# Unboxing an Oktoberfest Pinball Machine

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2019-03-06  
**Duration:** 19m 26s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Xx0zyzNis

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## Analysis

Straight Down the Middle hosts an unboxing of the first production American Pinball Oktoberfest machine in 2019. The game features prototype elements including beta code (final version expected at Texas Pinball Festival March 2019), a non-production cabinet, and various production differences from prototypes. The hosts detail assembly, shipping removal procedures, and notable design features including a 2.1 channel sound system, shaker motor, roller coaster ramp, and premium cosmetic finishes.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Game was developed in 2018 and first production is rolling off the line in 2019 — _Host states this is the first production ever American Pinball Oktoberfest, developed in 2018, rolling off line in 2019_
- [HIGH] The cabinet in this unit is not the final production cabinet—will feature decals with characters rather than full production artwork — _Host explicitly notes 'the cabinet itself is not going to be the production cabinet you're going to see decals with characters on the side rather than the full production'_
- [HIGH] Code is still in beta with newest version expected at Texas Pinball Festival end of March 2019 — _Host states 'the code is still in beta you're going to see the newest code uh around Texas Pinball Festival at the end of March 2019'_
- [HIGH] Machine features a 2.1 Channel power amplifier sound system — _Host describes 'your 2.1 Channel power amplifier that really uh brings a lot of sound up front here'_
- [HIGH] American Pinball uses hex wrenches for both backbox and leg bolt attachment, matching Houdini design — _Host notes 'American Pinball pinball whether this is going to be future production or not they are using the hex wrench that you use to secure the back box on the leg bolts as well they did that on Houdini Master of Mystery'_

### Notable Quotes

> "this game was developed in 2018 they're just now rolling them off the line here in 2019 now something about this game that you guys need to know for the first production game there are still some prototype features in there"
> — **Straight Down the Middle host**, Opening segment
> _Establishes timeline and prototype nature of unit being unboxed_

> "the cabinet itself is not going to be the production cabinet you're going to see decals with characters on the side rather than the full production"
> — **Straight Down the Middle host**, Early in unboxing
> _Clarifies this is pre-production unit with cosmetic differences from final release_

> "you're going to see the newest code uh around Texas Pinball Festival at the end of March 2019 so stay tuned to that"
> — **Straight Down the Middle host**, Early segment
> _Points to TPF 2019 as key date for final code release_

> "I've never seen a pinball machine have art on this side of the apron that's pretty cool"
> — **Straight Down the Middle host**, Late in unboxing
> _Notes unusual/distinctive design element on Oktoberfest_

> "Unplugging the PCB board connectors while the machine is powered on can and most likely will destroy the board and it's not covered under warranty so be careful with that"
> — **Straight Down the Middle host (reading manual)**, Mid-unboxing
> _Important ownership/maintenance warning_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Straight Down the Middle | organization | Pinball podcast/YouTube show hosting the unboxing; co-hosts mentioned as Zach (using sharper blade) and Greg (using less sharp blade) |
| American Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Oktoberfest; company team signed the backglass |
| Oktoberfest | game | Bavarian festival-themed pinball machine being unboxed; first production unit; features roller coaster ramp, bumper cars, bar artwork, shaker motor, 2.1 channel sound system |
| Joe Balzer | person | Designer of Oktoberfest; signature visible on backglass |
| Josh Kugler | person | American Pinball team member; signature visible on backglass/apron area |
| Houdini Master of Mystery | game | Referenced comparison title from American Pinball; used as reference for hex wrench attachment system and sound system differences (6.1 channel vs Oktoberfest's 2.1) |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Event scheduled for end of March 2019 where final Oktoberfest code release is expected |
| Cincinnati Pinball | organization | Venue lending equipment (stool) to hosts during unboxing |
| Flippin' Out Pinball | organization | Distributor that received the first production Oktoberfest and partnered with SDTM for the unboxing |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Product assembly and setup procedures, American Pinball manufacturing quality and design, Prototype vs production differences
- **Secondary:** Sound system and audio implementation, Playfield mechanics and features, Warranty and maintenance warnings

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Hosts express enthusiasm and appreciation for the machine's design choices (bumper car changes, art placement, sound system, overall build quality). Positive tone throughout with phrases like 'This Is My Jam' and excitement about unboxing. No critical negativity toward the product.

