Ben Heck chose to make his Bill Paxton pinball machine 

by Andrew MacBain | Dec 18, 2019 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record

Ben Heck chose to make his Bill Paxton pinball machine the old fashioned way, using actual flippers and tunnels and whatnot. But there’s also another, less complicated way to make a pinball machine – by running an emulator on a computer. But “less complicated” doesn’t...

goodbye to Old Coney Island

by Andrew MacBain | Dec 18, 2019 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record

By KEVIN WALSH and DAVID S. ALLEE One by one, the venerable institutions of old Coney Island are vanishing. Ruby’s, the last of the boardwalk-facing bars, has served its final drink; Shoot the Freak, one of the most popular game booths, won’t reopen in the spring. And...

Kalamazoo’s Star World Amusement is keeping classic arcade games alive

by Andrew MacBain | Dec 18, 2019 | Collector's Corner, Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record

KALAMAZOO — Long before Chuck E. was the big cheese in town and prior to Dave and Buster’s arrival in Detroit and other nearby areas, Star World arcade was the place to be — every single weekend. In the 1980s, teenagers who are now in their 40s, packed the Portage...

How cutting edge can you get?

by Andrew MacBain | Oct 17, 2019 | Collector's Corner, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record

Stern Pinball’s TRON: Legacy Pinball features an incredible 3D backglass that brings the film’s characters and story to life. (Stern Pinball) How cutting edge can you get? If you’ve got the bucks, there’s a world of awe-inspiring gadgets and goodies...

Hopkins Arcade Owner Using Pinball Machines To Stay Afloat

by Andrew MacBain | Oct 17, 2019 | Collector's Corner, Pinball News, Pinball Record

There’s no question times are still tough for many small business owners. An arcade owner in Hopkins has never had it harder. Pinball is Lloyd Olson’s passion that he just can’t let go of. “It’s a work of art you can play,” said Olson, who owns SS Billiards. Olson and...

Interesting Vancouver: Catching up with a World Pinball Champion

by Andrew MacBain | Oct 5, 2019 | Micro Pinball, Pinball Buzz, Pinball Canada, Pinball History, Pinball News, Pinball Record

By Interesting Vancouver Robert Gagno is a world champion pinball player. At 4 years old, he played his first game at Wally’s Burger (a burger joint their family frequented in Vancouver). When he turned 10, his family got him his first ever pinball machine. Robert...