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SDTM Episode 34: Collector Interview (Schmitty)

Straight Down the Middle·video·33m 54s·analyzed·Sep 19, 2017
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.032

TL;DR

Collector interview with Jason 'W. Schmidt on Jersey Jack machines, pinball collecting strategy, and Midwest pinhole adventures.

Summary

Zach Sharpe of Straight Down the Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show interviews long-time friend Jason 'W. Schmidt, a dedicated pinball collector with 7 machines who has been in the hobby ~1.5 years but already cycled through ~20 games. Schmitty strongly prefers Jersey Jack machines for their quality and gameplay feel, owns all three JJP titles (Wizard of Oz, Hobbit, Dialed In!! (Limited Edition) #301), and discusses his collection philosophy, favorite games, pinhole adventures across the Midwest, and his newest acquisition—a restoration project Evel Knievel solid state machine.

Key Claims

  • Schmitty has owned approximately 20 pinball machines in ~1.5 years of hobby involvement

    high confidence · Zach asks 'how many have you owned?' and Schmitty replies 'probably 20 or so' after being in the hobby 'about a year and a half'

  • Schmitty owns all three Jersey Jack games (Wizard of Oz, Hobbit, Dialed In!!) and prefers them over Stern machines for quality and gameplay

    high confidence · Zach confirms 'So you own all three Jersey Jack machines, right? Yes.' and Schmitty states 'Quality. Quality is there' and 'They're just butter' in comparison to Sterns

  • Dialed In!! (Limited Edition) is serial number 301

    high confidence · Zach asks 'what number you got' and Schmitty replies '301 lucky 301'

  • Schmitty has had no quality problems with his three new-in-box Jersey Jack machines

    high confidence · 'I've had three machines, new in box, and not a single problem with them'

  • Schmitty and Zach have driven extensively across the Midwest for pinhole acquisitions, including a 10-11 hour drive to Pittsburgh to deliver rescued machines

    high confidence · Schmitty recounts driving to Pittsburgh ~10 hours and saving seven vintage EM/early solid state machines from demolition to deliver to a collector at Replay Museum arcade

  • Schmitty regrets letting go of a Simpsons pinball machine early

    high confidence · 'I wish I had a little more time on the Simpsons' and later 'would you own another one definitely really yeah I know a guy'

  • Jersey Jack machines remain in Schmitty's collection while Stern machines are rotated out regularly

    high confidence · 'It's kind of heartbreaking to get rid of a Jersey Jack...But a stern, it don't matter. There's nothing special. It does not matter.'

  • Schmitty's Dialed In!! (Limited Edition) came with 'late run' features including Ruby Red coloring

    medium confidence · 'Pretty well every Jersey Jack machine I waited on got the late runs...Oh yeah, the Ruby Red'

Notable Quotes

  • “Nothing honestly.”

    W. Schmidt @ ~2:45 — When asked what pisses him off about Zach after 30 years of friendship, reveals the strength of their lifelong bond

  • “Quality. Quality is there. You go from playing a jack machine, go down to, say, Shrek, and it's totally different.”

    W. Schmidt @ ~8:00 — Explains his preference for Jersey Jack machines over Stern; notes measurable quality difference

  • “They're just butter.”

    W. Schmidt @ ~15:30 — Describes how Jersey Jack machines play compared to Stern machines; indicates superior gameplay mechanics

  • “It's kind of heartbreaking to get rid of a Jersey Jack. But a stern, it don't matter. There's nothing special. It does not matter.”

    W. Schmidt @ ~18:00 — Reveals emotional attachment to Jersey Jack machines and willingness to quickly cycle Stern machines; reflects collector mindset and brand loyalty

  • “I've had three machines, new in box, and not a single problem with them.”

    W. Schmidt @ ~19:30 — Strong endorsement of Jersey Jack quality control and reliability; speaks to collector satisfaction with brand

  • “I think they ought to keep a variety out there. A variety. Yeah, because if they all go to screens, they're all going to look the same.”

    W. Schmidt @ ~13:00 — Expresses desire for diverse design philosophies across manufacturers; concerns about homogenization if screen-heavy games dominate

  • “Toy Story would be awesome...I'd call Larry that day.”

