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SDTM: a pinball show Episode 21: Collector Interview (IndyPin)

Straight Down the Middle·video·46m 29s·analyzed·Jun 11, 2017
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.032

TL;DR

Collector interview: Larry's 18-pin collection, journey into pinball, favorites/regrets, and modding passion.

Summary

Zach Sharpe interviews Larry (Pinside handle: IndyPin), a dedicated pinball collector with 18 machines and one on order. Larry discusses how he entered the hobby 7-8 years ago through his brother's Lost World machine, his journey from casual player to serious collector, favorite and least favorite games in his collection, his appreciation for music-themed pins, and his modding projects. The conversation covers collector psychology, emotional attachment to machines, and the social dynamics of hosting both pinball enthusiasts and casual players.

Key Claims

  • Larry got into pinball 7-8 years ago when his brother bought Lost World

    high confidence · Larry directly states timeline and origin story

  • Larry's first machine purchase was Terminator 2

    high confidence · Larry clearly identifies T2 as first owned machine and explains why

  • Larry currently owns 18 machines with a 19th on order

    high confidence · Larry explicitly states collection size multiple times

  • The Simpsons Pinball Party has been in Larry's collection the longest

    high confidence · Larry states this directly when discussing tenure of machines

  • Larry regrets selling Whitewater and The Flintstones most

    high confidence · Larry explicitly identifies these as his biggest regrets

  • Music-themed pins attract non-pinball players more effectively than other themes

    medium confidence · Larry and Zach discuss how casual visitors gravitate toward music pins and feel more comfortable with them

  • Kiss has incomplete code but Larry still finds it fun to play

    high confidence · Larry acknowledges code issues but defends the game as enjoyable

  • Stern upgraded Spider-Man magnets to prevent playfield damage

    medium confidence · Larry mentions Metallica magnet mushrooming issues; references Spider-Man upgrades but context unclear if confirmed

  • Spooky Pinball machines have separate amplifiers with treble/bass control

    medium confidence · Zach reports this about Spooky build quality based on his experience with Rob Zombie's Spookshow International

  • Williams/Bally vintage pins are harder to find and regret selling them more than modern games

    medium confidence · Larry observes pattern that selling classic pins generates stronger emotional regret than modern machines

Notable Quotes

  • “Well, first thing, Zach Sharpe, I'm taking over your job, okay? I just want you to know that right now.”

    Larry (IndyPin)@ 1:18 — Humorous opening joke establishing the casual, friendly tone of the interview

  • “I like all music. It's funny because when I bought Metallica, I'm not really a heavy metal fan, but in my opinion Metallica has the best toys on it.”

    Larry@ 10:49 — Demonstrates how machine design (toys/interactivity) can matter more than theme preference

  • “I learned something about this hobby is that when you sell Williams or Bally pins, it seems like you really miss it more.”

    Larry@ 18:27 — Insight into collector psychology regarding vintage vs. modern machines

  • “Music and pinball go together...it's like they're one and the same.”

    Larry@ 11:26 — Core observation about music-themed games' appeal in the pinball market

  • “If I really love that movie or I love that theme, I just don't want it to leave just because I'm proud of that machine or something.”

    Larry@ 21:34 — Explains emotional/aesthetic attachment to themed machines beyond gameplay quality

  • “Don't ever do that, Larry. I know, I know. It's a super Transformers Limited Edition.”

    Zach Sharpe@ 8:25 — Zach warning against selling machines during moves; references his own extensive trading history

Entities

Larry (IndyPin)personZach SharpepersonStraight Down the Middle: a pinball showorganizationStern PinballcompanySpooky PinballcompanyKiss (Stern Pinball)gameMetallica (Stern Pinball)gameSpider-Man (Stern Pinball)gameGhostbusters (Stern Pinball)game

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Kiss maintaining positive reception despite acknowledged incomplete code; theme and art quality sufficient to maintain enjoyment despite technical limitations

    medium · Larry confirms Kiss is fun despite code issues; artwork by Kevin O'Connor (original 1970s artist) creates strong theme authenticity that compensates for incomplete features

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Music-themed pinball games serve as gateway for non-enthusiasts and casual players; machines like AC/DC, Metallica, and Kiss attract broader audiences and make non-players feel more comfortable engaging with pinball

    medium · Both Larry and Zach observe that non-pinball friends gravitate toward music pins and feel less intimidated by them; music creates familiarity and relatability

  • ?

    community_signal: Collector psychology shows pattern of post-sale regret on vintage Williams/Bally machines more than modern Stern games; limited availability of classics creates stronger emotional attachment

    medium · Larry explicitly observes that selling Williams/Bally pins generates more regret than modern machines; attributes to scarcity and inability to easily re-acquire in same condition

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Vintage Williams machines like The Flintstones valued for aesthetic and toy design quality despite gameplay age; cosmetic mods (LED, custom playfield elements) preserve collection value

    medium · Larry deeply regrets selling The Flintstones due to visual appeal and unique features (behind-flipper shot, Bedrock city mod); chose to LED mod rather than replace

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Toy interactivity matters more to collectors than musical theme preference; players choose machines for mechanical/toy quality over band affinity

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.139

0:00
You hit it off with a bumper, now you're straight down the middle again Middle again You had a fling with a fling shot, you're rolling out the alley dog again 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? Doing me wrong Don't you remember the good days when we used to get along?
0:30
We'd make those four reels spin all night Then we'd be singing our song You said life was getting white So you brought two friends in But I can hardly keep up You guys are making my head spin Now I've let you all drain And my dang old flippers went limp
1:00
Hey, how's it going guys? I'm here with Larry, a pen side handle indie pen, and he was kind enough to invite me over to check out his collection and agreed to do an interview with us. So Larry, let's get it started with the most common question there is, what got you started in pinball? Well, first thing, Zach, I'm taking over your job, okay? I just want you to know that right now. He didn't want to break it to you, but anyway. You're out, Zach. Sorry, buddy.
1:28
What I got into pinball was that my brother had a man cave downstairs, and he wanted to do something special to his man cave. He gave me a call and said, Larry, I'm thinking about getting a pinball machine. I went, really, a pinball machine? So he went and bought one, and he invited me over to his house, and Gary showed it to me, and I can't remember. I think it was Lost World. Don't get me wrong.

