65 replies to this topic

[Matt Rasmussen]

I'm going to buy a couple pins and curious what you guys would buy. I don't have 12k for a medieval madness, I want to spend under/around 5k for one/two.

Out of these which one/two would you pick.

Whirlwind
The Getaway
Dr. Dude
Dirty Harry
Cyclone
Junkyard
No Fear
Pinbot


I was thinking Whirlwind and The Getaway, but I'm a little concerned about depth of play over time...they are a little shallow, but I always enjoy playing them.

Thanks!

Matt

[rob046]

Wow even $5k is a nice pin budget, that is a lot of disposable income. That is about what I've paid for my current 4 pins but I didn't get them all at once.

I do recommend getting 2 pins instead of 1, & only having 1 or 2 pins you do need to be careful with what you get. What works in a small collection is different that what works in a medium to large collection. You want games with high replay value that are hard to beat & have plenty to keep coming back for. Or just have that addictive quality that takes a while to get old. All my current 4 pins have that, I didn't just get what was available, I put thought into it. Also, I have 2 more modern pins & 2 early SS pins, which makes for nice variety. I have Judge Dredd w/ deadworld mod, BK2K, HH, & EBD. I'm a VERY big advocate of Judge Dredd for home users on a budget. IMHO it doesn't get much better than that. Plenty challenging & plenty to do, with lots of fun shots.

But out of that list, I say NO to Junkyard. IMHO that game works best in a larger collection. I'm personally not a big Pinbot fan either, but that might just be me. I'm not the biggest Getaway fan either, for a small collection. Eh, I'm on the fence about that. There is some novelty to it that might wear off, but having said that I"m not as familiar with Getaway, only played it a few times.

Whirlwind is pretty good. Gimmicky but I think can still hold up over time. Dr. Dude could possibly get annoying with sounds, but I do like the layout.
So I'm thinking Cyclone & Whirlwind would be good, but then you got 2 pre-DMD games. Always nice to have a DMD game in the mix. & I might actually put No Fear over Dirty Harry, in this case. Another member here has a NF in a small collection & I think he really likes it.

So....
No Fear & Whirlwind, if the above are your options. Cyclone is like a 1b option though in place of whirlwind. I just think Whirlwind is a little more fast paced & might hold up better in the long run. & again this might be a case where with a slightly larger collection I might go with Cyclone.
EDIT: But as I'm thinking. Dirty Harry could be great in a 2 pin collection as well. So maybe that is the 1b for No Fear. It is actually somewhat deep, I'm just not a big fan of the theme. The Dirty Harry movies are before my time, plus I don't think the art is that great. But going purely on depth of the game, Dirty Harry could be a slightly better option. But No Fear to me is more fun. so I guess that might come down to what you value most in a pinball, & whether or not you are more a fan of one theme over the other.

Edited by rob046, 26 July 2012 - 01:39 AM.

[Matt Rasmussen]

Wow even $5k is a nice pin budget, that is a lot of disposable income. That is about what I've paid for my current 4 pins but I didn't get them all at once.

I do recommend getting 2 pins instead of 1, & only having 1 or 2 pins you do need to be careful with what you get. What works in a small collection is different that what works in a medium to large collection. You want games with high replay value that are hard to beat & have plenty to keep coming back for. Or just have that addictive quality that takes a while to get old. All my current 4 pins have that, I didn't just get what was available, I put thought into it. Also, I have 2 more modern pins & 2 early SS pins, which makes for nice variety. I have Judge Dredd w/ deadworld mod, BK2K, HH, & EBD. I'm a VERY big advocate of Judge Dredd for home users on a budget. IMHO it doesn't get much better than that. Plenty challenging & plenty to do, with lots of fun shots.

But out of that list, I say NO to Junkyard. IMHO that game works best in a larger collection. I'm personally not a big Pinbot fan either, but that might just be me. I'm not the biggest Getaway fan either, for a small collection. Eh, I'm on the fence about that. There is some novelty to it that might wear off, but having said that I"m not as familiar with Getaway, only played it a few times.

Whirlwind is pretty good. Gimmicky but I think can still hold up over time. Dr. Dude could possibly get annoying with sounds, but I do like the layout.
So I'm thinking Cyclone & Whirlwind would be good, but then you got 2 pre-DMD games. Always nice to have a DMD game in the mix. & I might actually put No Fear over Dirty Harry, in this case. Another member here has a NF in a small collection & I think he really likes it.

