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With the demise of amusement centres, pinball machines are becoming increasingly rare collector's items. Bumper Action's web site spins an interesting yarn about owner Del Reiss traveling across the globe in a frantic search for the last available pinball tables to satisfy consumer demand. Sunday's auction includes an Elvis pinball complete with a singing and dancing on-board King, World Cup themed machines, the last new Lord of the Rings table in Australia, and Data East's Guns and Roses pinball from 1994. Posted by Jason Hill The Age Online - The recycling of Plucka's wheel
An icon of Australian television is being auctioned off today after being rescued from the Sunshine garbage tip. With no reserve price attached - hence, it may go cheap - the Plucka Duck wheel from Hey Hey It's Saturday is going under the hammer this afternoon in South Melbourne, at a clearance sale of 300 old carnival rides, sideshow attractions and pinball machines. Still attached to the wheel is that ridiculous little exercise bike that was ridden by Plucka. However, the many yellow ducks that once hung upon it have flown the coop. Melbourne pinball king and auction organiser Del Reiss said: "We've had a lot of inquiries. But I have no idea what people might pay for it . . . the bidding hasn't started yet. I suppose we're talking about a significant piece of Australian television history. The amazing thing was that it turned up at a rubbish tip. "It's still in pretty good condition - doesn't look too bad, needs a bit more paint. But it still spins all right. And, yeah, the ducks have gone. I don't know what happened to them." The wheel was rescued by a friend of Del Reiss - a fifth-generation carnival gypsy called Charlie Miller, who happened to be out at Sunshine tip as the wheel and assorted other Channel Nine props were getting the heave-ho. Speaking by phone from North Queensland, Charlie says: "It was three or four years ago . . . I was there dumping a load of rubbish, when I saw this bunch of guys unloading a whole lot of unusual stuff from a truck. Like there were these sets from a show that looked like they were the inside of a spaceship. Dunno what that was all about. But after they'd pulled out I wandered over, and grabbed the wheel. I didn't recognise it at first. I just thought it would make a good spinning wheel for prizes in my carnival. Then I saw it was the Plucka Duck." Charlie says he was never a Hey Hey fan: "I'm always on the road." With his shooting gallery, his laughing clowns. "I was sort of based in Keilor when I found the wheel. And I just hung on to it for a couple of years. Now it's with Del." Also for sale today, at Bumper Action in City Road, is a pinball machine once owned by Elton John, a 1957 fortune-telling machine, moose and buffalo heads, 15 dodgem cars and an "old-fashioned American four-seater shoe-shine station". June 29 2003 Herald Sun Online - Pinball wizard rides comeback
PINBALL machines have made a big comeback. Pinball was popular in the 1950s, '60s and '70s before video games emerged, but are entering a new golden era.Local enthusiasts are holding the second annual pinball festival at Bumper Action Amusements in South Melbourne from today to Sunday. Collector Del Reiss and pinball machine mechanic John Williams added some spit and polish to their treasures ahead of tonight's open invitation party celebrating Mr Williams' 50 years in the business. "It is the games room phenomenon that is taking these machines back into people homes," Mr Reiss said. "It is a cult thing. "It challenges you to beat the machine -- you are man against machine." Visitors can play the collectable machines, some of which will be auctioned on Sunday. The Elvis machine, one of 1000 made by a US company, is expected to fetch up to $10,000. "The one machine that is probably most valuable and interesting is the Elvis . . . it was made in the last three months, and sold out straight away," Mr Reiss said. Mr Reiss said new pinball machines were sophisticated and more difficult to master than modern gaming machines such as Nintendo. Some of the most sought after machines are modelled on the recent movies Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings. "A movie makes it if they become immortalised in a pinball machine," Mr Reiss said. Visitors are welcome at the party from 7pm today. Emily Power Infolink - Pinball reborn as home accessory Amusement arcades may have all but died, but home renovators and designers are taking to installing pinball machines and other retro amusement arcade machines into home or office entertainment areas. And one amusement company that has ridden the ups and downs of pinball from its heyday in the early 70s through its decline in the 80s as video games took over, is again riding a new crest in demand for these classic amusement machines. Pinballs sales growing full tilt Since the decline of the pinball parlour, a new market for the machines is emerging among punters who would like a bit of fun with their investing. "These days people are building big houses out at Narre Warren and Stud Park, with a pool room or rumpus room, and want a pinball machine in the home," said Bumper Action Amusements owner Del Reiss. "There is also a trend where the latest pinball machine has become the modern accessory for the inner-city-living, young, upwardly mobile executive looking for a bit of fun." A self-confessed child with a passion for ridding the world of martians on the Mars Attack pinball game, Mr Reiss admits that his job is best described as "serious fun". He said a machine such as the latest Playboy - complete with Hugh Hefner and Bunnies- fetches up to $10,000. A rare 1965 "Egg Head" themed