“The Flintstones had the behind the flipper shot...I just loved it. It's one of the coolest pins looks-wise I've seen.”

Larry@ 22:29 — Highlights why he regrets selling The Flintstones despite owning many superior-playing machines

  • “I'm a huge The Simpsons fan. I love the show...when I first played it, I actually was able to get to Alien Invasion. I can't touch it now.”

    Larry@ 20:27 — Shows theme attachment and self-deprecating humor about pinball skill level

    • The Simpsons Pinball Party (Stern Pinball)
    game
    The Flintstones (Williams Pinball)game
    Whitewater (Williams Pinball)game
    Congo (Stern Pinball)game
    X-Men (Stern Pinball)game
    AC/DC (Stern Pinball Premium)game
    Rob Zombie's Spookshow International (Spooky Pinball)game
    Alice Cooper (Spooky Pinball)game
    Terminator 2 (Williams Pinball)game
    Lost World (Stern Pinball)game
    Meteor Madness (Stern Pinball)game
    James Cameron's Avatar Limited Edition (Stern Pinball)game
    Aerosmith (Stern Pinball)game
    Roadshow (Williams Pinball)game
    Tron (Stern Pinball)game
    Gold Slinger (Pinside member)person

    medium · Larry states Metallica has 'best toys' despite not being a heavy metal fan; toys are 'not just staying there to be looked at' but are interactive and engaging

  • $

    market_signal: Spooky Pinball perceived as delivering superior build quality and audio engineering compared to larger manufacturers; separate amplifier with treble/bass control noted as standout feature

    medium · Zach reports strong build quality impressions from Rob Zombie's Spookshow International; credits separate amplifier and audio customization as evidence of engineering commitment

  • ?

    community_signal: Spooky Pinball's Alice Cooper game drawing interest from established Stern/modern pinball collectors despite skepticism from some community members

    low · Larry expresses genuine excitement about Alice Cooper despite Zach's stated dislike; mentions quality backglass art and Spooky's comedy-horror aesthetic appeal

  • ?

    product_concern: X-Men criticized for basic/uninspired toy design; described as 'two big bash toys' similar to 'shampoo bottle tops,' lacking the creative toy engineering of other Stern releases

    medium · Larry and Zach discuss X-Men's weak toy design despite nice backglass art; Larry suggests toys should have been repositioned (Magneto vs. Wolverine placement)

  • ?

    product_concern: Metallica machines show magnet degradation/mushrooming issues in early life with limited play, suggesting durability problems with Stern's magnet design

    medium · Larry reports Metallica at casual play location showing mushrooming in front of Sparky despite not being very old; wishes Stern had used larger magnet base earlier

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Spider-Man experiencing post-sale regret cycle; newer version with improved magnets reducing barrier to repurchase but still missing from collection

    medium · Larry sold Spider-Man to make room but misses it; notes improved magnet upgrade on newer version; mentions 'satisfying shots' and cool toys contribute to regret

