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Iron Maiden Pinball Machine

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Takem...@aol.com

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Sep 7, 2005, 7:50:51 PM9/7/05
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I have checked out eBay for the last 2 years, this newsgroup for the
last year and have never seen an Iron Maiden for sale. Anyone know
where I can find one?

Ray

John P. Dayhuff

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 8:10:55 PM9/7/05
to
Hav'nt seen one for sale in a long time.....Great game though. Your making
a wise choice.

--
John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, MI.
(269) 979-3836

Still looking for:
E.M. Charlie Angels pinball machine,$100 finders fee.....
E.M. Mata Hari Backglass.....FOUND!!!

<Takem...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1126137051.7...@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Chris

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Sep 7, 2005, 8:27:16 PM9/7/05
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What John ISN'T telling you is that HE has one of the only known examples -
a GREAT game!!

Chris

"John P. Dayhuff" <pinh...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jkLTe.2988$su7....@newssvr24.news.prodigy.net...

pr

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 8:30:30 PM9/7/05
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I know of a couple out there in varying condition. I was looking for a
*super* fine one but never found it. : (

pr

Todd

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 11:32:15 PM9/7/05
to
I have to agree after having the pleasure to play said game at Johns
place a few times.

Todd "GravitaR"

John P. Dayhuff

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 8:43:35 PM9/7/05
to
My thoughts on that are, if you can buy one, BUY IT!! Something is better
than nothing, right? Ya gotta start somewhere's.

--
John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, MI.
(269) 979-3836

Still looking for:
E.M. Charlie Angels pinball machine,$100 finders fee.....
E.M. Mata Hari Backglass.....FOUND!!!

"pr" <ringm...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:1126139430....@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Cliffy

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 9:10:00 PM9/7/05
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Tough game to find. I think Dale Luck bought Duncan Brown's a few years
ago and he used to bring it to CA Extreme. Didn't get a chance to see if
it was there this year though. Regardless, I doubt he would sell it :(

--
Cliffy - CARGPB2
A passion for pinball!
http://www.passionforpinball.com

Mark Clayton

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Sep 7, 2005, 9:24:56 PM9/7/05
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Ray:

Got mine off eBay - July 2000...

-Mark
--
http://pinballpal.com/

<Takem...@aol.com> wrote in message news:1126137051.7...@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Koz Pinlicious

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 9:45:14 PM9/7/05
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owned one, had it a few years, sold it.

it is a OK game at best, otherwise i would have kept it. i liked the
artwork the most, but i don't keep museum pieces, so i dumped it.

there are a handful in michigan and when i had mine, i am sure we had
the highest concentration of im's in the world.

if someone really wants one, send me an e-mail with an offer an i will
forward it to a buddy who just MIGHT sell. the game is a solid 9.

as far as i know, there are only 3 left in michigan now.

Pinlicious ( ...there is no spoon.)

drago...@aol.com

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 10:01:11 PM9/7/05
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Is it the best early Stern game in your opinion ?

Never seen or played one. :(

I hear the backglass has a cool light effect behind it.

Marcel

Mark Clayton

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Sep 7, 2005, 9:56:00 PM9/7/05
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Marcel:

I haven't played them all so I can't say if Iron Maiden is the best.
The sounds are a little crude, and it lacks speech like Flight 2000
and others. It's a wide body, so the action is slower, but the awesome
backglass makes up for that:

http://arcadearchive.com/pinball/imaiden/

-Mark
--
http://pinballpal.com/

<drago...@aol.com> wrote in message news:1126144871....@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

cch...@comcast.net

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Sep 7, 2005, 10:13:10 PM9/7/05
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>http://arcadearchive.com/pinball/imaiden/

Those lower flippers need some adjustment! :)

-cody
CARGPB#4

Koz Pinlicious

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Sep 7, 2005, 10:15:50 PM9/7/05
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10. dragonbr...@aol.com Sep 7, 10:01 pm show options

Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: dragonbr...@aol.com - Find messages by this author
Date: 7 Sep 2005 19:01:11 -0700
Local: Wed, Sep 7 2005 10:01 pm
Subject: Re: Iron Maiden Pinball Machine
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Marcel
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

no, IM is not the best early stern. not even in the top 5 imho.

the backglass is really neat. the lighting effect gets old because it
CONSTANTLY pulses on and off. the background sounds get annoying and it
is just too easy of a game. again, i love the artwork, but they forgot
to put any on the cabinet ;-)

it is a really fun game to play at SOMEONE-ELSES HOME, but it just
doesn't make my top 50, hence it had to go.

extra balls and specials are too easy to light and the spot iron and
spot maiden target just makes the game too simple. i really like the
bonus time feature and adding time, but that can't carry the game. no
pop bumpers and the skill shots WASTE TOO MUCH SPACE IMHO.

anything else you wanted to know? :-)

Koz Pinlicious

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 10:19:18 PM9/7/05
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the flippers look correct to me cody :-)

remeber, it is a widebody, and if you need further proof, look at the
nails behind the flippers ;-)

Rockola

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 10:19:31 PM9/7/05
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I had been told most of those got exported to europe. Kelle*y
Penderga*st in MN has an absolute cherry Iorn Maiden, among a cast of
others ya'd kill for.

zTim

Mark Clayton

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Sep 7, 2005, 10:17:42 PM9/7/05
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zTim:

Maybe all of them went to Europe. The only manual and S/I cards that
I've seen are in German.

-Mark
--
http://pinballpal.com/

"Rockola" <fredm...@msn.com> wrote in message news:1126145971....@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

John P. Dayhuff

unread,
Sep 7, 2005, 11:01:05 PM9/7/05
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I was always told that approx. 700 were made and 500 of those went to
germany. But who knows really? My paperwork for the game is in American
though so thats one. I got my paperwork and cards from Tim Ferrante, he
owns the game as well.

--
John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, MI.
(269) 979-3836

Still looking for:
E.M. Charlie Angels pinball machine,$100 finders fee.....
E.M. Mata Hari Backglass.....FOUND!!!

"Mark Clayton" <spamus...@i87.com> wrote in message
news:abNTe.9941$x43.2...@twister.nyc.rr.com...

Fred Kemper

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Sep 7, 2005, 11:58:58 PM9/7/05
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Didn't do anything for me either.

Ugly game, too.

Another one of those: "I just don't get it" pins.....

--
Fred
TX
CARGPB#8
******************


"Koz Pinlicious" <pinli...@gmail.com> wrote

w-mor...@ti.com

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 1:23:36 AM9/8/05
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It is not even close to one of the best early Stern Games. Definitely
not top 5. Dr. Dave has a 10 example and though fun to play, I
decided not to get one. Art work is neat but so are so many older
games. The issue is money vs. gameplay. These things sell in the 2K
plus range and for game play it is a wide body , slower game. This
game was sold in Europe mainly. There are better Sterns, for example
Split Second in my opinion is a better game. I would not own that one
either. I own the top 5-6 Sterns; the rest are below, IM is probably
7-8. I have to agree with Pinlicious on this one. If I owned over
40-50 games I might buy one at the right price. Bill

Aeneas

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Sep 8, 2005, 1:27:00 AM9/8/05
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On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 03:01:05 GMT, "John P. Dayhuff"
<pinh...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

>I was always told that approx. 700 were made and 500 of those went to
>germany. But who knows really? My paperwork for the game is in American
>though so thats one. I got my paperwork and cards from Tim Ferrante, he
>owns the game as well.

Maybe the're not rare in Germany, but they are also rare in Belgium
and Netherlands, in the last 5 years I only saw one for sale and that
one could be descibed as a 'poject' :-(

Aeneas.

