Best of the Fest

[Tilt_Birmingham]

Big Lebowski has been great for years so not really a new machine

Scooby Doo was played well and looked fantastic

Loved @myPinballs Ultraman also

My highlight was @Ant-H Addams, that machine was a thing of beauty! @CHRIS B PINBALLS takes it to another level but Ant takes it that mm over lol

Another highlight was the minty Sopranos if Keith hadn't brought it first i would have! However i did Boss twice and left him with a 550m GC to chase down

 

[cmrl9]

Big Lebowski has been great for years so not really a new machine

Scooby Doo was played well and looked fantastic

Loved @myPinballs Ultraman also

My highlight was @Ant-H Addams, that machine was a thing of beauty! @CHRIS B PINBALLS takes it to another level but Ant takes it that mm over lol

Another highlight was the minty Sopranos if Keith hadn't brought it first i would have! However i did Boss twice and left him with a 550m GC to chase down

I'm glad Keith did as I'm looking forward to playing it regularly i definitely won't beat that, although I've just cleared most of his his K of my Ghostbusters only for my American friend this weekend to put probably an unbeatable score of nearly 10 billion f#####

 

[AlanJ]

I loved Spinal tap, except the orbit shots go sdtm too often. not sure if you can adjust the ball guides to stop it?

 

[Gonzo]

I was lucky enough to have that very same Sopranos here until 2 weeks ago (thanks Jon).

It's an absolute cracker of a game. One of those titles that I expected nothing from so I was really surprised.

Honestly one of the most fun games I've ever played.

 

[cmrl9]

I was lucky enough to have that very same Sopranos here until 2 weeks ago (thanks Jon).

It's an absolute cracker of a game. One of those titles that I expected nothing from so I was really surprised.

Honestly one of the most fun games I've ever played.

Nice!

I've played it alot in an arcade in Tottenham court road, one of the few on site that I've got to the wizard mode on, Elvis, LOTR and this. (Outside of a home environment) although all had UK skill posts so for everyone else it doesn't count

Went to buy one as my first game and then remembered the s###t kicking pop bumbers, the stripper behind the curtain and the organism moaning multiball, the wife only words where "you can explain all that to the 5 year old".

For me it was part of stern golden run from that era, although Simpsons pinball party doesn't really play that well now.

 

[cmrl9]

Obviously after trying to buy you sttng first

 

[ailsaclunie]

My favourite was the James
Bond that was in the open . Only layer that and foo fighters. I asked why there was all these aliens as I am that stupid - I didn’t realise that foo fighters were named after ufo fighters from the 60’s . Every day is a school day
But James Bond has the best gadgets - yes even the rocket

 

[Wayne J]

I'm discounting Foo for this mini review, as Stern machines are generally robust tried and tested and end up with complete code.

I managed to get a game on Magic Girl, Spinal Tap, Lebowski, Scooby, all with other players and Ultraman on my own.

The only game I/we could figure out what needed to be done by looking at the playfield or watching others play was Lebowski. Ultraman it was easy enough to figure out multiball, but little else.

The only games I didn't see broken/switched off where Spinal Tap or Ultraman, although Lebowski was only off for a short period.

I didn't hear anyone have a positive thing to say about Spinal Tap. The screen would tell you to shoot something, you did and nothing happened. There were no 'stisfying' shots - it had the sme kind of feel as Thunderbirds - which isn't a good thing. If Homepins' next release is in a similar vein it could be the end of them. By that I mean that even if you were to to play a game sight unseen for the first time with no manufacturers label on you could identify if it was a Stern, JJP, Spooky, Williams, Gottleib, etc just from their feel, design and the way they play and we all have our favourites - I doubt anybody prefers Homepin?

Magic Girl had such a retro feel sounding and looking like a cross between Totan, CV, ToM even a bit of TZ with the magna flip. But for me it just didn't seem to work.

Ultraman had some interesting shots, but the major drawback was the way the ball was returned from the inlane under the slingshot plastic. Initially the flippers flip to let you know that's where the ball is going to come from, later there is a light cue (there may also be an audio cue - but in the hall you couldn't hear anything) the problem comes when you get to multiball as you can't keep track of everything and I lost most of the balls by them just running off the flipper while I was concentrating on balls higher up the playfield. I'd definitely like to get some more time on one in a home environment.

