In order for a pinball machine to be chosen for the Collection, it must meet certain design criteria:
CRITICAL
- Sound Effects: must be fun to listen to
- Music: must have a great unique sound-track (if applicable)
IMPORTANT
- Art: should be good looking!
- Design: the playfield should be well-laid out
- Flow: the ball should flow well from shot to shot
- Popularity: it should be ranked in the Top-10% of all solid state games ever designed (1200+ solid state pinball machines have been designed from 1975-present)
- Unique: should have a unique design element in it that is unusual to see in pinball
NICE TO HAVE
- Scarcity: I prefer machines with production runs of 2,500-7,500 over ones with 17,000+. This makes it more interesting for other collectors to come over and get to play a game they haven’t seen before, or perhaps in a very long time. Grand Lizard is a great example of a machine that has low production, and few collectors have seen.
QUALITY STANDARDS
In order for a pinball machine to “go live” in the Collection, it must meet certain quality standards. Not a single machine I’ve brought into my collection met all the quality standards when I found it:
- Batteries: must be new and free of corrosion
- Flippers: must be rebuilt with WPC (fliptronics)-era style springs, have new coils and be set perfectly for maximum strength and ideal agility for pro-shots
- Fuses: must all be to specification, with 5x spares on hand for each fuse
- Lighting: must be set up in an attractive way to match the them, and keep the backbox dim so it doesn’t glare in the playfield glass
- Playfield: must be polished/waxed, and flat and free from all movement-changing defects (raised inserts/mylar imperfections, etc)
- Power: must have a 3-prong grounded plug with a breaker in front of it to the wall
- Ramps and Holes: must be protected from future wear with available protectors
- Shooter: must have all new parts and feel smooth to the touch, and sound clean
- Skill Shots: must be tuned up properly so that they require skill to achieve
One way I go about selecting my games is by browsing various games on youtube, and listening to the game sounds first without watching the game. Very few games have the sound I am looking for. If I really like what I hear, then I try to learn more about the game. Some early solid state games from 1980-1985 sound amazing while music is playing, and those are my absolute favorite.
