What's new
By:
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

New members - say hello right here : )

There was a Tomcat on the pier at Skeggy in 1987. What a game in those days

League meeting at my house nr Newark this Sunday. Practice 12.00, lunch 13.00, league at 14.00. Might be the closest one to you. 5 quid or so for 5h pinball and lunch thrown in.

UK Pinball League - Home

Page description
www.pinballleague.uk www.pinballleague.uk
 
Maxeh said:
Hello everyone, I'm Max from near the infamous Skeggy. Naturally I played a lot in the local arcades as a youth, sadly a very long time ago! I'm approaching the big five oh and getting a bit old for my superbike hobby, so I'm ready to make a start on my pin collection. I've been looking at machines on Ebay/FB and aside from being astounded by the prices these days I thought i'd weigh up delivery options, with this I had the fortune to speak to Martin at Retro Logistics, lovely guy who pointed me in the direction of this forum!

Favourites were/are White Water, LW3, STNG and of course, Adams Family. Played countless others but these are the ones I dream of owning! 🙏
Click to expand...
Welcome.

You been in Skeggy long? I left around 1998ish, but spent a good 10years hanging around in Coinsville, Copperama, Flamingo, Harris, John Lings, Tower, Lucky Strike, Plaza, Oasis, Funland, Pier, plus various other more seasonal arcades around the fair and multiple trips up to Ingoldmells in the Summer.

Martin is a legend.
 
Last edited:
Monkeyboypaul said:
Welcome.

You been in Skeggy long? I left around 1998ish, but spent a good 10years hanging around in Coinsville, Copperama, Flamingo, Harris, John Lings, Tower, Lucky Strike, Plaza, Oasis, Pier, plus various other more seasonal arcades around the fair and multiple trips up to Ingoldmells in the Summer.

Martin is a legend.
Click to expand...
Hey Paul, yeah I’ve been here since ‘87 but discovered pinball in 90 and played until around 97. Mate of mine worked in Copperama so I had many hours on Adam’s Family in there at no charge.
I’m actually seven miles up the road in sunny Chapel, so Robin Hood/Millers were the regular hangouts for me.. I’ll be tapping up all the old arcade folks I know this year and seeing if I can make a start on the collection, would really love a White Water so I’m aiming for a nice example of that first if possible.

Seems like a really solid, friendly bunch here.. glad I found it - eventually! 👍🏼
 
Last edited:
Maxeh said:
Hello everyone, I'm Max from near the infamous Skeggy. Naturally I played a lot in the local arcades as a youth, sadly a very long time ago! I'm approaching the big five oh and getting a bit old for my superbike hobby, so I'm ready to make a start on my pin collection. I've been looking at machines on Ebay/FB and aside from being astounded by the prices these days I thought i'd weigh up delivery options, with this I had the fortune to speak to Martin at Retro Logistics, lovely guy who pointed me in the direction of this forum!

Favourites were/are White Water, LW3, STNG and of course, Adams Family. Played countless others but these are the ones I dream of owning! 🙏
Click to expand...

Welcome to the front line of pinball soldier 😎

Good taste in games - the era of games I played a lot on site back in the day , have owned all of those and you can’t go wrong with any of them .
 
  • Like
Reactions: Max
DRD said:
There was a Tomcat on the pier at Skeggy in 1987. What a game in those days

League meeting at my house nr Newark this Sunday. Practice 12.00, lunch 13.00, league at 14.00. Might be the closest one to you. 5 quid or so for 5h pinball and lunch thrown in.

UK Pinball League - Home

Page description
www.pinballleague.uk www.pinballleague.uk
Click to expand...
DRD said:
There was a Tomcat on the pier at Skeggy in 1987. What a game in those days

League meeting at my house nr Newark this Sunday. Practice 12.00, lunch 13.00, league at 14.00. Might be the closest one to you. 5 quid or so for 5h pinball and lunch thrown in.

