ps what you got for sale? 
Pinball info
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Financing pinball
- Thread starter Bobbdobalina
- Start date
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Deleted member 2463
Ian beat me to it. He wears it round the house.Go on then Neil... how much did you pay for Buzz's '69 gooch nappy?
But a sign from Mobile Launcher Platform 1 cost me more than what a JJP POTC turd goes for these days.
Jib
Site Supporter
3 or 4 plus my vpin is what I'm aiming for so hopefully you're right!
i started in 2000 with a bsd from the genuine pinball paradise for £900 that`s a keeper so from those early days would buy another pin ,play it for a few months and sell on and replace ,and repeat, as the years have gone by and earnings got better the collection has grown over the years, doubt i would have more than 2 or 3 if i was starting in the hobby now
Unfortunately prices have a habit of not coming down and with raw materials going up. Only one way things are gonna go..
I have three at the minute and I am very happy with that number (and one is Star Wars @Neil McRae
). But like Neil said, it is nice to swap them in and out for new games.I think it’s like everything in life, there are always going to be people with more money than you and this hobby is no different, in fact it’s maybe a bit worse!
I am lucky to have some disposable income and I can spend it on hobbies. But I sometimes have feelings of guilt when I look around the room and I have three games that are the same value as a nice family car (we luckily have a nice family car already).
In my opinion (for what it’s worth), as long as you have the fundamentals covered, it’s all good what you choose to spend your money on. But like others have said, I don’t think a credit card is a good idea for buying non-essential toys.
I’m definitely not sensible then - we recently moved from a place where I had room for five, and by the time we left I had nine. I think my ideal number is however many I have + 1.
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Deleted member 2463
the answer is in the audits. reset them every month and see what you are playing!
Neil.
I had 4 at one point and honestly that didn't make me happier than having just one. I tend to find I gravitate towards one machine and then occasionally play the others out of guilt. In fact I rarely even play the one. I just like knowing they're there. And it's better than money in the bank which would otherwise get frittered away on even more random stuff.
What happens with me is that I set my mind to sell a pin that I don’t play much, buy another and then play the one I was thinking of selling and realise it’s a bloody good game. That’s when they start to breed!
Jib
Site Supporter
I'll definitely be rotating machines in and out over time but I feel like 3 or 4 is a good number for me without getting silly. That's just for my situation, I'm not saying people with larger collections are silly, I think having a whole bunch is awesome! Just for me 3-4 seems a good number. The vpin also adds some variety, they're not for everyone but having only got into pinball last year it's really helped me feel like I've played more machines and work out what I like. I'd have a huge list of older games I'd want if I didn't have the vpin and some of them would have been rotated out quite quickly.I have three at the minute and I am very happy with that number (and one is Star Wars @Neil McRae
I think it’s like everything in life, there are always going to be people with more money than you and this hobby is no different, in fact it’s maybe a bit worse!
I am lucky to have some disposable income and I can spend it on hobbies. But I sometimes have feelings of guilt when I look around the room and I have three games that are the same value as a nice family car (we luckily have a nice family car already).
In my opinion (for what it’s worth), as long as you have the fundamentals covered, it’s all good what you choose to spend your money on. But like others have said, I don’t think a credit card is a good idea for buying non-essential toys.
As for affording them, I'm financing through my mid-life crisis
We've always been quite conservative with our money, saving/planning for early or at least comfortable retirement. I find it hard to balance financial reasoning sometimes, my Dad died in his 50's so I'm well aware not everyone gets to retirement age. We're now in our 40's and have become a bit less conservative with money over the last couple of years, not being crazy and still hoping for early retirement but also spending some money if it means enjoying the right now more.That’s a great outlook!I'll definitely be rotating machines in and out over time but I feel like 3 or 4 is a good number for me without getting silly. That's just for my situation, I'm not saying people with larger collections are silly, I think having a whole bunch is awesome! Just for me 3-4 seems a good number. The vpin also adds some variety, they're not for everyone but having only got into pinball last year it's really helped me feel like I've played more machines and work out what I like. I'd have a huge list of older games I'd want if I didn't have the vpin and some of them would have been rotated out quite quickly.
