# PINSPOTTING: HERE AND THERE - JANUARY 2019

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2019-01-16  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2019/01/16/pinspotting-here-and-there-january-2019

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## Analysis

A Pinball News column documenting unconventional locations where pinball machines are found beyond typical bars and arcades. The author visits an orthodontics office in Illinois featuring Revenge from Mars and a record store (Siren Records) in McHenry housing three Stern games: Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast, Ghostbusters, and The Rolling Stones. Both venues demonstrate how pinball machines enhance customer experience in niche retail environments.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Arpino Orthodontics in Libertyville, IL has a Revenge from Mars (Bally, 1999) in excellent condition set to free play — _Direct observation by author; includes detail about free game thresholds being set low and availability of step stool for accessibility_
- [HIGH] Siren Records in McHenry, IL has three Stern pinball machines: Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast (2018), Ghostbusters (2016), and The Rolling Stones (2011) — _Author visited and photographed all three machines; confirmed by store owner Bill_
- [HIGH] Siren Records owner Bill expressed desire for more pinball machines but is constrained by floor space and cost of new games — _Direct quote from store owner; author notes these as limiting factors for expansion_
- [HIGH] Siren Records is one of few independent record stores remaining in greater Chicagoland area with specialized vinyl collection including bootlegs and rare pressings — _Author's observation and description of store inventory_

### Notable Quotes

> "When I was but a wee lad and needed dental braces, it certainly would have taken some of the anxiety out of going to an appointment if my Orthodontist had a Revenge from Mars in their waiting area."
> — **Article author**, Arpino Orthodontics section
> _Sets tone for exploring pinball in unexpected venues and explains the value proposition of machines in non-traditional locations_

> "In our age of digital music and downloadable albums, the concept of a 'Record Store' is as much of a throwback as…. pinball. So looking at it that way, having pin games in a record store is more natural than you might feel that it would be at first."
> — **Article author**, Siren Records section introduction
> _Articulates the thematic connection between retro/analog businesses (record stores) and pinball as complementary cultural artifacts_

> "Bill told me that he wishes he had more games available for his customers to enjoy. It would seem that lack of floor space and the cost of new games prevents that… at least for the moment."
> — **Article author (reporting Bill's statement)**, Siren Records section conclusion
> _Highlights market barrier: pricing and physical space constraints limiting pinball adoption in boutique retail venues_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Arpino Orthodontics | organization | Orthodontics practice in Libertyville, IL; operates a game room with Revenge from Mars and other arcade/driving games; commissioning custom 3D arcade art |
| Dr. Arpino | person | Owner/operator of Arpino Orthodontics; passionate about games and has invested in game room with pinball and arcade equipment |
| Siren Records | organization | Independent record store in McHenry, IL specializing in vinyl records (rock, jazz, punk, classical, psychedelia, metal); operates used stereo equipment sales and repair services; hosts three Stern pinball machines |
| Bill | person | Owner of Siren Records; expressed interest in expanding pinball offerings but constrained by space and cost |
| Revenge from Mars | game | Bally, 1999 pinball machine; located at Arpino Orthodontics in excellent condition, set to free play |
| Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast | game | Stern, 2018 pinball machine; newest addition to Siren Records; in excellent 'just unboxed' condition |
| Ghostbusters | game | Stern, 2016 pinball machine; located at Siren Records in excellent condition |
| The Rolling Stones | game | Stern, 2011 pinball machine; located at Siren Records in excellent condition |
| Pinball News | organization | Independent online pinball media outlet publishing the PinSpotting column series |
| Paulo Coelho | person | Author of The Alchemist; quote used as epigraph for the article about finding pinball in unexpected places |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pinball placement in non-traditional venues
- **Secondary:** Machine condition and maintenance, Pricing and accessibility barriers to pinball adoption, Retro/analog culture intersection with pinball
- **Mentioned:** Stern pinball licensing and game selection