machine sells for $5000, while a game featuring 1970s rock group Kiss costs about $7000. "A typical favourite like the Adams Family machine sold for $1000 three to four years ago, and is now worth about $6000," said Mr Reiss. Even the back glass on a pinball machine can yield up to $1000 as a piece of artwork. "The back glasses are on the verge of being recognised as an artform because the artwork on the machines are very much what happened in those eras - they show a lot of how the world has gone," said Mr Reiss. Selling 10 to 15 pinball machines, video games and the odd jukebox a week at an average price of about $1500, Mr Reiss is having more than a little fun. Yesterday, he was auctioning off a collection of antique, retro and contemporary arcade games direct to the public in South Melbourne. Although the turn-out was revelling in the free games of pinball, there was an air of seriousness before the bidding began. "I haven't got a lot of time to talk - I have to see what's here," said Peter, of Templestowe. In the market for a Sin Bad machine, Peter said he would be buying on the basis of investment and nostalgia. Others, such as Angela and Harry, from Altona Meadows, couldn't get enough of a saloon-style ex-Luna Park shooting gallery. "That would be great in the garage," said Harry. Finding out that it was the most expensive item on auction - expecting to go for more than $20,000, was of no concern. "We are just here to buy an air hockey machine for the kids." JumpButton Magazine - Silver ball thrill As before, it was never going to be a fair fight. No matter how many times I repositioned my feet and shook out the tension in my fingers, my attempts remained both feeble and unrealised. “But I can’t play pinball.” “Even better.” The Sydney Morning Herald - Play Again Retro arcade games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders are back - and booming, writes Jason Hill.
BEFORE PlayStation and Xbox, gamers got their regular fix at the local amusement arcade with a pocketful of loose change. Earning the right to put their initials on the high-score table of coin-operated games such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Galaga, Defender and Street Fighter II was a badge of honour that earnt the respect of their peers. When the first home computer game consoles began appearing in the early '80s their rudimentary graphics could not compete with the offerings and dedicated controls of arcade machines. Gaming at home also lacked the camaraderie and atmosphere of those noisy, dimly lit, smoky, electronic wonderlands. But when the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation consoles appeared in the mid-1990s the gaming landscape changed forever. Suddenly there was little discernible difference between the graphics and playability of arcade games and their home versions. The ever-increasing power, popularity and affordability of home consoles decimated the coin-operated market. Now almost all of Australia's "pinnie parlours" have gone, unlikely ever to reclaim their popularity, despite the attempts of the coin-operated industry to create a family-friendly image. But the games themselves are refusing to die. Those "wayward" teens who once fed the insatiable coin-operated cabinets are now well into their 20s and 30s, and their nostalgia is fuelling a retro gaming boom. Del Reiss, owner of pinball specialists Bumper Action Amusements, has been selling arcade games since 1972. He says many young professionals are buying genuine arcade cabinets to provide entertainment and a cool accessory for their homes. Pubs are also jumping on the retro bandwagon, installing sit-down cocktail cabinets that are being manufactured again for the first time in two decades. Second-hand arcade cabinets can now cost thousands, but Mr Reiss believes the original coin-operated machines are good investments. "Quality games like Defender and Galaga are going to be worth a lot in the future," he says. Space Invaders machines, for example, that could be picked up for as little as $500 a few years ago today sell for more than $1200, and Mr Reiss expects their value to double or triple over the next five years. Retro gaming fan Ben Droste, 22, plays classics because he believes games have not evolved much since the the early days. "I cannot justify spending $500 on a next-gen console and $100 on games when they are essentially the same games I've been playing for the past 10 years but with new, shiny visuals," he says. Fellow gamer Drew Mayo, 29, indulges because "these games are still fun to play". "I see it like a film buff who watches classic movies, partly for the nostalgia but more about enjoying a well-crafted piece of art," he says. Sourivat Seignarack, 30, says he turns to playing classics because of their "quick and easy" nature and to reminisce. "For those of us who've grown up playing games and don't have as much time to invest, retro games are nice quick alternatives to satisfy our gaming urges," he says. Fortunately for gamers with modest budgets, clever software called MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) lets any PC owner relive their misspent youth, reopening a virtual Aladdin's cave of gaming gems. The latest version supports more than 3000 titles. Cameron Davis, 31, a former "arcade junkie" who says modern games often demand too much commitment without a "fun payoff", plans to build a dedicated MAME cabinet and wants publishers to establish an iTunes-style download service for classic games. To enjoy retro games as they were originally experienced, many fans are also investing in real arcade controllers or building dedicated cabinets housing a PC and hundreds of games. Local arcade gaming "coin-noisseur" OzStick has been