So....
No Fear & Whirlwind, if the above are your options. Cyclone is like a 1b option though in place of whirlwind. I just think Whirlwind is a little more fast paced & might hold up better in the long run. & again this might be a case where with a slightly larger collection I might go with Cyclone.
EDIT: But as I'm thinking. Dirty Harry could be great in a 2 pin collection as well. So maybe that is the 1b for No Fear. It is actually somewhat deep, I'm just not a big fan of the theme. The Dirty Harry movies are before my time, plus I don't think the art is that great. But going purely on depth of the game, Dirty Harry could be a slightly better option. But No Fear to me is more fun. so I guess that might come down to what you value most in a pinball, & whether or not you are more a fan of one theme over the other.

I was never a fan of the Judge Dredd character, but that is a pin that I could get. I might look at it now though, maybe Dredd and Dirty Harry if the cash works out...or maybe dredd and whirlwind, I like the randomness of the spinning discs in whirlwind.

Oh, also, how wide is the Dredd machine, without the head. I'll for sure have to remove the head to get it where I want it, but if the body is still 23" like most it will fit just fine. I just read it's a wide-body.

Thanks for the reply!

Edited by Matt Rasmussen, 26 July 2012 - 01:58 AM.

[KloggMonkey]

With 5k to spend, from your list I would say:
Whirlwind, The Getaway, and Pinbot, from your list if you have room for 3.

Whirlwind and The Getaway are a blast to play and Pinbot is nice too. From a gaming standpoint Pinbot has the lowest replay value, once you collect the solar value there's not much else to it, still I like the theme and sound effects are super.
The Getaway is probably next as once you get the Super jackpot, and play Red Line Mania, that's about it, yet still lots of fun.
Whirlwind is the most replay-able in my opinion, collect all the cellar awards to get the mega door bonus is the big payout, really very similar to Addams Family. The theme, music, and sounds are great here too.


If it were me with 5k I would pick from 1 from list A and 1 from list B:

A. Simpsons Pinball Party, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones (Williams), Twilight Zone, Addams Family, Star Trek Next Gen
B. Whirlwind, Terminator 2, The Getaway, Fish Tales, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Black Knight 2K, Taxi, Pinbot, Sorcerer, Congo, Star Wars (Data East)

List A gives you deep DMD games that are $3,500ish... may have to work to find the AF, TZ, IJ for that nowadays, unless you are prepared to fixer up one(prolly not if this is your 1st pin).

List B gives you less deep games (some still have DMD) that are $1,500ish

[Matt Rasmussen]

With 5k to spend, from your list I would say:
Whirlwind, The Getaway, and Pinbot, from your list if you have room for 3.

Whirlwind and The Getaway are a blast to play and Pinbot is nice too. From a gaming standpoint Pinbot has the lowest replay value, once you collect the solar value there's not much else to it, still I like the theme and sound effects are super.
The Getaway is probably next as once you get the Super jackpot, and play Red Line Mania, that's about it, yet still lots of fun.
Whirlwind is the most replay-able in my opinion, collect all the cellar awards to get the mega door bonus is the big payout, really very similar to Addams Family. The theme, music, and sounds are great here too.


If it were me with 5k I would pick from 1 from list A and 1 from list B:

A. Simpsons Pinball Party, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones (Williams), Twilight Zone, Addams Family, Star Trek Next Gen
B. Whirlwind, Terminator 2, The Getaway, Fish Tales, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Black Knight 2K, Taxi, Pinbot, Sorcerer, Congo, Star Wars (Data East)

List A gives you deep DMD games that are $3,500ish... may have to work to find the AF, TZ, IJ for that nowadays, unless you are prepared to fixer up one(prolly not if this is your 1st pin).

List B gives you less deep games (some still have DMD) that are $1,500ish

Those aren't even close to the prices that I see, although the ones I'm looking for are reconditioned, that's important to me, list A machines are over 5 grand. Thanks for the list!

[rob046]

I was never a fan of the Judge Dredd character, but that is a pin that I could get. I might look at it now though, maybe Dredd and Dirty Harry if the cash works out...or maybe dredd and whirlwind, I like the randomness of the spinning discs in whirlwind.

Oh, also, how wide is the Dredd machine, without the head. I'll for sure have to remove the head to get it where I want it, but if the body is still 23" like most it will fit just fine. I just read it's a wide-body.

