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The Grasley Garage! Twilight Zone Reimagined! Fathom & Centaur join the Queue!

Pinball Shenanigans·video·15m 43s·analyzed·Apr 24, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Custom Twilight Zone restoration showcased at Grazley Garage with multiple machines in queue.

Summary

Mike Dimes visits Grazley Garage to check on progress on his custom Twilight Zone reimagined machine, which features custom art and restoration work by Kevin. Along the way, he documents other projects in progress including Xenon, Tales of Arabian Nights, Knight Rider, Fathom, and Centaur, while also discussing American Pinball's new reimagined series concept.

Key Claims

  • American Pinball has been purchased and will remake Bally/Williams titles with Pro, Premium, and Reimagined versions featuring custom art by Brian Allen

    high confidence · Mike Dimes discusses American Pinball's announcement while viewing his custom Twilight Zone

  • Circus Voltaire is the first announced American Pinball Reimagined machine

    high confidence · Mike Dimes mentions this as the inaugural title in the reimagined series

  • Kevin at Grazley Garage has made significant progress on Mike's one-of-a-kind Twilight Zone restoration in one week

    high confidence · Mike states 'the amount of progress that you made on this thing is crazy' after visiting a week prior

  • Fathom and Centaur previously had playfield swaps done but are not as well dialed-in as they could be

    high confidence · Mike and Kevin discussing Sean Bennish's machines requiring the 'Grazley Garage treatment' for optimal play

  • James Rees is no longer in business but new old stock of his rails is available

    high confidence · Kevin mentions James Rees rails being installed on Fathom as 'new old stock' since James Rees is 'not in business anymore'

Notable Quotes

  • “It only took till like almost May, but I think winter is finally gone.”

    Mike Dimes@ 0:15 — Opening comment about season in London, Ontario; sets casual, friendly tone

  • “I'm Mike Dimes and this is Pinball Shenanigans.”

    Mike Dimes@ 0:40 — Channel signature/branding moment

  • “Dutch is picky. And that's a good that's a compliment when it comes to like how the machine plays.”

    Mike Dimes@ 7:04 — Characterizes Kevin's approach to restoration quality and attention to detail

  • “American Pinball was just purchased and they have announced that they're going to be coming out with some, you know, remaking some Bally Williams titles.”

    Mike Dimes@ 11:04 — Major industry news about American Pinball's ownership change and product strategy

  • “I think I'm going to call this the Twilight Zone reimagined. So, one of a kind and there will not be another one like it.”

    Mike Dimes@ 11:47 — Establishes the custom nature and uniqueness of Mike's restoration project

  • “This is my favorite thing about getting a new pinball machine. Look at that. One American and one Canadian.”

    Mike Dimes@ 15:25 — Humorous moment about finding leftover coins in a new machine

Entities

Mike DimespersonKevinpersonDutchpersonSean BennishpersonCoreypersonShane JacksonpersonEric ThornpersonJason AshbypersonAaron DruniakpersonBrian AllenpersonBen Ziffperson

Signals

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Mike's Twilight Zone undergoing comprehensive custom restoration at Grazley Garage including powder-coated metal parts, custom apron cards by Ben Ziff, new wireforms, custom decals, and custom art elements inspired by American Pinball's Reimagined concept

    high · Detailed walkthrough of restoration work including powder coating, custom apron cards, new yellow flipper buttons, transparent blue shooter rod, metal leg protectors, nylon feet, leg levelers, art blades, sandblasted parts

  • ?

    product_strategy: American Pinball pursuing strategy to remake classic Bally/Williams titles with multiple tier system (Pro, Premium, Reimagined) featuring custom art by Brian Allen

    high · Mike explains American Pinball's announcement: 'there's going to be like this sort of pro and the premium. And then there's going to be the reimagined version. And that's going to be like all custom art. Uh and that's going to be done by Brian Allen.'

  • ?

    announcement: American Pinball announces Circus Voltaire as first title in Reimagined series with custom art

    high · Mike states: 'So, the first game that they have announced is Circus Voltaire. So, there's going to be the Circus Voltaire reimagined machine with custom art.'

