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Once again  Pinrescue is very proud to help supply the  Professional Amateur Pinball Association  with vintage pinball machines for the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 pinball tournament this August 14th to 17th.

Greatest pinball tournament ever held anywhere. www.papa.org .

We at Pinrescue admire are amazed and respect the tremendous job everyone there has done rebuilding after the 2004 flood.  

Please visit www.papa.org for information on the 2008 games and pictures of some of the 300+ Classic to modern pinball machines set up in a totally renovated facility. Pictured above is just a tiny portion of the vintage pinball machines available for play in this year’s tournament.  

Some recent customer testimonials

Russ and Stacey,
I just wanted to let you know that the machine arrived safe and sound, it was a great surprise when I received word it would arrive on Christmas Eve. The movers arrived at about eight in the morning, and I was playing by eight-fifteen, I just wanted to thank you for bringing back the way pinball was meant to be to me personally, whenever I play, there is always a stream of colorful metaphores that waft up from the basement, the sound of the bells, the " CRACK" that comes from the right side of the cabinet when you clear the score for a free game or when you drop the card that gives a free game for the special, it took me back to the days growing up, I was fortunate to have a couple of places to go play, it brought back names like " Drop a Card" " Flying Carpet " " Big Shot" " Grand Slam" the list could go on, Russ, you are a true credit to your craft, and be hind every great man there is a woman, you go stacy, again guy's, in the words of the King, " Thank You, Thank You very much"........

Yours Truly,
Terry Murphy
Proud owner of " Sky Jump" Reconditioned by the master.................
(I don't know about being a Master but I do know everyone at pinrescue does their best to make these Gottlieb machines play like new ..pinrescue)

Hi Stacy
Well the Surf Champ finally arrived yesterday and it looks great and plays very well. There is one gate at the top (2nd from left) that
won't score, but otherwise seems to play perfectly. Nice to see it on the calendar as well. Suddenly I'm back in high school. My 11 year old son and video game devotee said, 'wow this is really addicting.'

Dan
(Who owns maybe the only 1976 Surf Champ in Omaha Ne.)

No wonder they called it Funland!!! It is nothing but fun! Many thanks to you and Stacy for making a little girls dream come true at 50 yrs old. Let me know when you get Drop a Card and want to switch out with Surfer......But only for a little while!! Got to go, I have games waiting for me. Hope your ride home was safe and quick.

Thanks again (and Hi to Dr. Rob)
Chrissie !976 Surfer & 1969 Funland (Cape May NJ)
 

RUSS

HERE'S THE HAPPY GANG ENJOYING BOTH SOLAR CITY AND SINBAD. I CAN'T BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW PLEASED I WAS IN FIRST FINDING YOU AND SECOND IN WORKING WITH YOU TO BRING BACK INTO OUR LIVES THESE VINTAGE PINBALL MACHINES.

TO LET ALL OF YOU KNOW HOW GOOD THIS GUY IS:

I FOUND SINBAD ON ANOTHER SITE AND IT WAS IN VERY ROUGH SHAPE SO INSTEAD OF HAVING IT RESTORED BY CRAZY LEVI I CALLED RUSS (SINCE I HAD JUST PURCHASED SOLAR CITY) RUSS WENT TO NYC RESCUED SINBAD, SHOPPED IT OUT AND DELIVERED BOTH MACHINES. ON TOP OF THAT I WAS ABLE TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE RESTORATION VIA EMAIL PICS RUSS SENT ME DAILY.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK , MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED BACK IN TIME YOU TRULY ARE THE DR. OF PINBALL RESCUE!!

DR. JAKE AND FAMILY

Russ,
It arrived in good shape and it was used this past weekend for approx 5 hours. Grandchildren and adults had great fun.  Thanks for your good service.

Jim Walker (1977 Jungle Queen)

Russ,

Having a lot of fun with Quick Draw and Sure Shot. Thanks for the seamless delivery.
I am still very much interested in a 1953 Gottlieb pinball machine entitled " Poker Face". Please be on the lookout.