Scooby was just irritating - the way the ball goes under the upper playfield for ALL of the shots and you lose track of it is such a frustration, the upper playfield itself was uninspiring as well. It seemed everything was lit almost all of the time, but you didn't seem to be making any progress towards anything. It certainly wasn't intuitive to play at all.

Lebowski was great to play - it felt intuitive, from where the shots led, how to make progress towards Mb and modes to the way the machine looked and let you know which shots to make. Without doubt th only one I'd consider buying.

 

[steve brum]

thanks for a great event everyone.

got my mojo back a little. Even had a sneaky go on my Nemesis: Harlem Gobstoppers

Both the Addams were a joy to behold.

Touch base with one of my secret pleasures, Surfin Safari

Top 3?
Mystery Castle - could have had one for free NIB back in the day - pratt! Kudos to James for bringing it
Diner - great example , should have kept one but my brain says it and Taxi are TOO similar
Ghostbusters - still not sold on the game completely but the one at the show was superb

was thinking how in 10 years we have gone from orange displays to the raft of colour we have now. A game with a standard DMD looked out of place!

 

[McFly88]

Scooby was just irritating - the way the ball goes under the upper playfield for ALL of the shots and you lose track of it is such a frustration, the upper playfield itself was uninspiring as well. It seemed everything was lit almost all of the time, but you didn't seem to be making any progress towards anything. It certainly wasn't intuitive to play at all.

This is exactly how I felt about Scooby. I put a few games in on the machine and just didn't like losing track of the ball for every shot. After I think 5 or 6 games I still couldn't quickly figure out what shot was needed other than the Mystery Machine I have no idea if I was progressing modes either.

TBL was an amazing game though. It looks amazing, and the rug it was on topped it off ha! I really enjoyed the gameplay, but I think it's the type of game that is best served in a home environment to make the most of the audio/video.

Ultraman was great with the only issue being the frustrating inline thing where the ball just appears out of nowhere. I lost balls to that more than anything else. I am sure its something that you grow to expect over time though. Would be interested in trying Halloween given the rule differences etc.

Foo's... Well, I own one and love it so a little biased. The pro is a solid machine but it does miss a lot when compared to the Prem.

My Top 3:
TBL
Mystery Castle
James Bond


Notable mentions...
Goldeneye - loved it, again... I really need to find one at a good price!
Tales from the crypt - wouldn't mind owning one of these too!
Twister
Sopranos


My non-pinball friend who joined me this year. He hasn't even played my Foo's yet lol. He listed his top 5 on the way back up the road.
Sopranos
Spider-Man
TBL
Alien
Foo Fighters - He said he dropped about £30 into the prem before the main hall opened on Friday lol

 

[Deleted member 5505]

Lebowski (Leah remarked that it ramped up her excitement for when PF arrives, a fun game with cool movie quotes & full models under the glass rather than flat plastics)

Tx-Sector The sound package is just awesome, I could rip the spinners all day to just hear the FX and pop-bumpers.

Ultra-Man Can't wait to play a Halloween after having some fun on this.

This is the part where I eat my words, below is a quote from myself on another thread a few months ago

As a relative newcomer I feel quite fortunate that I have zero desire for any* of the current modern (LCD) era Stern's so don't have to wrestle with the pro, prem, LE feature fomo.
With the exception of AiQ (which shoots nicely) and EHOH (quirky and kooky fun) I can honestly say playing the rest have been very underwhelming experiences. In the case of Deadpool and especially Godzilla (as I am a big fan of both themes) I feel like I'm not in the cool gang to be so dismissive and nonchalant toward their "greatness"/"goatness". My wife shares the same opinion, but she also thinks AiQ and EHOH are turds too.

*Not yet played a LZ, JB (probably never will as the artwork makes me wanna tear my eyes out) or FF unsurprisingly.

James Bond Prem - Awesome, Mr Gomez! I finally get it. Absolutely loved the shots, the flow, the wireforms and especially the drama of the sound FX. If the art package wasn't so underwhelming, I'd be having a serious think right now. Thanks to @CHRIS B PINBALLS for bringing this along, and my apologies for running after you when the ball trapped on the wireform eject leaving the DB5, only for it to have released itself

 

[David_Vi]

something smelly in the classics.

