What is your pinball highlight of 2020?

[Pindude152]

OK. No need to elaborate on how bad 2020's been.
Let's focus on the positives.
As this year closes, what is your personal highlight in regard to this crazy hobby?
It could be anything, an acquisition, a memory, a chance encounter, a new friend or even a high score... anything as long as it's amusement / pinball related
No one's here to judge.
So again... what is your pinball highlight for 2020?
It can't be all bad... share some joy
Cheers!

[Pindude152]

I did a lot of coin-op amusement stuff this year.
Even ticked off a few boxes on the Ole bucket list...
But I think my pinball highlight for 2020 has to do with this ultra obscure One ball pingame I picked up at Alouette called First Race.

For as long as I've been going to Alouette, there was this weird electronic One Ball pinball gambling machine tucked away out of sight. I was intrigued by it ever since I first set eyes on it... in 2013.
In early September, first day of a well deserved road trip vacation I stopped at Alouette to pick up some parts...
I notice the weird electronic one ball has moved.
I inquire about the game... Robert gets me in touch with Richard.
The game is a complete unknown and completely dead. Hard negotiations take place... and a price is agreed upon.

A week later I come back to Alouette to collect the game.
In the parking lot I chat Alain Chnillapoil, who I haven't seen in forever.
I hang out a bit with Robert, pay the balance to Richard for the mystery game. Get the machine in the van.
Even had the chance talk a bit with the Old man who was baffled and surprised by someone buying the First Race One Ball. He kept asking "What you gonna do with it?" He told me where it came from (and it's well travelled) and how he never seen anything like it in his long career in amusement.

In the following weeks I brought the machine back to working order.
I'm a EM dude. Electronics are not my strong point... but I can troubleshoot... so I was very happy when I finally got the game going.
There's absolutely no documentation about this game. No schematic, no manual and no repair guide... Nothing!

Here's a video of the game in action... OK, not much action... it's a One ball Horse race gambling machine, with payout!

[steamfitter]

My first intention was to restore the star trek but ended up making a new one . A project that took almost 2 yrs ( on and off ) but with very rewarding results . I can say I turned every screw and soldered every wire on this game . This is my biggest pinball project and probably the last one of this size ..
My 2020 pinball highlight

[World_of_Warships]

You can't beat my year: it's the year we've joined the hobby, my girlfriend and I!

Started with tom_454, he's the one that gave me the pinball bug! I later asked him about arcades as well, which led to a same day drive to GTA to get Pac-Man as a gift for my gf, her favorite game ever! Then, things got serious with our very first pinball! Thanks tinyrodent, for all the advice you gave me at the time, and Hulk LE was p-e-r-f-e-c-t!! (Yes, a very underrated game, but we connected with it! Still play it almost every day - gf affectionately calls it Hulky!)

Followed by a fantastic Shadow, then Game of Thrones.. before I would finally get a Tron (my Grail pin)! Again, other hobby members were so helpful - you guys know who you are! Many tks! The best part was actually finding a Tron arcade.. not kidding, that beauty made my year! Can't wait to start fixing it at one point to make it even better (thou, it's in a superb shape to begin with)

But nothing beats the people I've talked to and met - including participating in Craig's slapfest! That was fun stuff! We truly enjoyed the tourney and can't wait to actually do more of those meets!

Now, looking for a bungalow, or something with at least a bigger and accessible playroom (street level), so we can fully embrace the hobby in the future! Lol, I now understand what people meant when they 1) wished for more room and 2) kept asking about stairs!

[R.A.B.]

I did a lot of coin-op amusement stuff this year.
Even ticked off a few boxes on the Ole bucket list...
But I think my pinball highlight for 2020 has to do with this ultra obscure One ball pingame I picked up at Alouette called First Race.

For as long as I've been going to Alouette, there was this weird electronic One Ball pinball gambling machine tucked away out of sight. I was intrigued by it ever since I first set eyes on it... in 2013.
In early September, first day of a well deserved road trip vacation I stopped at Alouette to pick up some parts...
I notice the weird electronic one ball has moved.
I inquire about the game... Robert gets me in touch with Richard.
The game is a complete unknown and completely dead. Hard negotiations take place... and a price is agreed upon.

A week later I come back to Alouette to collect the game.
In the parking lot I chat Alain Chnillapoil, who I haven't seen in forever.
I hang out a bit with Robert, pay the balance to Richard for the mystery game. Get the machine in the van.
Even had the chance talk a bit with the Old man who was baffled and surprised by someone buying the First Race One Ball. He kept asking "What you gonna do with it?" He told me where it came from (and it's well travelled) and how he never seen anything like it in his long career in amusement.

In the following weeks I brought the machine back to working order.
I'm a EM dude. Electronics are not my strong point... but I can troubleshoot... so I was very happy when I finally got the game going.
There's absolutely no documentation about this game. No schematic, no manual and no repair guide... Nothing!

Here's a video of the game in action... OK, not much action... it's a One ball Horse race gambling machine, with payout!

Of course you realize, and no doubt understand that you were the only person I know who could/would have done what you did in taking on this bastard of a machine. This one ball doesn't exist in a way, it is most likely just a one off, and that makes it a great challenge.

And as far as coming up with my own your personal highlight in regards to this crazy hobby, well I am going to think hard and long about that. The hobby part of it is long gone for me, but once in a blue moon it creeps up my leg in the middle of the night and I remember that feeling of excitement, joy and accomplishment in dealing with something out of the ordinary and making things work in conjunction with the original concept, or as close as I can get to "it".

Give me time and I will find what gave me a fizz during this foul year - 2020.

