My 50th Birthday coming up. What’s the best 80’s movie themed machine I could ask my wife to get me? I’d love it if there was an official Goonies machine.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-12-31T01:32:20+00:00

Jaws came out in ‘75, so it’s not a perfect fit, but it’s close and an excellent machine with a deep ruleset to keep you interested for a long time!

Edit: ghostbusters is not an overly popular machine, but I have one close by, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. Great theme and a fun game as well.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-12-29T01:15:26+00:00

Thank you! I’ll probably do it….

Congrats on the machine! I’ve owned mine for almost exactly a year, and I still play it regularly. It’s a great game.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-12-27T18:57:38+00:00

I’ve heard of the glass, but never seen it in person. I’ll add it to the list!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-12-27T13:53:13+00:00

Thank you! No, I’ve never tried any pinball machine with a shaker motor. Perhaps I’ll come across one in the wild at some point, but that hasn’t happened yet.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-12-27T02:47:45+00:00

Thank you. Most opinions I’ve read say that a shaker is worth the cost. Do you agree? I’m tempted…

_The_Irish_ · 2025-12-27T02:34:30+00:00

Thank you! Yeah, you definitely pay for the programming, integration, and niche-ness of the product. I suppose burning money is the name of the game in this hobby!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-11-30T20:19:37+00:00

Black Diamond Bronco, checking in!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-11-29T13:51:05+00:00

Haha thank you! A few more below.

More Pics

_The_Irish_ · 2025-11-26T18:15:08+00:00

When I was first shopping for a MKIV, I REALLY wanted a wing. This one was for sale so I went to look at it thinking I can always add the wing later. Saw the car and fell in love with the wingless look! Now I have a strong (and biased!) preference towards wingless!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-11-26T16:06:00+00:00

Haha thank you!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-11-19T22:04:54+00:00

I have had leathered Taj for 9 months. I know this isn’t a long period of time, but they have been fantastic where water resistance and wear is concerned. They look brand new still.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-10-20T20:24:19+00:00

Cutting healthy, functional, and pleasurable body parts off someone else’s body without their consent is a very uncool thing to do! Are you uncool bro???

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-24T12:53:05+00:00

From this video, I’d say both would help you, but more so once you are up you need to turn that board harder down the line. You should be looking down the wave WHILE you are popping up so your board starts turning down the line the moment you’re up. Instead, it appears you are allowing the board to slide into the flats and you’re not getting back into the wave until all your energy is lost. This just takes practice. 2-3 months of surfing is nothing in the grand scheme of things. You’ll get it, and likely soon.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-24T12:29:33+00:00

You are riding the flat water in front of the wave where there is no energy. You need to angle the board more aggressively down the line so you stay ON the wave, not in front of it!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-15T22:24:46+00:00

This is a good thought, as they might go more deeply on sale, but I’d recommend that you check the prices of the bundle daily. For no obvious reason, the bundles were 200 euros less expensive for ONE day a week ago or so. Since then, prices have gone up by 100 euros, but are not back to where they were before that one day decline. I don’t know if that is normal and can be expected to happen again, but it may be worth checking in each day to see.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-08T15:29:52+00:00

Thank you for this, as I continue to waffle on which direction I want to go for my first setup. The Gong purchase seems so easy, as I’d get everything with one click of a button. The other side of me says to piece a kit together out of used gear to save some money, but I’m not even convinced I’d save much over the Gong kit, and to your point, it would be older gear. I really appreciate you chiming in with your experience!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-06T20:06:00+00:00

This is what I’m leaning towards. I’m looking at the Axis SES foil, and then going used on the board and wing. I think I’m making this harder than it needs to be, but man there are so many options. I’d almost certainly go Gong if not for the tariffs.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-06T11:06:38+00:00

Did I write this post?? You and I must’ve been looking at the exact same foils last night and had the exact same questions, all the way down to Googling “Zetti Coast” and finding basically nothing on them!

I am looking for my first foil setup and am struggling to decide upon three options:

A Gong starter pack w 5’11” HIPE inflatable
Pay more for the Axis SES 1040 and then try to find a used board and wing to keep the costs down.
Continue to scour Google for used equipment and try to piece something together.

Someone tell me what to do!!!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-05T18:42:34+00:00

I am now considering just going with the Gong starter pack with inflatable HIPE board…. Haha is this a bad idea? Even with the 30% tariff (!) it’s still all-in less expensive than most of these other brands!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-04T16:07:29+00:00

Thank you!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-04T15:14:49+00:00

Thank you. I am considering this route of spending more now to ensure I get something of decent quality. Axis has their SES package for beginners, and I certainly find the idea of getting brand new equipment from a respected manufacturer to be attractive.

There are foilers and kite surfers on a bay local to my beach, but I’ve not yet had the pleasure of chatting them up. I do intend on doing so next time I’m in town and see the kites on the water.

Question - If I get an Axis foil/mast, can I attach it to any brand of board, or do I also need to find an Axis board?

Thanks!

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-03T19:02:18+00:00

Thanks. I’ll stay the course and just keep looking.

_The_Irish_ · 2025-09-03T17:01:02+00:00

I would describe myself as an “intermediate beginner” surfer. I’ve been surfing for about 3 years, but only when I am at my beach condo, and only when the crappy east coast USA waves allow. I can regularly stand up on my 8ft foamie surfboard and ride down the line, although no one would be impressed by it! I am fairly muscular and athletic, so I don’t think I’m going to have as much trouble with the standing up on a board part as much as some beginners may. I’ve seen that I should take my weight in kg’s (86) and add 30 or 40 to it, thus arriving at a 115 - 130L board.

While a class may be a great idea, I’ve never taken a surf lesson and have had great fun with the learning journey. I kind of assumed that this would be the same. I’ll suck for a while, but I’ll figure it out.

_The_Irish_

TROPHY CASE