As for affording them, I'm financing through my mid-life crisis
Oh I know which ones I don’t play as much… but there are some which I know I’d struggle to find again, others that I have a sentimental attachment to, one my wife says I’m not allowed to sell, and three of them have been at a mates place for at least a couple of years so I don’t even know if I’ll still want them when I get them home! I also like the variety of switching between a few games when I’m playing so having a selection of machines is nice.
I’m going to have room for around 17 soon which is where I imagine things have the potential to get a bit out of hand.
Having only a full sized VPin I'd agree with much of the above - I have the choice of ~90 games (I'm pretty picky on the quality of the games I put on it) and I tend to get really into a one for a while and then move on, I often wonder if that would be the case if I had the space for the real thing..... Play it to death and then get board of it.
I do find myself gravitating to the same few though which would give me a good idea of the ones that I'd have longevity from, and obviously I'm limited to the pre-spike games (Loved JP2 at pinfest, I'd have one of those in a heartbeat)
Personally I'd keep my VPin and then have a pair of real games that I could swap in and out as I saw fit, sadly I don't have the space downstairs and 300 year old cottage stairs and floors of the same vintage were the end of my very short ownership of RFM - much as I like Pinball, I'm not moving house
I do find myself gravitating to the same few though which would give me a good idea of the ones that I'd have longevity from, and obviously I'm limited to the pre-spike games (Loved JP2 at pinfest, I'd have one of those in a heartbeat)
Personally I'd keep my VPin and then have a pair of real games that I could swap in and out as I saw fit, sadly I don't have the space downstairs and 300 year old cottage stairs and floors of the same vintage were the end of my very short ownership of RFM - much as I like Pinball, I'm not moving house
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Bobbdobalina
Site Supporter
MK 2 is a great game. Is yours in a Midway cabinet? Mines the electrocoin version.
It’s a poor man’s Street Fighter II, everyone knows that
I have the electrocoin version too, pretty much mint. I also have a Killer Instinct 2 which is the US cab. Prefer the Electrocoin to be honest
Get the hell outta here. SF2 isn't even a thing anymore. MK = Midway, Ed Boon, Steve RitchieIt’s a poor man’s Street Fighter II, everyone knows that
Sounds like someone could never get the dragon punch off……..
Haha honestly I never got into SF2. It just didn't appeal to me for some reason. MK was an entirely different story. When that thing landed it was pandemonium.
In all seriousness, both are amazing games, I just love SFII
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Bobbdobalina
Site Supporter
I’m exactly the same. SF just didn’t do it for me either graphic’s, moves , story the lot.
Mortal kombat blew me away. Used to queue up for what seemed like hours to play it at laser quest in Nottingham.
I’ve got a MK 1 as well. It’s a bit of a project as the artwork has been painted over and converted to a multicade.
Mk2 is the best in the series in my opinion but MK1 holds a the memories for me.
I've been an animator in the games industry for the last 25yrs and MK was hugely influential for me. The posing, frame timing and visceral feel is just perfect. The digitisation was way ahead of it's time, and combined with the gore and shock value it was something completely different. Even politicians couldn't stop talking about it. Even now in MK11 the animation is absolutely outstanding. Ed Boon is a bloody genius. He really is.
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Bobbdobalina
Site Supporter
100 % agree. It was a total game changer.
Since I've started buying pins my spending on everything else has reduced.
I saw a really nice BBQ the other day priced at £650.
I'd have absolutely purchased that in the past but I now consider it to be subtracting from my pin fund.
I actually think pinball has made me more frugal. I already have a bbq.... it might be rusty but it cooks just fine after a clean-up.
Let's be honest...... that Popeye LE ain't gonna buy itself.
I saw a really nice BBQ the other day priced at £650.
I'd have absolutely purchased that in the past but I now consider it to be subtracting from my pin fund.
I actually think pinball has made me more frugal. I already have a bbq.... it might be rusty but it cooks just fine after a clean-up.
Let's be honest...... that Popeye LE ain't gonna buy itself.
£650 !! Mine was £50 with original charcoal fuel (just how it should be)
. Gas is too expensive now anyway.....
According to FB memories, I bought my first pin exactly 10 years ago - Apollo13 for £1,100. I had been saving for a 6ft fish tank at the time, but on impulse bought that instead.
Since then I've had 51 games, mainly loaned, borrowed or temporarily traded.
Generally, I have sold for close to what I paid then added a bit extra to upgrade. The most I have owned outright at once is 3.
I bought my first NIB once IMdn came out and since then have had to sell to fund the next KME game.
With the sharp increase in prices recently I had to sell 2 to buy the next NIB. AIQ & JP2 for GZ. With a little extra in the pot, but it'll be a while before I can work the pot back up again to afford another without having to sell.
Fortunately there are more places which have machines available to the public or comps so you can play the majority of games without having to purchase them yourself.
Since Covid I've actually been a bit better off, as not having comps to travel to, or pubs to go to yet still working meant I was able to save a bit more. Now things have opened up more and cost of living shooting up it means time to tighten the purse strings a bit.
Since then I've had 51 games, mainly loaned, borrowed or temporarily traded.
Generally, I have sold for close to what I paid then added a bit extra to upgrade. The most I have owned outright at once is 3.
I bought my first NIB once IMdn came out and since then have had to sell to fund the next KME game.
With the sharp increase in prices recently I had to sell 2 to buy the next NIB. AIQ & JP2 for GZ. With a little extra in the pot, but it'll be a while before I can work the pot back up again to afford another without having to sell.
Fortunately there are more places which have machines available to the public or comps so you can play the majority of games without having to purchase them yourself.
Since Covid I've actually been a bit better off, as not having comps to travel to, or pubs to go to yet still working meant I was able to save a bit more. Now things have opened up more and cost of living shooting up it means time to tighten the purse strings a bit.
Started off as a kid in school selling space raiders, lucozade and cans of coke.. by the age of 12 i was selling looseys.. at 14 i was selling weed moved on to Es then by 16 i was slanging crack on the streets.
No really just spending all my money from work for years buying arcade cabs and games then past few years been getting more into pins ❤
No really just spending all my money from work for years buying arcade cabs and games then past few years been getting more into pins ❤
Like a lot of people have said, many peoples collections have been built up over a long period of time, I was late to Pinball only getting my first one just under five years ago. A Williams Indiana Jones for £2.4k. I have enjoyed getting projects and then fully refurbishing them. The advantage of that is the initial outlay is lower and if you are patient you can buy all the parts required to make the machine mint over time and therefore spread the cost.
I started off many years ago collecting retro console games and have many games in my collection worth hundreds even some sealed games worth thousands that I paid next to nothing for 20 years ago. Pinball isn't the only hobby hit with massive inflation.
I then moved into collecting and refurbishing arcade machines about 15 years ago and while the inflation has not been as bad as Pinball, prices have increased a lot over that time as the availability of machines has dropped and demand increased. As with many things timing is everything and getting things while they are cheap, before they increase in value is always the best way to accumulate anything.
I have been very fortunate that most of my purchases (Video Games, Arcade Machines, Pinball Machines) have appreciated in value over time. It does also take some sacrifices. I kept putting off replacing my car and buying Pinball Machines instead. I just kept telling myself "cars depreciated in value" (Unless you buy a classic). It's also the one thing putting me off buying a NIB Pinball as you will normally have some depreciation when you come to sell it on.
I started off many years ago collecting retro console games and have many games in my collection worth hundreds even some sealed games worth thousands that I paid next to nothing for 20 years ago. Pinball isn't the only hobby hit with massive inflation.
I then moved into collecting and refurbishing arcade machines about 15 years ago and while the inflation has not been as bad as Pinball, prices have increased a lot over that time as the availability of machines has dropped and demand increased. As with many things timing is everything and getting things while they are cheap, before they increase in value is always the best way to accumulate anything.
I have been very fortunate that most of my purchases (Video Games, Arcade Machines, Pinball Machines) have appreciated in value over time. It does also take some sacrifices. I kept putting off replacing my car and buying Pinball Machines instead. I just kept telling myself "cars depreciated in value" (Unless you buy a classic). It's also the one thing putting me off buying a NIB Pinball as you will normally have some depreciation when you come to sell it on.
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