# While Circus Maximus Kingpin Pinball Project Stalls, Some Collectors Make Their Own

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-07-29  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/while-circus-maximus-kingpin-pinball-project-stalls-some-collectors-make-their-own

---

## Analysis

Circus Maximus's commercial Kingpin pinball remake project remains stalled with no updates at Southern Fried Gaming Expo. Meanwhile, a hobbyist collector named TomDK is independently building a custom Kingpin machine on Pinside, achieving 90% completion through personal effort and community documentation.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Circus Maximus provided no update on Kingpin project at Southern Fried Gaming Expo — _Direct observation of event; stated as fact about expected but absent announcement_
- [HIGH] TomDK's homebrew Kingpin build is 90% complete — _Knapp Arcade article directly reporting on Pinside thread progress; specific completion percentage given_
- [HIGH] TomDK's Kingpin project has been in progress for over a year — _Article states 'over the past year' explicitly_

### Notable Quotes

> "Many people had been hoping that the folks at Circus Maximus would provide an update on their long-running project to bring Mark Ritchie's lost 1996 Capcom pinball machine to life at the recent Southern Fried Gaming Expo. Alas, there was no word from the team at the event."
> — **Knapp Arcade author**
> _Establishes Circus Maximus project stall and community disappointment; Southern Fried Gaming Expo context_

> "Some pinballers have taken the matter into their own hands and have decided to make their own Kingpins."
> — **Knapp Arcade author**
> _Signals shift from waiting for commercial remake to community self-sufficiency_

> "The progress that has been made on this build is amazing. The game is now 90% complete."
> — **Knapp Arcade author**
> _Validates homebrew alternative as legitimate achievement; demonstrates viability of fan remake_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Circus Maximus | company | Pinball manufacturer/developer with stalled commercial Kingpin remake project |
| Kingpin | game | 1996 Capcom pinball machine designed by Mark Ritchie; subject of Circus Maximus remake and homebrew builds |
| Mark Ritchie | person | Original Kingpin designer (1996, Capcom) |
| TomDK | person | Pinside forum member building homebrew Kingpin clone; 90% complete, 1+ year in progress |
| Southern Fried Gaming Expo | event | Recent gaming event where Circus Maximus failed to announce Kingpin update |
| Pinside | organization | Pinball enthusiast forum hosting TomDK's Kingpin build thread and documentation |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | News/content outlet covering pinball industry and community projects |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Circus Maximus Kingpin remake project stall, Homebrew/custom pinball machine building, Community alternative to commercial remake
- **Secondary:** Capcom pinball legacy and lost games

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.35) — Disappointed tone regarding Circus Maximus silence, but celebratory/positive about TomDK's homebrew achievement and community problem-solving. Shifts from frustration to hope.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Circus Maximus Kingpin commercial remake project remains in extended stall with no public updates or announcements at major community event (confidence: high) — No announcement at Southern Fried Gaming Expo despite community anticipation; described as 'long-running project' with persistent silence
- **[community_signal]** Pinball community responding to commercial remake delays by independently building homebrew versions, demonstrating self-sufficiency and reducing dependency on manufacturer delivery (confidence: high) — TomDK's 90% complete homebrew Kingpin build gaining visibility and documentation on Pinside; article characterizes this as collectors 'taking the matter into their own hands'
- **[technology_signal]** Homebrew pinball construction capability reaching maturity; single enthusiast able to recreate complex 1996 arcade machine to near-completion state (confidence: medium) — TomDK achieving 90% completion over 1+ year; Knapp Arcade describes progress as 'amazing' and work as 'nearly from scratch'; full documentation on Pinside and YouTube

---

## Transcript

Many people had been hoping that the folks at Circus Maximus would provide an update on their long-running project to bring Mark Ritchie’s lost 1996 Capcom pinball machine to life at the recent Southern Fried Gaming Expo. Alas, there was no word from the team at the event. Some pinballers have taken the matter into their own hands and have decided to make their own Kingpins.

I’ve been following one particular Kingpin build in a thread over on Pinside, where over the past year a member named “TomDK” is very close to accomplishing the feat of building his own Kingpin for his pinball collection. The progress that has been made on this build is amazing. The game is now 90% complete. Following his journey and the trial and error of building a Kingpin nearly from scratch has been super cool. Keep in mind that this is not a commercial project, just a game for an avid collector's personal use.

Here’s a link to the Pinside thread that contains the entire journey of this particular remake and links to a few YouTube videos of the project:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/welcome-to-the-big-city-kid/page/2#post-6517543

https://youtu.be/5ZgWAHI_umM

https://youtu.be/uarHByOQlIw

https://youtu.be/KDXFh1N1PAQ

https://youtu.be/bewJNkCcdP0

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 06fd7c7b-726b-43a9-96e6-943e67319fe7*