    • 1:50
    Love that Lost World. Yeah, it was. I looked at it, and I thought, this is pretty cool. We didn't really play pinball. It was the original Lost World, the one with the sunken plate or the 3D stuff on top. Yes. So we got that one, and we started playing it. I thought it was really cool. I never was into pinball. I was more of an arcade guy back in the day. And so I liked it, and I thought, you know, I was trying to start with Man Cave myself. I thought, I'm going to look at pinball machine, and I did. That's what started it all. And well, as you see, it kind of went on hand. So how long ago was that? about seven, about seven or eight years ago. Oh, man. Yeah. What was your first machine that you brought in that you got? Terminator 2. Oh, man. I'll tell you a reason why. I remember, I don't remember too much about pinball, but I do remember Terminator 2. I remember that was the big movie back in the day. That was the thing to have or to watch. And I remember the Terminator 2 pinball machine that metal, endoskeleton head on the plate. Well, there was nothing like that. I mean, that game was unique and it was revolutionary for the time. So, I mean, it grabbed a lot of people's attention. Yes, especially with the new, with the DMD. First I even had DMD, and I've never seen that. And so I went and bought it, and it's a funny story. When I bought it from the guy, I said, can you send me some pictures of what the pinball machine looks like? He goes, yeah. So he sent me pictures. I downloaded it on my old computer. I ended up getting a virus from those pictures I downloaded. Oh, my gosh. But anyway, that's the first one I had, and I ended up selling it. And I think I sold one after that. and then after that it just escalated like they always do and now you've got the collection that you have now here we are, right here, 7 years later 8 years later let's start with in your collection what's the favorite pin in your collection it's a coin toss I would say either Meteor Madness or Star Trek LE I love both of those pins we were talking earlier about how absolutely beautiful that thing was and we're going to do a review on it soon guys So, you know, expect that soon. But it is one of the most beautiful machines I have ever seen. And outside of your collection, is there a pin that is your favorite that you do not own or have not owned that you really like and want to get your hands on? I love, I like to try the Met. I'm sorry, not Met. I'm sorry, Aerosmith. Aerosmith, yeah. Aerosmith. I love, I think that toy is really cool. I like the new LCD screen they put in it. I love to try that one out. And Zach will probably agree with you on that one. I played that, and I like it, but it was a toss-up between that and Ghostbusters when I bought my Ghostbusters. And Ghostbusters still won out. I don't know why. Classic movie. Yeah, it was part of my childhood. You know how it is back in the 80s. So that won out. But Aerosmith, I don't think you'd be disappointed at all.
    4:35
    So speaking of favorite pins, what's a pin that you like that no one else likes? Do you have that one pin that people just tear apart and just like, that's the most awful game in the world, but you find yourself enjoying it? It's funny because I just got rid of it, only because I have to make room for it, but I like Roadshow. Oh! I know it's got two talking heads on it, but I know it's about Roadshow. I had two of them. I sold one, and I missed it, got it back, and like I said, the only reason I sold this one here is because I need to make room.
    5:07
    It's a country music theme, but I really, I don't know, it's funny. It's quirky. It's got a little cool stuff. It's hate or miss. And that's what we – that's another review that we actually have coming up. Zach had a roadshow that he got in. And that's what – man, I was like, man. I was like, you – because he kept calling me. He's like, we've got to review this game. We've got to review this game. I like roadshow. And I was like, you really like it that much? I was like, I just can't get into it. I was like, it's got those creepy Rudy heads like with Funhaus. I was like, they're kind of creepy and scary. And he was like, no. And he said the exact same thing. It's kind of that quirky, just a fun pin, man. So, yeah, you guys expect that review too. but that's neat. So, and on that same front, what's a pin that you hate that everyone else loves?
    5:49
    Which is hard because you've got like the best pins that there is. You've got like the top pins. It's funny because there's two pins that come to mind that I bought that I just couldn't get into too much. Now, one's going to be 50-50. Okay. Okay, let me say three pins. One's 50-50, and after I sold it, it's kind of weird, but okay, first one is I never did care for the Frank Stein, the Sega Frankstein I don't know why that one just didn't appeal to me after I got it and played it has the big DMD on it that sold me on it and after I started playing it I went yeah okay did you like the music to it at least the music was cool I liked the way you could switch between the two music and stuff I did like that one X-Men I didn't care for X-Men too much the Stern that's a lot of people I was trying to feel Zach but I was like man I kind of like to get hands on X-Men he's like no kind of save it he's like Man, for the price, there's a lot of other really good pens out there and kind of save it. But then a couple people kind of rave about it and love it and all that. Was there anything you liked about X-Men? Like art, anything? The art was cool. I did like the art. Which one did you have? Did you have a Pro or did you have an LE? I had the Magneto LE. Oh, okay. So you had probably the prettiest back glass out of them all. Yeah, I did like that one.
    7:02
    It's just two big bash toys. Like someone said perfectly, it looked like a top you got on a shampoo bottle back in the day. Like one of those kids I had like a Slimer That was like that I think from Ghostbusters Exactly Yeah I know exactly What you're talking about I thought they should Switch around They should have Magneto There In the Wolverine There was a Magnet there I thought Magnet Should have been from Magneto It's just a little Couple of stuff That's just me I like the board games But this one I didn't care for Yeah And I sold it Along with Spider-Man I do miss Spider-Man There's so many pins I sold that I miss You know But that one there Spider-Man, did you get tired of it? Is it like what everybody says? Because I'd love to have a Spider-Man, but everybody says it's just so repetitive, and you just, it gets old. It's really fun, but it gets old really quick, but then a lot of people miss it. It's a fun pin. That's one of the ones I miss. I love the Vim shot. I love the same pin. They're satisfying. There's a lot of satisfying. Even Doc Ock, there's a lot of very satisfying shots. Same pin. They had cool toys on it. If you get the back alley creation, the subway sitting, if you look at it, It looked like a miniature New York City. Yes. And that's what I like about those mods, and we talked about that. And I miss Spider-Man. I love Spider-Man. I sold that one. I think what it was was we was moving, and I sold it to a guy just to save me trouble from moving it. Oh, man. I know.
    8:25
    Don't ever do that, Larry. I know. It's a super combo. I sold him my X-Men and my Spider-Man, and he wanted, I think he wanted Spider-Man at the time more so than X-Men. Yeah. But it's a deal trade, and he's a real nice guy. Buddy from Gold Slinger is on Pennside. Super nice guy. Shout out to him. He came down and got it.
    8:45