Thanks for the reply!

If you have to remove the head on Dredd, then you'd need to remove it from any modern pin because the heads are all the same size for the most part. It is the body (widebody) that is a little under 2 inches wider on superpin's. Older widebody games are even wider. However the body is never wider than the head (I call it backbox).
Also is would be a major pain to remove the head from any modern game. On older pins they can come off pretty easily, but I've never even attempted to take one off of a newer pin. What I can tell you is that I had a pretty narrow doorway (standard at best) to work with as well as a tough turn down some stairs with a railing in the way, & with a couple people there to help we got JD into my basement.
If you do get a JD, try to get one with both the deadworld mod & the topper if possible, but definitely the mod. Of course you can buy the mod kit seperately, but you save some time & money if it comes with the game. & it is a feature that makes the game more interesting for sure. Definitely looks cooler.

btw I'm not a fan of the comic book or character either, since that stuff is mostly popular in England. But that is easy to get past because the artwork & color is so amazing. Also amazing is how they fit so many features & shots into a pin, yet it still has all that open space to show off the artwork. The layout has a lot of similarities to Pro Pinball BRUSA (I"m convinced they stole the layout idea from JD).
If Judge Dredd has a more US friendly theme, & has the deadworld as originally designed since day 1 (the mod), it is easily a $4k game. However I do think prices have gone up in the last couple years on them now that word is getting out about it being maybe the best bang for your buck pin, but still pretty affordable. & you are getting a DMD pin, with DCS sound (not even TZ has that). Btw, I'd say you could test the game out in VPM, but we don't really have any accurate versions here, nor any versions with the DW mod. So maybe look at some youtube or PAPA vids of the game, check out some pics. If you have questions let me know, but yeah unfortunately the versions here are inaccurate and buggy.

[rob046]

Those aren't even close to the prices that I see, although the ones I'm looking for are reconditioned, that's important to me, list A machines are over 5 grand. Thanks for the list!

Yeah A title pins these days keep going up in price. You won't find a nice TZ for $3500. No way. Any of those games, if you get them for $3500 they probably need quite a bit of work, unfortunately.

For his B titles, the prices vary on those games (Sorcerer might be $800, but Fish Tales might be more like $1800, likely more if nicely shopped out), but pre-DMD games like Whirlwind I would think you could definitely find for under $1500, & $1500 could get you a real nice one like you are looking for. Same with Cyclone/Pinbot. I know from buying a BK2K though that those go for a little more, but still actually a pretty good deal considering you are getting a modern style pin, a classic that lots of people think is an all time great, the masterpiece of S.Ritchie... for as low a price as you see them for, considering that Funhouse that came out around the same time sells for quite a bit more, yet IMHO it isn't really much better of a game.

If you are wanting shopped games, then of course you will pay even more.
Though for most sellers, do keep in mind that there is some room for negotiation. If somebody is selling a game that seems too expensive (considering condition & all that), then there is a good chance the guy could go down in price. But for shopped games, you can only get sellers so low on those. They didn't put all that time into shopping them just to give a great discount when selling. But you never know. Can't hurt to try.

I get mad at RGP guys sometimes because they love quoting insanely low prices on games (just because they are willing to drive 1000 miles to save $100 on a game!), but in reality, I often take what RGP guys say & tack on maybe 15% to get a real number. Price guides can get you in the right ballpark too.
It is kind of fun or interesting to shop for pins. Interesting to see how the prices go & how something as simple as theme can be the difference between a game being $1500 or $3500. & a game you might personally like could possibly even be a very cheap one, if you are lucky. You never know. While games like TZ are expensive for a reason, it certainly doesn't mean you can't find another game that isn't nearly as fun for a fraction of the price. So there is all sorts of interesting things to think about when buying pins. & you can go for what you value.

Some ppl are more into art, some more into sounds (BK2K is amazing for sounds/music, as is Judge Dredd for sounds & riffs, even though I personally don't really factor that in a ton, it sure is a nice bonus). Some ppl are more into light displays & could care less about sound or art. Some are more into ramps. Some worship superpins (the wider bodies like JD), like myself, while others can't stand them.
& you can also start finding a hell of a lot more good games than what are mentioned here. There are a surprising amount of titles that might interest you. Though whether or not you can get most of them depends on what kind of pinball market you live in, or if you are willing to pay the expensive shipping on ebay. Though it is easier to pay that kind of shipping when you are paying say $2k+ for a game rather than $1k.

