7s Pinballorama
This is an odd machine. Made by Chicago Coin in 1971, it isn’t really a pinball machine, but it kind of is.
There is no ball plunger. To launch the ball there is a turret between the flippers that moves back and forth. You hit a flipper button to launch the ball. From there, you use the flippers to try and get all the balls on the playfield. The balls are on an upper deck with switches hanging below them. Strange thing.
Big Hit is a 1952 baseball themed pinball machine from Chicago Coin. This machine uses lights behind the backglass to show scoring. This was the common method until score reels became the trend a year or two after this one was produced. This machine has one score reel type mechanic used for the credit indicator. I thought it was interesting the credit wheel wasn’t printed or painted. Instead, it used a printed piece of paper and it is taped to the wheel.
The machine came from my neighbour a couple doors down. He bought it about 10 years ago and intended to fix it up. The person he bought it from had it for 10 or more years and intended to fix it up. It’s basically been sitting for over 20 years. I bought it and it finally got fixed up.
On the playfield there are two captive balls. These are supposed to emulate a baseball. When you hit a target, a coil smacks the captive ball around a loop. Kind of a cute design.
This machine will be on display in the arcade and we will fire it up from time to time. If you want to give this machine a go, ask.
Capcom Breakshot is a really unique machine. It is styled after older Electro Mechanical pinball machines but has a DMD display, voice call outs, fancy lights, and multi-ball. The scoring animation on the DMD display is styled after the old EM score reels. There are no ramps or multi level playfields.
Capcom didn’t make many pinball machines, they made video games. They are the company that brought you such games as Street Fighter and Resident Evil. They only made 1000 Breakshot machines – so they aren’t that common.
When one in fantastic shape came up locally, I had to buy it.
Apparently this machine used to live in the Seattle Pinball Museum.
Found this Bally Motordome pinball machine is fairly good shape, it was just dirty and needed some attention.
We cleaned the playfield, all posts, ramps and plastics. Changed all the rubber, gave it some wax and replaced all the bulbs with LEDs. Some LED light strips were added on the playfield to give it more more light (and a bit more pizzazz).
The music on this machine is nuts. Bwa-bwa-bwa-BWA Bwa-bwa-bwa-BWA. You got to love it.
A 1980 mustache, mirror sunglasses, party van, and skateboards! Skateball has it all.
The paint on the playfield was pretty blown out when I got it. I hand painted and touched up the playfield and then the entire thing got a thick clear coat.
Strange Science is a pinball machine made by Bally Midway in 1986. It is unique because it is one of the few pinball machines to incorporate neon lighting. The theme is a crazy scientist who intends to do a mind transfer with his particle separator – transferring the mind from his pet ape Gertrude into a poor unsuspecting damsel in distress. I guess by playing the pinball machine, you’re helping?
My friend had been looking for a Williams Jokerz! pinball machine. I located one in Spokane Washington and he managed to secure it. He said if he bought Jokerz!, he would probably want to sell Strange Science. I offered to help him out with that.
When the neon topper goes off, the entire room goes red. It’s kind of cool.
I will say, this is probably the heaviest machine I’ve ever moved.
This was my first pinball machine.
The guy I bought it from found it in a basement where it had been sitting for 10-15 years. Dusty, but overall in really good condition.
This machine is harder than it looks.
I found this pinball machine in Bremerton Washington. Over all it was in good shape, ramps aren’t too bad (which is good because they are very hard to replace), backglass is great, cabinet isn’t bad, it was just really dirty.
This is an unusual machine. Each ball starts as a three ball multi ball. You fire the three balls one at a time up to the “starting position”; then a gate drops and releases the three balls down a ramp. It is supposed to simulate the start of a motocross race – and it does.
Everything under the glass is playfield. This machine has a small lower playfield where the apron and rule cards should be. One flipper on the left side fires sideways and 4 targets to hit.
Five flippers in all, three playfield levels, lots of ramps and tunnels, no pop bumpers, and tons of chaos.
The cabinet for the machine is also unusual. It isn’t square on the bottom. It sort of has a slight V shape to it. Moving this machine with a regular hand truck is a bit wonky.
This will be a fun machine to have on deck because it’s a bit odd. This title has some historical significance since it was the last machine produced by Bally before it was acquired by WMS Industries (AKA: Williams).
Our Blackwater 100 is one of our problem machines at the moment. We pulled it from the arcade and back to the shop to hammer out the issues. Hopefully it will be back on deck soon.
Through some online pinball ad, I met a fellow in Vernon BC who was selling a Robocop. I ended up passing on it but we stayed in contact (as pinball people sometimes do). Months later he said he had a Bally Medusa in pretty good shape up for sale. That’s only a four hour drive from me and an excuse to have a weekend getaway in the Okanagan. Sign me up!
If you have never played Medusa, and you run across one, play it. It’s a unique pinball machine.
It probably has one of the harder skill shots you’ll find. You have to roll the ball over a series of star rollovers as they are lit. Each rollover you hit ads value to the points you get for the spinner.
The upper section has two small flippers which you use to wack away at seven Metamorphic drop targets. Knock one down, two come up. Knock those two down, three come up. Etc. Oh, did I mention these are zipper flippers? Knock a target down and the flippers come together.
At the bottom there is the “Hammer of the Gods” – a center post between the flippers which you control with a right side button. It can fire the ball forward to the top of the playfield.
There are lots of cool elements to this game and it has a fairly complex rule set for it’s era. In fact, it’s a little confusing until you play a few games.
Found this Time Zone pinball machine in North Delta in BC. Yet another person selling their house and not wanting to move the pinball machine.
This machine is in fair shape. It is complete with no broken plastics. Backglass has a few minor scuffs. Cabinet is in pretty good shape. The playfield has a few minor warn spots but I’m going to leave it for now.
The big issue with this machine was the mechanics. All the steppers were gummy and need to be cleaned. There was some minor corrosion dust over all the metal under the playfield. Player two score reels didn’t work when I picked it up (they work now). It took a few hours of cleaning and tweaking to get this running 100%, but nothing major. Just some labour.
I really like Time Zone. It isn’t a complex game but the time tunnel is just cool. I also like the pop-up between the flippers and the two gates on the right size. It’s just a fun machine.