UK Pinball League - Home

Page description
www.pinballleague.uk www.pinballleague.uk
Click to expand...
Wow, old school. I don’t recall that one, I think the first I played were Pool Sharks and Game Show, both were in funland I believe.. it was at the pier end of the sea front anyway.

Really appreciate the league invite that sounds awesome, thank you. I won’t have time in the next few weeks but once the weather improves and work quietens down a bit I may well chip over and partake, although I’m sure I’ll be pretty terrible these days! 🤦🏻‍♂️ Thanks again
 
Maxeh said:
would really love a White Water so I’m aiming for a nice example of that first if possible.
Click to expand...
There's one for sale in Norwich posted not too long ago:

Sold - WH20 .NOW £4000!!!

Hi all , I've reluctantly decided to sell my whitewater as i should be having a incoming soon. It is in overall good condition and had a lot of work done by its previous owner. THE GOOD. PIN2DMD. NEW DECALS . FLIPPER MECHS. REPLACED . ALL LEDS. BOARDS ALL GONE OVER (NEW BRIDGE...
www.pinballinfo.com www.pinballinfo.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: Max
Maxeh said:
Hello everyone, I'm Max from near the infamous Skeggy. Naturally I played a lot in the local arcades as a youth, sadly a very long time ago! I'm approaching the big five oh and getting a bit old for my superbike hobby, so I'm ready to make a start on my pin collection. I've been looking at machines on Ebay/FB and aside from being astounded by the prices these days I thought i'd weigh up delivery options, with this I had the fortune to speak to Martin at Retro Logistics, lovely guy who pointed me in the direction of this forum!

Favourites were/are White Water, LW3, STNG and of course, Adams Family. Played countless others but these are the ones I dream of owning! 🙏
Click to expand...
If you're free Sunday, maybe come to the league meet. It's your closest one

22 Jan 2023 - Midlands Meeting 1

The league is at my pinshed again. Usual format: Practice at 12.00. Lunch around 13.00. League starts 14.00. Games selected from: Addams Family Banzai Run Centaur Fathom Fish Tales Paragon Scared Stiff Space Station Transporter the Rescue (quite a rare title) Twilight Zone Whirlwind PM me...
www.pinballinfo.com www.pinballinfo.com
 
Maxeh said:
Hello everyone, I'm Max from near the infamous Skeggy. Naturally I played a lot in the local arcades as a youth, sadly a very long time ago! I'm approaching the big five oh and getting a bit old for my superbike hobby, so I'm ready to make a start on my pin collection. I've been looking at machines on Ebay/FB and aside from being astounded by the prices these days I thought i'd weigh up delivery options, with this I had the fortune to speak to Martin at Retro Logistics, lovely guy who pointed me in the direction of this forum!

Favourites were/are White Water, LW3, STNG and of course, Adams Family. Played countless others but these are the ones I dream of owning! 🙏
Click to expand...
Hiya!
I too played the pinballs at Skeg when visiting my sister living in Louth - playing them got my son hooked also...so Skeg has a lot to answer for - we now own GnR, Shadow, Transformers & High Roller Casino...I would go for more but the wife is not keen....good luck with your hunt for your own machine
 
  • Like
Reactions: Max
Fubar said:
There's one for sale in Norwich posted not too long ago:

Sold - WH20 .NOW £4000!!!

Hi all , I've reluctantly decided to sell my whitewater as i should be having a incoming soon. It is in overall good condition and had a lot of work done by its previous owner. THE GOOD. PIN2DMD. NEW DECALS . FLIPPER MECHS. REPLACED . ALL LEDS. BOARDS ALL GONE OVER (NEW BRIDGE...
www.pinballinfo.com www.pinballinfo.com
Click to expand...
Thanks Fubar, I have dropped him a message :)
 
Maxeh said:
Wow, old school. I don’t recall that one,
Click to expand...

If you'd seen F-14 in full (battle) cry, you'd remember. Lethally fast, intimidatingly loud, and blindingly bright. Hardly what's now termed 'deep', but memorable. It's probably no accident that Williams included a consolation 4th ball if a game was really short.
 
