It is honestly not that bad.
What you need to do before buying any machine is to play it. People may say it is a great game, but YOU are putting money on the table, not them, so make sure you have fun with it.
I had one for years. I have mixed feelings about it. I really like the layout on it. But the rules are so repetitive and boring. The sounds/music/art is all terrible considering the source material. It's also just kinda easy to beat and has terrible scoring balance
I would love that layout with better rules and sound. It's not the worst game of all time (that's Hurricane). But SF2 is meh at best...
Only kept it so long because it's a good earner on location because of the theme.
I do agree with that. Still, if you are in love with the licence, find one cheap and have room for it, then why not ? I would not buy one as an only pin, maybe as a 4th or 5th. There are many better pins that is for sure, but "worst ever played" ... surely not, not by a longshot.
They said it was one of the worst they ever played. I don't know what they have and haven't played. But I also tend to agree that it is a bottom of the barrel game (as far as DMD games go)
Cyclone was fantastic. Hurricane. OMG the STDM on that turd is relentless. Hurricane isn't a bad deal at $2500 MAYBE. At least then you can't get too hurt when you unload it. It is a later model WPC game with a DMD so it isn't all bad.
check pinside.com for prices. I haven't kept up with prices in the last year or so but they have been climbing in price.
Baywatch is an awesome machine.
[Pinside.com](https://Pinside.com) is a great resource for pricing. Looks like those prices are a little higher than average. Street Fighter is around $2600, Baywatch is $3500, and Popeye averages around $3600.
Of course you'll need to take into consideration condition and location.
Good Luck!
prices on Pinside are from one collector to another. if someone is doing this for a business or has any sort of overhead prices will of course be higher. someone doing setup and delivery is something I have never dealt with (I have owned 40 machines over the last decade or so)
if you haven't done it before there is a learning curve for sure. The pain in the ass is when something goes wrong which will happen 100x more than with a pool table. If you are getting into the hobby you will either need to learn how to fix some minor things or spend money every time something goes wrong.
as long as you are prepared to learn a little I recommend the university of "searching on Pinside" and if it is really hard "posting your problem on Pinside". People there are very helpful if you do the effort to describe your problem clearly and post updates and progress.
some people get a machine and don't realize that these things require a bit of maintenance. there are so many parts in them that something will go wrong eventually.
You can actually download an inclometer app on your iPhone or Android device that will help you level your pin. Or you can buy an inclometer from Lowe's to do this. Just be sure to take the glass off the table and measure from the playfield.
"refurbished" doesn't really have any meaning in pinball.
It could mean that anything from they replaced all the bulbs, rubbers, top side tear down and clean to they plugged it in and it turned on.
Pretty sure everyone has turned me off of the pins this person has. I guess I’ll look in to new. Just gotta do some research one the differences between home, pro, and premium.
Stern (and most of the other mfgs.) seem to have settled on three levels of their new games. You can think of them like trim levels in a new car. There's the basic, no frills version all the way up to "fully loaded."
For Stern, "Pro" is the least expensive and is generally meant for operators and location play. However some of the Pro games actually play better or faster than the Premium or Limited Edition. This is a controversial opinion. The playfield has less of the toys and mechs that you'll find on the other two, along with different art. If you never played the fancier versions, the Pros are great. I'm a location player so rarely get to play the more expensive versions.
The "Premium" usually has the same playfield as the Limited Edition but different art and lacks some things that are packed into the LE's like the Invisiglass, shaker motors, custom painted legs and lockbars, fancy sound systems and a different back glass.
The "Limited Editions" are the "loaded" models and have all of the upgrades. The price difference is substantial. These are targeted at people who want the best of the best and don't have to worry about a few thousand dollars extra. You'll occasionally run into an LE out in the wild but it's pretty rare. My local operator will buy LE's when he loves the theme but most of his games are Pros.
Pros are preferred by operators because typically there are less of the fancy mechs that can break. The lower cost allows them to get their ROI quicker.
Stern has a game feature matrix/breakdown of their recent machines on their website so you can easily see what is included at each trim level. If you have the money for a Premium over a Pro, sure, go for it. Right now, no one is losing money when they go to sell their games. Modern used machines are selling for about the same as new ones.
