# Not Dead Yet

**Source:** This Week in Pinball  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-01-23  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://twip.kineticist.com/p/not-dead-yet

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## Analysis

This Week in Pinball unboxes a Winchester Mystery House pinball machine (#8) from Barrels of Fun at Wild Dog Arcade. The video documents the unboxing process, assembly steps, and initial power-on testing while Ed provides historical context about the Winchester Mystery House landmark in California. The unboxing reveals standard accessories (playfield protectors, tools, documentation) and a signed card from designer Carl D'Angelo, though the final power-on test encounters a minor coil test glitch.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Winchester Mystery House pinball is based on a landmark that 'not a lot of people outside the San Jose, San Francisco, California area know about' — _Ed's commentary during unboxing emphasizing the regional nature of the Winchester Mystery House location_
- [HIGH] Ed grew up in the Bay Area and moved to the Midwest in 2016 — _Direct personal statement by Ed during historical context segment_
- [HIGH] Carl D'Angelo is the designer of Winchester Mystery House pinball — _Signed card in the unboxing reads 'Thank you, Carl D'Angelo'_
- [HIGH] The game has a coil test glitch that doesn't stop when activated — _During power-on testing: 'There's a glitch in their uh thing. When you do coil test, it doesn't stop.'_
- [HIGH] This is unit #8 of Winchester Mystery House production — _Unboxing documentation explicitly identifies machine as 'Relic number eight'_

### Notable Quotes

> "This popular destination from the Bay Area has a very intriguing story behind it. I'm actually originally from the Bay Area, California."
> — **Ed**, early in content
> _Establishes personal connection to Winchester Mystery House theme and region_

> "Winchester Mystery House Pinball is not just a game. It's an exploration of secrets, superstition, and endless discovery."
> — **Barrels of Fun welcome letter**, mid-unboxing
> _Official manufacturer positioning of the game's thematic intent_

> "The best number would have been 13, but I'm pretty sure that Carl gets that one."
> — **Host**, during unit number discussion
> _Suggests designer Karl D'Angelo receives unit #13, indicating designer retention of special serial numbers_

> "There's a glitch in their uh thing. When you do coil test, it doesn't stop."
> — **Host**, final power-on testing
> _Identifies potential firmware or hardware issue on initial boot_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Winchester Mystery House | game | Pinball machine by Barrels of Fun being unboxed; theme based on historic San Jose mansion |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Pinball manufacturer who produced Winchester Mystery House; known as Deeproot Pinball in some contexts |
| Carl D'Angelo | person | Designer of Winchester Mystery House pinball; signed documentation included in unboxing; receives unit #13 per conversation |
| Wild Dog Arcade | location | Venue where unboxing video was filmed; appears to be arcade/pinball location |
| Ed | person | Co-host providing historical context about Winchester Mystery House landmark; originally from Bay Area California |
| This Week in Pinball | organization | Content creator/podcast producing the unboxing video |
| Winchester Mystery House (landmark) | organization | Historic mansion in San Jose, California; serves as basis for pinball game theme; popular tourist destination in Bay Area |
| San Jose, California | location | Location of the real Winchester Mystery House landmark |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Winchester Mystery House unboxing, Barrels of Fun machine quality and assembly
- **Secondary:** Winchester Mystery House landmark history, Initial hardware testing and firmware issues, Pinball machine assembly and setup procedures

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Enthusiastic unboxing experience with nostalgic appreciation for the theme and game quality. Minor concern introduced by coil test glitch at the end, but overall tone remains upbeat and satisfied with the product.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Content creator operates live pinball streams Wednesday and Sunday nights, integrating unboxing content with regular community engagement (confidence: medium) — Final call-out: 'Also, don't forget we've got live pinball that we do during Wednesday and Sunday nights in the evenings.'
- **[design_philosophy]** Barrels of Fun includes premium unboxing experience elements (playfield protectors, signed designer card, welcome letter, historical contextual materials, branded accessories) (confidence: high) — Comprehensive documentation, protective materials, signed Carl D'Angelo card, themed welcome letter, bottle opener included in box
- **[announcement]** Winchester Mystery House pinball actively being unboxed and tested in early production units (unit #8) (confidence: high) — Detailed unboxing of working machine with serial number documentation and signed designer card
- **[product_concern]** Coil test glitch identified during initial power-on: system does not stop when coil test is activated (confidence: high) — Direct observation during testing: 'There's a glitch in their uh thing. When you do coil test, it doesn't stop.'

