pinball

An Ausretrogamer Birthday Mystery Tour

May 23, 2016 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Weekends can get filled up with so much boring stuff – groceries, washing, vacuuming… blerg! So when Mr Alex Boz’s birthday came around, we knew it was time to put adult life aside for a day and have some fun instead – and what’s more fun than a Birthday Mystery Tour?

It was a beautiful sunny day, and after a quick breakfast at our favourite cafe – we were off. All destinations were a surprise to Alex, he had to solve clues along the way to work out where we were heading next.

We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day in Melbourne

Stop #1: Escape Room – Burlesque at EscapeXperience

‘Strange things are happening at the Burlesque. You’re going in undercover to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances. Behind the glamour and mystery lies a dark secret that someone is desperate to keep hidden. Can you solve the mystery and escape before it’s too late?’

We heard this was the best escape room in Melbourne, and we were not disappointed. This was our first real-life escape room experience, so we were a little nervous, but the staff were awesome – very friendly and reassuring. They gave just enough help to point us in the right direction when we got stuck – without giving too much away. We had a blast and will be returning to try out their other rooms very soon.

Stop #2: Snack shopping at USA Foods

One of our favourite things about travelling to the US is trying out all the weird and wonderful snack food, but forget about the airfare and the jet lag because all our favourite snack foods are available right here in Melbourne at USA Foods. Alex’s clue was ‘Peanut Butter M&M’S’ and he guessed it right away!

Stop #3: Waverley Antique Bazaar

A fun day out would not be complete without a stop at a second-hand store, and the enormous Waverley Antique Bazaar was just the ticket.

Stop #4: Pinball at Pixel Alley

I know what you’re thinking – what about pinball? Well, don’t fret, Alex got his pinball fix at Pixel Alley. They have a nice selection of tables currently on-site: Metallica Master of Puppets (Premium), Spider-man Vault Edition, Game of Thrones (Limited Edition) and KISS (Premium).

Stop #5: Coburg Drive-in

The final Birthday Mystery Tour stop was the Coburg Drive-in to see The Jungle Book. It had been a long time since we’d been to the drive-in but all the fond memories came flooding back as soon as we drove through the gate, we especially loved the adorable retro diner.

We also spotted some interesting sights while out-and-about all day.

An old Pentridge Prison watchtower – spooky

Groovy vintage cars

What a day! Now, excuse me while I start planning for next year…

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Ghostbusting At Zax Amusements

May 13, 2016 By ausretrogamer

It is not every day we get an invitation to check out and play a newly released pinball game. We were lucky enough last year to experience Game Of Thrones before its official release, and it seems that we got lucky once again! This time, Zax Amusements were kind enough to open their doors and allow us to have a bump and tilt on Stern’s new pinball machine, Ghostbusters.

Before we could get to grips on the new Ghostbusters Pro pinball table, Zax’s Business Manager, Phil Boniwell gave us a grand tour of Zax Amusements – let’s just say that we were like kids in a candy store! There were 1980s and 1990s JAMMA boards carefully stacked on shelves, a myriad of gun peripherals, control panels, Neo Geo MVS carts and an amazing array of arcade machines from all eras! We honestly didn’t know where to look – it was a 360 degree visual onslaught of the amusement kind! You can take a peek at the photos further down below to see why we went all gaga.

Once we wiped our drool and returned to Zax’s business showroom, it was time to put Ghostbusters Pro through its paces. So what did we think? Having played the pinball machine a few times, our first impressions were very positive indeed. Like with any new product, it was the visual and aural beauty of the machine that captured our immediate attention. Based on the original Ghostbusters movie, the colours, set scenery and characters on the playfield were an instant trip down memory lane. Not to be outdone in the sensory game, the sound effects, Ernie Hudson’s speech guiding you through the game and Ray Parker Jr’s Ghostbusters soundtrack were literally music to our ears. Stern have really captured the feel of the original Ghostbusters movie to a T! We reckon Stern has created another winner!

