Before Pinball Expo 2022 started, Martin Ayub and I visited Jersey Jack Pinball, were we got a factory tour by game designer Eric Meunier. The photos below will give an impression of that tour.
Jersey Jack Pinball currently has two production lines, but at the time of our visit only one line was in use.
For more images from the Jersey Jack Pinball factore, see the Pinball Expo report.
Pinball Expo 2022 is here and Pinball Magazine is present to report from the show. A small warning upfront: as this is a show with A LOT going on, and I’m helping Martin Ayub of Pinball News out with the video registration of seminars, it turns out to be hard to find the time to sit down, write a report, and edit the photos I’ve taken. I’ll try to report as much as possible during the show and will most likely finish the report probably when the show is over.
Pinball Expo is held at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. Martin Ayub of Pinball News and I often travel together to these events and we both report from them separately. Martin covers the show in his way on his Pinball News website, while my report is more like a travel blog.
We arrived in Schaumburg on Monday, October 17th, two days before the start of the show. Monday evening we went to Enterrium, a huge local arcade. Pinball designer/programmer Scott Danesi (Total Nuclear Annihilation, Rick and Morty) had announced on Facebook he would be at this barcade that evening to play redemption games at half price. As it turned out, Scott wasn’t the only pinball designer present as Mark Seiden (Jersey Jack Pinball) and Ryan McQuaid (American Pinball) were also present. All three have a history of starting with homebrew games. Martin and I played a couple of games on Toy Story 4, which was the first time I got to play the game. As I haven’t seen any of the Toy Story movies, I had an unbiased approach to the game and I can only say that it’s a great shooting game. It plays like butter, very nice flow.
Tuesday morning we visited Jersey Jack Pinball, where we got a factory tour from game designer Eric Meunier. For photos of that tour, see this article. The JJP factory is a very clean, classy and efficient factory, and Eric had time to give a very detailed tour. Following the tour, Martin and I were playing a few more games of Toy Story 4 in the JJP reception hall, when game designer Steve Ritchie walked by. We both know Steve well and were happy to see him again. As he was heading out for lunch with Mark Seiden, he invited us to join them. We went to a Chinese restaurant with a very good reputation. Many pinball industry professionals eat here regularly.
Following lunch, Martin and I headed to American Pinball. We were supposed to meet David Fix, but as David is one of the main organizers of Pinball Expo he was busy setting up the show at the Renaissance hotel. Instead, we got a factory tour from Max Senesac, who has been working for the company in Sales for almost a year now. Comparing the production facility of American Pinball with Jersey Jack Pinball, I’d say the American Pinball lines are a factor five smaller than at JJP. As a result the production lines at AP are shorter, which means less stations on the line to put parts on the playfield and each station has more parts to install on the playfield. Still, a very efficient line. Photos will follow soon in a seperate article.
Following the tour, I got a chance to talk to veteran pinball designer Dennis Nordman, whos career in pinball is covered in-depth in Pinball Magazine No. 2. Dennis is currently working on two games for American Pinball. Both are non-licensed themes and the first of these games will have artwork by Christopher Franchi.
Tuesday evening we were invited to a league night at Mark Seiden’s house. Here I was able to play Mark’s Metroid game. This game design resulted in him getting hired at Jersey Jack where he is being mentored by Steve Ritchie.
Wednesday morning, Martin and I checked out of our hotel to move to the Renaissance Hotel. For both of us, this is our first time attending Pinball Expo at this location. Last year, Pinball Expo moved to this location, but we couldn’t attend due to Covid-19 restrictions. The hotel reminds me a bit of the Texas Pinball Festival hotel.
Wednesday is build-up day for all exhibitors on the show floor. The only public event part of Pinball Expo is the Bumper Blast Welcoming Party, which this year was held at Enterrium. Schoolbuses were available to bring visitors from the Renaissance hotel to Enterrium.
At Enterrium, it turned out the Bumper Blast event was held at the same time as a local pinball tournament, resulting in a very crowded Barcade. For the tournament, all piball machines had been moved to the area next to the bowling alley. The Bumper Blast event was held in a separate room in the back, on the other side of the bowling alley, where free food and drinks were served. I arrived rather late, which turned out to be a good thing, as there had been a lengthy line for the food and drinks, which by the time I arrived was reduced to a minimum. While at times some of the food trays were empty, they would within minutes be replaced with new trays of food.
At 10:00 PM, Enterrium closed and buses were waiting outside to take everybody back to the Renaissance hotel.
Thursday
Thursday morning, Pinball Expo kicked off with a tour of the Jersey Jack Pinball Factory. Below are photos from the factory tour, focusing on the tour. In a separate article, I posted photos from the tour I had two days earlier, which are far more focused on the various stages of how pinball games are build.
The showfloor for Pinball Expo is drastically different than the previous location, the Westin in Weeling, Illinois. Now, all vendors, manufacturers, and free play games are setup in one large hall. I took photos during setup of the show, which I used in a special newsletter I sent out that afternoon. Below I will post photos from the show floor during the show, with all booths set up and up and running.
The images above were mostly taken on the Thursday of the show.
So, the images above give a good impression of what the main hall of Pinball Expo looked like. Compared to previous editions, I find this new location and the current setup a huge improvement. One of the main elements of Pinball Expo that is still held in a separate room are the seminars. These were held in a room on the first level in the lobby. This year, I helped Martin Ayub of Pinball News out in the recording of the many seminars. Martin still recorded most, but I was able to take over for some hours so that he could go to the show floor to see what that was like. Note that the seminar program is packed. They start at 8:15 AM and continue until way past 10:00 PM. All seminars can now be watched on the Pinball News youtube channel, or on the Pinball News website, which also has a short summary of each seminar.
Because I was helping out Martin, I didn’t spend as much time as otherwise on the show floor. Still I was able to go over, buy some parts, play the new Queen game by Pinball Brothers, play several of the homebrew games, and talk to many familiar faces that I haven’t seen in three years or so.
On Thursday and Friday, the show closed at midnight, but that didn’t mean the party was over. The hotel has a large lobby with a nice firepit, where a lot of people hang out until early in the morning. Much to my, and many other’s surprise, the hotel bar closed at 11:00 PM, so people brought their own drinks. From the sound of it, which could be heard up to the seventh floor of the hotel, people had a good time hanging out.
On Saturday, two autograph sessions were held in the room next to the seminar room. The first session was the traditional autograph session as we have seen at previous Pinball Expos. Pinball game designers, artists, engineers and other creative people from the industry sit behind a large table and attendees of the show can have their translites, flyers, playfields and other items signed by the people responsible for that game. Unfortunately, former Gottlieb designer Bill Parker became unwell during the first session and was taken to a hospital by medics.
Later in the afternoon, Stern Pinball held their own autograph session. Besides the familiar designers and artists that also attended the first autograph session, this session had more video animators, programmers, mechanical engineers and people in other positions that are less noticable, to sign game-specific items.
Prior to Pinball Expo, Henrik Maurer of Pinball Dreams in Germany had reached out to me. He was coming to Pinball Expo and was hoping to talk to former bally pinball designer Jim Patla and former Bally engineer Allen Reizman regarding a game he recently found in Germany. That game would be the only fiberglass Bally KISS game in the world. Henrik had met Jim Patla already on Thursday. Alen Reizman would only attend Expo on the Saturday, and I was able to get him to meet Henrik and Ingo, the owner of the game. Henrik had created a one-page flyer for the game, which he showed to Allen. Allen hadn’t seen the game in over 40 years and was under the impression it was destroyed. He wanted to know all about how they found it, the condition of the game and so on.
Henrik gave Allen a few of the flyers he had printed. Thirty minutes later, multiple people started walking up to me. “I hear you have flyers of a unique KISS game. Can I have one?” I tried to explain I did not have these flyers, but quickly figured it would be easier to ask Henrik to drop off some flyers so I could make these people happy, which he did. In the meantime, Allen has posted some photos of the game on Facebook.
