# Homebrew Showcase: The Invaders Pinball by Tadeg Normand

**Source:** Marco Pinball  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2025-11-07  
**Duration:** 12m 39s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4J46Vsfgxs

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## Analysis

Tadeg Normand showcases The Invaders, a 5-year homebrew pinball project inspired by the classic 1960s TV show. Built with his son Christian, the game features 12 missions, custom toys (ray gun, moving alien, topper), 60 TV show clips, and runs on Cobra Pin with MPF code. Normand, a French craftsperson with background in machine work and surfboard making, designed the playfield and artwork while collaborator Nicolola Pensma handled code development.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The Invaders project took 5 years total, with 2 years of initial development/learning and 3 years refining the current version — _Tadeg Normand in interview; stated 'My rule is a five years story' and 'three three years after 3 years after I'm here'_
- [HIGH] The game features 12 missions, initially planned for 6 but expanded to double due to inspiration from other games — _Tadeg Normand explained rule design choice: 'I said if it's six, I do 12. That's it'_
- [HIGH] 60 video clips from The Invaders TV show are integrated into the game, edited to 2-3 second lengths — _Tadeg Normand stated 'I got like 60' clips and 'I have to be short. Yeah. Like two three seconds'_
- [MEDIUM] The original TV show had 43 episodes across 2 years (likely referring to total production run) — _Tadeg Normand: 'It's 67 all TV American TV show and there is for two years 43 episode'_
- [HIGH] The game runs on Cobra Pin platform with MPF (Mission Pinball Framework) — _Tadeg Normand when asked about system: 'This is running a custom uh cobra pin? Cobra pin cobra pin cobra pin with MPF'_
- [HIGH] Tadeg Normand has a background working with machines, plastic, and surfboard manufacturing before pinball — _Tadeg Normand: 'I work in the selling selling on the sea but with machine with with tube plastic... And uh I'm a shepherd. I work for to make surf surfboard'_
- [HIGH] Nicolola Pensma, a French pinball friend/collaborator from Brittany, handled all code development for the project — _Tadeg Normand: 'I find a a a friend a friend in the pinball machine, pinball world in Britany... his name is Nicolola Pensma'_
- [HIGH] Tadeg Normand created the artwork and graphics primarily using Photoshop and Illustrator, having prior experience as a graphic designer in Brittany — _Tadeg Normand: 'I was used to work with Photoshop. Yeah. Illustrator. Yeah. Like a graphic designer in Britain'_
- [HIGH] The game features three major toys: a ray gun, a moving alien figure, and a topper that lifts during missions — _Tadeg Normand discussing toys: 'you have the ray gun... The big topper... the little one is moving right, left, going down and take the ball up. So there is three big toys'_
- [HIGH] Tadeg Normand attempted to build earlier whitewood playfields using printed wood and resin methods, but abandoned them as unsuccessful — _Tadeg Normand: 'I try with two two playfield... I I did a playfield wood printed very high quality... I try with professional. I try with myself with resin. Awful. Awful. Awful'_

### Notable Quotes

> "My rule is a five years story and um we begin like a lot of people in France or maybe in the world with the co."
> — **Tadeg Normand**, ~0:30
> _Establishes the 5-year development timeline and references the common homebrew origin story of starting with COTE or similar platforms_

> "he say hey dad you can do a pinball machine with with this. That's it. And I say okay let's try"
> — **Tadeg Normand**, ~2:30
> _Reveals the origin story: his son Christian suggested the project, demonstrating how personal inspiration drives homebrew creation_

> "I can do artwork u metal piece everything but not the code okay the code"
> — **Tadeg Normand**, ~3:00
> _Identifies the key limitation that forced collaboration with a code programmer, a common pattern in homebrew projects_

> "This really feels like a an Attack from Mars version two like a like an upgrade."
> — **Marco Pinball host**, ~5:30
> _Compares the game's design and accessibility to Attack from Mars, a landmark Williams title, suggesting strong rule design influence_

