# The Paperboy of Pinball Machines that Almost Was **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-01-23 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/the-paperboy-of-pinball-machines-that-almost-was --- ## Analysis Article discusses Red Line Fever, an unreleased Capcom pinball prototype designed by Greg Kmiec that featured innovative handlebar-controlled flippers similar to Paperboy. The game was cancelled when Capcom shut down its pinball division during development of other problematic titles like Zingy Bingy. Only one whitewood prototype exists. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Red Line Fever was designed by Greg Kmiec and featured handlebar-controlled flippers — _Direct quote from IPDB credited to designer Greg Kmiec describing the game concept_ - [HIGH] Red Line Fever was Capcom's next scheduled game before the company shut down its pinball division — _Greg Kmiec quote: 'It was the last game developed by Capcom before the doors shut. It was scheduled to be Capcom's next game.'_ - [HIGH] Only one prototype whitewood of Red Line Fever exists — _Greg Kmiec quote: 'There is only one prototype whitewood in existence.'_ - [MEDIUM] Red Line Fever was cancelled during development alongside Python Angelo's Zingy Bingy prototype — _Article states: 'the game was under development at the same time as Python Anghelo's disastrous Zingy Bingy prototype when Capcom pulled the plug'_ - [HIGH] Red Line Fever concept combined motorcycle racing with handlebar flippers, hybrid of Paperboy arcade and Demo Man pinball — _Greg Kmiec description and article comparison to both source games_ ### Notable Quotes > "Red Line Fever was designed to combine the real-world experience of motorcycle racing with the symbolism of pinball by offering playfield racing-themed features in addition to handlebar flipper switches." > — **Greg Kmiec** > _Designer's official explanation of the core game concept and innovation_ > "It was the best game I ever designed. It was the last game developed by Capcom before the doors shut. It was scheduled to be Capcom's next game." > — **Greg Kmiec** > _High confidence claim about game quality and its status in Capcom's product pipeline at cancellation_ > "There is only one prototype whitewood in existence." > — **Greg Kmiec** > _Establishes extreme rarity and potential collectibility of the prototype_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Greg Kmiec | person | Legendary pinball designer who created Red Line Fever prototype; designed Breakshot, Skateball, The Six Million Dollar Man, Xenon, Vector, Transporter the Rescue | | Red Line Fever | game | Unreleased Capcom pinball prototype featuring handlebar-controlled flippers and motorcycle racing theme; designed by Greg Kmiec; only one whitewood prototype exists | | Capcom Pinball | company | Capcom's pinball division that shut down before Red Line Fever could reach production; also developed Zingy Bingy and Big Bang Bar | | Python Angelo | person | Pinball designer who created Zingy Bingy prototype; referenced as involved in Capcom's final pinball projects | | Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) | organization | Online pinball reference database with dedicated pages for unreleased and prototype pinball machines including Red Line Fever | | Big Bang Bar | game | Rare Capcom pinball machine; subject of recent remake rumors mentioned in article | | Demo Man | game | 1994 Williams pinball machine; cited as design inspiration/comparison for Red Line Fever's flipper control concept | | Paperboy | game | 1984 Atari arcade classic; cited as design inspiration for Red Line Fever's handlebar control mechanic | | LTG | person | Pinball industry legend who mentioned Red Line Fever in Pinside forum discussion about Capcom Pinball history | ### Topics - **Primary:** Unreleased/prototype pinball machines, Capcom Pinball history and product lifecycle, Innovative pinball control mechanics (handlebar flippers) - **Secondary:** Rare prototype collectibility, Greg Kmiec pinball design legacy ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.75) — Nostalgic and appreciative tone toward unreleased game concept; admiration for designer's innovation; regret that game never reached production ### Signals - **[market_signal]** Growing community interest in Capcom Pinball history as recent Big Bang Bar remake rumors spark discussion of other cancelled/rare Capcom titles (confidence: high) — Article cites recent Big Bang Bar rumor post sparking forum discussion; dedicated Pinside thread discussing Capcom Pinball history; multiple Capcom titles mentioned (Red Line Fever, Zingy Bingy, Big Bang Bar) - **[leak_detection]** Red Line Fever details and prototype existence publicly documented on IPDB; historical pinball industry information emerging through dedicated Pinside forum discussion (confidence: high) — LTG mentioned prototype on Pinside; IPDB has dedicated page with designer quotes describing game and prototype status --- ## Transcript The other day I wrote about a rumor that an unknown company may be in the process of remaking the rare Capcom pinball machine Big Bang Bar. That post has spurred a lot of discussion about the short, yet fascinating history of Capcom Pinball. There's a new dedicated thread on the subject over on Pinside in which the pinball industry legend LTG mentioned a prototype pinball machine that I had never heard of before, Capcom's Red Line Fever. The great website Internet Pinball Database, aka IPDB, has a page dedicated to this unmade machine. Check this wild game out! It was going to have handlebars that controlled the flippers, sort of like a hybrid between the 1984 Atari arcade classic Paperboy and the 1994 Williams pinball machine Demo Man. I love both of those games, so I bet this Capcom pin would have been pretty cool. Alas, the game was under development at the same time as Python Anghelo's disastrous Zingy Bingy prototype when Capcom pulled the plug on its pinball division, so Red Line Fever never made it into production. IPDB has a description of the prototype game from its creator, the famous pinball designer Greg Kmiec, who designed such iconic games as Breakshot, Skateball, The Six Million Dollar Man, Xenon, Vector and Transporter the Rescue: "Red Line Fever" was designed to combine the real-world experience of motorcycle racing with the symbolism of pinball by offering playfield racing-themed features in addition to handlebar flipper switches. The handlebar was mounted on the front of the cabinet. A few real-world motorcyclistspinballers relayed their approval to me of the game when it was shown. It was the best game I ever designed. It was the last game developed by Capcom before the doors shut. It was scheduled to be Capcom's next game. There is only one prototype whitewood in existence. https://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=red+line+fever&search=Search+Database&searchtype=quick The super cool pin that almost was... _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 184eff3b-24af-486e-be65-806a9e97218f*