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While Circus Maximus Kingpin Pinball Project Stalls, Some Collectors Make Their Own

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Jul 29, 2022
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.012

TL;DR

Circus Maximus Kingpin stalls; collector builds own version 90% complete.

Summary

Circus Maximus's commercial Kingpin pinball remake project remains stalled with no updates at Southern Fried Gaming Expo. Meanwhile, a hobbyist collector named TomDK is independently building a custom Kingpin machine on Pinside, achieving 90% completion through personal effort and community documentation.

Key Claims

  • Circus Maximus provided no update on Kingpin project at Southern Fried Gaming Expo

    high confidence · Direct observation of event; stated as fact about expected but absent announcement

  • TomDK's homebrew Kingpin build is 90% complete

    high confidence · Knapp Arcade article directly reporting on Pinside thread progress; specific completion percentage given

  • TomDK's Kingpin project has been in progress for over a year

    high confidence · Article states 'over the past year' explicitly

Notable Quotes

  • “Many people had been hoping that the folks at Circus Maximus would provide an update on their long-running project to bring Mark Ritchie's lost 1996 Capcom pinball machine to life at the recent Southern Fried Gaming Expo. Alas, there was no word from the team at the event.”

    Knapp Arcade author — Establishes Circus Maximus project stall and community disappointment; Southern Fried Gaming Expo context

  • “Some pinballers have taken the matter into their own hands and have decided to make their own Kingpins.”

    Knapp Arcade author — Signals shift from waiting for commercial remake to community self-sufficiency

  • “The progress that has been made on this build is amazing. The game is now 90% complete.”

    Knapp Arcade author — Validates homebrew alternative as legitimate achievement; demonstrates viability of fan remake

Entities

Circus MaximuscompanyKingpingameMark RitchiepersonTomDKpersonSouthern Fried Gaming ExpoeventPinsideorganizationKnapp Arcadeorganization

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Circus Maximus Kingpin commercial remake project remains in extended stall with no public updates or announcements at major community event

    high · No announcement at Southern Fried Gaming Expo despite community anticipation; described as 'long-running project' with persistent silence

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinball community responding to commercial remake delays by independently building homebrew versions, demonstrating self-sufficiency and reducing dependency on manufacturer delivery

    high · TomDK's 90% complete homebrew Kingpin build gaining visibility and documentation on Pinside; article characterizes this as collectors 'taking the matter into their own hands'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Homebrew pinball construction capability reaching maturity; single enthusiast able to recreate complex 1996 arcade machine to near-completion state

    medium · TomDK achieving 90% completion over 1+ year; Knapp Arcade describes progress as 'amazing' and work as 'nearly from scratch'; full documentation on Pinside and YouTube

Topics

Circus Maximus Kingpin remake project stallprimaryHomebrew/custom pinball machine buildingprimaryCommunity alternative to commercial remakeprimaryCapcom pinball legacy and lost gamessecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.35)— Disappointed tone regarding Circus Maximus silence, but celebratory/positive about TomDK's homebrew achievement and community problem-solving. Shifts from frustration to hope.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Many people had been hoping that the folks at Circus Maximus would provide an update on their long-running project to bring Mark Ritchie’s lost 1996 Capcom pinball machine to life at the recent Southern Fried Gaming Expo. Alas, there was no word from the team at the event. Some pinballers have taken the matter into their own hands and have decided to make their own Kingpins. I’ve been following one particular Kingpin build in a thread over on Pinside, where over the past year a member named “TomDK” is very close to accomplishing the feat of building his own Kingpin for his pinball collection. The progress that has been made on this build is amazing. The game is now 90% complete. Following his journey and the trial and error of building a Kingpin nearly from scratch has been super cool. Keep in mind that this is not a commercial project, just a game for an avid collector's personal use. Here’s a link to the Pinside thread that contains the entire journey of this particular remake and links to a few YouTube videos of the project: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/welcome-to-the-big-city-kid/page/2#post-6517543 https://youtu.be/5ZgWAHI_umM https://youtu.be/uarHByOQlIw https://youtu.be/KDXFh1N1PAQ https://youtu.be/bewJNkCcdP0