Thank you to the team at Zax Amusements for their hospitality (Scott Kellett rocks!). You can read more about Zax Amusements over here.

Z marks the spot!

Zak (Zax final boss) and yours truly!

Oh wow, OutRun 2 SP and Sega Racing Classic (aka: Daytona USA Mk II)!

THIS is still our all-time fave arcade driving game!

Kick it to Homer!

Now this is a reasonable price for a twin seat Daytona USA!

The great wall of PCBs!

You need guns? Zax has you covered!

Guitar riffin’

Dayyyyyytona!

You don’t control me!

A view to a thrill!

Silverball classics waiting for some TLC

15K out! That is perfect vision!

Time to flip some balls!

Oh wow, what to play next?

Our spidey sensors are tingling!

Who you gonna call?

I ain’t afraid of no ghost

Ecto-1 in glorious colour!

Let’s play Slimer!

Busting ghosts has never been this much fun!

Aim well and true!

This machine is flippin’ magic!

Ball Saved! Lucky break!

Keep your eye on the target(s)!

What has spooked Slimer?

Mmm, marshmallows!

The outlanes can be brutal – be ready to bump!

A row of beauties! It’s very hard to leave Zax Amusements!

Growing Up In Arcades: 1979-1989

May 6, 2016 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Growing Up In Arcades: 1979-1989 is a beautiful collection of retro photos on flickr of, you guessed it, 1980’s arcades. Most photos have been contributed by Kevin R ‘Rad Arcade’.

‘A look back at the arcades that consumed much of our time and quarters back in the 80s. Looking for scans of vintage games in the wild. So if you have old arcade or Chuck E. Cheese birthday pics, dig ’em up! They belong here.’

Spend some time admiring the games (note the pleasing lack of redemption machines), the fashion, the smiles and the colours – great memories! Also, don’t forget to add a few of your own pics. Here are a handful photos to whet your appetite, but be sure to visit flickr to see the whole collection.

‘Pizza’ submitted by Ray Conrado

‘Mark’s 7th Birthday Party’ submitted by Aaron Caldwell

‘Broadway in S.F.’ submitted by James Aaron Dillon

‘Hangin’ with my friends at lunch’ submitted by Elwood Rose

‘Soviet Pre-Video Games’ submitted by Ben Madison

‘Time Out Tunnel’ submitted by Kevin R

‘Pinball’ submitted by Kevin R

‘Fun Terminal’ submitted by Kevin R

‘Pinball’ submitted by Sulaco99

‘Pool Arcade’ submitted by Kevin R

Source: Growing Up In Arcades: 1979-1989 on flickr

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Pinfest 5: Festival Of The Silver Ball

April 28, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Ladies, kids of any age and gentlemen, listen up! Pinfest 5 has just been announced by the Newcastle Pinball Association! Mark the 24^th and 25^th September 2016 in your calendar and make sure you head to the Caves Beachside Hotel, which is 90 minutes north of Sydney.

Celebrating its 5^th consecutive year, Pinfest 5 will be bigger and better, with awesome special attractions to mark the occasion, including an exclusive Pinfest patrons raffle to win a Data East Time Machine pinball table! If that wasn’t enough of an incentive, there will be up to 70 pinball machines to flip and tilt on, ensuring that every patron experiences as many pinball machines as possible.

No matter your age or your level of interest, if you have itchy flipping fingers, you need to be at Pinfest 5! Keep an eye on the Newcastle Pinball Association Facebook page for more details.

Pinfest 2015 highlights

source: Newcastle Pinball Association

Arcade and Pinball Sale Of The Century

April 16, 2016 By Aaron Clement

So it was at some unholy hour on a warm Saturday morning back in early January that I found myself standing outside of an old office supplies warehouse in North Hobart along with a whole range of people from all over Australia. Why you ask? Inside was a significantly large assortment of pinball tables, jukeboxes and arcade cabinets, all for sale or auction by one of the oldest operators in Tassie.

Proof that we do get warm, clear days in Hobart!