Another highlight of the show was walking onto the show floor and DJ Jivan Ivan was playing Baltimora’s Tarzan Boy. As I collect 7 inch singles by italian artists, I was curious what pressing he was playing, as I have never seen the U.S pressing of this track. So I explain I collect this type of music on vinyl and such and he hands me the record as a gift. How cool is that?! Thank you, Jivan Ivan!
This report is still being updated, so please come back for more soon.
Stern Pinball announced their newest cornerstone game: James Bond 007, coming in three models: Pro, Premium and Limited Edition. The game is designed by Stern Pinball’s VP of Game Design George Gomez. Gomez picked up the license after Steve Ritchie, the original designer of the game, left for a competing company. A fourth James Bond-themed game is also announced, but is designed by Keith Elwin. That game has yet to be revealed. Below is how Stern Pinball’s announced the game on social media:
Stern Pinball, Inc. launches a new line of pinball machines celebrating the iconic, genre-defining James Bond films. The James Bond 007 cornerstone series features the original 007 actor, Sean Connery, available in Pro Edition, Premium Edition, and Limited Edition (LE). Stern Pinball will also release a special James Bond 007 60th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machine featuring all six James Bond actors.
In Dr. No (1962) Sean Connery propelled 007 into the cultural zeitgeist, bringing the legendary literary figure to life through adrenalized action sequences, ground-breaking gadgets and effects, memorable characters, and timeless villains.
Stern’s James Bond 007 cornerstone pinball machine will highlight film footage and iconic music from the films that built the 007 legend: Dr. No, From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Players are immersed into the world of espionage in this action-packed pinball experience, tackling assignments, teaming up with key allies, and stopping SPECTRE’s villainous schemes.
Gather gadgets from Q Branch as pinballs get ejected through the roof of a custom sculpted Aston Martin DB5. Break through the Osato Chemicals drop targets to battle SPECTRE at the Bird 1 rocket base. And hold your breath on the gravity defying, magnetic jetpack as it transports pinballs across the playfield.
James Bond 007 pinball machines include Stern’s award-winning Insider Connected™ system, which enables players to interact with the game and a global network of players in a variety of ways. Through Insider Connected, players can track progress, earn new game-specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests. Insider Connected also provides an operator-focused toolset to drive location play through Location Leaderboards, build player loyalty, analyze performance, make adjustments remotely, and maintain the machines. Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com/.
Limited to 1,000 machines globally, the highly collectible cornerstone Limited Edition includes an exclusive full-color mirrored backglass inspired by Thunderball, masterfully adapted cabinet artwork, custom high gloss and powder-coated pinball armor, a custom designer-autographed bottom arch, exclusive inside art blades, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball playfield glass, shaker motor, a sequentially numbered plaque, and a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Stern Chairman Gary Stern and President Seth Davis.
Stern’s James Bond 007 60th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machines will immerse players in the history of 007. Limited to 500 machines globally, the highly collectible 60th Anniversary Limited Edition offers players a retro-inspired playfield packed with exciting mechanical action. Control the chaos from Oddjob’s kinetic spinning disc hat, survive tactical precision shots against 10 drop targets, escape SPECTRE’s evil henchmen navigating pinballs through 4 fast-flowing optical spinners, learn assignments through an in-playfield LCD screen, and rack up high scores on classic-style score reels.
“James Bond is as timeless as pinball. Partnering with EON Productions/Danjaq, MGM Studios and Aston Martin, we created a pinball adventure capturing the suspense, action, and humor from this beloved film series.” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO. “Get connected today and become a legend.”
Fittingly, the new James Bond 007 pinball machines will be on show for the first time to media and public in London. On September 26th the games will be on display and available to play as part of the Bond-themed Christie’s Late, a public event celebrating the forthcoming Christie’s Sixty Years of James Bond Charity Auction. Shortly after, they will be a part of the James Bond at 60 weekend at the British Film Institute on the South Bank, September 30th-October 2nd.
Pricing and Availability:
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (“MSRP”)*:
Pro Edition: $US 6,999
Premium Edition: $US 9,699
Limited Edition: $US 12,999
60th Anniversary Limited Edition: CALL FOR PRICE
*MSRP for sales to USA end-users, before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes.
James Bond 007 pinball machines and accessories are available now through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world. Pro and Premium Editions will also be available at 007Store.com
For more information, visit: https://sternpinball.com/game/james-bond-007/
Gary Stern’s mailing to distributors can be read below:
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
A dream come true – pinball based on a fantastic theme with movie history, including 25 films which were released generation after generation. Today we introduce Stern’s latest games, James Bond 007. With Bond movies and licensed products having grossed over $15 Billion worldwide, this movie franchise, the franchise that created the spy genre, reaches its 60th anniversary this year.
Stern EVP/CCO George Gomez took the lead and designed our 3 cornerstone games – James Bond 007 Pro Edition, Premium Edition and Limited Edition. George has based his Bond games on the six genre defining Sean Connery films:
An enthusiast Bond fan since early childhood, George has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Bond. The opportunity to bring to pinball the mechanical action of gadgets created by “Q” and action scenes included in these Bond movies energized his creativity. James Bond 007 is a passion project for George. That passion shows in the games he has created.
I hope you have watched Seth’s and my webinar and our game play videos to see all the memorable action and features straight from James Bond that our games capture. All Cornerstone Editions have, of course, an Aston Martin DB5 ejecting a ball thru its opening roof. A 3 bank drop target protects the custom molded SPECTRE “Bird One” rocket that senses and moves when hit. The underwater Thunderball fight scene is illuminated on the playfield. And much more.
The James Bond 007 Premium Edition adds more action and features. The ball is shot up the “Bird One” rocket gantry to be captured for multiball. The underwater fight scene utilizes molded characters under the playfield. A magnet on a sculpted moving James Bond JetPack captures the ball. The Premium has Dr. No’s Dragon Tank, illuminated and with 2 targets for players to attempt hitting by releasing the ball from the JetPack magnet.
Each movie’s titles, villains, henchmen, SPECTRE weapons and Bond women are symbolized in strings of light up inserts. Progressions through each and through the SPECTRE spellout are visually exhibited to great and novice players.
I could add a detailed list of all the other mechanical devices – 3rd flipper, wire ramps, stainless ramps, up posts, vuks, control gates. It’s better that you watch the videos and play the games.
James Bond 007 play excitement is enhanced with film clips, plus Stern created animation so detailed it has been mistaken for film. Voices from the six movies are carefully integrated into the game. Leading with the iconic John Barry’s Bond theme music from Dr. No, other compositions from each movie are utilized in that movie’s game play sequences and modes. Included are performances by Matt Monro, Nancy Sinatra and Shirley Bassey.
The James Bond 007 games feature art adapted from famous Bond illustrators & designers Frank McCarthy, Robert McGinnis and Ken Adam. The Pro, Premium and Limited Editions each highlight a different movie. The movie’s poster has been adapted for each edition’s backglass. The cabinet right sides, different for each edition, have Bond movie posters from the 5 Connery movies not featured in that game’s backglass. The left side has art themed around the edition’s highlighted movie. The playfield art includes all six of the Connery movies.
The 1,000 James Bond 007 Limited Edition are numbered 001 to 1000. Each has:
And there is more.
Keith Elwin has designed a retro inspired James Bond 007 60th Anniversary Limited Edition, capturing all James Bonds and their films. It’s a classic drop target game with 10 drop targets, Oddjob kinetic spinning disc, and many fast flowing spinners. In addition to traditional score reels, an LCD display is mounted in the playfield. This highly collectible limited model will be numbered 001-500. A full reveal will be coming soon.
