Professional new skeeball machines from the manufacturer retail for at least $5,000, likely more.

Customers interested in vintage/classic games are typically around Dave's age or older and seeking nostalgic connection to childhood.

Dennis Nordman designed the cabinet and force field mechanics for Rapid Fire Arcade; Kevin O'Connor did the complete R&D package

Bally management refused to include spare gun assemblies in shipped games because acknowledging the problem was bad for perception

Dave spent approximately 70 hours on the 8-Ball Deluxe restoration for Jeff and drilled 20 holes in the backlit panel for LED backlighting

Dave believes period-correct Bally fiberlink flippers preserve the original design intent better than modern WPC mech flippers

Dave has restored multiple 8-Ball Deluxe machines (1981 original, 1984 version, recent version) plus 8-Ball The Champ and Fonzie 8-Ball

Rapid Fire Arcade was produced in 5,000 units in April 1982 as a Bally response to Williams' Hyperball

EM market has been soft; El Dorado valued at $2,500-$3,000 during COVID era, now $2,200 asking price with no sale

Atari Hercules is an underpowered machine that played poorly even when brand new

Tim Sexton's negative ranking of Six Million Dollar Man reflects his lack of understanding of the original IP, not the game's actual quality

Dave is restoring a Six Million Dollar Man machine with new rails and rebuilt components including bumpers and flippers

Pinball Life offered 30-40% discounts on switches and parts during recent sale

Joker Poker is one of the top three or four system one pinball machines

Atari pinball machines require specialist knowledge to restore and play well

Psychic Drive curation strategy prioritizes games with unique controllers that can't be replicated at home.

Multiple arcade operator groups (Save Point, Arcade Commons, Wonderville, Credits Remaining) operate in the Midwest convention circuit.

Dave started with one arcade cabinet and volunteered at MAGFest in 2016, launching what became Psychic Drive.

Psychic Drive operates a 26-foot box truck carrying 18-19 arcade games to conventions.

Arcade cabinet prices were significantly lower in 2016-2017, with broken machines available for under $500.

Multiple indie arcade operator groups collaborate at conventions but often aren't recognized as separate entities by attendees.

Portal pinball (P3 system) will debut at QuakeCon in Texas in August.

Psychic Drive will bring Kung Fu Kickball to Anime New York to allow creator Jonah to demo his game in his hometown.

Superman is a better game than Flash and should be included in a top 10 list instead

Playboy is iconic but works better as a social/drinking game due to its countdown mechanic than as a serious game

Dave sold restored Bobby Orr Power Play machines to Recreation World in Framingham for around $2,500 each, which they retailed for approximately $5,000

Dolly Parton is a better game than Future Spa and should replace it on a top 10 list

A customer recovered Dave's business card from inside a Bobby Orr Power Play coin box after approximately 25 years and called to return the machine

Stern's warranty technician Joe Shortsleeve created an additional problem while fixing an Elvira's House of Horrors back door issue

CPR has not fixed the 8-Ball Deluxe playfield alignment issues as of the current podcast date

CPR's 8-Ball Deluxe playfield swap required 38+ hours of corrective work due to misaligned sockets, crooked drop targets, and incorrect positioning of playfield components

A pinball technician was refused service work due to racial discrimination by a Star Wars home edition owner in Boston

The SGDQ pinball tournament drew 20-30 players and was won by Dave from Psychic Drive

The Ballygator feature on Nip-It had an unreliable plastic construction that kept breaking when about 10-15-20 were produced, likely due to multiball gameplay impact.

Space Time's startup failure was caused by a slam switch stuck in the closed position from coin door rebuild work, diagnosed remotely by Dave Golden.

Dave used cut chime grommet parts as dampening material to rebuild the Ballygator standup targets and flipper assembly.

A new competitive all-in-one MPU board for Bally machines exists that is smaller than Andrew's board, uses USB configuration, and is cheaper but may have non-repairable SMD components.