    W. Schmidt @ ~14:00 — Indicates strong desire for Toy Story as Jersey Jack title; shows decision would be immediate if announced

  • “If it's super nice I'll overpay for okay...this is the buddy that always makes it hard for me to sell games”

    Zach @ ~16:30 — Schmitty's role in convincing Zach to keep rare/pristine machines; demonstrates peer influence on collector behavior

Entities

Zach SharpepersonJason SchmidtpersonLarrypersonGregpersonChuck WirtzpersonPat LawlorpersonJersey Jack PinballcompanyStern Pinballcompany

Signals

  • ?

    collector_signal: Schmitty exhibits strong emotional attachment and retention patterns with Jersey Jack machines versus rapid cycling of Stern machines, despite owning both brands. Willing to overpay for pristine condition machines.

    high · 'It's kind of heartbreaking to get rid of a Jersey Jack...But a stern, it don't matter' and 'I'll overpay for a game for a nice game'

  • ?

    product_concern: Collector expresses perception of quality gap between Jersey Jack and Stern machines in gameplay feel and construction, noting games are 'butter' vs Stern competitors. Shrek (Stern-made game designed by Pat Lawler) receives praise despite brand skepticism.

    medium · 'Quality is there. You go from playing a jack machine...it's totally different' and 'They're just butter' comparing JJP to Stern

  • ?

    community_signal: Long-term friendship (30 years) between content creator and collector generates peer influence on buying/selling decisions. Schmitty acts as voice discouraging machine sales when pristine condition, demonstrating community social dynamics around FOMO and retention.

    high · 'this is the buddy that always makes it hard for me to sell games when I get super super nice games' and Zach recounting times Schmitty convinced him to keep machines

  • ?

    operational_signal: Significant portion of collector enjoyment comes from 'the hunt' and pinhole acquisition adventures across Midwest, including long-distance trades and rescues (10+ hour drives to Pittsburgh). Acquisition process as important as ownership.

    high · 'The fun of the hobby is not in just playing it...The hunt...How many miles do you think we've racked up in the last year?' and Pittsburgh rescue mission story

  • ?

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.102

0:00
The wait is over. A revolution in LED lighting for your pinball is finally here. Fully customizable full spectrum lighting from Penn Stadium Lights. Order yours now at PennStadium.com.
0:30
All right, let's kick this shit. You hit it off with a bumper, now you're straight down the middle again. Middle again. You had a fling with a slingshot, you're rolling out the aisle again.
0:47
I tried to cradle you with my flipper, it was all in vain. It was all in vain. Baby, baby, baby, why are you doing me wrong? Who is wrong? Don't you remember the good days when we used to get old?
1:04
We'd make those four wheels spin all night Then we'd be singing our song You said life was getting white Hey, what's happening, guys? This is Zach from straight down the middle of Pinball Show. So we're going to do another collector interview. And I got to tell you, this one is very, very special to me. Because this guy right here, known as Schmitty on Pinside, right? He goes by Jason in real life. Or actually, you go by Schmitty in real life. That's what I call you all the time. But it's really special to me because this guy has been one of my best friends since, what do they say, the knee-high to a grasshopper? Something like that.
Dialed In!
game
The Wizard of Ozgame
The Hobbitgame
Shrekgame
Ghostbustersgame
Popeyegame
Evel Knievelgame
Replay Museumvenue
Flip N Out Pinballvenue
Louisville Showevent
Pin Graphicscompany
Pin Stadium Lightsproduct
Straight Down the Middle Pinball Showorganization
Waspinatorperson

design_innovation: Jersey Jack Dialed In received 'late run' production improvements (Ruby Red coloring, Cliffy guards, other enhancements) that Schmitty appreciates. Signals manufacturer responsiveness to quality feedback in LE runs.

medium · 'Pretty well every Jersey Jack machine I waited on got the late runs...Oh yeah, the Ruby Red' and mention of Cliffy guards on LE units

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Community initially resisted Dialed In theme (phone/Joe the worker character), but collector finds theme irrelevant compared to superior gameplay rules and presentation. Indicates theme criticism did not impact owner satisfaction.

    medium · 'people bitched about it's a phone...they hated the theme...Oh yeah, they did...It has nothing to do with it. It's not the point of it, is it?'

