TiltDusting off the machine
TiltPinball

Restoration workshop Arcade bar, Brighton

Every machine deserves a second ball.

We rescue vintage pinball machines from barns, garages and church halls, rebuild them by hand, and sell them. The best ones stay behind our bar for you to play.

Book an arcade night Follow a rescue

Scroll to wake it up

01 One machine, start to finish

One machine, start to finish

The barn find

Forty years under a tarp.

A farm clearance outside Lewes. Serial 04417, a 1979 four-player with a swollen playfield, a seized plunger and a family of mice in the cabinet. We paid £180 and wheeled it out on a sack truck.

Found in Sussex, 1979 build

The strip-down

Every part off, every part labelled.

The glass lifts, then the rubbers, posts, bumpers, flippers and rails. Each piece is bagged, photographed, soaked and polished, or replaced. Nothing goes back that we would not trust for a million plays.

212 parts logged

The playfield

Painted again, by hand.

The faded art is scanned, redrawn and laid back on sanded wood in thin coats, back of the table first. Then seven layers of lacquer, cured for a week, until it shines like a boiled sweet.

Seven coats of lacquer

First power-up

Then the lights come on.

New coils, new rubbers, a fresh set of bulbs. The bumpers pop, the reels roll and the backglass wakes up. It is the best moment of the job, every single time.

86 hours, start to finish

The barn find0hrs on the bench

I / IV

02 Your turn

Play it.
Re-skin it.

Pick a theme and the table is repainted in front of you. Then pull back the plunger and play three balls. Hit all four letters of T I L T for a bonus.

Theme

Cosmic TiltRocket fuel and rollovers

Score
000000
Ball
1 / 3
Best
0

Z M or ← → flip   Space launch

Hold the button (or Space), then let go to fire the ball.

03 On the showroom floor

Restored, tested, ready to ship.

Every machine comes with a 12 month parts warranty, a printed rebuild log and free delivery within 40 miles of Brighton.

1979, four players

Meteor Run

Original backglass, new LED lighting, fast flippers and a set of spinning drop targets. A great first machine.

£3,450

Condition: showroom
Plays: free play or coin

1982, two players

Big Top Bounce

Painted playfield, tuned pop bumpers and a calliope sound board that we have rebuilt from scratch.

£3,950

Condition: showroom
Plays: free play or coin

1984, four players

Jungle Jive

Rare ramp layout, a working chimp toy and a freshly sanded cabinet with the original side art restored.

£4,250

Condition: collector
Plays: free play or coin

1980, one player

Mirror Ball

Small, bright and mean. A spinning disco ball, a six-bank drop target and a very forgiving outlane.

£3,600

Condition: showroom
Plays: free play or coin

04 Hire a machine

Rentals for weddings, offices, wakes.

We deliver, level it, set it to free play and collect it again. You bring the people.

  • Weekend (Fri to Mon)£180
  • One week£420
  • Four weeks, offices and shops£1,150
  • Delivery within 15 milesFree
  • Attendant for the evening£60

Restoration for your machine

Got a tired one in the garage?

Bring it in or we will collect it. You get a written quote after a free inspection, and weekly photos while it is on the bench.

  • Service and tune-up£95
  • Backglass touch-upfrom £220
  • Playfield repaint and lacquerfrom £650
  • Full restorationfrom £1,800
  • Inspection and quoteFree

05 The arcade bar

Thirty-eight machines. One bar.

Free play on the floor all night, craft beer, cocktails with ridiculous names and a hot dog that is better than it has any right to be.

Thursdays, 7pm

Tilt Tournament

Knockout league play with a different machine every round. Winner takes the pot and a trophy made from a bumper cap.

£8 entry

Includes 1 drink token

Fridays and Saturdays

Flipper Night

The whole floor on free play, a DJ spinning 70s and 80s records, and a leaderboard on the big screen.

£12 entry

Includes 1 drink token

Any night, up to 40 guests

Private hire

Birthdays, leaving dos, first dates that went well. Your own bar tab, your own playlist and a patient attendant.

from £450 for 3 hrs

Food packages available

06 The small print

Slow work, no shortcuts.

Machines rescued
0
since we opened the workshop
Hours per restoration
0avg
more for the ones with mice
Machines on the bar floor
0
all on free play
First pinball fixed
0
in a very cold lock-up

07 Book

Save your place.

Tell us what you fancy and we will reply within a day. This is a concept page, so nothing is actually bookable.

We reply within a day. Nothing is bookable on this page.

08 Find us

Under the arches.

Tilt Pinball Restoration
Unit 4, Anchor Arches
Brighton BN1 0AA

01273 555 0134
hello@tiltpinball.example

All names, numbers and addresses on this page are made up.

Opening hours

  • Monday and TuesdayWorkshop, by appointment
  • Wednesday and Thursday5pm to 11pm
  • Friday and Saturday12 noon to 1am
  • Sunday12 noon to 9pm
  • Showroom viewingsWed to Sun, 12 to 5pm