If you’ve ever spent time in Hobart, you may have passed a building on the corner of Patrick and Campbell streets with a faded sign advertising “Pinballs from $400”. The building is home to Automatic Music, a local family-owned amusement operator founded by a guy named Erwin Boot back in the 1960s. While their focus now is mainly pool tables and jukeboxes, Erwin had kept a lot of the older and unused machines stashed away at various locations across the state. So with retirement looming, there was only one thing to do; open the warehouse to the public and sell, sell, sell!

I want a $400 Pinball machine!

Quite the line-up!

Jukeboxes were the major theme of the sale, with easily a hundred or more out on display, although it was hard to miss the entire wall lined with some 30 to 40 years of pinball history! With machines ranging from early electromagnetic releases like Sky Jump (Gottlieb, 1974), Sky Kings (Bally, 1973), Lawman (Gottlieb, 1971) and Super Star (Williams, 1972), through to more recent titles like Star Wars (Data East, 1992), Judge Dredd (Midway, 1993) and Dr. Who (Midway, 1992). There were definitely bargains to be had, although the cheaper the machine, the better your repair skills had to be!

Smaller than their solid state descendants, the electromagnetic Pinballs of the 60s & 70s are unmistakable

The most expensive machine sold on the day wasn’t a pinball table, it was a 1959 AMI Continental Jukebox that was snagged by a Gold Coast man for $6100! On the pinball front, Star Wars, Playboy (Bally, 1978) and Dr. Who all cleared the $3000 mark, with the cheapest going for just over $200 (for a mostly incomplete, non-working machine I might add).

The Doctor is in the house!

Given my holy grail was well out of reach (I’ll own Star Wars one day!), I was happy to just attend and spend time walking amongst all of the amusement history on display. Although there’s another long time amusement operator down here with an equally large warehouse of machines, so maybe we’ll see another sale sometime soon…

Oh my, $50 for a Taito Thunderbolt!

No tabletop dancing on these old beauties!

Let’s go Raving!

Even Judges need repair from time to time

Rock ‘n’ Wrestling – A good combination!

We’re only playing it for the multiballs, right?

Sweet sounds of Wurlitzer

Shoot’em up gallery

Checking out the lethal merchandise

It’s seen better days, but you can almost hear Sweet Georgia Brown

Feeling like a superstar!

More awesome pics from the arcade and pinball sale of the century here!

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Aaron Clement
Tassie based retro gaming guy. Father of 3 and married to the very tolerant Kellie Clement. Coffee powered!

Follow Aaron Clement on Twitter and Instagram

Welcome to STARWORLD 78

April 4, 2016 By ausretrogamer

For those of you that don’t remember, once upon a time Atari was the king of video games, not just in the home with their Atari VCS/2600, but also in the amusement parlours. Atari was so diversified, they even got into making pinball machines!

To get an understanding of just how huge the Sunnyvale company was, at the 1978 Amusement and Music Operators Association (AMOA) trade show, Atari had a massive exhibit titled Starworld ’78, showcasing their latest wares to wow the industry (and scare the pants off their competitors)!

The “Starworld” theme was chosen by Atari to preview their new games, which they cleverly dubbed as the “Stars” of the 1978 AMOA show. Previewed pinball machines included Space Riders, the colossal Hercules and the double playfield extravaganza of Middle Earth. In the video gaming stakes, their new 2-player space duel game, Orbit and the 3-games-in-one version of Breakout (very smartly titled) Super Breakout were gaining a lot of attention. Also taking centre stage at Starworld ’78 were: Sprint 2, Sit Down Night Driver, Starship, Smokey Joe, Fire Truck, UFO and the unique dual monitor submarine strategy game, Subs. If that wasn’t enough, Atari also had their service technicians on hand to demonstrate the latest test equipment to show off to operators.

