MY GAME
Around 1996 I had just surfed the Internet for the first time. Learning web browsing was part of an elective at Mercyhurst College during my spring semester as a Freshmen. Although I owned a game called Taxi, I never really considered myself a collector. I believed that the only way to get a game was to go to the local operator and make a deal (more than likely leading to very used and very beat-up machines, at least that was the case here in Erie). However, after reading stories, articles, and classifieds online and in the PinGame Journal Magazine, I realized there were a lot of opportunities to pick up high quality machines.
I came across a website called Fabulous Fantasies. Herb Silvers, the owner of FabFan, informed me that he just got an excellent TAF in stock. It was on location for about six months and then the operator took it off route and put it in his home. He told me it was in excellent shape and played perfectly. At the time, TAF was only four years old. As you can imagine, my answer was an immediate yes.
I got my TAF in September 1996. When the game arrived, I opened the box inside my garage, pieced it together, and plugged it in for a test before sending it down the stairs into the basement room. This proved to be a big mistake. I would later come to realize it is much easier to slide a box down the stairs rather than an upright, complete machine (with legs attached; DOH!)
I was astonished at the overall condition. There was absolutely NO wear on the playfield, no broken plastics, minimal cabinet wear (which was nicely touched up), and perfect gameplay. I was speechless. I knew this would stay in my gameroom for all time.
The only things I have done to TAF since I received the game was to re-align Things's box (the ball originally just dribbled down and stuck) and add Addams GOLD ROMS to the machine. There was a special run of Addams Family games in the mid-90s to celebrate its huge success. As a result, a few goodies were added into the gold roms including extra Gomez speech, Cousin It Hide-out awards, and more. Luckily, you can insert these ROMS into regular Addams Family games as well. I have provided a link to information on this in the Addams "link" section.
TAF is a fantastic game and I am proud to own a beautiful specimen of it. I am happy to say that it is still in the same condition it was when it first arrived. Even though I often get away from the game for a while (to whack away at one of my new arrivals), I always return for another visit to the mansion. And the good news is, Gomez always welcomes me back with a smile.
"Welcome Back!"
Addams Family Projects:
May 20, 2003: I have owned Addams Family for a long time (since 1996). It has given me very little trouble. Even though I do routine cleaning / polishing....I decided to give Addams a nice tear-down cleaning. I took a few pics of this process here.
My game continues with
other pictures from my
Addams Family game HERE