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Schmitty references hearing rumors about Toy Story as potential Jersey Jack title and expresses immediate purchase commitment ('I'd call Larry that day'). Indicates collector appetite for Toy Story theme if announced.

    medium · 'I heard rumors on this. Toy Story would be awesome...I'd call Larry that day' and reference to 'you'd be in with Larry Quick on that one'

  • $

    market_signal: Hobbit machine prices dropping noticeably in secondary market; Schmitty expresses regret at price trajectory and Zach warns against selling. Indicates potential market saturation or collector glut of Hobbit machines.

    medium · 'the way the prices are dropping right now. I hate it' and Zach's response suggesting never to sell it

  • ?

    product_strategy: Jersey Jack's practice of refining LE machines during production run with improvements (Ruby Red, enhanced guards) appears intentional product strategy to reward waiting customers vs early purchasers.

    medium · 'Pretty well every Jersey Jack machine I waited on got the late runs' suggests deliberate late-stage improvements

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Collector prioritizes gameplay mechanics and playfield design over theme IP. Evaluates games primarily on rule depth, shot layout, and feel rather than IP licensing.

    high · Disinterest in Ghostbusters despite theme popularity; preference for Evel Knievel (lesser-known IP) for mechanics; Dialed In theme criticism dismissed

  • ?

    venue_signal: Collector participated in rescue and restoration of vintage arcade machines (7 EM/early solid state pins from demolition) and coordinated delivery to specialty arcade (The Replay in Pittsburgh), indicating community preservation efforts.

    high · 'you saved seven old ass EM and early solid state...from a barn...you found a guy in Pittsburgh...you'll probably played them at Pinburg...at the replay'

  • ?

    content_signal: SDTM producing long-form collector interviews as core content strategy, featuring machine walkthroughs, personal histories, and philosophical discussions about hobby direction. Format appears resonating with community.

    medium · Full episode structure dedicated to single collector's machines and philosophies; emphasis on emotional connections and acquisition stories

