by Andrew MacBain | May 27, 2020 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record
During the 1930s, there were literally hundreds of companies making pinball machines. After World War II, though, there was only a handful. The key players were Gottlieb—the biggest, and pretty much the Cadillac of pinball—and Williams, which was substantially smaller...
by Andrew MacBain | May 27, 2020 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record
It was a game that morphed from the French game of bagatelle. In the 1930s, it really exploded as a gambling thing, and that’s where pinball got this gambling association. Coming out of World War II, the gambling laws were changing in the United States. In particular,...
by Andrew MacBain | May 27, 2020 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record
Are there a lot of pinball machine collectors? It is a fairly small hobby. I’m the co-editor of one of the pinball magazines, and the subscription number is 1,200 people worldwide. Now, I know not every collector subscribes, but that gives you an indication that the...
by Andrew MacBain | May 27, 2020 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record
The quickest someone can restore a machine is maybe a week, and that would be the best-case scenario. It takes time to tear them down. All the mechanical assemblies have to be taken apart, cleaned, and the parts must be replaced and put back together. A lot of times...
by Andrew MacBain | May 27, 2020 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record
I didn’t really get into to pinball machine collecting until maybe 15 years ago, but when I was a freshman in college, video games were really big. I went to Purdue University. They had a huge arcade there. I always said that Space Invaders and Pac-Man took so much of...
by Andrew MacBain | May 27, 2020 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record
What is it about the pinball machine that draws us in? Even today in our time of gorgeously illustrated video games, pinball machines continue to have an enchanting quality. In part this is the result ofthe game’s visuals: the lights, colors, and artwork. But...