Part 1: Pinball Pick Up Adventure for a 1997 Jurassic Park The Lost World (Only 600 made)

Pinball Shenanigans·video·20m 11s·analyzed·Dec 10, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.020

TL;DR

Mike Dimus acquires rare 1997 Jurassic Park Lost World pinball after risky rural pickup adventure.

Summary

Mike Dimus from Pinball Shenanigans documents the acquisition of a 1997 Sega Jurassic Park: The Lost World pinball machine (one of only 600 made) for CAD $3,000. The video follows his initial skepticism of a suspicious-seeming Facebook Marketplace listing, his vetting process via phone conversation, a late-night 2-hour drive to meet the seller in a rural area, and the successful pickup despite challenging terrain and navigation confusion. The machine shows signs of age but is in reasonable condition; Dimus plans a full restoration including flipper rebuild, LED upgrades to the topper, and mechanical repairs.

Key Claims

Only 600 Sega Jurassic Park Lost World machines were made
medium confidence · Video title states 'Only 600 made'; Mike references this as notable rarity when deciding to pursue the pickup
The seller has owned the machine since 1997, when Jurassic Park came out and the game was released
high confidence · Seller explicitly states 'I've had it since 1997' and confirms he purchased it from an arcade operator location near the airport when he moved to the area
The machine has a sticky left flipper and broken drop targets
high confidence · Seller mentioned sticky left flipper during phone call; Mike observes broken drop targets and missing standup target during inspection
The topper is a simple flat plastic design rather than an elaborate 3D piece
high confidence · Mike directly examines and comments on topper quality, expressing disappointment compared to the Day-to-East Jurassic Park machine with '3D topper'
Mike performs full restoration work on machines: flipper rebuilds, LED upgrades, mechanical replacements, rubber kit installation
high confidence · Mike explicitly states 'This is my hobby' and outlines specific restoration plan for this machine including all mentioned services

Notable Quotes

“there's no way this guy can't be home use only. But I ask him, I'm asking him more questions, right?”
Mike Dimus @ ~2:15 — Shows Mike's initial skepticism and red flag detection while vetting the suspicious listing
“Okay, so many red flags...his name is John Smith...He has three friends.”
Mike Dimus @ ~1:00 — Establishes the sketchy first impression of the seller and listing that nearly deterred Mike from pursuing the deal
“don't worry. I've traveled much further for pinball machines. I'm kind of crazy that way.”
Mike Dimus @ ~3:30 — Characterizes Mike's dedication and willingness to take risks for rare machines, establishing his hobbyist persona
“Oh my god, I'm going to get murdered tonight.”
Mike Dimus @ ~7:30 — Humorous dramatization of buyer's anxiety when offered directions to meet at location before rural property visit
“you really got to dive in, do your due diligence, talk to the person, and feel it out”
Mike Dimus @ ~8:30 — Meta-commentary on the process of legitimizing suspicious online deals through thorough vetting, valuable for community
“This is my hobby...All new rubbers. I'll rebuild whatever mechs need to be replaced.”
Mike Dimus (speaking with seller) @ ~19:00 — Establishes Dimus's restoration expertise and passion for machine rehabilitation
“Glad it was real. Kind of sketchy but worth it.”
Kevin (via text, read by Mike) @ ~27:30 — Summary validation from Kevin (likely Grazley Garage) confirming the deal outcome despite initial suspicions

Entities

Mike DimuspersonKevinpersonJohn SmithpersonPinball ShenanigansorganizationJurassic Park: The Lost WorldgameGrazley GarageorganizationSegacompanyFacebook Marketplaceorganization

Signals

?
collector_signal: Hobbyist collector demonstrating dedication to vetting risky online deals and traveling long distances for rare machines
high · Mike traveled 2+ hours at night based on Facebook Marketplace listing; conducted phone vetting with seller; navigated challenging terrain; expresses 'I'm kind of crazy that way' regarding machine pursuit
?
event_signal: Documentation of successful rare machine acquisition and restoration planning by prominent content creator, demonstrating active collector/restorer ecosystem
high · Mike Dimus acquiring 1997 Jurassic Park Lost World (600 units) and planning full restoration; coordination with Kevin at Grazley Garage validates community infrastructure
$
market_signal: CAD $3,000 pricing for 27-year-old Sega machine with 600-unit production run represents accessible entry point for collectors; machine still functionally playable despite minor issues
high · Mike describes price as 'pretty reasonable'; seller confident in pricing; machine plays multiball and basic functions despite sticky flipper and drop target issues
?
restoration_signal: Active restoration hobbyist with specific technical skills in flipper rebuilds, LED upgrades, mechanical replacement, and playfield assessment
high · Mike outlines detailed restoration plan including 'all new rubbers,' flipper rebuilds, LED topper upgrade, target replacement sourcing; states 'This is my hobby'; successfully diagnoses machine issues during inspection