The Cape Cod collector worked for Pixar and Lucasfilm for 40 years and contributed computer animation techniques to original Star Wars films.

A customer offered only $100 to help move a pinball machine, which was rejected as insufficient compensation for moving services.

Early 1970s Bally machines (1971-1973) use a glass assembly design based on a 1947 Buick hood that requires complete disassembly to replace the glass.

Nip-It and Space Time were featured in the Happy Days television show and the collector created a themed game room section around these machines.

Dave owns one of approximately 100 Ninja Eclipse machines produced

Mitchell Lighting LED bulbs with directional light output perform better than Comet bulbs for playfield lighting in restoration projects

Dave sold multiple circuit boards and a rare screened Mata Hari CPR playfield at Tentastic

Dave plans to return to Bob's restoration work at least annually or bi-annually for ongoing maintenance

Bally games started using plastic power supply covers in 1981 in response to electrical code changes

Quench has created additional custom ROM modifications beyond the released Mata Hari version, but has not released them due to perfectionism

Bob (Connecticut collector) added $500 to Dave's bill as a tip and gifted six bottles of wine valued between $75-$150 each

Dave spent 10-11 hours total on the Getaway restoration but exceeded the originally quoted budget

Williams 1990s games are prone to MDF cabinet floor bowing from moisture, unlike Bally games which do not exhibit this problem

The Getaway restoration required replacing three circuit boards costing approximately $600 (driver board) + $200+ (MPU) plus additional costs for Flip-tronic board

The electrical surge that damaged the Getaway was caused by an 18-wheeler truck pulling down power lines and the electric company mistakenly supplying 220 volts instead of 110/115 volts to the house

A Williams Getaway cabinet floor was bowed outward due to moisture damage to the MDF board, making the start button unreachable

The low wireform on Dave's machine increases drain risk but adds to the entertainment value

Dave owns or has owned approximately 26-27 System 11 games from the original set of 30

Dave removed the wireform from his Black Knight 2000 to make it tournament-viable

Standard Black Knight 2000 games can play for 30 minutes to over an hour in a three-to-four player session due to upper playfield ease

Skilled players can play individual balls in standard Black Knight 2000 for approximately 30 minutes

Dave's Black Knight 2000 was purchased from a European container load in 2009

Williams made production changes to Black Knight 2000 wireform design during manufacturing runs

Removing the wireform makes Black Knight 2000 more fun because it increases unpredictability and requires better ball control

8 Ball Deluxe is Bally's best solid-state game

Playfield slope should be between 6-7% for ramp games and around 5% for classic Bally-Stern machines

Residual magnetism in EM coils can be solved by placing mylar over the metal contact point

Bally and Stern solid-state target banks are similar but not swappable between manufacturers

Dead chime bars develop minute cracks in the metal that affect tone quality

Stern used cheaper pot metal in target banks that wore out quickly, while Bally used bushings that lasted longer

Dave spent approximately 50-60 hours restoring the featured Nineball, including installation of new plastics, drop targets, and custom board work

The Taxi restoration involved approximately 18-20 hours of work including flipper rebuilds, rubber replacement, pop bumper reconstruction, and coil/switch repairs

Dave spent over 50 hours restoring this particular Dolly Parton machine

Multiple pinball machine owners mistakenly believe replacement/service balls are provided with machines

Ball became trapped between glass, apron, and flipper switch on KISS machine due to unusual bounce

Dave replaced all standard Stern components (black rubber, cheap balls, Chinese speakers) on Godzilla Premium with premium alternatives

Comprehensive restoration approach (Dave's philosophy) produces better results than partial fixes applied by previous technicians

Indiana Jones machines with optical flipper assemblies are prone to misalignment and sticky button issues requiring specialized repair

Black rubber deteriorates and marks playfields faster than clear silicone alternatives

Theater of Magic trunk mechanism becomes loose and misaligned over time, requiring periodic realignment and tightening