    I'm inspired, man. I think one day I will try to get one back. I actually like the new one with the new cartoon RNA. I kind of do, too. A lot of people kind of knock on that vault, but I like that vault. I do, too. And you've got the upgraded magnets. Yes. So that's nice. You don't have to worry about freaking ripping your play field apart, pulling those magnets out. Yes. It seems like those magnets just wear bad. Like, there's a place I've been playing Metallica, and it just, it's not very old and doesn't have a lot of plays on it. But it's already mushrooming back there in front of Sparky, and I'm like, man, you know, there's just nothing you can do about that. So I wish Stern would do that with, you know, they would have done that a long time ago with the larger magnet base so it didn't tear into it. But I agree with you, man. I love Spider-Man. It's one of my favorite pens. I think that's one of Stern's best that, you know, that they've done for sure. Yeah, and I'll tell you, my wife got mad at me. Not mad at me, but I should let me phrase that. She got upset with me. Don't let her watch this later.
    9:38
    When I got rid of two pins, one was the Spider-Man. She likes Spider-Man. She never plays pinball, but she just likes certain ones. And the other one was ACDC. After I sold ACDC, it seemed like every time she turned on the radio, ACDC song was playing. And every time it comes on, I'll say, honey, what song is that? She goes, I know ACDC. So she teases about that now. But, you know, I like that one a lot. I really did. I knew Gravitate Towards Love It. The swinging bell was awesome. I love that shot. I just never, I don't know why, I just never could grab onto it. I just sold it. You know, I kind of missed it. There's a lot of people that say that. And that's my favorite band of all time. Yeah, I love ACDC. So I really want that pin just because of the band and everything. So I'm hoping, because I haven't even played it. I have played it. I played it at Expo. But I haven't got to put a lot of time on there, so I'm like, if I buy that just because it's my favorite band, I hope that I don't regret the purchase. But, okay, so you had ACDC. You've got Kiss. You've got Metallica. So you won an Aerosmith. So what's your favorite band? What music do you listen to, Larry? Because you've got music pins, so you obviously love music. Yes, I like all music. You know, it's funny because when I bought Metallica, I'm not really a heavy metal. but in my opinion Metallica has the best toys on it it's just got so much interactive toys they're not just staying there to be looked at the interactive stuff I like ACDC like we say I like ACDC I grew up with Eagles oh yes you know Tom Petty yeah Ron Adams guys bands like that R.E.O. Speedwagon all that old stuff the older and it's funny because I remember when I was buying pins I thought I'm not going to buy no music pins I don't want no music pins After I bought the first one, those two go together. Music and pinball go together. It does, very much so. And when I have non collectors come down and play they gravitate towards the pins The music pins In fact a buddy of mine has come over They asked me I tell them nonchalantly I saw my ACDC Oh my God are you kidding me You sold ACDC You know, so, but, you know, they never play pin except in my house. Well, it's something they can relate to, I guess, too, because they hear songs that they know it's common. So then it kind of makes them probably feel more comfortable with the machine because that's what's weird is, like, I'll bring people who aren't pinball people, and it's almost like they're kind of scared to play. Like, you can kind of see they're enjoying themselves, but they don't really want to stick around. They don't want to make a fool of themselves or something. So it's like you said, I think music pins kind of ease them into it because it makes them a little more comfortable. So I want to ask you this because I've never really talked to anybody about it. With KISS, even though code's not complete and there's still code problems, do you still find it to be a fun game? Because I've only played it one time, a handful of times, at one setting, and I actually liked it, man. I thought it was one of the prettier pins I'd seen, and it wasn't as bad as – I mean, I didn't get deep to probably things that weren't complete and everything else, but I actually enjoyed it. It is. I remember when I first saw Kiss, it's one of those ones I got addicted to, and I think what it was, the art package. I like the way Stern went back and hired, is it Kevin O'Connor? Is the artist out there? It sounds right. Close. Something like that. They hired him, who did the artwork back in the late 70s when they released the Kiss pinball, not Stern release, but then Kiss came out. And the art package, and I just kept looking. and kept looking. I thought, that pin looks so awesome. It's one of those bands that I grew up with. I know I was a big Kiss fan, but I just remember back, you know, the Distorter album. The guy, the way they dressed up, Gene Simmons, spitting out blood. It don't matter what kind of music you like. You didn't miss Kiss. No, you didn't miss Kiss. You knew Kiss was there. They're out laying just costumes or shows and everything. When I got it,
    13:21
    it's one of those ones I'm sitting there playing and I didn't realize how many Kiss songs there was that was actually really good songs. and I start listening to it, and I'm tapping my toes, I'm kind of humming songs, I'm singing to myself, I act like a kid again. And it's fun. I'm waiting for the cold, you know, and I just think the art package is one of the best. I agree. I love it. The play field just looks awesome. It does. Gene Simmons' big head with that top dance, it's awesome. It's iconic. What about, okay, you obviously heard about Spookies with Alice Cooper. What do you think about Alice Cooper? You know, I think. Are you excited? Kind of somewhat excited? You think it'll be your first Spooky machine? or yeah one thing I like about Spooky is that I always like the mixture of comedy and horror yeah and so you got Scared Stiff you got and Family you got some other ones Monster Bash other theme pinballs it's got comedy horror mixed in between and I like what Spooky is doing in reference to The America's Most Haunted Rob Zombie Alice Cooper those guys kind of have a little horror in their shows yeah so much it's a stage performance yes within a band you know like Kiss You know, it's amazing. Yeah, I'm excited about it. Zach hates it, and I guess a lot of other people might not like it. But, man, I'm excited about it because I think, you know, as long as they do good with the play field art, which the back glass looks fantastic. Oh, it does. You like that? Yes. And so I'm stoked about it. I've talked about it in other videos. I'm excited about it. And have you messed with a Spooky before? Have you ever? My buddy just got a Rob Zombie, and I told him I've got to come over and see that. I want to see it. I think it's got some cool toys in it and just a play of it all. And so, Jason, I'm putting you on the spot, hoagie.
    14:59
    Okay. Zach just got one, man. He said the build quality on it is just fantastic. I didn't open it up or anything when I was playing it and everything, but he said the build quality is just superb. And he said there's like a separate amplifier and everything in there. He said you can actually control the treble and the bass. You can actually mix it and make it sound better. So he said this spooky man, he's super impressed with the build quality and stuff. I'm glad they're doing it. I'm glad they're making them. They're getting out the door. So my hat's off to you, Spooky, for doing what you're doing. Yeah. And keep going. I agree. So in your current collection, I know that you said you got rid of one just recently to make room for a special pin that's on order. Yes. Which we'll talk about here in a little bit. But how many, what's your current lineup in numbers? How many do you have? Right now I have 19.
    15:47
    19. Well, I got, I think, I'm sorry, I got 18, but I got 19th on order. So I had 19 before I got Roadshow. Can you name all 18? Without looking? Oh gosh. I'm going to keep an eye out. I'll put my... Put him on the spot. Okay, I'm going to go with Star Trek, Kiss,
    16:11
