw that there were all kinds of circus posters attached to the walls and even to the pitched ceiling. But here we have three circus tables, including a vintage Flying Circus (Gottlieb '61), and two other tables I can't quite identify. On the other side of the room, behind the camera, is a Cirqus Voltaire, naturally.


Pirate Shed

I think he said that he calls it the Pirate Shed because of the themes of the various tables in here. Somewhere in there, of course, is a Pirates Of The Caribbean table. In this frame, there's a Paragon and Superman table. And behind him, to our left, is a Star Wars table, probably the Pinball 2000 variety, something I would love to see and play myself IRL.

For you pinball aficionados ... what is that table in the foreground, to the right of this frame? Can you tell what it is just from this little bit here?


You know, I used to think that the game rooms at my local arcades had a lot of tables. There were 20 tables up on their own platform at the Dream Machine. And at Mountain Farms, the Just Fun game room had 35 or 40 tables. And there were another 10 tables in an area next to the concession area just outside the cinemas next door.

But THESE guys!!! *-PHEW!!!-* These guys bring Pinball Addiction to new heights I've never seen before! They definitely give a new definition to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder! Or ... could it be the Mrs. has a far greater obsession than HE does? I wundah what HER favorite table must be? Can you guess?

-PeterMac

[Shooby Doo]

For you pinball aficionados ... what is that table in the foreground, to the right of this frame? Can you tell what it is just from this little bit here?

Genie. I love Genie.

If I had the funds, my house would probably be a surreal arcade too.

[Neo]

Special When Lit is an excellent documentary.

Those collections numbering into triple digits...that's just nuts. I guess collecting real machines can be a bit like eating peanuts. One peanut leads to another...One pin lads to another pin. And if you're married, have a collection of that magnitude, AND the wife is the least bit okay with it...she HAS be as big a pinballer as you are (if not more).

Of course these guys are living a dream I have about having my own arcade. If only I had the money and space I'd have a small bar, some kind of music system...some decorations, and about 10-15 machines...If I pick the right machines I could be happy with that.

One can dream, right?

[Joe]

I happened to watch the "Special When Lit" documentary today. I thought it was far better a view than I thought it would be.

It was especially interesting when they interviewed a few of the pinball collectors and showed brief views of their huge collections. Some of these guys are like me, who at one time never thought they could own their own pinball table. Later on in life, I had a friend that had a real life Pin-Bot, and he thought that was everything. Later on, I was over a friend of a friend's house where he had all of three tables and two video games in his finished basement ... I remember thinking how he had quite the set-up. I knew where the kids spent their time whenever he had relatives over for the holidays.

But it seems some people just aren't happy with a game "room". They just have to have more and more ... and MORE!

Here are a few screenshots from the show that depict the many tables of Steve Keeler. He and his wife may have to soon find a new house ... they have completely outgrown the one where they're at now!

The Basement

Here we see the ubiquitous Gorgar, an Indianapolis 500, Judge Dredd and I can't quite make out the table on the right ... I think it says Dracula.

This kind of thing may be considered normal. He might be one of my friends from high school who "never really grew up".


The Bedroom

But where it starts to get a bit abnormal is that he has not one but three tables right in The Bedroom. Here's a STTNG, Capt Fantastic and The Incredible Hulk.

Well, the only way I can see that happening is if the wife is also as crazy as he is about pinball. I mean, can you see it if he can't sleep one night, and gets up at 3 AM to play a game of Capt Fantastic? The Mrs. would have to be hooked on pinball, too ... or it would most certainly be WAR!!!


Dining Room

A Scared Stiff table in the Dining Room? Hmmm ... what exactly IS that meat that he's serving you at dinner?


Circus Shed

This is one small tool shed, can't be 10 foot square. In a previous frame we saw that there were all kinds of circus posters attached to the walls and even to the pitched ceiling. But here we have three circus tables, including a vintage Flying Circus (Gottlieb '61), and two other tables I can't quite identify. On the other side of the room, behind the camera, is a Cirqus Voltaire, naturally.