All James Bond 007 ship Insider Connected™ capable. Utilizing the power of the internet, we will issue special Bond “Assignments” only possible on connected games.
James Bond 007 games will be available in November. We will begin with Pro Editions, followed by Limited Edition games, and then Premium Editions. The 60th Anniversary Limited Edition production will be in December. Information on accessories is coming soon.
We are all aware that inflation has caused parts and labor cost increases. Supply chain difficulties have resulted in additional cost increases. We annually have increased our wholesale sales prices, and new prices will be set for James Bond 007. Our sales reps will be able to give you prices for all games (cornerstone, 60th, studio & home editions) and also for requests of specific Limited Edition numbers.
Prices on prior cornerstone models will increase to the James Bond 007 level on January 1, 2023. A new UMRP, MAP and MSRP list will be sent to USA customers. The list will indicate these prices for James Bond 007 games. For other models it will indicate current prices and the prices at January 1, 2023. For models that are reaching end of life in 2022, the UMRP/MAP/MSRP will not increase on January 1, 2023. Included are Guardians of the Galaxy, Led Zeppelin, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We will accept cancellations, should you so desire
Jack Danger will stream James Bond 007 Premium/LE Editions. For updated information, please check https://facebook.com/sternpinball
I will end where I started. These James Bond 007 games are a dream come true.
Best regards,
Gary
Gary Stern
Chairman and CEO
Stern Pinball, Inc.
2001 Lunt Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-5605 USA
www.sternpinball.com
Below are photo galeries of the Pro, Premium and LE models:
Below is a gallery of Premium model images:
Below is a gallery of Limited Edition model images:
The first image of the James Bond 007 game designed by Keith Elwin was already shown on the 007.com website:
Backbox of the Champion Edition
Following a demo game displayed at a Queen pop-up store in the fall of 2021, Pinball Brothers and Queen have finally announced their Queen – Live In Concert pinball machine to go into production. There will be two versions of the game, a Champion Edition and a Rhapsody Limited Edition (1,000 units), of which the latter will become available in the first quarter of 2023. The game features 14 songs from Queen’s well-known Wembley live shows from 1986.
Here are the close up playfield images provided by Pinball Brothers:
Player’s view
The upper playfield
The Red Special mini playfield with captive ball
Based on these photos the game appears to have two flippers in the standard position at the bottom of the playfield, a thrid flipper on the Red Special miniplayfield, three popbumpers, three shot-blocking droptargets, a huge metal center ramp, elevated static radio and Wembley Arena sculptures, numerous stand-up targets and one spinner.
From earlier rumors it is understood the game was originally designed by Dave Sanders and Barry Oursler during the days of Heighway Pinball. At that time the game was developed as a widebody design. Now that Pinball Brothers have taken over, the game has been modified into a standard width game by the Pinball Brothers Design Team and Alexander Spohr.
The art package of the Rhapsody LE differs from the Champion Edition, as can be seen below:
The Rhapsody LE artwork package
While the game is announced July 21st, 2022, production of the game will start in September 2022. As with Pinball Brothers’ previous title, Alien, production will be handled by Pedretti Gaming in Italy.
Additional info:
Below is the official announcement from the Pinball Brothers press release:
QUEEN AND PINBALL BROTHERS ANNOUNCES NEW PINBALL MACHINE: QUEEN – LIVE IN CONCERT!
With over 300 million albums sold worldwide, the iconic British rock band Queen are one of the biggest bands ever. Formed in London in 1971, Queen have released 15 studio albums, toured extensively, and produced innovative film, video and theatre shows for over 5 decades and they continue to pull in the crowds around the world.
The time has now come to honour this legendary band with a pinball machine based on their truly spellbinding songs – all played LIVE!
The game will be available in two different editions: Champions Edition and Rhapsody Edition. Rhapsody Edition is limited to a run of 1,000 numbered games and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
The limited Rhapsody Edition will come with a number of unique add-ons and the two editions will be different in appearance.
We have worked closely with the band to ensure their approval and it features the following live songs:
Game Features
The game features 14 live songs accompanied by call outs by the band, exclusively recorded for the game.
Featured also is Brian May’s legendary Red Special guitar, in the shape of an upper playfield where you can lock balls to start the Red Special multiball. Or you can visit the epic Wembley Stadium to lock balls to start yet another of the game’s many multiballs.
Keep an eye on the Radio – it might help you time your flips! Collect autographs, instruments, band members, tour passes and posters on your way to eventually reaching the final wizard mode »I Want it All!«
The game is presented with a breath-taking full RGB light show and a HiFidelity sound system, including an 8” bass speaker. It is hard to imagine a better way of experiencing Queen live, whether it be at the club or in your own living room. It is truly immersive!
Pricing and Availability
*Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (»MSRP«)
The Rhapsody Edition is limited to 1000 units and will be available through our global distributors.
The Champions Edition will become available in Q1 2023.
Pre-order through your local distributor today!
Pinball Brothers
Tune in for the upcoming Pinball Magazine & Pinball News PINcast for more details about the Queen game.
Left: Jack Guarnieri and his daughter Jen di Cosmo, right: Toy Story 4 pinball designer Pat Lawlor.
Yesterday, Jersey Jack Pinball revealed their long-anticipated seventh game title: Toy Story 4. Pinball Magazine just received the following info from JJP-founder Jack Guarnieri:
“Yesterday Jersey Jack Pinball received orders for over $30 million dollars worth of Toy Story games! I believe that to be a record for sales of a new game in one day in the history of the amusement business!
Jersey Jack Pinball will be revealing teir newest game, Toy Story, June 14th, 2022, at noon EST. Pinball Magazine will publish all available info, such as press releases, photos, videos and what else becomes available in this article, which will be updated during the day.
The first teaser image of the game, showing a custom shooter knob and red powdercoat.
Last week, the company posted a video on their social media to inform customers how they can prepare for placing their order the best way possible.
The reveal of Toy Story is highly anticipated and looks like it will be a historic, record-breaking day for Jersey Jack Pinball. Follow what becomes available about the game this reveal day below.
First video, which is earlier than expected!
Based on this video, the game includes the following:
Stills from the above-mentioned video:
More images (source: RB Flip France)
The Toy Story 4 flow chart (click for enlarged version)
According to Christophe Lienard, JJP distributor for France, the game will be Pat Lawlor’s final game as he will retire from the industry soon.
The game will be available in two versions: Limited Editions (5000 units) and Collector’s Edition (1000 units). A physical game will be available at Chistophe’s place June 20th, which he will bring to various pinball shows in France after that date. (The first game arriving in The Netherlands will be placed on location around the same date)
LIMITED EDITION features:
COLLECTOR’S EDITION features:
Jersey Jack Pinball just sent out the following mailing:
Toy Story 4 Pinball is here!
Jersey Jack Pinball is excited to announce the highly anticipated release of the Toy Story 4 Limited Edition and Collector’s Edition pinball machines. Experience the magic of Toy Story like never before, playing pinball with Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, and more of your favorite toys as they come to life in this pinball adventure.
Experience the magic of Toy Story 4!
Launch into the world of Toy Story, with the voices of Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Bo Peep, Duke Caboom, and more. Custom call-outs from Buzz and Woody can be heard throughout the game. The journey is accompanied by an original soundtrack that includes a special rendition of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”.
Award-winning designs
Experience the light and wonder of this high-flying, combo-filled playfield from JJP’s award-winning design team, led by Pat Lawlor — celebrated designer of the best-selling pinball machine of all time, The Addams Family.
Jersey Jack’s state-of-the-art platform includes proprietary technology that engages players with an immersive experience, featuring mesmerizing light shows alongside animations and scenes from the film.