1950s Chicago Coin Riot Gun games require specialized electromechanical expertise beyond general pinball service

Island collector's 12-machine DMD collection was sourced and initially restored through Disney World employee connection

Over-protective mods (cliffy protectors, mantis protectors) can degrade Attack from Mars playability

Mark at Rochester Pinball Cooperative purchased an Embryon for $3,200

Previous episode audio had volume spikes and distortion issues from multi-source recording setup

Rochester Pinball Cooperative is expanding from 50 to 80 games

Customers who purchased EM or vintage pinball machines decades ago for $50–100 often resist spending $500–1000+ on professional restoration due to perceived low game value.

99% of Dave's restoration customers are satisfied and understanding; only a small minority don't grasp the scope of work required.

Technicians should provide low/high range estimates for restoration work to account for hidden damage and unforeseen issues.

Proper pinball restoration requires fine-tuning and optimization—a 'lost art' among many modern technicians.

Moving pinball cabinets is a significant friction point in home situations and a limiting factor in secondary market sales

Dave owns 70 pinball games, mostly from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Scott Home's custom ROM software increases Knight Rider's max bonus from 15,000 to 19,000 points.

Evaporust will pit and destroy pinballs if left soaking for extended periods beyond a day.

Knight Rider was Bally's bridge game from electromechanical to solid-state technology.

Dave spent between 60 and 100 hours restoring his Knight Rider machine.

The original Knight Rider software only awards 50 points per drop target hit, making it difficult to break 100,000 points.

Custom ROM software makes Knight Rider significantly more enjoyable to play than the factory version.

Zep Acid Toilet Bowl Cleaner can neutralize and reverse alkaline corrosion on pinball circuit boards.

Stern's Jurassic Park T-Rex mechanism broke wires to the opto sensor due to mechanical movement, not component failure

Dave has worked on approximately 30 pinball machines in the five weeks since the last podcast recording

Bridge rectifiers purchased from a pinball supplier were sourced from China and are failing prematurely

Williams games from the 1990s have flipper pawls that were never properly tightened at the factory

Firepower was originally designed in software for drop targets; stand-ups were an afterthought due to assembly reliability problems

Mark Helms is filming a Steve Ritchie documentary part 2 with scenes at Pintastic 2023, Dave's restoration shop, and customer locations

Foo Fighters wizard mode is called Overlord and requires completing three modes each for Austin and DC, assembling the foobot, and hitting a target in the back

Star Wars The Mandalorian was the last new game Dave played competitively before his hiatus

Foo Fighters ruleset is not yet finished/complete

Jeremy Packer created the artwork for Foo Fighters pinball

Jurassic Park represents the personal benchmark for pinball excellence in Dave's assessment

Dave previously ranked approximately 300 on IFPA rankings during his active competitive playing period

Foo Fighters is more enjoyable to play than George's previous experience suggests, with great flow and art

Twilight Zone machines now command $10,000+ for nice examples.

Pascal board tilt sensitivity is caused by MPU scan timing issues that require Schottky diode and capacitor modifications

Players traditionally interested in ramp-focused modern games are expressing interest in single-level classic-style machines

Pinball Pool required 20 hours of repair work across 2 days before Allentown Pinfest to fix tilt sensitivity

Pulp Fiction has generated demand comparable to or exceeding that of other recent Stern releases at major festivals

Allentown Pinfest opened early (around 11am) due to large crowds gathering before noon opening

Corrosion on 555 bulb sockets can be cleaned off with a file, and the bulbs will work again.

The colored beads (green, blue, yellow) on 555 bulbs were intentional batch markers to track different production runs.

GE introduced 555 bulb sockets for Bally to save manufacturing costs, but they were inherently defective and feature lamps failed in less than a month on showroom games.

Bally's first production run with seven-digit displays was 1980's Skateball, which came 17 pinball games after Six Million Dollar Man.