Rockola

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Sep 8, 2005, 8:54:13 AM9/8/05
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Yep, Germany is what I heard... The GI's at the military bases were
among the crowd eating them up. I guess it was very popular when they
came out with it, I can't figure why they didn't make alot more. When
you have a winner you should need to roll with it (I think), ie: EBD

zTim

azpinlawyer

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 10:03:32 AM9/8/05
to
Give me Lightning over IM any day, at 1/4 of the price. Or Nine Ball.
Or Meteor. Or F2K. If I wanted a widebody, I'd buy Big Game. IM
looks neat because it's rare and we pinheads love novelty. But most of
us tire of boring games pretty quickly. Sooner or later, we become
better judges of a game's long-term entertainment value. TO OURSELVES,
ONLY. I'll never be a good judge of anybody else's taste. But if you
review RGP regulars' posts, you'll see a trend: the better players
tire of the easier games. IM, IMHO, is one of those games.

Classic Arcades Inc.

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 11:21:23 AM9/8/05
to
Todd at TNT amusements has one in his showroom. Ask him, He will sell
it to you

Jeff
ClassicArcades Inc.

John P. Dayhuff

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 4:10:42 PM9/8/05
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If he does, you better be sitting down when you ask him.

--
John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, MI.
(269) 979-3836

Still looking for:
E.M. Charlie Angels pinball machine,$100 finders fee.....
E.M. Mata Hari Backglass.....FOUND!!!

"Classic Arcades Inc." <mca...@epix.net> wrote in message
news:1126192883.0...@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Koz Pinlicious

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Sep 8, 2005, 4:28:57 PM9/8/05
to
why? unless it is cherry mint it shouldn't be over $1-1.5k

the game imho is only 1k of fun even with the killer artwork. chalk up
the other dollars to the prestige of owning one. :-)

Pinlicious ( ...there is no spoon.)

seymour...@excite.com

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 4:54:31 PM9/8/05
to
he said he wanted 1000 unshopped (I think). That was when it was in
the back. Now if it's out in the showroom, it's going to be more.....

Takem...@aol.com

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 5:01:47 PM9/8/05
to
He said it was in mint condition and sold a few weeks ago for 1899.

Ray

Classic Arcades Inc.

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 5:24:03 PM9/8/05
to
WOW!

Todd is a great guy but his prices are WAY TOO HIGH! I understand
overhead but anyone who has seen the games in the back can say his
price is double what the going price is. I can't believe he got $1800+
for that Iron Maiden.
I bought a MEGA touch off him for my wife and could not get it any
cheaper then $2000+

Jeff
ClassicArcades Inc.

metallik

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 5:36:13 PM9/8/05
to
He (sold to/ripped off) a friend of mine years ago, sold him an
earthshaker with a translite 'glass' for $2000. This was maybe 6 years
ago, when ES's sold for 800ish. Nothing like preying on the newbies...

Ray Johnson - Action Pinball

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 6:10:27 PM9/8/05
to
"Classic Arcades Inc." wrote:
> WOW!
>
> Todd is a great guy but his prices are WAY TOO HIGH! I understand
> overhead but anyone who has seen the games in the back can say his
> price is double what the going price is. I can't believe he got $1800+
> for that Iron Maiden.
<snip>

Mr. Pinball 2005 price guide shows AVERAGE CONDITION VALUE on this game is
$1475.

If TNT was asking $1000 for it as-is, that sounds like a deal- who passed on
that?

If he made an investment of time, labor, parts, etc. into it and
more-or-less "shopped" it to make it better than "as-is" or better than
"average", then $1800 doesn't sound out-of-line to me- that's a few hundred
over "average" condition. May very well have warranted it, delivered it,
and set it up? Dunno.

I haven't seen the game, but someone earlier in this thread mentioned the
game was "mint condition", so sounds like it was toward the high end of the
"condition" scale, which should put it over "average" condition pricing.

Ray J.
--
Action Pinball & Amusement, LLC
Salt Lake City, Utah USA
Web: www.actionpinball.com

We're serious about pinball. Anything else is just for fun!