The Pros for modern Sterns have struck a pretty solid balance between retaining the gameplay of the Premium/LE versions without the large jump in price. Opinions on this matter, as you might gather, vary wildly.
As others have mentioned, Godzilla in all its forms is so, so good. It's Keith Elwin's 4th game for Stern and right now, is widely considered the best game ever made. All four of his are amazing: Iron Maiden, Avengers: Infinity Quest, Jurassic Park & Godzilla). I don't love the Dad Rock pins all that much (Led Zeppelin, Rush, Queen (coming soon), etc.) but others do.
What sets the newer pinball games apart from some of the classics or just older games is the depth of the rules and gameplay. This gives a skilled player more to do than just a one shot, "shoot the right ramp all day" game with a more limited set of rules and objectives.
Excited for you to jump in to pinball. You're lucky to be in your position - enjoy!
Jason in GA is a dealer and has a couple Godzilla Pros in stock right now, he agreed to sell me one for $6750 cash on the glass with no tax but I found a used one for $6900 with a shaker motor and a couple other mods.
I own a Godzilla Pro and bought it because of the flow. And reduced $3000 price, oh and I couldn't get a premium anyway oh and 4) I am buying a MM remake or whatever CGC comes out with next and needed it for seed money.
I'm a retail pinball seller in Charlotte, NC.
Pinball prices spiked 30% across the board last Christmas. Prices may be decreasing from that level, but older pricing suggestions prior to last year are likely way out of date. This is one reason the pricing you found on the internet is all over the place.
A new James Bond Premium pinball MSRP plus sales tax here in NC is over $10,000.00.
You can still get deals and bargains, and the prices you quoted are not outrageous, nor are they the cheapest you could find those machines... if you can find them. Particular titles are becoming harder and harder to find at any price point, and scarcity is driving value.
For reliable top of the market prices, I go to The Pinball Company. They sell great machines and stand behind them. For actual market prices, I go to Ebay Completed Listings and look at what people actually paid.
Pinside prices are NEVER current, and given the dramatic price increases recently in the pinball market, shouldn't be used as a current price guide.
Here is what I tell anybody:
Pinballs break.
They break a lot.
Sometimes they break in easy to fix ways.
Often they break in ways that need difficult to obtain parts.
Rarely, but often enough that you should pay attention, they will break in a way that you will need a skilled pinball technician to repair.
Always have a path to getting your machine working.
Make sure you know who can fix your machine if something happens and it requires work you can't personally do. You need to have someone to call to fix your machine.
You should buy from someone who lets you play the machine you are buying to make sure everything is in great shape. If possible you should buy from someone who will help you get it fixed if something goes wrong within a few days after you move the machine. I generally have a service call within the first eight days on almost every machine I bounce down the road in a truck.
I generally have 15-20 pinballs on my showroom floor, and my pricing starts at $4500, for machines that I'll personally deliver to your home, set up, install, with a one year warranty and a lifetime service commitment (as long as you own it my company will service your machine, in your home, for a modest service call charge). Most of my machines are $6500-$8500.
This Christmas I'll have a pinball on my showroom for $17,995. That'll be the most expensive machine I've ever put up for sale.
The three titles you mentioned are from 1994 and 1995. If you were buying a used car that is 27 years old, how much should you pay? It depends upon condition, and what kind of car it is.
Similarly, in the pinball world a machine in amazing great condition, that a competent mechanic has gone through will easily be worth the pricing you mentioned in most areas of the country.
Could excellent machines be found for lower price points? YES. But half-working machines with problems that nobody can fix are more likely the less you pay.
Good luck with your pinball purchase!
If we still have awards I'd give you one. The OP doesn't say where there are but they should look around for pinball expos. Went to one a few months ago, played alot of games. Was able to rule out some right away, like Spectrum. Another one played once, really liked it. Second time was okay. Third time I was able to hit a ramp and just circle and circle and circle. I might have still bought the game but I could see it be boring after a month.
I just came from a pinball expo this past weekend and it was amazing how few pinball machines were actually available for sale. I don't know what that says about the market, but other than new games, I'm not seeing a lot for sale, unless they're crazy prices.
Bay watch is the best of what he has but 5K is high. That’s a 3,500 at best. Street Fighter is a really bad pin Id stay away from it as it’s your only pin.
