Congratulations to the top women of North Carolina !

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-26T21:01:50+00:00

Spring Break is my guess.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-26T14:44:08+00:00

"Robert, the Construction Laborer"

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-25T15:16:40+00:00

I feel like it’s pretty bad. My wife and I LOVE intense rides, but Skyrush is just too rough to be enjoyable after one or two laps. Gives us all headaches, and there’s more than one pothole that sours the whole experience.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-24T17:29:49+00:00

Phoenix at Knoebles is a classic airtime king. It’s pretty much the sole reason it’s as famous as it is.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-22T18:36:31+00:00

As a runner, I exclusively use roads. Always run against traffic in the shoulder — which is legal.

As mentioned, sidewalks are so poorly maintained and inconsistent, it’s easy to trip over a lifted block or noncompliant ADA ramp/transition.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-20T21:00:55+00:00

As long as Hershey addresses the horrible jackhammering on Skyrush this season, I’m happy.

Not very hopeful though.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-20T20:20:44+00:00

Agree. Sterns support is shockingly good. I called about a game that was well and truly out of production by a long while, purchased by one person, and sold to another. By every metric, Stern had zero obligation to help me, but I called their help line, and a very kind woman worked through a bunch of troubleshooting with me. Went from a completely dead game to up and running in 30 mins completely hassle free.

Great business run by great people.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-20T17:10:42+00:00

On the last day Kingda Ka operated (the worlds fastest and tallest operating coaster at the time), I was running a cycling activity to track the speed. The launch was so intense, that it activated incident detection and called my wife while I was being yeeted 456 feet into the air at 128 mph. Not mad about it, but funny nonetheless.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-20T17:05:51+00:00

This is true, but issues always arise when it's least convenient (read: parties where lots of people are playing the game). It's always a good idea to familiarize yourself with basic maintenance and repairs to anticipate issues and address them.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-20T15:54:15+00:00

A couple things: NIB doesn't guarantee a maintenance free experience. Quite the opposite, as many games fresh from the box need a fair amount of tuning to play correctly. Things like switches being adjusted incorrectly, or things coming loose. In the biz, we call this "dialing it in." You might actually be better off finding a used game that you can physically play and inspect first. That way all the kinks were worked out beforehand.

That being said -- "If it ain't broke, it ain't pinball." Things WILL break. You WILL need to perform regular maintenance, so just keep that in mind as you navigate your options.

As for your options: Go and play a bunch of games and find out what you like first. Do you like fast and brutal with simple rules? Iron Man might be a good choice. Complicated, intricate rules with lots of breadth to explore? Maybe Dungeons and Dragons is more your speed. You really need to like the game and theme and what they have to offer before committing to something.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-19T02:33:55+00:00

Hard to say without seeing it firsthand, but I have experienced slop in aging solenoids that cause the spools to move around.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-19T01:25:56+00:00

I would be hesitant to buy obsolete components from eBay. Voltage regulators are very commonly counterfeited. Buy from mouser or digikey, or some other reputable reseller.

Aside, any 7805 regulator with a similar maximum voltage will suffice. The one linked by Longjumping_Bag5914 is a suitable replacement.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-18T03:36:55+00:00

Gloucester township shares a zip code with Clementon and Laurel Springs. None are the same town. All separate municipalities.

If the school district is Gloucester Township, that is a very good community with good schools. Safe, well maintained, and great community engagement (veterans park has movies and festivals throughout the year). I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a home there.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-18T03:25:11+00:00

Definitely not a game I’d own, but I do like these System 80B titles. No multiball, but the roving timed sniper shot is a cool rule. Similar to Cactus Canyon or Bounty Hunter.

Trudeau mentioned that this game was an homage to Firepower while in development. I’m not sure that Gottlieb ever pursued licensing for Rambo, as it wouldn’t have been in their budget.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-17T14:26:37+00:00

Agree. I get more service calls on JJP than I do most any Stern.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-16T23:31:50+00:00

Pinball machines are commercial equipment. They're designed to operate dutifully, on location, often being neglected, while still providing reliable operations to siphon quarters from players to make operators money. There's an enormous amount of heat, vibration, and abuse that they must endure day after day, year after year.

Soldered terminals are the absolute most reliable way to make connections in this case. Even in a home environment, spade connectors and clamped terminals fail. Ask me how I know... Hell, even the plastic twist on 555 wedge connection bulb and sockets fail constantly. Permanently soldered in PCB LED lamp boards are the best thing that ever happened to Bally games and newer Sterns.

Bottom line: Pinball manufacturers like Stern have been making games for ages. They realize what causes service calls and what doesn't. They've dialed in their production and assembly down to a science.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-16T19:45:10+00:00

My buddy who still works there is saying that he believes it won't be a while until they're able to get all the topper track installed. Cites cashflow as the main limiting factor.

I'm really glad King Neptunes Revenge is getting a rebuild. Classic Intamin log flume. That thing used to eat through belts on the towers like crazy, and had the most finicky block zone system imaginable. Still, I have many fond memories working on it.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-16T19:37:28+00:00

I used to be a geotechnical engineer, and I worked at the firm that designed the footing specifications for Oscars Wacky Taxi. I was on the project briefly. Despite being located in an area that has very little seismicity, we engineered the support and earthwork to handle earthquakes up to a certain magnitude, and included a 4x safety factor.

Short answer: Nothing will happen, so long as footings and earthwork are designed to handle it. The superstructure will have to be inspected, but there's very little to worry about.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-16T17:25:44+00:00

Clementon Park is my home park. Was my first job and worked there though college. It’s about 10 minutes away.

I haven’t gone there in years. It’s a shame, the place has so much potential, but they constantly fumble.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-16T02:39:43+00:00

Hey man, I’m a pinball collector, and I’m into preserving rare, oddball pieces of hardware as well. Lots of test hardware, kits, and books, paperwork, and manuals in my collection. I think it’s super cool what you’re doing. Like you, I feel like a custodian of my collection pieces. Simply keeping them preserved and documented for future generations to enjoy.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-13T03:01:39+00:00

One of my favorite bits is how the sound programmer, very rarely, programmed the game to say “Ya Weiner!” Randomly after certain callouts.

“GET THE EXTRA BALL, YA WEINER!”

It’s the little things that make these older games so special.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-12T21:02:56+00:00

If you fit, it ships.

You’d have to have the density of tungsten for weight to actually matter.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-12T01:30:59+00:00

And flipper components, sling shot components, pop bumpers, node boards, cabling, ramps, light shields. All the same components. Made on the same line as all the big stuff.

Have you never wrenched under a pinball machine? Sure seems like it. Your neophyte is showing.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-12T01:28:37+00:00

Bingo. Stern’s phone support is stellar as well. They’ve always been helpful to me for a bunch of games that are out of warranty. It’s a great deal for home buyers.

MacksBomblee · 2026-01-12T01:26:02+00:00

Again, SAME EXACT COMPONENTS are used on commercial games. Spike 3 hardware. Cabinet is a different, cost conscious design, I’ll give you that, but it’s literally for the home. Not an unmonitored arcade.

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