Soz, Black Hole coil got very very hot and killed itself

The only games I didn't see broken/switched off where Spinal Tap or Ultraman, although Lebowski was only off for a short period.

Ultraman was off at some point as I remember walking past and thinking it can't be broken already?

Diner - great example , should have kept one but my brain says it and Taxi are TOO similar

Thanking you!
They are very similar, @Spandangler owns both in a small collection and has no intention to sell either !
I think taxi is only slightly better

 

[Fantazia2]

I'm discounting Foo for this mini review, as Stern machines are generally robust tried and tested and end up with complete code.

I managed to get a game on Magic Girl, Spinal Tap, Lebowski, Scooby, all with other players and Ultraman on my own.

The only game I/we could figure out what needed to be done by looking at the playfield or watching others play was Lebowski. Ultraman it was easy enough to figure out multiball, but little else.

The only games I didn't see broken/switched off where Spinal Tap or Ultraman, although Lebowski was only off for a short period.

I didn't hear anyone have a positive thing to say about Spinal Tap. The screen would tell you to shoot something, you did and nothing happened. There were no 'stisfying' shots - it had the sme kind of feel as Thunderbirds - which isn't a good thing. If Homepins' next release is in a similar vein it could be the end of them. By that I mean that even if you were to to play a game sight unseen for the first time with no manufacturers label on you could identify if it was a Stern, JJP, Spooky, Williams, Gottleib, etc just from their feel, design and the way they play and we all have our favourites - I doubt anybody prefers Homepin?

Magic Girl had such a retro feel sounding and looking like a cross between Totan, CV, ToM even a bit of TZ with the magna flip. But for me it just didn't seem to work.

Ultraman had some interesting shots, but the major drawback was the way the ball was returned from the inlane under the slingshot plastic. Initially the flippers flip to let you know that's where the ball is going to come from, later there is a light cue (there may also be an audio cue - but in the hall you couldn't hear anything) the problem comes when you get to multiball as you can't keep track of everything and I lost most of the balls by them just running off the flipper while I was concentrating on balls higher up the playfield. I'd definitely like to get some more time on one in a home environment.

Scooby was just irritating - the way the ball goes under the upper playfield for ALL of the shots and you lose track of it is such a frustration, the upper playfield itself was uninspiring as well. It seemed everything was lit almost all of the time, but you didn't seem to be making any progress towards anything. It certainly wasn't intuitive to play at all.

Lebowski was great to play - it felt intuitive, from where the shots led, how to make progress towards Mb and modes to the way the machine looked and let you know which shots to make. Without doubt th only one I'd consider buying.

I had the same thoughts for Scooby Doo initially, but eventually got the hang of where the ball was going to come from for each orbit under the upper playfield, only one that was an issue after that was the center shot that gets the ball to the upper play field as it seems to take a long time to return the ball to the lower playfield if it doesnt make it all the way up.

For not knowing which shots to take as everything is lit, I noticed for at least one of the modes I was playing all the shots are lit the same colour (Blue I think) and on the screen it said red shots are wrong and green shots are correct so you had to hit every shot for the light to change colour very briefly when you make the shot to show if it was the right or wrong one and then you have to remember which ones youve already hit to "search" for the correct shots.

Spinal Tap was turned off at some point on the Sunday and I dont think it came back on.

 

[J85M]

Glad some of you got time on Scooby, it was off pretty much the entire time I was there Saturday and Sunday.

 

[myPinballs]

Magic Girl had such a retro feel sounding and looking like a cross between Totan, CV, ToM even a bit of TZ with the magna flip. But for me it just didn't seem to work.

Designed and programmed to feel like a wpc-95 game. Rule sheet is available if you want to read 7 pages lol

When you say didn't work, what are you meaning? The theme/idea, or some mechanical issue? We had a few minor ball hang ups over the 3 days and 1 simple spinner mech problem (solved by some lock tight)

 

[Tilt_Birmingham]

Glad some of you got time on Scooby, it was off pretty much the entire time I was there Saturday and Sunday.