> "I said if it's six, I do 12. That's it. Okay. So, I said if it's six, I do 12."
> — **Tadeg Normand**, ~5:45
> _Demonstrates the creative decision-making process for expanding mission scope, reflecting the learning curve of homebrew design_

> "This is absolutely beautiful. Um so it was a five-year process."
> — **Marco Pinball host**, ~12:00
> _Host acknowledges the finished quality and effort investment, contrasting this homebrew with typically less-polished projects_

> "It it really just it feels a little out of place here because it's so beautiful and it's so finished."
> — **Marco Pinball host**, ~10:30
> _High praise for production quality; suggests this homebrew rivals commercial-level presentation_

> "Tad pinball. T A D. Yeah. T A D. Pinball."
> — **Tadeg Normand**, ~14:30
> _Official YouTube channel name for viewers to find future content_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Tadeg Normand | person | French homebrew pinball designer, 58 years old, craftsperson with background in machine work and surfboard manufacturing. Creator of The Invaders homebrew machine. YouTube: Tad Pinball |
| Christian Normand | person | Tadeg Normand's son, 20 years old. Inspired the Invaders project by suggesting his father build a pinball machine based on the TV show when he was 15 |
| Nicolola Pensma | person | French pinball community member from Brittany. Code programmer and collaborator who developed all code (MPF/Cobra Pin) for The Invaders homebrew over 2-3 years |
| The Invaders (homebrew) | game | 5-year homebrew pinball project by Tadeg Normand and Nicolola Pensma based on the 1960s TV show. Features 12 missions, 60 TV clips, custom toys (ray gun, moving alien, topper), running on Cobra Pin/MPF. Showcased at Pinball Expo 2025 homebrew section |
| Marco Pinball | person | Host/interviewer conducting the showcase at Pinball Expo 2025, streaming the Invaders demo and interview with Tadeg Normand |
| The Invaders (TV show) | product | 1960s American TV series, 67 episodes over 2 years (43 episodes noted), featuring alien invasion theme. Basis for the homebrew machine; 60 show clips integrated into game |
| Pinball Expo 2025 | event | Pinball industry event featuring homebrew showcase section where The Invaders machine was demonstrated and interviewed |
| Medieval Madness | game | Classic Williams 1997 pinball game; cited by Tadeg Normand as his favorite and primary design inspiration for The Invaders |
| Attack from Mars | game | Classic Williams 1995 pinball game; used by Marco Pinball host as comparison point for The Invaders' rule design and accessibility |
| Cobra Pin | product | Pinball control system hardware platform used to run The Invaders homebrew machine |
| MPF (Mission Pinball Framework) | product | Open-source code framework used with Cobra Pin system to program The Invaders rules and game logic |
| Brittany (Bretagne), France | location | Region in France where both Tadeg Normand and collaborator Nicolola Pensma are based; described as small pinball community |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Homebrew Pinball Design & Development Process, Licensed TV Show IP in Pinball Games, Custom Playfield Toys & Mechanical Features, Code Development & Collaboration in Homebrew
- **Secondary:** Cobra Pin & MPF Technical Platform, Design Inspiration from Classic Pinball Games, International Homebrew Community (France), Artwork & Graphics Creation in Pinball

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — Host and guest exchange enthusiastic praise for the machine's quality, design, and finish. Tadeg Normand speaks proudly of the collaborative process and challenges overcome. The tone is celebratory and supportive of the homebrew effort. No negative sentiment detected, though some self-deprecating humor about the learning curve and failed earlier prototypes.