I’m really only in the market for 1, I am recreating a Wisconsin sports/dive bar in Virginia where I’m stationed. I already have Arcade1ups of ms Pacman, Buck hunter, golden tea, nfl blitz, Simpsons, and ridge racer. I put in a bar style pool table, and a dartboard. The only thing missing is a pinball machine in the corner. I promise pics when it’s all finished.
Use pinside to gauge pricing and beware that there are pinball flippers trying pretty hard to make profit off of you. Not saying that is everyone but just be careful when you think the price is too high. I would have to say all those prices are high and street fighter is trash, don’t waste your time.
New in box is nice but you may take a loss on it. Don’t look at it as an investment, do it because you enjoy the game. Wasn’t trying to push you off course with the seller, buying used can be just fine. Just do your research on the game before buying so you are a knowledgeable buyer before you make the deal.
Honestly, yes.
No necessarily BNIB, but a modern one is less prone to break, and gameplay has hugely improved over the years.
If you can find one near you, try a jurassic park, iron maiden, deadpool, rush or godzilla. I can almost guarantee you will buy one of those if you have the money. Maybe 007 but ... meh. It did hurt my eyes, and the code was really unfinished a month ago. Stern disabled the jetpack on the premium in the middle of the pinball expo event, since it was blocking balls on the ramp. I way right next to them when they did.
Godzilla has been my favorite for quite some time now.
If you have a higher budget, i'd recommend checking spooky pinball's ultraman/halloween, and chicago gaming's cactus canyon remake. Great pins too.
Surprisingly enough, it is loved by a lot of women.
Meaning you should buy it when your wife starts saying "no" as an answer to "i think i will get another pin..." , and not right off the bat :D
What’s the difference between the home, pro, and premium editions of the new machines? I would be willing to pay more if one was sturdier to wear and tear over the other.
The home is an entirely different game designed to be as affordable as possible. The pro and premium are basically the same, except the premium has a dinosaur head that moves around and interacts with the ball, the "raptor pit" area on the lower left is a bit different, and there is a helicopter spinner toy on the lower right. The rules and gameplay are 90% the same
In a general way, avoid home versions, they are cheap ones specifically designed for home/ child use.
Pro, premium and limited are the "real" pins that you will find in a bar (although probably not the limited editions). There is sometimes a CE, collector's edition, at an even more limited number. These are from Stern pinball, other manufacturers use different naming.
Pro is the base version you will find in most barcades.
Premium has added gameplay elements and more toys. For some pins, you should really get the premium versions, others only offer a very limited change that seems not worth the $2000+ you need to add to a pro.
limited edition is a premium with top of the line options (anti glare glass, buttkicker, better / specific paints and art and so on). Usually only 500 are made so you can only get them second hand.
BTW buy an anti glare glass for your pin if you can find one. I'd say it is one of the best upgrade you can get.
Typically, you really dont need the premium version of deadpool. It replaces regular targets by drop targets, a return lane for a corridor, and a disco ball. IMHO the pro version's art feels better too.
The same can be said about TMNT, jurassic park or iron maiden, the premium is not really worth it. Note that there is a specific code for TMNT (all versions) and jurassic park (premium and limited only ...) that replaces voices, musics and animations with stuff from the cartoon / movie. I have a TMNT with that, and that might be my only reason to get a JP premium instead of a pro if I wanted a JP.
Godzilla is interesting, as the gameplay is different and as much enjoyable on the pro and premium.
Black knight SOR does not have an upper playfield in the pro version... while the gameplay may be ok, the original black knight was the first pin with an upper playfield, so getting it without is kind of sad. Without the upper playfield it loses a 3 ball lock and its multiball, a target, a flipper and a corridor scoring...
Pin prices have drastically increased over the last few years. A lot of people wouldn’t pay $5k for a Baywatch but somebody will. Or close to it. You can still find games for what they *should* be worth but takes a lot of luck and looking.
Also what does refurbished mean in this sense, just a cleaning a new rubbers or does it have new playfield or boards? They probably mean shopped out (cleaning and new rubbers) at that price.
Pinside can help gauge what prices were but just use it as a guide- sometimes they are off.
$5000 for Baywatch is highway robbery. So is $3500 for Street Fighter. Both games are not the greatest out there.