Thanks,
Ellis Cohn (Camden Me.)

I wanted to drop a line to express my thanks. I have done business with the other pinball vendors, but quite frankly, they shouldn’t even get out of bed in the morning. You are a pleasure to deal with and a true professional.

Your attention to detail is obvious when you lift up the playfield and see what looks to be a new bank of relays as well as a spotless cabinet. The “other” vendors may polish the exterior, but lift up their playfields and it look like an old cemetery!! You should know! The 70’s Gottlieb’s that were used as trade-ins are a testament to that. Cob-webs and dirty! I am confident you will have them refurbished and operating the way they should in no time!

I am just tickled pink over World Fair and Gigi!! They are beautiful. You’ve got me hooked on the 60’s Gottlieb Wedge-Heads.. Who knows? You may just wrestle my Klondike away from me!!

I would wish you good luck, but you don’t need it… your work ethic and labor of love in restoring old Electrical- Mechanical pinball machines will bring you and your wife much success!

You have a loyal customer who appreciates your craftsmanship.
Yours truly,
David DiIenno
Newfield, New Jersey (1964 World fair 1963 GiGi)
 

Russ, below is a photo of King Pin in action. The machine that has not
seen more than a few minutes of rest since 7:00 a.m. December 25. High
score so far: 89,920. I'm sure I'll roll it over ... if I ever get a
chance to play.

Thanks for the advice and the great repair and restoration. The game
plays flawlessly and beautifully. As my 11 year-old son said (perhaps
unintentionally flattering you and I), "I didn't know something so
old-fashioned could be so fun."

That alone was worth the price.

Ron Ladouceur
 

Hi Russ -

My dad purchased the Gold Strike from you and gave it to me as a Christmas gift. It is unbelieveable, truly a piece of art. It looks fantastic in my new little game room and plays perfectly. My wife and I are having so much fun with it. It really has become addicting to play. Thank you so much! I love the western theme pinball machines and am glad that Gold Strike is the start of my collection. I may have hooked my dad on vintage pinball machines too. I think he is looking at the Pioneer that you have.

I am already trying to convince my wife we need to add to the collection. How often do you come across Fast Draw? I think it would compliment our Gold Strike and I like the idea of having one that 4 people can play.

Thank you again,
Spencer Marquardt (Fabulous 1975 Gottlieb’s “Gold Strike”)
Kansas City
 

Hot Shot is Working Like A Charm

Russ,
Its been a busy summer since I picked up my Buckaroo. I have to tell you how much I have enjoyed playing it after you worked on it. It had been in such rough shape after years of sitting idol you really made a difference. I am sorry I did not write to you sooner but it has really just been recently that I have been able to find time to play and enjoy it. Russ, Thank you very much for a super job!! Hope to do business with you again someday.

Sincerely,
Don Moats 1965 Buckaroo

Russ,
Thank you for your assistance today with helping my family and me in selecting our first pinball machine. Your honesty and integrity are to be commended. We are very excited and happy with our Sure Shot pinball machine and look forward to many days and nights of pinball action.

Best regards,
Eric    (1976 “Sure Shot”)

Hi Russ

Here's a few lines to let you know How much we are enjoying the Gottlieb Extra inning machine you
restored for us. I found this machine in the basement of a house that had been there more then 20 yr's. It had some issues to be sure. I will continue to let everyone know about your excellent service (which is why I drive over 300 miles). I'm hot on the trail of another machine.
Jed (1971 Extra Inning Buffalo NY)

I had brought the 1975 Gottlieb's "Gold Strike" to Russ at Pin Rescue about a month ago after discovering it in the clean up of junk in a barn in upstate New York. It was so dirty and forlorn looking in which it was almost tossed into the dumpster! I was the one whom saved it as remembering
from my childhood days during the 1970's playing this particular single player wedgehead cowboy theme "add a ball" pinball machine in the bar next to the barn owned by a family relative and had it brought to Russ after cleaning off the barn dust etc... He went over it entirely and did an amazing job in turning the game from near dead to factory new performance! It played strong and fast for an EM pinball machine and am sure it played better than when it was new in the bar back in 1975! I would recommend Russ to anyone for their EM machines! If anyone has any questions regarding Pin
Rescue or the process my machine went through then please feel free to email
me at mreeder307@aol.com.

