Needles & Grooves

Do you have a pinball machine in this palatial home of yours?

@Murfocakes it's a freaking bungalow! I barely even have stairs! But no, not yet. Ghostbusters or ACDC is on the list but Pinball machines are insanely expensive. Currently just Super Chexx Bubble Hockey and a 12,500 game arcade cabinet.

Fun Fact: A cow-bison hybrid is called a “beefalo”

I'm not even gunna check if this is true, because it should be.

@gaporter god dammit. I was going to do the same thing and then I unfurled all the comments

@wokeupnew great minds think alike

Pinball machines are AWESOME and also very much like classic cars in that either you better know how to work on them or keep enough cash on hand to pay someone to, because they break and ain’t cheap to fix.

@Corycm yes exactly. I love the fact that they are fundamentally the same as they have always been, like a watch movement... But the cost and upkeep is bonkers. Which is partially why I'm considering a new table as opposed to what I would normally do which is buy a good condition used...

@Murfocakes check the home improvement thread for pics of modest basement arcade.

@Mather I had notions of taking up pinball restoration right up until I realized most of these guys are retired engineers and electricians. I’m waaaay to dumb for that.

@Corycm similar thoughts to my initial "Hey I'll get a project machine!" Then I saw someone open up one of them and I had to go sit down for a while...

My dad rebuilt a couple pachinko machines when I was little, and asked him how hard it was because how different could they be? Once he stopped laughing he just said “you don’t wanna do that.”

I don’t get to play pinball too often but there was a Star Wars one at an arcade I used to visit as a teen and I remember playing it once and a group of kids congregating around me to watch me destroy the high score. I remember one turning around, Wayne’s World style and giving me a ‘Wow, man you’re awesome!’ My life peaked then

@Corycm that's partially why I love the Super Chexx machines. They basically haven't changed in about 40 years and as long as it's not a CPU issue they're very easy to repair yourself.

I haven’t really played since but one exception was a trip to Amsterdam in my mid20s. We were a little worse for wear and I spotted a pinball machine in the corner. ‘I think I’m pretty good at these’ I said again. Cue the return of the pinball wizard. More accolades from my friend who was with me, but in fairness it could just as well have been a soft drinks machine I was operating.

@Murfocakes that's amazing. That also would have the been the highlight of my adolescent life.

Mother of god... Beefalo - Wikipedia

Electric Beefaloo

That Beefalo looks like it's ready to ruin some fools.