    • 1:41
    So how long have we been friends, man? Let's see if you know. I'm going to be 34. Yeah. So I'd say probably. Old and crusty ass. At least 30.
    1:54
    30 years probably. Let's see. Hot damn. This guy's dealt with me for 30 freaking years. 30 years. What pisses you off about me?
    2:06
    I don't even know the answer to this. I just sprung this on you. What's something that you get tired of with me?
    2:13
    Nothing, honestly. Look at that. Nothing. That's why we're still friends. I've only got four things that piss me off about you. You ready? I'm just... You ready, Clark? Yeah, we started hanging out in kindergarten, rode the bus together, and we're out in the middle of the country. So it took us about an hour to get to school, both ways, uphill. That's right. Right? We made a commitment. This is corny. Bear with me. We made a commitment one summer to spend the night at one another's house every effing night. And we did it. We did it. We hated each other at the end of it, and we got into a fight because of a, which baseball card was it? It was a Nolan Ryan. Was it a rookie card? I don't know. Maybe it was an insert. I know the other thing was one of those trapper keeper, like, slipper things. How badass were those? Those were cool. Freaking love that. With the sports? Yeah. The baseball? Baseball. The basketball? Yeah. Love that shit. So we've been friends for 30 years, and we've been through a shitload of hobbies together. Definitely. Right? Right now we're in pinball together. I got you into pinball. Yeah. But what did we start out with? Baseball cards was a big thing for us. That was a big thing growing up. I love that. But we liked basketball cards.
    3:35
    Not so much football. We didn't do football, did we? Baseball, basketball. Pretty well. Yeah, I like that. And then we graduated from baseball cards to, or no, you know what was before baseball cards? Pogs. Pogs was before, was that before? That was during. Yeah. Pogs was during. The Slammers, remember the Metal Slammers? You guys remember the Pogs Slammers and you had the case, remember the case for them? Had to have that. Yeah, the Metal Slammer and then you pull out that Metal Slammer, bam. We went through Trolls. Yeah. Remember when we were in probably first grade? Something like that. Collected Trolls. We've collected Micro Machine Cars. Yeah. What else did we collect? who knows yeah we've collected a lot of things so now we're on the pinball how long you've been in the hobby a year and a half about a year and a half i've been in the hobby about two years um he had to show me up on his first pin so i'm i'm digging around like a jurassic park or something and he calls me up one day he's like yeah i got a pinball machine just all low-key and what'd you bring home the first one wizard of oz standard wizard of oz and the standard wasn't good enough so you got rid of it in a month or so and you upgraded later on we'll see that here in a minute all right so you've been in there what so what is your favorite machine you've owned how many I you've got seven now you've owned probably 20 or so yeah yeah right went through 20 went through 20 what's your favorite one right now sure right now that's a blast isn't it yes he's got an le back here what number you got 301 lucky 301 so prior to this coming out what would have been your favorite pin it was the hobbit for the longest time the hobbit um that was i guess that was my technically my first new inbox. And I think we've got it on a video of the story that you and I had where I kind of talked you into buying it and then after a week you were like dude, why did I spend $9,000? I'm not crazy about this. And I was like, keep playing it, keep playing it. And then... You definitely need to know the rules. Yeah, you've got to get into that game. And then you were like, no, Wizard of Oz is where it's at. It's the greatest pin ever made. And I was like, a lot of people think that's fair. But then you've said, no, Hobbit's kind of where it's at. Yeah. I think I got burned out on the Waz. Waz will burn you out quick. Yeah. Especially drain, drain, drain all the time. Drain monster. If you ever have a good game on it, it draws you back. Nothing like it. All right. So the Hobbit and then dialed in. So I'm getting a theme here. You have all three Jersey Jack machines, right? Yes. What do you love? So why Jersey Jack? There's all kinds of new sterns come out. Bally Williams, why Jersey Jack? Quality. Quality is there. It's definitely there. You go from playing a jack machine, go down to, say, Shrek, and it's totally different. Yeah, it's true. Totally different. It's very true. Very true. All right. Let's see here. What's another good question for you? So you own seven machines. You've been through a lot. What machine do you regret getting rid of? Or maybe you got rid of it just a little bit too early.
    6:57
    I wish I had a little more time on the Simpsons. Simpsons? Simpsons. Okay. All right. Not the data Easter. Remember we looked at one of those. Yeah, I remember that.
    7:08
