2021 FALL ARCADE ROAD TRIP STOP 5: PINBALL PERFECTION - PITTSBURGH, PA

When my family and I visited the University of Pittsburgh for my oldest son this summer (he just got accepted today BTW, cough brag, cough) we had about an hour to kill before the start of his tour. So we made a quick stop in at a place called "Pinball Perfection." At the time, we pulled up to a nondescript warehouse-looking building and I was not at all prepared for what I found inside. You know that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when the government packs up the Ark of the Covenant and wheels it down endless rows of boxes in a huge secret warehouse (apparently called Hangar 51)? That’s this place, but with pinball instead of other types of secret relics! Inside is absolutely endless rows of some of the most rare and obscure pinball titles anyone has ever seen. Zaccaria, Alvin G, Sonic, EVERYTHING. Picture those awesome arcade warehouse raid pictures and videos from years ago, but with rows of rows of games that are actually playable and ready to go.

When Rob and I visited Pittsburgh a week or so ago he really wanted to check Pinball Perfection out and I wanted to spend more time there than the one measly hour that I had last time. There has been a Halloween party at Pinball Perfection the night before, but we missed it because we were at Helicon. While there was a few other people there when we went the next day, for the most part we had row after row after row of pins just for us. And we’re not talking about just any machines, sure the usual suspects were there, but there was stuff that I’ve never seen in person in my life. Now that PAPA and Banning are gone I can imagine this is one of the few places on the planet that some of these games can be found. Gottlieb Punk - Check. Hankin Manufacturing The Empire Strikes Back - Check. Alvin G Mystery Castle and Al’s Garage Band Goes on a World Tour - Check. Cocktail pins all over the place. Amazing!

Here's Pinball Perfection's list of games, courtesy of Pinball Map:

• 2001 (Gottlieb, 1971)

• The 4 Horsemen (Gottlieb, 1950)

• 8 Ball (Williams, 1966)

• Abra Ca Dabra (Gottlieb, 1975)

• The Addams Family (Bally, 1992)

• The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends (Data East, 1993)

• Airport (Gottlieb, 1969)

• Al's Garage Band Goes On a World Tour (Alvin G, 1992)

• Aladdin's Castle (Bally, 1975)

• The Amazing Spider-Man (Gottlieb, 1980)

• Apollo (Williams, 1967)

• Apollo 13 (Sega, 1995)

• Arena (Gottlieb, 1987)

• Atlantis (EM) (Gottlieb, 1975)

• BMX (Bally, 1982)

• Back to the Future (Data East, 1990)

• Bad Cats (Williams, 1989)

• Bad Girls (Gottlieb, 1988)

• Bank-A-Ball (Gottlieb, 1965)

• Banzai Run (Williams, 1988)

• Batman (Data East, 1991)

• Batman Forever (Sega, 1995)

• Batter Up (Gottlieb, 1970)

• Baywatch (Sega, 1995)

• Beach Queens (Bally, 1960)

• Beat Time (Williams, 1967)

• Beat the Clock (Williams, 1963)

• Big Ben (Williams, 1975)

• Big Daddy (Williams, 1963)

• Big Hit (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Big Indian (Gottlieb, 1974)

• Big Strike (Williams, 1966)

• Black Hole (Gottlieb, 1981)

• Black Knight (Williams, 1980)

• Black Knight 2000 (Williams, 1989)

• Black Pyramid (Bally, 1984)

• Black Sheep Squadron (Astro Games, 1979)

• Blackwater 100 (Bally, 1988)

• Bon Voyage (Bally, 1974)

• Bowl A Strike (Williams, 1965)

• Bowling Queen (Gottlieb, 1964)

• Breakshot (Capcom, 1996)

• Bronco (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Buck Rogers (Gottlieb, 1980)

• Buckaroo (Gottlieb, 1965)

• Bullfight (Bally, 1964)

• Butterfly (Sonic, 1977)

• Cactus Jack's (Gottlieb, 1991)

• Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy (Bally, 1975)

• Car Hop (Gottlieb, 1991)

• Caribbean Cruise (International Concepts, 1989)

• Casanova (Williams, 1966)

