Gene Cunningham was a deceased pinball industry entrepreneur and founder of Illinois Pinball who acquired Williams/Bally assets and Capcom Pinball assets in the early 2000s. He is best known for producing Big Bang Bar remake machines (approximately 182-214 units between 2004-2007) at $4,500-$4,600 each, though the project reportedly lost money due to underpricing. Cunningham was a major collector, attended industry events like Pinball Expo and Texas Pinball Festival, and worked on playfield reproductions including Centaur, Eight Ball, and Funhouse before his death.
No aliases
Gene Cunningham remade Big Bang Bar in 2004, originally planning 100 units but increasing to 182, with first dozen sent to Europe before 2007 US release
Gene Cunningham's Big Bang Bar remakes sold for $4,600 each and he lost approximately $2,000 per unit
Gene Cunningham made approximately 214 Big Bang Bar remakes over a decade at $4,500-$5,500 each; secondary market prices $18k-$30k
Owner of Illinois Pinball; received Williams parts inventory and supply responsibility after 1999 closure but failed to deliver parts to operators, exacerbating industry crisis
Builder of Big Bang Bar pinball machines; produced approximately 164 machines in addition to Capcom's 12-13 units
Pinball entrepreneur who acquired Capcom/Williams assets, successfully manufactured 183 Big Bang Bar remakes (2006-2007), but suffered massive per-unit losses and filed for bankruptcy in 2013; operated skating rink (1973-1988, 1993+), Illinois Pinball Corporation, and Pinball Space Ball Manufacturing Inc.
Original Big Bang Bar remake creator; experienced severe production stress and charged only $4,500 for the project
Purchaser of Williams pinball assets (partial) during shutdown, founder of Illinois Pinball
Longtime pinball collector and parts innovator (deceased as of late November 2019), assembled Capcom Big Ben games, pioneered reproduction playfields and aftermarket parts
No linked glossary terms
Gene Cunningham purchased rights to Capcom and Alvin G and Co. Games in early 2000, including inventory and reproduction rights
Gene manufactured 183 Big Bang Bar remake units with an additional 10-11 'EXP' units in 2010 from leftover parts
Each Big Bang Bar remake cost $6,500–$7,200 to manufacture but sold for $4,500, resulting in at least $2,000 loss per unit
121 people pre-ordered Big Bang Bar machines at 2004 Pinball Expo after Gene's presentation
Gene filed for bankruptcy in March 2013, 11 days after conducting a warehouse liquidation sale of his entire pinball collection
Gene Cunningham allegedly hid at least 20 pieces of property from bankruptcy trustee records, including cars, pinball inventory, and commercial equipment
Gene Cunningham opened a skating rink in Bloomington, Illinois in 1973, sold it in 1988, and repurchased it in 1993 before entering the pinball business
Gene Cunningham charged only $4,500 for his Big Bang Bar remake in the early 2000s
Original Capcom rare game had approximately 122 units produced; Gene Cunningham remake had 183 units on deposit in 2004
Gene Cunningham bankrupted himself remaking Big Bang Bar
Gene Cunningham pioneered reproduction playfield manufacturing before anyone else around 1999-2000
Gene Cunningham owned over 1,000 pinball games spread across several warehouses, including Wizard Blocks, Playboy (Pinball 2000 game), and numerous prototypes and rarities.
Gene Cunningham built 183 Big Bang Bar games from 2003 onward using original Capcom hardware, losing over $100,000 on the project.
Gene Cunningham's Big Bang Bar project could have been profitable if he had adopted modern control boards instead of insisting on original Capcom hardware.
Gene Cunningham produced approximately 100 Big Bang Bar machines through Illinois Pinball Company
Capcom originally produced only 6-7 Big Bang Bar prototypes before Gene Cunningham acquired assets and expanded to ~100 units
Gene Cunningham purchased Williams documentation, tooling, and assets (including Wizard Blocks and Playboy games) from Williams factory sale in 1999
Gene Cunningham also acquired remaining Capcom stock and used it to manufacture Big Bang Bar, which had been prototype-only at Capcom
Gene Cunningham's Illinois Pinball acquired most remaining parts stock from Williams, Alvin G, and Capcom after these companies ceased pinball production
Gene Cunningham drove many hours to various pinball shows around the US to sell legacy stock and reproduction parts
Gene Cunningham was impressed by Nucore and approached Big Guys Pinball about multiple unspecified projects
Gene Cunningham first announced plans to build new Big Bang Bar machines on October 11, 2004
Gene Cunningham personally absorbed manufacturing cost overruns, with each machine costing approximately $6,500 to produce versus the $4,500 selling price
PMI faced significant obstacles with parts suppliers, including unfulfilled promises, delays, and unexpected price increases during manufacturing
Gene acquired Williams Valley pinball assets through purchases in 2000 (rights to use) and 2003 (tooling, artwork, Bally name).
Gene owns 1,000+ pinball machines, previously owned up to 1,600 before selling off collection at auction.
Gene produced 173 Big Bang Bar units (185 including prototypes) using 191 board sets acquired from Capcom.
Big Bang Bar project cost Gene approximately $300,000 over initial $4,500 per-unit break-even budget due to manufacturing problems.
Gene's exclusive contract with Williams for manufacturing rights expired in October (early 2000s), enabling Wayne Nolan's subsequent purchase.
Williams rejected Gene's purchase offer because the company's board decided a $4.9M tax write-off was more valuable than accepting Gene's monetary offer.