    let's see what's next to Kiss, Metallica, Ghostbusters, Walking Dead, Wizard of Oz, Scared Stiff, Tales of Arabian Nights I know I got M Family Theater of Magic Medieval Mass Attack of Mars Cactus Canyon Indiana Jones The Williams One left Dusty Tales I did say Tales Oh I got three in the wrong Simpsons Pinball Party Oh yeah I forgot about it in there Pirates of the Caribbean Lord of the Rings and it's a universal how did I miss this one? creatures they're universal monster patch yep there you go almost he was only one off you gotta give it to him I don't think I can remember them all and almost all of them were in order you were only out of order on like one or two of them so I guess you pick them up and they come to your children it's like I call my friend and say it's my nursery so I gotta know all my children that's so great man so what's one pin out of these that you've owned over the years? How many have you owned over the years? Do you know? Do you have somewhat of a rough number over the years that you've bought and sold? I can tell you that the ones I've sold was Indiana Jones, X-Men. The Stern one. Yes, I'm sorry. The Stern, Indiana Jones, X-Men, Spider-Man. I had Congo, Flintstones, Funhaus.
    17:47
    I'm trying to think. Jurassic Park. Oh. I had the original Jurassic Park. I had ACDC. I'm trying to think. There might be more, too, in there. I can't remember. What was yours? Which one did you regret getting rid of the most? Oh, I had Whitewater.
    18:03
    Easily. I had two that I really regret. And Flintstones and Congo. Really? Yes. That's surprising. I mean, Congo I can kind of understand. I like it. But Flintstones. You regret Flintstones? Yes. Oh, man. I sold it in a trade deal, and I sold it for a Flintstones with my Whitewater. And I love both of them. And the funny thing, I learned something about this hobby is that when you sell William Williams pens or ballet pens, it seems like you really miss it more. Yeah. And I don't know why. I think it's because they just don't make them. And if you find one, it may not be as good as the condition that you had it before. Yeah. I can't explain it. you can find stars maybe well there's so many people that I've learned that will sell something and then they re-buy it two or three times and that's I don't know if it's collection size they just get tired of it and you don't think that you're going to want it but I mean it seems very prevalent in this hobby and that's what you know everybody razzes me about Johnny Mnemonic man I fell in love with that game and I sold it to get Ghostbusters and I already regret it like I'm going to call the guy back and I'm going to be like man listen It's going to be one of those first dib scenarios where if you get rid of it, you're going to call me back because I want it. Use the tears. Use tears. It works. I know. Because I do. I regret getting rid of it. I kind of thought I was tired of it, but then it was a nice mashup. And I don't own a lot of pens, and I haven't owned a lot.
    19:32
    Oh, you'll get there. I know. It's a disease. Trust me. Because I've been in it about a year, and some guys that are in it for a year, they've already got four or five pens. And Zach's gone through freaking 60 of them. but you know I'm on my fourth one so you know I'm taking it easy I guess you'll be up there I know I'll be up here and I'm gonna see you a couple years and went you got 23 pins down here no I plan on already get wall space picked out for everything that's so great man um so how long what is how long do most games stay in your collection is there any that just like literally you have a month and they're gone or are you typically a year long some of these pins It's been in since, I don't want to say day one, but like my new mask been here probably one of the longest. Simpsons. I take it back. Simpsons has been here the longest. I'm a huge Simpsons fan. I love the show. Well, that's so deep and so real sad stuff. It's probably hard to. You know, remember I told you I suck at pinball and I wear like a badge of honor? Okay. Simpsons, when I first got it, I actually was able to get to Alien Invasion. I can't touch it now. It seems like I'm older. I get sucked at it. But most of the pins, I get attached to them. And I'm sure if I've been through this before, if a certain pin has a certain shot that's not on any other pinball machine that I've played before, I'll hang on that pin for a while. You know, I love Medeo Madness. I like the castle. I think it's one of the best toys in the business. I've seen y'all show the best 10 best shots, 10 best toys, and you guys nailed it on the head. Well, thank you. Thank you, sir. And that same thing. Some pins I keep just because, you know, I might get bored with it. I know eventually I'll get back to it. I'll go back to him and play it, and I hate to lose it. And that's what I was talking to my wife about. I was like, you know, I said there was a post on Pennside about what's the magical number of pens to own. And most people were kind of going between like three and five pens and stuff. And I was like, you know what, that makes sense. That sounds good. But then I was thinking just theme-wise. Yeah. And some things that I just would never want to get rid of just because of the theme. You know, like we've talked before, it's like art almost or something. And so it's like, man, if I really love that movie or I love that theme, I just don't want it to leave just because I'm proud of that machine or something. I'm kind of a horror fan, and I've kind of been looking for a Nightmare on Elm Street a little bit.
    21:47
    And I'm like, it's not the greatest game, but I just don't know if I'd ever want to get rid of it just because I grew up with Nightmare on Elm Street. I grew up with Freddy and Jason and everything. I was like, I just don't know if I could ever get rid of it if I did it. I have a hard time already getting rid of games. you know that Freddy Krueger head the big one it kind of draws you in it talks to you I was getting close to almost bought one of those and I remember the only complaint they had about the pen was the claws would break off when you were going to divert the ball over and most of them are missing at least one of the claws if not two yeah so I know exactly what you mean on that because you think about that one you just won't get it it's like a zipper like you were talking about that's your pen Flintstones had the behind the flipper shot. I love that. I put the alternate trans line, not the dirty one, mind you folks, but the good one.
    22:38
    I put that one on. It had a miniature bedrock city in your play field. I've seen it. It looks good. It's a beautiful It's one of the coolest pens looks-wise I've seen. You can shoot, go bowling.
    22:52
    It's just so much stuff you do. I just loved it. I think what it was, I had so much potential. I wanted to LED that thing out. and the night I sold it, I tried to talk it out of it, but I'm the ones, if I told you I'm going to sell this for a dollar, I'll try to be a man of my word. I going to sell the pen to you for a dollar because I just published it and I sold it to this guy and it was gone but you know I know I found it I seen it before but now it kind of like what Don we get there Flintstones but I love this next Stern pin coming in so So are you going to, because he's got, which we'll show you in a little bit, he's got the Lord of the Rings, the Simpsons Pinball Party, and then Pirates of the Caribbean in another room, so are you going to finish that out, and are you going to keep putting pins in there, or are you maxed out at, when the 19th pin comes in, are you maxed out at? 19th? I think what comes down to it, my thing is I don't want to clutter anything up. I kind of like keeping open everything like that. If it clutters up too much, it kind of ruins the hobby, should I say. Plus, it keeps your wife off you. But anyway, I'm the wife of my wife, but she lets me in the hobby and she supports it. She don't play pinball, but she supports it. I think that's really important. But anyway, back to, I don't know we're rambled off on there so sorry but uh but i think uh i told the missus i think when the when one of the ones through two that i got coming in coming in i think i'm going to sell one that's going to be really hard i can think okay which one would i have to say yeah because that's what i was talking about is that i saw i was like man indy's collection it's it's the top nine it's like it's the best game so it is it's like you know looking around i can't i honestly can't name a single pin you own that I would get rid of. You're probably going to kill me on this, but it'd maybe be Lord of the Rings. I don't know. That would be probably the only one out of the collection that I could part with. I'd probably even cry with that. I know. I think about that, and I'm thinking, okay, which one should I do? But that's the toughest thing is I'm fortunate enough and blessed enough to be able to sometimes get the money together and buy one. and that's the good thing about this hobby we're happy and blessed enough to be able to do something like this so yeah just room I like having pinball parties like everybody come over I don't want them to feel like they're bumping into each other I think the number you got now it's gorgeous, it's not overwhelming and it doesn't look like you've just stuck them in your kitchen not that there's anything wrong with people that put the pins in their kitchen because I actually, I'm kind of marveled by pins stuck in odd places in sheds and everything. So I actually kind of love that. But it is, it's very aesthetically pleasing. And like you said, you don't feel like you're on top of each other. You don't, you know, there's plenty of room with the collection number that you have. And it's just, it is freaking outstanding. It's weird because when I have friends over, I have a group of friends who like to come over, listen to music, shoot pool, drink some beer, and they won't really touch pinball machines and then have a second group of friends come over that's all they do is play pinball so I thought I can't get rid of the pool table because if I get rid of the pool table everybody will say why can't we get rid of that pool and I thought okay I gotta keep alienates that side of friends because I try to mix them together and when I start talking about pinball and the guys kind of look at me like what but then my pinhead buddies they know exactly what I'm talking about but the other guys they kind of look at them like pool okay that's old fashioned And who was pulling that pinball here, for Christ's sakes? It's like, how are you going to play boring pool? You want to play something with balls, man. You get the pinballs out there. That's great. So you talked about LED in that machine. I know that, because I stumbled across some of your videos, that you've done a modding. You're a huge mod guy. You mod the crap out of your machines. So what is one of your, do you have a favorite pin that you have modded that you've enjoyed the most? or aesthetically the most or just it's got the coolest toy, anything that you put on there? Do you have a favorite? I'll tell you, the pen I don't have anymore, but I thought probably the pen when you buy it you have to mod. It's almost by the book. If you get Tron, you have to mod it. You have to put the arcade in there. You do the EL wire and everything. It was a beautiful, beautiful pen. That's probably the one I sold. I couldn't really get into it too much, but I like Medeo Manus. I'm not trying to I don't want to crowd the play field but like like in Simpsons They got a crusty spinner. Mm-hmm and someone's playing Simpsons. They have no idea crusty shot. We talked about Yeah, so I did was a per crusty figure by the spinner so they know okay. There's a crusty. I know hit crusty Yeah, and so uh and I love mods just only don't do I like I like the mirror blades like this side are I like Put your fingers in I try I don't want to overdo it But I think sometimes if it adds to the pin and it adds enjoyment why not yeah and teach their own with it to me I just think you know it's just it's fun to do is what that mods a lot of his stuff and and when I got my ghost was I just had a couple small things oh yeah I loved it man it's just fun doing like it's just it's so much fun and speaking of Ghostbusters I don't know if you know so not on I hate that little ghost by some symbol all was is a toy if you put you buy four figures oh yeah I've seen those yeah and you put this figure together it looks like that no ghost but design and why did a pearl flasher and when you see it go off it really flashes really does he glow does he glow in the dark oh see so that flasher probably kind of really amplifies yeah it's really cool when especially with that shot and the shot goes off and the no ghost symbol uh starts to glow off and on it's really really cool i didn't think it'd be that cool but i like it that's just me yeah it looks pretty cool that's awesome which we'll show you guys some scans because i mean you've got to see the mods and because even though they're the greatest games you know you've got Medieval Manus, you've got Monster Bash, you've got all this stuff. Larry has so many mods and the side blades on almost everything that you probably won't see it anywhere else other than his house. I was talking to him about the Theater of Magic. I was like, those side blades are amazing. They're like the vintage sideshow posters and stuff. I was like, you guys will see it. I was like, that just fits it so well. It literally looks like another one of those things that should have been a part of the machine.
    29:08
    makes the theme even more cohesive and brings that magical experience in. It does. It's fantastic, man. Some guys like keeping stock, and I see it. But some guys like to mod things out. Anybody follow Chris Boucher's videos, he was always a non-mod person. But then here lately, I think he got Ghostbusters and he got Star Trek, and he bought some mods.
    29:33
    I'm starting to turn Chris on the dark side. He don't see that. That's so great. But it's pretty cool. I like it because when I first got the hobby and we got a pen, and you want to do stuff to the pen. That's your card. Like, if we buy a card. I know everybody brings up the card mint up on the pen side. They don't like bringing it up. But it's almost the same principle. When you buy something, you want to personalize it. Yeah. Thank you. You want to personalize it. Exactly. And I know the answer to this because of looking around. But do you believe that there's any pens that should say stock incandescence? Or are you LED every game? It doesn't matter? like some uh some i like to keep it uh regular some i like to put some leds in uh leds i like putting in around the shots that that uh with someone like around the ramps i guess uh like doing around there not so much mill play feel too much uh me personally i do like the leds i think it modernizes the uh the pins like if you get a color dnd for your uh from one of the older williams valley dades pen incandescence it clashes yes it looks weird yeah and i think modernize it. It makes it look better, in my opinion. And I don't see, I mean, all of yours are very tastefully done. Like, there's nothing that's an odd, you know what I'm saying, that just stands out. Because some people just rainbow them and want, you know, throw in everything. Yeah, but I mean, it's very tastefully done, man. Because I love it. It's easier on the machine. It's like you said, like, if you take a game that's not LED, it just doesn't stand out. It just looks old. It doesn't, especially if you've got some sterns in the lineup that are new. It just, nothing's cohesive. It just looks bad. And I'm kind of mixed on the argument because I think that if they would have had the LEDs, they would have stuck them in there. If they could, they could get it back in. They wouldn't have been as dark. I don't think the play fields were necessarily that dark on purpose. It's just that they... Best they had. Yeah, it's