Rectangular target pieces used in Six Million Dollar Man are extremely rare and difficult to source in the aftermarket.

WPC-era flipper assemblies are superior to original 1980-era Williams flipper assemblies and should be used as replacements in early solid-state Williams games.

The James Bond Collector's Edition will likely cost distributors $18-20K wholesale

Italian-system add-a-ball games (like Neptune) allow maximum 5 stacked balls; American systems allow up to 10

In Italian-system games, balls-to-play only steps down, never steps up

Dave's Stargazer has custom software that increases difficulty by removing automatic Zodiac spotting

Dave recently completed setup of a classic Stern lineup after planning it for three years

WPC flipper conversions add significant improvement to linear flipper games like Flash Gordon, providing better precision and power

The Classic Pinball Podcast has been running for over three years with more than 100 episodes.

A Whirlwind machine was successfully restored in a hotel room using minimal tools including hand lotion, bubble gum, and a spare main board.

The Classic Pinball Podcast focuses on classic games and niche topics rather than tournament coverage and new game releases like other podcasts.

Dave has not played Rush since the last Classic Pinball Podcast recording (zero times)

Best in Play judging team was reduced from 5 people to 2 people (Dave and Maureen) due to relocations and other concerns

Pintastic 2022 will use QR code-based voting for Best in Play instead of paper ballots

Evel Knievel jumped the Snake River Canyon on September 8, 1974 in a steam-powered motorcycle

Gary Gaten designed Evel Knievel and Paul Ferris created the artwork

The Evel Knievel pinball machine was released in June 1977, simultaneously with the movie 'Viva Knievel'

Evel Knievel assaulted a writer with a baseball bat while his arms were in casts, three months after the pinball release

Evel Knievel declared bankruptcy within three years of his 1977 peak

Dave's customer Evel Knievel restoration took approximately one year instead of the promised end of February

Playing Evel Knievel feels like 'warm worn high-end gloves' compared to frustrating modern machines like Rush

Parachutes opened too soon during the Snake River Canyon jump, causing Knievel to fail despite reaching the other side

A Boston-area technician uses alligator clips and jumper wires instead of soldering to repair switch matrix wiring

The P3 platform's two-button flipper system (separate upstairs/downstairs controls) is inferior to traditional two-button configurations

Guardians of the Galaxy pinball game should be modified or excluded from tournaments due to excessive play time

There is a widespread shortage of skilled technicians capable of fixing pinball machines

Baraka (Mr. Weebly/Andrew) produces one-piece replacement LCD displays for pinball backboxes that screw directly on

Rudy's Nightmare conversion fundamentally changes the game experience due to different voicing

Rush's time machine mechanism operates differently on LE vs Pro models (moving on LE, static on Pro)

Dave's Rush LE is unit number 451

A wealthy Nantucket homeowner is trucking a non-functional Captain Fantastic machine to Dave for restoration without cost constraints

Dave expects to complete two Evil Knievel restoration projects by the end of the month

The scoop mechanism on the Rush Pro at Pixels and Pinballs became deformed after approximately 10-12 aggressive impacts and trapped a ball

John created a custom microprocessor solution for Gottlieb scoring circuits that eliminates timing accuracy issues present in original hardware, enabling instant scoring and reset.

Rolling Stones has an exploitable saucer shot that allows skilled players to achieve unlimited bonus without resetting, making it unsuitable for tournament play.

A Red and Ted's Road Show imported from overseas contained multiple improvised repairs: tungsten switch replacements for opto flipper buttons, improperly wired GI circuits, and oversized fuses.

Eddy current sensors used in 1990s Williams games like Road Show and Star Trek: The Next Generation drift out of spec due to humidity, heat, and connector oxidation, requiring potentiometer adjustment.

Dave's Rolling Stones code modification resetting bonus from 19,000 to zero after saucer hits makes the game significantly harder and more balanced.