  • ?

    collector_signal: Custom one-of-a-kind Twilight Zone restoration being treated as unique collector's piece with custom art and elements, named 'Twilight Zone Reimagined' and branded as non-replicable

    high · Mike emphasizes uniqueness: 'one of a kind and there will not be another one like it' and plans to call it 'don't touch the door edition'

  • ?

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:02
Yo, what is going on? It is a beautiful day in London, Ontario. Probably like 20° C. And it's about freaking time. It only took till like almost May, but I think winter is finally gone. So, I'm going to head over to the Greasily Garage because Kevin has made some significant progress on my one-of-a-kind Twilight Zone. And he sent me a teaser photo last night and it looks amazing. I'm Mike Dimes and this [music] is Pinball Shenanigans. Hi doggies.
0:52
I'm eager to go check out the action. See what other uh things he's working on. I think there's progress on Tales of the Arabian Nights, on Xenon, and whatever else, but the highlight for today is going to be this one-of-a-kind Twilight Zone. So, I am excited to check it out. First, I got to pop into the post office. I got to deliver a lock bar to um Wisconsin, which is the home of District 82. And earlier in the week, I actually shipped Eric Thorn some Evil Knievel pop bumper cap decals. And I got to deliver I got to ship um some decals Jurassic Park decals to uh let's see Jason Ashby in Middletown, DE. What's that? Delaware? And I've got to ship Oh, this is a word No, not word warm womp rare complete in box Intellivision game that I bought off Shane Jackson of Maple Pinball. He bought his whole Intellivision collection. And that is going to Aaron Druniak. Oh, [ __ ] And um somewhere. Anyway, so go hit up the post office and then see you over at the Greasily Garage. All right, I'm back at the Greasily Garage. New things are happening including Dutch's haircut. Where did your long hair go? Um it's in a Ziploc bag somewhere around here, I think. It's going to go in an envelope and then the mailbox. Think so? There's the new do. Time for a change, I guess. There's a lot of new stuff happening at the Greasily Garage. So, let's start off in the garage here and see what's going on. Uh this is a Victory came from Forked River and that is going Uh this is being temporarily stored here by Corey and that is going to uh new home soon and >> Maple. Oh, that's right. It's going to
JC
person
James Reesperson
Grazley Garageorganization
American Pinballcompany
Maple Pinballorganization
Twilight Zone Reimaginedgame
Fathomgame
Centaurgame
Ripley's Believe It or Not!game
Tales of the Arabian Nightsgame
Xenongame
Knight Ridergame
Circus Voltairegame

operational_signal: Grazley Garage managing complex multi-machine restoration queue with staggered timelines, including Fathom, Centaur, Twilight Zone, Tales of Arabian Nights, Xenon, Knight Rider, and Ripley's

high · Mike observes 'You have got like what? Six things going on at once now?' and notes that rotisserie equipment is shared/limited

  • ?

    technology_signal: James Rees custom pinball parts (rails, modifications) no longer in production but new old stock remains available as aftermarket components

    high · Kevin states 'James Rees is not in business anymore' but notes 'new old stock' of James Rees rails being installed on Fathom

  • ?

    venue_signal: Active trading/redistribution of machines between collectors and operators including Victory moving to Maple Pinball, Solar Ride, Popeye's planned moves, and interest in World Cup Soccer at upcoming Allentown event

    high · Discussion of Victory going to Shane Jackson at Maple Pinball, Solar Ride being temporary placeholder, Popeye's going to Forked River location, Corey negotiating deals at Allentown including possible World Cup Soccer

  • ?

    community_signal: Active micro-economy of pinball parts, decals, and accessories being shipped between collectors and restorers (pop bumper caps for Eric Thorn, Jurassic Park decals for Jason Ashby, Intellivision game for Aaron Druniak)

    high · Mike ships Evil Knievel pop bumper cap decals to Eric Thorn, Jurassic Park decals to Jason Ashby in Delaware, and Intellivision game to Aaron Druniak

  • ?

    business_signal: American Pinball company purchased and implementing IP remaster strategy targeting classic licensed Bally/Williams catalog with tiered product offerings

    high · Mike announces 'American Pinball was just purchased' and outlines new business model with Pro/Premium/Reimagined versions of classic titles

  • ?