    That was a bad one. We about picked it up, though. That was rough. It was rough. But the Simpsons you had, the pinball party, was awesome. That's a nice machine, yeah. That was a nice machine. So that's the one that got away. would you own another one definitely really yeah I know a guy yeah all right so where so pinball in five years you think you'll still be in the hobby in five years yeah I'll at least have one from the rest of your life I think so nice he's never gonna get down to one at least one at least one yes where do you Where would you like to see the pinball hobby headed? Do you like all of the gadgets and the screens? Do you like all of that? Do you like the old-style EMs and make it more basic? What do you like? What do you want to see in five years? I think they ought to keep a variety out there. A variety. Yeah, because if they all go to screens, they're all going to look the same. And it's going to start getting into the video game stuff. Yeah.
    8:14
    I don't mind a solid state. Yeah. If it's fun. He's got a really nice Evel Knievel that we'll see right now. Now before I have to say we were both kind of on the bandwagon of I don want that old shit give me the new stuff but then we we found our way into some solid states even some ems yeah i like an em i like an em too if it has what double spin double spinners you gotta have double spinners at least one spinner all those reels going i love that shit too all right so i know you haven't been to a lot of shows. I'm trying to drag him to Chicago, but he's got Jason Aldean concert, right? Can't go to that. Maybe I can get you to Texas next year. That would be fun. So you've been to the Louisville show. Twice. Twice. Yeah, you have. So, did you like the Louisville show? What did you like about that?
    9:14
    Or do you think it's a shit show? No, I think it's a good show. You liked it? I just like seeing all the pinball machines. Yeah. And seeing what's out there. That's right. All the free play games. And then, there was a nice torpedo up at Louisville Show. Torpedo Alley. Did you see that? Yeah, I played that thing. That was pretty nice. That was nice. You know, Rick. I've never played that game before. Yeah. And it kind of drove me in. Same thing with Rick. He was like, man, I was trying to buy that thing. Yeah. That was cool. All right. So you like the Louisville Show. We got to hang out with Larry. Flipping out. That was kind of fun too because he had all those Jersey Jacks there. Yeah. That was cool. All right. I'm going to get him to Texas.
    9:52
    Okay. What machine... Is there any machine that you would just... Dude, you have the nicest machines, but is there any machine that you don't have that you would love to own?
    10:06
    Any machine that you do not have that you would love to own? You can't think of anything. This dude's got the nicest... Is it imaginary? Imaginary?
    10:18
    Imaginary? No, not imaginary. No. Is there anything? I'd like to have ACDC Pro. ACDC Pro? That's fine with me. You're good with that? Yeah. Stand-up city, huh? Yeah, or just a jukebox. ACDC jukebox. Yeah, that'll work.
    10:36
    I just like the music. I like the music, too. That's Greg's favorite game. It's not a great game, but it's fun. It's fun. And it rocks. Yeah. It just rocks. I know what Schmitty, which game he would love to have that he doesn't own, is probably the next Jersey Jack game, right? Yeah. Regardless. Yeah, regardless. You're just a supporter, a fan of Jersey Jack machines. I can't argue with it. I've had three machines, new in box, and not a single problem with them. How fun was it to unbox them? I loved it. Loved it. Okay.
    11:11
    So how long do games stay in your collection? Now, I know the Jersey Jacks don't leave. I mean, they're up for trade if somebody's willing to have something cool.
    11:21
    Yeah, I don't know. Some of your games you go through quick. Yeah, like a stern. It's kind of heartbreaking to get rid of a Jersey Jack. Okay. That's interesting. It's tough. But a stern, it don't matter. There's nothing special. It does not matter. That's really interesting. So is it the quality? Is it just the whole presentation that Jersey Jack brings to it? It just feels special. I don't know.
    11:50
    I guess I do have a tighter relationship with Jack. Yeah, you have a good relationship with him. Nothing with Stern. That's true.
    11:59
    But you've always told me you like the way they play over Sterns. Oh, definitely. That's true. They're just butter. They are butter. I'm with you on that one. All right. so let's say you're going to buy a machine right because we do this a lot you're going to buy a machine what is like your biggest frickin turnoff when you go buy a machine what's like you know a killer you cannot buy that machine because of it price I'll overpay for a game for a nice game you you do do that yeah if it's super nice I'll overpay for okay you know instead of having just a regular beat-up game yeah I just this is the buddy that I don't know if you guys have this buddy but this is the buddy that always makes it hard for me to sell games when I get super super nice games this guy's always in my ear saying Zach come on like you're how many times have I heard you say and you're never gonna find one like that again yeah come on like that theater magic I had come on man don't get rid of that shit Lord of the Rings I had I mean there's been a couple that he's tried to do a little sit-down and say man come on all right so there was a few what else turns you off when you're buying a game size price where where playfield where what are we talking In general. Just general wear? It can be perfect game and if there's a scratch on the side, that's a no-no. Unless you get cheap enough. Unless the price is right. But generally speaking, you don't want to see playfield wear. Yeah. Okay. Very cool. All right. Dream theme. If you could make a pinball machine into any theme possible, and of course, Jersey Jack making it, what themes would they be? I heard rumors on this. Okay. What did you hear rumors? Toy Story would be awesome. That's a rumor. Yeah. That would be cool. That would be a definitely buy for me. That would be a big one. You'd be in with Larry Quick on that one. Yeah. I'd call Larry that day. Mm-hmm.