Edited by rob046, 26 July 2012 - 06:40 PM.

[Itchigo]

My choice would be Pinbot and Getaway, but that's just me.

[rosve]

PinBot and Getaway for me too, but then again I don't care too much about deep rulesets (I'm raised playing EMs ).

On my own shoppinglist I have Funhouse, Fish Tales and BK2K.

[KloggMonkey]

Those aren't even close to the prices that I see, although the ones I'm looking for are reconditioned, that's important to me, list A machines are over 5 grand. Thanks for the list!

Which places are you looking for machines? Also be careful about 'reconditioned' could mean lots of different things depending on where its coming from. Sad to say but some people are out there to take advantage of others.

I hold out for miracle finds on local craigslists or even on RGP, again most craigslist pins are gonna be dirty at a minimum and prolly need some TLC. RGP you can get pins in any state from total HEP restoration, to a basket case in a boxes, just never seem to be close to me.
I still kick myself for not getting an IJ on Kansas City craigslist right before Christmas maybe 2 years ago, it was minty perfect and he wanted like $3,400 for it.

Local coin-op distributors are an idea also, but they are usually only receptive to the "as is, where is" crowd not wanting to bother with shopping, delivering, setting up, and potentially providing tech service on a old pin they just wanna get rid of.
Also keep in mind that even if you find a pin that is really reconditioned it will still need things from time to time: cleaning/waxing, battery changes, ball changes, rubber, mechanical adjustments. However if you're the type of person than can change their own oil its nothing that can't be picked up easy.

Anyway good luck with the search, owning a real life pinball is a load of fun.

[Matt Rasmussen]

Those aren't even close to the prices that I see, although the ones I'm looking for are reconditioned, that's important to me, list A machines are over 5 grand. Thanks for the list!

Which places are you looking for machines? Also be careful about 'reconditioned' could mean lots of different things depending on where its coming from. Sad to say but some people are out there to take advantage of others.

I hold out for miracle finds on local craigslists or even on RGP, again most craigslist pins are gonna be dirty at a minimum and prolly need some TLC. RGP you can get pins in any state from total HEP restoration, to a basket case in a boxes, just never seem to be close to me.
I still kick myself for not getting an IJ on Kansas City craigslist right before Christmas maybe 2 years ago, it was minty perfect and he wanted like $3,400 for it.

Local coin-op distributors are an idea also, but they are usually only receptive to the "as is, where is" crowd not wanting to bother with shopping, delivering, setting up, and potentially providing tech service on a old pin they just wanna get rid of.
Also keep in mind that even if you find a pin that is really reconditioned it will still need things from time to time: cleaning/waxing, battery changes, ball changes, rubber, mechanical adjustments. However if you're the type of person than can change their own oil its nothing that can't be picked up easy.

Anyway good luck with the search, owning a real life pinball is a load of fun.

Thanks for the advice, the place I'm planning on purchasing from has been around for 31 years and recondition pinballs as a profession. They have a great reputation around here, I'm going to take a long lunch and drive there tomorrow and see what I see. I've been searching craigslist and see a nice Terminator 3 machine for 2700 but not sure that I like that game all that much, what do you think?

[CaptainNeo]

I'm going to buy a couple pins and curious what you guys would buy. I don't have 12k for a medieval madness, I want to spend under/around 5k for one/two.

Out of these which one/two would you pick.

Whirlwind
The Getaway
Dr. Dude
Dirty Harry
Cyclone
Junkyard
No Fear
Pinbot


I was thinking Whirlwind and The Getaway, but I'm a little concerned about depth of play over time...they are a little shallow, but I always enjoy playing them.

Thanks!

Matt

for 5k you should be able to get 3 or 4 of those titles. The trick is, don't overpay, and take your time. Don't be in a rush. There are plenty of those games around.
Whirlwind (great game, lots going on, but would rather have funhouse (similar) 700-1200)
Getaway (it's ok $1200-1400 game all day long)
Dr.dude (personally I think it's boring $800-1100)
Dirty Harry (hated it 900-1100)
Cyclone (not bad, wish it had multiball 700-900)
Junkyard (boring 1500-1800)
No fear (it's ok, modes are uneventful gets old fast 1000-1400)
Pinbot (awesome game 700-1100)


Personally, i'd get the pinbot, and then find a different selection of games to buy. In a small collection you want stuff that will hold up through the test of time. Plus, you never know. Sometimes it's better to go in open minded and see what falls in your lap for cheap. You get games you normally wouldn't get, and end up liking.