Topics

Pinball machine acquisition and pickup logisticsprimaryVetting suspicious online listings and sellersprimaryRestoration and refurbishment of vintage pinball machinesprimaryRarity and collectibility of 1990s Sega machinessecondaryCommunity relationships and trust in pinball collectingsecondaryContent creation and documentation of pinball adventuressecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Mike expresses excitement about acquiring a rare machine and successfully completing a challenging pickup despite initial skepticism. The narrative arc moves from suspicion to validation to satisfaction. Humor and self-deprecation throughout maintain an engaging, lighthearted tone despite the actual risks involved. Gratitude toward the seller and validation from Kevin reinforce positive outcome sentiment.

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

Okay, I didn't video getting in here, but I had to go down a effing giant hill. And I really hope I can get back out. Come on, baby. Come on, Ford Escape. Do me good. I'm Mike Dus [music] and this is Pinball Shenanigans. [music] Okay, I'm sorry. I know it's dark and you can't see crap, but I have a little story I must tell you. So, I'm just hanging out at my desk editing uh my Gamatron speech video and I get a text from Kevin and he sends me a link which I click on and it is for a Sega Jurassic Park Lost World pinball machine and it is listed for 3,000 bucks Canadian. which is a pretty reasonable price, I think. And I look at the guy's profile on Facebook Marketplace, his it's got the most common first name and the most common last name in existence. And he has three friends. His name is John Smith. I'm like, "Okay, so many red flags." There's two photos of the machine. One kind of of the full machine, one of the speaker panel that shows the Lost World um like graphic. And so there's not much to go on. I'm like, for sure this guy's going to if I message him, he's going to ask for a deposit, which is your next red flag. So, I sent him a message cuz on the listing it says, you know, DM me for details. So, I said, hey, I'm interested in the machine. Um, what more can you tell me about it? You said, message you for details. And you said, it is a nice, clean machine. Like, okay, it's not a whole lot of details, but uh, I got a reply. Let's feel this guy out, ask him some more questions. How long have you had the machine for? Oh, I've had it since 1997. So, I do a quick little Googling. Jurassic World came out in 1997. So, it's another red flag. And I'm like, there's no way this guy can't be home use only. But I ask him, I'm asking him more questions, right? He said, "I have like 10 people interested. I have someone coming to have a look tomorrow morning, and I'm thinking to myself, okay, well, is now or never? It's uh 8:00 at night, and the guy's 2 hours away." So, I said, "Well, if we were to, you know, come to terms on a on a deal here, would you be available tonight?" cuz I'm not available tomorrow and uh probably by tomorrow the machine will be sold. And he said, "Well, you said you're like in London. You're 2 hours away." Like, "Yeah, don't worry. I've traveled much further for pinball machines. I'm kind of crazy that way." And then he just calls me out of the blue right then and there. Because I my first message to him, I gave him my phone number. I'm like, "Okay, well, let's see what this guy has to say." Talking to him, asking him more questions. Says the left flipper is a little sticky. Other than that, it's beautiful. I ask if he's got the keys to the coin door in the backbox. So, I'm telling him how to open the backbox because if I'm going to pick it up, then I need access to the backbox so I can fold the head. I don't want to be drilling out locks. So, I actually like hear him jiggling the keys and messing with locks. And I'm like, "Okay, this is sounding more and more legit." So, he says he got the backbox open. I'm like, "Sweet. Can you send me a picture of the boards and of the batteries?" Said, "Okay, I'll call you right back." Sent me a photo of the boards. Sent me a photo of the batteries, one of the backbox with the machine on, and one of the playfield. So, I'm like, that's pretty legit sounding. And looking, I quickly Google image search the first photo on the listing to see if it popped up somewhere else, which it did not. And so, he calls me back. We're chatting some more. He's firm on his price. He ain't budging, but still, you know, it's good price. So I say, "Okay, well, I'm willing to come and grab it if you are." He said, "Okay, well, I'll give you the address to this location. I'll meet you there and then I'll take you to my place cuz I live in the country and it'll just be easier that way." And I'm like, "Oh my god, I'm going to get murdered tonight." My red flag spidey senses started tingling again. But I chatted with him a little bit more. I heard him talking to his wife in the background. I could hear his wife. So I'm like, "Okay, it's not just a bunch of like dudes ready to freaking mob me hopefully." And um well, here I am