First Wizard of Oz Pinball Machine in a Customer's Hands

Jersey Jack Pinball announced earlier this week that they'd started shipping Wizard of Oz pinball machines, and today, May 1, 2013, it looks like the first non-employee consumer has one (which he picked up from the factory). 

Congratulations to David, all impending WOZ owners, and to Jersey Jack Pinball for making it to this date.  This is a big deal.  After a decade or so of a single commercial manufacturer of pinball machines remaining, a NEW manufacturer shipping units is just a wonderful thing.

David Shaw, with his brand new Wizard of Oz pinball machine!

The Impact of a Pinball Resurgence: The Tale of Metallica LE

The recent announcement of Stern's Metallica pinball machine line, specifically the Master of Puppets Limited Edition version, has presented some strong evidence supporting the pinball resurgence theory, but also in a way that isn't necessarily thrilling the long-time collector core community.  Let me try and sum this up in a nutshell, but some serious craziness has gone down in the last week, and even more in the last 24 hours.

On April 9, 2013, Stern released a teaser video for their latest machine, Metallica.  The initial announcements mentioned 400 Limited Edition (LE) machines in the plans, as well as a Premium (almost as good as the LE, but not numbered, and a bit less expensive), and a Pro version (a base model, fewer frills, and cheaper, the type more frequently put on location for public play).  Somewhere within the first few days, the LE run went from 400 to 500 machines. 



On April 11, 2013, a note from Gary Stern was posted on the official Stern Facebook page announcing that all the Limited Edition machines had been sold out (not what people usually mean when they talk about Metallica "selling out").  Keep in mind, there are two levels of "sold out" in pinball.  Sold out in this case meant that the number of LE units had been allocated out, or spoken for, to the various distributors.  Collectors didn't really panic at this because it doesn't typically mean a machine can no longer be had, even though the speed of Stern's sell-out was pretty fast compared to machines in the past.  Also of note; Stern's website crashed during this time.

The closest you may come to owning a Metallica Master of Puppets LE

LE playfield

Within 24 hours of that announcement, however, something unusual DID happen.  People started posting that distributors were also sold out of Metallica LE (the second tier of "sold out", a more true definition where a person can no longer purchase a machine, vs. just having to find the distributor who has remaining inventory).

It's unheard of for a machine, even an LE, to sell out that fast, and sell out it had.  There was a panic and scramble to try and get on the list for the LE.  People weren't used to having to make a $7000+ buying decision without even a gameplay video yet released, and many were left out in the cold. 

Normally the Premium model is an acceptable alternative to an LE (the playfield is virtually the same), but in this situation, people didn't like the art on the Premium translite:

Metallica Premium featuring actual band members

The draw of this pinball machine is partly the custom-drawn art package, and the Premium translite was the only one of the bunch that featured actual images of the band themselves.  People didn't like it, they wanted the fun, cartoon-style art of the LE and Pro translites.  This was one factor driving people to go after the LE.  Another factor that contributes is possible hoarding by speculators, both distributors, and buyers who went after multiple units with the suspicion that they would be able to flip them and make a profit.  Such value appreciation did occur in the case of the recent AC/DC "Back in Black" LE, and the speed with which the Metallica Master of Puppets LE run was snapped up is a strong indicator that the machine WILL appreciate.  We don't know how much of this has actually gone on, but the possibility doesn't help things.

SO these are pirhana-infested waters.  Then things got even worse.  As of this writing, it's not entirely clear what transpired on the afternoon of April 17th and into the next morning, but consensus and evidence suggests that Stern had to reallocate a large number of existing distributor units to either overseas distributors or potentially members of the Metallica fanclub, where the LEs had also been offered for sale and possibly over-sold.  Many distributors' allocations were cut in half, literally.  Whatever the reason, suddenly a large number of people who had thought themselves safely locked into an LE, even at a high price markup to ensure it, were being informed that they no longer had one.

Pitchforks and torches were taken up, and people were understandably furious.  Stern had drastically underestimated the demand for this product.  That doesn't mean more Limited Edition machines should be run, necessarily, but the problem was compounded by the fact that people didn't like the translite on the Premium.  That, paired with the speculators and the Metallica fanbase, and the gradual increase in pinball's popularity over the last couple years, created a perfect storm of demand.  People went pincrazy.

This is where Stern then did something right.  On April 18 (today), the day after the allocations cut and forum riots, Stern announced an alternative translite (actually an entire second art package) for Metallica Premium machines (shown below). 

Stern Pinball’s Metallica Game Success Leads To Second Premium Edition

World’s Leading Maker of Arcade Quality Pinball Collaborates With Legendary Rock Artist Dirty Donny Gillies to Create Metallica Game

MELROSE PARK, IL – April 18, 2013 – Stern Pinball, Inc., the world’s leading maker of real pinball games and the AAMA 2012 Manufacturer of the Year, announces the availability of a second Premium model Metallica pinball machine. The initial release of Metallica pinball captured the attention of gamers and fans alike. Stern sold out of both the US and International allocations of its 500 Limited Edition (“LE”) games within an hour of each respective customer announcement.

The second Premium edition machine features the vibrant artwork of Dirty Donny Gillies and complement’s Stern’s Metallica LE, “Road Case” Premium and Pro models.

The new Premium edition Metallica game boasts the same action-packed features as the Road Case Premium model and highlights the addition of Dirty Donny’s radical pop art creations. Dirty Donny is considered one of the most influential artists in the pop culture scenes of underground rock, punk and heavy metal. He is widely known for his creative work on concert posters, album covers and vinyl toys.

“Stern Pinball has pulled out all the stops for the Metallica machines,” said Dirty Donny. “Creating artwork for this special release game has been awesome. I can’t wait to see people’s reactions when they take a first look at it and get to play the game.”

For a glimpse of the game in action, Stern Pinball will be showcasing the Metallica pinball machine at Comic-Con International in San Diego this year with Nuclear Blast Records.

The Metallica game continues both the Stern Pinball and the Stern family tradition of producing quality pinball machines for young and old. The company traces its lineage to Philadelphia in the 1930s when Sam Stern entered the business of operating pinball games. Sam Stern subsequently became part owner and president of Williams Manufacturing, a pioneer in the pinball industry. Sam passed his lifelong enthusiasm for the game and the business of pinball to his son Gary Stern who founded Stern Pinball. Today pinball remains one of America’s favorite pastimes.

