# News in Brief

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2012-02-19  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/nib8.html

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## Analysis

This 2012 Pinball News brief covers four industry stories: John Popadiuk's second design, Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland ($9,995 with LCD screen and DIY kit option); Brett Davis launching XPin, a replacement parts company for LED displays, driver boards, and power supplies; a new Lord of the Rings plastic protector manufactured in Australia by Scott Milgate; and a Toronto café's legal battle to operate eight pinball machines against zoning restrictions.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland priced at $9,995 with LCD screen positioned at back of playfield — _Direct product specification from promotional material_
- [HIGH] XPin manufactures in the United States and distributes through Bay Area Amusements and MyArcadeRepair — _Brett Davis's own statement to Pinball News about distribution strategy_
- [HIGH] New Lord of the Rings protector uses 3mm clear plastic with heat-bent corners vs. original grooved construction — _Detailed product comparison in article describing Scott Milgate's design improvements_
- [HIGH] Toronto's General Zoning By-law No. 438-86 prohibits establishments with more than two pinball/electronic game machines in certain zones — _Direct quotation of zoning regulation from Toronto Life reporting_
- [HIGH] John Popadiuk is promoting a pinball design school concept alongside Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland — _Described on John's Pinball Inventor website mentioned in article_

### Notable Quotes

> "XPin products utilize the latest technology advancements and components, produce a lot less heat, and showcase the most alluring aesthetics of any product on the market today."
> — **Brett Davis**
> _Direct positioning statement from XPin founder about competitive differentiation in replacement parts market_

> "A big part of my product focus is still displays, but I will not be limited to them. I have been making substantial investments to bring more colors to the display market and will continue to do so."
> — **Brett Davis**
> _Reveals XPin's strategic focus on LED displays as core product line with expansion plans_

> "In general, our plan is to be making regular announcements every 2-3 weeks."
> — **Brett Davis**
> _Indicates aggressive product launch and marketing cadence for new XPin brand_

> "I'll put it in a folder, give it to my lawyer, and keep my doors open"
> — **Jason Hazzard**
> _Café owner's defiant stance on potential zoning fines; demonstrates commitment to maintaining pinball venue despite regulatory pressure_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| John Popadiuk | person | Pinball designer promoting his second low-run game design, Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland, and establishing pinball design school concept |
| Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland | game | Second John Popadiuk design; $9,995 price point with LCD screen and DIY kit assembly option available |
| Brett Davis | person | Replacement pinball parts designer and founder of XPin; previously worked with Marco Specialites on PinScore brand |
| XPin | company | New replacement parts manufacturer based in Phoenix, Arizona; designs LED displays, driver boards, and power supplies using latest technology |
| Marco Specialites | company | Previous employer of Brett Davis; manufactured and marketed PinScore brand replacement products |
| Bay Area Amusements | company | XPin distributor; first to stock orange LED displays |
| MyArcadeRepair | company | XPin distributor for replacement parts |
| Scott Milgate | person | Australian manufacturer of improved Lord of the Rings plastic protector; purchased rights from David Eisner |
| David Eisner | person | Original Lord of the Rings protector designer at PinWest (now closed); sold design rights to Scott Milgate |
| PinWest | company | Closed company that produced first two runs of Lord of the Rings protector; founder David Eisner sold rights to Scott Milgate |
| The Lord of the Rings | game | Game subject of protective playfield accessory to prevent damage at Paths of the Dead mini-playfield/Hobbiton upkicker transition |
| Jason Hazzard | person | Owner of Pinball Café in Toronto; fighting zoning restrictions on operating eight pinball machines |
| Pinball Café | company | Toronto café with eight pinball machines; engaged in legal dispute with city over zoning by-laws |
| Toronto | organization | City government applying General Zoning By-law No. 438-86 restricting pinball machine establishments |
| Pinball News | organization | Industry publication reporting on pinball news and business developments |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Game design and manufacturing, Aftermarket parts and replacements
- **Secondary:** Regulatory and zoning issues, Pinball venue operations
- **Mentioned:** LCD/DMD display technology

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Generally positive industry news covering innovation and entrepreneurship (Popadiuk's second design, XPin startup, protector improvements), offset by regulatory conflict in Toronto. No negative manufacturer or product criticism present.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Brett Davis establishes XPin as independent parts manufacturer following departure from Marco Specialites partnership (confidence: high) — Brett Davis statement: 'XPin is the name of the new company based in Phoenix, Arizona' with plans for regular product announcements every 2-3 weeks
- **[community_signal]** Toronto Pinball Café facing legal challenge from city regarding zoning restrictions on establishments with more than two pinball machines (confidence: high) — General Zoning By-law No. 438-86 explicitly prohibits 'pinball or electronic game machine establishment' with more than two machines in certain zones; owner Jason Hazzard filing variance appeal
- **[announcement]** Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland officially announced by designer John Popadiuk with promotional videos and website launch (confidence: high) — Website launched with promotional material featuring game specifications ($9,995, LCD screen, DIY kit option)
- **[product_strategy]** Lord of the Rings protective playfield accessory redesigned with improved materials (3mm clear plastic vs. grooved original) and manufacturing method (heat-bending) (confidence: high) — Scott Milgate improved design 'made from a much thicker 3mm clear plastic which also has corners and edges made by heat-bending rather than the grooved construction used in the original version'
- **[technology_signal]** XPin replacing PinScore product line with re-engineered designs using latest technology advancements and reduced heat generation (confidence: high) — Brett Davis: 'all the designs have been re-engineered from those he created for the PinScore range and are unique to XPin. XPin products utilize the latest technology advancements'

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## Transcript

Date: 19th February, 2012

JOHN POPADIUK PROMOTES HIS SECOND PINBALL DESIGN

Pinball Designer John Popadiuk has been busy working on his second low-run game - Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland - and has launched a website to help promote it.