Valley Games from the 1970s-early 1980s could not separate special/extra ball awards in code, forcing choice between points OR free game/extra ball.

Flight 2000 is a deeper, more complex game than Sea Witch despite perceptions of it being a 'one trick pony'.

Dave Bowden made the cut to finals at Sturbridge show qualifying round

I plan to have Evil Knievel, Gorgar, and Firepower restorations completed by May timeframe

Rolling Stones was one of two Bally rock and roll-themed games from that era, with Kiss being the other

Jim Patla designed both Rolling Stones and Kiss

Greg Frears did the artwork for Rolling Stones

5,700 units of Rolling Stones were manufactured

Rolling Stones came out in 1980 and had more Rolling Stones music incorporated than Kiss due to increased software capability

I am expecting a Rush pinball machine in late February and purchasing a $400 Pinwoofer sound system for it

Stern LE (Limited Edition) machines now include upgraded sound packages with shaker motors

Dave purchased his KISS machine in the early 1990s for $1,100 from someone in Revere

KISS rates as a B+ quality game, solid and fun but not among the most sought-after classics

Firepower has superior gameplay flow characteristics typical of Steve Ritchie's design signature

This specific Firepower restoration consumed approximately 80 hours of labor

Williams drop targets are inferior to Bally targets in sweepability and feel

Williams successfully trademarked the 'Lane Change' mechanical feature for Firepower

Early Firepower units (100-200) featured drop targets but were removed due to durability problems from constant destruction during play

The 1971 Fireball Arcade had zipper flippers while the 1985 version uses standard three-inch flippers

Zipper flippers require specialized cleaning and lubrication with metal-on-metal contact compared to standard flippers

Dave purchased a Rush Limited Edition as his first new-in-box pinball machine

Dave's first concert ever was the Rush Subdivisions tour in 1982 or 1983 at Boston Garden

Only six Williams Rat Race machines were ever made

Data East Star Wars game had a loose connector under the playfield controlling flipper hold voltage

Dave acquired the Fireball 2 from someone who approached him with games in a truck, for a good deal

Four-hour layoff between tournament rounds negatively impacted Zach McCarthy's performance

The game's top-mounted start button is an unconventional design choice that requires disconnecting the lockdown bar to service the game

The game reaches multiball mode in approximately 2 seconds of play

Some vendors misrepresent themselves as restorers while actually dropshipping pre-restored machines and adding markup

Steve Ritchie provided voice acting for Black Knight 2000's Black Knight character

Yopsicles LED replacements are standard technology in modern Stern and Jersey Jack pinball games

Dave is booked for service calls through September due to high demand

Dave has approximately 8-9 restoration projects in his queue extending from fall through spring

Rick and Morty pinball is heavily dependent on player knowledge of the show and lacks mechanical depth for casual audiences.

A Fathom pinball sold for $7.50 at Allentown's flea market on Saturday morning and was immediately offered $2,000 by multiple buyers afterward.

A high-end private collector near Allentown converted a decommissioned church into a climate-controlled pinball collection space housing 100+ machines.

Dave has approximately 12 games in restoration at present with more coming in constantly

Flipper linkages are commonly left at factory-tight tension, causing premature wear; proper tightening extends flipper lifespan

Led Zeppelin pinball machines are already requiring repairs after only a couple months in production

Eight Ball Champ is a more difficult game than Eight Ball Deluxe because you must aim shots and play them in sequence like real pool

Star Trek Next Gen features DCS sound system, color DMD, mirror blades, Invisiglass, warm LEDs, and subwoofer in Dave's restored version

Twilight Zone and Addams Family command higher resale prices than Star Trek Next Gen despite Star Trek's superior features

Flying Carpet is a Williams EM pinball machine located on third floor attic in Williamstown, Massachusetts

Bally sold home pinball versions through Sears catalog for $300-$400 in late 1970s, compared to ~$1,500 for arcade versions