Gene spent $15,000 on re-engineering Big Bang Bar arrow mechanisms to operate on 12 volts instead of 470 volts, but abandoned the solution due to LED brightness inconsistency.
Gene produces playfield remakes of classic machines (Kiss, Addams Family, Centaur, 8 Ball Deluxe, Funhouse) through L.A. Pinball using TAG equipment.
Wayne Nolan does not have third-party licensing rights for certain game themes and was forced to ship unauthorized artwork to Gene for destruction.
Gene considers Dave Christensen, Greg Ferris, and John Yosey to be among his favorite pinball artists, with Christensen being his primary research focus.
Gene Cunningham purchased the remains of Capcom when they withdrew from pinball business
Gene invested $150,000 with expectations for total cost to triple by production completion
Production expected to take 4-6 months from approval
Standard Big Bang Bar remake units will cost $4,500 with optional $250 gold effect upgrade
Game 1 with genuine gold parts valued at $2,000 will be priced at $12,000
121 registrations of interest were received by end of Pinball Expo
Gene Cunningham is considering having Churchill build an updated EM-era playing card game with score reels
Machines built 7-8 years ago are now bringing higher prices than when originally released
The Twilight Zone clock housing case was pursued by Williams, not Illinois Pinball
Gene Cunningham attempted to purchase Williams' entire pinball division following its closure announcement in November 1999
Illinois Pinball had previously acquired replacement parts from Capcom and at least two other defunct pinball manufacturers
Pinball designer/builder who created custom remake of rare Capcom game with 183 units on deposit in 2004
Founder of Illinois Pinball; rebuilt Big Bang Bar in 2004 producing 191 machines at ~$4,500 per unit
Owner of Illinois Pin Ball, reportedly considering commissioning Churchill to build updated EM-era playing card game
Pinball collector/hoarder who purchased Williams documentation and assets from factory sale in 1999; manufactured Big Bang Bar remake from Capcom assets
Game designer/producer; creating Big Bang Bar
Collector and enthusiast who founded Illinois Pinball Inc; purchased Capcom pinball technology
Owner of Illinois Pinball; negotiated parts and rights deal with Williams
Owner/operator of Illinois Pinball; has long working relationship with Rick Bartlett; discussed potential collaboration on playfield production
Pinball industry figure backing the Pinball Donut Girl project
Founder and operator of PMI (Pinball Manufacturing Inc.); orchestrated the reproduction of Big Bang Bar machines; absorbed manufacturing losses to fulfill orders
President of Illinois Pinball Company; pursuing growth through acquisition and re-releasing classic titles
Illinois Pin Ball Company founder; serial collector; declared bankruptcy in 2008 after rental property losses
Williams pinball patents and copyrights licensee; signed joint licensing agreement with Nucore team in January 2009
Impressed by Nucore demonstration; approached Big Guys Pinball about multiple unspecified future projects
One of two Williams Pinball license-holders at time of original Nucore legalization discussions
Owner of Illinois Pin Ball Co. and Pin Ball Mfg Inc.; acquired Williams pinball rights and Capcom assets; leading Big Bang Bar remake project
President/founder of Illinois Pinball; gave message to parts makers at Pinball Expo October 2002; clarified Williams' role in TZ clock housing enforcement
Founder/owner of Illinois Pinball Company; acquired and managed legacy parts stock from major manufacturers; selling inventory to refocus on reproduction parts manufacturing
Founder and owner of Illinois Pinball; acquired parts from multiple defunct manufacturers including Capcom and Williams
Designer of Illinois Pinball's Big Bang Bar remake (referenced in linked history article, not detailed here)
Pinball designer/manufacturer who attempted to remake Big Bang Bar, resulting in personal bankruptcy; also worked on 2004 Big Bang Bar remake (182 units)
Designer of Big Bang Bar; historical pricing example at $4,500, undercut market, lost money on production
Big Bang Bar producer cited as having experienced vendor supply chain and payment priority issues 15 years prior
Illinois Pinball founder and Big Bang Bar project creator; deceased at time of podcast; built 183 Big Bang Bar machines from Capcom assets
Purchased Williams pinball assets; according to Greg, deliberately prevented pinball's resurgence by not developing games
Owner of Illinois Pin Ball (IPB), first major CPR client for Centaur playfield reproductions
Founder of Illinois Pinball; ally of Pinball Inc. through NAPA group; provides access to Williams original ramp tooling
Founder of Illinois Pinball; acquired Williams/Bally assets; producer of Big Bang Bar remake
Founder/operator of Illinois Pinball; criticized by Phil for disorganization and slow production on Big Bang Bar remake; viewed as having limited future in pinball
Remade Big Bang Bar for production; considered remaking Kingpin; contacted Stan for opinions but work beyond discussion stages did not materialize
Designer/manufacturer of Big Bang Bar, known for quality control, located in Illinois
Pinball personality mentioned in connection with Texas Pinball Festival by Mort
Making debut booth at Texas Pinball Festival with playfield reproductions (Centaur, Eight Ball, Funhouse) and Williams Hearts machines; also gave seminar
Original Big Bang Bar remake producer (2004-2007); made 182 units at $4,600 each; reportedly underpriced, losing ~$2,000 per unit; sold or liquidated parts inventory to Planetary Pinball
Original Big Bang Bar remake engineer; produced 214 remakes over ~decade; passed away; remakes became collector's items
Deceased pinball industry figure; major collector; acquired Capcom Pinball assets and manufactured Big Bang Bar remakes; attempted to purchase Bally Williams division; known for attending Pinball Expo