### Signals

- **[announcement]** First production Oktoberfest unboxing represents early product rollout with code update timing tied to Texas Pinball Festival (confidence: high) — Hosts receive first production unit with notation that final code version will appear at TPF late March 2019
- **[product_strategy]** Oktoberfest developed in 2018 but first production unit not rolling off line until 2019, indicating multi-year production delay (confidence: high) — Host explicitly states 'this game was developed in 2018 they're just now rolling them off the line here in 2019'
- **[product_strategy]** Playfield design refinements between prototype and production phases including removal of bumper car characters, addition of nozzle, and side art blade inclusions (confidence: high) — Host notes 'a couple changes a couple changes to the playfield itself on the production you see some different artwork on the playfield on the plastics we have our nozzle there that wasn't there during the prototypes phase'
- **[product_concern]** Careful shipping and assembly procedures with attention to PCB safety and cosmetic preservation, indicating focus on pre-delivery quality (confidence: medium) — Multiple references to foam shipping blocks, careful leg installation, backglass handling protocols, and explicit PCB warning in manual

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## Transcript

all right let's kick this [Music] hey how's it going straight down the middle viewers we've got the coolest opportunity right now what we get to do is unbox the first production ever American pinball October Fest you guys want to do it I'm ready all right so this game was developed in 2018 they're just now rolling them off the line here in 2019 now something about this game that you guys need to know for the first production game there are still some prototype features in the game for example the cabinet itself is not going to be the production cabinet you're going to see decals with characters on the side rather than the full production also the code is still in beta you're going to see the newest code uh around Texas pinball festival at the end of March 2019 so stay tuned to that but until then let's tear this thing open this is the first one baby machine woo take a look inside we've got some goodies all right so looks like we've got some advertisements and some flyers I suppose it's as a distributor I got to hand these out can I keep them we've got it looks like a cool possible topper oh says pinball untap let's take a look at that I'll get it out here for you Greg oh I'm excited it's like Christmas morning woo ah oo look at that very [Applause] [Music] cool now again these guys were nice enough to rush this game to us here at flipping out pinball and straight down the middle of pinball show so we're going to get things like Zip Ziploc bags this will not come with your production game [Music] here now it says right up on top here do not cut banding with unit and upright shipping position we do know that this says gifts do not discard me I love gifs so I'm going to look into that later let's go ahead and cut the side of the box so we can install the legs and flip her down oh there are legs right here though oh out with the legs we'll put those to the side looks like a nice if you guys want to take a look at these just the the finish of those it's a nice metallic almost like a a what would you say Greg a barrel yeah yeah like a brown a bronze yeah like a bronze yeah like almost like not a rub it's a nice texture too it's nice [Music] now the blade that I use is a little sharper than uh Greg's blade so hopefully I won't have to cut it too many times to get into okay so this is not as typical as what I'm used to used usually you have the exposure of the leg bolts so I can put the legs on and fold down the game but I do not have that so I'm probably just going to cut a little bit of space out yeah that's what [Music] I'm being really careful not to stab the cabinet but I want to expose those legs so that I could attach the legs themselves in typical fashion we always put the front legs all the way to the bottom we got those and again it looks like American pinball whether this is going to be future production or not they are using the Allen's wrench that you use to secure the backbox on the leg bolts as well they did that on Houdini it looks like they're going to be doing that [Music] again usually I'll do that hand tight again your leg you want to hold to the end of it so that you still you don't want it hanging by itself cuz then you're going to jar up that bolt going in I always keep the leg wiggling so that I can get it in good good now I'll take the Allen's wrench again firm without cracking the entire cabinet firm all right legs are secure now we're going to bring the pin down oh you want to see it there you go guys [Music] these are the back two legs so I'm going to try to match them up to the best that I can that is assuming that your ground is [Music] level we'll start right about there for now and if it doesn't seem steep enough we could always pitch them later I always match them up like so look at the bolts see