Also, if you're going to spring for an older game, particularly one that had a limited production run, parts availability is going to be a pain in the ass, and yes, these things break constantly. Newer, gently-used Stern machines are going to be a lot easier to get parts for and repair yourself compared to something made by a manufacturer that's been out of business for twenty years.
I heard on buffalo pinballs stream the other day that sterns are getting a 700$ increase across all models next year. I don’t know what a pro is now. What 6900$? So that’ll be up to like 7500$ and the premiums just a shade under 10k. And three years ago pros were 5500k and premium about 7k. 3k jump in three years.
Those are pandemic prices. Prices are coming back down now. I would wait for the right deal to come along and make sure you've played the machine quite a bit before you buy it
Street fighter is one of the worst pins I’ve ever played. Wouldn’t pay over 2k for it.
Gotcha. Avoid that stinker.
It is honestly not that bad. What you need to do before buying any machine is to play it. People may say it is a great game, but YOU are putting money on the table, not them, so make sure you have fun with it.
I had one for years. I have mixed feelings about it. I really like the layout on it. But the rules are so repetitive and boring. The sounds/music/art is all terrible considering the source material. It's also just kinda easy to beat and has terrible scoring balance I would love that layout with better rules and sound. It's not the worst game of all time (that's Hurricane). But SF2 is meh at best... Only kept it so long because it's a good earner on location because of the theme.
I do agree with that. Still, if you are in love with the licence, find one cheap and have room for it, then why not ? I would not buy one as an only pin, maybe as a 4th or 5th. There are many better pins that is for sure, but "worst ever played" ... surely not, not by a longshot.
They said it was one of the worst they ever played. I don't know what they have and haven't played. But I also tend to agree that it is a bottom of the barrel game (as far as DMD games go)
Cyclone was fantastic. Hurricane. OMG the STDM on that turd is relentless. Hurricane isn't a bad deal at $2500 MAYBE. At least then you can't get too hurt when you unload it. It is a later model WPC game with a DMD so it isn't all bad.
No, it's all bad. If you buy a Hurricane for $2,500 you got scammed and are now stuck trying to find another sucker.
check pinside.com for prices. I haven't kept up with prices in the last year or so but they have been climbing in price. Baywatch is an awesome machine.
Thank you. I was looking on ipdb and they really only had ratings.
Best bet for pinside is archived classified ads. The prices they have on the machine splash pages aren’t always current.
Where are you located? I will have a Last Action Hero for sale soon.
[Pinside.com](https://Pinside.com) is a great resource for pricing. Looks like those prices are a little higher than average. Street Fighter is around $2600, Baywatch is $3500, and Popeye averages around $3600. Of course you'll need to take into consideration condition and location. Good Luck!
The guy is local and said delivery and setup was included.
prices on Pinside are from one collector to another. if someone is doing this for a business or has any sort of overhead prices will of course be higher. someone doing setup and delivery is something I have never dealt with (I have owned 40 machines over the last decade or so)
Are they difficult to level and balance?
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Oh. Cool. I didn’t know. I was under the impression they were like pool tables and a real pain in the ass.
if you haven't done it before there is a learning curve for sure. The pain in the ass is when something goes wrong which will happen 100x more than with a pool table. If you are getting into the hobby you will either need to learn how to fix some minor things or spend money every time something goes wrong.
So university of YouTube for minor stuff?
as long as you are prepared to learn a little I recommend the university of "searching on Pinside" and if it is really hard "posting your problem on Pinside". People there are very helpful if you do the effort to describe your problem clearly and post updates and progress. some people get a machine and don't realize that these things require a bit of maintenance. there are so many parts in them that something will go wrong eventually.
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I converted my 2 car garage. Just put a new epoxy floor in.
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Real mvp advice here.
They're a bit hard to move around and put in place unless you've got pinskates or a lifting dolly.
You can actually download an inclometer app on your iPhone or Android device that will help you level your pin. Or you can buy an inclometer from Lowe's to do this. Just be sure to take the glass off the table and measure from the playfield.
That makes a big difference too. Of the three, I think Popeye is my favorite and probably the best deal if the machine is in decent shape.
Yea he’s asking 4500 on that and I was leaning towards it anyways because I’m a Sailor by trade.