on the highway. It's uh 8:24 and I've got uh another hour and a half to go. So yeah, this may be the last video you ever see of me. Oh no, no one's going to edit it if I am getting murdered tonight. So this will be one of the lost files on my phone. Going to get a lost world. Lost my life. Okay, let's uh let's think positive, Michael. Honestly, I think despite all of the uh potential sketchiness, I think the deal is totally legit. And this goes to show you, you got to really chase down every lead that you get, no matter what, because I bet you 30 people looked at this listing and said, "Hell no." and turned away because it just looked sus at first. But you really got to dive in, do your due diligence, talk to the person, and feel it out. And uh I'm pretty sure uh in about 2 hours, you'll see me with uh Jurassic Park Lost World in my back of my vehicle. So, wish me luck. If I can, I'll take a quick little video when I'm there. But, uh, you know, it's going to be late and I'm going to want to just pack up and get the heck out of there. So, I'm not going to be, uh, hanging out, but I will try and do at least a couple minute video. So, fingers crossed. So, you got it started up here. This is the topper you were talking about. Yep. Display looks one that's missing there. That one bumper there. Uh yeah, piece right that there like a drop target or something. Yeah, whatever it is. Yeah, target. So, you think you had this since like 97? Cuz the game only came out in 97. That's when I got it. Really? When I moved here? Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. Give her a go. Let's see what it looks like here. Is that where you get the multiball? Is the egg so many? Yeah, I hit a bunch of times in there. Left six times. Yeah, left flipper a little bit. Ramp shot. Playfield looks pretty good. That's great. Do you didn't buy it new in the box, I'm assuming then? Probably off an operator or something. It was by the airport there. They had a big place by Dixon Road there. Okay. I bought this. I bought the air air hockey. I bought the uh pool table. Oh, yeah. And I bought the double hockey. Okay. When I moved here. Yeah. So, you've had it then for most of its life. Yeah. See, it's very shape. 30 years old. Yeah, for its age, it's uh It's not bad. I think the side might be a little bit faded. This is probably supposed to be a lot more red. It's kind of got a little pink. Let's see what the other [music] side looks like. Oh, yeah. It's the side closest to the window, right? Gets the sun. Something has survived. Shoot again. Oh, you got the multiball or two ball multiball. Yeah, he was saying that uh you can get like seven balls or something crazy at one time. What did you do? What did you do? Did you end up finding the uh manual? Oh, yeah. No. Okay. I'll find it. Yeah, it's not a big deal. I mean, you probably download it online anyway. Yeah, I was going to say, uh, you can get the manual online, so here's somewhere. No biggie. Did it ever come with a coin box or just what? Just what's here? Okay. Does it have a coin box? No, just I was wondering what the topper looked like. Just a little flat plastic. I was hoping it was like a little more elaborate 3D something or other like the other Jurassic Park, but it's not the name. This stuff is It's all LED now, right? Yeah. That's what I'll do. I'll tear this thing apart. Put LEDs in it. LED it. Oh, wow. Really? All new rubbers. I'll rebuild whatever mechs need to be re reaced. Whatever needs to be replaced. I can see this one green target here. That's not original. It should match those other green targets. So, I'll try and source one of those. Those targets are uh original, good shape. Same with the other side here. Nice. Beautiful. Rebuild the flippers, you know, get rid of the stickiness. That's what I do, you know. This is my hobby. All right. So, is it going to fit in your car? Oh, yeah. It'll fit. getting up and around that hill. That's going to be the tricky part. Coming down was okay. Okay. You got snow tires. I do have snow tires at least. So, I have that. So, we'll we shall see. Um, [snorts] check out the audits here. Let's see if I can uh get into them. Uh so there's uh let's see let's just go to audits earnings total paid credits zero previous uh Sega audits. Here we go. Um [music] total replays. This is probably not accurate. Total matches. Total free plays. Total plays 20. Well, that's not going to be accurate. The batteries have just been uh batteries died probably at some point. All right, that's not always accurate for that reason, but it was fun to check. We'll get a video of this, too, just for SMGs. Okay, let's see the boards here. So, you actually change the batteries cuz not lot of people think to do that. And it's good. Well, cuz it wouldn't wouldn't play for me. Oh, really? So, after the batteries are dead, open it up. Yeah. And I got her going. Yeah. Well, um, definitely no circuit board damage due to some old battery corrosion, so that's good. Okay, I didn't video getting in here, but I had to go down a effing giant hill. This is just two wheel