If you want more bang for your buck. Get out of the bally williams mindset. DE has a ton of awesome games, and you'll get way more for your money. What about awesome games like jurassic park? Used to be $900-1200 all day, but you can still find them for $1500-1600 range. Awesome game. Batman forever, is phenomenal $1500 all day. Baywatch is a great player. Can find them $1000-1500 all day. Don't close off your mind.

2700 for a T3 is way overpriced. it's a $1500 game all day long, if you ever need to sell it, you will lose your ass. I had friends that had ones that looked like they came out of the box, and sat on them for months and couldn't move them for under 2k. Had people locally get them from ops for $800. Don't over pay. Never buy from storefronts. They charge double and triple what you really should pay.

Edited by CaptainNeo, 26 July 2012 - 07:10 PM.

[Matt Rasmussen]

I'm going to buy a couple pins and curious what you guys would buy. I don't have 12k for a medieval madness, I want to spend under/around 5k for one/two.

Out of these which one/two would you pick.

Whirlwind
The Getaway
Dr. Dude
Dirty Harry
Cyclone
Junkyard
No Fear
Pinbot


I was thinking Whirlwind and The Getaway, but I'm a little concerned about depth of play over time...they are a little shallow, but I always enjoy playing them.

Thanks!

Matt

for 5k you should be able to get 3 or 4 of those titles. The trick is, don't overpay, and take your time. Don't be in a rush. There are plenty of those games around.
Whirlwind (great game, lots going on, but would rather have funhouse (similar) 700-1200)
Getaway (it's ok $1200-1400 game all day long)
Dr.dude (personally I think it's boring $800-1100)
Dirty Harry (hated it 900-1100)
Cyclone (not bad, wish it had multiball 700-900)
Junkyard (boring 1500-1800)
No fear (it's ok, modes are uneventful gets old fast 1000-1400)
Pinbot (awesome game 700-1100)


Personally, i'd get the pinbot, and then find a different selection of games to buy. In a small collection you want stuff that will hold up through the test of time. Plus, you never know. Sometimes it's better to go in open minded and see what falls in your lap for cheap. You get games you normally wouldn't get, and end up liking.

If you want more bang for your buck. Get out of the bally williams mindset. DE has a ton of awesome games, and you'll get way more for your money. What about awesome games like jurassic park? Used to be $900-1200 all day, but you can still find them for $1500-1600 range. Awesome game. Batman forever, is phenomenal $1500 all day. Baywatch is a great player. Can find them $1000-1500 all day. Don't close off your mind.

2700 for a T3 is way overpriced. it's a $1500 game all day long, if you ever need to sell it, you will lose your ass. I had friends that had ones that looked like they came out of the box, and sat on them for months and couldn't move them for under 2k. Had people locally get them from ops for $800. Don't over pay. Never buy from storefronts. They charge double and triple what you really should pay.

I have not once seen those prices you list, not on eBay, not on Craigslist, not local papers, not anywhere. Can you point me to somewhere that might be selling those pins at those prices?

[Bob Creepy]

Pinbot and the Getaway for me. Next I would pick Cyclone.

For 5K from the same place you should be able to pick up 3-4 of them easily (sans Junkyard of course)

The 2011 Mr. Pinball value on them in good working order is:

Whirlwind - $1225
The Getaway - $1550
Dr. Dude - $1200
Dirty Harry - $1400
Cyclone - $1075
Junkyard - $2200
No Fear - $1525
Pinbot - $1000

That is of course with no significant wear on the PF or BG.

I did not get the 2012 guide book as they only seem to ever be +/- $25 from year to year.

[Matt Rasmussen]

Pinbot and the Getaway for me. Next I would pick Cyclone.

For 5K from the same place you should be able to pick up 3-4 of them easily (sans Junkyard of course)

The 2011 Mr. Pinball value on them in good working order is:

Whirlwind - $1225
The Getaway - $1550
Dr. Dude - $1200
Dirty Harry - $1400
Cyclone - $1075
Junkyard - $2200
No Fear - $1525
Pinbot - $1000

That is of course with no significant wear on the PF or BG.

I did not get the 2012 guide book as they only seem to ever be +/- $25 from year to year.