Pricing and Availability:

The Metallica pinball machine is available while supplies last through authorized Stern distributors and dealers.

Pro Version: $4,995
Premium Version (Road Case): $6,995
Premium Version (Donny): $6,995
Limited Edition Version: (Master of Puppets) $7,595 (SOLD OUT)

To learn more about The Metallica pinball games and Stern Pinball, visit www.sternpinball.com.

Metallica Premium, take 2!

We knew such a translite existed, as it is briefly visible in the teaser video. This was a good example of listening to your customers via social channels, and making a move to mitigate a supply issue when unexpected demand creates as big a problem as this overselling did.

It leaves the community wondering, though, if maybe it was more convenient to be a less popular hobby.  Oh, and did I mention, Stern had announced a $500 or so MSRP price increase for this machine?  Clearly that impacted demand about as effectively as a bucket of water on a forest fire.  So yes, pinball is growing, faster than anyone (even Stern) expected.  So fast that demand has far out-paced supply in this case, and resulted in some serious growing pains.

Custom Duck Hunt EM Pinball Machine is so cool!

So Skit-B, the guys making the limited run of Predator pinball machines, evidently had a side project going to while away the boring hours.  That project was a one-off custom pinball machine based on the NES game, Duck Hunt.

I want this.  I SO want this!  Just the sound effects are enough... forget Predator, start pumping out some of these babies!

Pinball ownership: maintenance weekend

Pinball ownership is super-rewarding, but it isn't all fun and games.  Here's a little breakdown of how a recent weekend went.

Saturday night
Installed AC/DC drum kit mod and replaced the flipper rubbers in the mini playfield of AC/DC.  It's not that easy accessing the mini playfield, so while we had it open, we cleaned the playfield and view window with a little Novus 1, and made sure the targets were all in good working order.

I don't think we actually played any pinball, because by the time we were done with that, it was time to get the kids to bed, and we needed to catch up on Walking Dead.  The only time we can watch zombie-related tv is when the kids are asleep.

Sunday
We'd been having a fuse blow frequently on our new WHO Dunnit machine, and the preliminary steps that sometimes resolve this sort of problem, like replacing the batteries, hadn't helped.  It was to the point where we needed to remove the motherboard and bring it to a technician for diagnostics.  Upon taking the board out, we discovered that it had been "hacked" to death, meaning someone had done a non-expert job of trying to fix various issues that had come up during its lifetime.  Broken traces for one thing, judging by the network of worm-like wires strewn across the back of the board.  If you're not a professional pinball tech, that's the danger in trying to fix things; you run the risk of making it worse.  We brought the board to our pinball tech, who confirmed that the brain of this machine was beyond repair.  Replacing a motherboard isn't cheap, but at least now we knew the source of the problems we'd been having with it.

Lunch break.

The next machine in need of work was Judge Dredd.  The first project was to fix a fried connector for the general illumination (GI) backbox lights.  The connector has fried at some point before we acquired this machine, so I don't know the specifics, but the white connector housing was half toasted like a campfire s'mores only not delicious.  This was our first time replacing a connector, but it worked, and behold, there was light! :)  Now that those connections were restored, we were able to identify about a dozen burned-out bulbs, and replace them with working bulbs.

Next we did a flipper rebuild for the lower left flipper of Judge Dredd.  This is one of the rites of passage for being a pinball owner, doing your first flipper rebuild.  Once you're used to doing them it's not that bad, but the first time can be an intimidating prospect.  After all, if you get this wrong, it impacts the entire gameplay experience, and the angle of the flippers is a precision matter that you totally take for granted before having to do this.

About 8 o'clock that night, we got around to actually playing the machines.  It wasn't a long session, but it was a good one, and it felt great enjoying the fruits of the weekend's maintenance and repair labor.  Not every weekend goes like that, but there is almost always something needing doing when it comes to pinball machines.

ACDC Pinball Drum Mod Installation Details

My husband recently purchased the AC/DC Drum Mod from Pinball Life, and Saturday night, we decided to install it.  Yeah, I know, we lead a life of wild party-filled weekends...

The instructions for installing the drum mod were decent, but I felt that adding our own experience to the mix might help other budding pinball modders.  One thing we felt was missing specifically was more detail on the solder points for the wires.

The first step was to feed the wires up through the playfield.  The hardest of the two for this step is definitely the lower playfield drum.  We had to use tweezers and teamwork to get the wire up through the playfield where it needed to go, because there were already a good number of wires going through that pathway.

Wires feeding up for lower playfield drum

Wires feeding up for  upper playfield drum

The trickiest part of this was knowing where to solder the wires, because the instruction sheet we had didn't have a picture of this.  The kit said to solder them to the flashers, but we had to do some trial and error in test mode to see when we had the correct points.  My husband was already familiar with this type of installation, though, from when he put the under-cabinet LEDs onto Tron Legacy.  What worked was having the green and yellow side connected to the red flasher, and the orange and yellow wires (the one with the black tape near the bottom) connected to the farthest flasher from the red one.  Hopefully this picture helps illustrate that.

Solder points for drum kit wiring

Installing the drums was not a big deal at all.  You have a choice of flasher color for this kit, and we chose yellow.  Adding the LED piece to the drums was a simple matter of peeling off the covering for the double-stick tape and just sticking it onto the back of the drums.

Lower playfield drum, side view

Upper playfield drum, side view

And here's a player-view of the completed installation.

Upper playfield drum, front view

Lower playfield drum, front view

The video below shows what they look like in action.  It's always hard to film pinball flashers adequately, and they look kind of blinding in this video.  I was afraid ours would be like that, but in reality they are very nice, and it's a relatively subtle effect.  I recommend this mod to anyone looking to improve what is a near-flawless machine to begin with. :)

STERN code updates for X-Men and Transformers Pinball

At long last, STERN Pinball today released code updates for its Transformers and X-Men pinball machine models.