Pirate Shed

I think he said that he calls it the Pirate Shed because of the themes of the various tables in here. Somewhere in there, of course, is a Pirates Of The Caribbean table. In this frame, there's a Paragon and Superman table. And behind him, to our left, is a Star Wars table, probably the Pinball 2000 variety, something I would love to see and play myself IRL.

For you pinball aficionados ... what is that table in the foreground, to the right of this frame? Can you tell what it is just from this little bit here?


You know, I used to think that the game rooms at my local arcades had a lot of tables. There were 20 tables up on their own platform at the Dream Machine. And at Mountain Farms, the Just Fun game room had 35 or 40 tables. And there were another 10 tables in an area next to the concession area just outside the cinemas next door.

But THESE guys!!! *-PHEW!!!-* These guys bring Pinball Addiction to new heights I've never seen before! They definitely give a new definition to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder! Or ... could it be the Mrs. has a far greater obsession than HE does? I wundah what HER favorite table must be? Can you guess?

-PeterMac

To packed in some of the games are so close that you will bump into others when you are trying to play one game.

[Pintrepid]

For you pinball aficionados ... what is that table in the foreground, to the right of this frame? Can you tell what it is just from this little bit here?

Genie. I love Genie.

If I had the funds, my house would probably be a surreal arcade too.

Of course! I might've guessed ... I knew it was late 70's Gottlieb, just couldn't place the exact table. 4 lanes and a bumper in the lower left playfield. That should have been a dead giveaway.


@Neo ... yes, one can dream.

I have a similar dream of having maybe 20 tables in a storefront somewhere. There has to be some other business to go along with it, to pay for the game room. Maybe a packy, or a pizza shop or something.

If people still went to arcades, I'd definitely either have my own arcade, or would be a dealer / supplier. A dealer has tables coming and going all the time. It was just like when people used to buy records in the record store. Your favorite bands would come out with the latest album that had all this excellent artwork with it that you could stare at for hours. The same would happen with pins: the latest tables coming in; the classic tables periodically swapping out with other classics; and maybe even a few vintage tables like Bally's '72 Fireball ... imagine what the latest Bally or Williams table would be coming out today, if they were still in the biz! Yes, dreams are cool.

Hmmm ... that might be the inspiration for the next Bally VP recreation ...


@Joe ... yes, quite a bit crowded. They've well outgrown their existing place. They need to sell and find a place twice the size ... until they outgrow THAT place!

The cool part is it's only them who are playing these tables. Nobody's gonna elbow them, spill their drink all over, or blow their cigarette smoke in their face. So long as they're comfortable with it, I guess that's cool for them.

I would have a little more space myself, though ... I mean, you get more breathing space on an airplane! Ya know?


-PeterMac

Edited by Pintrepid, 19 February 2012 - 10:53 PM.

[Joe]

For you pinball aficionados ... what is that table in the foreground, to the right of this frame? Can you tell what it is just from this little bit here?

Genie. I love Genie.

If I had the funds, my house would probably be a surreal arcade too.

@Joe ... yes, quite a bit crowded. They've well outgrown their existing place. They need to sell and find a place twice the size ... until they outgrow THAT place!

The cool part is it's only them who are playing these tables. Nobody's gonna elbow them, spill their drink all over, or blow their cigarette smoke in their face. So long as they're comfortable with it, I guess that's cool for them.

I would have a little more space myself, though ... I mean, you get more breathing space on an airplane! Ya know?


-PeterMac

2 people are fine but if have people come over and then real fast you will run out of room.

[toolmaker]

For those of you that have it, this is available on Netflix right now.

Edited by toolmaker, 24 February 2012 - 06:26 PM.

[TheManFromPOST]

My shed can fit 8 machines comfortably, it currently has 13
2 in the lounge
5 in the spare bed room
7 on my office
1 at a freinds place
1 in the passage

and a WoZ on the way