From what I read, the prices have skyrocketed since 2011, that you should expect to pay double those prices for machines in good shape. The quote I got was

Place A
Whirlwind - 2495.00
The Getaway - 2195.00

Place B
Pinbot - 1450.00
The Getaway - 2400.00


I appreciate all the input, but I've done a lot of research over the last couple months and very hard to find machines in the price that several people have mentioned...I sure wish that was the case, but certainly not around here!

[CaptainNeo]

prices only doubled on certain titles. Some titles havn't been effected at all. Cyclone hasn't moved. I just found one for a friend for $900. Took me a week to find. There are reasonable pin prices out there, but you wont' find them on craigslist. All the pin collectors snag up the good deals within 20 min of being listed. Sometimes you can get good deals on ebay with the right timing. I've gotten a Funhouse for $1500 off ebay. Super nice Star trek next gen for $1600. couple Jurassic parks for $900. It's all timing and your willingness to drive. If there is a good deal, i'll be willing to drop everything, jump in the van and drive 8 hours round trip or more for the right deal. Have to be willing to travel. Also, depends on where you live. I live in the midwest and prices are more reasonable here.

Games like Jurassic park, tommy, shadow, whitewater have risen up lately. Games like johnny Mn. and popeye, Bugs bunny, baywatch, have not moved at all. Even with the chaotic price increase. Even now, I have super nice baywatch sitting here, super clean everywhere, selling for a good friend of mine for $1500 with no takers yet. Havn't had it for sale that long, but the display is like brand new, and that's $500 alone on this game.

[KloggMonkey]

Most of the prices I spouted would be from random individuals on craigslist or ebay, or from collector to collector on RGP both of which are close to the Mr. Pinball prices.
Retail stores in real life or on ebay or that have craigslist ads are those prices plus their retail markup.

From what I read, the prices have skyrocketed since 2011, that you should expect to pay double those prices for machines in good shape. The quote I got was
Place A
Whirlwind - 2495.00
The Getaway - 2195.00
Place B
Pinbot - 1450.00
The Getaway - 2400.00

I would go for package A, realizing that is paying a significant retail markup. For those prices the machines better be eat off of the bottom of the cabinet clean, and have perfect everything.

Things to check for to quantify their recondition:
I would pull the plunger back on WW or PB and see how clean the shooter rod is, if its shiney, clean and moves smoothly-this will tell the scope of their reconditioning, if they didn't bother to clean up the shooter rod and put a new shooter sleeve they prolly didn't replace all the coil sleeves on the machine.
Then I look at how clean and new the rubbers are pay particular attention to the hard to get at ones.
See if the flipper bats have 'old rubber smudges'(probably black) on them.

How transparent are the lift-ramps on PB and WW.
Does the machine smell like an old ashtray?
Is the bottom of the machine covered in smudgey fingerprints or bubble gum?
Playfield glass have some wangsters thug diamond ring test gash in it?




More specific things:

All: Raised inserts/insert wear - should be absolutely none of that.
The ROM version you want in each game
Bright clear displays with no problems
Good clear sound
Clean or new leg levelers, can ruin a floor if they are messed up.
Have them put the machines in switch test mode and check all the switches with a ball
Should be no unsightly blemishes on the cabinet, within reason.

WW: Broken or cracked plastics/ramp (drop target bank that gets beat from the skill shot, around the lift-ramp and sides.)
playfield wear (both cellar holes, around the spinning discs)
spinning discs and topper fan to both work perfectly
Drop targets work and in good condtion

Getaway: Make sure the supercharger thing and the topper spinning light work perfectly, also the lift-ramp at the top of the playfield.
The ball lock mech, make sure it releases the balls 1 at a time.
Kickout wear at the 'tunnel'
Kickback lane wear "line"

Pinbot: Ball locks, and the visor and moving target bank and lift-ramp working perfect.
Broken spiral skill shot at the very top, plastic to the left of the visor, and blue ramp tab by the lift-ramp.
Drop targets work and in good condition

Don't mean to scare you, hopefully these places are super nice and have super nice machines, just wanting you to be an informed buyer.
If this place has a website or something with pictures I could help spot check.

[Matt Rasmussen]

Most of the prices I spouted would be from random individuals on craigslist or ebay, or from collector to collector on RGP both of which are close to the Mr. Pinball prices.
Retail stores in real life or on ebay or that have craigslist ads are those prices plus their retail markup.