### Signals

- **[design_innovation]** The Invaders features three major custom toys (ray gun, moving alien figure, lifting topper) that activate during missions, demonstrating sophisticated mechanical engineering in a homebrew context (confidence: high) — Tadeg Normand describes ray gun shooting mechanic, alien hand emerging from playfield, moving alien left/right, and topper that lifts during missions with ball capture/release
- **[design_philosophy]** Designer deliberately doubled mission count from 6 to 12 during development, inspired by playing other games (Medieval Madness, etc.), demonstrating iterative rule depth expansion (confidence: high) — Tadeg: 'I said if it's six, I do 12. That's it... It was a lot of work now to say that for for my friend in France, Nicola, because six is easier than 12'
- **[content_signal]** The Invaders incorporates 60 edited video clips from the original 1960s TV show, processed to 2-3 second lengths for in-game playback (confidence: high) — Tadeg Normand states '60' clips extracted and edited: 'at the beginning was like too long... So I have to be short. Yeah. Like two three seconds'
- **[restoration_signal]** Developer experimented with multiple playfield construction methods (printed wood, resin) before settling on final version; earlier prototypes were abandoned as unsuccessful (confidence: high) — Tadeg: 'I try with two two playfield... I I did a playfield wood printed very high quality... I try with professional. I try with myself with resin. Awful. Awful. Awful'
- **[technology_signal]** The Invaders uses Cobra Pin hardware platform with MPF (Mission Pinball Framework), representing open-source/indie pinball technology stack choice (confidence: high) — Tadeg confirms system: 'This is running a custom uh cobra pin... Cobra pin cobra pin cobra pin with MPF'
- **[community_signal]** Project demonstrates cross-skill homebrew collaboration model: Tadeg (playfield/artwork/mechanical) paired with Nicolola Pensma (code) from small French pinball community in Brittany (confidence: high) — Tadeg describes finding collaborator: 'I find a a a friend a friend in the pinball machine, pinball world in Britany... his name is Nicolola Pensma and we meet we met and after blah okay we go on'
- **[design_philosophy]** Medieval Madness cited as primary design inspiration and favorite game; host compares The Invaders favorably to Attack from Mars as design template successor (confidence: high) — Tadeg: 'my model my uh the best for me is medieval minus like a lot of people'; Host: 'This really feels like a an Attack from Mars version two like a like an upgrade'
- **[product_launch]** The Invaders publicly debuted at Pinball Expo 2025 homebrew showcase section, with host Marco Pinball streaming live gameplay and interview (confidence: high) — Host closing: 'You guys, the invaders pinball right here at the homebrew section of Pinball Expo 2025'
- **[personnel_signal]** Tadeg Normand brings craftsperson background (machine work, surfboard manufacturing, graphic design) to homebrew, demonstrating value of non-traditional pinball skill diversity (confidence: high) — Tadeg: 'I work in the selling selling on the sea but with machine with with tube plastic... I'm a shepherd. I work for to make surf surfboard... work with my hand... Photoshop. Yeah. Illustrator. Yeah. Like a graphic designer in Britain'
- **[gameplay_signal]** The Invaders organizes gameplay around 12 selectable missions with mission-specific mechanics (e.g., Reagan mission with helicopter toy), drawing on Attack from Mars/Medieval Madness mission design patterns (confidence: high) — Tadeg describes mission selection: 'if you want to go into mission, you have to touch right or right. Okay. You will lead select mission. You go inside and so you can choose one of the 12 mission'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Host expresses surprise at finished quality of homebrew, suggesting typical homebrew projects appear more rough/incomplete; The Invaders stands out as unusually polished (confidence: high) — Host: 'I got to tell you, this is just beautiful... It it really just it feels a little out of place here because it's so beautiful and it's so finished. Um typically you'll look at a a homebrew and it's uh it's almost done'