Last edited:
Hi,
I've just moved house and have a large extra room. I'm eyeing up getting a pin as a bit of a man cave/spare bedroom, I used to have a home cinema but powering it and having a new family made it a bit impractical. I have a problem though: I'm not sure whether to spend an excessive amount of money and potentially feel like I've wasted it all, or get something crap and not get the most of the experience. I thought this might be a good forum to find out and make potentially make a purchase. I'm looking at *very* cheap vpins at the moment (under a grand) but might persuade myself to move into the next price bracket (intentionally vague here).

I've got to say this is really fascinating. It's really admirable how much work and effort long time members have put into improving, trading and discussing pins, totally amazing; it encourages me to make this worthwhile and spend more.

However... I have a tendency to idolise these interests, only to realise I'm actually crap at them. When I was a teen (I'm almost 40 now) I was with a girl who loved ice skating... It looked really cool when I watched her. I did a lot of research bordering on obsession and bought some really expensive, brand new ice skates. I "knew" if I had the best skates I'd be brilliant. I got on the ice and was so bad at skating I cried, it was horrendous. Ice skates sold at a major loss. "All the gear; no idea".
 
Last edited:
Hello,

As I advised elsewhere recently, try out what games you can at some of the venues mentioned on this forum. If you're 40 now, your teens would've been the late 90's, when Dot-matrix (pixel screen) games dominated, with headline acts like Addams Family, Star Trek Next Gen, etc, still around from earlier in the decade. The earlier 'alpha-numeric' late '80's generation of games may still appeal, or you may prefer something newer, either with dot matrix or a proper screen. It seems the earliest electronic pins, 1977 to '85, are less appealing to newcomers, but there are formidable pieces among them, e.g. Flash Gordon. And the earlier electro-mechanical games are an acquired taste. For these last two categories, there may be an element of 'you had to be there' (and I was). The database ipdb.org can inform about games you're unfamiliar with.

If you'd like to minimise the risk in the cost/enjoyment balance, maybe try what we call a "players' condition" game. Like an 'oily rag' old car, it may not be the prettiest, but should be working and reliable. Or get a lower-priced popular title, rather than a costly mega-hit like Addams. You'd still be able to move it on relatively easily if you found it (or the hobby as a whole) wasn't for you. Be guided by our thoughts here, but it's really your decision.
 
Last edited:
Hi, my name is Jeremy (Jez to everyone but my mother!), and I live in the pinball desert that is Norfolk. I think I first got the bug on a family holiday to Torquay when I was about 14, when a friend and I spent most of our time launching our 10p's into a 8-Ball Deluxe machine on the front. This was cemented by a large portion of my student grant going the way of Taxi in the union, and well and truly baked in by a year studying in Bavaria, where F-14 and Whirlwind (in a corner of a department store!) eventually gave way to an obsession with completing the King's R*A*N*S*O*M on Black Knight 2k. Still for my money the best soundtrack on a pin, and the best sound and light routine when you finally hit the KR ("Everything is Lit!!").

There were still a few tables about in Norwich in the early 90s, one in an arcade close enough to the launderette that I could get a few games in while my smalls were going around, with the like of Indiana Jones, Terminator, TZ and of course Fish Tales. But the arcades eventually replaced the pins with fruit machines, and I had to make do with the odd game on holiday in France, and a very happy afternoon spent in the museum in Budapest a few years ago. I've got back into it through the virtual route, playing Visual Pinball on the PC, though the monitor I use has got gradually bigger and rotates, and I have thought about building a virtual pin cabinet as well, but doubt my woodwork is up to it. I was overjoyed when I heard the Pinball Office had opened, and was back a couple of weeks ago, with some trepidation, for the Birthday Tournament, my competitive debut! I managed not to make a fool of myself, won a few games and secured a decent finish well into the top half of the field. I was struck by the friendliness and welcoming nature of my fellow competitors, and inspired by the skills of the likes of Greg and Yuen. Virtual isn't quite scratching that itch any more, and I would like to get better and do more tournaments. so the temptation to "invest" is becoming overwhelming...
 