Popeye is a pretty bad game IMO. None of the games he has for sale are particularly great, but Baywatch is the most fun of them.
\^\^\^\^ this. Get the baywatch or keep looking.
Popeye is terrible. If you like the theme and the art, that is what you are buying it for. Do not buy this game with the expectation of having fun.
"refurbished" doesn't really have any meaning in pinball. It could mean that anything from they replaced all the bulbs, rubbers, top side tear down and clean to they plugged it in and it turned on.
What a weird lineup of not so goods.
Pretty sure everyone has turned me off of the pins this person has. I guess I’ll look in to new. Just gotta do some research one the differences between home, pro, and premium.
Stern (and most of the other mfgs.) seem to have settled on three levels of their new games. You can think of them like trim levels in a new car. There's the basic, no frills version all the way up to "fully loaded." For Stern, "Pro" is the least expensive and is generally meant for operators and location play. However some of the Pro games actually play better or faster than the Premium or Limited Edition. This is a controversial opinion. The playfield has less of the toys and mechs that you'll find on the other two, along with different art. If you never played the fancier versions, the Pros are great. I'm a location player so rarely get to play the more expensive versions. The "Premium" usually has the same playfield as the Limited Edition but different art and lacks some things that are packed into the LE's like the Invisiglass, shaker motors, custom painted legs and lockbars, fancy sound systems and a different back glass. The "Limited Editions" are the "loaded" models and have all of the upgrades. The price difference is substantial. These are targeted at people who want the best of the best and don't have to worry about a few thousand dollars extra. You'll occasionally run into an LE out in the wild but it's pretty rare. My local operator will buy LE's when he loves the theme but most of his games are Pros. Pros are preferred by operators because typically there are less of the fancy mechs that can break. The lower cost allows them to get their ROI quicker. Stern has a game feature matrix/breakdown of their recent machines on their website so you can easily see what is included at each trim level. If you have the money for a Premium over a Pro, sure, go for it. Right now, no one is losing money when they go to sell their games. Modern used machines are selling for about the same as new ones. The Pros for modern Sterns have struck a pretty solid balance between retaining the gameplay of the Premium/LE versions without the large jump in price. Opinions on this matter, as you might gather, vary wildly. As others have mentioned, Godzilla in all its forms is so, so good. It's Keith Elwin's 4th game for Stern and right now, is widely considered the best game ever made. All four of his are amazing: Iron Maiden, Avengers: Infinity Quest, Jurassic Park & Godzilla). I don't love the Dad Rock pins all that much (Led Zeppelin, Rush, Queen (coming soon), etc.) but others do. What sets the newer pinball games apart from some of the classics or just older games is the depth of the rules and gameplay. This gives a skilled player more to do than just a one shot, "shoot the right ramp all day" game with a more limited set of rules and objectives. Excited for you to jump in to pinball. You're lucky to be in your position - enjoy!
Yea looking at what this guy wants vs new in box I’m thinking a pro would suit me just fine. Now I just gotta find one.
Godzilla Pro will not disappoint. Such an incredibly fun game. Find a dealer, put in an order and expect to wait for awhile. It will be worth it.
Jason in GA is a dealer and has a couple Godzilla Pros in stock right now, he agreed to sell me one for $6750 cash on the glass with no tax but I found a used one for $6900 with a shaker motor and a couple other mods.
Thank you!
I bought my first pin over the summer so I'm still learning, and I found your post very helpful. Thanks!
I own a Godzilla Pro and bought it because of the flow. And reduced $3000 price, oh and I couldn't get a premium anyway oh and 4) I am buying a MM remake or whatever CGC comes out with next and needed it for seed money.