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## Transcript

How are you? Good morning. Yeah. Hello. I'm very good. Yeah. Yeah. So, tell us a little bit about this. Now, I was telling Chad just before I saw a trailer come up on YouTube for this. It looked like a stern trailer and it it caught me by surprise. Talk a little bit about your homebrew. My rule is a five years story and um we begin like a lot of people in France or maybe in the world with the co. Yeah. It's kind of where a lot of homebrew started, right? Yeah. Because since I was shy, I I love pinball machine like all the passionate people like here. So I was playing I'm 58. I was playing since maybe 12 years old. No, in my little city in in Brine, La France. And um Okay, time pass. I have a kid now. His name is Christian. Now he's 20 years. Big boy. Oh, wow. He's big boy. He's not 20. You look You don't look a day over 30. What? Yeah. I'm just Yeah. Uh kidding. I don't want to speak anymore. [laughter] And um so but 5 years ago, it was 15 years. 15 years. and with him. I was looking the old TV show The Invaders. It's very surprising because people here don't know them. Don't know it. Not many, but some do. Yeah. Yeah. Some do. Not many. All people. Can I tell him what to do? Can I tell him? Yeah. If if you want to go into mission, you have to touch right or right. Okay. You will lead select mission. You go inside and so you can choose one of the 12 mission. Okay. And it will be the famous Reagan mission. You get it? Now your back end it's it's possible. You get it? Easy. And you have to choose Reagan. Reagan. Yeah, that's it. If possible, people are Look, the chopper is moving. Oh, wow. Wait, wait, wait. We got to get that is moving. Don't Don't touch. Be ready. Look, look. I got it. Yeah. If you want it, pull it. And Oh, there's a there's a a ray gun. A guy's hand just came out of the game. [laughter] So, you have to shoot. There is a timer. Where's the ball? Where's the ball? Oh, the ball is in the scoop. Yeah. The light. Oh. Oh. Oh, it staged the ball. So, you have to go quick. Go. Go. Go. Go. Fast. Right. You get it. JUST IN. WOW. NO. OKAY. DONIC. So tell us. Okay. We following. So that's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. People like it very much like surprising in in France. Yeah. I I did only two show in France. Uh uh a woman around 50. She was surprised. Ah she she near she [laughter] fall. So we were looking for the TV show and my son was 15 years and we were playing sometime looking was a great pleasure with him and he say hey dad you can do a pinball machine with with this. That's it. And I say okay let's try and uh if my son said that to me I'd be like go in your room now. Yeah. But the truth I give him a punch. [laughter] But then you did it. Yeah. Yeah. We I try I try and uh I can do artwork u metal piece everything but not the code okay the code so at this moment after few weeks or maybe I don't know one or two months you say if you want to continue what you have to do because kids always say let's go let's go it's easy I say I must find somebody to make the code say let's go let's go easy for him he don't do nothing. So I find a a a friend a friend in the pinball machine, pinball world in Britany because they're very small compared to and his name is Nicolola Pensma and we meet we met and after blah okay we go on a first version him the code and me playfield and we work for two years we make a a little dry like uh flat platform. Yeah. Yeah. No ROM and with with the beginning we see it should be possible to to do update version and so three three years after 3 years after I'm here and this is this uh what system is this? This is running fast or is this running a custom uh cobra pin? Cobra pin cobra pin cobra pin with MPF. But to tell you the truth for me is like Chinese. But you know what? You're you're this is your brainchild. This is your uh uh how how difficult was it to come up or how long did it take for you to come up with the rule set and the story of the game? in in fact because I was playing I have a little collection my like beautiful pinball as everybody knows medieval madness Indian he's got a medieval madness and future of magic I had some other but at the maximum maybe I had 10 not at the same time because I'm a little poor yeah yeah so I've got one it's okay Now I got one with two with this one. Okay. So I I tried severals but my my model my uh the best for me is medieval minus like a lot of people I think but there is a lot very very good. All pinball is is nice. This really feels like a an Attack from Mars version two like a like an upgrade. In fact, when I I began to design it, it was a little simple because all I look there was like six mission, maybe six castle, six. I