StandUpAndFight said:
where F-14 and Whirlwind (in a corner of a department store!) eventually gave way to an obsession with completing the King's R*A*N*S*O*M on Black Knight 2k. Still for my money the best soundtrack on a pin, and the best sound and light routine when you finally hit the KR ("Everything is Lit!!").
Click to expand...

Hence your user name, I take it. One of works' collecting staff thought that the game was called The King's Ransom, in the same manner as I sometimes had to work out what machine was being referred to when accepting a call-out via pager; e.g. "the Winning Streak machine hasn't paid out properly" - that was a familiar offender, whose actual name was Bell-Fruit Club Attraction.
 
Hey Jez, was good to play with you at PBO!

I'm maybe a bit further south than you'd want to go for two machines, but one of them is a BK2K (at the moment anyway, on loan 😁), so let me know if you're ever down Chelsmford way and want a few games!
 
Hey everyone!

My name is Kevin and I decided to join the forum after participing recently in the Scottish League opener in Edinburgh. Got to say it was amazing to participate in a tournament and it went pretty well overall, can't wait for the next one.

It was amazing meeting all the super friendly people there and seeing some seriously good pinball being played.

Kev
 
StandUpAndFight said:
Thanks, that is very kind!
Click to expand...

Hi Jeremy! I did wonder which of the pinball office newbies you were, I must have missed your post here.
Norfolk is a bit barren for pins although @David retro has a few on site in Gt Yarmouth. There's a few pinballinfo members in the area including @Doggard

We're down across the border in Sudbury and we occasionally have casual meets as well as IFPA comps at our place.

Bk2k is one of my favourites too mainly for the music😄
The one @OTRawrior currently has is mine and on loan to him because our pinball addiction has got out of hand with @Lecari buying games meaning mine end up out on loan 😄

I'd recommend you check out the Swavesey pinball meet, you'll meet a lot more of the great UK scene if you can make that 😁
 
KevM said:
Hey everyone!

My name is Kevin and I decided to join the forum after participing recently in the Scottish League opener in Edinburgh. Got to say it was amazing to participate in a tournament and it went pretty well overall, can't wait for the next one.

It was amazing meeting all the super friendly people there and seeing some seriously good pinball being played.

Kev
Click to expand...
Hi @KevM and welcome to Pinball Info.
They are a great bunch of nutters up there north of the boarder.
 
David_Vi said:
Hi Jeremy! I did wonder which of the pinball office newbies you were, I must have missed your post here.
Norfolk is a bit barren for pins although @David retro has a few on site in Gt Yarmouth. There's a few pinballinfo members in the area including @Doggard

We're down across the border in Sudbury and we occasionally have casual meets as well as IFPA comps at our place.

Bk2k is one of my favourites too mainly for the music😄
The one @OTRawrior currently has is mine and on loan to him because our pinball addiction has got out of hand with @Lecari buying games meaning mine end up out on loan 😄

I'd recommend you check out the Swavesey pinball meet, you'll meet a lot more of the great UK scene if you can make that 😁
Click to expand...
Hi David, thanks for all the tips, I had seen about the Swavesey meet and was definitely planning to check it out, if only on a day trip.

It's amazing the love and attention that went into that BK2K soundtrack, not only does it rock but it is so well integrated into the gameplay as well, quite a feat. If @Lecari insists on buying even more machines and you are struggling for space, I would always be more than happy to give one house room! :)
 
Doggard said:
Hi mate, I’m also in the empty pinball void that is Norfolk , I’m in Dereham, where are you
Click to expand...
StandUpAndFight said:
Hi mate, not too far away in sunny Attleborough, If you ever want to share driving/petrol costs on a trip out give me a shout!
Click to expand...
That’s a great idea, I could pick you up on the way to the pinball office 👍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom