In Print

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·May 11, 2005

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.019

TL;DR

Pinbotz releases comprehensive buyer's guide to 20 greatest pinball machines of 80s/90s era.

Summary

Pinball News reviews 'The Pinbotz Guide to the Greatest Pinball Machines of the 80s and 90s,' a 64-page guide by Kevin Strasser covering 20 popular machines from those decades. The book focuses on what buyers need to know about each game rather than ranking them definitively, including restoration tips, common problems, and modifications. While photography quality is noted as a weakness, the review praises the book as a valuable resource for both novice buyers and experienced collectors.

Key Claims

The book covers 20 popular games from the 1980s and 1990s selected from machines Kevin Strasser owned over a seven-year period
high confidence · Kevin Strasser quote: 'Those are just the 20 best out of the games that I have owned at least once at some point in past seven years'
Kevin Strasser founded Pinbotz, a company selling restored games and custom game enhancements
high confidence · Article states: 'Kevin Strasser, the founder of Pinbotz - a company selling restored games and custom game enhancements'
The book deliberately avoids discussing pricing to prevent the guide from becoming dated
high confidence · Article: 'By steering clear of this issue he ensures the book doesn't become dated or offer unrealistic expectations'
Kevin Strasser considered but ultimately rejected including Johnny Mnemonic and Road Show in the final list
high confidence · Kevin Strasser quote: 'There were a few games that were included at certain stages of book, but were dropped at the last minute (Johnny Mnemonic and Road Show were a few of them)'
Strasser recently purchased a Guns N Roses pinball machine and considers it would rank in the top five if he were writing the book today
high confidence · Kevin Strasser quote: 'I recently bought a really nice Guns N Roses machine... It is a truly great game. I could easily see myself featuring that game in the top five'

Notable Quotes

“Those are just the 20 best out of the games that I have owned at least once at some point in past seven years.”
Kevin Strasser — Clarifies the book's selection methodology is based on personal ownership experience, not a definitive ranking
“I recently bought a really nice Guns N Roses machine. I cannot stop playing this game! It is a truly great game. I could easily see myself featuring that game in the top five, if I were to write the book today.”
Kevin Strasser — Demonstrates the list is not final and shows author's passion for discovery
“Having an even number of 20 games just seemed cleaner than a list of 22 or so.”
Kevin Strasser — Reveals practical decision-making about book structure
“By steering clear of this issue he ensures the book doesn't become dated or offer unrealistic expectations to either the buyer or the seller when prices fluctuate as they inevitably will.”
Pinball News Reviewer — Explains editorial choice to omit pricing information for longevity
“Those folks familiar with the games will read through each section nodding sagely and agreeing with the points being made while welcoming the links to modification vendors.”
Pinball News Reviewer — Indicates book resonates with experienced collectors and restoration community

Entities

Kevin StrasserpersonPinbotzcompanyThe Pinbotz Guide to the Greatest Pinball Machines of the 80s and 90sproductPinball Newsorganization Lulucompanyrec.games.pinballorganizationWhite Watergame The Shadowgame Twilight Zonegame

Signals

?
community_signal: Book originated from community discussion on rec.games.pinball newsgroup, demonstrating grassroots interest in pinball knowledge resources
high · Kevin embarked on the project after a discussion on the rec.games.pinball newsgroup about suitable subjects for a new book
?
community_signal: Reviewer emphasizes value to both experienced collectors and novice buyers, indicating broad community utility
high · Book provides 'valuable and positive contribution to the pinball community' serving both familiar collectors and 'Novice pinball buyers'

Topics

Pinball machine buying guideprimaryPinball restoration and maintenanceprimaryClassic pinball machines from 1980s-1990s eraprimaryBook review and publishingprimaryPinball community resourcessecondaryPhotographic documentation standardssecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Review is largely favorable, praising the book as valuable and positive contribution to the pinball community. Photography quality is identified as the main weakness, but reviewer contextualizes it as a minor oversight that doesn't diminish overall value. Tone is constructive and encouraging.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Story dated May 11, 2005 When a new book comes out with "The Greatest Pinball Machines" in the title you can be sure the list will be controversial and the first thing readers will turn to. But the full title of "The Pinbotz Guide to the Greatest Pinball Machines of the 80s and 90s" reveals that this is less about the order of the games themselves but more about what you need to know about them. The book's author is Kevin Strasser, the founder of Pinbotz - a company selling restored games and custom game enhancements. Kevin embarked on the project after a discussion on the rec.games.pinball newsgroup about suitable subjects for a new book. When nobody took up the idea, Kevin decided to do it himself. Working as a pinball restorer, he's seen more than his fair share of these games. The result is this 64 page full colour softback book detailing the key points to look for in twenty of the most popular games across two decades. The games are: 1 White Water (WW) 2 The Shadow (Shadow) 3 Twilight Zone (TZ) 4 Bram Stoker's Dracula (BSD) 5 Creature from the Black Lagoon (CFTBL) 6 Attack From Mars (AFM) 7 Medieval Madness (MM) 8 Tales From The Crypt (TFTC) 9 Scared Stiff (SS) 10 The Addams Family (TAF) 11 Funhouse (FH) 12 No Good Gofers (NGG) 13 Pinbot (PB) 14 World Cup Soccer '94 (WCS) 15 Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST-TNG) 16 Pinball Magic (PM) 17 Judge Dredd (JD) 18 Safe Cracker (SC) 19 Fish Tales (FT) 20 Indiana Hilton Jones (IJ) For each model there is a description by Kevin about why he likes the game and has ranked it where he has, things to look out for before buying - such as common areas of playfield wear, cabinet fade and mechanical or technical problems - modifications you can make to the game and any tips, tricks or warnings Kevin has to offer. Even existing owners of these games will recognise many of the problems discussed and if they haven't occurred yet, preventative action can be taken. Kevin is keen to stress how the list of games isn't a definitive one. He told Pinball News: "Those are just the 20 best out of the games that I have owned at least once at some point in past seven years. For example... I recently bought a really nice Guns N Roses machine. I cannot stop playing this game! It is a truly great game. I could easily see myself featuring that game in the top five, if I were to write the book today." And why twenty games? Kevin told us: "There were a few games that were included at certain stages of book, but were dropped at the last minute (Johnny Mnemonic and Road Show were a few of them). Having an even number of 20 games just seemed cleaner than a list of 22 or so." One area he doesn't cover is the likely price. By steering clear of this issue he ensures the book doesn't become dated or offer unrealistic expectations to either the buyer or the seller when prices fluctuate as they inevitably will. If there's one weak area of the book it's the photographs. The more you read the book, the more photographs you want to see to illustrate the points being made. You want before and after pictures when talking about restoration work. Take this picture from the Funhouse section as an example: OK, so there's a plastic missing, but what should it look like? The quality of several of the photos could also have been improved. The number one thing to remember when photographing the playfield is - take the glass off, number two is - power the game up, and number three is - to quote one of the games in the list - FOCUS! But in the end you can forgive these oversights because the book is a valuable and positive contribution to the pinball community. Those folks familiar with the games will read through each section nodding sagely and agreeing with the points being made while welcoming the links to modification vendors. Novice pinball buyers will find much of the information they will need to make an informed and intelligent decision when buying their games - just what the book sets out to achieve. The Pinbotz Guide to the Greatest Pinball Machines of the 80s and 90s can be bought from Lulu and costs $27.98. There are more details including a sample chapter available at the Pinbotz website. Back to the news index Back to the front page