Well after a year and a half of owning pinball machines I have to say it has been great. I have had the opportunity to play quite a few pins over that time thanks to the many MAACA members (especially jvegas and medvet) but I have held off on giving strong opinions on "keepers" and best pins. However, after owning TZ for almost a year and STTNG and Scared Stiff for half that time here are some of my various observations on the pins I own"

1. Williams wide-body pins rock! I really prefer the wider playfield.

2. Initially I thought the killer STTNG outlanes were a design flaw and was that close to getting the outlane extensions but once you understand the ruleset they become just another part of the game. Must have made the coin-ops a mint off the casual pin player in the arcades though.

3. STTNG is a really great pin. If you like STTNG it is fantastic. The sounds & lights in the dark are awesome. I really want the sound-kit upgrade!

4. Anyone saying they find Scared Stiff easy is lying! That B*&ch El Vira is killing me! I still haven't broken 20M and I think Spider Multiball is a myth. Anyone ever gotten this? The rules may not be deep but completing all the modes and completing Scared Stiff Mode all in one game is a real challenge. I love the spinning spider on the back-board!

5. As a result of a major clean-up effort in my basement I had to move my TZ into a corner for a few months. Well after playing again this week for the first time in a while - well let's just say it was like discovering girls all over again. I was just blown away. My wife (who is a casual player at best) even commented that it is a cool pin and has the greatest sounds - that alone made me want to marry her all over again. I also want the sound-kit upgrade for this beast! This confirms my suspicion that TZ is the ultimate "keeper" (if it truly exists)!

Other Casual Observations:

- NO Fear is a fantastic pin to play - even without pop-bumpers. The non-stop excitement is RAW!

- I really prefer the 90's pins! I have lost much of my former passion for the 80's stuff after experiencing the 90's. Wasn't expecting that because prior to owning I liked both equally.

- Backbox Chimes really define an era. If I had a bigger house (see next observation) I would have some vintage pins just to hear the chimes.

- I need a bigger house!

Anyway, it has been a busy summer and I haven't had much time do much "MAACA-ing" as my wife calls it so I figure I should check in and place a post. Enjoy what's left of the summer folks, hopefully I will get to see a few of you again during the fall/winter season.

Tom.

Nearly complete my first year in the hobby... taking another way, starting with projects.

What I have leaned:

1. I will losing money in the end
2. I'm not a good player
3. Don't have enough time to fix my projects.

But it's not all negative

1. I meet great peoples
2. I'm learning a lot of thing
3. Still have a lot of fun fixing them
4. Love playing pinball even if my scores s&*%... but If I don't make any meeting, I won't have to see your highscores so I can have some pride when I finally beats the factory highscore on my machine

My Amazing spider-man is a keeper, only because I'm a comic fan and it's a simple game anyone can play. I like drop targets. I'm still not sure if I like more an era of pin than a other, but since I have projects going back to the 60's, I will have a good idea what I want.

I've been in this hobby now for about 1 1/2 years and learned a few things:

1.  Stop taking my money with me at the time I inspect a pinball machine.  It is so hard for me to turn one down, thinking I can 'just fix it up', when in reality I probably spend alot more money on it having to fix it up than if I just spent the extra couple hundred and got one already in nice condition.
2.  I will never have enough pins.  I started off wanting 1 or 2, then it became 3, and now I want 10.
3.  I still don't know how I will be able to swallow spending over 2000 on any machine.
4.  Most sellers, unless they're educated about how pinball machines work, claim they all have pins in excellent condition when most of them need a ton of cleaning and switch replacing/adjustments, new rubbers, etc.
5.  I love pinball more than I ever thought I would based from nostalgic reasons in the beginning.

Quoted from Firehawk734

I've been in this hobby now for about 1 1/2 years and learned a few things:

1.  Stop taking my money with me at the time I inspect a pinball machine.  It is so hard for me to turn one down, thinking I can 'just fix it up', when in reality I probably spend alot more money on it having to fix it up than if I just spent the extra couple hundred and got one already in nice condition.
2.  I will never have enough pins.  I started off wanting 1 or 2, then it became 3, and now I want 10.
3.  I still don't know how I will be able to swallow spending over 2000 on any machine.
4.  Most sellers, unless they're educated about how pinball machines work, claim they all have pins in excellent condition when most of them need a ton of cleaning and switch replacing/adjustments, new rubbers, etc.
5.  I love pinball more than I ever thought I would based from nostalgic reasons in the beginning.

