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The Classic Pinball Podcast
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#38 Nitro Ground Shaker - The Classic Pinball Podcast

PodcastAnalysis updated 2d ago44 min listenBy George
From the creator

In this episode Dave and George talk about and then play Bally Nitro Ground Shaker. They are joined by Dave’s friend PJ and wife Maureen. There is also discussion about Stern SS games: Magic...

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Highlights

  • Nitro Ground Shaker was made almost 8,000 units and is highly collectible for car collection enthusiasts
  • The playfield uses fiberglass resin instead of wood, featuring brown paint over the resin base
  • Several late 1970s/early 1980s Bally games experimented with fiberglass resin playfields (Mata Hari, Harlem Globetrotters), but the format was abandoned due to screw-breaking issues
  • CPR (Custom Pinball Restoration) made reproduction playfied and plastics for Nitro Ground Shaker
  • The game's bonus is split between two sides of the playfield (left and right), each with independent bonus progression
  • Replacement MPU reproduction boards for Bally solid-state games are becoming scarce, with prices rising from $50-60 to $75-129+
  • Rotten Dog no longer sells rectifier boards; Ed from Great Plains no longer stocks them
  • George Christian designed Eight Ball Deluxe, Eight Ball Champ, Dolly Parton, Future Spa, Frontier Fireball, Mystic, Speakeasy, and Cosmic Doom
  • The new reproduction MPU board (referred to as 'new kid on the block') has expandable memory and more features than older versions
  • Stern chime games feature a wooden xylophone chime box unique to Stern, distinct from other manufacturers

Notable quotes

“It's one of the most beautiful games I think it's a great look and I was after I got done with it I kind of like oh I really want to sell this.”
Dave
“The inserts don't sink in. They're completely level. No, this looks like a new old stock place. It's like a new old stock.”
Dave
“I went out, and I'm not going to name, but the cheapest one, or least expensive one I could find, was $75... most of them that were out there were not available from manufacturers websites they were on eBay starting at 129 dollars.”
George
“You better go out and buy if you think you're going to need one in the future because it might be a while before you get one.”
George
“It screams, we don't care. You know, it's a seller.”
George
“I'm at the point now where if the MPU goes south, buy a new one. I'm not going to spend the money.”
Dave
“He's into the occult he was into all kinds of weird stuff and it's shown in his artwork because he kind of edgy stuff but but also in a comic book kind of way.”
George
“You don't usually do that. And then, you know what topped it off? What topped it off? you put cologne on it. I'm like, what's with the cologne, dude?”
Dave (talking to his wife Maureen)

Entities

  • Custom Pinball Restoration (CPR)· company
  • Dr. Dave's Pinball Restorations· company
  • Great Plains· company
  • Rotten Dog· company
  • Bally Captain Fantastic· game
  • Bally Cosmic Doom· game
  • Bally Eight Ball Deluxe· game
  • Bally Harlem Globetrotters· game
  • Bally Mata Hari· game
  • Nitro Ground Shaker· game
  • Playboy Pinball· game
  • Stern Magic· game
  • Stern Stingray· game
  • Stern Trident· game
  • The Classic Pinball Podcast· organization
  • Dave· person
  • George· person
  • George Christian· person
  • Mad Dog Christensen· person
  • Maureen· person
  • PJ· person
  • Scott· person
  • Steve Young· person
  • Tommy Skinner· person

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