Both these machines really needed a code update, and owners had been waiting a long time, and feeling pretty neglected.  Time will tell if these updates satisfy them, there hasn't been a lot of reaction yet in the community.  I did have a chance to check out the new code on a Transformers LE just now.  I don't know the game well enough to know how dramatic an improvement we are talking here, and I liked the game before this.  I will say, I just had the best game of Transformers I've ever played, so it certainly didn't hurt. :)

You're damn right I'm a Decepticon!

These two code updates are so fresh, there aren't even any patch notes yet.  I will come back and post them here when they are live, just to provide an example of the kind of changes a code updates involves.

As most pinball owners know, you can get the latest STERN code updates here, on their website.

4/3/2013: below is an example, the update notes from the Transformers LE update.

V1.8 - March 14, 2013
=======================

- First pass of the redemption system.
    see http://www.sternpinball.com/downloads/Stern_Pinball_Redemption_System_Software_Manual.pdf
    for details.
- added an adjustment for launching balls after a locked ball.
- fixed a bug where Optimus/Megatron Super Jackpots were not initialized correctly when MB progression is turned off.
- The Optimus Prime Multiball progressive Super Jackpots are now scored based upon how many times Optimus Prime MB was started prior to scoring the Super JP.
  1 start = 100% of Super jackpot escrow.
  2 starts = 75% of Super Jackpot escrow.
  3+ starts = 50% of Super Jackpot escrow.
- The Megatron Multiball (A) progressive Super Jackpot is now scored based upon how many times Megatron MB was started prior to scoring the Super JP.
  1 start = 100% of Super jackpot escrow.
  2 starts = 75% of Super Jackpot escrow.
  3+ starts = 50% of Super Jackpot escrow.
- added Optimus Prime & Megatron Multiball minimum Super Jackpot scoring logic.
- added Autobot/Decepticon HSTD info to instant info
- added MB progress adjustments
- added Decepticon High Score tables.
- added Autobot High Score tables.
- added redemption ticket sounds
- added rule progression to the Optimus Prime Multiball rules.
- added rule progression to the Megatron Multiball rules.
- Changed text coordinates for redemption award display effect.
- Added game-specific display effect, lamp effect, and sound effects for redemption.

STERN Valentine's Day code updates

This past February 14th, STERN Pinball made a couple code updates available on their website.  These were for the newest pinball machine, Avengers, and TRON: Legacy, a well-received machine from 2011 that, rumor has it, is going to be "reprinted" (i.e., STERN is going to produce another run of TRON machines).

I had just done my morning coffee run that day when I happened to catch the post on Pinside mentioning the Avengers update.  It was a surprise, really, because Avengers was still pretty new, and had launched with fairly complete code already in place.  Avengers owners were already pretty happy.  But I quickly downloaded the file, and put it on a thumb drive.  I then printed out the documentation, which I left on the kitchen counter along with a "Happy Valentine's Day!" note and a few candy hearts sprinkled about.

I think this was my husband's favorite Valentine ever from me. :)  But the surprises weren't over, because a bit later on, I discovered that TRON had gotten an update too.  We have a TRON. 

So when I got home that night, we applied both updates.  The process for updating the code on modern pinball machines is actually quite easy, just a matter of plugging a thumb drive into the motherboard behind the backglass.  The directions .pdf STERN has available for this is clearly explained and easy to follow.

I haven't really spent much time on the Avengers since the update, but I will say that the changes to TRON were dramatic and instantly noticeable.  Many people are saying that TRON is now a whole different ballgame, literally, and I've seen more than one person say that they'd been planning to sell their TRON because they were tired of it, but had quickly changed their minds for now.  This update made TRON fun again for players who had maybe gotten bored with it.

And that's yet another example of an element of the pinball hobby that most people probably never thought about.  STERN still owes X-Men and Transformers owners some serious code updates, but the fact that something as solid and physical as a pinball machine can be changed like that after it's already sitting in your home... well that's pretty cool.

Kickstarter: pinball as an artistic medium

I recently heard about an interesting pinball-related Kickstarter, and wanted to share:



These guys have acquired five pairs of matching pinball machines from the 70's era.  Their intent is to restore one of each set to its original glory, and then take its twin and give it the deviantART treatment, applying a unique design to each.  I really like the concept of being able to physically see the full before/after versions of each machine in the flesh, side by side.

I love so many things about this project.  First, that Wade Krause is involved.  I'd heard of him before via Anna Newman's short film, "Wade Krause: Pinball Artist".  Here's the teaser for that film:



I also feel that when a subject matter reaches the threshold where people start creatively adapting it, there is a certain level of "you know you've arrived" that comes with that.  Shakespeare, for example, like when the BBC gave that David Tennant version of Hamlet a post-modern wartime setting.  A topic has to have captured a certain degree of fascination and ubiquity to start to garner that kind of dedication and creative rumination.  It makes me really happy to think that pinball has.

Another thing I like about this project is simply the backer rewards.  I've been struggling to find interesting art to deck out our gameroom with, and this would solve that problem, too.  So please, do me a favor and back Bring Back the Arcade! Custom Pinball Art Show.

In other news, my Google Alerts have been going nutty over that new Star Wars video pinball game by Zen Studios.  We even came across it in the latest issue of Game Informer (issue #239, page 66).  I wonder if people know about all the different Star Wars pinball machines that came before this?  I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but I have to say I really like the Data East Star Wars from 1992:

Pinball mods offer infinite customization options

As pinball has become a consumer market to a significant degree (i.e., more pinball machines being purchased by individuals for home use vs. your local pub or pizza joint) it has also joined the ranks of the modding world. There is a multitude of options for customizing your pinball machine beyond what the manufacturer's initial design created. Mods can be as simple as plastic protectors for spots prone to wear, or replacing the original incandescent bulbs with various LED options. Sometimes people even turn a machine into a completely new theme via modding.

Below are just some of the types of mods that a pinball owner might make to their machine.

Cliffy protectors

A practical mod that protects vulnerable exposed edges of playfield that are prone to wear.  Cliffy protectors are something that I think is almost a given for pinball owners, and should be for pinball operators as well. It not only protects the value of your machine, it helps ensure that your machine will be in good condition 10 years from now.  You can read more in my interview with the creator of Cliffy's Pinball Protectors.