    14:14
    I think Little Rascals would be cool. I've never heard of that. Little Rascals. I don't know how they would integrate it, but I think it would be pretty cool. We grew up on that stuff. Yes. I think that would be really cool. I like that. I remember snow days, getting snowed in. Hanging out and watching Little Rascals. Spanky. We still do a little list to each other sometimes. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's right.
    14:37
    Oh, Ted. And how. That's right. Okay. Any other dream themes? I'm trying to think. Those are two solid ones, though. I like that. So before we leave and go to your machines, do you have any other hobbies? Now, I know this, but tell the listener or the watcher, the viewer, some other hobbies you have. Camping. You have a badass camper. We like to camp. It's like a five-bedroom, three-bath.
    15:05
    Pretty well on a double-wide or a single-wide. But it's really super nice. It's got a kitchen that's nicer than most people's homes. So we've been camping for years. Yeah. You know, we never did the tent stuff besides when we were kids. Yeah. But we've always had a camper because if there's no fun camping, you might as well not even go. That's right. You've got to be comfortable. That's the way. You've got to be comfortable. I wish you guys could see this camper. I'd be comfortable living in this camper. But, yeah, okay. You've got to be comfortable. And then I like to farm. You like to farm? Me too, buddy. We live on 80. Me, I'm, how many? 80. 80 acres. That's why it's a hobby. That's not a job. It is for your family. Well, people nowadays farm 2,000, 4,000 acres around here. Yeah, that's big. That's a big farmer. But we just farm 300 total.
    16:02
    What do you like about farming so much? What is it? Is it peaceful? Do you like combine? What do you like to do? We're some Hoosier boys.
    16:14
    Oh, it's just a different world. Yeah. You know, you don't have all that bullshit in the world. You're just out in the middle of nowhere. It's true.
    16:22
    It's true. Air conditioning and combine, right? Yeah, you got to be comfortable. You got to be comfortable again. That's right, quality. If you're out there farming with John, it's not good. Schmitty's a man of quality. So you like to farm. Now, I know something about you. Ever since we were little kids, you always tinkered on shit. Yeah. You would always be fixing up a four-wheeler, fixing up a dirt bike, fixing up anything. A dishwasher, you'd be fixing up. He's like Tim Allen here on Home Improvement. He always like I like that but I want to make it faster bigger and stronger You got to know how to get through the world these days If you paying everybody else to do all your handiwork It works for me because I just have a best friend that knows how to do brakes and oil changes and shit like that. And I just talk to you the whole time. I'm the radio bitch, right? Moral support. Hey, change the radio, man. Yeah, moral support. So you like tinkering on stuff. Anything else you like? Any other hobbies? Anything else? I know one that I love, and I drag your ass to do it a lot of times, which is pinholes. Oh, yeah. Right? If that's a hobby. Hell, yeah, it's a hobby. I guess it would be. I don't know about you guys, but for Schmitty and I, a lot of the fun of the hobby is not in just playing it. No, I like the adventure. The hunt. Yes. The trade. the, let's see if I can maximize what I got this machine for, upgrade a little bit, and taking a drive. How many miles do you think we've racked up in the last year? Shit. Unbelievably. Let's go look at the odometers. Wow. Yeah, we have been all across the Midwest.
    18:09
    What's the furthest that you have drove for a pin? Or for just a pin deal? I think I know. Probably Pittsburgh. And that's, uh, how many hours is that from here? 10? 11? I thought it was about 10.
    18:32
    How since, Cleveland's seven from here. So you went, you, uh, you saved some machines. You saved seven old ass EM and early solid state. What was that stern that I liked? Electrorama. Electronimo. Yeah. That was a beautiful machine. You had a Grand Prix. You had a, what was the Atlantis? It wasn't Atlantis. What was the EM, that old-ass one? That was Atlantis. That was a Gottlieb. Oh, Gottlieb. Yeah, yeah. Gottlieb Atlantis you had. But you saved seven pins from a barn. Yeah. That had the wrecking ball out front. and you dove in front of it and you were like, no, save the pins. Not to that extent. That's right. So you loaded them up and you found a guy in Pittsburgh that really appreciated and cherished those. I think you guys probably played them if you went to Pinburg. Oh, definitely at the replay. Yeah, replay. Yeah. You got them fixed up for that. He was really into them. And he said, Schmitty, I need to get these pins. And you said, you know what? Such a nice guy. I'll bring them to you. to drive them all the way to you out on the open road you took the wife on that one yeah very nice now you and i the farthest we've been uh wisconsin madison they're about the same so we've been to detroit we've been to madison we've been all the way down to memphis but maybe then detroit chattanooga georgia