all they could do, you know, really and everything. Yeah, so I think that if the technology was there, then they would have done it then. So I know people will argue that's a hot-button topic. My point as well is look at Stern. They never sold mods. They never sold mods before. And now they realize, hey, we can make some money here. And Mesomods, great company, they make some great mods. But they got a contract against Stern, I understand. So they make mods. So Stern realizes they do buy the mods. They put copies on these pinhead collectors. They do buy these. So Stern now realizes that now. So maybe we can make them. And I'm sure they make some pretty good money. Well, and if you look at something like Metallica, it's hard to find. Oh, Metallica that's not modded on the secondary market. Oh, yeah. It's hard to not have something on there. I mean, his mods are a huge thing. But it's like you said, people, no matter what, you like to personalize. That's why, like, oh, my gosh, what was it? Not Facebook. What was it for? MySpace. Remember MySpace? Oh, yeah. That's what everybody, I think, flocked to that at the time because you could personalize it, put your own backgrounds and music and everything else on there. So people just love that. You know what I'm saying? So, yeah. So off the subject of pinball. Yes. Do you have any other hobbies outside of pinball? Oh, yeah. We have to take another three hours. Well, name one of them. What's your favorite hobby outside of pinball? I love movies. I collect movies. Yeah, me too. In fact, movies are the ones that got me into pinball, believe it or not, because you get immersive into movies like Jurassic Park. He's talking about Jurassic Park. When they bring a new one out, you want to go see it. And pinball is tied to movies. And so I love movies. I like Blind the Blind. That's a new dictionary word, blind. And I like buying the Blu-rays when they come out. I'm a huge film geek, too. Oh, me too. I love them.
    33:03
    My biggest geeky thing, I think, would be is I still collect comics. I do. Oh, me too. I do. I love comics. Yeah, me too. Well, talk. Zach don't understand that. He has no clue of why that I go spend $400 on a comic or something. We'll just convert them. Yeah, he has no clue of what it is. And some of mine are graded, so they're CGC. He's like, you can't even read the damn thing. He's like, why do you have them? I'm like, it is just gorgeous. There's something about holding a comic that is as, this may be blasphemy, it's as special as putting your hands on a pinball machine. Exactly. It's something just that feels so beautiful and right about holding a comic in your hand. But, you know, what's funny is that years and years ago, if you looked at comic, red comic, you was a nerd, right? Okay, I'm a nerd. I can't change now. Now – Anybody who is in this hobby and says they're not is lying. You're exactly lying to yourself. But on the flip side of the coin is Hollywood is starting to take notice of these – look at these movies now. Look at money. Marvel's bankrupt at one time. Now they've got their own film company now. Now they're – it's bought by Disney. Now they're – God knows how much money they make yearly and stuff like that. And people are starting to see what comics have been offering for years is great stories. In fact, I think I remember reading an article one day about how Hollywood had a writer strike, and they actually started going to some comic book artists who started stretching out to them. And a lot of the movies out there are written by comic book writers. So Hollywood's starting to see that now. Well, but, you know, I also think that Hollywood messed up comic book stuff so bad at times, too, and they finally started getting it right. You know I love the original Keaton Batman I thought that was pretty good but I think it kind of started with Batman Begins Yes It was that dark gritty the way things were supposed to be
    34:57
    And it wasn't so hokey and so goofy. And I think that that's what started to draw people in. And then when Hollywood saw that those were big blockbusters and what Christopher Nolan was doing with those, then it just spiraled out. Exactly. Because X-Men's were decent. I like those. Those were good and everything. But then you started with Avengers and some different stuff. Iron Man. Oh, good enough said. Fantastic, yeah. I mean, so that – they wrote them like movies, not just like kids. Yep. Knock off. You know, if that makes sense. In three simple words, to prove my point, The Walking Dead. Oh, my gosh, yeah. Look at the fan base. That was a comic book. And I remember – this is depressing. I had the comic book in my hand. And no more initials. I went, it's a black and white zombie book. Who cares? Oh, yeah. It's worth a small fortune now. I mean, look at the fan base that it's got now. They have a show about the show, for Christ's sake. So that's pretty amazing. As a comic book nerd like we are, we're taking over the world. Just to let you guys know. Yes, it's not a nerd thing. If you're into pinball, you can't hate comics. You can't hate comics. Okay, so of all the games, your dream theme might be actually coming out. But what dream theme do you have? What do you want to see made that has not been made? anything that you can think of? You already know the answer to this one here. I think so. Alien. Yeah. Alien and Star Wars. Now, they have some Star Wars pins, but I really want a Stern Star Wars. What's that 19th pin, Larry? What's going in that spot? Alien. Yeah.
    36:31
    Well, if Ben and Drew come first, I think Stern's going to be it, but I think Star Wars. If Star Wars comes first, that's going to be a spy. If Alien, I've got to make room for it. So you're getting both of them no matter what. Yes. I'm sticking with Highway. the good thing about it is Melissa at Cointakers, again this is throwing a plug out to these people I know and I respect it's a good thing man, people you trust in this and everything, there's nothing wrong, we give shout outs to people we're not sponsored really by anybody except for Larry at Flippin' Out but we just enjoy the people, we enjoy your show Buffalo, Dead Flip, we enjoy it, man we throw a plug we don't need anything for it, we don't expect anything because we enjoy what's going on, comment you know Pinball, we love their LEDs so we throw that out there, I don't think there's anything ever wrong with that. But go ahead. Sorry. No, no, no. I was going to Melissa Cointaker. The good thing about what she did was she understands with all the fiasco went on with Predator and J-Pop, all that. She goes, look, they're a big distributor. She goes, and she said, I'll take the down deposits for my customers. That's all I'm going to ask for them. I'm not going to expect them to pay anything until we have the ships on my dock. Yeah. I'm sorry, not the ship. Yeah, ships on dock or with the pins on the ship on the dock. And I said, my God, that's exactly what people want. And she said, I gave her $1,000 down. And she goes, if something falls through, I'll give you money back. Or you could put down another pin. Or you could put it on merchandise we have.
    37:54