    design_innovation: Twilight Zone restoration incorporating creative custom elements including transparent blue shooter rod, custom powder-coated metal parts in blue-purple, custom apron art, and reimagined playfield layout inspired by American Pinball's approach

    high · Detailed description of custom elements: 'transparent blue shooter rod,' powder-coated 'purply blue' parts, 'custom apron cards,' wire forms, new plastic sets

  • ?

    content_signal: Pinball Shenanigans producing video content documenting restoration processes, machine showcases, and industry developments at Grazley Garage location

    high · Mike documents full restoration walkthrough with detailed camera work, and mentions 'About to do a gameplay video' on Bull Fight

    • 3:03
    Maple. Oh, that's right. It's going to
    3:03
    Maple. Oh, that's right. It's going to Shane Jackson at Maple Pinball. And something is going to go in Victory's place. Do you remember what it is? Solar Ride. It's already gone. >> Solar Ride, that's right. It's a slight
    3:13
    Solar Ride, that's right. It's a slight
    3:13
    Solar Ride, that's right. It's a slight downgrade, but uh you know, we've had our fun with Victory, so I think Solar Ride's only going in there temporarily and then Popeye's going to go. Oh, yeah. Popeye's going to be coming to Forked and uh whatever else Corey buys at Allentown. I think he's got a couple deals lined up. Think World Cup. I'm sorry. World Cup Soccer? That would be amazing. Uh okay, so also we've got some progress here on the Xenon. >> Yeah, so Xenon head
    3:41
    Yeah, so Xenon head
    3:42
    Yeah, so Xenon head and Xenon body. Xenon head frame I saw in the driveway getting uh sanded. So, that is underway. And I see you've been working on the Tales of Arabian Nights playfield swap. >> Yeah, we had to steal part of the
    3:59
    Yeah, we had to steal part of the
    3:59
    Yeah, we had to steal part of the rotisserie for the Twilight Zone. >> Ah. Twilight playfield is on Oh, okay.
    4:04
    Ah. Twilight playfield is on Oh, okay.
    4:04
    Ah. Twilight playfield is on Oh, okay. Twilight Zone is now on the second rotisserie, so sorry Tales of Arabian Nights. I can still kind of work on it, but it's now a little more difficult. You need to build another one another set. But this thing is coming along. I like the combo of purple rubbers and transparent rubbers. Some purple posts.
    4:31
    The captor balls are kind of cute, the orbs. >> Yeah. They're kind of like floating in
    4:33
    Yeah. They're kind of like floating in
    4:33
    Yeah. They're kind of like floating in place. They're bolted in from the bottom. It's cool. >> Right.
    4:37
    Right.
    4:37
    Right. But then we end up powder coating all this stuff. >> Oh, very cool. The scimitar blade
    4:45
    Oh, very cool. The scimitar blade
    4:45
    Oh, very cool. The scimitar blade is gold. All this stuff. Ooh, skill shot. >> Yeah, here we go.
    4:50
    Yeah, here we go.
    4:50
    Yeah, here we go. Little dusty. Oh, that's nice. Yeah. And uh >> form. It's wire form. Oh, wow.
    4:59
    form. It's wire form. Oh, wow.
    4:59
    form. It's wire form. Oh, wow. >> Maple. Look at that.
    5:01
    Maple. Look at that.
    5:01
    Maple. Look at that. >> So, all new like uh
    5:04
    So, all new like uh
    5:04
    So, all new like uh Oh, you got the decals coming for that, too, right? >> JC's bringing on the thing. Oh, and
    5:08
    JC's bringing on the thing. Oh, and
    5:08
    JC's bringing on the thing. Oh, and shooter housing. Yep. And and that's like uh >> Bottom below the ramp. Right. Yeah, and
    5:15
    Bottom below the ramp. Right. Yeah, and
    5:15
    Bottom below the ramp. Right. Yeah, and it drops down the left side, I think. And new plastics are coming for it, too. New plastics? You got those ordered up? Yeah, they're coming. That's some progress. This is a This is a big job, so it's going to take you a few hours. Think they got the ramps? Yeah. Yeah, looks like it. These are the old ramps. Yeah, new ones are going on. And this looks like uh Knight Rider, I think. >> Knight Rider stuff.
    5:39
    Knight Rider stuff.
    5:39
    Knight Rider stuff. >> Yep.
    5:39
    Yep.
    5:39
    Yep. There's Knight Rider there. >> Knight Rider stripped as well. You have
    5:43
    Knight Rider stripped as well. You have
