# Exclusive: Sneak Peek at TiltBob Pinball's Upcoming New Pinball Machine - Road Trip **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-09-06 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/exclusive-sneak-peek-at-tiltbob-pinball-s-upcoming-new-pinball-machine-road-trip --- ## Analysis Knapp Arcade reveals exclusive sneak peek details of TiltBob Pinball's first machine, Road Trip, scheduled to debut at Texas Pinball Festival in March. The game is a four-flipper widebody with original theme, dual displays (27" backbox monitor + playfield display), and physical ball kickback. Bob Neis, winner of 2024 TWIPY Favorite Homebrew Machine award, founded TiltBob Pinball and plans full production by the festival. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Bob Neis won the 'Favorite Homebrew Machine' award at TWIPYs in April for his homebrew game Elf — _Knapp Arcade article, stated as prior reporting_ - [HIGH] TiltBob Pinball will have four fully finished Road Trip machines ready for Texas Pinball Festival (March 15-17) — _Knapp Arcade, Bob Neis shared sneak peek with author_ - [HIGH] Road Trip is a four-flipper widebody with original theme (not based on existing movies or pinball machines) — _Knapp Arcade sneak peek details from Bob Neis_ - [HIGH] Road Trip features a 27" high-end IPS Gaming Monitor in the backbox and a playfield display — _Knapp Arcade sneak peek details_ - [HIGH] TiltBob expects to be set up for full production of Road Trip by Texas Pinball Festival — _Knapp Arcade article_ ### Notable Quotes > "Road Trip is a packed, fast-playing, four-flipper widebody with a couple of cool mechs, based upon an original theme. It will not reference any existing movies or pinball machines." > — **Knapp Arcade (quoting Bob Nies materials)** > _Core description of Road Trip's design philosophy and scope_ > "The machine will feature both a 27" high-end IPS Gaming Monitor in the backbox and a playfield display. It has an old-school physical ball kickback." > — **Knapp Arcade (quoting Bob Nies materials)** > _Key hardware/display specifications that distinguish Road Trip_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Bob Neis | person | Founder of TiltBob Pinball; winner of 2024 TWIPY Favorite Homebrew Machine award for game Elf | | TiltBob Pinball | company | New pinball manufacturer founded by Bob Nies; first game is Road Trip | | Road Trip | game | First game from TiltBob Pinball; four-flipper widebody with original theme; planned debut at Texas Pinball Festival March 15-17 | | Texas Pinball Festival | event | Scheduled for March 15-17; TiltBob Pinball plans to debut Road Trip with four playable units and transition to full production | | Elf | game | Bob Nies' homebrew pinball machine that won TWIPY Favorite Homebrew Machine award in April | | TWIPYs | event | Annual awards event; Bob Nies won Favorite Homebrew Machine category in April | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Pinball media outlet; published exclusive sneak peek of Road Trip on behalf of Bob Nies | ### Signals - **[announcement]** Exclusive first look at TiltBob Pinball's Road Trip with detailed specifications and production timeline (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade published detailed sneak peek including machine specs, flipper count, display configuration, and timeline for four units by Texas Pinball Festival - **[machine_intel]** TiltBob Pinball, founded by TWIPY-winning homebrew designer Bob Nies, launching first commercial machine Road Trip (confidence: high) — Bob Nies announced TiltBob Pinball formation in April; trademark search confirmed Road Trip theme in July; sneak peek details shared in current article - **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival (March 15-17) selected as launch venue for Road Trip with four playable units and transition to full production (confidence: high) — TiltBob plans to have four finished units at festival and be ready for full production by that date - **[product_launch]** Road Trip moving from four-unit prototype stage to full production line by March festival (confidence: high) — Article states TiltBob is creating four finished machines and expects to be set up for full production by festival date - **[design_philosophy]** Road Trip explicitly designed with original theme, not based on existing movies or pinball machines, representing homebrew designer's independent creative direction (confidence: high) — Quote: 'It will not reference any existing movies or pinball machines' - **[technology_signal]** Road Trip features modern dual-display setup: 27" IPS backbox monitor combined with playfield display, alongside old-school physical ball kickback (confidence: high) — Specifications include 27" high-end IPS Gaming Monitor in backbox, playfield display, and physical ball kickback - **[personnel_signal]** Bob Nies transitioning from homebrew designer to commercial manufacturer, leveraging TWIPY recognition to launch TiltBob Pinball (confidence: high) — Won TWIPY Favorite Homebrew award in April; announced TiltBob Pinball formation shortly after; now bringing commercial machine to major festival - **[community_signal]** New boutique manufacturer TiltBob Pinball entering market with debut title, expanding roster of active pinball manufacturers (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade documented TiltBob's emergence as 'new up and coming pinball manufacturer' with exclusive coverage --- ## Transcript Coming in with some heavy hitters today. Over the past several months, I've revealed the existence of a new up and coming pinball manufacturer, TiltBob Pinball, and the theme of its first game - Road Trip. As a refresher for those of you who missed my earlier articles, back in April the winner of the "Favorite Homebrew Machine" during the TWIPYs for his outstanding homebrew game "Elf, Bob Nies, announced to us that he is starting a new company called TiltBob Pinball (article below). Flashforward to July and a Trademark search revealed that the theme of TiltBob's first game is "Road Trip" (see article #2 below). Back to present day...this morning Bob shared a sneak peek at Road Trip with me for me to share with everyone! An official production number or price point have not been announced yet, but TiltBob is in the process of creating four fully finished Road Trip pinball machines that it plans to bring to the Texas Pinball Festival, which is scheduled to take place from March 15th through the 17th. By the time the show arrives TiltBob expects to be set up for full production of the game. Road Trip is a packed, fast-playing, four-flipper widebody with a couple of cool mechs, based upon an original theme. It will not reference any existing movies or pinball machines. The machine will feature both a 27" high-end IPS Gaming Monitor in the backbox and a playfield display. It has an old-school physical ball kickback. That's all I know about Road Trip right now, but I should have more pictures of the game next week and gameplay video of the new pinball machine in action within a few weeks to share with everyone. New Mystery Pinball Company Revealed! https://www.knapparcade.org/post/new-mystery-pinball-company-revealed New Pinball Company Trademarks Its Name - And Theme of First Game https://www.knapparcade.org/post/new-pinball-company-trademarks-its-name-and-theme-of-first-game _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: 0e858dd0-c744-4aeb-b886-09666961a20f*