# Heighway Pinball Update **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2014-12-21 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/heighwayoursler.html --- ## Analysis Heighway Pinball relocated to larger facilities in Merthyr Tydfil during December 2014, expanding production capacity with two new units. The company is advancing development of Full Throttle (first game) with refined cabinet design using plywood and foil-wrapped MDF panels, and Alien Pinball (second game) featuring a widebody four-flipper layout with a new 16:10 widescreen monitor. Legendary designer Barry Oursler has joined the team to advise on current projects and design a fourth title. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Heighway Pinball moved from Cyfarthfa Industrial Estate to larger paired units in Merthyr Tydfil while Andrew Heighway was attending Pinball Expo in Chicago — _Direct reporting from factory visit on 21 December 2014 with photographic evidence_ - [HIGH] Full Throttle cabinet design changed from MDF construction to plywood carcass with foil-coated MDF panels and removable acrylic side art panels — _Physical inspection of cabinet prototypes during factory visit with detailed technical explanation_ - [HIGH] Alien Pinball will be a four-flippered widebody game with upper flippers moved inward from playfield edges and a new 16:10 widescreen monitor — _First whitewood playfield arrived on day of visit; physical inspection and direct statement about monitor specifications_ - [HIGH] Barry Oursler (legendary game designer) has been appointed to Heighway Pinball to advise on current and future titles and design the company's fourth game — _Direct statement in article with photographic evidence of Oursler at factory; scheduled as fourth title with licensed theme_ - [HIGH] Heighway Pinball will display four Full Throttle machines (two from previous shows plus two under construction) at EAG International trade show at London's ExCel — _Direct statement about trade show plans and game count_ - [HIGH] Full Throttle launch event will occur immediately after EAG, followed by launch party at The Pipeline pub in central London with band Redline performing — _Event flyers shown and direct statement of plans_ - [MEDIUM] Games two and three are licensed themes, following Full Throttle and prior to Barry Oursler's fourth game — _Stated in article that games feature licensed themes but specific IPs not disclosed at time of publication_ ### Notable Quotes > "The move took place while Andrew and other team members were in Chicago for Pinball Expo, with equipment and parts transferred to the left-most unit of the pair." > — **Pinball News reporter**, 21 December 2014 > _Establishes timeline of facility expansion during major industry event_ > "The amount of space inside the pair of units is huge, and they both provide numerous office, meeting and storage rooms, loading bays, as well as a fully fitted catering-grade kitchen." > — **Pinball News reporter**, 21 December 2014 > _Demonstrates significant expansion of operational capacity and professional infrastructure_ > "Alien Pinball is a four-flippered widebody game, with both upper flippers moved in from the playfield's edges." > — **Pinball News reporter**, 21 December 2014 > _First public disclosure of Alien Pinball's mechanical configuration_ > "Alien Pinball will feature a new 16:10 widescreen monitor in the playfield, replacing the 4:3 monitor seen in Full Throttle." > — **Pinball News reporter**, 21 December 2014 > _Technical specification upgrade revealed for second game title_ > "The team working on this and future Heighway Pinball games has just been boosted by the appointment of legendary game designer, Barry Oursler." > — **Pinball News reporter**, 21 December 2014 > _Major personnel announcement of high-profile industry figure joining company_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Heighway Pinball | company | British boutique pinball manufacturer undergoing expansion and game development in December 2014 | | Andrew Heighway | person | CEO and founder of Heighway Pinball, overseeing company expansion and attended Pinball Expo Chicago | | Barry Oursler | person | Legendary game designer hired by Heighway Pinball to advise on current/future games and design fourth title | | Full Throttle | game | Heighway Pinball's first commercial pinball game with refined cabinet design and scheduled launch at EAG trade show | | Alien Pinball | game | Heighway Pinball's second game; four-flippered widebody with new 16:10 widescreen monitor; whitewood playfield in testing phase | | Pinball Expo Chicago | event | Major industry event where Heighway Pinball displayed earlier Full Throttle prototypes | | Festi-Flip | event | Pinball event in St Étienne, France where Heighway Pinball displayed Full Throttle prototypes | | EAG International | event | Trade show at London's ExCel where Heighway Pinball planned to display four Full Throttle machines on 8.5m x 2m stand | | The Pipeline | venue | London pub hosting Full Throttle launch party with band Redline performing | | Redline | organization | Band that provided main theme music for Full Throttle and performing at launch party | | Cyfarthfa Industrial Estate | location | Original location of Heighway Pinball in Merthyr Tydfil before December 2014 relocation | | Merthyr Tydfil | location | Welsh town where Heighway Pinball operates its manufacturing facilities | ### Topics - **Primary:** Facility expansion and manufacturing infrastructure, Cabinet design and engineering innovations, Full Throttle game development and launch planning, Alien Pinball mechanical specifications and playfield design, Personnel appointment of Barry Oursler - **Secondary:** Product roadmap and future game titles, Playfield testing and whitewood development methodology ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Article presents Heighway Pinball's expansion and development progress in optimistic light with detailed facility improvements, hiring of legendary designer, and advancing game development. No critical perspectives or concerns expressed. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Heighway Pinball expanded manufacturing facilities from single unit to dual larger units, indicating confidence in production scaling and game pipeline (confidence: high) — Move from Cyfarthfa Industrial Estate to larger paired units with office, meeting, storage rooms, loading bays, and catering kitchen; temporary occupation of left unit with right unit being prepared for production line - **[market_signal]** Heighway Pinball transitioning from prototype/limited display phase to commercial trade show participation and public launch events (confidence: high) — Plans to display four Full Throttle machines at EAG International trade show with 8.5m x 2m stand, followed by trade/press launch event and public launch party - **[personnel_signal]** Barry Oursler, legendary pinball designer, joined Heighway Pinball as advisor and fourth game designer, representing significant talent acquisition (confidence: high) — Direct statement: 'The team working on this and future Heighway Pinball games has just been boosted by the appointment of legendary game designer, Barry Oursler' - **[announcement]** Alien Pinball's technical specifications officially revealed: four-flippered widebody with inward-moved upper flippers and 16:10 widescreen monitor upgrade (confidence: high) — First whitewood playfield arrived on visit date; direct statement of specifications and monitor upgrade from 4:3 to 16:10 - **[product_strategy]** Heighway Pinball product pipeline established: Full Throttle (1st), unnamed licensed game (2nd), unnamed licensed game (3rd), Barry Oursler's game (4th) (confidence: medium) — Article states 'games two and three' are licensed themes and 'Barry's game is currently scheduled to be the fourth title produced, and will feature a licensed theme' - **[technology_signal]** Cabinet construction methodology shifted from all-MDF to hybrid plywood carcass with removable foil-coated MDF panels and acrylic side art inserts (confidence: high) — Detailed technical description of new cabinet design addressing weight and replaceability issues compared to original MDF construction --- ## Transcript Date: 21st December 2014 With the Christmas and new year holiday break looming, we decided it was high time to head west and pay Heighway Pinball a visit, to see how development of their games and their factory was going. There have been many changes since our previous visit back in May, not least the move of the company from their original unit on the Cyfarthfa Industrial Estate in Merthyr Tydfil to a larger pair of units a short distance away. The old unit in the background, the new pair of units in the foreground The move took place while Andrew and other team members were in Chicago for Pinball Expo, with equipment and parts transferred to the left-most unit of the pair. This is where everything was situated during our visit, but it is just a temporary location while the right-most unit is cleaned and made ready for the production line. Inside the left-hand unit The entrance to the right-hand unit This second unit had just been power-washed and was being left to dry out over the festive break before the line equipment is transferred in early January. Inside the newly-cleaned right-hand unit Inside the right-hand unit The amount of space inside the pair of units is huge, and they both provide numerous office, meeting and storage rooms, loading bays, as well as a fully fitted catering-grade kitchen. While time has been spent on the move of premises, there have also been developments on the company's first game, Full Throttle. The team has created a new cabinet and backbox design for this and future titles. Their original cabinet was built using medium-density fibreboard (MDF) which, although strong and resilient, is much heavier than the traditional cabinet material, plywood. The new design uses a plywood carcass, but attaches foil-coated MDF panels to provide the coloured finish and create a frame into which the side-art panels can sit. The new red gloss cabinet construction for the Limited Edition model Although the side and front panels shown here have cutouts to accommodate the ball shooter and flipper assemblies, these have been covered by the foil wrap in these samples. This excess foil will, of course, be removed and the corresponding assemblies fitted in the production version. With cutouts around their mounts, the game's legs are recessed and appear more integrated into the cabinet's design. Recessed legs on the matt black cabinet Because the outer panels can be removed, they can also be replaced should they become damaged. The cabinet side art will be printed on acrylic panels which slide into slots between the outer panels and the inner shell. The playfield glass is held in a metal 'magazine' frame which sits on top of the cabinet, locking the artwork in place. The slot for the side art panels The team are currently building two more Full Throttles to add to the two earlier games they showed at the Pinball Expo in Chicago and Festi-Flip in St Étienne, France. One of the two Full Throttle games under construction These four machines will then be taken to the EAG International trade show at London's ExCel where Heighway Pinball will have a 8.5m x 2m stand. Straight after EAG, the company will be hosting a launch event for the game for trade and press, followed by a launch party at The Pipeline pub in central London, where the band who provided the main theme, Redline, will be playing. Flyer for the launch event (click to enlarge) Flyer for the launch party (click to enlarge) Tickets are available to the public for the evening party through the Heighway Pinball website, and naturally Pinball News will be there. Apart from Full Throttle, we can also bring you news of the company's second title, Alien Pinball. On the day of our visit, the first whitewood playfield for the game had just arrived, so shots can be tried and playfield elements adjusted for optimum positioning. The first Alien Pinball whitewood As you can see, Alien Pinball is a four-flippered widebody game, with both upper flippers moved in from the playfield's edges. This playfield doesn't have the cutout for the LCD monitor as it is not needed to fine-tune the shots, however we can reveal that Alien Pinball will feature a new 16:10 widescreen monitor in the playfield, replacing the 4:3 monitor seen in Full Throttle. While the playfield is built and tweaked, development of the rules, lighting effects, sounds, and effects for that LCD panel takes place up in the offices on a computer simulation of the game. The team working on this and future Heighway Pinball games has just been boosted by the appointment of legendary game designer, Barry Oursler, who will not only provide advice and guidance to the team on current and future titles, but will also design his own game. Andrew and Barry Barry's game is currently scheduled to be the fourth title produced, and will feature a licensed theme, just like games two and three. To give you more insight on all these developments, we invited Heighway Pinball CEO, Andrew Heighway, to record an interview with us inside the new factory building. You can watch all seventeen minutes of it by clicking on the video below. That's all for this update from the Heighway Pinball factory. In our next update we hope to bring you full details of the 251 promotional games made for Bacardi earlier in 2014, including pictures of the finished product and shots from the factory during development and manufacture. Back to the News page Like this page? 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