This was the first pinball video I ever saw, back in 1996, when it was first issued on VHS, and one of my favorites. This was one of a few VHS tapes in a series that Tim Arnold videotaped at the storage area of his house, which as you may know, has one of the largest pinball machine collections in the world.  This was my first look at a collection of pinball machines and I was quite impressed. The first part of the video is a walk through of Tim's collection of pinball machines and bingos.  Tim tells of some interesting trivia behind some of his games, for example, Williams' Suspense is the first pinball machine with long flippers but also features short flippers too. He also mentions the "new" at the time, Ni-Wumph circuit board, installed in a System 1 Gottlieb Sinbad game.  

The first game featured is Cinderella, Gottlieb's third flipper pinball machine, featuring backglass animation showing a pumpkin turning into a car to pick up Cinderella.  Next is another Gottlieb, "Just 21."  A few more games are shown briefly, then it's a look at other oddities in the collection, including a big pile of wooden pinball legs. Tim also talks about Pinball Fantasy '96, a show where Tim brought in several of his pins. This out of print VHS tape is also available on dvd and can be ordered HERE.

Next, Tim shows what happens to a trashed backglass as a result of "cover your glass."  Then Tim covers better ways to protect a backglass with material similar to mylar and then tips on removing paint on a repainted cabinet in case the original paint has survived. 

Tim covers bingos briefly, starting with a 1979 Bally Tahiti, a mystic lines bingo.  Tim then covers Gottileb pins and talks about add a ball states, then Italian novelty play, including the story behind the Gottlieb "wow" and the absence of the word "flipper" on the tray.

Next, Tim covers a Gottlieb 60's classic, Flying Circus, the first game where captive balls loop in the center of the playfield, a feature that would later be used in such Williams' 70's games as Skylab. The next game featured is a Gottlieb Surf 'N Safari, designed by Jon Norris and featuring a unique "everything" bonus feature. Tim also mentions the quality differences between Williams and Gottlieb coin doors.

After that, two Bally games in a row are featured to honor the passing of Ray Maloney, the guy who started Bally.  Rambler, the oldest game in Tim's collection is discussed and then featured is the 1963 Bally Hootenanny with a holdover feature that awards two credits when all the letters of the game's title are lit.  The next two pins are featured are Gorgar and Firepower, both made by Williams.  Tim tells how to replace the stationary targets with drop targets in Firepower, as the game was originally designed and shown in the schematics.  Next is a Bally Target Roll, which is not quite a pinball machine, because instead of a playfield, you have a roulette wheel and depending on which hole the ball lands in determines how many points you score.  Then, a look at a Kicker/Catcher novelty game.  Bob The Cat makes his first appearance, since this is the first Tim tape.

The next game featured is a Gottlieb classic, Spirit of '76.  After that is a unique Chicago Coin Rocket Rifle Range gun game with a pinball machine flipperless playfield. No plunger required. Shoot the ball off the rail to put it into play. Next, another oddity, an Atari Hercules, or Jerkules as Tim calls it, the world's biggest pinball machine. Did you know one new in the box from the distributor sold for $5,500 when first released?  This pin, by the way, uses the same board system as Superman, one of my favorite solid state games.  The next game covered is Gottlieb's 1976 classic wedgehead, Buccaneer, featuring a unique spin and spot bonus feature. Next, is a Chicago Coin Gunsmoke, with a unique gunsmoke animated bonus feature, used also in Twiggy, another late 60's Chicago Coin classic. Land the ball in the gunsmoke hole and if you can hit the button on the cabinet at the precise moment, you can score up to 500 points! Tim comments that this motor controlling this feature is nothing more than a flash motor from a Chicago Coin bowler. This game also features a ball saver.  Last, but not least, is a Bally "Targets" game, a unique target game with a pitch and bat playfield, something you don't see everyday.

$10, plus $2.00 to cover first class shipping. $2.50 of the proceeds will be donated to The Pinball Hall of Fame on every sale. 

1 hr. 56 minutes total running time.

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