we've been been everywhere detroit probably seen lawyer because we went to Lafayette and a little plane and that's right that's a long haul to me like me long ball Schmitt is usually snoozing on the side and I'm jamming out to some 80s music and hitting deer and hitting that all I didn't hit the deer I didn't I was driving this truck I do is like a deer jumped out just like I'm Tommy boy there and I slammed on the brace and even flying and the deer honestly was like two feet away from me and you thought I hear you like oh dear man I'm like no I didn't all right so we've been we've been everywhere haven't we all right so what we're gonna do now we're gonna go see your machines right and then we're gonna talk about each of them what you like what you dislike and then we'll go from there all right guys all right so let's start with your favorite pin of all time right it's a good one it's a good pin Popeye so what do you this thing's heading to Canada in it yeah tentatively yeah right he gave me a deposit about a month ago yeah just trying to get it through customs and stuff. So what do you like about Popeye?
    21:34
    It's a good theme to start. I like the theme too. It's a good shooter. Wide body, super pin. I like wide bodies. Yeah, I bet you like them wide bodies.
    21:47
    It's got that upper play feel. Does that bother you? Everybody always complains about the upper play feel. I can't see anything. That don't bother me. Once you know the shots. Yeah, I mean, every other thing is clean. ball on my back so why not this one this thing's like i wanted this one it's a clean one well i bought it for you and you went and bought one i know you did same exact day that's so funny so he's such a nice guy look at that shooter lane he's such a nice guy that he was like uh yeah i bought you a pinball machine i'm like what do you mean you bought me a pinball machine yeah Yeah, a bunch of Popeye. Well, dude, you got to tell me before you spend a couple thousand dollars on a machine. And I bought one the same day, too, didn't I? Yep, the same exact day. All right, so Popeye's a good one. Let's move over to your new beaut, which is Jersey Jack and Pat Waller's Dialed In.
    22:43
    Man, isn't this thing pretty? I freaking love this thing. What do you like about this game? It's gorgeous. It is gorgeous, man. It is so nice.
    22:55
    You like the rules? The rules are awesome. Yeah, there's nothing crazy complicated about them, but there's plenty to do. And people bitched about it's a phone. Oh, yeah, they did. They hated the theme. It has nothing to do with it. It's not the point of it, is it? No.
    23:12
    It's about saving the Earth. Who the hell's Joe? I think it's a worker or something. The pen tester? Yeah, somebody was playing it up there. We haven't got to that yet. I love the side ramp on this.
    23:27
    Ball lock's cool. And yours came with the Cliffy, too. Oh, yeah. Pretty well every Jersey Jack machine I waited on got the late runs. Oh, yeah, the Ruby Red. We'll get to that here in a minute.
    23:45
    So we were trying to tackle the Mini Wizard mode. We can't get to that yet, can we? Probably if the guy was under attack, wouldn't it? yeah we need to uh we need to do that blue tooth thing as well I love this I told you many I was like keep the rubber band on because those damn things are falling off it's worked let's go down the line now this was a waspinator deal wasn't it yes everybody gets everybody gets a waspinator gets a hold of everybody definitely so you had you had the dark night that he was wanting to play for two days that's right so he swapped you this for the dark night right that's right straight up obviously i had to bring it to him yeah but i didn't mind he could have put it on his fiat yeah you like that waspy let's see that's that's part of that um you know journey that's part of the fun of it You want to swap and I mean nobody I don't think anybody won on it. Yeah
    24:52
    That thing's sweet yeah, it was nice It was nice. I should took the glass off for it, but you guys get the idea here
    25:00
    You got some mods on this now. You've never really been a huge fan of Ghostbusters game Yeah No, no Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of it. You don't like a flipper get? Definitely not. It's a pain in the ass. I would put carrots on there but you'd bitch every time you hit it. I would've. I would've tore them off. Play with carrot flippers If you guys are playing with carrot flippers come on Tom got some carrot flippers That manageable I don need no damn ugly ass carrot flippers Alright let move down So that a stern You not a big stern guy Wizard of Oz. Here's what I was talking to you guys about. I love this.
    25:37
    Oh, I started her up. Damn it. What do you love about Woz? This is like your, this is your thing whenever you first going into pinball. Well, the one I picked up on vacation, that standard. Yeah, this guy picks up pinball machines during an anniversary vacation. Yeah, she wasn't too happy about it. She got over it. That's awesome. Now this is her favorite machine. Uh-huh. The wife he likes. Oh, yeah. She said you're never getting rid of this. That's what she says.
    26:12