What I take away from Pinfest is for the first time I'd consider buying a Spooky

Where they are as a company is impressive, give them another 4 or 5 years and they will be killing it

 

[Calimori]

Scooby was a shame as it seemed to be fully working apart from the ball not plunging. We gave it a rest or two and it would start to fire again but very quickly get weak but keep trying. I spoke to @CHRIS B PINBALLS on Saturday and he said he would try to do a solenoid switch-a-roo Sunday morning but I don't know if that happened. I turned it off at the plug so it wasn't left trying to plunge.

 

[VeeMonroe]

I loved Spinal tap, except the orbit shots go sdtm too often. not sure if you can adjust the ball guides to stop it?

My balls went SDTM from the plunge three times. I thought it was my bad play. Then, someone else played and got a SDTM from the plunge on the second ball. By this time, me and the two strangers in our three-player game were howling with laughter

We spent the rest of the game shouting helpful suggestions as to what the Goes Up To 11 insert might be representing and what 'pod' was on the playfield (rather than the film). Feeling cheated by my 100% SDTM game, I played it twice more. At this point, I started suspecting the middle ramp was unmakeable. I've since read reviews saying the middle ramp shot is unmakeable. Geometrically-speaking, that did make sense - I kept looking for a third flipper.

Still no idea what I should have been doing... As I write reviews on Pinside, I wrote a lengthy review.

 

[Deleted member 5505]

At this point, I started suspecting the middle ramp was unmakeable. I've since read reviews saying the middle ramp shot is unmakeable.

It was early on Friday, the SDTM from the right orbit wasn't occurring until Sat/Sun so I suspect it may have been a levelling issue that developed (It is a squishy carpet with 300lbs spread over 4 feet)
David Retro told me he's played about 30 games on it, he's opened the Pod once which requires this ramp shot multiple times.

 

[VeeMonroe]

It was early on Friday, the SDTM from the right orbit wasn't occurring until Sat/Sun so I suspect it may have been a levelling issue that developed (It is a squishy carpet with 300lbs spread over 4 feet)
David Retro told me he's played about 30 games on it, he's opened the Pod once which requires this ramp shot multiple times.

All I can say is what I saw, unfortunately. There was a SDTM from the orbit on plunge - our group on Saturday had to reliably soft plunge to avoid losing the ball (and, even then, it wasn't a cert). I was in a three-player game with another player who was much better than me, and got much better points, and I don't recall seeing him make the middle ramp shot either. However, I wasn't staring unblinkingly over his shoulder like a weirdo, so it's possible I missed one

I personally enjoyed Spinal Tap less than Thunderbirds, largely because it felt less ambitious in terms of the gameplay and layout. I think, if the middle ramp shot is makable, that it's on par for Super Hoop for fans of the movie and should be priced accordingly, although the build quality looks less professional than Super Hoop and it's less clear what to do from the card/lighting/layout. However, I have definitely rated pins worse than both Thunderbirds and Spinal Tap.

 

[Deleted member 5505]

I was in a three-player game with another player who was much better than me, and got much better points, and I don't recall seeing him make the middle ramp shot either.

No doubt, but it was still Saturday. On Friday early evening I played it and the ramp was difficult but I made it a couple of times in my first game, and the ball didn't go straight down the middle therefore I think something changed with the levelling of the cabinet or playfield. I played it again Saturday and Sunday, I had multiple SDTM.

 

[myPinballs]

Ultraman was off at some point as I remember walking past and thinking it can't be broken already?

Only time I had to look at it was once to fix the 3 bank drop target, as the reset plate prong on one side forced itself through the drop target slide slot. 2 min fix then back in action. Don't remember any other issues or it being off before or after that

Also on the inlane feeders. They are not that hard to remember after maybe 10 games etc. You kind of learn when a ball will reappear to based on your knowledge of subways etc Like most games takes some time to learn stuff on it and that's half the fun I always think

 

[Buddinblack]

Scooby Doo was off every time I passed it. Spinal tap had multiple issues (not including the unhitable ramp shot). Foo fighters is a great game but very intense, labowski is my favourite.

I beg your pardon I made that ramp shot! Granted it deflected off a stand up target but I made it! I really should have got one of cols trophy’s for making it. I bet it was the only completed ramp all weekend. Spinal Tap looks good as well but it plays like a **** sandwich!