Bally home editions included Captain Fantastic, Fireball, and Evil Knievel

The Gottlieb spinner is designed to produce minimal spin, typically only 3-5 spins even with lubrication and adjustment

The original 5V power supply issue on Gottlieb System 80 boards can be fixed with a capacitor, diode, and resistor replacement

All Gottlieb System 80 and newer games feature a back glass that pivots rather than hinges

Gordon Morrison created the artwork for most Gottlieb games of this era, including The Amazing Spider-Man

The Pascal board upgrade provides superior bonus countdown compared to original Gottlieb System 80 boards

Reproduction back glasses for The Amazing Spider-Man use excessively dark blue tint compared to originals, making displays harder to read

Dave modified his Hot Doggin' by elevating the back legs with a 2x4 to create extreme pitch difficulty comparable to a 'double black diamond' ski slope.

Reese Rails is currently unable to manufacture side rails due to supplier inability to provide required wood dimensions

Bobby Orr Power Play is ranked #204 on PinSide rankings

A Dremel tool with fine diamond tip is an effective shortcut for removing clearcoat from star roller holes compared to X-Acto blades or files

Knight Rider (late 1970s Bally game) had cabinet mounting holes for EM relay boards despite being manufactured as a Solid State machine

Bobby Orr Power Play has 10 star rollovers, making it one of the star roller-heavy games of the late 1970s

CPR has shifted from silkscreen printing to inkjet printing for playfield artwork in recent short runs

CPR playfield swaps on Bobby Orr Power Play require removal of clearcoat buildup from approximately 110 distinct spots (100 star roller holes + 10 additional hole adjustments)

Community podcast saturation on Led Zeppelin coverage (before release) is frustrating because most commentators have only seen, not played, the machine.

Gladstone will likely develop a soundboard solution for early Stern games (Quicksilver, Flight 2000 generation).

Stern's early solid-state games like Trident suffer from poor soundboards that sound like a cash register.

A Cheetah sold at Captain's Auction for $4,300 before 15% buyer's premium, totaling ~$5,000.

The VSU-2 soundboard replacement costs $125 and is priced reasonably for the market.

Dave previously sold a mint condition Cheetah for $7,200-$7,500.

The original design included a plastic bell substitute due to cost considerations; Dave installed a real metal bell during restoration

The ringmaster feature comes in two design variants with the 'fat' version reducing ball hang-ups compared to the 'skinny' version

Keeping original incandescent lighting provides superior light decay characteristics compared to LED conversions

Cirqus Voltaire is the only pinball machine with a DMD-style display integrated into the backbox of a regular playfield machine

Playboy's primary strategic appeal reduces to consistent Grotto shot execution; without this, the game is unplayable

The Playboy game was designed by Jim Potla with artwork by Paul Farris

Dave has owned his Black Knight for four months and recently restored it for a customer

Dave performed 60+ hours of restoration work on the High Speed featured in the podcast.

MDF cabinets from the Midway era were designed with planned obsolescence in 3-5 year lifecycle

Low-quality LEDs with ghosting and blink artifacts should be avoided in pinball restoration

Stargazer and Nine Ball are the best spinner representation games from Stern

Flash Gordon and Fathom are the best Bally spinner games

Stargazer has three distinctly different spinner implementations

Nine Ball's spinner is maxed out by hitting the upper three center-top drop targets and worth approximately 2,500 points per spin when maxed

Kings of Steel should sell for approximately $2,000 in current market with proper restoration

8-Ball Deluxe had a production run of approximately 20,000 units

Eight Ball was the only game that beat 8-Ball Deluxe in production numbers

Fishtales has a known issue with the casting reel pulley wearing out

The drive from Poughkeepsie to Northville took approximately 3.5 hours

Dave was recently featured on the front page of New England History and Heritage Journal

The new linear 5-volt regulators used in WPC ramp games are incompatible with older Bally and Stern machines due to excessive current draw