    Made me feel totally 110% confident. And that means a lot. It does. As a distributor, it really does. It does. And so what I did was, I'm sticking through. I know all the fiasco with Highway. I think Melissa feels comfortable about it and I'm going to stick through the ship hopefully it will go through me too because I wrote you after Kaneda wrote us and I was like hey Larry I was like man did you hear that Andrew's out and everything else so hopefully you're going to get your pen and everything he's like thanks because I read it on there because I was worried about it because it's exactly what Larry said we'd reach out on Facebook or on Pinside and we'd said hey, we really want to get our hands on Alien and we want to review an Alien and put some time on it. And Larry was kind enough to write me. And Larry was like, hey, man, I'm not too far from you. I'm getting one. It should be in a few months, which that turned into quite a few months now with the problems going on. But we started talking and I actually know some of his family and everything else. So that's how we kind of met was over Alien and everything and all that. And so here I am doing this interview. so to wrap it up let's do one other hot button kind of a hot button thing that you're already getting so I know you like it but what do you think of Star Wars what was your first impressions if you feel comfortable giving those yeah first impression was I was underwhelmed when I looked at it because that I mean I don't think Stern could put so much stuff into it and a Star Wars fan like myself would have been happy with it because when I looked at it my first impression was I wish there was just one more toy on there it looked like the right side of the play field Well, this is blank, but the left side in the middle was fine. Yeah. And I thought about it, and I couldn't think, well, you know what? I might pass on this one. It's not real. But the more I looked at it, I wish Stern would do a little more PR on this stuff. I think it would help him out in a video. I know Penn Science is going to bash it. That's what they do. But I realized two things. Number one, and we talked about this, is that they're going to release a Star Wars film every year in some shape or form. It's got a huge fan base. It's going to have a market for them. It's going to have people wanting to play them and see them. So it's a big hit for Stern. I know it's going to be a big hit for them. Steve Ritchie's doing it. I love a Star Trek LE. I don't think it's going to match anything what Star Trek LE did. I think Stern knocked out Park cosmetically-wise and play-wise as well.
    40:18
    I wish they had one more toy on it. But you know what? I'm going to save face. I believe in Steve Ritchie. I love his games. But, you know, I was looking up, and you've got an LE back there, your Ghostbusters. but mine's a pro, and I was looking at my pro, and I was like, honestly, if you just removed the purple set of city buildings off the pops, it would actually be a very naked bear game itself. But that adds to it. But it means a lot. Something as simple as just one plastic sitting on top of some pops makes a huge difference. And I wish they'd do that. Now, do you think, because I love Spider-Man, I love Star Trek, so that's why I'm giving this a chance. Do you think that it's going to shoot very simply? Because a lot of people get mad that Spider-Man and Star Trek are very similar and shoot the same. Do you think that this is going to be in that same category? I think so. Looking at the shots, it kind of looks. It reminds me of a little bit of ACDC with a little Spider-Man mixed in. I'm kind of interested to see how the metal ramp is going to do on the premium and LAC. See what it does. Death Star. Yes, I'm kind of interested to see that. I was really surprised they put that little miniature LCD screen in there. I was too, especially on Bros and everything. it kind of reminds me with Alien I know it's probably cheaper for Stern to do that besides putting a toy in there but we'll see I think it will implicate it pretty well I think it's going to look pretty nice after everything is all said and done I'm going to put faith in it me too I'm not rushing the judgment yet because like you said I love Spider-Man I love Star Trek I think I'm going to love the way this shoots I can't wait for it I think it's going to be good like I said every year when Star Trek comes Star Trek. Star Wars comes out on Blu-ray or the new hit movie comes out and you're going to get the itching to go downstairs and you want to play Star Wars Pin because you're in the mood for it. I agree. I think Stern's going to sell a bunch of them. There you have it, guys. This is Larry, aka Indie Pin over here. Man, Larry, I completely appreciate you having me. We're going to jump over.
    42:15
    I want to show you a couple of his games, just a few of them because we've got Cactus Canyon continued over here that you probably have never laid your eyes on. And I just want to show off some of Larry's mods and stuff. So be sure to, after that, check us out on Facebook. Give us a few likes. We're actually putting a little bit of special content on there. We'll have just some little special videos, maybe some sneak peeks of some stuff coming up. And like us or subscribe to us on YouTube, guys. Thank you again, Larry. Yes, sir. We'll see you guys. Take care. I want to tell you a little bit about the Cactus Canyon here. This is the regular Cactus Canyon, but I have the continued P-Rock program put in. If anybody is interested, again, it's Eric Pripke. He's an epic geek, I think it is, on Pennside. And what Eric did was he took the original Cactus Canyon that was unfinished when the last Pennside Williams made, and he basically finished it. He put a lot more modes in it. And some of the really cool things he did was he put a super skill shot in here, a reference when you're about ready to plunge the ball. You hold it in both flippers. and the name will say Super Skill Shot. Then it'll show a certain shot you have to hit on play field. When you hit that shot, it'll show a mode. What's cool about it is he took different modes from different pinballs from Williams.
    43:29
    I'm trying to think of one, like Attack from Mars. If you hit the mode and hit the shot for Super Skill Shot and it's random, it'll show Attack from Mars. I think it shoots at ships. I think it's spaceships. Scared Stiff. He put that mode in here. If you hit the shot, if you hit the super scared shot, hit the mode, you get Scared Stiff mode where you, I'm trying to think which one it is, how you like to do there and stuff. Oh, it's like Move the Car from Creature from the Black Lagoon. He did a lot of other things. If you look in the back glass here, the original Cactus Canyon has four characters that you see where there's only three well if you're looking them off to the side there's a female there her name is boss Betty she was not on the program so what Eric did he added on there he got a girl to do the voiceover he added her in there as well and if you there's also a sequel mode in here where Rudy shows up once while and you hit the boss you hit the cowboy back in the back in the head like you do the rest boss characters and you hit Rudy in the head and show them on DMD he talks to you and then it's really really cool he had so much added features on to the they got no one called Cowboys vs. Aliens where it's just like the movie you got the certain shots and then you got to after you hit the certain shots and you got to hit the pop up targets and that's the actual aliens you you shoot at just like in attack from Mars another one cool is a drunk multiball it's like the alien invasion on Simpsons but the cool thing about it is that when you're we get it's easier get on this one here and once you get it it reverses flippers and it's like drunk multi ball so you got to you got to hit the ball around with reverse flippers and that's another mode he added on but we had a bunch of other really cool modes on there but he really made the pin that much more better Chelsea he completed it shall say both so he might ever a chance and have the opportunity to pick up a cat's Canyon you gotta get with Eric and get his continued program and he'll sell it see everything to you that you need to hook up and just makes the pin that much better.
    45:49
    So let's open this thing up like I did your mom. That one just doesn't feel good. No it's dirty. That one's a bad one. It's really dirty. Almost offended. There it is, it should be.
    46:03
    Ooh, yeah, your mom. It's always my mom. She knows what she likes. My father! She likes my father! Which would be me.
    46:16
    That really makes things weird. Your new dad. Take that to school with you! Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Okay. I'm not crazy about the grape juice, though.