Players can send the silver-ball flying off the Duke Caboom jump ramp — just don’t let the Bensons block your shot! Blast into the jet bumpers to collect a super jackpot in Buzz Multiball, and aim for the stand-up targets to light Rescue Forky. Hurry up and bash Gabby Gabby into a pinball frenzy on the way to scoring Grand Champion. Take a chance on the spinning wheel to earn different awards like Extra Ball, Tiki Party, Super Loops and more! Start interactive carnival games like Star Adventurer, Dragon Zone, Squirrel Derby, and Flipball on the 10-inch playfield frame display.
Smile for the camera!
A special feature of this high-tech entertainment system is the digital photo booth that takes pictures while you play. Make memories and ‘tweet’ your high scores! The machine comes fully equipped with bluetooth audio for wireless listening and Wi-Fi connectivity for seamless over-the-air software updates. Scorbit, a competitive pinball platform and social network, is also included in the package.
Pricing is as follows:
Order now! (links to JJP store)
Top view of the Collector’s Edition playfield (click to enlarge)
Top view of the Limited edition playfield (click to enlarge)
The same email as above was received again, this time indicating orders can be placed starting 12 noon EST today.
The official announcement video is now available. The video was accompanied with the following info:
The backglass for the Collector’s Edition (click to enlarge)
The backglass for the Limited Edition (click to enlarge)
The game on the line in the JJP factory. Pat Lawlor keeping an eye on how the games are assembled.
Jack Guarnieri playing Toy Story 4 in the JJP factory
The first Toy Story 4 pinball game on location can be found at ENTERRIUM in Schaumburg, IL. More locations have confirmed to have the game set up for public play, including locations in Minneapolis – Minnesota and Madison – Wisconsin, . Keep an eye on the Jersey Jack Pinball Facebookpage for the latest updates.
Jack Guarnieri will be a special guest on the next Pinball Magazine & Pinball News PINcast, which will become available at the beginning of July.
Stay tuned for more…
While Dutch Pinball moved to new premises quite some time ago, they never had a chance for a proper housewarming party due to Covid-19. So a long overdue housewarming party was held May 27th, which happened to be a few days after the birthday of owner Barry Driesen as well. Pinball Magazine was invited and below are is a photo impression of the party and factory.
Here’s where the party’s at. The outside parking lot was used to seat the guests
Picknick tables were place so guests could sit down and enjoy their dinner.
What’s for dinner? Barbecue!
A wall of boxes seperated the factory area from the party area.
The party area, with about a dozen of various pinball games to be played, as well as a cocktail bar.
Music was provided by a local DJ. After dinner, crates of 7″ vinyl singles were revealed so guests could look for a record to be played.
Guests brought all sorts of gifts, although most of it looked like alcoholic beverages.
At the entrance of the factory area these games were displayed. On the right is the first whitewood for The Big Lebowski. On the left is one of the first prototypes that was shown at Pinball Expo in 2014.
Dutch Pinball-owner Barry Driessen at the start of a factory tour.
The sub assembly assembly area, where parts like the bowling alley, the upper playfield, and other assembled parts are put together before being put in game.
The mold to make the white russion glasses under a specific angle. These are usually made by Barry’s daughter, who also works in the factory.
Barry explaining how the playfields are assembled on various rotissary stations.
The various rotissary stations.
The cabnet area. Here cabinets are assembled and finished playfields are placed inside the cabinets. The row of games in the back were just empty cabinets. The row on the left had the backbox electronics installed. The row on the right are completed finished games, redy to be boxed up.
From behind it looked like someone from the competition was visiting as well, but it turned out to be Barry’s father.
After an absense of two years, the Texas Pinball Festival is back and Pinball Magazine is reporting from the show.
Special thanks to: Todd Yoder.
Thursday, March 24
Today is setup day for most vendors and exhibitors. Below are some pics just to give you an impression.
Early in the morning
A few hours later
Still a lot to do
Accidents do happen….
By the end of the day, the game hall really started to take shape. Below are some pics taken just before the hall was closed. For pinball industry insiders, the setting up days are the best chance to catch up with fellow industry people. Once the show starts, there’s hardly any time for that. With TPF being the first big show since Covid-19, for many industry insiders it feels a bit like a family reunion.
The Marco Specialties booth is taking shape
Catching up on the way out
The new upstairs tournament area
So besides taking photos, here’s some of the highlights of Thursday:
Starting Friday afternoon, there will be several seminars. For the full seminar program, see www.texaspinball.com/tpf/events. Seminars will be streamed live, and can be watched later, on https://www.twitch.tv/texas_pinball_seminar.
Friday at 5:00PM the show officially opened. Jared Guynes, social media strategist for Stern Pinball, shot some cool photos with a drone, which he shared with me.
Thank you, Jared!
At the time I’m writing this, the Friday of TPF 2022 is almost a wrap. Here are some of the highlights:
Mirco of Mirco Playfields held a seminar on the recently announced upgrade kit for Tales of the Arabian Nights. As Mirco is also a playfield supplier to Jersey Jack Pinball, and some people have experienced issies with the playfield in their game, he was asked to comment on that. Not surprisingly, Mirco responded he was not at liberty to discuss this, and I don’t think he should either. I mean, if you buy a new Volkswagen car and the tires tend to go flat, are you going to complain to Michelin directly, or to your Volkswagen dealer?
During the Jersey Jack Pinball seminar with pinball designer Steve Ritchie and company founder Jack Guarnieri, Jack indicated he expects the current playfield issues won’t be an issue on their next title. He also indicated their next title will be announced soon and later went as far as saying it should be out by June or July. We may even see a second new game from JJP before the end of 2022. Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast streamed the entire seminar, which you can watch on Facebook, or on the official stream.
Earlier highlights of the day included playing some of the pinball games that came out this past two years. I played some great games on American Pinball’s Hot Wheels and Legends of Valhalla, Jersey Jack Pinball’s Guns N’ Roses, and Stern Pinball’s Godzilla and Rush. I also played Pinball Brothers’ Alien and Spooky Pinball’s Halloween and Ultraman. While I enjoyed playing these games, I had to get used to them a bit. Partly because of the lack of visibility of where the ball is going. That doesn’t mean these are lesser games, but some games, or themes, are just not for everybody.
While vendors were still setting up I was also collecting prizes for the So you Think You Know Pinball quiz, which will be held tomorrow at 6:00 PM. The quiz is sponsored by several manufacturers who donated merchandise and other stuff to be given out to participants of the quiz. I can say, this year’s prizes are the bigger than ever: Spooky Pinball surprized me with a hoody and a T-shirt, Stern Pinball sent over three translites, T-shirts, caps and more, American Pinball threw in a Legends of Valhalla backglass, and Jersey Jack Pinball told me we can give away a Guns N’ Roses playfield! And there are lots of smaller prizes as well to be won as well.
Some of the prizes to be won in the So you think You know pinball quiz
Saturday
Saturday morning kicked off with the traditional swap meet in the parking lot, offering a wide variety of pinball and video game parts, manuals, project games and such.
I was looking for a certain specific part and was lucky enough to find one for a different game, but with a color scheme that matches the game I need it for, so I’m happy 🙂
Following the swap meet I went into the show hall just before the show opened. Right at the entrance is a Safecracker pinball game that awards a special TPF token if you manage to crack the bank. Usually there is a line toplay the game, but as the show hadn’t opened yet, I took my chance. I was able to play three games before the doors of the show opened and I just started my fourth game. That was actually a pretty good game in which I managed to win the special token, which resulted in some cheering from the people waiting in line. Much to my surprise did the game dispend the ‘old’ TPF token instead of the new one, which was the main reason to play the game. Luckily, I was able to swap the old token for a new one at the registration desk, so I now have both versions of the token as souvenirs of the show. To clarify, the old token I already won at a previous edition of the show.