• Centaur (Bally, 1981)

• Centigrade 37 (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Central Park (Gottlieb, 1966)

• Champ (Bally, 1973)

• Chicago Cubs "Triple Play" (Gottlieb, 1985)

• Cirqus Voltaire (Bally, 1997)

• Class of 1812 (Gottlieb, 1991)

• Cleopatra (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Gottlieb, 1978)

• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (EM) (Gottlieb, 1978)

• Congo (Williams, 1995)

• Cosmic Gunfight (Williams, 1982)

• Count-Down (Gottlieb, 1979)

• Creature from the Black Lagoon (Bally, 1992)

• Cross Town (Gottlieb, 1966)

• Crossword (Williams, 1959)

• Cybernaut (Bally, 1985)

• Dancing Lady (Gottlieb, 1966)

• Defender (Williams, 1982)

• Devil Riders (Zaccaria, 1984)

• Diamond Lady (Gottlieb, 1988)

• Ding Dong (Williams, 1968)

• Doctor Who (Bally, 1992)

• Dolly Parton (Bally, 1978)

• Dr. Dude (Bally, 1990)

• Dragon (Interflip, 1977)

• Duotron (Gottlieb, 1974)

• Earthshaker (Williams, 1989)

• Eight Ball (Bally, 1977)

• El Dorado (Gottlieb, 1975)

• Elektra (Bally, 1981)

• The Empire Strikes Back (Hankin, 1980)

• Escape from the Lost World (Bally, 1987)

• Evel Knievel (Bally, 1977)

• Excalibur (Gottlieb, 1988)

• Faces (Sonic, 1976)

• Farfalla (Zaccaria, 1983)

• Fathom (Bally, 1981)

• Fire Queen (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Fire! (Williams, 1987)

• Fireball Classic (Bally, 1984)

• Firepower (Williams, 1980)

• Flash (Williams, 1979)

• Flash Gordon (Bally, 1980)

• Flicker (Bally, 1974)

• The Flintstones (Williams, 1994)

• Flipper Cowboy (Williams, 1962)

• Flipper Fair (Gottlieb, 1961)

• Flying Carpet (Gottlieb, 1972)

• Flying Circus (Gottlieb, 1961)

• Four Corners (Williams, 1952)

• Frontier (Bally, 1980)

• Full House (Williams, 1966)

• Funhouse (Williams, 1990)

• Gamatron (Pinstar, 1985)

• Gemini (Gottlieb, 1978)

• Genesis (Gottlieb, 1986)

• Genie (Gottlieb, 1979)

• Gigi (Gottlieb, 1963)

• Gladiators (Gottlieb, 1993)

• Gold Ball (Bally, 1983)

• Golden Arrow (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Gorgar (Williams, 1979)

• Granada (Williams, 1972)

• Grand Prix (Williams, 1976)

• Grand Slam (Bally, 1983)

• Grand Slam ('72) (Gottlieb, 1972)

• Grand Tour (Bally, 1964)

• Gulfstream (Williams, 1973)

• Guys Dolls (Gottlieb, 1953)

• Hang Glider (Bally, 1976)

• Haunted House (Gottlieb, 1982)

• Hi-Deal (Bally, 1975)

• Hi-Score Pool (Chicago Coin, 1971)

• High Speed (Williams, 1986)

• Hit 'N' Run (Gottlieb, 1952)

• Hollywood (Chicago Coin, 1976)

• Hot Shot (Gottlieb, 1973)

• Hot Shots (Gottlieb, 1989)

• Hot Tip (Williams, 1977)

• House of Diamonds (Zaccaria, 1978)

• Humpty Dumpty (Gottlieb, 1947)

• Hurdy Gurdy (Gottlieb, 1966)

• The Incredible Hulk (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Jive Time (Williams, 1970)

• Joker (Gottlieb, 1950)

• Joker Poker (Gottlieb, 1978)

• Jokerz (Williams, 1988)

• Jumping Jack (Gottlieb, 1973)

• Jungle (Williams, 1960)

• Jungle (Gottlieb, 1972)

• Jungle Lord (Williams, 1981)