And what is a trade show without prizes? Atari was promoting their ‘Starworld Sweepstakes’, a first at the AMOA trade show. Prizes included a Super Breakout machine, a Sony Betamax video tape recorder, a colour TV, a set of leather luggage and a Sony 5” Swivel-vision TV. There were also minor prizes awarded by Atari in their sweepstakes, including Seiko pocket digital alarms and Seiko desk clocks! Whoa, if only we had attended the 1978 AMOA trade show!

source: The Arcade Flyer Archive

Melbourne Silverball League: Get Flippin

March 31, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Attention all you pinball loving peeps, April 1 2016 will mark the commencement of the new Melbourne Silverball League monthly pinball tournament. This new tournament will be based on a selfie format, but more on that later! No, this is no April Fools’ Day joke, this is for real!

After his recent US trip to Arcade Expo 2.0 competing in the It Never Drains In Southern California pinball tournament, Martin Robbins was inspired to set up a similar qualifying and competition format here in Melbourne, hence the Melbourne Silverball League (MSL) was born. The first selfie competition in Melbourne will be at Bartronica in Flinders Lane. This is how the MSL pinball competition format will work:

Each month there will be particular pinball machines at Bartronica selected for qualifying – for the month of April the machines will be: Creature from the Black Lagoon, Party Zone, Addams Family, Goldeneye 007 and Pin*Bot. Play on each of these machines and take a photo of your score. You can either upload your picture via the tournament location at Matchplay.Events or post it to the Melbourne Silverball League (MSL) Facebook page. One of the MSL scorekeepers will review your photo and then submit your score. Your ranking on each machine will be worth more points the higher up you are to give you a combined overall ranking (based on the PAPA format i.e.: 100 points for the top score, then 90 for 2nd, 85 for 3rd and so on). The combined scores of the top 16 ranked players will qualify for the playoff (which is on the first Sunday of the following month).

To ensure your score submission goes smoothly, your selfie should have your face and the score to help the MSL scorekeepers validate your submission. Some patience might be needed where certain machines take a while to scroll through credits to get back to your score.

If we have lost you so far, here are the TL;DR (that’s Too Long;Didn’t Read) notes:

Register your participation at the MSL Facebook page;
play pinball at Bartronica;
upload pictures to MSL Facebook page of your awesome scores;
check the MSL Facebook page to see how you are ranking for that month;
get in to the top 16 players to qualify for the monthly head to head comp to determine the overall winner.

It is that easy! So what are you waiting for? Go and register now and then hit Bartronica during the month of April to rack up your high score!

Martin Robbins – the brains behind the Melbourne Silverball League

Shane Rubans getting some testing done at Bartronica
source: Melbourne Silverball League

40th Anniversary “He Called The Shot” Painting featuring Roger Sharpe

March 23, 2016 By ausretrogamer

RogerSharpe_Pinball_Title Grab yourself a slice of pinball history and make a difference to children with special needs and autism spectrum disorders.

It has been forty years since Roger Sharpe “called the shot” in front of the the New York City council, overturning the 34 year ban on pinball! Available until March 25th, and commemorating this moment in history, is a Limited Edition Giclee (150 prints), personally signed by Roger. When you get one of these Limited Edition prints, your donation goes directly to Pinball EDU Charity.

You can have a piece of pinball history hanging in your arcade, games room or conference room!

Roger Sharpe – Calling the shot!
RogerSharpe_Pinball

“That shot” immortalized in a limited edition print
RogerSharpe_Pinball_Painting source: IFPA

Flippin Out: Ghostbusters Pinball

March 11, 2016 By ausretrogamer

When it comes to big-licenses in the pinball world, Stern definitely know how to grab you by the steel balls! Joining their stable of recent big hits like The Walking Dead and Game Of Thrones is Ghostbusters Pinball.

The timing of Ghostbusters Pinball coincides with the release of the trailer for the upcoming reboot, but don’t read too much into that, as Stern’s Ghostbusters is based on the classic pair of films from the 80s, with Bill Murray, the Ecto-1, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and of course, Slimer all making their ghoulish way onto the playfield.

There are plenty of ramps, toys, lighting, speech and motorized effects to scare the pants off you while you rid New York City of ghostly apparitions. To get you right into the mood, Ray Parker Jr belts out the Ghostbusters theme. “If there’s something strange, in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!”