At 6:00 PM,Martin and I were scheduled to host our So You Think You Know Pinball quiz in the bar area of the Embassy Suites. That meant we had to prepare the area for the quiz, set up tables with prizes, put a raffle ticket on each prize and make sure our questions got displayed on the TV screen in the back. The TPF crew provided a small PA sound system to amplify the quiz with mics for Martin and me. We had prepared questions on Friday, which Martin put into a slide show.
Martin and I hosting our So you think You Know Pinball quiz (Photo credit: Ross Simpson)
The quiz was a big success as we had more participants than in earlier editions. Although we planned the quiz to run for an hour, we ran a little late as we still had some prizes left to give away. Please note that this edition of the So You Think You Know Pinball quiz was made possible with prize donations from Jersey Jack Pinball, American Pinball, Stern Pinball, Spooky Pinball, Texas Pinball Festival, Haggis Pinball, ColorDMD, Sunshine Laundromat New York, Pinball News and Pinball Magazine.
Following the quiz, I was part of a group of 10 people that headed to Hard Eight BBQ for dinner. This restaurant is a personal favorite and I’ve been looking forward to going back ever since TPF 2019. It’s almost a tradition. As I was supposed to present an award at the Twipies ater that evening, I was planning this visit to be sort of a quicky, but it wasn’t. As a result, I missed the award I was supposed to present, for which I apologized to the hosts and organizer of the show. Apparently, I missed it by 10 minutes.
Following the Twipy Awards, there was an after party in the seminar room with Scott Danesi and DJ mTort. Earlier on, we had talked about me joining them, but in the end it was their party and I didn’t want to take away any of their time to perform. Hopefully next year we can work something out.
While the party was going on in the seminar room, I headed into the show hall where I got to play Led Zeppelin pro, Cactus Canyon remake, Multimorphic’s Heist and Weird Al’s of Natural Hilarity. Congrats to Multimorphic! Both Heist and Weird Al are great games that enjoyed very much. Cactus Canyon remake is also very well done. I put up a decent score on Led Zeppelin, but the game didn’t impress me that much, as there’s hardly anything on it.
When I decided to call it a night I ran into pinball designer Steve Ritchie by the elevator. He invited me to join him and a few friends to drink some tequila. Tequila isn’t really my drink, to which Steve responded that I probably only drank the cheap stuff that isn’t any good. I needed to taste good tequila. If the king of flow says so, I’m not going to argue. Steve brought a bottle of tequila that costs $180.-. Although it still isn’t my drink, I could taste this was some good stuff. Thanks Steve!
Sunday
Sunday morning, everybody checking out had to clear their room by 11:00 AM. So it was breakfast and then packing my bags. Ross Simpson kindly offered his room to store our luggage for the rest of the day, so we didn’t have to worry about that. I joined Mark Ritchie, his wife Trudy, and Kato from the Pinball Brothers at the terrace near the bar for an interesting conversation. Later that day I caught up with Ryan White of Chicago Gaming on the show floor.
When the show had ended, I ran into Steve Ritchie again, who suggested to sit outside in the shade. Martin joined us 15 minutes later. The plan was to interview Steve, but it turned out to be more of a pre-interview discussion. It was very interesting hearing Steve talk and we’ll be interviewing him soon, which most likely will become a bonus episode of our PINcast.
As it turned out, Nicolas Manaud of PinSound was on the same flight as Martin and I and offered us a ride back to the airport. Thank you, Nicolas! Before heading out, we enjoyed a few drinks in the Happy Hour bar of the hotel. We figured we’d find something to eat at the airport, but that turned out to be a mistake as most restaurants at the airport were already closed.
Rounding up this report, I have to congratulate the organizing TPF team for such a great show. I didn’t do a head count, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this year’s show had the biggest attendance compared to previous editions. Moving the tournament area upstairs seemed like a good move, allowing more vendors to be on the show floor. All in all, another great edition is in the books and I was happy to be there and be a part of it. I’m already looking forward to next year’s edition.
For a far more in-depth report on the Texas Pinball Festival, please check out the coverage by Pinball News.
Following last Monday’s announcement that Multimorphic’s upcoming licensed P3 pinball game will be Weird Al’ Museum of Natural Hilarity, Pinball Magazine now brings you all the details and images about the game.
Weird Al’s Museum of Natural Hilarity Standard Edition and Limited Edition
The available translites, speaker panels and aprons for the SE (left) and LE (right) model
The Museum of Natural Hilarity is a fantastical museum with exhibits and items that connect players to the Weird Al’s songs and his hilarious and descriptive song lyrics. Al acts as the museum curator, welcoming players and guiding them through the museum.
Standard Edition playfield
Limited Edition playfield
The upper playfield module
The game features 17 Weird Al songs, over 2000 voice callouts from Weird Al, and a feature-rich playfield, including:
Upper flipper, Just Eat It targets, Mezzanine upper playfield
Accordion bridge
Skywalk
Spiral cluster
Ticket counter
Supplies closet targets
Supplies closet lit
Popbumper path
MezzExit
Left side target flipper
Running with scissors statue
Ramp VUK
Camera and Harvey
Score
Al pad
Songs:
Team:
The upcoming Pinball Magazine & Pinball News PINcast will feature an interview with Creative Director Stephen Silver and programmer Michael Ocean.
For those unfamiliar with the P3 platform, it combines 100% mechanical pinball action with a huge LCD that sits below the transparent playfield surface, displaying interactive scenes as part of the playfield artwork. In this case, the various rooms in the Museum of Natural Hilarity are shown during their corresponding modes.
Rules summary:
All balls begin in the museum lobby with Al’s instrumental song Fun Zone playing. From there, players can visit five exhibit halls (listed below) and then go to the ticket counter (scoop behind the drop target) to select between the two available song modes for that exhibit. Alternatively, the player can shoot the V, I, and P targets to raise the two center scoops representing a VIP ticket counter. From there, the player can choose any of the 10 exhibit hall song modes.
| Exhibition | Shot | Song 1 | Song 2 |
| Anthropology | Left Ramp | Amish Paradise | White & Nerdy |
| Sports & Leisure | Left Side Loop | Sports Song | Weasel Stomping Day |
| Crime & Punishment | Right Side Loop | Word Crimes | I’ll Sue Ya |
| Business & Industry | Left Mini Loop | Mission Statement | Traffic Jam |
| Health & Medicine | Right Mini Loop | Germs | Like A Surgeon |
Upon selecting a song mode, theatre-style currents close on the screen. When they reopen, the scene has changed to an immersive environment specific to the chosen song. Each song mode has a unique set of rules that connects physical shots on the playfield with the song’s lyrics. After completing a certain number of shots, the ticket counter shot becomes available to exit back to the lobby, or the player can continue progressing in the mode until the full song plays.
When back in the lobby, the player can activate the right lift ramp and spiral lift ramp to access the mezzanine (upper playfield) by rolling over the “meal ticket” inlane icon. The main feature of the mezzanine is the “food court.” Here, the player can shoot the “Just” “Eat It” targets to collect food items to light My Bologna and the mezzanine loop to collect spatulas to enable a one-time use outlane ball save rollover target.
My Bologna is a mode with the player building bologna sandwiches via mezzanine loops and targets.
The game contains three stackable multiball song modes that work as follows:
One other song mode, You Make Me, is a mini-wizard mode that becomes available after playing at least one song mode in each exhibit hall.
That’s the basics, and then other features help you progress, award gifts, or provide scoring advantages. Examples include Squeezebox combos for scoring bonuses, Hawaiian shirt collection that leads to awards and scoring multipliers, and the supplies closet that, of course, includes a lost ‘n found that occasionally acts as a mystery award.
After playing all song modes, Running With Scissors lights for a final trip back through the museum where the player relives all of the hilarity within.
Pricing:
Weird Al’ Museum of Natural Hilarity will be available in two models:
The LE Package contains the limited artwork pieces, interactive/moving topper, a printed LE translite signed by Al, and various game-specific swag. None of these items will be purchasable separately.