Toys

Small action figures can literally be affixed to the playfield.  Our Lord of the Rings has tons of them, and we just added some to our new Avengers machine.  My favorite mod of this type, however, is the mini arcade machine we put in TRON that is actually emulating the original TRON arcade game code.  So awesome.  So meta.  There's also the Merlin mod you can add to Medieval Madness: holding a lit color-changing crystal ball.  Check out this thread about modding the Vokswagen van in JunkYard.

LED Lights

One of the first things we do with most of our new acquisitions is replace the older incandescent lights with LED lights.  These tend to be brighter, but burn much cooler, which is better for nearby plastic parts (anyone who has seen the damage incandescent bulbs can do to the clock in Twilight Zone knows this all too well).  There are all sorts of options for varying the intensity and color of LED bulbs.  Cointaker is a good source for conversion kits, but most experienced pinball collectors purchase individual bulbs vs. kits, for a more customized end result.

There are different camps of opinion on LEDs, but the good news is, you (or the next owner of your machine) can easily swap back to incandescent if you prefer.


Example of LED lighting, Hallmark light cycle toy mod, under-cabinet lighting, and mini arcade mod

Under-cabinet Lighting

I don't see this mod around very often, but we added it to TRON: Legacy when we were first getting into modding.  You can buy LED strips that go underneath the machine, and you can wire them in to specific triggers, like flashers, to make the under-cabinet lighting also flash in time with a specific event.  Pretty cool.

Color DMD

The only full-color DMD I've seen so far is in Medieval Madness, but WOW, what a difference it makes.  You can't get color DMDs for many games yet, as they take a lot of coding to create. I believe the next one being worked on is Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I think Addams Family is also available.

Powder coating

Powder coating is a very dramatic way to make a given pinball machine stand out as unique.  I have never heard of a powder coating job that made a machine look bad (unless it was a bad powder coating of course).  It does involve prying the siderails off your pin, and the coin door as well if you want to be thorough. 

Custom blue powder coated trim on Medieval Madness (Avengers Hulk LE comes with green trim)

 



Shakers and Audio Upgrades

Shaker motors can be added to a machine to cause it to reverberate during certain moments (for example, when multiball is about to kick off in AC/DC).  This is a cool mod to do, but one side effect you can run into is that it causes the playfield glass to rattle.  Enter another mod; anti-rattle tape for the edges of the glass.

Re-themed machines

Sometimes people go WAY beyond the relatively tame modifications mentioned above and completely re-theme a machine.  This involves not only changing the look of the playfield, but also re-coding the programming.  It's the ultimate mod, but certainly one that will make your machine uber-unique.  Two examples I know of this are one where a guy pulled off a Ghostbusters theme, and quite recently, a 1975 Abra Ca Dabra machine was re-themed into "Evil Mansion, a hand-painted LSD-themed pinball machine." Now that's creativity.

---

I'm sure there are loads of other mods to mention, but those are some that we've encountered so far.

Interview: Cliff Rinear, creator of Cliffy Protectors

When I was thinking about who in pinball I would like to interview, Cliff Rinear was at the top of that list.  There aren't too many people, regardless of industry, who have a product named after them, but Cliff is one of those cases.  His line of metal protector parts, "Cliffy's," are designed to fit over specific places on pinball machines that are prone to wear.  For example, "scoops", where the ball drops in to trigger an event, frequently experience wear to the playfield wood around the edges.  Cliffy's prevent that.  This is one of those tweaks to a machine that would fall under the category of "mods".  It's also something that on-location machines would benefit from far more than home use only machines, even though it's the collectors who typically take the most protective measures to keep their machines in tip-top condition.

Interview with Cliff Rinear, creator of Cliffy's Pinball Protectors

Keeping My Cool: How did you get into pinball in the first place?

Cliff Rinear: First let me say thanks to you, Lorien, for this opportunity. I'm humbled and certainly never expected this - thanks!

I've been a tinkerer since I was able to use a screwdriver for its intended purpose :) Growing up on a homestead outside of Fairbanks, Alaska we had to make do with what we had. 8 month winters left lots of time to take things apart I probably shouldn't have. By 10 I was able to put things back together and by age 12 some things actually worked again. I was a voracious reader and pencil artist and my creativity was constantly searching for an outlet. Modeling railroads, planes and cars wasn't enough. I had to take 'em apart and make 'em better! By my teens I was tearing into motorcycles - I swear I had the engine out of an old Honda CL77 five times one summer in an attempt to get it to stay running on both cylinders. This much to my dad's chagrin as I was supposed to be doing farm stuff while summer daylight was burning (sorry pop!)

I wouldn't discover pinball until the arcade revolution of the late 70's. By then I'd left the homestead and came to California where I finished high school early and used my mom's place as a launching point to start my own life. By 1984 I was married and had two of my eventual five kids. On one particularly warm summer night we piled the kids in the car and headed to the local pizza place near us in Livermore. It was too hot to cook and too hot to wait for delivery so we went and waited for our pizza in their air conditioned restaurant. I remember standing at the counter when I heard this synthesized voice calling behind me. It was a Williams Space Shuttle! I was instantly transfixed and dropped quite a few quarters in it that night. I would play it again every time we went there but never dreamed of owning a game of my own. Didn't even cross my mind back then.

Fast forward to 1995 and I'm remarried and living in a new town, San Ramon. Up to this point I was still the avid tinkerer and adventurist having soaked myself in gold prospecting, model railroads, car restoration and even started a computer building business that ran well for several years. All this while still holding down my career job and keeping my family together. My kids always thought they had the coolest dad because of all the toys. One that always stayed with me was a 1982 Midway Tron upright vid. This was given to me dead in '88 and took 2 years to get working. It's still with me today. The PC biz was dying and I was again looking for the next big hobby project. Perusing the company bulletin board system one day I came across an ad for a pinball machine for sale and it was only 5 minutes up the road. Being a total newbie to this didn't faze me in the least. It didn't work right and the owners had whitewashed the cab in preparation for eventual stenciling. I could care less. I was all about the fixin'! So for $150 I picked up one beat up old 1966 Williams Hot Line, a single player EM pinball. I was like 12 years old on Christmas morning all over again. I couldn't sleep! I could not wait to tear into its guts. Let's just say "challenging" was an understatement :) I did get it figured out and working great but as we all know pinball is like Lays potato chips. You know you can't eat just one!

