ZXSpectrum16k

Craig Cole's Video Gaming & Pinball Blog

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For me it all started with getting a ‘Grandstand Astro Wars’ for xmas 1981, since then I have never stopped playing video games. www.zxspectrum16k.co.uk
  • To Buy, Or not to buy PINBALL

    To Buy, Or not to buy PINBALL

    I have been thinking about buying a Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball machine since I found one for sale at a reasonable price. I have watched videos and played a video game version of it, and it seems pretty good. However, I am not sure if I could handle playing a game with the Star Trek theme song continuously playing in the background. If it was Star Wars, I would be happy, but not Star Trek.

    To help me decide, I went to a bar in Hull on Friday after work (after returning from Manchester for work) that had the pinball machine . Unfortunately, I was only able to play one game, and while it was okay and had some cool shots, I wasn’t thrilled.

    When I got home, Luke and I played some tables via Steam ( Star Trek: The Next Generation, White Waters). But in the end, we decided to hold off on buying the Star Trek pinball machine for now.

    Star Trek: The Next Generation is a widebody pinball game, designed by Steve Ritchie and released in November 1993 by Williams Electronics.

  • Exploring The Arcade Club in Bury with Mark : A Massive Pinball and Arcade Haven

    Exploring The Arcade Club in Bury with Mark : A Massive Pinball and Arcade Haven

    Yesterday after work, we visited The Arcade Club in Bury for the first time. We were all impressed by its massive size and the variety of pinball and arcade machines available. The club had a great selection of games spread out over about five floors. They had about 25 pinball machines, including some real classics. Unfortunately, three of them were out of order.
    “It was hilarious! When we arrived on the ground floor, we spotted a premium Godzilla pinball machine. Mark couldn’t wait to try it out and started playing right away. Unfortunately, within just five minutes, he managed to break it by getting the ball stuck behind MegaGodzilla. I went with him and we had a blast despite the mishap. We’re definitely planning on going back to play again.”

  • Pinball Machine Renovation: Fixing up World Cup Soccer 94 pinball, From Weak Flippers to Smooth Shots

    Pinball Machine Renovation: Fixing up World Cup Soccer 94 pinball, From Weak Flippers to Smooth Shots

    I have made several fixes to my World Cup Soccer pinball machine. When I first acquired it, the left General Illumination, along with several other lights, were not working. There were also numerous errors in the log startup, the flippers were weak at times, and the playing field was dirty.

    To fix all the errors in the log startup, and lights. I researched a lot, asked questions on forums, soldered, switched connections and traced wiring for hrs and hrs and hrs. I also replaced all the lights with LEDs, I replaced the rubbers with titan ones, swapped out some of the plastics, put in some new pinballs, and installed playfield metal protectors. I even rebuilt the flippers.

    Luke helped me with the choose of colors we went for with the playfield and backbox lights. We did tons of cleaning, the playfield, the plastic ramps, all the stuff metal and the cabinet itself.

    It now plays great, the shots feel smooth, and overall I think it looks a lot nicer. I did try installing some additional mini floodlights, but I thought that made it look too bright, and I wasn’t a fan of seeing loose wires on the playfield

    However, there is still a lot more work to be done. I plan to install a Colour DMD, replace the plastic ramps, and install more metal playfield protectors. I had a great time working on the pinball machine and learning in the process. I am excited to do more!

    I must have caught the bug because while working on the pinball machine, I also insulated my outside garage so that I could store more pinballs. Cant wait to get more

  • Friday night pinball with mates, and what a SCORE

    Friday night pinball with mates, and what a SCORE

    Had a blast playing Pinball last night before hitting the pub with my mates. World Cup Soccer was such a laugh, We were all trying to get to the World Cup final, to beat Germany. IT DIDN’T AS WE HOPED ;-) Hopefully, better luck next time.
    Godzilla is just plain awesome. I even managed to beat my personal best score before we went out for drinks. Swear to god, I play better after a couple of drinks!

  • Visit to Arcade Club in Leeds, Pins and Arcade games

    Visit to Arcade Club in Leeds, Pins and Arcade games

    We had a fun trip out to Arcade Club in Leeds, it was a blast! We were both excited to try out some of the pinball machines that we’ve never played before and check out their collection of arcade games. Even though the atmosphere was a bit noisy (not games, amount of kids) we had a great time. It was great to see how popular/busy the place was and having fun.
    I must say, my absolute favourite pinball machine was Iron Maiden – the gameplay was so smooth and it had some fantastic shots. Luke’s favourite was easily Ghostbusters, on which he got a mega score. Well done son.

    I will deffo visit again the next time I am working in Leeds

  • Tokyo Neon Sign mode on my Godzilla (Stumblor)

    Tokyo Neon Sign mode on my Godzilla (Stumblor)

    I have been on the ‘waiting list’ for a few months to get this much-in-demand mod for my Godzilla machine. I thought I might have to wait for about six months, but surprisingly, I received a message last week that the mod was ready. I was thrilled to receive it on Friday and installed it today. However, I had to wait a few days as I am still insulating my garage to store more pins.

    I installed the Stumblor Tokyo Neon Sign mod on my Godzilla machine, and it’s fantastic. The pictures don’t do it justice. The quality of the product is excellent, from the packaging and instructions to the mod itself. The installation process was straightforward. Since I have flipper fans in the machine, I also installed an expansion board, which allowed me to add multiple sources. Everything went smoothly, and I only had one question, which Stumblor answered promptly.

    Overall, the mod has improved the playing field, and it looks like it’s part of the machine rather than an add-on.


  • Pinball No 2: My Perfect Project Pin | Ideal for Playing and Modifying : World Cup Soccer

    Pinball No 2: My Perfect Project Pin | Ideal for Playing and Modifying : World Cup Soccer

    I was told it wouldn’t take long before I got Pinball No 2. This was delivered today :-)

    It plays great and the theme is perfect for my sons and friends. I’ve been searching for one ever since I saw it on a stream by @Gonzo, and someone else showcasing their pin collection. I can already tell that it has some fantastic shots, and Luke and I have already had some great games on it.

    I was able to pick it up from Gumtree for an excellent price, and it was conveniently located near me, so the seller was able to deliver it. The playing field is in good condition, and the rest of the machine is decent. It’s ideal for me since I wanted a project pin that I could fix up and modify extensively, as well as learn from.

    On my to-do list, I have listed new field decals, LED light conversion, and possibly a ColorDMD display. I also plan to check out game mods. Additionally, I would like to beat Luke on it and win the World Cup! :-)

    First night playing did have to fix the DMD, which thankfully i got it working a treat as it stopped.

  • Godzilla High Score. get in

    Godzilla High Score. get in

    Posted my best yet today for score on Godzilla, and I am now (finally) the top of the leaderboard.  Get in

    Still loving the game