    It'll be gone one day. I mean, that's what it's all about. You can't hang on to these things forever you can't keep can't keep all of them well i can't afford to keep more than three i mean some of these guys do i don't see how people that's got 20 in their collection yeah i'd love it though i would i'd love it the damn that's a lot of damn money so he's got the witch mod but it's not in there yet because what'd you say one day when you ever come over you can do it yeah I tried you're not a big mod guy not really I mean easy stuff it takes five minutes I can do yeah you don't want to do the Tron light wires yeah it's perfect the way it is yeah it's a pretty game very pretty all right let's move on to the little engine that could this is Shrek you're not gonna find a nicer Shrek out here I can freaking guarantee that Tim who did the LED job on this this looks phenomenal thank you by Z mini yeah that's me yeah the LED job you know what we both kind of really like this game don't we it's fun and you just don't see too many no you don't see too many of them and I You definitely don't see any that are home use only that are perfectly nice and clean. No.
    27:46
    You'd be very hard pressed to find this. Yeah, look at that. Nowhere, anywhere. Never been in an arcade, for sure. Yeah, it's a fun game. It really is. If you guys haven't had a chance to play Shrek, I would urge you to get out there and play it. Plus, the theme. I love the theme. Yeah, I would take this over Family Guy, personally.
    28:06
    Yeah, I think we'd be in the minority there. I'm a big Family Guy fan too, so I like that as well, but this is a great pin
    28:15
    another Pat Lawler I Could do without this little stopper though It's kid friendly it is family friendly that's very true about that God who does it in that back alley creations makes a speaker panel Yes, I love that thing It's like a wooden man. They did a great job with that
    28:39
    and then the one and only Hobbs so what's not to like about this game these floaty things slow no no long ball times yeah you're going on journey but there's so much to do in this game oh man and the way the prices are dropping right now. I hate it. I know. You spent $9,500 on this thing. Not quite that much. You spent some change on it. I did buy it when it was hopping. Yeah.
    29:19
    I love it though, man. Yeah, it's a good game. It's a really, really good game. It's a bargain right now. Yeah. That's why you need to never get rid of it.
    29:34
    Never say never. Alright Jason, we cannot leave your collection without seeing your newest, is this your newest pin? Yep. This came after Dialed In, didn't it? Yep. This is one's evil Knievel. We were actually camping when I found this on the site. This is Craigslist. Is it a Craigslist find? Yeah, in St. Louis. Uh huh. It was overpriced. Yeah. yeah that's when the art of the wheel and deal comes yeah but it was fully working bad glass perfect yeah that bad glass is perfect cabinets nice now you're gonna restore this thing this is gonna be Schmidty's first restoration yeah here's the deal I want you guys if you guys are watching at this point he bought an overlay for it and this play field you guys is actually pretty nice get on the comment section right now and urge him not to touch this play field honestly I mean there's no there's no way or anything I told him for the money sell the overlay send this to a clear coat guy or you can even strip it and get somebody to touch it up and clear coat that bad boy so what do you guys think let's Schmitty know in the comment section let them decide now overlays nice but all right so this this game does it for you because it's got the double spinners and it's got the we love the sound here we gonna play this ready
    31:10
    come on it doesn't have that ugly early solid-state background music it plays like an EM yeah it's got the saucer it's got the double double spinners got the drop targets right here I'm picky when it comes to older games and EMS I've got a I've got like the feel of them yeah for me it's got it's all about the feel of older games if I can hit some spinners or different things like that then I can really enjoy it and honestly what's not to enjoy right that was just coincidence I promise so I'll show the other one all right guys so that's it from Schmitty's Homestead to yours. We appreciate you checking out Straight Down the Middle Pinball Show. Here's my rant about thanking the sponsors. That would be Larry at Flippin' Out Pinball for all your Jersey Jack, Chicago Gaming Company, American Pinball, Stern Pinball now. Check out Larry.
    32:12
    Buy a machine from him. Tell him SDTM sent you. That's right. Pin Graphics. where it's at. Yes, please. Pin graphics for all your blades, all your mod needs. And pin stadium lights. These pin stadium lights, man. You saw them on my drone. Those are amazing. Wow. They're unbelievable. Check us out on Twitch. Greg's always streaming on Twitch. And we got Chuck Wirtz streaming on Wednesday nights at 8. He is freaking phenomenal. So check him out as well. Go to our Facebook page. That's where we do a lot of our contests. We give away stuff all the time. Go to our YouTube page. Watch our different videos comment we love talking to people about pinball machines so make sure to do that and catch us at a show we're going to Chicago Expo holler at us let's grab a beer let's get a let's get a picture of everybody that's nice enough to watch our shows we would love to post it on our Facebook page so until next week's video you guys keep flipping thanks many appreciate me
    33:21
    down the middle again, middle again. You had a fling with a fling shot, you're rolling out the island again.
    33:30
    I tried to cradle you with my flipper, it was all in vain, it was all in vain. the slurp