how close they are looks good you want to secure those by putting these nuts up top here stop it trying to be informational here since I'm not at home I don't have my favorite stool so the wonderful people at Cincinnati pinball are letting me use their stool thing H so you ready for this [Music] gray make sure not to put your to stool too far away whenever you pick this thing up you're going to go forward so you don't want it being way back here you're not going to be able to get it 3 I can affirm it's a heavy [Music] machine so again this device right here is not ideal I wouldn't recommend using it usually a stool's good now it's good but I need to make sure that I'm right here to support it in case it starts bobbling [Music] all right now we're going to cutting all this shrink wrap off so you guys can see the beauty of the side of it [Music] all right guys you ready to pop it now did you guys see in front here this is what we like to see here straight down the middle for manufacturers gifts inside do not discard me ready what is it it sounds like a Rolex well see we'll see that later it's normal he's hiding in there oo [Music] all right come on back guys come on back come on back come on back take a look in the pinball industry we always say this in the hobby we say this a sneak peek right here right in the back there American pinball does their back boxes a little different they utilize a lot of sound system so you'll see the woofers or the uh endcaps of these speakers bolting or protruding out of there and they'll go right nicely into the little holes there all right let's Flip It Up [Music] a couple changes a couple changes to the Playfield itself on the production you see some different artwork on the Playfield on the Plastics we got our nozzle there that wasn't there during the prototypes phase we also have our side art blades that come standard in this machine we've got cool sculps up here of the bumper cars now they removed it looks like the characters in the bumper cars and I'm actually good with that move I like just the standard looking bumper cars you've got Auto up here at his bar his bar actually looks like a a rich mahog look at that Greg look like a rich mahogany wood this thing's pretty you got your roller coaster Court screw ramp I'm ready to play this what about you Greg [Music] yes now before we open the game we need to make sure that uh we remove the foam shipping blocks it shows you where they're at looks like two by Auto One by the pop bumpers we'll get that uh you register your game as well we'll make sure to do that to activate our warranty uh to receive emails Etc there's also some cautionary stuff on there as well so when you get your American pinball October Fest make sure to read those instructions carefully we do have a Shaker motor in there we added that feature there's a pin here holding this coin door or coin box this is both a commercial and a residential device so if you want to run it at your local barade to earn tons of money you can do that or you can just play it at home with all of your buddies that's fun too balls plunger power cord extra decals extra [Music] Plastics This Is My Jam there's some extra screws in there manual again a reminder for October Fest unplugging the PCB board connectors while the machine is powered on can and most likely will destroy the board and it's not a covered under warranty so be careful with that I always like to place my keys right here this is the backbox keys they go up there but we're going to actually let's show the people the backbox let's do it You' got your LEDs to light up the back glass you've got your LCD monitor that has settings up on top you have uh your 2.1 Channel power amplifier that really uh brings a lot of sound up front here up on top here if it's like Houdini that was a 6.1 system so it rocks out pretty heavy so far guys I'm a big fan of this big uh being black up here I think on Houdini it was white it Blends in a lot better down here all right so in this game there is a lever pull the ever over and you can remove this but be careful because this glass can come sliding out we'll take this off the lock down bar make sure to close the coin door before you pull the glass out of the pinball machine slide it out keep it even or it will break [Music] we did get the team over to American pinball to sign this Joe Baler the designer right there Josh cougler over to the left of the [Music] apron I guess he just sits in there [Music] it's going to bore the heck out of view guys but what we're going to do next before we fire this thing on we're going to check all surface up here to make sure everything is firm is screwed in before we put it out here on the show we're also going to lift the play field up to make sure that there is nothing strange looking o I like those 3D pieces look at those I love that so we'll do that and then we'll fire it up oh look at this look at that go back here I've never seen a pinball machine have art on this side of the [Music] apron that's pretty cool getting you to play is as hard as keeping a

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 4e23aa5e-bbf1-4069-9ac3-37505132062f*