Promotional material for Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland

The $9,995 game features an LCD screen, believed to be positioned at the back of the playfield as the DMD is in Cirqus Voltaire, but on a larger scale. A DIY kit option is also available where John and Ben can visit the purchaser's home and help them build their own game.

John is keen to promote the customisation options available during the design and build process, allowing each purchaser to ensure their game is unique.

John and Ben have released a couple of promotional videos for the game as well, one featuring Ben and the other more conceptual than factual.

You can watch these on John's Pinball Inventor website, where he is also promoting the concept of a pinball design school, where student can learn the way of designing a pinball machine, and create their own designs to take home with them.

NEW PARTS COMPANY

Replacement pinball boards designer Brett Davis has announced the formation of a new company to design and manufacture a new range of products.

XPin is the name of the new company based in Phoenix, Arizona, and you will soon see Brett's products appearing at shows and on his distributor's websites.

The XPin logo

Brett previously worked with Marco Specialites who produced and marketed Brett's designs for LED displays, driver and controller boards, and power supplies under the PinScore brand.

Now though, Brett has branched out on his own and set up the XPin brand to design, manufacture and market a new range of next-generation products.

Brett Davis

Brett described his new XPin range to Pinball News as, "the next step in the evolution process for replacement products." He said all the designs have been re-engineered from those he created for the PinScore range and are unique to XPin. He continued, "XPin products utilize the latest technology advancements and components, produce a lot less heat, and showcase the most alluring aesthetics of any product on the market today."

He aims to produce the same types of boards as before, where he was probably best known for his multi-coloured LED replacement displays, but also created many power supply and driver boards.

"A big part of my product focus is still displays, but I will not be limited to them. I have been making substantial investments to bring more colors to the display market and will continue to do so. I am also putting... time and energy into power systems and driver boards. I have many new products planned that have never seen the light of day. In general, our plan is to be making regular announcements every 2-3 weeks."

X-Pin products will be manufactured in the United States and be available direct from Brett or through his distributors who are currently Bay Area Amusements and MyArcadeRepair.

The first of the orange XPin LED displays have just become available from BAA. They are suitable for Williams, Bally and Data East machines, with some also available as blue, green and red versions.

NEW LORD OF THE RINGS PROTECTOR

Back in 2005 we reviewed a new plastic protector for The Lord of the Rings which was designed to protect the game's plastics and playfield as the ball fell off the Paths of the Dead mini-playfield into the Hobbiton upkicker.

Points where damage occurs in The Lord of the Rings

Two runs of these were produced by PinWest's David Eisner with the second addressing all the issues we had the first time around. However, PinWest closed down several years ago and although they were good, these protectors didn't last forever.

Now help is at hand for anyone with a broken protector, or who want to prevent any further damage to their game, thanks to a new version being manufactured in Australia and sold by Scott Milgate.

The new Lord of the Rings protector

Scott bought the rights to the protectors from David Eisner and set about improving the design.

The new protector is made from a much thicker 3mm clear plastic which also has corners and edges made by heat-bending rather than the grooved construction used in the original version. The changes should make the new protectors much stronger and resilient.

The new protector in place

Scott's Lord of the Rings protector is available directly from him by e-mail, or through his Ebay listing where the price is AUS$49.99 plus shipping. (£34 or US$53.90)

CAFÉ FIGHTS TO KEEP PINBALL

Canadian listings and review site blogTO reported recently on the battle a Toronto café owners is having with the city over the zoning by-laws, as originally reported by Toronto Life.

The problem is over the Pinball Café's eight pinball machines which sit alongside the coffee drinkers and provide a haven for those in need of a fix of both ball and bean.

five of the café's eight machines

(picture: Toronto Life)

The General Zoning By-law No. 438-86 states that a "'pinball or electronic game machine establishment' means a portion of a building containing more than two pinball or other mechanical or electronic game machines operated for gain, excluding any machines used for the purpose of gambling."

With eight machines, the Pinball Cafe is designated as such an establishment, which is specifically disallowed in that part of the City.

While owner Jason Hazzard applies for a variance to the Zoning By-law following the rejection of his application for a business licence in January, he is determined to remain open and is unconcerned about the possibility of receiving a fine.

"I'll put it in a folder, give it to my lawyer, and keep my doors open", he said.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: df16e01d-ea6d-42d2-b331-0c98f975ea10*