drive, and I really hope I can get back out. Wish me luck. This was a crazy freaking adventure. Getting down this hill, there's John there guiding me. Getting down this hill was one thing, but I'm scared. He's like, "Oh, yeah. You'll have no problem. I wonder if I should gun it." Come on, baby. Come on, Ford Escape. Do me good. I think we're good. Yeah, I can go straight there. Yeah, I can go straight here. Yeah. Yeah, great. Okay. All right. Thanks, John. Oh, yeah. That'd be great. Pleasure doing business. Thank god I made it up and out of there. He had a lot more confidence than I did. But as you can see, that was a little bit of off-roading there. Anyway, I really, really, really need to pee, so I'll report back momentarily. Okay, there it is. It's official. And there's Kevin. What's he saying? Glad it was real. Kind of sketchy but worthless. Glad it was real. Kind of sketchy but worth it. Drive safe. Yeah, I got uh it's 11:00 and I got 2 hours before I get home minus any stops or traffic or anything. But you know how I said he told me we're going to meet at some random location which was apparently a gas station and then he was going to like lead me to his house. He ended up calling me and and saying just call me when you get to this road and then I'll direct you. So I guess you just assume that I was legit. He didn't have to like uh you know feel me out or sus me out. He just like realized that I was not going to like rob him or whatever. So, I called him and directed me to his uh gave me the directions. It was basically once you get onto the street, go through two uh stop lights and then you will see some yellow flashing lights. Once you see them, I am the driveway on the left. So, I'm passing by one and a half stop lights and I see flashing yellow lights. It is some car parked on the side of the road with its four-ways on and they're yellow and I'm like, this is I thought it was going to be a traffic light, but maybe this is him. He pulled onto the road with his car, put on his flashers so that I could see where I need to turn. So, I immediately turned left right after this car with blinking yellow lights into some longass driveway. I ended up in some weird freaking compound looking property with pieces and parts and cars all over the place. There's some notice on the uh the property door that I don't know what that was all about, but I got a very not cool vibe being in there. So I called John said, "Dude, did I did you mean like turn left at like some cars yellow blinky lights cuz I just did that." He's like, "No, no, that's not the right spot." I was like, "Oh, okay." So I'm looking for actual traffic lights. He's like, "Yes." So I definitely uh that threw me for a loop there. That was a curveball. I'm like, "So now I'm driving down this road. I'm like, "Please be a flashing yellow light somewhere. Where is this flashing yellow light? I'm driving. I'm driving. I'm driving. Finally, way down at the end of the road, I see yellow blinky light. I'm like, "Oh, thank God." So, the second I pass the light, I turned left. He said, "Look for a sign that says German Shepherds for sale." I'm like, "Am I going to get attacked by dogs, too, while I'm here?" I didn't see the sign, but then I went down another long driveway, pulled up to his house, and then he popped out right away. I was still in my car, and he's like, "Just follow me." I'm like, "Okay." He's like, "Luring me into the back woods, and I'm driving on snow, so you got four by four." I'm like, "No." He's like, "Ah, you'll be fine." Anyway, like, okay. So, obviously you saw the path I took to get out of there. Well, that was the path I took going in. It was all very kind of like just you're you know your your radar's up. You're like what is going on here? I knew it was legit, but still it's like what kind of shenanigans have I got myself into yet again. So driving around the yard, driving down the snowy hill back up to the property and I can see there it is the Jurassic Park. So it was really cool to see. I was excited. He let me do some filming obviously. and he was a cool dude all in all. I uh him and his wife were there, chatting it up. He played a game, gave me a little demo, and uh that is another one for the books. Crazy pinball pickup adventure for this uh Jurassic Park Lost World. It's got some um it's got some issues, you know, left flipper sticky, drop targets broken. Um, one of the standup targets, original one, is missing. And who knows what else I'll run into, but I'm excited to uh get this thing into the basement and give it a tear down. Shop job, learn it, play it. I got the topper, which I was kind of hoping was something cool, but it's this little flimsy plastic. Still good to have. I'm I'm thankful that it exists and that I have it, but it's just not as cool as the other Jurassic Park by Day to East with the super giant 3D topper. Anyway, I guess that's uh the end of this adventure for now. I got to drive for a couple hours and I forgot I turned off my GPS, so I probably just missed my turn. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.