For those of you reading the testimonials on www.pinrescue.com and finding them hard to believe, so did I. Well believe them! They are all true - and here is my story:

Everyone I do business with should be like Russ and Stacy.  The purchase was easy and fairly priced and the subsequent service is phenomenal.  28 year old machinery gets quirky...that's to be expected.  The few problems I had until they got it right was attended to immediately and with a smile.  Russ should give management classes on "doing the right thing for customers" when he runs out of stock.

David Neufeld

Russ,

I just wanted to sincerely thank you for all the help, work, and support you have given me in the past year since we met. To let everyone know, I have bought 2 machines from Russ (Atlantis and Quick Draw). Both of these machines have given me absolutely no trouble at all and they are played all the time, and this is because Russ restored both of them. I recently had Russ go over a Big Hit and Central Park that both had numerous issues, and he was able to get both machines in perfect working order in less than 3 hours! He is truly the best at what he does, and what's more he absolutely loves doing it. I live 7 hours from Russ and do not hesitate to travel whenever needed to get his expertise on repairs. He also has helped by phone on numerous occasions. The local people who have bought from Russ are lucky to have the maintenance contract (what a deal). Russ not only is a great pinball technician, but even though I met him strictly through pinball, I am proud to call him my friend. Jim Cain, Huntington, West Virginia (Quick Draw & Gottlieb Atlantis)
 

Russ:

The Royal Guard is great!  We play it all the time. You did a wonderful job of cleaning it up and getting it working after it sat unused for fifteen years. We were very impressed with the way you picked it up and delivered it like it was your own baby. We also appreciated your honesty and integrity throughout the transaction. We highly recommend you. The sound it makes every time we turn it on makes you feel like you're on the Boardwalk, "down the shore".
Joe Bagley (1968 Royal Guard)
 

Russ,

Sinbad is down right awesome!!! Thank you again for the great job you did. (and your wife) It's the best it has played since I got it.  Sinbad is fun to play again and BETTER! Thanks for asking and maybe we can do business again in the future. Now Judy would like to have a juke box that plays 45's.

Thanks again Bill. (rare 1978 Sinbad EM)

Russ,

You have to be kidding me!!! I can't believe what a great job you have done. The game looks brand new!! The paint looks perfect! I'm really impressed.
Albert P. 1971 "Extra Inning"

Russ,

Just a brief note to thank you again for your superb job in restoring my Bally. It plays like new and takes me back more than 55 years to the days when I played Ballys and Gottliebs in our neighborhood candy store and in the arcades in Atlantic City. Thanks again. Alan Molod (1975 Bally's Hokus Pokus)

Hi Russ,

Don't get nervous. Machine is still working great. I just wanted to tell you (because you appreciate how hard this is) that my son, Ben, just exceeded 100,000 for the first time, and turned the dials back to zeros. Very exciting moment. Gary (1976 Card Whiz)

Dear Russ,

Many thanks for delivering and setting up "Flicker" at our house. As always your service call was prompt, efficient , friendly and informative. The game looks great and plays great, just as "Sure Shot" did before it. You did a wonderful job on the restoration, and it's hard to believe a game this old can still feel so new. A work of art that plays like a toy - what could be better? The only tricky part is getting in a game for ourselves once our friends have spotted it!

