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After many years of interest, I was about to move into ownership. This was in1997 at the age of just 16!
It was in fact my parent's interest in music and their jukebox (pic below) that actually led to my first
purchase - from a Jukebox / record show in Gatwick would you believe! If it wasn't for this trip one week-end,
things may have turned out quite differently!! We will never know now!
ROWE AMI R-80 - (Mum and Dad's Jukebox)
Pester power was quite full on back then and after a very long time of having my 'change of use'
application turned down, I finally got the green light for 'bedroom' to 'amusements'!! They
finally gave in to the constant badgering! Sucess!! My father even subbed me the money!
...and yes - I did actually pay it all back of course!
The machine...., well, it was Barcrest's Cash Connect (which is still with me now)and is what really got the collecting bug going!
Aug 1997
Not long after enjoying this one, it was soon clear that it needed a buddy!
It would surely get lonely without another beside it! - The hunt was on!
This was all before the popular online sites and alike and so they weren't always as readily
available as they are now. I got to know a single site operater who had premises only minutes
away from home. He would start giving me first refusal on games that were no longer
earning top money. If I wanted one - he'd also deliver! Great!
So next was Andy's Great Escape - 20p / £6.00
(check out the red carpet!)
And then came another, and another, and another....you get the picture!
with, I supose, just a few months between each one! My father, got so used to it, that he
made the time to help move them around the house when needed! Bear in mind,
this room (my bedroom) was on the 1st floor!
Then we had..... Maygay - Money Momey Money & Italian Job
+ Barcrest's Club Super Blackjack
Ah, the Jamma video machine - this nearly couldn't make it up the stairs!
Next up was Thunderbird by Barcrest - brilliant machine!
At one point we had a JPM Rollercoaster - I wish I'd kept this now but at the time space
was an issue. To be fair, it still is now but whenver new machines came in something
had to go.
Barcrest's Club Stake Up....
Let's not forget the Bally bandits! Originally just had one of them and Rio was the 1st (although
I'm on my second now - with mint artwork!). Dueces Wild came about a year later.
Oh, and Addams Family - I think I bought this when it
was just a couple of years old - it must have been a very good price!
The machines used to get changed around regularly trying to make the most of the
space! Other times, just for the sheer hell of it!
Electrcoin's Big 7 & the cocktail pinball - Caribbean Cruise by Premier Games turns up next!
Then came 'The Move'....
It was quite a job getting everything shifted across! Doing it now would be a really heavy
task! I also had a few bits in storage on the lead up to the house in Croydon. One of main reasons
this place was chosen was due to it's internal ground floor space (and I think I'm outgrowing that
now!)
The Gamesroom benefitted from it's first 'refurb' about a year in when it received
painted floors and walls (traditional arcade style!) These pics were taken around summer 2010.
The second 'refurb' came at Christmas 2010. It took a week to paint this place as all
of the machines had to be covered and moved around like chess pieces!!
October 2011 onwards