Cliffy protector under the chair of The Addams Family

KMC: How did you get the idea to start creating protectors?

Cliff: Over the next couple years I hunted down different era pinball machines. A Sonic Mars Trek, Gottlieb Cleopatra system 1 solid state, WMS Swords of Fury and Bally's Strange Science. Finally, one I'd had my eye out for ever since Amtex promised it in their pinball simulation software... Funhouse. It was my holy grail at the time and I found one with the help of a friend in Arizona. All I had to go by was snapshots (those are real pictures taken with a camera and developed on film :) "Yeah yeah yeah, looks good to me" so my buddy trucked it up and it was Christmas all over again!

Now, as anyone who is familiar with Funhouse and many other plastic ramped games knows when the ramps are blown out they aren't much fun to play. Pulling the glass to dig a ball out from where it was never meant be gets annoying real quick. This was a challenge right in my wheelhouse. I'd been told all my life I could fix anything but a rainy day and here was another chance to prove it to myself. I gathered up some stainless steel sheet that was left over from a door kick panel replacement, made some cardstock templates and cut them out with tin snips. I was happy with the results but quite honestly a little embarrassed if anyone saw them on my game. Back then new ramps were somewhat available but there was no internet parts presence. You had to call the big guys like Betson or CA Robinson. Being in the S.F. bay area we were fortunate to have a fantastic pinball parts place in Jim and Judy Tolbert's For Amusement Only in Berzerkely. Yes Jim had a new Funhouse main ramp but it was $125 and no Steps ramp. In hindsight I should have popped for the new ramp but, ok, I was kinda cheap and cheapness is the mother of invention! :)


KMC: What is the process like to create protectors?

Cliff: The process details have evolved over the years but the principles never change. Find the weak spots and protect them! Mainly I'm concerned with coverage and mounting points. I've graduated from cardstock (mostly) and tin snips to high res scanning, digital measurements, CAD and laser. I may never have reached this point without the help of my very close friends, Steve Charland and Martin Reynolds. I doubt I'll ever be able to express my gratitude enough for their friendship and the unending encouragement from all the folks who use my innovations.


What was it like when people started calling them "Cliffys"?

Cliff: Well for sure that was very humbling. A comment made in jest on a newsgroup, perhaps. But it told me these inventions truly have a place in the hobby and with that comes expectations and a responsibility to the people who put their faith - and money - in my products.

I never got around to naming my protectors and truthfully, the community sort of did that for me. I would have probably come up with some grand name like Guards of Thunder (yes I was a comic collector too) or maybe Pintectors... you know, something really, terribly lame It's an honor to have been verbed :)


KMC: How do you decide which machines to make protector offerings for, and what spots need it?

Cliff: It all started with my own games, of course, and still when I get a game it's the first thing I look to do. As soon as word got out about what I was making for myself folks wanted to see them and shortly thereafter wanted sets for their own games. Today 99.95% of what I make is because of requests. There are limits to this though. First I need something to work from. Next it has to be actually doable. Some requests just can't be realized with today’s technology or the limit of my tools. Mostly though, I really need the game itself or a playfield or ramps - depending on the protection needed. In cases where that's just not possible, I will resort to the old paper template method but accuracy is always suspect in those cases. I've had great relationships with some very talented people though who are skilled with a ruler, caliper and templates. I try to always give them credit for their help on my web page. Shout out to Chris Heffner for being the most prolific templateer and just a really great guy.

What spots need protection is determined by obvious wear, in the case of older games or by following the ball path in the case of new, unworn games.

For the record sellability is NOT a determining factor in deciding which protectors to make. I think my inventory makes that somewhat obvious but thought I may as well squeeze that in there anyway :)

More examples of Cliffy Protectors

KMC: How's business?

Cliff: It's been growing, which I'm thankful for. There are times I find myself playing catch-up and I appreciate the patience of my distributors, absolutely. I don't expect to quit my, ahem, well over 30 year career job to make protectors but I do hope I can continue growing. I'll need something to create when I retire from the day job and hopefully Cliffy's will continue to fill that need for me.


KMC: Do you think pinball is on an upswing?

Cliff: I do believe pinball, as a whole, *IS* on an upswing but in a far different arena than what they were originally created for. Stern, Illinois Pin Ball and Jersey Jack Pinball are the only commercial manufacturers of pinball machines in the USA, right now. Stern was the last maker building specifically for the original market - distribution and amusement operators. Stern eventually realized that market was waning and turned to the collector and home market (not without some kicking and screaming, however!) IPB and JJP, on the other hand, unabashedly want to cater to the collector and home market. This has created a healthy new spark of creativity and I see designer friends like Steve Ritchie, Dennis Nordman, John Trudeau, John Borg, among many others, excitedly attacking the challenge, each wanting to bring the next hot game to the players. This new enthusiasm is invigorating the boutique creators too, like Nordman/Freres with their Whizbang! Big Juicy Melons custom game and look at the crop of other custom games coming up from Popadiuk and Heck, and new manufacturers popping up in Europe and the UK. Look at the 3rd party aftermarket too! WOW! We've never seen so many creative embellishments for pinball. Some loved, some not so much but what matters is people are enthusiastic and excited about pinball and it's not just us "old guys" anymore! Pinball is HOT!


KMC: What are some of your personal favorite machines to play?

Cliff: I knew this was coming :) Ok, I only buy what I like to play. If a game has great execution of theme and gameplay, all the better! Favorite really depends on my mood so my garage, gameroom and dining room are filled so I have my moods covered. Lately I've been playing the heck out of DE Star Wars and Twilight Zone. Some days I just want a straightforward game to have fun and forget about work so I'll fire up Cyclone. Other days I long for the nostalgic clickety clack and chimes of my Jumping Jack. When I'm in the mood for a fist fight Judge Dredd gets the coin. Of course there's always that one I don't own that I just gotta play... but now I'm out of room :)

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Cliff, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview, and thank you for your ongoing efforts to keep all our pinball machines safe.  We can all sleep a little easier at night knowing you are on the job. :)

Hulk is smashing my confidence

A week or so ago, our Avengers pinball machine arrived from Stern.  We got one of the limited edition Hulk versions, partly because we totally called it that they were going to make one, and partly because my son loves Hulk.