From what I read, the prices have skyrocketed since 2011, that you should expect to pay double those prices for machines in good shape. The quote I got was
Place A
Whirlwind - 2495.00
The Getaway - 2195.00
Place B
Pinbot - 1450.00
The Getaway - 2400.00

I would go for package A, realizing that is paying a significant retail markup. For those prices the machines better be eat off of the bottom of the cabinet clean, and have perfect everything.

Things to check for to quantify their recondition:
I would pull the plunger back on WW or PB and see how clean the shooter rod is, if its shiney, clean and moves smoothly-this will tell the scope of their reconditioning, if they didn't bother to clean up the shooter rod and put a new shooter sleeve they prolly didn't replace all the coil sleeves on the machine.
Then I look at how clean and new the rubbers are pay particular attention to the hard to get at ones.
See if the flipper bats have 'old rubber smudges'(probably black) on them.

How transparent are the lift-ramps on PB and WW.
Does the machine smell like an old ashtray?
Is the bottom of the machine covered in smudgey fingerprints or bubble gum?
Playfield glass have some wangsters thug diamond ring test gash in it?




More specific things:

All: Raised inserts/insert wear - should be absolutely none of that.
The ROM version you want in each game
Bright clear displays with no problems
Good clear sound
Clean or new leg levelers, can ruin a floor if they are messed up.
Have them put the machines in switch test mode and check all the switches with a ball
Should be no unsightly blemishes on the cabinet, within reason.

WW: Broken or cracked plastics/ramp (drop target bank that gets beat from the skill shot, around the lift-ramp and sides.)
playfield wear (both cellar holes, around the spinning discs)
spinning discs and topper fan to both work perfectly
Drop targets work and in good condtion

Getaway: Make sure the supercharger thing and the topper spinning light work perfectly, also the lift-ramp at the top of the playfield.
The ball lock mech, make sure it releases the balls 1 at a time.
Kickout wear at the 'tunnel'
Kickback lane wear "line"

Pinbot: Ball locks, and the visor and moving target bank and lift-ramp working perfect.
Broken spiral skill shot at the very top, plastic to the left of the visor, and blue ramp tab by the lift-ramp.
Drop targets work and in good condition

Don't mean to scare you, hopefully these places are super nice and have super nice machines, just wanting you to be an informed buyer.
If this place has a website or something with pictures I could help spot check.

No, you're not scaring me at all, I really appreciate the advice. I realize that it is retail pricing, but personally I'm not going to drive 8 hours to get an 'ok' pinball and fix it up myself, I just don't want to do that. I'm willing to pay a little more and have a super nice machine to play immediately.

Thanks for all the suggestions to everyone who has replied, great stuff, hopefully I can share some pics of my new gameroom soon!

[KloggMonkey]

No, you're not scaring me at all, I really appreciate the advice. I realize that it is retail pricing, but personally I'm not going to drive 8 hours to get an 'ok' pinball and fix it up myself, I just don't want to do that. I'm willing to pay a little more and have a super nice machine to play immediately.

Thanks for all the suggestions to everyone who has replied, great stuff, hopefully I can share some pics of my new gameroom soon!

No problem I always like to talk pinball, sometimes too much! Have fun bringing home a beauty or a few they multiply fast.

[rob046]

No, you're not scaring me at all, I really appreciate the advice. I realize that it is retail pricing, but personally I'm not going to drive 8 hours to get an 'ok' pinball and fix it up myself, I just don't want to do that. I'm willing to pay a little more and have a super nice machine to play immediately.

Thanks for all the suggestions to everyone who has replied, great stuff, hopefully I can share some pics of my new gameroom soon!

This is what I'm talking about above. So you need to do what is best for you, what works for you. If you are happier paying a little more in order to avoid hassle & also have a super clean game... then there is nothing wrong with that at all. & in fact you actually have more options going this route, buying shopped (reconditioned) pins.
The value of the games you seek... well they are whatever YOU can buy them for! Doesn't really matter what Jimbob from Texas paid in a back alley somewhere, that doesn't have anything to do with you. & the good news with value is that if you find that these prices are actually somewhat normal for your area, then when it comes time for you to sell, it should mean that you should get that money back. See, it should all work out OK. That is mostly what I look for. It isn't so much what I pay for a game, but I just try to pay a price that I know I can pretty much get back when it comes time for me to sell.
The more you know!