• Jungle Princess (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Kick Off (Bally, 1975)

• King Kool (Gottlieb, 1972)

• King Pin (Gottlieb, 1973)

• King of Diamonds (Gottlieb, 1967)

• Kings & Queens (Gottlieb, 1965)

• Kiss (Bally, 1978)

• Kiss (LE) (Stern, 2015)

• Knock Out (Gottlieb, 1950)

• Knockout (Bally, 1974)

• Lawman (Gottlieb, 1971)

• Lethal Weapon 3 (Data East, 1992)

• Liberty Bell (Williams, 1977)

• Lights...Camera...Action! (Gottlieb, 1989)

• Lord of the Rings (Stern, 2003)

• Lost World (Bally, 1977)

• Lovely Lucy (Gottlieb, 1954)

• The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot (Williams, 1991)

• Magic Castle (Zaccaria, 1984)

• Mars Trek (Sonic, 1977)

• Masquerade (Gottlieb, 1966)

• Mata Hari (SS) (Bally, 1978)

• Maverick (Data East, 1994)

• Miss Annabelle (Gottlieb, 1959)

• Miss-O (Williams, 1969)

• Monday Night Football (Data East, 1989)

• Moon Shot (Bally, 1963)

• Moulin Rouge (Williams, 1965)

• Mystery Castle (Alvin G, 1993)

• NASCAR (Stern, 2005)

• Neptune (Gottlieb, 1978)

• Night Moves (Gottlieb, 1989)

• Night Rider (EM) (Bally, 1976)

• Old Chicago (Bally, 1975)

• On Beam (Bally, 1968)

• PIN-BOT (Williams, 1986)

• Palooka (Williams, 1964)

• Paradise (Gottlieb, 1965)

• Pat Hand (Williams, 1975)

• Paul Bunyan (Gottlieb, 1968)

• Phantom of the Opera (Data East, 1990)

• Pinball Pool (Gottlieb, 1979)

• Pink Panther (Gottlieb, 1981)

• Pioneer (Gottlieb, 1976)

• Playball (Gottlieb, 1971)

• Pleasure Isle (Gottlieb, 1965)

• Pro-Football (Gottlieb, 1973)

• Prospector (Sonic, 1977)

• Punchy the Clown (Alvin G, 1993)

• Punk! (Gottlieb, 1982)

• Quick Draw (Gottlieb, 1975)

• Rack-A-Ball (Gottlieb, 1962)

• Radical! (Bally, 1990)

• River Boat (Williams, 1964)

• Robo-War (Gottlieb, 1988)

• Robocop (Data East, 1989)

• RockMakers (Bally, 1967)

• Rocket (Williams, 1959)

• Rocket III (Bally, 1967)

• Roller Coaster (Gottlieb, 1971)

• Rollergames (Williams, 1990)

• Royal Guard (Gottlieb, 1968)

• Scared Stiff (Bally, 1996)

• Sea Ray (Bally, 1970)

• The Shadow (Bally, 1994)

• Shangri-La (Williams, 1967)

• Sharkey's Shootout (Stern, 2000)

• Silver Slugger (Gottlieb, 1990)

• Sinbad (Gottlieb, 1978)

• The Six Million Dollar Man (Bally, 1978)

• Six Sticks (Bally, 1966)

• Sky Jump (Gottlieb, 1974)

• Skylab (Williams, 1974)

• Sky·Line (Gottlieb, 1965)

• Slick Chick (Gottlieb, 1963)

• Snow Derby (Gottlieb, 1970)

• Soccer Kings (Zaccaria, 1982)

• Solar Fire (Williams, 1981)

• Solids N Stripes (Williams, 1971)

• South Park (Sega, 1999)

• Space Invaders (Bally, 1979)

• Space Jam (Sega, 1996)

• Space Odyssey (Williams, 1976)

• Space Shuttle (Zaccaria, 1980)

• Space Station (Williams, 1987)

• Space Time (Bally, 1972)

• Spanish Eyes (Williams, 1972)

• Speakeasy (Bally, 1982)

• Spin Out (Gottlieb, 1975)

• Spy Hunter (Bally, 1984)

