Ramps: Wire or Plastic? Favorite Ramp of all time?

Phetishboy

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Ramps: Wire or Plastic? Favorite Ramp of all time?

Which do you like better? The plastic ones are prettier, but I am thinking I prefer the wire ramps for many reasons.

-They won't crack (a weld may break, but I think it would take a lot for that to happen.
-I like the sound the ball makes as it rolls through them
-They remind me of roller coaster rails
-I can see the play field through them better. Sometimes they almost seem to disappear.

Second part of this query. What's your favorite pinball ramp of all time? Doesn't have to be your favorite machine, just the most satisfying, fun ramp you've ever shot.

So far, my favorite ramp has to be the criss-cross ramps on Fishtales. Satisfying shot every time.

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Wire all the way!

With plastic, besides the reasons you listed, it also scratches, which will eventually need to be flame polished, replaced, or both at some point.

I don't have a fav ramp, but a Bally Black Rose might come close! Never played it yet though.
 

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Mine is Doctor Who. The ramp is only off the top flipper and every time you make it, it increases the playfield multiplier up to 4X. Get a bunch of them going, drop into multiball or video mode and the points are freaking crazy!

It's just hard enough to be interesting as well.

And if Pinball Inc. makes a repro ramp, it'll never crack!

-Al-

PS - Say Hi to me at the Pinball Inc. booth at The Allentown Pinfest!

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i know what you mean about the sound of the ball on the wire ramps.....i dig that as well.


one of my favorite ramps has got to be the elevator ramp in who dunnit:

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i love the 3-in-1 design...depending on where you shoot it, it can take the elevator up, down, or let you exit on the current floor. getting a good rhythm on elevator madness multiball is always satisfying.
 
I like that Who Dunnit tri-level feature, never saw that one before. Here's what I mean about wire ramps disappearing:

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I mean you can see it, but it almost just sorta fades/blends into the background. And I am noticing that I enjoy my ramp shot on Congo more when it takes the wire exit vs. the lower plastic one. I really like hitting the short Volcano ramp as well.
 
Mine is Doctor Who. The ramp is only off the top flipper and every time you make it, it increases the playfield multiplier up to 4X. Get a bunch of them going, drop into multiball or video mode and the points are freaking crazy!

It's just hard enough to be interesting as well.

And if Pinball Inc. makes a repro ramp, it'll never crack!

-Al-

PS - Say Hi to me at the Pinball Inc. booth at The Allentown Pinfest!

Please LMK if you ever do sell these. I'd be up for a set.
 
Voting for wire ramps on durability alone.

Worst ramp award? Stargate. The two main ramps ade big sheets of metal and theyre only attached by spot welds at a few overlapping tabs instead of the entire edge of the joint being welded into one solid piece. So. One tab breaks, it puts more pressure ob the other tabs, and likely they end up breaking at some point as well. Only fix I know would be to find someone who could just welf the tab back together. :|
 
I prefer wire ramps for speed and durability plus the visibility.

My favorite ramps so far are on Tales From The Crypt.

The Left Ramp has a 360 degree full horizontal spinning loop and the Right Ramp is a full vertical loop !!! Also an extremely tight ramp entrance. (TWSS)

If you hit the right vertical loop without quite enough speed, the ball drops out onto the other ramp and drains to the right inlane. The game is smart enough to detect this and awards you a "Trick Shot!!!".

Awesome. I love my TFTC.

RussMyers

(the pic is not my TFTC, just handy)
 

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I'll ask James if he ever plans to do them. It all depends on whether he has the molds or not. I'd doubt it if there are no molds but I'd love a set as well.

So what ramps have you guys reproed? Has anyone ever expanded or added features to existing ramps?
 
I'm mixed on this one. A NEW and well maintained plastic ramp can look great, but they just don't last too long before getting dingy, cracked and all those other problems.

Personally, my favorite ramp is the Insanity Falls on White Water. Particularly if it's a nice and fast one, where the ball smacks the glass twice on the way down.

-Hans
 
I'm mixed on this one. A NEW and well maintained plastic ramp can look great, but they just don't last too long before getting dingy, cracked and all those other problems.

Personally, my favorite ramp is the Insanity Falls on White Water. Particularly if it's a nice and fast one, where the ball smacks the glass twice on the way down.

-Hans



i hate that pin, but you're right.........that's a cool ramp.
 
So what ramps have you guys reproed? Has anyone ever expanded or added features to existing ramps?

Pinballinc.com

Most of the ramps are thicker plastic, particularly in weak areas. They're startin to trickle out Space Shuttle ramps, which supposedly in weak areas are over five times thicker!

They also added the steel flaps, which shuttle never had. Mixed opinion from me on that one. Not sure how you are supposed to attach the ramp since six screws are under those flaps an the pictures provided this far don't seem the have any holes to get to the screws...

They also are doing the shuttle toy, but without any mounting hardware or switch included they are kind of a tough sell for me to have to buy the equipment to remove rivets from the old one, and pressing new rivets into the repro. :/ I might buy one and try the Gottlieb style plastic click-rivets.
 
We're covering Pinball Inc. Ramp production in Pins and Vids 4. It should be out next month. Working crazy on it now.
 
Sorry for all the photos...

Wire is the best. Period. Fast, stays clean, and chrome.

I have two, first is the Dracula Catapult into the wire ramps on Taxi.

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And the other is all the ramps in ST:TNG, just a beautiful, fun, perfect pinball. I dropped so much cash in the local one back in the day. I haven't played it since 1995, I miss it so much:

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Even the underside is a thing of beauty:

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Best ramp is metal, then wire, then plastic. Although my favorite ramp is the swirly one on TOTAN. (Also, I beg to differ on STTNG. It's not "perfect pinball"; in my book it's downright loatheworthy. Never liked it, have played it since it came out. Hard to believe SR designed this one.)
 
If you can get past the music and theme, Rollergames has a couple of pretty cool wireforms on it.

the "pit" is a VUK, crosses the playfield, and drops the ball on a magnet right in front of a flipper. Then you have the multiball raceway that keeps sending your locked balls around the loop from time to time.

-Hans
 
I enjoy the wire ramps as well, I think one of my favorites I never new about until I got one, is the Chun-Li ramp on Street Fighter, if you hit it right it goes passed the spinning leg kick , too slow it chucks it down the flipper lane..
 
I prefer wireform but not by much. I like the ability to add decals and such to the plastic ramps - but durability issues take it a notch down.

I actually like pins that include BOTH wireform and plastic games.

My favorite plastic ramp is 'Insanity Falls'... Can't say it for the pin though.
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My favorite for wireform is BF. Especially that one that swoops by the apron.

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Honorable mention: LW3
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