The machine is gorgeous.  The lighting is some of the most beautiful I've seen.  The music is awesome, and the callouts (done by Marvel-approved impersonators, and not the actors from the film) always have me laughing.  I was a bit worried when I found out they weren't using film dialog or the actual actors, but they really did a good job with this.  I'm not one of those people that needs the audio clips on a pinball machine to always be referencing pinball.  Tron, for example, just tactically integrates actual movie dialog into the play experience, and I love that.  However, the Avengers callouts are great, and I'm now cool with that approach too.

You have to be a pretty accurate player to hit the shots in this game, you have to hit them pretty much dead-on, and the game is all about making those shots.  The ball will redily bounce into the outlanes and drain, too.  One of the goals is to assemble all the Avengers.  So far, I have assembled no more than two in any given game.  I almost always get the Hulk, and Captain America is not that hard to collect, but I've only gotten him a couple times, and Thor once, randomly. 

George, I love you, but it's pretty crazy when I'm falling back to AC/DC because it's nicer to me! :p  I think Avengers is a bit beyond my skill level, but I'm going to keep at it and see if I can improve.  I have to admit, the machine is brutal, but there's no doubt it'll make me a better player!  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, after all, and when I do make the Hawkeye and Black Widow shots, it feels really freaking good.

Get old-schooled with the Pinball 101 instructional video

Part of rediscovering pinball often includes experiencing the epiphany that pinball is a deep game involving a lot of skill.  This was certainly my own situation; the limited amount of pinball I played back in the day was mostly just me trying to keep the ball from draining in the hopes that cool light shows and multiballs would materialize at some point.

OK, I'm still doing that a little bit; I make much better shots now, and I'm much more aware of modes, but I'm still a newbie when it comes to the strategies of stacking modes and timing multiball for optimal jackpots and so forth.  My scores reflect this, but I want to get better.

Pinball 101 is a good step in that direction.  It's an instructional video that goes over different moves.  It does a great job explaining and illustrating how to do various passes. These moves are essential for controlling the ball, and they have the added bonus of looking pretty badass when executed in front of any pinball newb friends you might have hanging around.

The most common criticism of this film is the weird music video breaks in between instruction sets.  They have a tiny remote control car with a camera attached that they drive around various playfields.  I'ts actually kind of a neat idea, but it does feel like filler; I'm here to learn about pinball skills, dag nabbit!

The hardest part about applying these shots to your game is taking the time to practice them.  Even with home games on free play, it's very hard, for me at least, to not just go back to playing and actually practice.  Even when the reward is great.  And it is.  I taught myself the post pass move on Frankenstein without realizing that was what it was called, and it was extremely satisfying to make that shot.  The frustrating (or maybe just infinitely interesting) thing about pinball is, just because I can do a good post pass on one game, doesn't mean I can on a different game.

Overall, Pinball 101 is a valuable instructional video for a new player looking to improve and you just have to ignore the interspersed hokiness.  You can buy Pinball 101 on their website, and it is also available on iTunes.  These guys have a second DVD, The Pinball Collector, which seems like it focuses on older machines (part 1 will focus on pre-1960 machines, with a part 2 planned for machines created after that).  What perked my ears a bit more, though, was seeing that they are working on a Pinball 102 film.  I'll keep you posted on that one, but I better get to work graduating from Pinball 101 first.

Watch the Pinball 101 trailer on YouTube

Google: What makes pinball ownership possible

The internet is such a wonderful thing, sometimes we take for granted the way it has changed every aspect of our lives.  I was thinking, though, without the internet it would be really hard to own and maintain pinball machines.  Forums like RGP and Pinside are invaluable in their role of bringing pinball enthusiasts together to share knowledge, ask questions, and troubleshoot.  But even beyond that, Google combines their powers to let you dig for the specific topic you need, on every indexed pinball forum or website in existence.  Kids, life wasn't always like this...

Whenever a problem comes up on one of our machines, we just Google it.  And there is almost always a result that either walks through solving that exact problem, or is close enough.  Frequently with detailed pictures.  Pinball owners love taking detailed pictures, thank goodness.  Say, for example, you just can't remember which side up a particular ROM chip goes, or some other board detail.  You can almost always find images someone has taken of your exact machine's boards.

This may all be self-evident, but I'm just saying, before the internet, before Google, it would be much harder to share maintenance knowledge of this kind.  It would all be in silos in the form of seasoned pinball operators and electrical engineers.  You'd have to know somebody.  It's good to stop every once in a while and think about that.  This goes for every detail-oriented hobby, really.

It also makes navigating my way across New England to pick up pinball machines infinitely easier.  Actually acquiring the machine is also key to pinball ownership.

Thanks, Google!

Should you buy a pinball machine?

Pinball machine ownership is an expensive and time-intensive hobby.  Is it worth doing, especially if you are lucky enough to live somewhere you can still play pinball in public?  Let's have a look at the pros and cons of home pinball ownership.

Image by Fred Bellet via Tampa Bay Online

Pros

Condition control.  This is probably the number one reason to own a pinball machine.  Machines in public places are not always taken care of and maintained.  It hurts the play experience, and this is something you may not even realize until you've played a well-maintained machine.  As a pinball owner, not only will your machine be played more gently (and mainly just by YOU), you can keep it in tip-top condition.  You control the pitch of the playfield, you control the various program settings (profanity filter on/off, score resets, ball save timers, etc.).

Access to specific machines. Another benefit to seeking out your own machines is that you aren't limited to whatever machine happens to be onsite at your local bowling alley or bar.  If you always loved Terminator 2, you can get a Terminator 2 pinball machine.  For a while, my local airport actually had Medieval Madness, and I looked forward to playing it any time I travelled through there.  But then one day it was gone.

Tinkering.  If you're a tinkerer, oh man, is pinball ever the hobby for you!  Even if your machine is running perfectly, there are endless opportunities for tweaks, polishing, and improvement.  A pinball owner's work is never done.

