When my husband announced that he needed a new hobby, I was more than happy to listen. With his newfound tool resources and his passion for tinkering with things, he cooked up the idea that he should restore or fix something.
Imagine my surprise when Brett found his “calling” from another woman…rather a princess, to be exact.
Not what you were thinking, was it?
My new house-mate is a 1977 vintage Jungle Princess pinball machine. And let me tell you, it was an adventure to get her home! Brett found her on Craigslist in Southwick, Massachusetts and just in time too! By the time we arrived to pick her up, the seller told us that she’d received 11 calls that morning from interested buyers.
The Jungle Princess took some effort to get in the Santa Fe but we finally got in her in the backseat after taking off the legs. Driving home with a pinball machine in the backseat of a SUV was interesting, but it wasn’t half as fun as trying to drag the huge thing inside our apartment. After Brett slapped the legs back on her, the Jungle Princess practically ran right inside! You know our neighbors just love us.
Our “new” 1977 Gottieb Jungle Princess pinball machine is a showcase of 70’s colors and artwork! The two player, four flipper, 10 drop target with three pop bumpers, two kick out holes and features 100,000 scoring…perfect for all those disco parties we’re planning on hosting.
The Jungle Princess is one of the last pinball machines made before they went digital in 1978. Unfortunatly, she’ stuck on tilt but Brett seems to think the can get it working again soon. His high hopes are of restoring the Jungle Princess to her original glory and I’m just aiming to have the highest score! Only time will tell if our $150 investment turns into a nice profitl…we found one online, fully restored, that just sold for $2,600+ a few months ago!
I will say that the Jungle Princess is already earning her keep. Once she made it into the apartment and Brett was able to start really checking things out…he found a 1977 dime stuck in the coin drop!