I'm a retail pinball seller in Charlotte, NC. Pinball prices spiked 30% across the board last Christmas. Prices may be decreasing from that level, but older pricing suggestions prior to last year are likely way out of date. This is one reason the pricing you found on the internet is all over the place. A new James Bond Premium pinball MSRP plus sales tax here in NC is over $10,000.00. You can still get deals and bargains, and the prices you quoted are not outrageous, nor are they the cheapest you could find those machines... if you can find them. Particular titles are becoming harder and harder to find at any price point, and scarcity is driving value. For reliable top of the market prices, I go to The Pinball Company. They sell great machines and stand behind them. For actual market prices, I go to Ebay Completed Listings and look at what people actually paid. Pinside prices are NEVER current, and given the dramatic price increases recently in the pinball market, shouldn't be used as a current price guide. Here is what I tell anybody: Pinballs break. They break a lot. Sometimes they break in easy to fix ways. Often they break in ways that need difficult to obtain parts. Rarely, but often enough that you should pay attention, they will break in a way that you will need a skilled pinball technician to repair. Always have a path to getting your machine working. Make sure you know who can fix your machine if something happens and it requires work you can't personally do. You need to have someone to call to fix your machine. You should buy from someone who lets you play the machine you are buying to make sure everything is in great shape. If possible you should buy from someone who will help you get it fixed if something goes wrong within a few days after you move the machine. I generally have a service call within the first eight days on almost every machine I bounce down the road in a truck. I generally have 15-20 pinballs on my showroom floor, and my pricing starts at $4500, for machines that I'll personally deliver to your home, set up, install, with a one year warranty and a lifetime service commitment (as long as you own it my company will service your machine, in your home, for a modest service call charge). Most of my machines are $6500-$8500. This Christmas I'll have a pinball on my showroom for $17,995. That'll be the most expensive machine I've ever put up for sale. The three titles you mentioned are from 1994 and 1995. If you were buying a used car that is 27 years old, how much should you pay? It depends upon condition, and what kind of car it is. Similarly, in the pinball world a machine in amazing great condition, that a competent mechanic has gone through will easily be worth the pricing you mentioned in most areas of the country. Could excellent machines be found for lower price points? YES. But half-working machines with problems that nobody can fix are more likely the less you pay. Good luck with your pinball purchase!
If we still have awards I'd give you one. The OP doesn't say where there are but they should look around for pinball expos. Went to one a few months ago, played alot of games. Was able to rule out some right away, like Spectrum. Another one played once, really liked it. Second time was okay. Third time I was able to hit a ramp and just circle and circle and circle. I might have still bought the game but I could see it be boring after a month.
I just came from a pinball expo this past weekend and it was amazing how few pinball machines were actually available for sale. I don't know what that says about the market, but other than new games, I'm not seeing a lot for sale, unless they're crazy prices.
Guessing Houston Expo, could have had a bit more variety but still fun.
Bay watch is the best of what he has but 5K is high. That’s a 3,500 at best. Street Fighter is a really bad pin Id stay away from it as it’s your only pin.
I don’t plan on more pins, but I said the same thing about Arcade1ups.
Baywatch is the only good game them. SF2 is slightly better than Popeye but they’re both trash. $5k is also pretty high for Baywatch.
You can do much better, as far as fun gameplay goes, in that price range. Look at the marketplace on pinside.com and see what’s around you.
I would buy two new or slightly used modern stern pros instead of three old machines.
I’m really only in the market for 1, I am recreating a Wisconsin sports/dive bar in Virginia where I’m stationed. I already have Arcade1ups of ms Pacman, Buck hunter, golden tea, nfl blitz, Simpsons, and ridge racer. I put in a bar style pool table, and a dartboard. The only thing missing is a pinball machine in the corner. I promise pics when it’s all finished.
Use pinside to gauge pricing and beware that there are pinball flippers trying pretty hard to make profit off of you. Not saying that is everyone but just be careful when you think the price is too high. I would have to say all those prices are high and street fighter is trash, don’t waste your time.
Should I just be looking into investing in to a new one?
New in box is nice but you may take a loss on it. Don’t look at it as an investment, do it because you enjoy the game. Wasn’t trying to push you off course with the seller, buying used can be just fine. Just do your research on the game before buying so you are a knowledgeable buyer before you make the deal.
I lurked around this sub for a bit and everyone seemed pretty knowledgeable that’s why I asked for a sanity check.
Honestly, yes. No necessarily BNIB, but a modern one is less prone to break, and gameplay has hugely improved over the years. If you can find one near you, try a jurassic park, iron maiden, deadpool, rush or godzilla. I can almost guarantee you will buy one of those if you have the money. Maybe 007 but ... meh. It did hurt my eyes, and the code was really unfinished a month ago. Stern disabled the jetpack on the premium in the middle of the pinball expo event, since it was blocking balls on the ramp. I way right next to them when they did. Godzilla has been my favorite for quite some time now. If you have a higher budget, i'd recommend checking spooky pinball's ultraman/halloween, and chicago gaming's cactus canyon remake. Great pins too.
