2 Prototypes out of a 5 pin deal. Funhouse and TZ

Brokenarcade

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Hey guys,

To keep you interested in my long story it ends with finding out I picked up a VERY rare funhouse and Proto TZ.

Figured you guys would enjoy a quick little story about a 5 pin deal I picked up the other day. So I had an op call me and said he had some broken pins to sell. I said I didnt have much interest but would come out and take a look. The guy wanted crazy prices for the games initially but we worked out a deal. 4K got me the following 5: Addams family, simpsons data east, wwf, funhouse and twilight. Now all the games are missing a board or a coil here and there.

The simpsons is beat up on the cab, and the sound and main board removed presumed not working but atleast I have them a couple of cut wires in the backbox. I will just ebay this bad boy and get my money back out of it.

The WWF is actually really nice just needs a shop job a few targets and the auto kicker replaced as it was taken out, but I dont have the time and will just ebay this bad boy too.

Addams: missing sound board and fliptronic I believe and the dmd but nice playfield and cab, nothing else missing.

Twilight zone, Missing the sound board and possibly the fliptronic but this is the proto set up. 4/8/93 date of production. Has the proto playfield with the third magnet etc.

Funhouse: Prototype from what I can find online. Has the X serial number, red pcbs under playfield, original diamond plate w/o part number underneath, no williams on the side art, and most importantly what I have been told makes this a prototype and not just an early run game is the extra target. Thats right my game has the STEPS vs just STEP. The extra target is not actually there but the insert is and where the target mounts was filled in. Everything I have been reading online says rare for this to be there. The game is pretty dirty and the head is pretty beat up but the body is decent and only slightly faded on one side. The playfield is covered with mylar for the most part but in a few spots it is not.

So after picking up my load I found out the tz was the prototype and was really excited because I currently have 5 other tzs I have to shop but they are all the regular run and I wanted the prototype to keep for myself. So I was starting to feel good about my 4k spend. Then I figured, hey I know nothing about funhouse so I did a little research. I found out they too had prototypes but the game was at my shop and couldnt confirm till today. I was shocked to see that the game is the prototype version. Question is how rare is this version? Flippers website is saying possibly 10 to have been made link below. They say this is not the same as the early production games but an actual prototype. I really can't believe that but wanted to know if anyone here has insight as to how many were made or are still around? Any idea on the value of one of these?

Sorry for the length, I am obviously pretty excited about the find. If it is a common game then please feel free to let me down easily. I tried explaining this to the girlfriend and she just said oh thats nice. So I assumed that I would let some people know that might actually find it cool.

http://www.flippers.be/funhouse_prototype_guide.html
also this site shows this guys serial number, mine is actually the very next number 14 I believe, I can confirm when I am around the game next.
http://waste.org/~knobs/funhouse.html
 
Yea, pretty much how I have paid for college. Mostly started with arcades but the market for those are so horrible the last few years. I haven't had any time the past year so just been buying some pins for future restore. TZ is my favorite and Indi second. 5 tzs well now 6 and 6 indi. Collection is growing but happy with the funhouse for the moment. Until someone breaks my bubble and tells me that it was like the first couple hundred or something like that.
 
Yea, pretty much how I have paid for college. Mostly started with arcades but the market for those are so horrible the last few years. I haven't had any time the past year so just been buying some pins for future restore. TZ is my favorite and Indi second. 5 tzs well now 6 and 6 indi. Collection is growing but happy with the funhouse for the moment. Until someone breaks my bubble and tells me that it was like the first couple hundred or something like that.

Eh...I don't think you have much to cry about even if it's not *SUPER RARE*. =Þ I would keep it either way, as long as it still plays right, and not causing it any harm to be playing on it?

Hell yeah, that's awesome, regardless of whether it was 10 or 100. I almost bought an early production Jungle Lord just because I liked the colors of the cabinet and backglass better, just because it was different from the "norm". There were 100-ish of them made.. I'm still sorry that I did not get it..hopefully it will pop back up on CL here and I will have the money for it.

