Hello from Bristol

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davidpayne7
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Hello from Bristol

Post by davidpayne7 »

Hello everyone here.

I have recently sold my pinball machine and I am looking to replace it with a one arm bandit but like to do a bit of research first to gain a little knowledge.
So thanks for all the information posted here I do have a couple of questions which could open up a mine field of answers
Is there a good starter machine that you guys can recommend also is it worth risking online auctions without being able to see the machine or should I purchase from someone like Henry Powell’s automatics so I can get help if it’s not quite right.

Thanks in advance any advice greatly received

Dave
deano67
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by deano67 »

Hi Dave,

I have 2 bandits coming up for sale.

One is a Bally Gold Award .The other is a Roma which has a Beromat mechanism i think ?

Let me know if interested and i will send some pics.

Thanks,

Dean.
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brigham
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by brigham »

First thing to do is decide what you want.
Are you interested in American pre-war bandits, which are generally seen as 'the real thing', or the sort you might find in 1960s/'70s arcades?
Mills is a good place to start , in the first category. In the second, it's either Aristocrat, Jubilee or Bally.
Your familiarity with pinball will stand you in good stead as far as the Bally bandits are concerned.
banditboy67
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by banditboy67 »

Can't beat a good Aristocrat or Sega. I love my Sega Windsor.
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coppinpr
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by coppinpr »

A couple of things you need ask yourself first:
Do you want to work on the machine yourself or are you looking to collect machines and have them serviced/repaired when needed?
Are you looking for a machine that's fully restored or do you want to bring it back yourself?
What's your budget?
Is this a one off or the start of something big? (Once you own one, the second is not far behind.)

If you're looking for a fully restored machine and money is no object then Henry Powell is ...an option, that is what HP sells, but it won't come cheap and don't expect much in after sales help. You can however rely on all the help you need here on this forum.

The "early" machines (1930s to 1950s) Jennings, Mills, Buckley, Pace etc, are all well made and pretty much always repairable if something goes wrong. These would be my choice, but you would need to be prepared to work on them from time to time to keep them up to scratch.They would not be cheap. If you bought a Jennings Chief you would probably keep it forever.

The "later" machines (late '50s to late '60s) Aristocrat, Jubilee, Sega etc, are pretty much bomb proof and just need to be kept clean and well used to go on forever. A nice Aristocrat Nevada might be a nice looking machine to start with.

The "modern era" bandits (Bally, etc) are moving into the electric age (although only lighting on the first ones) so are at the end of our remit on this forum. Nothing wrong with them, but not the classics of the earlier days. An early Bally "Money Honey" series machine might work if you like that sort of machine.

German bandits and Uk machines with German mechs you must beware, nothing wrong with them. I have several myself, but prone to parts breaking due to the poor quality metal used and the fact they were built to last just three years and are now 70+ years old, so be prepared to do work on these.

As to buying online... it's always a risk of course. If you see a machine you're interested in, ask the forum what you need to know about it. One of us may well be in the area and able to look at it for you. If you can wait till March the next of the great Coventry auctions that are closely associated with this forum will take place on the 24th. There WILL be a machine there to suit you.

Also be aware, one machine is never enough. :lol:
davidpayne7
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by davidpayne7 »

Thanks everyone for your advice.
I definitely want a mechanical one maybe with lighting as it will be in the lounge with my other toys not keen on old electro mechanical as parts can be very hard to source and prone to burning out as an electrical/mechanical engineer i should be able to tinker once i have the relevant manuals etc but don't want to have to work on it much as i repair things all day long at work :HaHa:.
deano67
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by deano67 »

My Roma is all mechanical apart from the lighting if you are interested ?
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treefrog
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by treefrog »

Excellent we can start buying direction the forum !!THUMBSX2!!

;-)
davidpayne7
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by davidpayne7 »

Hi deano67.

thanks for the offer but its not quite what i'm looking for after looking around at images and comments i'm torn between an aristocrat and blowing my budget on a jennings governor machine unless anything else catches my eye.
i may well have to head for the Coventry auctions
pennymachines
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by pennymachines »

Deano, as Treefrog was hinting, I ask members not to trade on the Forum, but use the Market if offering machines for sale (see Please Read Before Posting in the Forum). Thank you.
deano67
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by deano67 »

Hi Pennymachines,
Sorry wasn't trying to trade on the forum,just giving Dave some info and couple of pics etc.The machines are also on a paid ad in the For sale/Wanted part of this site but have had no response/questions so far .
Apologies again and wishing Dave best of luck finding his first machine,didn't realize you had a larger budget.I guess my machines are lower priced and maybe would suit someone starting out or wanting a second machine etc to tinker with.After i get the permits of course !!!!
pennymachines
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Re: Hello from Bristol

Post by pennymachines »

deano67 wrote: Sat Jan 26, 2019 9:24 am The machines are also on a paid ad in the For sale/Wanted part of this site but have had no response/questions so far.
My apologies. I've added a link to it.
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