New to Pachinko and desperate to get hold of a machine!

[Khemikal]

Hello, I'm brand new to these boards - in fact until I was randomly surfing tonight and stumbled accross this site, I had no idea there was such a passion for Pachinko let alone people owning huge collections of machines!

Pachinko first caught my eye when I was watching a National Geographic documentary about Japan, around three years ago - then sometime later, I was watching a show called Japanorama presented by an English broadcaster named Jonathan Ross who is totally nuts for anything Japanese. There was a long piece about the Pachinko phenomenon covering the history of the game and the modern parlours etc - well I'm a sucker form anything with shiny balls flashing lights and loud Japanese graphics so I instantly fell in love with the machines.

I've been badgering my wife for over a year, and I've finally worn her down (with a little help from my 2 year old daughter) and persuaded her to let me buy a machine!

Little did I realise that my Pachinko problems were only beginning. There are so many machines out there! I have no idea where to start, is any one better than the other? Or is it just down to personal taste regarding graphics etc.?

Furthermore - being from the UK could anyone advise me as to where to start looking? Does anyone know if there are any UK vendors?

Any help would be greatly appreciated - I have a million and one questions but this post has become rather rambling already (and it's 2AM) so i'll sign off.

Thanks in advance for any reply - have a good day

[luckydog]

well the top vendor in the UK would be drcrippen here on Pachitalk, another would be steve at 777heaven. you can also check UKebay

theme is usually the best way to go, get one you or your family like. you have to also decide weather you want an LCD model or one with something else.

[Chrisdice]

Welcome to Pachitalk.

[new in town]

Welcome to the Family!!!

[owennewton]

welcome to the funny farm!

[hanabi]

Welcome To PachiTalk Khemikal !!


Nice to have another UK'er on board


As Luckydog said, Drcrippen 324 here is a UK Vendor of Pachinkos,
you can drop him a PM

777heaven (Steve) although I think he is trading under a different name right now on ebay??

And Ebay of course...

We also have our very own 'Auction' which sometimes has Pachinkos in the UK for
sale...



Firstly though I would think about what Theme really appeals to you,
as that will greatly enhance your Pachinko Experience

Also there will be a few Threads to search regarding opinions of
top rated Pachinkos

It may well be that you would prefer a Movie Tie-in, or maybe a more traditional
Japanese themed machine

Whatever you decide to go for, you can be sure that someone here will have
knowledge of that particular Pachi and will be happy to answer any queries you may have

We're a friendly bunch here

[MrGneiss]

WELCOME!!

[drcrippen324]

Hi Khemikal i think i spoke to you by email earlyer and as i said its all about a theme you like there are alot about and are mostly avalible to look at in the pachinko museum under the resurch center nice to see a new uk guy around and im sure we will all help you with any questions you may have and i can belive it that there are hundreds alot of the information is avalable here and if you cant find it some one will point you in the right direction the only stupid question is the unasked one as when you spending £200 to £300 you need to get it right especialy when your next machine may depend on it

Oh and by the way welcome to the bord

[mcknli7]

Welcome To Pachitalk!!!

[FTKServices]

WELCOME!!!

[sharmoni]

You also might want to start with a vintage machine from the 70s. There are many on eBay and on local craigslists and flea markets. Most go for $50 to $150, depending on the condition or the seller's knowledge of the machine.

The older pachinkos are simpler and quieter (just rattling balls and some bells when you get a payout) and will give you a good feeling for whether you like the experience of playing. I would recommend the semi-automatic single shots, but I personally enjoy the early single-shots as well.

These early machines do not use electronics other than lights which can be wired to a 9v battery. All of the mechanisms can be seen from the back and are mostly user-fixable or replaceable from a parts supplier. I like being able to see where the balls go in the back and how the different pockets and levers trigger payouts.

On the older machines, one thing to look out for are stains right around the pins (this is aesthetic and won't affect play). These are caused by people who have mistakenly cleaned with too much water and it has soaked through the nail holes in the laminate and damaged the print underneath. Stains that are away from the nails are just dirt from the balls tracking across the plastic and should be cleanable with a damp paper towel (there may be better methods—search Pachitalk).

You may also see cosmetic damage to the chrome or wood on the front of the case. Again, this won't affect the playing of the game, but it may not look as nice hanging on your wall (and these older ones are easier to hang because they weight a third to a fourth as much as the newer machines). A rust remover like Bullfrog can clean up a lot of the metal and there are techniques for refreshing chrome that I've heard of but haven't tried (rubbing aluminium foil on it?). Wood frames can be sanded and stained or varnished if they don't have laminate on them.

Glass can be replaced with Lexan plexiglass cut to fit and it will be safer and quieter. You only need it for the inner piece that keeps the balls close to the playfield and nails.

The most important thing to watch out for is damaged plastic and metal parts in the back (and none of the pachinko machines—even the new ones—will have a back casing unless someone built one). Take a look at as many online photos of back mechanisms as you can to familiarize yourself with how the most common models should look. Again, many of those part are replaceable.

Balls should not have any rust on them as it will track through the machine and slow everything down and mark up the playfield. Two or three hundred is a good amount and be sure to put a plastic food storage container under the ball exit and ball dump or you'll have them all over the floor. There are various methods listed on PachiTalk for keeping them clean. If a machine you buy doesn't have enough or they are rusty you can buy more online or even locally (shop around for good prices).

Hope this info helps. I'm a new enthusiast myself and have been scouring the web for info and buying machines to learn as much about them as I can. You won't find a more knowledgeable, friendly and helpful group of people than here on PachiTalk. Welcome to the family!
______________________________________________________
LOL! Oh, and of course, PachiTalk being the fount of all pachinko knowledge, everything I wrote has been written before with more detail: PachiTalk

[hanabi]

I would myself love a Vintage in great condition,
however they are extremely rare in any sort of condition over here...

and if one comes up in the right condition / location /price,
then i think we will all be fighting over it

[fronzdan]

Hello there!

Welcome to the board! I'll just add that it might be easier if you narrow your initial machine choice to something that is already available from a reputable seller i.e. drcrippen, as opposed to scanning through the thousands of titles in existence and settling on something you like, which might be impossible to get. The good majority of titles simply aren't readily available for purchase outside Japan, without a) a lot of searching and waiting and/or b) spending a lot of money.

Other than that, go with a theme you like. And certainly feel free to inquire here about specific titles as it is highly likely someone has either played it or has it. You'll be amazed with the collective knowledge here.