Good pin for a newb?

nanoryan

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Hey guys,

So I have been into vids for about 10 years now but I am a complete newb when it comes to pins. Thinking about picking up my first.

What is a good machine for a beginniner? Something fun and not tooooo difficult. I want something solid state but in the grand or less category. No Adams Family here. :)

Would a Pinbot be a good choice? Is it advisable to get a project for less if you are handy (like with vids) or are pin projects just too much trouble/expense to deal with?

Thanks for any and all advice. Ryan
 
There are lots of great pins for starting out, Jurassic Park is one that comes to mind. For around a thousand (maybe $1,200 tops) you get the t-rex, ramp, DMD, diverter, shaker motor, great rules etc...

There are some great Williams games as well that are in that neighborhood, but I don't know how important a DMD game is to you. Whirlwind can usually be had for about that, Terminator 2 can usually be had for around $1,200 and appears to be a good started pin.

I wouldn't recommend a fixer uppper. Your probably going to end up needed to do plenty to a fully working game. Just about every game I pick up needs a flipper rebuild, adjusting, and sometimes they flat out break. With a fully working game you'll still get plenty good at buffing, switch replacements, switch adjusting etc...
 
Working on pins is not really harder than working on vids but it is more time consuming and more expensive.

I'd suggest that you visit Shorty's in Seattle, they have a good selection of pins available to play and that can point you in the right direction.


I feel that Pinbot is a good choice. It is fairly simple to play and well documented for repair work. Check this site out for an idea of what kind of maintenance pinball machines need: http://www.marvin3m.com/fix.htm
 
Pinbot is a great beginner's pin!

I would also look at the System 11 games or some of the "b list" DMD games for a starter.
 
Thanks for the replies! What does DMD mean? I will definately have to check out Shorty's.
 
Pinbot is a great beginner's pin!

I would also look at the System 11 games or some of the "b list" DMD games for a starter.

OK so when you say System 11 you mean System 11A right? That includes the following right?

F-14 Tomcat
Fire!
Millionaire
PIN·BOT

Where do I find a list of the "b list" DMD games?
 
System 11b is probably even better.

There's not a "official" list of B list DMD games, they're just the ones that aren't going to run you more than $1,400 or so.
 
There are lots of great pins for starting out, Jurassic Park is one that comes to mind.

Damn straight. It's the first one that came to my mind.

Fairly affordable and easy to find, looks and sounds great, and is a blast to play. I'm extremely fond of mine.
 
Thanks again for all the replies!

So it sounds like Pinbot and Jurrasic Park are good choices. I am also thinking about High Speed and F-14 Tomcat.

Does the production number affect the price? Is there some sort of realistic price guide out there somewhere?

Oh, and whats the difference between system 11, 11A, 11B, 11C? Very minor or big changes?
 
I can;t suggest a particular pin but I will say price is always subjective. There's a lot of factors when trying to put a price to something. I guess I'd call it comparitive pricing. For instance let's say seller 1 has a pin for sale that's in your price range. It's something you can plugin, has a few broken playfield items and it plays. BUT the playfield is fairly worn. Both items will affect the game play. Playfields aren't cheap and the consensus of PF swaps is it takes a long time. I've never done one but will soon. Seller #2 has same pin that'd $500 more. Needs nothing but you to play it. That $500 is so worth your time to spend instead of having to monkey around with all these stupid little items need fixed. If you have a broken ramp those damn things alone can cost you a $100 bill.

Also before you go look at a pin download the manual and learn how to put it into diag mode. Some pins will show a dot on the LED showing a problem has been detected. For instance you may have switch stuck on and because of it you may not be able to finish a part of the game.

A also agree that working on a pin is USUALLY not very tough. Solenoids, kicker arms, springs, leaf switches ..... very basic stuff. I bought a Funhouse for a grand (got lucky) and making a rookie mistake I didn;t research it well enough. I get it home and several wires broke off, alot of burned bulbs, and a few parts worn out that were bad enough they had to be replaced and it also required a very extensive tear down (for a newb) to get to those parts. Now I've fallen in love with the game and am going to replace the playfield which is going to cost me $650. Yeouch. Good luck on finding that pin that trips your trigger.
 
I picked up my Sorcerer for $175 about 13 years ago. Still one of the most fun games to play and basic rule set for beginners. For the price I don't think you can do much better. They don't come up to often but sell for $300-$500
 
Hook is a pretty good game for beginners, I think, and will be closer to your budget.
 
For a first pin, i would stay away from F-14. I have one and truly do enjoy it however it is not a very easy pin to play. Very challenging. Read the reviews on ipdb.org.

Some other sys11 like High Speed that you mentioned would be fine though.
 
Thanks again all. So, it looks like this is what we have so far ..

Sorcerer
Pinbot
High Speed
Whirlwind
Terminator 2
Hook
Jurassic Park

Sounds like High Speed and Pinbot would be a pretty sweet 80's combo. :) Jurassic Park seems to have the strongest following. So, who are some good guys who source and sell pins for reasonable prices in the Northwest?
 
If it is your first pin, I'd go back a bit further to System 6/7 games. They're not too complicated and have tons of online information for reference. Also, if you screw something up (as I have many times on my FP), it's a relatively easy and inexpensive fix.

I'm not moving up to anything newer until I am comfortable with my Sys6. I can't afford it!
 
My first pin was a System 11 (Whirlwind) and I found it a joy to work on. I really have learned a lot about pins and quickly. They are more fun to work on then vids. I recommend the marvin3m.com site for technical help and also purchase the This Old Pinball repair DVDs (they are cheap and goofy) and subscribe to their TOPcast.
 
My first (and only) pin was Taxi. Fun game, easy rule set to understand, great audio, has a multi ball, and the shots are tough enough that it will keep you busy for a while (trying to pick up/drop off all 5 passengers, max out the jackpot, etc).

I picked mine up cheap, and most of the ones I have seen have all gone for $900 or under. Everyone who has come over has loved playing it.
 
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