For more info, visit www.multimorphic.com
Barry Oursler (Photo credit: PinGame Journal)
Pinball Magazine just found out through Pinball News that veteran pinball designer Barry Ourler died from complications while he was undergoing a cancer treatment.
Barry Oursler was known as probably the fastest-working pinball designer in the industry. Most of his games were designed while working at Williams, which include several landmark titles such as Gorgar (the first pinball game with speech), Space Shuttle (the game that kept Williams in pinball), Pin-Bot and the Comet / Cyclone / Hurricane trilogy. On multiple titles Oursler was paired with Python Anghelo, as Python was more creative in terms of game concepts, while Oursler was able to build what Python could only conceptualize.
Barry also worked for Heighway Pinball, where he contributed to the design of Alien and Queen. When he started working for Deeproot Pinball, he moved to San Antonio, Texas. It was only last month that American Pinball announced they hired Barry Oursler as their newest member of their design team.
For a more detailed summary of Barry’s career, visit Pinball News.
American Pinball and Aimtron Corporation are proud to announce the addition of two members to their team: Barry Oursler as Game Designer and Barry Engler as Senior Production Manager.
Barry Oursler (Photo credit: PinGame Journal)
Industry veteran Barry Oursler produced his first game, Phoenix, for Williams in 1978. He continued to design more than 40 games in his career … SO FAR! Barry has always been known for his timely design pace, producing at least 20 games in his first decade in the industry. As a protégé of the iconic designer Steve Kordek, Barry’s classic Space Shuttle is a game that many say saved pinball. Other highlights include famed games such as Comet, PIN*BOT, Doctor Who, and the mega-hit Gorgar: pinball’s first talking game.
For the past couple of years, Oursler has been working for several startup pinball companies on games that eventually didn’t go into production as these companies ran into financial problems. At Heighway Pinball, he worked on Queen, followed by several games he designed at Deep Root Pinball. Barry reports he is just as happy and excited to be working on his first game for American Pinball as they are to have him.
Barry Engler (Photo credit: PinGame Journal)
Barry Engler began his first six years in the industry in 1990 as a service technician for several amusement location operators in the Chicagoland area. During this time, he became highly experienced with a wide variety of coin-operated games.
Barry earned his Electrical Engineering degree In October of 1996, which also marked the establishment of his company, 4 Play Amusements. This organization operated many types of amusement equipment in the area, and he served as its president until it was sold in 2017.
At that time, Barry began his first experience at American Pinball as he managed both their Service and Production departments. As if that wasn’t enough, he made a name for himself on the “pinball show circuit” through his sought-after presentations on pinball repair. While at American, Barry also helped with their first redemption game, The Flying Dutchman. However, that product was put on hold at the start of 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns.
In February of that year, Engler then joined Jersey Jack Pinball as their Service Manager. While at Jersey Jack, he concentrated on Departmental Procedures and strengthening the Distributor-Manufacturer relationship. Engler is excited to be back and eager to have the opportunity to contribute to American Pinball once again.
Can you believe the first month of the new year is already over? Jonathan Joosten from Pinball Magazine and Martin Ayub from Pinball News certainly can as they revisit all the key events in the pinball world throughout January 2022.
From the latest tragic loss to the release of new games, from production updates to the latest software features, all the news you need to know from across the industry and around the globe comes under the duo’s microscope to be examined, analysed, and contextualised.
Don’t risk missing out. Catch the latest Pinball Industry News PINcast along with all the previous editions on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, PodBean and many others. Just click the link above or search for “Pinball Industry News” or check out the Pinball Magazine PINcast page.
Following last year’s security upgrade, which saw the Pinball Magazine website and webshop become secured by SSL technology, a postal rate bug fix was applied to the Pinball Magazine webshop.
In the past, orders of five kilograms and up would not be able to be processed. This has been adjusted. The 2022 postal rates have also been apllied, which in many cases turn out to be cheaper than last year, dependig on the service level of your choice.
If you run into any problems placing your order, please contact Pinball Magazine by email: editor @ pinball-magazine . com (no spaces).
RUSH Pro, premium and LE cabinets
Following a teaser video, last week, Stern Pinball have now revealed their newest cornerstone title RUSH. Below is the Gary Stern mailing to distributors with lots of info:
RUSH Limited Edition and Premium playfield
RUSH LE / Premium playfield
RUSH Pro playfield
RUSH Pro playfield
Over 50 images of all three RUSH models are available on Stern Pinball’s Facebook page.
Multimorphic, the company behind the highly innovative pinball platform P3 which released games such as Lexi Lightspeed, Cosmic Cart Racing and Heist, is announcing Bowen Kerins and Colin MacAlpine joining the Multimorphic team. Here’s what the official press release says:
Bowen has been playing pinball his entire life. He won his first of five World Championship titles in 1994, was a tournament director at Pinburgh, the world’s largest pinball tournament, and most recently acted as rules director on two titles from Spooky Pinball. Throughout his career as a competitive player and through video tutorials for countless games, Bowen has demonstrated expert knowledge of a vast array of pinball rulesets and strategies, and he’s excited to help deliver both traditional and new playing experiences on the P3. Outside of pinball, Bowen writes math textbooks, is a tutor for grades 5 and up, and has been a mathematical advisor for over 20 game shows. He loves Slurpees and once won $1000 for knowing the number of degrees in a right angle!
Colin lives with his wife and three children in Austin, TX, where he works as Director of Product Management for a specialty chemical manufacturer. His infatuation with the silver ball began as a kid at a local pizza joint in Minnesota, and after years of battling only against high score tables, he started playing competitive pinball events in 2011. Since then, Colin helped found Austin’s Bat City Pinball Club, has traveled around the world to find the greatest levels of competition, winning many tournaments along the way, and has developed a deep knowledge of pinball rulesets and what makes games fun to play. Colin has advised Multimorphic informally on a few existing P3 games and is excited to officially join the team and help develop fun, exciting, approachable, and novel rules for the ever-growing library of P3 titles.
The additions of Bowen and Colin show Multimorphic’s continued emphasis on building a world-class team and connecting new ideas and the unrivaled features of the P3 with the raw pinball experiences that everybody loves. We welcome them with open arms and look forward to building amazing games together.
For more information about Multimorphic, the P3, and P3 games, please visit www.multimorphic.com.
Pedretti, the Italian contract manufacturer for the Alien pinball machine from Pinball Brothers, and partner of Planetary Pinball for producing Williams/Bally licensed parts and mods, is announcing an upgrade kit for Williams’ Funhouse. The upgrade kit is called Funhouse Rudy’s Nightmare and allows Funhouse owners to add a whole new look and game to their Funhouse pinball machine. While the upgrade kit is still pending licensor approval, Pinball Magazine has all the details on what the kit will offer.
The Rudy’s Nightmare kit contains the following:
Once installed, which should be easy plug and play – no drilling required, the game will have new graphics, two color displays, new music, sound effects and voices, and new modes. The game’s playfield remains mostly the same, although the mini display will replace the mirror above the scoop. The upgrade kit will allow Funhouse owners to choose between playing the game with the original rules, music, and call-outs, or the new Rudy’s Nightmare code. When playing the original rules, the display will show the scores and text. There are no additional animations programmed (yet).
The promotional video for Rudy’s Nightmare lists the following nine modes:
While Pedretti is the initiator and manufacturer of this upgrade kit, the project is an international collaboration between quite a few pinball companies:
Animations and artwork are by the Italian artist Morti Morti. Zanhell, also an Italian artist, produced the new music package. Janos Kiss of Team Pinball programmed the new game code.
AndreaDM, Director of Pedretti says, “Rudy’s Nightmare will be a great kit for Funhouse owners that already own the game for several years. It brings new life to the game and a great modern look to Funhouse as well.”