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Author expresses genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for discovering pinball machines in unexpected community venues; celebrates venue operators' passion for games and quality customer experience. Tone is celebratory and encouraging about pinball's expanding presence beyond traditional arcade/bar locations. Only minor constraint noted (pricing barrier) is presented matter-of-factly rather than critically.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Pinball machines increasingly appearing in non-traditional commercial venues (medical offices, record stores) suggesting broader cultural integration and operator demand expansion beyond arcades/bars (confidence: medium) — Author's column concept of spotting pinball in unexpected locations; two distinct non-traditional venue examples documented
- **[market_signal]** Cost of new pinball games acts as barrier to adoption in boutique retail venues; Siren Records owner explicitly cites game pricing as limiting factor for expanding machine count (confidence: high) — Bill's statement: 'lack of floor space and the cost of new games prevents that… at least for the moment'
- **[product_concern]** Recent Stern releases documented as arriving in excellent 'just unboxed' condition, suggesting consistent manufacturing quality (confidence: medium) — Multiple references to machines being in excellent/just unboxed condition at Siren Records (Iron Maiden 2018, Ghostbusters 2016, Rolling Stones 2011)

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## Transcript

“I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Welcome to the Winter edition of PinSpotting. I will submit a column to Pinball News occasionally to share with the readers the games that I have found in places that people might not normally expect to find them.

Bars and arcades are usually where we find video games and pinball, but as I found, this is not strictly the case.

Arpino Orthodontics
West Maple Ave., Libertyville, IL, USA

When I was but a wee lad and needed dental braces, it certainly would have taken some of the anxiety out of going to an appointment if my Orthodontist had a Revenge from Mars (Bally, 1999) in their waiting area.

![The Revenge from Mars at Arpino Orthodontics](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/01-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

The Revenge from Mars at Arpino Orthodontics

On the day that I visited, Dr. Arpino was very generous with his time, showing me the well-equipped patient game room which also has some other arcade and driving games. It is clear to me that he is passionate about games – he is even having some 3-D arcade art commissioned for the game room. We were invited back to photograph this art when it has been installed.

Revenge from Mars is set to free play and is in very good condition. I felt as if the ‘free game’ thresholds were set a bit low; somewhat puzzling when the game is set to free play. A plus feature is that they even have a step stool so that height challenged humans can get in on the fun.

Siren Records
Main Street, McHenry, IL, USA

In our age of digital music and downloadable albums, the concept of a ‘Record Store’ is as much of a throwback as…. pinball. So looking at it that way, having pin games in a record store is more natural than you might feel that it would be at first.

![Siren Records in McHenry, Illinois](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/02-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

Siren Records in McHenry, Illinois

Siren Records is one of the few independent record stores remaining in the greater Chicagoland area. They have an off-the-hook selection of vinyl records spanning genres such as Rock, Jazz, Punk, Classical, Psychedelia and Metal. Their selection includes bootlegs and ‘fan club editions’, as well as other hard-to-find pressings of local singers and bands that most people would rightly consider to be quite out of the mainstream. For me, that makes Siren Records all the more a treasure.

![Some of the vinyl at Siren Records](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/06-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

Some of the vinyl at Siren Records

There are the expected CDs, DVDs, cassettes and SACDs available for sale, but this is a store primarily for those of us who enjoy the pleasure of ‘full-sized’ artwork and liner notes that can only be found in 12” (30 cm) analog LP records.

Siren Records offers two huge rooms of used stereo equipment for sale (1958 Fisher President console stereo anyone?) and has a repair service for most analog audio equipment (analog
record turntables a specialty) that may need ‘shopping’.

![Used equipment for sale](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/09-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

Used equipment for sale

There is a great listening area with comfy chairs and rock band posters and artwork on the walls.

![The listening area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/08-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

The listening area

![More audio equipment in the listening area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/07-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

More audio equipment in the listening area

Near the front of the store, there are band T-shirts and jackets available for reasonable prices.

![Some of the band merchandise for sale](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/05-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

Some of the band merchandise for sale

But to the pinball; Siren Records has not one, but THREE games available to play – Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (Stern, 2018), Ghostbusters (Stern, 2016), and The Rolling Stones (Stern, 2011).

![The latest addition - Iron Maiden - with Ghostbusters and The Rolling Stones](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/03-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

The latest addition, Iron Maiden, with Ghostbusters and The Rolling Stones

All are in excellent ‘just unboxed’ condition.

Siren Records owner Bill told me that he wishes he had more games available for his customers to enjoy.

![Bill with his three games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinspotting/january-2019/04-pinspotting-january-2019.jpg)

Bill with his three games

It would seem that lack of floor space and the cost of new games prevents that… at least for the moment.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: aff8a195-538c-482b-9dc5-9fc061546780*