Todd Tuckey

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 6:12:20 PM9/8/05
to
Jeff---what goes here? You got a Megatouch Force 2004---1 year old---for
$1900---not 2000 plus in May 2005.......it was also like new....see how much
Green Coin or any other distributor would sell this for. I also sold you
two Centipede cocktails for $200 each missing the logic boards--I thought
that was an okay deal too.....The Iron Maiden was near mint and the
collector was quite pleased to get it. Todd


Classic Arcades Inc.

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 6:15:40 PM9/8/05
to
Todd,

I am not knocking you. I was just shocked the Iron Maiden went for
$1900.
Like I said in my original post. You are a great guy.

Jeff

Ray Johnson - Action Pinball

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 6:20:49 PM9/8/05
to
"metallik" wrote:
> He (sold to/ripped off) a friend of mine years ago, sold him an
> earthshaker with a translite 'glass' for $2000. This was maybe 6 years
> ago, when ES's sold for 800ish. Nothing like preying on the newbies...

Any difference in condition between the $800 model and the $2000 model
(besides the "translite")?

Maybe the guy got what he paid for? Maybe not? Can't tell from just a
price- would have to know more details about the condition of both games.
Diamondplate playfield? Flaking faded cabinet paint? Rare disappearing
Earthquake Institute building? Or not? Wear on the playfield as big as the
palm of your hand? Hacked up circuit boards? New displays? NOS ramps,
plastics? Missing parts? Not missing parts? Mint? Junk? What? It all
factors in.

A lot of heat about prices in this thead but no one has mentioned any
relation between condition and price. Why?

Not every 1990 Mercedes is worth $5000 and not everyone buys the first one
they test drive....

Todd Tuckey

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 6:52:22 PM9/8/05
to
I pulled the Iron Maiden from our warehouse and got it working for someone
on THIS newsgroup...he wanted it as-is...I told him $1000 as is
working...after two promises of coming, never showed up. Since we had it
set up and on legs and it was working, we simply shopped it out and put into
the showroom to replace the next pin that sold...it sold in 3 weeks for
$1800. The machine never was drilled for bar, had the new "sheen" on the
side art --playfield was gorgeous needing the most minor touch
up...backglasses were both almost perfect, all the boards and displays
inside were with the game since new...sorry, but I have 15 full time
employees that get pensions, a medical plan and have cars, wives and
children. Workers Comp Insurance each year is $30,000 alone. And I like to
get paid too. So with brain dead comments like this one..

"metallik" wrote:
> He (sold to/ripped off) a friend of mine years ago, sold him an
> earthshaker with a translite 'glass' for $2000. This was maybe 6 years
> ago, when ES's sold for 800ish. Nothing like preying on the newbies...

I get pissed off. Please tell me the all free games you have sent to PAPA
in Pittsburgh. (I sent an almost home use only Orbitor 1) I have donated
some 75 other machines THIS YEAR ALONE to several dozen youth groups,
churches, etc.
Earthshaker sells for $1999 currently, as does Whirlwind and others of this
vintage. And we stand behind it for 5 years---can I tell you the 3 dozen
calls a week I get from people who buy their games from collectors, ebay,
other retailers, basement dealers who REFUSE to FIX the game, or CHARGE THEM
$350 to fix it 8 months later?

You can see I sell wholesale too when we have extras...I sold Jeff of
Classic Arcades that Megatouch Force 2004 for $1900 in May--a great dealer
to dealer price---I see on this newsgroup someone is selling the same game
updated to the 2005.5 for $2800...the update kit is $499...so Jeff GOT a
good deal for this game...he also got a couple Centipede cocktails minus the
logic boards (he said he had them) for $200 each so he could shop them out
for resale. I have also sold and given away HUNDREDS of video games over
the past 3 years to collectors (as-is) from Free to $200. Pinball Machines
are harder to come by but we sometimes wholesale them (Allentown
Show--Pokerino and Meteor not working were sold for $200 each)
Cannot remain open and NOT sell retail...


metallik

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 7:04:44 PM9/8/05
to
> palm of your hand? Hacked up circuit boards? New displays? NOS ramps,
> plastics? Missing parts? Not missing parts? Mint? Junk? What? It all
> factors in.