Although pricing hasn’t been confirmed, Funhouse Rudy’s Nightmare will likely be priced at €2,100 / $2,200 USD. Rudy’s Nightmare will be available through the following distributors:
Two years ago, Pedretti agreed with Planetary Pinball to produce enhanced “2.0” upgrade kits for several System 11 pinball games. They decided to start with Funhouse, one of the most iconic games from the early ’90s. While it took two years to develop Rudy’s Nightmare, Pedretti hopes to release more System 11 titles in the future, aiming at one title per year.
For more info visit the Pedretti website or the websites of the distributors listed above (all clickable).
Update: A video of gameplay is now available:
Pinball Expo is currently taking place at the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumberg, Illinois. The event has a packed seminar program. Similar to the virtual 2020 edition of the event, many seminars will be streamed on Pinball Expo’s Twich channel. On Thursday, October 27th, streaming of the seminars only started during the 6:00 PM seminar of Todd Tuckey and Frank Lindenmuth. That seminar was followed by a seminar of American Pinball and a fireside chat Q&A with veteran pinball designer Pat Lawlor. The recorded livestream of Day 1 can be watched on Twitch.
Highlights of Pinball Expo ’21 Day 1:
The American Pinball team: David Fix, Steven Bowden, Michael Grant, Josh Kugler, Scott Gullicks, Frank Gigliotti.
Pat Lawlor during his fireside chat
Highlights of Pinball Expo ’21 Day 2:
The topper is currently only available on the Limited Edition model, of which 1,250 units will be made. The LE is priced at $9,250, and also includes a burned wood bottom arch. There is also a Special Edition without the topper, inner art blades and less bells and whistles (details will be sent to distributors later today), which is priced at $8,000. The software on the game has been further completed and includes the Bionic Bart mode, which is missing in the original game. CGC will be focusing on the production of LE and SE games first, before taking a Standard model into production.
The remodeled Bad Guy Bart sculpt on the playfield
Lyman Sheats and Josh Sharpe are working on an alternative rule set for the game, which will become available as a paid add-on. That game code will only be released when completely finished, which may still take some time. The Cactus Canyon remake currently has no internet connectivity, but CGC is talking to Scorbit about integrating their system. Cactus Canyon remake can be ordered with CGC dealers and distributors, such as Planetary Pinball, Nitro Pinball, Little Shop of Games, PinballPro, and others.
Below is a listing of the seminars of Day 2 and livestream link:
Highlights of Pinball Expo ’21 Day 3:
Below is a listing of the seminars of Day 3 and livestream link:
This article will be updated as Pinball Expo ’21 continues.
Also check out the in-depth coverage of Pinball Expo on Pinball News.
American Pinball revealed Legends of Valhalla as their newest pinball title, available in two versions. The game has an original Viking-inspired theme. Read the official press release with additional info below.
CHICAGO, October 23, 2021 — American Pinball Inc. (API) adds their fourth game, Legends of Valhalla to their growing lineup of pinball machines for arcades, homes, and collectors.
American Pinball, Inc., makers of collector-quality pinball machines for the arcade and home markets including Houdini – Master of Mystery, Oktoberfest – Pinball on Tap, and Hot Wheels, is proud to manufacture Legends of Valhalla designed by Scott Gullicks for Riot Pinball, LLC. Scott Gullocks is a well-known pinball designer coming from the homebrew community. Several years ago he also designed a wide-body game called Wrath of Olympus.
Features
Models
Legends of Valhalla is available in Classic and Deluxe Editions.
At the Southern Fried Gaming Expo, Chicago Gaming revealed their newest title will be Cactus Canyon Remake. The company was scheduled to host a seminar in which they would discuss the history of Churchill Cabinets and Chicago Gaming. Instead, they announced Cactus Canyon Remake (CCR). Originally the plan was to reveal the game at the show. Unfortunately, the game is not present at the event. The reason? Availability of the game is subject to licensor approval, which may take another four to six weeks. The good news: the game is already in production and over 850 playfields have been screened so far. Once the licensors have approved the game, it could be in customer’s hands within one to two weeks.
Ryan White of Chicago Gaming during the presentation at Southern Fried Gaming Expo (photo credit: Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast)
While the reveal of the game may have come as a surprise, the title has been rumored for years. Chicago Gaming is known for their remakes, of which the Limited Edtion model of a title unusally comes with an exclusive topper. Cactus Canyon Remake LE is no different with an interactive topper that’s actually a mini game. The game comes with new and improved finished game code. The original designers have been contacted to understand their original intent with the game, which software-wise was never finished. Chicago Gaming is launching a new operating system for all upcoming titles, of which CCR will be the first. CCR will have RGB general illumination, and an XLCD display.
The team that developed CCR consists of Sean Wilson – Project Manager, Jim Thornton – Project Manager, Sam Zehr – Programmer, Joe Schrober – Programmer. Thronton worked for American Pinball, but apparently left to start working for Chicago Gaming.
At the seminar it was also announced that Medieval Madness Remake will be back in production in 2023, that Chicago Gaming is aiming to get to two titles per year and they currently have five pinball projects in the works. The entire seminar van be watched here.
Ryan White, Chicago Gaming’s spokesperson will be a special guest on the upcoming Pinball Magazine & Pinball News PINcast, that will summarize the pinball industry news of August 2021.
Good news and more good news! First, the good news: Pinball Magazine No. 2 is back in stock! The other good news: the Pinball Magazine webshop now has a new shipping option available. Please read all about it below.
Pinball Magazine No. 2 back in stock
Pinball Magazine No. 2 sold out over two years ago. Since then, there has been a growing demand for a reprint. Thanks to several new advertisers, this reprint is now available in the Pinball Magazine webshop.
The cover story in Pinball Magazine No. 2 focuses on the career of pinball designer Dennis Nordman (White Water, Demolition Man, Blackwater 100, Pirates of the Caribbean, Wheel of Fortune, and more). Pinball artist Greg Freres joins Dennis on the games they worked on together (Elvira and the Party Monsters, Dr. Dude, The Party Zone, Scared Stiff, Whoa Nellie).
Did you know that Dennis Nordman designed several videogames in the ‘80s? That’s just one of the many topics discussed in this cover story. But there is a lot more. The cover story also has contributions from Steve Ritchie, Chris Granner, John Youssi, Doug Watson, Roger Sharpe, and others, all discussing working with Dennis at some point during his career in pinball.
Aside from the cover story, Pinball magazine No. 2 also has side articles on Pinball News, The Pinball Arcade, ColorDMD, Pinball Expo, Silverball Museum, and more.
In terms of content, most articles in Pinball Magazine No. 2 remained the same, although some typos were corrected. New advertisements were added to fund the printing of this reprint partly. As you may have noticed, the cover of the reissue has a different background color as well. Check out the feedback that came in on Pinball Magazine No. 2.
Bonus set of postcards
New with the reprint of issue two is a set of eight postcards with photos of games designed by Dennis Nordman. When Pinball Magazine No. 2 originally came out, no postcards came with the magazine as I started doing that later on with the publication of Santiago Ciuffo’s PINBALL book. Since then, a limited edition set of postcards also came out when Pinball Magazine No. 4 and 5 came out. In line with previous postcard sets, the photos on the new postcard set have also been taken by Argentinean photographer Santiago Ciuffo.
For those who ordered Pinball Magazine No. 2 the first time around and that are interested in the new set of postcards: extra sets of postcards can be ordered separately as well in the Pinball Magazine webshop. However, I would advise ordering such a set of cards together with another magazine or book. When ordering another magazine, the added postal costs for the postcards are almost non-existent. When ordering only a set of postcards, that’s not the case. For most territories, the postal charges are the sum of a fixed price per package plus a rate for the weight of the package. While the weight of a set of postcards will be less than 100 grams, for some territories, the fixed price per package is rather steep. Hence the suggestion to combine ordering the set with another book or magazine, or maybe even wait for Pinball Magazine No. 6. Issue 6 is supposed to come out later this year, although I can’t say when exactly.