Enjoy it.

Maybe someday I can get 1 TZ, or 1 "a-list" pin...can't imagine having 6 of the same one.
 
You definately will. Keep an active eye for one out there and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty to get one going. We all start with one pin for our collections, just a matter of time before you get a few in your collection.
 
Funhouse: Prototype from what I can find online. ... mine is actually the very next number 14 I believe, I can confirm when I am around the game next.
http://waste.org/~knobs/funhouse.html


I bought a proto FH a few years ago in the Chicagoland area. It came from an Ex-Williams lawyer. Mine was proto #2. Even though your playfield is stamped 'Diamond Plate' it may not be factory clear coated. Mine did not have any clear coating on the playfield.

Here are pictures of Funhouse Proto #2

http://www.hsapinball.com/HSA_PINBALL/Restorations3/Pages/hsa34.html
 
Man you really do great work. I have a few fields I would really like to have you work on. The tz and funhouse above being two of them. I sent you a pm earlier, I saw you down at the pinball expo and got your card, then saw your post and recognized your logo. I am hoping we can get together.
 
with you having had #2 and it looks like I have #14 I know that the one websites' 10 figure is not accurate. It makes me wonder how many there really were. I guess the real question I have is this a game worth holding onto. I have never played a funhouse, but it seems as though they are still halfway popular. Do you guys think its a game that is fun enough to have around?
 
Also with it missing the sound board and I would assume the special adapter for the board could I just use a wpc sound board or do I need to try and locate these original boards? Anyone know of any part numbers I need to keep any eye out for?
 
with you having had #2 and it looks like I have #14 I know that the one websites' 10 figure is not accurate. It makes me wonder how many there really were. I guess the real question I have is this a game worth holding onto. I have never played a funhouse, but it seems as though they are still halfway popular. Do you guys think its a game that is fun enough to have around?

Of the approx 15 real proto FH with the red lamp boards and the "X" serial numbers there were about 10 protos made with the "STEPS" DP playfields. The other 5 or so had the non-STEPS playfield with the 'LS Hardcoat' playfields. I used to have a list of which numbers had the LS Hardcoat playfields.
 
Also with it missing the sound board and I would assume the special adapter for the board could I just use a wpc sound board or do I need to try and locate these original boards? Anyone know of any part numbers I need to keep any eye out for?

You can not easily convert yours to the WPC sound system. It uses a different cabinet transformer for one thing.

I have an extra FH system 11 sound board. But you would also need the interface board to make it work.

Your missing both boards?
 
You definately will. Keep an active eye for one out there and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty to get one going. We all start with one pin for our collections, just a matter of time before you get a few in your collection.

LOL.. too funny.

First game I picked up was a Space Shuttle with a trashed playfield. I'm just waiting for my replacement repro to come in to start the swap. Picked up a Pinbot for 200$ that's fully functional (!) but has a lot of shopping tuning needed to make it play right. Could stand to have the mylar pulled up and replaced too, but I'm not going to bug with it because I, most likely, am going to order the repro playfield for that too!

I'm definitely not averse to taking on projects to save some money, but in this specific market, we've got way too many resellers/flippers/hoarding f'ers that will pick up a pin the second it hits CL just so they can shop it out and sell it twice the price...and it gets paid, because Dallas is completely full to the hilt of idiots with way too much money to burn.
 
The market has been tight for a few years now. I used to get pins in all the time at like a regular rate now it has been very on and off. Only a few (5 or so a year). I never ever ever ever ever use craigslist. Those people are so crazy with pricing and or condition and for the off chance that there is one great deal there a year, chances are I wouldnt beat out the guys that update it on their window ever five minutes.
 
HSA-
Sadly yes, both boards appear to be gone. The seller is going to look around to see if he can find either but who knows at this point. Any idea if I will be able to work around not finding one of the interface boards? Also is the 10 number a pretty accurate number when it comes to the prototypes?
 
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