1. I had the same thinking few month back, I have a truck load of project now
2. Same illness here, girlfriend had to make a new house rule... one in one out.
3. I nearly cross the 2000$ line last week, but again my boss votes against it
4. If lights come on, the pin is working for them.. just need little adjustment !
5. I love the feeling when I fix a dead machine...

I've been in this hobby now for about 6 1/2 years and learned a few things:

1.  It is a sickness, and it sucks everything out of my wallet. I put myself in financial stress when I buy a machine, but I keep doing it... it is way too much fun.
2.  I will never have enough pins either. Regardless of their condition.
3.  I CAN'T swallow spending over 2000 on any machine. In fact, I never have and never will. And you can quote me on that. The most I ever spent was 1800$. For me, it is more about nostalgia than playing pinball, so I can rule out pretty much anything built after 1990.
4.  I don't deal with just anyone when buying a pin, regardless of condition. I rather have a seller tell me that the pin he/she is selling is a burnt-out piece of crap and pay too much for it, than be told that it is in great shape and think I am getting a deal, then find out I was tricked. Fortunately, it doesn't happen to me very often... wisdom with experience.
5.  I love pinball AND videogames alike, and nostalgia is a big part of it.
6.  I get the biggest kick by bringing a burnt-out piece of crap back to life, and even more when I finish it and it looks pristine, better looking than it did less than a few months out of the factory. It is a lot of work, but it is a beautiful thing...
7.  The group has been a big part of my life for a while, and I hope it continues.
8-  My high point in a month is when there is a meeting. And they are never long enough.
9-  If a large sum of money comes my way one day, first I renovate my house, then I buy a car... then I build a MAACA headquarters with an arcade-showroom filled to the brim with pins and the best classic vids, with a workshop in back with all the tools and equipment needed, and a warehouse to store as many games I can buy. I think I would make Jim look like an occasional buyer on Ebay... that's how much I love the hobby.  
10- I love the classic SS pins most... Ballys and Sterns especially. But I like Williams too.... just haven't spent much time fixing them. Ballys and Sterns I know almost inside-out.

Quoted from tom_454

5. As a result of a major clean-up effort in my basement I had to move my TZ into a corner for a few months. Well after playing again this week for the first time in a while - well let's just say it was like discovering girls all over again.

That's the advantage of a good sized collection, you can leave one for awhile, then rediscover it all over again, many months later.

If I said I was in it for nostalgia, I'd be lying. I only got into pinball last November. I just like what I like, if that makes sense.

Some things I discovered:
1. I like fixing/maintaining the mechanics of a game nearly as much as I do playing it.
2. I suck when it comes to fixing cosmetics, good thing I don't care too much.
3. EMs are fun, I'd like to keep my Mars Trek, but when space is a premium, tough choices need to be made
4. The worst part of the hobby is moving these bloody things, especially down my tight townhouse 180 degree staircase.
5. I hate buying parts from the US, I hope pinballjm's business takes off.
6. I don't think I'll ever get a friend of mine into pinball, no one really gives a crap. Do they just need to find the right game? (I doubt it)
7. I don't think the hobby is making me broke, I spend money on pinball now what I used to on my previous hobbies (comic books, video games, etc).
8. It still surprises me how helpful people in this community are. It can only be a good thing for the hobby.

I'm in this hobby for about 8 years. Fantastic part about this hobby is to have control on every aspect of the games. How much frustration back in times in the arcade because the operators did not maintain games in good operation and clean. The other fantastic part of this hobby is to collect the best and have the chance to play them together. In 80's arcades, game did not stay very long. Just thinking to play a nice Asteroids, Robotron, Turkey Shoot and Joust 2 in the same night and in perfect condition make me   Samething for the pins, just thinking to play Black Hole, Black Knight, Centaur, Flight 2000 in perfect working order and clean in the same night in an arcade was impossible at that time. In the 80's i had great fun to play those games but today it's like the 80's but in concentrate proportion !! I'm close to make a nice gameroom with all my games and just thinking about this vision make me feel