If you're a Pinhead like me then you know how much of a comeback the pinball industry has been doing in the last few years. Between Stern, who has been around since the beginning still coming up with new tables, to newcomers Jersey Jack Pinball here in the states and Heighway Pinball based in the UK.

Anyway, the point I'm getting to is Jersey Jack Pinball is designing their next (second) pinball machine on (wait for it....) The Hobbit! I figured since Stern did The Lord of the Rings pinball then they would have gotten the rights to do this too but I guess Jersey Jack managed to snag those especially after wowing everyone with their much long awaited The Wizard of Oz pinball. They already have a playfield drawn out and making progress to the eventual whitewood stage of testing.

Here is a video promo teasor for The Hobbit pinball.

A couple of teaser advertisements showcasing what the machine itself may look like.

The current playfield layout still subject to some changes.

As you can see from the side cabinet artwork, the game, ruleset, and LCD backglass animations will be based on all three Hobbit films much in the same manner as Stern's The Lord of the Rings pinball was.

Here is the original website I follow for all pinball related tidbits. Pinball News

Also, there is a documentary in the works about the phenomena of pinball returning. Shoot Again: The Resurgence of Pinball in America

A first look at the next table from Spooky Pinball based on the madman of rock.

I own a pinball machine aswell.... Nice Refinery Metallica

Man, I always wanted to own a pinball machine or arcade cabinet.

8 hours ago, Alpinemaps said:

Man, I always wanted to own a pinball machine or arcade cabinet.

I've been collecting them for 20 years. If your looking for lego on CL start searching 'arcade' while your there. I have gotten plenty of games for $50-200 over the years. Stay away from the multigame crap though. 

They make a great place to store lego boxes.

 

Mando pin announced today. Looks awesome.

https://sternpinball.com/game/the-mandalorian/

 

Edited May 11, 20214 yr by marcandre

Are there any investment possibilities with these? Or at least get your money back after 4-5 years? $6k-9k seems pricey. 

I'd like to have a pinball machine, but I've heard they break down and are difficult to repair. Is this true?

3 minutes ago, Jackson said:

I'd like to have a pinball machine, but I've heard they break down and are difficult to repair. Is this true?

I do know there are always maintenance issues. But, one for the home that is treated well will likely have many less issues. 

I have had mine for awhile. I have only ever had one problem and it was with a plunger that got stuck. Unwired it and replaced it. Wasnt hard to so and was fairly cheap.

4 hours ago, iahawks550 said:

Are there any investment possibilities with these? Or at least get your money back after 4-5 years? $6k-9k seems pricey. 

They usually hold the value. LEs can go up. 750 Mando LEs sold out instantly. Some are prob already on ebay. 

Well we brought our first machine at an auction today,its an old Chicago coin Tahiti Pinball table

For thousands of years this thread lay dormant, who has disturbed....

Oh hey, Dutch Pinball has just revealed their first release with Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Neat.

 

 

 

I love my pinball machine.

1 hour ago, Thanos75 said:

I love my pinball machine.

Me too. Cost me about $200 from Sam's Club 🤣

What is the market for *real* pinball machines? I love playing pinball, but for 10k+, are there normal people that buy these for home use?

Even my favorite ones I've played, I had the great game, made it to a certain point in the game, the suspense was over, and I had zero desire to play. Much like conquering a video game. It usually doesn't get played again.

1 hour ago, iahawks550 said:

What is the market for *real* pinball machines? I love playing pinball, but for 10k+, are there normal people that buy these for home use?

Even my favorite ones I've played, I had the great game, made it to a certain point in the game, the suspense was over, and I had zero desire to play. Much like conquering a video game. It usually doesn't get played again.

Yes & Yes

Alice looks great but I wouldn't trust a new companys first pinball... Pins also make a good staging area for packing Lego. My Godzilla as it looks today.

 

17 hours ago, TheOrcKing said:

For thousands of years this thread lay dormant, who has disturbed....

Oh hey, Dutch Pinball has just revealed their first release with Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Neat.

 

 

 

I love pinball art usually but this one is ugly IMO. Nice 👀 though. 
 

A little too sexed up for my taste but I could see it fitting into some man caves 

Edited October 8, 20241 yr by Mathew

On 10/8/2024 at 7:09 AM, iahawks550 said:

What is the market for *real* pinball machines? I love playing pinball, but for 10k+, are there normal people that buy these for home use?

Even my favorite ones I've played, I had the great game, made it to a certain point in the game, the suspense was over, and I had zero desire to play. Much like conquering a video game. It usually doesn't get played again.

It is an expensive hobby, and many owners I see own a few in their personal arcade space for variety's sake I imagine. Much as I enjoyed The Getaway or Theatre of Magic back in the day, I could not see playing only one or even just those two every single day for hours on end. I know some of the modern tables such as from Stern do have an endgame so at least there is a goal past getting a new high score fun as that can be from time to time.

Although not much can compete with the feel of a purely physical game, I share the inclination of a filthy casual with limited funds to build a digital cabinet. Depending on how minimalistic to moderately extravagant of an experience you want, around maybe a few thousand bucks for materials spread out over time and you can build your own custom rig that plays virtual pinball tables and good for vertical scrolling shoot'em ups with MAME.

I recently found this playlist by Way of the Wrench on YouTube covering what to consider. It is very long to digest. However quite comprehensive and straight forward to everything else I tried watching.

 

 

12 hours ago, TheOrcKing said:

Much as I enjoyed The Getaway or Theatre of Magic back in the day, I could not see playing only one or even just those two every single day for hours on end.

I've seriously been considering the Simpsons pinball game for years, but I had to ask myself that same question. Idk, even if I don't play it, the "box art" on the machine may do it for me. That one also has an internet connection so you can play against others. I had an opportunity at $2,500 but passed -- if that price comes up again, I won't hesitate.

Here is my Pinball Machine

On 10/11/2024 at 2:28 PM, Captain_Obvious said:

I've seriously been considering the Simpsons pinball game for years, but I had to ask myself that same question. Idk, even if I don't play it, the "box art" on the machine may do it for me. That one also has an internet connection so you can play against others. I had an opportunity at $2,500 but passed -- if that price comes up again, I won't hesitate.

 

I was so focused on gameplay mulling over repetition fatigue that I glossed over the artistic aspect. I would proudly display the backbox artwork on its own framed on my wall from just about any pinball table honestly.

I can remember looking up the Stern Electronics website when The Simpsons Pinball Party was ready to be shipped back in the day when Stern was the last remaining distributer in the world for the longest time. Have not played the physical machine myself, instead watched others or downloaded the Virtual Pinball recreation. It seems to have a better flow and layout than Data East's own The Simpsons table thirteen years prior. Homer's head harkens back to The Party Zone with a cartoon character tracking your ball across the playfield.

On that note, I could totally be fine with a Theatre of Magic cabinet hanging around my house just for looks ....like a trophy wife. Haha. The Labyrinth pinball from newcomers, Barrels of Fun, is another looking good on its own.

 

Oh right, just saw this uploaded a couple hours ago. Another one of those "I remember when this was revealed" way back when, like, eleven years ago. Still a damn good machine.

 

 

Everything truly is better in slow motion. The segments showcasing the pop bumpers and the flippers are the highlights for me. Around the 10:30 timestamp I think, seeing the rubber around the flipper ripple outwards when coming to a stop after being activated is absolutely bizarre.

 

 

Groovy....