 

[Fantazia2]

Only time I had to look at it was once to fix the 3 bank drop target, as the reset plate prong on one side forced itself through the drop target slide slot. 2 min fix then back in action. Don't remember any other issues or it being off before or after that

Also on the inlane feeders. They are not that hard to remember after maybe 10 games etc. You kind of learn when a ball will reappear to based on your knowledge of subways etc Like most games takes some time to learn stuff on it and that's half the fun I always think

I must be about 8 games away from remembering it, had a couple of goes and was looking forward to the game and found that part a bit of a let down, as felt like I was robbed of a ball.

I suppose its better than a scoop that sends it SDTM once youve gotten used to it, the same must apply to Halloween and not sure Ive seen any mention of it before, it certainly doesnt ring any bells.

Will hopefully get another chance in the future to have another few goes.

 

[Wayne J]

Designed and programmed to feel like a wpc-95 game. Rule sheet is available if you want to read 7 pages lol

When you say didn't work, what are you meaning? The theme/idea, or some mechanical issue? We had a few minor ball hang ups over the 3 days and 1 simple spinner mech problem (solved by some lock tight)

By not work, I meant it didn't gel together - for me. I'm not a lover of CV or Totan either, so I'm clearly not the target audience.

As for mechanically not working, I was in a group playing when the horizontal lamp spinner fell off (it happens not a biggie), which I guess what you lock tighted.

In addition the centre suspended vertical spinner wasn't returning to vertical a lot of the time so the ball went under it instead of hitting it, probably just needed a bit of lube or the arm bending slightly to balance, again easily fixed. It was a bit frustrating hitting the ball in that direction and it going under the spinner, not sure whether spinner hits are important in the game?

 

[M4carp]

I must be about 8 games away from remembering it, had a couple of goes and was looking forward to the game and found that part a bit of a let down, as felt like I was robbed of a ball.

I suppose its better than a scoop that sends it SDTM once youve gotten used to it, the same must apply to Halloween and not sure Ive seen any mention of it before, it certainly doesnt ring any bells.

Will hopefully get another chance in the future to have another few goes.

On Halloween it’s a godsend during mb as you can send balls into the subways which gives you a bit of time to do other things like go up to the top and get over the bridge etc. You just get used to the sound/flash it makes when the ball gets lifted into the inlane, but yeah most people never see it coming and really funny to see the look on their faces.

 

[GezTheHealer]

My favourite was Lebowski, though I’d played it before at PBR, got a longer go on and it and it feels like a Bally/Williams, though the music/atmosphere is chilled. It’s fun & made me laugh with the movie quotes. Seems deep enough and comes across as a very polished product. Know the film quite well and they’ve cut up some of the quotes on call-outs but still, fancy one - perhaps some years down the line as it’ll take a while to save up for & sell a few machines for.

Foo fighters is great fun too. Can’t fault it.

Magic Girl is very pretty. Fun just trying to work out where all the ramps go/how the upper playfield works.

Didn’t get to play ultraman or scooby-doo. Spinal tap - wanted to like it.

 

[Homepin]

I loved Spinal tap, except the orbit shots go sdtm too often. not sure if you can adjust the ball guides to stop it?

Yes, the lane 'fences' on both sides are adjustable (see pic). We don't adjust them in the factory but leave that to individual owners to set to their own preferences. There are many other things that we 'test' but leave final tweaking to the eventual owners. I doubt any of these adjustments were made to the machine on display at Pinfest.

Glad to hear the machine continued to work all weekend.

 

[Buddinblack]

Yes, the lane 'fences' on both sides are adjustable (see pic). We don't adjust them in the factory but leave that to individual owners to set to their own preferences. There are many other things that we 'test' but leave final tweaking to the eventual owners. I doubt any of these adjustments were made to the machine on display at Pinfest.

Glad to hear the machine continued to work all weekend.

Are there adjustments to the ramps one of the ramps (the inner ramp on the left hand side if memory serves) was unmakeable all weekend. Cheers Alan

 

[Homepin]

Are there adjustments to the ramps one of the ramps (the inner ramp on the left hand side if memory serves) was unnameable all weekend. Cheers Alan

No adjustment on the ramps. The inner one is a little tight but I can make it 3 out of 5 tries and I'm a hopeless player. It would be pretty boring if every shot in the game was easy.