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## Transcript

We take a trip to the Winchester Mystery House from our place. What spirits will visit us? What secrets will we uncover or unbox? Find out next. Welcome specters and ghouls to the Wild Dog Arcade. Today we're going to be unboxing our Winchester Mystery House pinball from Barrels of Fun.
Pause it. Hi, it's Ed over here. I just want to quickly add that we will be also uncovering some additional stories about the Winchester Mystery House itself to help enrich your experience with the game.
All righty. So, let's get to it. Yes. So, we're going to open up the box. Yeah, we got stuff inside. So,
okay.
All right. All right.
Yeah. This one says, "Do not cut this strap until the game is on its legs."
Yep. Legs.
Got some uh looks like some playfield protectors for when we're working on it.
Okay.
So, that's Yeah.
Yeah. So, you slide that in before you pull up the playfield and stuff so you don't scratch up the game. That's a nice addition.
Yeah. Cool. Hi folks, it's me again here. I'm here to talk a little bit about Winchester Mystery House during this unboxing. What makes this particular unboxing quite unique is that this pinball machine is based off of a landmark that not a lot of people outside the San Jose, San Francisco, California area know about. This popular destination from the Bay Area has a very intriguing story behind it. I'm actually originally from the Bay Area, California. I grew up there. I didn't move to the Midwest until, you know, 2016. So, a lot of the different connections that I have with the machine are essentially from my memory. So, a little bit of nostalgia is wrapped up in there. Um, every time I would drive down the freeway down 880, I would see the billboards uh that were advertising for the Winchester Mystery House. It's kind of weird. It's kind of amazing to see something that has been a fixture in my life growing up all these years and now years later all of a sudden it's kind of back in my life again. So kind of cool, kind of awesome. The things that I can remember that are very similar to what is in the pinball machine from the tour that I had visited. I would say the overall aesthetic for sure and pretty much the overall vibe of the place. Unwrapping it only to wrap it up again. and then unwrapping it again.
Yeah.
Yeah. It's a process. Dang. Not having a walk out.
But hey, we're number eight. We don't have a fancy smashy big zero number. It's just eight.
Yeah.
Eight is great. It's a good looking number, too.
The best number would have been 13, but I'm pretty sure that Carl gets that one. Ah,
yeah. It's like reverse Christmas.
Yeah, I know. All right. All right. Next step. First game with foam. Yeah. Or felt. Uh-huh. Now, where did the keys go?
Uh, they in the coin door. Oh, they're they're zip
Oh,
they're zip tied to the plunger.
Oh,
got to have those.
Yeah. Oh. Got some goodies.
Oh, cool. Is
that a beer beer bottle opener? Yeah. Yeah.
Balls and plumb bob.
Cool.
And a big old Allen wrench for the backbox.
Nice.
Barrels the fun 2025. Oh no, it's already out of date. Opening up the backbox. and the mysterious envelope with the name Winchester on it. There we go. Let's see what it has inside.
Ooh, open that one carefully. It might that might be the piece of the Winchester house.
Okay,
maybe. Yep.
There's a rumor to be giving us a piece of something.
Oh, okay. Make sure I do it correctly and evenly. Oo, game features. Ah, it's got a letter. Welcome to the Barrels of Fun family. You have just unlocked a gateway to one of the most mysterious and iconic locations ever built. Prepare yourself. Winchester Mystery House Pinball is not just a game. It's an exploration of secrets, superstition, and endless discovery. Unpacking. Please carefully remove any packaging materials from the field. This would ensure that All right, barrels of fun. Your tours through the Winchester Mystery House begin now. Call forth the spirits. May your may your presence be known. Thank you, Carl D'Python Anghelo.
Oh, nice. Wow. Card signed by Carl.
Yeah. Relic number eight. Nice.
Number eight. Lucky number eight.
Yeah.
Like eight's a lucky in Asian culture, right?
Yes. Okay. This is just Come on. I got to Okay. It's like a start that down.
Time to get this the smoke machine going.
Yeah.
All right. Cool. Amp. Amp. Power supply. Power supply. Computer. Fast distribution. Power board and distribution board. Shiny. Yes. Stand's got nice gloss to it. So, so everybody You always want to wash your balls.
Yes. Make sure also that they touch. And here's what we used. It was
91% alcohol.
Isopropyl alcohol.
Yeah.
All right. Now, there's the power. Power is in. Couldn't see what that was. It's
like attention, not a signal. Haven't booted it yet. Uh a HDMI.
Yeah.
Yeah. What? Uhoh. It did. No one to stop.
It didn't stop. There's a glitch in their uh thing. When you do coil test, it doesn't stop.
Oops. I hope you guys like the video. If you do, please like and subscribe and let us know what other content you'd like to see. Also, don't forget we've got live pinball that we do during Wednesday and Sunday nights in the evenings. So, until then, bye-bye.

_(Acquisition: youtube_mirror_subs, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 7944acc6-d59a-4462-8ed9-3d45a9aebec9*