Note: when ordering the reprint of Pinball Magazine No. 2, there is no need to add the postcards, as these will be included with the reprint anyway.
New shipping option in the Pinball Magazine webshop
When you’re placing your order in the Pinball Magazine webshop, and get to the part of estimating your postal costs, you’ll notice an extra shipping option has been added. For years I’ve been working with Deutsche Post, which is still an option to choose from. New is the option to choose for shipping with PostNL. PostNL offers different postal rates, which may be cheaper you’re your order is close to 2 or 5 kilograms (4 or 10 lbs).
PostNL may, in some cases, be more expensive than Deutsche Post, but it does have some advantages. Packages of over 2 kilograms are most likely to include track and trace. Packages shipped with PostNL are expected to ship out sooner as well, as these can be dropped off at the post office on any business day. With Deutsche Post, there is a minimum number of packages to ship. For that reason, shipments to Deutsche Post occur monthly. It’s now up to you to decide which postal service you prefer.
Note regarding future North American postal rates
While postal rates are adjusted at the beginning of each year, my account manager at Deutsche Post informed me last week that postal rates to the U.S. are expected to go up significantly around July 2020. It was explained to me as a political response to cheap postal rates from China being addressed. Postal rates from other countries are likely to be affected, as well. The exact details are yet unknown, but chances are it will be cheaper to order your Pinball Magazine products before the postal rates will be increased.
Pinball Magazine No. 5 was voted Favorite Pinball Publication of 2018 by visitors of This Week In Pinball. Editor Jonathan Joosten received a TWIPy Award for the publication at the Texas Pinball Festival 2019. Below, check out the videostream of the TWIPy Awards.
Bekijk The 2nd Annual TWIPY Pinball Awards van SDTMpinball op www.twitch.tv
Here’s a FREE downloadable PDF supplement for Pinball Magazine No. 5. As you may know, the magazine focuses largely on Wayne Neyens’ career in pinball, during which he designed 180 pinball machines. John Osborne was hired by Wayne in the early ’70s which resulted in John designing several electromechanical and solid-state pinball machines for Gottlieb. In this interview John talks about how he got into pinball, getting hired, the games he designed, the prototype assemblies he designed and of course working with Wayne. Pinball Magazine No. 5 is packed with more interviews like this. Order your copy in the Pinball Magazine webshop. 
Download
Today, the printed copies of Pinball Magazine No. 5 came in 
I’m really happy how this issue turned out in print. The magazine can now be ordered in the Pinball Magazine webshop.
Content listing:
With 360 glossy full-color pages our biggest issue ever (it’s definitely more like a book…)
Order your copy in the Pinball Magazine webshop. In case you’ll be attending the Vancouver Flipout show, please note a limited supply of Pinball magazine No. 5 will be available at the show in the Nitro Pinball stand.
Upcoming USA resellers:
Reviews:
New in the Pinball Magazine webshop: 3 posters with concept art by Kevin O’Connor. The three available posters are:
Concept backglass art for Playboy (Data East) This magic marker sketch was made when the Playboy 35th Anniversary game was set to be themed around a Playboy photoshoot. Eventually the theme was changed to a pool party.Like all posters in the Pinball Magazine webshop they are priced at Euro 6.50, or any three posters for Euro 15.00. The posters are sized 50 x 70 cm. Note that all three posters have a white border all around the center image.
As there are some developments going on, please find the latest news regarding Pinball Magazine below:
Due to a minimum required quantity of packages Pinball Magazine ships its incoming orders (books, posters and magazines) in monthly batches. This also qualifies us for a more economical postal rate, which helps since it’s such a heavy magazine and it’s being shipped from The Netherlands (Europe). The next shipment is scheduled for the first week of June 2018. In case the minimum required number of orders is met prior to that, they will ship earlier. To order Pinball Magazine No. 1, Pinball Magazine No. 3, Pinball Magazine No. 4, Santiago Ciuffo’s PINBALL book a package deal of the magazines and book and/or PINBALL Posters (discounted when ordered 3, 6, 9 etc.) please visit the Pinball Magazine webshop.
Below is a selection of feedback that came in once Pinball Magazine No. 4 started arriving at the homes of those that ordered a copy:
Thanks for being a force for good in pinball. Hope to see you in Texas sir! Take some time off over the holidays and play some pinball.” – Charlie Emery (Spooky Pinball)Effective January 1st, 2017 Pinball Magazine will invoice orders for advertisements and bulk orders for magazines and book only in Euro. This means the invoices should be paid in Euro as well. When paid via PayPal the costs for such transaction (currency exchange and costs Paypal applies for transferring money) should be at the expense of the paying party. The easiest way to handle this is to indicate the transfer is a gift. Alternative payment options are a bank transfer, or transferring money via Transferwise.com.
Pinball Magazine No. 4 is here! With 244 pages Pinball Magazine No.4 is another book and has a great variety of articles to enjoy. Here’s what you can expect:
Special: pinball designer Mark Ritchie discusses his entire career at Williams Pinball, Capcom and beyond, in a 100+ page cover story including game designs such as Thunderball, Firepower II, Sorcerer, Big Guns, Taxi, Fish Tales, Indiana Jones, Kingpin and more. Contribution by others about Mark Ritchie include Eugene Jarvis, George Petro, Steve Ritchie, Chris Granner and others, all revealing great insights in working with Mark Ritchie.
To order your copy of Pinball Magazine No.4 visit the Pinball Magazine webshop.
Below is a selection of reviews and feedback received on Pinball Magazine No. 3.
Reviews:
Michael: “If you’re a KISS colloctor, a KISS magazine collector, if you own a KISS pinball machine – the original or the new one – you want this.”
Tommy: “It’s amazing!”
Michael: “About one third of this magazine is devoted to KISS pinball stuff. There’s a ton of photos of behind the scenes stuff. This is just so freaking cool and well done.”
Tommy: “When I started going through this I was like, here’s another article, here’s another photo, it’s just boom-boom-boom-boom thoughout the whole thing.”
Michael: “By all means: get it! …. This is qlearly in-depth. … I would guess the people behind this are KISS fans.”
Tommy: “It’s too cool not to be.”
Michael: “The quality and the depth they put into this is not done by someone who is assigned a project to write a story about KISS. … I feel like this was written by somebody who understands KISS.”
Pinball Magazine No. 3 is here! With 260 pages even bigger than Pinball Magazine No. 2!
Pinball Magazine No. 3 contents:
Pinball Magazine No. 3 can be ordered in the Pinball Magazine web shop
REVIEWS:
FEEDBACK:
“We received a book today. Younger son Nate (4) could not hide his excitement. He recognized couple of pinball machines from our small collection and happily took a picture with a new book. Thanks Pinball Magazine and Santiago for bringing pins back to life and promoting them to the young generations.” – Teo
Click READ MORE below for more feedback >>>
As mentioned earlier Pinball Magazine got the rights to publish the international edition of PINBALL, a beautiful photo book by Argentinean photographer Santiago Ciuffo. The book (hard cover, 208 pages, 11.3 inch x 8.7 inch) is now available and can be ordered in the Pinball Magazine webshop.
To get an idea of the photos in the book, see the pictures below:
Click READ MORE below for more photos and info of PINBALL by Santiago Ciuffo >>>
While Stern Pinball intended to reveal their new James Bond 007 pinball machine today, the scheduled distributor seminar has been postponed out of respect to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
However, the game was already set up at the showfloor of IAAPA Europe, which is held in London this week. So shortly after, images of the game appeared on various social media pages, most notably Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast and This Flippin Podcast. See the images below to get a first glimps. More images are expected soon as the show is now open for visitors.