Been years since we'd talked about it, but I remember him describing it
as a working (except for one thing they got fixed a bit later), decent
example. Average or a bit above average for the time. Not worth close
to the price, considering I got one about the same condition but with a
good backglass off ebay for $800.

metallik

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 7:08:03 PM9/8/05
to
> I get pissed off. Please tell me the all free games you have sent to PAPA
> in Pittsburgh. (I sent an almost home use only Orbitor 1) I have donated

Hey, that's great you support PAPA and all, but I still think you
ripped him off, and I'm entitled to that opinion. I see you didn't
dispute anything I said, so we'll leave it at that. I won't bring it
up again.

nomad

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 7:16:48 PM9/8/05
to
Does the guy who bought the game feel he was ripped off?

nomad

Takem...@aol.com

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Sep 8, 2005, 7:25:01 PM9/8/05
to
No offense you you retail guys, you have to make a living too. It just
seems prices are WAY more when you buy retail as opposed to eBay and
Pinball classified. Granted, eBay is a sometimes a crapshoot. I have
had very good luck in every instance, sans one. 1900 is more than what
I would pay for one. I would rather buy a game with a good PF and fix
the rest.

Ray

azpinlawyer

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 8:01:18 PM9/8/05
to
OK, OK--WAIT A MINUTE!! Don't begrudge the guy a f'ing profit! He's
retail. Remember? We on RGP usually don't buy at retail prices. But
we don't have pinball-related employees, rent, overhead, etc., either.
Does the fact that Todd's a retailer condemn him as a ripoff artist?
Of course not. Give the poor guy a break. If you want to launch a
tirade at someone for taking advantage of newbies, take aim at Dann
Frank, who got over on me big-time(as he has other people I know) when
I first got into the hobby.

Josh A.

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 8:02:07 PM9/8/05
to
metallik wrote:

> He (sold to/ripped off) a friend of mine years ago

One of the classiest things I've ever seen on RGP was Todd's apology to
Harry Williamson a few years ago, and I've had a lot of respect for him
ever since. I respect Larry's opinion, too, but not when he says that
Todd "ripped off" someone by charging too much for a pinball machine.
No one put a gun to Rep's head and said, "You must buy this ES at the
price Todd is asking." If he were an at-risk adult or senior citizen,
then maybe, but not otherwise.

The guy in Salinas who's asking $4,500 for his Fathom is nuts, IMO, but
would he be ripping off someone who actually paid him that price? Not
unless it was done under duress. A seller can ask for the moon as far
as I'm concerned, and if a buyer is willing to pay it, no one's getting
"ripped off."

Now, I have a handful of magic beans right here that I'm willing to
trade for a mint MM. Any takers?

- Josh A.

Ray Johnson - Action Pinball

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 8:59:59 PM9/8/05
to
<Takem...@aol.com> wrote:
> No offense you you retail guys, you have to make a living too. It just
> seems prices are WAY more when you buy retail as opposed to eBay and
> Pinball classified.
<snip>

It may seem that way (and overall, probably is), but there is a lot of junk
(as-is, fixxer-upper, needs work, needs parts) stuff on eBay and 'pinball
classifieds', which typically goes for less bucks. A game that needs work
is usually cheaper. A game that has been reconditioned top-to-bottom is
usually more expensive. Or at least it should be that way- there's always
"price-gouging" out there- like someone selling an unshopped game for a
shopped price. Or eBay bidders that bid more than they should on a beat-up
game, thinking they're getting one in nicer shape than it is, or thinking
it's worth more than it really is- that drives prices/values up. It works
both ways.

Despite being a retailer in this business, I consider "eBay" and "pinball
classified" to mostly be the "thrift store" of the pinball market. There's
a lot of junk out there and a lot of risk. I hear "horror stories" every
day on the phone/e-mail from people that buy stuff out there without knowing
and then call us up to bail them out. Some stuff out there goes cheap.
Some stuff gets over-bid by people that don't know better.

