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My wife and I took our trip to Charlotte this past weekend and picked
up our first HEP from Chris Hutchins. I could go on and on about the
quality, detail and workmanship Chris puts into his work but instead I
will offer this piece of advice. If you do not have a HEP in your
collection please do yourself a favor and contact Chris about having
one done. You won't be sorry! Not only for the beauty of the machine
but for how they play. Pick a title you really like and have Chris do
his magic. You will be blown away! Chris is a great guy also! We were able to spend some time with him at
his business and he is someone you will want to deal with again and
again! Since many will be asking what game I had done Chris did a FunHouse
for us. A classic that both of us really enjoy. Thanks again Chris! Repeat after me.... Christopher Hutchins, Christopher Hutchins, Christopher Hutchins As far as I know there's only one restorer out there who is doing the level of work Christopher is doing. He totally disassembles every part on the game, clearcoats the playfield (see other posts in this thread on his experience and background in the automobile business), rebuilds flippers and bumpers, does board work, replaces anything that needs to be for cosmetic and mechanical reasons. Christ, I've even seen him recommend that I replace certain parts or boards that are working now, but should be ready to go soon. That's the level of service I choose to pay for - he doesn't cut corners, he skip over fixing things that his customer will probably never know about, he
I'm a skeptical sort and the idea of shipping pins across the country and finding out much later how much it would all cost, left me with the sinking feeling I get when taking my car to a German mechanic. Who knows what it will cost and how much work will really be done? But with Chris, I got photo updates almost daily, and continuous contact about exactly how things were going. The guy is a work-a-holic but he always answers the phone and spends as much time with customers as they'd like. It took me a little while, but I learned to trust Chris, and now I'd consider my experience with him as among the best I'd ever had with any vendor in any trade. I respect that some collectors/enthusiasts don't get the point of such a large investment in a game meant to *play*. But for those who want the best, and choose to allocate their scarce resources towards this endeavor, CH has proved to me that he is the gold-standard. I've used a couple other well-known pinball restorers, and to me, the difference is sizable. -- Warner
Both playfields were stripped,
cleaned, touched-up, and clearcoated. The cabinet was
stripped, rebuilt internally and externally, repainted, and
decaled. All metal parts, above and below the playfield,
were stripped to their atomic structures and polished. All
new parts for the moveable parts. Some new "stickers", such
as the mini-playfield teardown sticker. Every part of the
machine, down to the wood screws, shines. His website posted
pictures of the progress, before, during and after. Finally,
the machine was I *love* the way that the game plays. I've never played a NIB TZ, but I intuitively know that this machine plays the way the game is supposed to play, the way a pinball machine is supposed to play. I have a sense that this machine is better put together and detailed that a NIB TZ. If you've got a machine that you know is a keeper and you want it to perform better than NIB, send it to Chris. I think you'll be very happy with the result. -- Todd
It plays and looks better than NIB. Amazing. I can't put it next to any other pin because it makes them pale in comparison. Now on to the Creature. Can't wait. -- Thanks, Buddy
WOW!! It's rare that the pictures of a pin don't live up to the actual
machine, but as terrific as his pics are, the game is even better! I mean every screw is shiny, every ramp crystal clear, the playfield is
like glass, the cabinet has been repainted and color matched to look
just like the sample game on the flyer! The building works super
smooth up and down, just totally flawless! He even obtained the
prototype pink car backglass which is the cherry on the cake! Totally
worth the money!! I was very impressed with both Chris and his work. The fact that I live 90 min from his parents is a major plus, because after seeing the Earthshaker, I have a list of 15-20 pins that he will be restoring for me over the next few years!
Hi all,
Anyway, if anyone is looking for someone to restore a machine for them, Christopher really does nice work. -- Jeff
No expense spared- no screw left unturned (in fact- all of the screw heads are lined up in the same direction- how's that for picky!) If you are looking for the absolute best- give Chris a call! -- Marc If you would like to research our reputation further please click here |
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I
know this topic has been well-documented, but
somehow I'd feel remiss to not tell the world
about my great CH experience. He has just
completed 3 of my pins and no surprise that they
are beautiful and indeed, they play even better
than they look. But what is even more
gratifying about my experience was working with
Chris himself - the
guy is just one of those people that is so nice
that it is almost annoying.