producing high-quality desktop controllers for the past five years and now supplies arcade parts and cabinets. OzStick's Chris Wigg, who left a high-paying job in technical support to satisfy the demands of nostalgic gamers, says arcade games "may be plain to look at but they still deliver great gameplay". "A huge number of people have walked into an arcade at some stage in their lives, usually as adolescents, and had an enjoyable experience," he says. "We all remember our favourite games and wish we could play them again." Prices for OzStick controllers start at $100 for a basic four-button model with a single joystick and go up to $260 for the two-player Ultimate. OzStick can also customise controllers with additions such as side-mounted pinball buttons or track-ball "spinners". An alternative to OzStick is X-Arcade, US-made behemoths priced from $180 for a solo version and $270 for a two-player model. X-Arcade uses replica arcade components, which have an excellent feel and a lifetime warranty. Adaptors let you connect contemporary consoles such as PlayStation, Xbox, GameCube and DreamCast. NubyTech's solid Street Fighter Arcade Stick also has support for both PS2 and Xbox, and costs $150. Few games are in the public domain, even if the company that created them is long gone. Legal opinion suggests that you need to own the original arcade hardware boards to legitimately possess a game's ROM. And some publishers have paid scant regard to their back catalogues, with the result that games have been lost forever. But the underground success of MAME has convinced many companies that there is still a market hungry for classic titles. Retro game compilations from publishers including Namco, Atari, Taito, Konami, Capcom, Midway and Activision have been released for PC and consoles. Companies such as Jakks Pacific have also had success selling retro games built into cheap plug-and-play joysticks, while Microsoft is offering retro classics for download through its Xbox Live Arcade online service. One of the best recent compilations is the Capcom Classics Collection for PS2 and Xbox, which includes 1942, Final Fight, Street Fighter II, Ghosts'n'Goblins and Commando. The package will soon be released on PSP where it will compete with Namco Museum's line-up of classics such as Pac-Man, Galaga and Pole Position. Many collections, such as Taito Legends, come with the original artwork and background information on the games and their creators. But despite the boom in retro gaming, OzStick's Chris Wigg believes the industry has not paid enough attention to its heritage. "It's only since MAME and other emulators have become popular that they realised their old games and characters could be used as marketing tools to release classic collections," he says. "ROMs for games older than 15 years should be made public domain so those games are not forgotten." Gamer Ben Droste agrees. He points out that if publishers "offered their classics for quick, easy and cheap download, they would be far more popular than compilation collections, plus their manufacturing and distribution costs would be nil". March 2, 2006 Pinball sale scores some big bonuses For some it was simply an investment opportunity, while for others it was the chance to own a
colourful memento of their childhood. About 300 collectors, enthusiasts and onlookers crowded into a South Melbourne showroom yesterday for the auction of dozens of vintage and late model pinball machines. Some of those attending were business owners hoping to bring more customers though the door, while others were looking to fill a recently built games room. The Incredible Hulk, the Sopranos, Popeye and The Machine - Bride of Pinbot were among the titles. The highest prices included $11,500 for a Simpsons-themed machine, $6500 for an Addams Family machine and $3500 for one featuring Dr Who. The organiser, Delano Reiss, was spruiking the event as a rare investment opportunity, with only one manufacturer worldwide still producing the machines. Working pinball machines regularly fetch thousands of dollars on eBay, with bids of up to $5500 lodged yesterday for a working 1978 machine featuring the band Kiss. The three-hour auction grossed more than $100,000. It also featured pinball and movie memorabilia, air hockey tables, bar fixtures and Luna Park-style clown heads. The bulk of the pinballs on offer were sourced from a recently closed amusement arcade in the Italian Alps, whose owner sold Mr Reiss 250 machines. The entire collection arrived in Australia a month ago, with 30 auctioned yesterday after being cleaned and reconditioned. "We got as many as we could ready for the auction," Mr Reiss said. "We worked flat out." By Ruth Williams Watch Those Prices Pinball may look archaic next to the glow of the Video Game, but for many there’s no substitute. We meet Australia’s top pinball table collector. A sound that has graced arcades and carnivals since the 1940s, when the pinball flipper was invented. But the pinball machine is part of a longer tradition of coin-operated amusements from the penny arcade through to today’s computer games. All the recipient of many a child’s pocket money. Del Reiss was one of those children who never tired of the games. Caught up in the mechanical beauty, and the thrill of the game-play. He has amassed hundreds of pinball machines and arcade games. But Australia’s own pinball wizard is about to hang up his flipper-fingers, and he joins me in the studio to talk about the history of the arcade, and the highlights of his collection.
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Pinball specialists Bumper Action are holding a public auction on Sunday with hundreds of highly collectible amusement machines up for grabs.
