A REAL Pinball Wizard

If you are a real Pinball Wizard then Pinabll Perfection is the place to visit.  I wrote this story and it was edited so much it didn't resemble at all what I had originally written.  Here't the story of Pinball Perfection with pictures of this very special place for lovers of the game of pinball.

PINBALL LEGACY

            The small town of West View is a suburb of Pittsburgh.  It has a business that contains dozens of pinball machines that represent pinball playing through the decades.  It’s a place that attracts Pinball Wizards from all walks of life and ages.  It’s called Pinball Perfection and provides the opportunity to play pinball machines made from the 1930’s to present.  It also has all the nostalgia any pinball player would want in its pinball museum.  Pinball lovers go to Pinball Perfection also to purchase full size pinball machines for their homes.  Dan Hosek, 48, is the owner of Pinball Perfection.

            “One of the biggest changes over the years in how people play pinball is that the machines are now in their homes.  The majority of games that are made new are going into people’s homes and not into stores, bars or arcades.”

            The machines have changed greatly over the years.

            “They’ve gone from purely mechanical, a score motor not circuit board, to almost non repairable circuit boards.  Most modern games have circuit boards that require micro surgery. “

Pinball Perfection is a place that satisfies the needs of dedicated pinball players such as 69-year-old Orlando Carlino.  He has seven pinball machines in his home ranging from small to full size.  He’s been an avid pinball player since he was eleven and today he and his family happily play pinball for hours.

            “When I was young we used to pick up the pinball machines and put them on our shoes to keep the ball from coming down too fast so we could get more points and play more games.”

 

            Orlando’s son developed his father’s love of pinball and bought the first full size pinball machine for Orlando’s home.  The father and son would play for hours each bragging about their score.  Today his son lives in another state but also owns a full size pinball machine.  They often call each other to discuss who has the best score.

The Carlino family’s next generation has continued the pinball tradition.  His grandchildren are constantly playing pinball.  Orlando is careful to give his grandchildren all the necessary advice on playing the game.

            “I always tell them to wait until the ball comes down then you work the flippers.  They have a habit of using both flippers without the ball there.  Now that they’ve learned that they do much better.  When they play the big pinball machine they know just what to do.”

            Joseph “Jay” Norwalk, 68, has been playing pinball almost all of his life.

“I had a pinball machine when I was a kid.  I had one from the time I was 12 until I went to college.”

He has a son and daughter who, like their father, have a full size pinball machine in their home.  Jay and his grandchildren regularly play pinball together.  He is always available to them with his knowledge of playing the game.

            “I’m gonna’ tell you they’re (grandchildren) not rough and ready on the tilts.  These little guys when they play they just play.  They juke and jive but not like they can cause a tilt.  They’ve adapted to it (full size pinball machine) but didn’t know what to do so I actually show them.  There’s a trick to it.”

            Jay and his wife have seen the educational benefits of having their grandchildren play pinball.

            “I would say it’s probably one of the cheapest recreational things you could get for children.  You have to be nimble with your hands and it’s good for hand to eye coordination.  They can count the scores and none of them have ever been remiss when it comes to telling me about their scores.” 

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