But occasionally there's high-end stuff out there, too. Remember the
Funhouse that sold in November of 2003 on eBay for $5,600? This was a nice
game, but wasn't absolute top-notch or fully restored/reconditioned. We did
a 75 hour detailed intricate meticulous restoration on a Funhouse in our
shop last year and sold it for $3,495 (it sold within 3 days of being put up
for sale- maybe it was underpriced?)

I could cite examples all day, but suffice it to say, retail stuff is
typically fixed-up or "shopped"- to whatever degree the seller goes to in
doing that. And naturally should be priced accordingly. Those types of
games typically have higher prices because they've been fixed up- work,
parts, labor, money have been invested into them to increase their overall
value.

Some retailers sell "as-is" stuff, too- take it home and clean it up
yourself- don't call us if it breaks, etc. But you just have to know if
you're getting a fair shake for your money- no point dropping $2k on a Judge
Dredd that has playfield wear, faded cabinet, missing the eagle on top of
backbox, stripped gears on the planet ring assembly, and has flippers so
worn out that you can't get the ball up the ramps. Use common sense. If
unsure, ask someone that knows.

> I would rather buy a game with a good PF and fix the rest.

And that's always an available option- to those that can do it, are capable,
and want to do it- it's a fun part of this hobby. I feel the same way- I
love to do it that way.

But there's a lot of people that don't know how to turn a screwdriver, let
alone open a pinball machine and lift the playfield up to see if the trough
optos are working. For those people, it's better to pay the higher price
and get a game that's already had all that work, time, labor, parts invested
into it. Something that will work well and keep going with minimal upkeep
and/or problems as time goes on. Other people may want to spend less up
front for a game that needs a little TLC, and "pay as you go"- to put money
into it in repairs as things break down and need attention, etc. You can go
either way. Like the Fram Oil Filter commercial- "You can pay me now, or
pay me later."

I feel the same way as you- I love working on my own games- fixing them up
and doing the work myself. I'm glad I can do it- took a lot of years to
learn it- a labor of love in many cases. Just have to get out there and
look for the deals and cheapies like everyone else does! ;)

Ray Johnson - Action Pinball

unread,
Sep 8, 2005, 9:08:10 PM9/8/05
to
"azpinlawyer" wrote:
> OK, OK--WAIT A MINUTE!! Don't begrudge the guy a f'ing profit! He's
> retail. Remember? We on RGP usually don't buy at retail prices. But
> we don't have pinball-related employees, rent, overhead, etc., either.
<snip>

I think we should also realize that everyone that wants to own a pinball
machine isn't a "hobbiest", "collector", etc. Some people don't know how to
operate a wrench, but love pinball. For these people, it's more fitting to
buy a machine that's been fully reconditioned and doesn't "need work"-
something that will be more reliable and maybe even carry a warranty, have
delivery/setup included, and someone they can call to help or service/repair
the machine if it needs it.

Not everyone that owns a computer is a programmer... ;)

Dr. Dave

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 12:25:23 AM9/9/05
to
Making a pinball machine look and play like new takes a LOT of time and
effort. MUCH more time & effort than your typical ebay retailer would
be willing tp spend I can assure you. Once my pins are ready for
sale, they sell for at the $1,500 to $3,200 range and these are late
70's to early 80's Bally and Stern pins. Great to have a retailer
stand behind their work too. The customer should expect that anyway
considering the big money that they fork up.


DR

pinballdoctor.com

gru...@yahoo.com

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 6:48:33 AM9/9/05
to

Hey,
Good for Todd. The Iron Maiden was fair game. It's a collector's
market. If the games are rare and someone wants it, they'll pay the
price just like anyone. I guess someone really wanted it. How many
times do you sell games for less than what you expected to sell it for
but you're happy anyway. Sometimes getting the higher prices balances
off the lower prices.
John

seymour...@excite.com

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 7:17:04 AM9/9/05
to
>Not worth close
>to the price, considering I got one about the same condition but with a
>good backglass off ebay for $800.