Playfield protectors with small holes for in-lane guides produce a cleaner finish than newer full-line-cut versions

Dave currently has approximately 6 restorations in his work queue

Andrew Weebly's custom soundboard with pitch control costs $100

Knight Rider pinball was based on the 1979 TV show BJ and the Bear, not Smokey and the Bandit or Convoy

Raspberry Pi soundboards can be purchased and installed to add sound triggers to solid-state and EM games

Dave has been restoring Twilight Zone for an extended period and recently completed the clock mechanism repair

Flight 2000 was modified with three Powerballs to increase game speed, a technique originally used in Twilight Zone

Stern's Split Second game has incomplete code and was intended to be a talker but was never finished

CPR's first Fathom playfield reproduction (from Nova Scotia/Deaton) was overly complex and unsuccessful as a first product attempt

Fathom was not very well known in the collective community and they didn't make a whole lot of them in 1981

European-made pinball playfields (Geiger, Zacariah, Spanish makers) age better and exhibit less wear than American-made playfields

Stern Monopoly (2003) machines are experiencing widespread alkaline battery damage on main boards

Modern pinball buyers are purchasing games without seeing them played outside early-access streams

Stern Monopoly machines are being sold for $2,000–$3,000 on the secondary market

Stern manufactured approximately 500 Monopoly replacement main boards about 1 year ago, and they sold out quickly

Stern cannot remanufacture Monopoly boards due to RoHS compliance and the cost is prohibitive

The Kiss pinball code update being played was new enough that Eric Stone, an experienced player, was unfamiliar with the rule changes

TX Sector has outlane save mechanics with rubber gates allowing ball recovery from drains

Alternate TX Sector translite is available from Netherlands-based vendor but perceived as potentially fraudulent

TX Sector has no jackpots in multiball; all scoring revolves around mega levels

TX Sector scoreboard is awkwardly positioned above backbox rather than below, causing installation difficulty

Dave modified Stargazer's bonus multiplier code to reset above 3x on subsequent balls to improve difficulty

Dave has submitted numerous high-quality IPDB photos to replace poor documentation on classic games

The pop-up in Quicksilver produces a great sound

Quicksilver's audio becomes faster and more insistent as ball play time increases

The saucer shot in Quicksilver has a really cool bass sound

Quicksilver deserves better sound treatment than previously given in the podcast

Quicksilver has similar progressive sound design to Stargazer

Dave paid $170 for a pristine Quicksilver in the early 1990s

Stern used pot metal construction in Quicksilver that corroded over time, while Bally used more robust solid metal

Quicksilver has the best bonus countdown sound among Stern games from the late 1970s-early 1980s era

Quicksilver was one of Stern's hits from 1980, with 1,200 units produced

Machines in 1980 were not designed to last more than 2 years; nobody expected them to survive 30-50 years

Stern's 1980 production strategy emphasized volume over cabinet presentation due to arcade stacking practices

Evel Knievel (Bally, 1977) has a 15,000 point maximum bonus and no hold bonus

Dave has a restoration business specializing in spinner maintenance and is known for perpetual spinners

Stern 100 series pinball machines (MPU 100 boards) have poor sound boards

Dave created and runs the best-in-show contest at Pintastic with 9 different categories including Antique, Classic, Solid State, 90s, and Modern.

Pintastic pinball show started approximately 5 years ago and expects close to 150 games.

Dave played in a California Extreme tournament in 2003 against Neil Schatz and Keith Elwynn.

Dave has been collecting pinball machines since the early 1990s after meeting Stu who told him pinball machines could be owned.

Fun and Games arcade in Framingham, MA where Dave played in the 1970s had games like Quicksilver, Stargazer, 8 Ball Deluxe, and Mata Hari.

The flipper lighting design on Black Knight Sword of Rage uses lights shining directly into the flipper area from holes in the apron

Killing zombies builds an in-lane multiplier (axe) that can be stacked up to 8X or higher and applied to subsequent shots