Some of history's greatest men were tinkerers...

Modding.  When you own your own pinball machine, you can do with it as you please.  Pinball modding presents a whole world of fascinating options.  From practical additions like Invisiglass and Cliffy protectors to decals and flashy decorative mods like undercabinet lighting and playfield toys, modding allows you to improve the play experience and make your machine more uniquely you.



No quarters necessary.  Unless you want to give your kids the world's heaviest piggybank, all machines can be set to free play for a home use environment.  You'll get a lot more practice in when all you have to do is hit start, believe me.  You'll try riskier moves, and if the ball drains in the process, or you tilt the machine, oh well; the next game is just a button push away.  If you want to become more skilled at pinball, nothing helps more than having a machine in the next room when you've got a few minutes to spare.

"All my friends will be so impressed!"  Well... not necessarily.  I mean, that's what we thought at first, but we've actually found that most of our pre-existing friends aren't that enthusiastic about pinball (though they may be impressed anyway, in a "wow, you guys are amazingly obsessed" kind of way).  They aren't calling up all the time to come over and play, and when they are over, there's a weird hesitation barrier to pushing the start button.  On the flip-side, people we weren't as close to, like my daughter's best friend's mom or the neighbors across the street, turned out to love pinball, and now we share that much more common ground.  And we've made new friends in the pinhead community, too.  You don't have to ask that crowd twice to attend a pinball party at your place.

Cons

Expense.  Buying a pinball machine will generally cost you thousands of dollars.  And shipping is certainly not trivial either; that'll run $300 - $400 or so.  You're not going to make back the initial costs on the quarters you save.

Ongoing expense.  Bulbs go out.  Pinballs get dings and wear, and need to be replaced (about $1 a piece).  You need lint-free cloths, and the proper cleaning solutions, and wax, and other maintenance supplies.  If a plastic piece on the playfield breaks, it's off to Ebay or one of the pinball parts suppliers for a replacement (if one exists).  Your DMD display will probably die at some point and need to be replaced. 

Learning curve.  Unless you want to just shell out for the local pinball repairman every time something goes wrong (if there even IS a local pinball repairman in your area), you'll have to learn how to fix stuff.  That can be a positive or a negative, depending on your temperment, but every time a new problem surfaces, it's on you to figure out how to fix it.  Granted, the online pinball enthusiast community is a priceless source of information, support, and advice.  I say it's on you to fix it, but you're not alone.

What if it breaks forever? It's always possible that a permanent failure will occur, something that just can't be fixed. For the most part, though, that doesn't happen. As complex as a pinball machine is, it mostly boils down to simple electronics and triggers, and a computery motherboard or two.



Under playfield view of Bally's The Shadow

Bigger than a bread box.  Pinball machines are a huge piece of furniture, and getting them into the house can be a hassle.  If/when you move to a new residence you have to factor in that hassle amongst all the other hassles inherent in moving.  It's pretty much the equivalent of taking your refrigerator with you every time you move, multiplied by however many machines you wind up owning (and you can fool yourself into thinking you'll stop at one, but overwhelming case evidence is against you there).

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In the end, owning a pinball machine vs. playing on site is a lot like owning a home vs. renting. And just like home ownership, it's not for everyone.  One thing to remember if you do become a collector, though; your local arcade still needs your support!  Don't forget to drop a quarter in those machines now and then, even if you become an obsessive addicted pinball collector. :)

Geekumentary Review: The Pinball Passion

"Video games are kind of like checkers; pinball is chess."

- John Kosmal, competitive pinball player

After TILT and Special When Lit whet my appetite for pinball documentaries, I went looking for more and found The Pinball Passion.  This one came out in 2008, when pinball was being kept alive by the home enthusiasts, expos, big public collections like the pinball museum in Las Vegas, and of course Stern (who became the last manufacturer standing in 1999 when Williams shut down).

The Pinball Passion is a 2-disc set with some great bonus material including a behind the scenes tour at Stern Pinball. It's a comprehensive film that covers several interesting aspects of pinball. It provides some nice highlights on the evolution of pinball as told by reknowned members of the industry such as Alvin Gottlieb, Roger Sharpe, Gary Stern, Pat Lawlor, and Steve Ritchie.


They talk about the depth and modes of pinball machines, something that would probably be very illuminating to many people (myself included, prior to falling in love with the hobby).  The often told legend of Roger Sharpe vs. the New York City Council is related; this story pops up in almost every pinball documentary, but I do enjoy hearing it, it's pinball canon and a dramatic pivotal moment in pinball history.

There is also some good discussion about the challenges of public play pinball.  Arcade machines simply don't have the same magnitude of maintenance requirements that pinball does.  A well-maintained machine is a joy to experience, but, as the documentary points out, if a player walks up to a machine with a broken flipper, it creates a distasteful experience that will probably turn them off to pinball in general.  It's hard to get the mainstream public excited about pinball when so many on-location machines are not kept in good working order.

One of my favorite parts is the discussion on Stern, and how they have adapted to survive.  Some people hate Stern; they hate that machines have gotten cheaper (production-wise) and more standardized, that Stern is said to "literally buy toys from Wal-Mart and put them in the machines" as opposed to some of the amazing and unique machines that came out of the golden age of pinball.  It's a legitimate point of contention, but bottom line, in my opinion, they have done what they had to do to keep making pinball, and I salute them for that, I really do.

One of the only things I didn't like about this documentary concerns the DVD menu.  The options are to play the movie, or "Mode Select" and "Wizard Mode".  That may be a clever way to label these sections in line with the subject matter, but I have NO IDEA what is in them.  They probably should have stuck with "Settings" and "Bonus Material".  It's a minor objection, though.  The film has been dedicated to the two new pinball machines they could have bought, but instead made this documentary.  Truth.  Thanks, guys, your efforts are greatly appreciated.