Best regards,
Ted & Melinda Tally
 

Hi Russ
I received my Paul Bunyan Pinball a week ago today. Just wanted to tell you it look's and plays like a brand new machine. I am very pleased with this purchase. I am sure me and my family will get many years of enjoyment from it. I would also like to say it was a pleasure doing business with you ,and talking to you on the phone. You didn't give me the run around, and were very polite, also I appreciate the way you worked with me until I could get the shipping lined up.
I'm sure all of your customers feel the same way I do. Thanks again Russ. You might be hearing from me again soon.
Thanks
Wayne Smith
Dover, TN. 37058

Wow, pinball service extraordinaire! I found Russ on the internet and went to his home not knowing what to expect… super selection of the older machines. Russ is a pinball wizard. He was “possessed” by the pinball spirit!. I bought two machines Jungle princess and Big Deal. He delivered them promptly and set up a breeze. He even educated me on the simpler things in case of mechanical malfunction. Two weeks after purchase a rubber flipper snapped… I have the service contract… he was out at our home within 2 hours!! And saved the day as my 2 kids and the 3 cousins would have been devastated. They have been playing practically non stop!! So, if its older machines you are looking for…you have found the man! He truly is the Pinball wizard!

Sincerely, Stephen Somkuti
 

Dear Russ,
My Target Alpha was given to me as a very special present about 24 years ago. It probably hasn’t been played in the last 20. It just sat there in my parent’s basement collecting dust and slowly, as you found, rusting away. My parents have been bugging me for the last 10years to have it moved out of their house into mine. I just kept putting it off because I didn’t know where to turn. Recently I gave it a shot and through a basic internet search I was fortunate to come across your website. Those of you that do the same should just stop here and simply make an appointment, no need to look any further. Russ, you have turned what was soon to be a lost treasure into something my whole family can now treasure and enjoy for many years to come. The machine looks and plays better then I can ever remember.

Thanks so much,
The Tauber Family

Russ,
Wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying El Dorado and would like to relay my enthusiasm to you regarding obtaining a Jacks Open machine. Let me know on your efforts on J/O - I am a buyer!.

Also, perhaps you could let me (and others?) know when you get a new vintage machine. It would perhaps jar a good memory to your customer base and generate a re-cycling or source of additional business for you.    May you and your family have a great holiday!

James S.
(December 2003)

Dear Russ,

I just wanted to thank you again for the great restoration you did on my pinball machine. I would have bet anything we would never get it to work again it was so old and in bad shape. It plays even better now than it did when I was a kid and our family first got it, which was about thirty years ago. I recently had a family get-together; and my brothers were having a great time with it (of course they spent the whole day trying to beat my high score) and my nieces and nephew loved it. It was very foreign to them at first (they only played pinball on the computer) but after they got the hang of it, you couldn't get them away from it. I also have neighborhood kids coming over to play and their parents as well and the parents immediately start to talk about their younger days when they hung out with friends and played pinball. It is so much fun.

Eventually, after a long search, I probably could have found someone to work on it but they wouldn't measure up to the high standard of service you have provided. You showed the same level of caring for your work as I had for the sentimental value of getting the machine to work. You have renewed my faith that there are honest, caring people out there, and you were worth the search. You picked up and delivered the machine for such an inexpensive fee and even the repair itself was very inexpensive. You returned my calls immediately and when I expressed concern over something not working quite right, you were out to look at it within a day of the phone call. You are truly a rare breed of worker. Thank you again.

Donna Noonan
Robbinsville
(October 2003)

Russ Snyder is unquestionably one of the most qualified, professional and competent pinball restorers in the business today. He has over 25 years of continuous experience and has personally restored over 600 pinballs. I recently bought an Ice Revue from him, which he personally delivered to my home and set up in the basement. He has since been available anytime I had a question, both by phone and e-mail, to help with any problems and questions that came up and already returned to my home to do some additional work I had requested. The purchase price included an in-home warranty agreement for only $175 for an entire year, which is a bargain by any measure. I would wholeheartedly recommend Russ Snyder to anyone considering the purchase of a used pinball machine, regardless of your location. You will not be disappointed.
Rob Loring
(16 February 2003 )