For more deets on Stern’s Ghostbusters Pinball, go here.

Are you a Pro Ghostbuster?

Or are you a Premium Ghostbuster?

Aha, you wanna be a limited edition Ghostbuster!

Oh la la!

Flip those ghosts!

Watch out for Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!

Don’t get slimed!

Return your library books before they are due!

I ain’t afraid of no ghosts!
image source: Stern Pinball Inc.

Pinball Machines: How They Work and Troubleshooting

February 28, 2016 By ausretrogamer

There is an old adage that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If only every machine in life ran perfectly, then we would never have to service our car or have stuck flippers on our favourite pinball table. With any amusement machine, be it arcade or pinball, it is not a matter of if, but when it breaks down, will you know how to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair it yourself?

If you have always wanted to own a pinball machine but were daunted by the expense of servicing such a beast, then Norbert Snicer’s Pinball Machines – How They Work and Troubleshooting course is the training you have been looking for. Norbert’s course provides you the techniques to diagnose and troubleshoot (quickly and methodically) any pinball machine problem.

Class is in session
Pinball_course_ClassIsINSession

Having almost no experience in fixing or troubleshooting pinball machines, I attended the recent course held in Melbourne with an open mind and the hope that I would learn something, no matter how trivial. I can attest that the content presented was easily understood, even for a noob like myself. The hands-on approach and Norbert’s inclusive style of teaching made it a breeze in grasping and understanding the subject matter. Norbert’s 30-plus years of experience in the industry has given him a myriad of real life examples to draw from and pass on to his students. There was no stone left unturned when it came to discussing problems that could occur on a pinball machine.

Does this intimidate you?
Pinball_course_The_Tables

Lots of hands-on (under playfield) action!
Pinball_course_Playfield

From all of the topics covered in the course, it was the compartmentalization of the playfield and back box which simplified the sections and parts of a pinball machine which was a light-bulb moment for me. This stroke of genius coupled with the easy-to-follow troubleshooting methods, ensured that you could pin-point problems without wasting too much time – which left more time to play pinball!

With my newly acquired knowledge, I can say that I am no longer intimidated by the underside of a pinball machines’ playfield nor its back box. Through his teaching, Norbert has given me the confidence to ‘pop the hood’ on any pinball machine and know my way around it. If you want to have the same experience as I did, then I would urge you to enrol in the course – it is totally worth it!

Since I had such a postive experience doing this course, I asked my fellow classmates what they thought of the Pinball Machines – How They Work and Troubleshooting course:

Lucas Bardin – “An amazing amount of ground covered in such a short time. Norbert Snicer is a Wizard under the playfield. His hands-on approach to pinball troubleshooting really makes you think about what you are doing and he also gives you the understanding of why things should be done in a certain way.”

Skott Kellett – “Just completed the Melbourne course and was blown away with the wealth of knowledge that Norbert provides and shares with his students. His troubleshooting tips will save even the experienced technicians hours of diagnosing time and hassles. I recommend the course to anyone interested in working on pinball machines, either at home or in the field. From beginners to experienced technicians, this course has something for everyone.”

Stuart Thornton – “Norbert offers a fantastic opportunity to get real hands-on learning on machines that are typically overwhelming, ranging from 90’s era to current technology. His approach is enjoyable and caters to the beginner and seasoned technicians alike. I loved every minute of the course and I think it has really set me up to be able to service my own pinball machines with confidence.”

Martin Robbins – “Having owned pinball machines for a few years I’ve always been hesitant to troubleshoot myself and have spent a lot of money sending them away for repairs. This course has given me the knowledge and confidence to solve most electrical and mechanical pinball problems and has already paid for itself. The program that Norbert has put together is not only very informative, it’s delivered in a way that shows that seemingly complex issues can be diagnosed through a logical structured process.”

Troubleshooting the Back Box
Pinball_course_BackBox

Thumbs-up for a great course!
Pinball_course_AlexBoz_giving_Thumbs-Up

pinball

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