said, "Okay, I'm going to make 12. That's it." Okay. So, I said if it's six, I do 12. It was a lot of it's a lot of work now to say that for for the for my friend in France, Nicola, because six is easier than 12, you know. So when you don't know about uh kodage code informatic, you think it's easy, but it's not easy. Yeah. So how much of the actual show the invaders is uh is do you have in the game? Where how many show I went to? Yeah. Like how many like episodes of the invaders? It's a TV show, correct? It's 67 all TV American TV show and there is for two years 43 episode. Wow. And you have how much of it in the in the game do you have? Uh I don't understand. Oh, how how many like video clips? How many clips from the from the TV show? I got like 60. 60. And uh I I I learned to make it. I learned to make it. So at the beginning was like too long, you know. Yeah. Yeah. So I have to be short. Yeah. Like two three seconds. And you did all the artwork. You did the little icons, icons, everything. What did you work What did you use to do that? Uh you like After Effects or something? Uh no. Uh I tried but no because uh I was used to work with Photoshop. Yeah. Illustrator. Yeah. Like a graphic designer in Britain. Oh, okay. Uh Okay. That So, so what is your favorite um maybe I can guess what your favorite uh thing in the game is, but what is your toys? The toys. The toys. Tell us about the toy. So, you have the ray gun. The ray gun. The big topper. The topper is amazing. I'm glad we I'm glad we got to see that. Yeah. Yeah. In each mission is going is lifting. It's like big. Yeah. And the little one is moving right, left, going down and take the ball up. So there is three big toys now on a like for for brand new people who are just getting into homebrew. Um clearly your your son said, "Dad, you can do this." Did you did you think you could and you just did it or you like Yeah, it's it was start. I think you have to to be skilled in some parts to have some skills. So in my past I work in the selling selling on the sea but with machine with with tube plastic. Okay. Okay. And uh I'm a shepherd. I work for to make surf surfboard you know. So I used to work with my hand. Oh, this I'm I got to tell you this just looks like a a finished game. It it really just it feels a little out of place here because it's so beautiful and it's so finished. Um typically you'll look at a a homebrew and it's uh it's almost done. You have to go into red saucer. Red saucer. Red saucer. If it likes difficult to see red, red red, white, red, red, red. If you eat the red saucer letters going and it's opening and you're going to have a multiple but after at the same time select mission is open. So you can go X bonus at the top there is a mission. There is a diverter. I don't know the name. Yep, that's it. Diverter. Yeah, I said diverter. So look, too late because when you make four save, it's a save. Yeah. Ball save. Ball save left or right. But you have to be quick. This is absolutely beautiful. Um so it was a five-year process. Yeah, exactly. And to to begin to train and uh the three last for for this one. So, it was like a 2-year like startup like learning. Okay. What what do I what would uh a whitewood the shots do they feel good? I try with two two playfield one more simple and I uh don't have it because I I did stupid thing on it. I I did a playfield wood printed very high quality and I I I mess everything with the ver with the coat. I miss it, you know. I say, "Oh, I try with professional. I try with myself with resin." Awful. Awful. Awful. Awful. So, so it was a try, but a big try and but it was not a success. Well, I got to tell you, Tadic, this is just beautiful. This is the Invaders. Uh, what what do you have a plan for another game? Exactly. Yeah, I'll try. That's you know like every pinball it's a secret. Yes. Yeah. [laughter] You have to call me in few months and I'll tell you. Nice. Okay. Do you want to uh shout out real quick your YouTube channel so people can take a look at it? Yeah, it's possible. Yeah. Just mention it what it is. Yeah. Go ahead. What? What? Speak your um YouTube channel. What is the YouTube channel or is it just is it just Tad right now? Okay. So, I just met a YouTube. It's a tad pinball. Tad pinball. T A D. Yeah. T A D. Pinball. So you can find it. And uh maybe you can write the invaders pinball. And the invaders pinball. You guys, the invaders pinball right here at the homebrew section of Pinball Expo 2025. Thank you, Tad. This is a beautiful game. Really appreciate. And thank you for bringing it over so we could stream it. Thank actually play. It's only $100. [laughter] All right, guys.

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 6e1801b1-a3cf-422d-971b-6206afbf8956*