Best regards to you Pindude, you are one of a kind on this forum, and for me that stands out especially as posts become more and more repetitive and noobies become self proclaimed experts. There are more and more ordinary and unspectacular posts being put up here lately, but that is to be expected since pinball is really not that deep unless you dig beyond this marble game, and not many people do.

[Sparky]

I could say that it is the fact that I found a Frontier or Heavy Metal Meltdown.... but ultimately? I would say the last Borderland meeting and MPL meeting.

Because those are what I miss the most right now.

Second runner up? Linking 3 twin Final Laps. That was fun!

[Pinballed]

Getting my Meteor back after a few years of my friend owning her! She was in rough shape but it didnt take long to get her back to snuff. Now she's fast smooth and fun. What a great game! Its actually dragged me back to being interested in pinball again. Kind of lost touch when the last wave hit and everything went crazy pricewise. Now I want my WoF back. Yup. I said it. Best nudging game in pinball in my opinion.

[frosken]

My highlight of 2020 is after a 8-9 year hiatus, I am back into this hobby...slowly...

I may not have the machines that I would prefer, but a pinball machine is a pinball machine and "eventually", I'll get a title (or 3) that I can enjoy...and afford...

Mes deux cennes...

[dr.nybble]

My 'mundane' highlight was buying the floor model Iron Maiden from P1AG in Montreal -- thanks Michel! Got a good deal on that one and as a Maiden fan I love it 2x.

My 'interesting' highlight was successfully repainting an EM playfield from bare wood -- https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic ... ld-repaint.

I've just about wrapped up the Gay 90's restore, just waiting on a couple of parts. Got one last coil today from Marco. From a $50 machine that reeked of years of smoke and was in pretty rough shape I've got a beaut just about finished up, with laser cut cabinet stencils, a playfield that looks brand new and everything all clean and shiny!

[Hammerhead]

I finally Ruled the Universe on AFM with a high sore of 34B

[HPR Pinball]

Tout les vidéos de MrHide

[semicolin]

That first race game looks like it was cobbled together from leftover parts. It really doesn't make any sense at all.

[Pindude152]

That first race game looks like it was cobbled together from leftover parts. It really doesn't make any sense at all.

Thanks for your expert opinion
Keep spreading the cheer!

[Chris Silver]

My good friend and brother Warlok helping me out and giving me my graill pin a Gottlieb Spirit.

After seeing Sylvain in Ottawa’s avatar and knowing he is a well seasoned pinball veteran, I had to investigate the game. I loved everything about it. There’s so many different places to be on the playfield and so many different things to shoot for.

It wasn’t just getting my grail pin, but an exciting and memorable visit to the Bluffs. It was my last trip of normality before Covid as well. The one part that sucks is that I haven’t had anybody over to enjoy the game yet.

My collection is almost stabilized and complete. One more keeper to get.

[R.A.B.]

As this year closes, what is your personal highlight in regard to this crazy hobby?
It could be anything, an acquisition, a memory, a chance encounter, a new friend or even a high score... anything as long as it's amusement / pinball related

Got to admit that coming up with a pinball highlight in regards to something "hobby related" in 2020 was the hardest part of formulating an appropriate answer to your post Pindude. But I did find one by looking through old posts from 2020, and in my understanding of your request the experience below matches this thread's criteria.

That is not to say that there have not been other incredible highlights from the work and business side of the my relationship to pinball and the amusement industry (or rather what is left of it as I knew it) in fact, there were so many highlights in 2020 that I was lucky enough to find the one and only "hobby related" highlight of my 2020. It was an accidental occurrence, and brought me right back to the thrill of what started it all for me, 40 odd years ago. Not being able to sleep because of a hobby is something special, makes for dreams filled with passion, and what is life without at least one passion running through it?

Feb. 16, 2020

Woke up in a warehouse full of pinballs this morning. It has been almost 5 years since I have done that.

Something I have never ever ever done in my life is fix three different OXO's in one day. It happened yesterday without my even noticing it. After this unknowing feat, I exclaimed my surprise at this realization to the cast of characters hanging out at the Bluffs at that time.

OXO # 1 - Montréal @ North Star Machines à Piastres at about 7 AM, - spotted A & B targets go out with flipper use - shooter lane switch pressure adjusted

OXO # 2 - Brockville @ brother's basement - motor run on & ball sitting in outhole not ejecting to shooter - bonus count unit zero switch cleaned and gapped

OXO # 3 - Scarborough @ The Bluffs. - only playing at player one (no, not @ P1AG) - player unit in the backbox not stepping, gummed up ratchet pawls

I stood back and realized that I had never lived that before, and I sort of felt good about it for some reason. Williams 1973 OXO was the first pinball I ever bought and still have 40 years later. So I hoped that today and going forward should provide a few more moments similar to this to record.



Happy new year everyone one, isn't that what we are suppose to say & wish for ? Well, I said it, and I mean it.

"....and maybe this year will be better than the last." The Counting Crows

[Guard]

Getting a couple more folks into the hobby....

[semicolin]

That first race game looks like it was cobbled together from leftover parts. It really doesn't make any sense at all.

Thanks for your expert opinion
Keep spreading the cheer!

Oh don't get me wrong- I love it! I just don't understand how it came together and I'd love to know the story. It's like the playfield and the electronics were manufactured forty years apart. Definitely something unique!

[Fifty]

Grail pin for me for sure. Thanks again HoneyBadger!

[Honey Badger]

It was my pleasure Fifty. Glad I could pass it forward to someone good in the hobby!

[dr.nybble]

So are we saying ... Honey Badger DO care ?

Here's to a great 2021 folks!