PinFest 2014 - Allentown, PA

[McGuirk]

I've been waiting for someone to make this thread, but they haven't, so I will. PinFest was a lot of fun last year, with a good amount of vendors with some cool pinball items and parts, and lots of tables to play. They have even more space this year.

PinFest is May 2 and 3 this year - Friday and Saturday - at the same site as last year, the Allentown Fair Grounds. More information on their site: http://www.pinfestival.com/index.html

I don't think I can make it this year, as it's the weekend of my wife's birthday. I'd consider taking an unpaid day off work on Friday, because I had a lot of fun last year with some friends.

 

[Kolchak357]

I'll be there on Friday with a friend from work, and on Saturday with my wife. Had a great time last year and am looking forward to it this year.

I think dtown was there last year. Dtown, you going again?

 

[dtown8532]

Yup. I'll be going with my dad (he's got a truck and trailer ) and my brother on Friday.

 

[Kolchak357]

Yup. I'll be going with my dad (he's got a truck and trailer ) and my brother on Friday.

Truck and trailer? Sounds like trouble is afoot. You buying more pins?

 

[Naildriver74]

Truck and trailer? Sounds like trouble is afoot. You buying more pins?

Sounds like Christmas in April. HO HO HO

 

[dtown8532]

Truck and trailer? Sounds like trouble is afoot. You buying more pins?

Maybe. I'm always on the lookout for a fun table that "died" and needs to be brought back to life. Honestly, "dead" pins are the only way people without a hookup or luck can find a deal anymore in this hobby. Nonetheless, getting one to work again is, to me, more enjoyable than playing one. Though I enjoy playing, I like fixing them better. As far as titles go, I'm very open as long as I like the table, the price is right and it's worth rejuvenating. Worse comes to worse, there's almost always a Pinbot in the flea market.

 

[Kolchak357]

You're right, the flea market section outside seems to be where the deals and wheeling & dealing take place. Not many bargains inside.

 

[dtown8532]

The Allentown Show starts in only a few hours! Why am I still awake? Anyway, I'll be wearing a olive colored Coast 2 Coast Pinball shirt with my classic black Stern Pinball hat in case anyone wants to say hi. Believe me, NO ONE will be wearing the same outfit.

 

[drdrey]

I will be there sat. With my brother.

 

[Kolchak357]

I'll be on my way in a few minutes. I like to be there when the doors open at noon. Like a kid at Christmas.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Probably too late for me to make last-minute plans to be there tomorrow :-( Otherwise I'm only an hour and a half away.

 

[Kolchak357]

Just do it Eldar. Opens at 9AM tomorrow.
I spent over five hours there today. Awesome selection of pins to play.
I'm planning on going back again tomorrow.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

I got a day pass (to be fair my wife is heading off to some knitting thing on Sunday... so I am owed)

I'll probably get there around 11am. Anything in particular to look out for? I need to remember to bring my tablet to take notes and pics.

 

[Kolchak357]

So many good pins. And many coming in and out during the day.
If you are into EMs there was a pristine Golden Arrow and a very nice Atlantis. Even a Central Park if you want to compare to TPA.
Lots of new Sterns (Metallica, AC/DC, Mustang, LOTR, Xmen, etc). Some very cool Gottliebs such as Stargate, TX Sector, and Devils Dare. And many Bally/Williams classics like TOTAN, AFM, Addams Family. Even some Data East and Sega pins sprinkled in, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Tommy. Also saw Star Wars Trilogy, Spectrum, Popeye, BS Drac, Shadow, Fish Tales, Big Buck Hunter, Tales From The Crypt, Bonsai Run, Whirlwind, Earthshaker, Diner, Guns n Roses, Elvis, and on and on and on. Here is a link to a Pinside thread with lots of pictures from today. Should give you an idea. Even not yet released stuff like Americas Most Haunted and Wrath of Olympus.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinfest-2014-allentown-pa-photos

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Those are some nice pics I saw a Hurricane in there, I think, which I absolutely have to play - it was the first pin I played a lot of. Unfortunately I've been told I'm not allowed to buy a table... so I'll be leaving my checkbook at home.

 

[Kolchak357]

Yeah, I wasn't buying either. There was a Hurricane.

 

[dtown8532]

Well. Didn't come home with any pins. . Got some new glass for the Firepower though. Twenty five bucks for a sheet was fantastic. My dad did pick up two stripped playfieds for wall art. A Buck Rogers and Xenon for ten buck a piece. The BR actually isn't too bad. The Xenon is decent but has seen a lot of love over the years. I just spent the last two hours removing the staples and GI wiring off the backs and then cleaning and applying a coat of wax. They look pretty good. My dad's gonna keep the BR but I took the Xenon off his hands.

Not many deals in the fix er up area. And we arrived there at 12. $2,700 for a Shadow that needed shopped, $1,200 for a Xenon with a worn playfied, $1,100 for an Eight Ball Deluxe with a WHOOPED playfield, $2,200 for Fish Tales with a super faded cabinet, and two hundred for a stripped Centaur playfield that was fairly worn and the guy wouldn't budge on the price. I offered a hundred since Centaur's my favorite pin but no go.

At least I talked my dad out of getting some real clunkers. He looked a Time Warp in the flea market for three hundred. I asked the guy if all the boards were there. He told me they were. I told him to open the back box and...low and behold it was missing the MPU and driver boards. Not to mention that most of the coils were frozen up due to rusted plungers.

The best deals I saw were a ready to go LED'd No Fear for $1,800 obo and a very nice Johnny Mnemonic for $1,900. But I don't typically shop for games that are fully playable. I was really hoping for some project System 11's but, really none to found for a decent price. One guy had a Grand Lizard that could have used a tear down but at $1,100? Nah.

As far as playing goes. I played Americas Most Haunted. Sorry Nate from C2C Pinball, I was not impressed. Very cheesy game all the way around. The one of a kind Wrath of Olympus was cool though. Too bad Predator didn't show up. Played Star Trek LE and Mustang for the first time. Really liked ST but I found Mustang to be a bit boring and, actually, too easy. My ball time for just one game was pretty long and I noticed that for others playing while I was waiting in line. I got to play a Spectrum for the first time. I would definitely pick one of those up but not for the $2,400 asking price. Jeez, what are these people smoking? Cigarettes? There was a super gorgeous Taxi that looked better than new but there was always a group around it. I have to say the most fun I had at the show was playing a very nice and very fast Zaccaria Devil Riders. Asking price was $1,400 which I didn't think was too bad if you wanted one to keep. It was in really nice shape. There was also a Time Machine for $1,800 but it was always off. I know one thing, I gotta crank up the ball speed on Zaccaria Pinball on ios.

All in all it was a good show, but I did leave a little disappointed that I didn't come home with a new project. Oh well, there's always next year.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Played the Taxi. Left ramp was near impossible to make and STDM virtually guaranteed from the Santa kick out. Shame since it is in glorious condition. Time for some Firepower

 

[Kolchak357]

Hope everyone got a chance to to play that Fireball. That one set up today was really nice. Zipper flippers worked perfectly and the spinning disc was very grippy and evil. The ball was dancing on that pin. My wife and I were actually laughing out loud playing it. Unfortunately this caused a crowd and we couldn't get back on it as a line started to form. Such a superior pin. My favorite of the show I think. And that's saying a lot considering I played for over eleven hours over the last two days.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

I had a blast playing Comet. Ahh... Here's the Fireball.