• Star Race (Gottlieb, 1980)

• Star Trek (Data East, 1991)

• Star Trek (Bally, 1978)

• Star Trek (Pro) (Stern, 2013)

• Star Trek: The Next Generation (Williams, 1993)

• Star Wars (Data East, 1992)

• Star Wars (Premium) (Stern, 2017)

• Star Wars Episode 1 (Williams, 1999)

• Star Wars Trilogy (Sega, 1997)

• Strange Science (Bally, 1986)

• Strato-Flite (Williams, 1974)

• Strike Zone (Williams, 1970)

• Strikes and Spares (Bally, 1977)

• Subway (Gottlieb, 1966)

• Sunshine (Gottlieb, 1958)

• Super Mario Bros. Mushroom World (Gottlieb, 1992)

• Super Orbit (Gottlieb, 1983)

• Super Score (Gottlieb, 1967)

• Super Spin (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Superman (Atari, 1979)

• Surf 'N Safari (Gottlieb, 1991)

• Surfer (Gottlieb, 1976)

• Sweet Hearts (Gottlieb, 1963)

• TKO (Gottlieb, 1979)

• Tales of the Arabian Nights (Williams, 1996)

• Target Alpha (Gottlieb, 1976)

• Target Pool (Gottlieb, 1969)

• Taxi (Williams, 1988)

• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Williams, 1991)

• Thunderbolt (Allied Leisure, 1976)

• Time Fantasy (Williams, 1983)

• Time Line (Gottlieb, 1980)

• Time Machine (Data East, 1988)

• Time Machine (Zaccaria, 1983)

• Title Fight (Gottlieb, 1990)

• Top Card (Gottlieb, 1974)

• Top Score (Gottlieb, 1975)

• Torch (Gottlieb, 1980)

• Totem (Gottlieb, 1979)

• Touchdown (Williams, 1967)

• Trail Drive (Bally, 1970)

• Travel Time (Williams, 1973)

• Triple Strike (Williams, 1975)

• Truck Stop (Bally, 1988)

• Twenty Grand (Williams, 1952)

• Twin Win (Bally, 1971)

• Vector (Bally, 1981)

• Vegas (Gottlieb, 1990)

• Victory (Gottlieb, 1987)

• Volcano (Gottlieb, 1981)

• Vulcan (Gottlieb, 1977)

• Whirlwind (Williams, 1990)

• Wild Wheels (Bally, 1965)

• The Wizard of Oz (Jersey Jack, 2013)

• Wizard! (Bally, 1975)

• World Cup Soccer (Bally, 1994)

• World Fair (Gottlieb, 1964)

• World Poker Tour (Stern, 2006)

• X's & O's (Bally, 1984)

• Xenon (Bally, 1979)

• Zodiac (Williams, 1971)

Add to that list a TON of arcade cabinets and probably a bunch of pins that they missed. This place is HUGE. To be completely honest, don't go there expecting every game to be mint or working 100%. It's probably a little like Vegas' Pinball Hall of Fame in terms of maintenance. Having said that, more than enough games played perfectly. For the number of games there I'd say that they're doing a pretty good job at maintaining them. My favorite game this trip is one that's not actually that rare. I absolutely blew up Gottlieb's 1991 game Surf 'N Safari and had a blast doing it. I want one now lol.

I wrote about Pinball Perfection a few months ago after my family visited, so I'll let the pictures and video do most of the talking for this trip. No point in repeating myself. If you want to go back and see the write-up of the first trip, you can do so by clicking the button below:

Thus concludes the write-ups from the third annual Fall Arcade Road Trip (TM). Below you will find two videos and a TON of pictures. The lighting at this particular arcade was a little tricky for my beloved wide-angle style, but I cleaned them up the best I could. If you've been enjoying reading these posts, I'd truly appreciate it if you purchased some of our new Knapp Arcade merchandise. You can see all of the cool stuff that is available by clicking here: www.knapparcade.org/shop or on the link above. We have lots of great content coming up. We're less than a week away from the awesome Pintastic New England pinball show. Rob and I will be there and have lots of pictures and info to share. Stay tuned!