Pinball Passion
A Pinball Story Told by Pinball People
Bracken J. Batson and Beau B. Bellgraph, 2008
http://www.pinballpassion.com

Jersey Jack Pinball is making The Hobbit next

The Sunday after Thanksgiving started off quietly, like any other Sunday.  We slept in about an hour later than normal, I did a coffee run, and we settled down to a nice lazy morning.  I loaded up the Pinside forums, as I often do, and one innocent little post caught my eye:

Pinball heaven uk announces 2nd pin from jjp

It seemed a distributor in the UK had announced that Jersey Jack pinball machine #2 was officially The Hobbit. It was certainly possible, the most recent information from Jack himself was that the next machine would be a licensed title, and that big news would be coming this month.  In the past there were mutterings that Jack had The Hobbit license rights secured.

This turned out to be true. There are going to be 1,500 Limited Edition versions, and the anticipated scramble is going to be for the 500 new Limited Edition slots opening up. Customers who have reserved a Wizard of Oz LE have first-dibs on the first 1,000 Limited Edition numbers, and they have two weeks to commit or release their reservation. The estimated completion date for this title is July 2014. From now to February, 2013, the cost of an LE is $7500. After February, it goes up to $8,000.  No, it's not cheap. But Lord of the Rings by Stern is one of the most highly regarded modern pinball machines, and there are plenty of LOTR owners out there envisioning a Hobbit next to their LOTR.

Now, there hasn't been a big official announcement on this yet. And if you want a Hobbit pinball machine, there will be however many standard versions the market demands. At this time, nobody even knows what the differences will be between the LE and the standard. But if you want to snag one of those limited edition versions, you should contact Jersey Jack Pinball directly and it can be arranged. Or, wait and see how many WOZ LE owners relinquish their LE options for The Hobbit, and hope to snag a lower number in the production run. This is going to be a long wait, so along the way, probably people will surrender their LE spots here and there.

Impending Pinball Announcements

November's going to be over before we know it.  There's going to be Thanksgiving, and a couple days of recovery, and then in a blink it's going to be November 26th.  And I can't wait, because the tail end of November is looking to be PACKED with pinball news.

First up, Jersey Jack pinball has said they will be announcing their next title within the week.  It was last weekend when they said that, but I doubt they'll make an announcement in the middle of all the Thanksgiving/Black Friday noise.  I wouldn't.  It's going to be another licensed title, and it's going to be a widebody, like Wizard of Oz.  These two facts alone are very intriguing.



Everyone already knows Stern's next machine is Avengers, but they have been very frugal with the details so far.  Gary Stern, however, stated that lots of details will be released at the end of this month.  Possibly even a video.



We're not in a position right now to be able to afford a new pin, but I'm still VERY excited to find out these new details.

Interview with Gary Stern about the state of pinball

I wanted to share this update from 904 Pinball Zine from the Southern Pinball Festival.  It's a great interview with Gary Stern, who has been in the pinball business "for 65 years... because I'm 67." :)



So, about Avengers... official announcement at the end of November, pictures of all the different versions, spec list, possible gameplay video.

Alright then. 13 days to go.

A Pinball Documentaries Rundown

My greatest obsession right now is with pinball, and it can be traced back to pinball documentaries (geekumentaries being my OTHER greatest obsession).  There are actually several pinball documentaries available, so I thought I'd outline the ones I know about here.

TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball

TILT takes place at the tail-end of the golden age of pinball. It tells the story of an effort by Williams to turn slipping sales trends around in the late 90s with a new type of pinball machine, Pinball 2000, that integrated video on the playfield in an inventive way.  It is one of my favorite geekumentaries, pinball or otherwise.


Trailer for "TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball" from Greg Maletic on Vimeo.

TILT can be had digitally on iTunes, Amazon Instant, and so forth, but I recommend the 2-DVD set for the awesome bonus materials.



Pinball Passion

The Pinball Passion is sort of just a general overview of pinball, but it covers some really great topics and includes a good sampling of the big names in pinball.  It was completed in 2008, so it's a lot more recent look at the hobby than TILT and specifically discusses how Stern is the only remaining pinball manufacturer left from the golden age of pinball, and how they are pulling that off.


Pinball Passion DVD Documentary Teaser Trailer from Bracken James Batson on Vimeo.

This one is another 2-DVD set (also available digitally), though the bonus material isn't as robust as TILT's.

Special When Lit

Whereas TILT told a story focused on pinball designers and manufacturers, Special When Lit dives more into the collector/player side of pinball. Some feel this film went out of its way to show pinball enthusiasts as non-socialized nerds, but I've heard others say that the people in the film were portrayed accurately, if not as representatives of the average pinball fan, at least as a fair overall representation of those individuals' personalities.  I have noticed that so far, pinball documentaries seem to focus mainly on collectors who collect mostly the older machines, EM era vs. SS.

Special When Lit was completed in 2010 and covers pinball after the pinball apocalypse of the late 90s. It portrays a rediscovering of sorts, though it has an overall somber tone and dubious forecast for pinball as a hobby.


Pinball 101

Pinball 101 isn't really a documentary per se, but I include it here because it is another DVD  you can buy about pinball, and it teaches you something that the previously mentioned films don't really delve into; pinball gameplay and how to become more skilled at the game.

And, by the same people, there is apparently also The Pinball Collector, which appears to be about collecting older machines (they say Pinball Collector part 2 will cover newer machines).  Aaaand, they are working on a Pinball 102.




More

There are definitely more pinball-related documentaries out there, including some really great little featurettes that are available online for free.  Two of my favorites are The Robert Gagno episode of Ingenious Minds, and A Lifelong Love, about collector/competitor John Reuter.  I've posted these before, but they are both just great, so here's an encore:





A Lifelong Love from David Lovejoy on Vimeo.

And lastly, looks like the Japanese were hip to the pinball resurgence way back in 2010 in this featurette about pinball in New York City, New York City Pinball Documentary, featuring - guess who - Reciprocal.  Man, those guys gets around! :)

Jersey Jack Pinball reveals Wizard of Oz crystal ball functionality

Makers of the Wizard of Oz pinball machine have been keeping a secret.  Every time anyone asked about the crystal ball on the playfield and what it "does", they would coyly avoid the question in a way that made it obvious it was going to do something cool.

Today they have revealed the crystal ball's functionality, and it is undeniably cool.  The crystal ball, like in the movie, will display video.  Many people suspected this was what they might be planning, but it's pretty neat to see them pull it off.