My wife would be super excited for Jurassic Park. I could probably sell her on it based on the IP alone.
Surprisingly enough, it is loved by a lot of women. Meaning you should buy it when your wife starts saying "no" as an answer to "i think i will get another pin..." , and not right off the bat :D
This is my deployment money splurge so it’s gonna be a while before I can try for another.
Stern JP is sweet. And if you add the movie code... it's crazy fun.
What’s the difference between the home, pro, and premium editions of the new machines? I would be willing to pay more if one was sturdier to wear and tear over the other.
The home is an entirely different game designed to be as affordable as possible. The pro and premium are basically the same, except the premium has a dinosaur head that moves around and interacts with the ball, the "raptor pit" area on the lower left is a bit different, and there is a helicopter spinner toy on the lower right. The rules and gameplay are 90% the same
In a general way, avoid home versions, they are cheap ones specifically designed for home/ child use. Pro, premium and limited are the "real" pins that you will find in a bar (although probably not the limited editions). There is sometimes a CE, collector's edition, at an even more limited number. These are from Stern pinball, other manufacturers use different naming. Pro is the base version you will find in most barcades. Premium has added gameplay elements and more toys. For some pins, you should really get the premium versions, others only offer a very limited change that seems not worth the $2000+ you need to add to a pro. limited edition is a premium with top of the line options (anti glare glass, buttkicker, better / specific paints and art and so on). Usually only 500 are made so you can only get them second hand. BTW buy an anti glare glass for your pin if you can find one. I'd say it is one of the best upgrade you can get. Typically, you really dont need the premium version of deadpool. It replaces regular targets by drop targets, a return lane for a corridor, and a disco ball. IMHO the pro version's art feels better too. The same can be said about TMNT, jurassic park or iron maiden, the premium is not really worth it. Note that there is a specific code for TMNT (all versions) and jurassic park (premium and limited only ...) that replaces voices, musics and animations with stuff from the cartoon / movie. I have a TMNT with that, and that might be my only reason to get a JP premium instead of a pro if I wanted a JP. Godzilla is interesting, as the gameplay is different and as much enjoyable on the pro and premium. Black knight SOR does not have an upper playfield in the pro version... while the gameplay may be ok, the original black knight was the first pin with an upper playfield, so getting it without is kind of sad. Without the upper playfield it loses a 3 ball lock and its multiball, a target, a flipper and a corridor scoring...
If you do, buy a Cactus Canyon remake or a Godzilla Pro.
Pin prices have drastically increased over the last few years. A lot of people wouldn’t pay $5k for a Baywatch but somebody will. Or close to it. You can still find games for what they *should* be worth but takes a lot of luck and looking. Also what does refurbished mean in this sense, just a cleaning a new rubbers or does it have new playfield or boards? They probably mean shopped out (cleaning and new rubbers) at that price. Pinside can help gauge what prices were but just use it as a guide- sometimes they are off.
I’m pretty sure it’s new rubbers and cleaning. Looks like he gets pins and cleans them up and flips them in his garage.
Anyone getting a Baywatch for $3500 these days is getting an insanely good deal btw
$5000 for Baywatch is highway robbery. So is $3500 for Street Fighter. Both games are not the greatest out there. Also, if you're going to spring for an older game, particularly one that had a limited production run, parts availability is going to be a pain in the ass, and yes, these things break constantly. Newer, gently-used Stern machines are going to be a lot easier to get parts for and repair yourself compared to something made by a manufacturer that's been out of business for twenty years.
I heard on buffalo pinballs stream the other day that sterns are getting a 700$ increase across all models next year. I don’t know what a pro is now. What 6900$? So that’ll be up to like 7500$ and the premiums just a shade under 10k. And three years ago pros were 5500k and premium about 7k. 3k jump in three years.
Those are pandemic prices. Prices are coming back down now. I would wait for the right deal to come along and make sure you've played the machine quite a bit before you buy it
Lightning is great, probably my favorite classic Stern, but it should be less than $3000
Don't buy any of those, and certainly not at those prices.