OK, so because you got a "good deal" from ebay means that everyone
should sell their ES's for $800?

Hey, Eight Ball Deluxes according to auction results via google search
from years ago went for $50 at auction all the time - those people
asking $1100 and up for their are totally nuts. They should sell it to
me for the $50 that the auction is worth.

It's just a matter of perspective. $2000 and warrenties/fixing/service
plans - that's Todd's market. Why didn't you stop your friend from
buying the ES for $2k and tell him it was a bad deal at the time? I
think Todd gives 30 day money back doesn't he?

metallik

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 8:46:29 AM9/9/05
to
> ever since. I respect Larry's opinion, too, but not when he says that
> Todd "ripped off" someone by charging too much for a pinball machine.
> No one put a gun to Rep's head and said, "You must buy this ES at the
> price Todd is asking." If he were an at-risk adult or senior citizen,
> then maybe, but not otherwise.

No, but I would feel differently if Todd had explained 'this model
normally comes with a glass, but this particular one has a translite
replacement instead.' Oh, but Todd would say that the average retail
buyer doesn't care about things like that... well, this buyer did
after he found out what he had (or should have had). Hence the preying
on newbies comment. I don't like dishonesty, and IMHO that was too
major a flaw to not disclose.

metallik

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 8:48:54 AM9/9/05
to
> tirade at someone for taking advantage of newbies, take aim at Dann
> Frank, who got over on me big-time(as he has other people I know) when
> I first got into the hobby.

See other post about full disclosure. I think the replacement
translite should have been noted, especially considering the price.
Apparently 'retail' works differently than I expect.

MitchelWB

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 11:37:39 AM9/9/05
to
Why is the fact that it had a translite so horrible? I understand that
a glass is what was in it originally. But would he have been happier
to have gotten a beat up original glass than a nice looking translite?
I honestly could care less if a game has a translite vs a screened
glass in it myself, but I understand that there are those that probably
would care about it. I just don't get how this is such a sticking
point. (mirrored glasses aside)

Never having met Todd, I'd guess that if he'd been asked about the
translite, he wouldn't have hesitated to tell the guy that it was a
translite and that originally it had been a screened glass. To me,
it's not necessarily about HOW the product was made, or what material
it's made on, as long as the net effect is that it looks as good as it
can, and functions as well or better than the original. And in the
case of a translite vs a glass... how much functionality difference is
there?

MitchelWB

seymour...@excite.com

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 11:41:09 AM9/9/05
to
actually yes I do agree with you on the translite issue. That should
be disclosed especially if it looks like ass. (which it would on an ES
because of the lack of mirroring)

seymour...@excite.com

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 11:42:59 AM9/9/05
to
That's a legit beef because Earthshaker IS mirrored (the sunglasses are
mirrors too, cool effect).

MitchelWB

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 11:53:36 AM9/9/05
to
Doh!

Yup, time to string Tuckey up by his toes then! :)

MitchelWB

Lloyd Olson

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 1:03:44 PM9/9/05
to
Did your friend ever approach Todd after the fact about the translite when
he found out ? Todd's a good man, I would think he'd do something about it.
I wouldn't expect it a couple years later, but at the time back when the
buyer first found out. For an expensive purchase, your friend should have
done his homework too. LTG :)

"metallik" <lsc...@dlptech.com> wrote in message
news:1126269989.2...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...

metallik

unread,
Sep 9, 2005, 1:31:22 PM9/9/05
to
Yeah, he knows better now and will do his homework :) I don't know
exactly how long after the purchase that we discussed it, but it'd been
at least some months, maybe half a year. I do not know if he brought it
up with Todd at all, but I don't think so. It was assumed that since
no mention was made of it in the first place, we'd just get the ol'
"You saw what you bought and bought what you saw" spiel, which is
somewhat true - do your homework. Still seems slimy to me.

If it weren't for the glass, I would have just chalked it up as another
typical overpriced retail sale, but to sell for that much with the
glass missing, and not mention it, is a bit extreme to me.

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