Well… an e-mail actually. The staff from Pinball Sales Australia wrote me to ask that I get back to regular blog posts and provided me with a blog post of their own.
Top 5 Amazing Pinball Machines: http://www.pinballsales.com.au/top-5-amazing-pinball-machines/
The link above is to an article on the Pinball Sales Australia website briefly listing some of the top modern pinball machines. Since pinball is a very personal hobby, any Top 5 list is going to be challenged by nearly everyone else.
As a service technician, I get a chance to play a LOT of pinball machines. So here are five of my favorites:
Williams Tales of the Arabian Nights – This is the first title I bought and one of the first dozen I had a chance to play. I think it is a gorgeous game. The artwork, sound, and gameplay work together to create a great package. I was initially hesitant to install LED bulbs, but the new warm LEDs compliment the warm color scheme in this game.
Stern Lord of the Rings – This is my wife’s favorite game. We both love the open playfield with lots of long shots and of course we are big fans of the movies. I have a tough time hitting the long ramp shots, but that just means I need more practice.
Stern Catacomb – From1981, this hard-to-find title has a multi-ball feature and a bagatelle in the backbox. The playfield sports four banks of three drop targets, labeled A-D. These work in conjunction with the bagatelle to get to the multi-ball.
Gottlieb Gladiators – I love the ball flow on this game. Without stopping, the player can pass the ball around all four flippers. The ball launch drops the ball on the upper right flipper, which then can feed the ball through a U-turn to the upper left. The upper left flipper drives the ball up a short ramp to a wireform that throws the ball at the lower right. The lower right flipper has multiple shots including one that sends the ball towards the lower left flipper.
Williams Fish Tales – This is another game with nice ball flow. The center X ramp and wireforms provide an inner loop that passes the ball directly between the left and right flippers.
If you need service to keep your favorite pinball going, please give us a call. We offer onsite service throughout the greater, greater, Chicagoland area, including parts of Wisconsin, Indiana, and occasionally down to Peoria.