    5:43
    Knight Rider stripped as well. You have got like what? Six things going on at once now? And two new games just arrived. >> They did. Let's go check those out. Sean
    5:51
    They did. Let's go check those out. Sean
    5:51
    They did. Let's go check those out. Sean Bennish was just here dropping off a couple more projects. Uh And we'll look at those without looking at the Twilight Zone. It's going to be hard to do, though. How can I do this? Don't do that, Mike. My Ripley's is here. >> Okay, sorry. We will not smash the door
    6:08
    Okay, sorry. We will not smash the door
    6:08
    Okay, sorry. We will not smash the door into Ripley's. Okay, we can look at the playfield. That's fine. The cabinet is behind me. That's nice. But Oh, yeah, I noticed that, too. This is a little cheater button to start games or add credits. >> but actually you want Oh, you got it on
    6:24
    but actually you want Oh, you got it on
    6:24
    but actually you want Oh, you got it on uh rollers. Oh, look. Can see a bit of a corner of my Twilight Zone right now. No cheating. But look what we have. Fathom and Centaur have joined the queue. Again, these are Bennish's machines. Uh back in the day, Bennish had someone uh do playfield swaps on these guys. And you know, it's it's fine. It's sufficient, but they're not playing um as dialed in as they would be if they went through the Greasily Garage treatment. The Dutch treatment. Dutch is picky. And that's a good that's a compliment when it comes to like how the machine plays. >> I'm particular.
    7:07
    I'm particular.
    7:07
    I'm particular. >> Particular, there you go. You guys did
    7:10
    Particular, there you go. You guys did
    7:10
    Particular, there you go. You guys did what? The Barracora and Sea Witch for Bennish? >> And Medusa and he loves how they play,
    7:17
    And Medusa and he loves how they play,
    7:17
    And Medusa and he loves how they play, how dialed in they are. These are going to get a general touch-up shop job, replace anything, and then dial all in. Oh, cool flipper toppers. It's like uh silver with axes on them. Beheading axes. >> Yeah.
    7:35
    Yeah.
    7:35
    Yeah. What a cool game. I rarely get to play this game. It's got some cool pop bumper cap decals as well. Those are awesome. And this has uh Reese rails. Yep. And I got Reese rails for Fathom. Already installed, but yeah, Fathom Reese rails are getting installed here. Some new old stock cuz Reese is not in business anymore. Check out this cool custom shooter rod. And then yeah, so we've got a couple epic titles in the Greasily Garage here. Looking forward to playing these. Dutch has never played either. Kevin, probably not either. >> No. So, that's exciting stuff.
    8:20
    No. So, that's exciting stuff.
    8:20
    No. So, that's exciting stuff. All right, so I guess it's time to rip off the band-aid. I'll do it after. Oh, I guess we could kind of peek at the playfield. There's really nothing to see here yet, though, is there? Not much. >> just kind of get a idea of the before.
    8:33
    just kind of get a idea of the before.
    8:33
    just kind of get a idea of the before. We're lacking wire forms. Yeah, they're all over the cabinet right now. Oh, yeah. So, are they in then? All the wire forms and stuff? >> Yep, they're just underneath there.
    8:42
    Yep, they're just underneath there.
    8:42
    Yep, they're just underneath there. >> Okay, we'll uh take a look at those, but
    8:46
    Okay, we'll uh take a look at those, but
    8:46
    Okay, we'll uh take a look at those, but I do have gumballs coming. I've got a decal for this lamp, decal for the ramp, a new used clock housing coming cuz we don't need the vent holes. I've got a Thunderbird coming, which I think maybe goes in that area. There's the Thunderbird there. And you said you had an old rocket. Possibly. And an old piano. Mhm. And what else do I got coming? A cash register. Yeah. Where does that go? This is the slot machine. We don't know. I'll have to find a good spot for that. And you got Robbie as well. Oh, yeah. Robbie the Robot. He's going to go somewhere around here, I believe. >> Oh, yeah?
    9:31
    Oh, yeah?
    9:31
    Oh, yeah? All right. Yeah. So, that's what's happening with the playfield and I've got uh flipper rebuilds coming at some point. JC's going to bring them over. Uh I had them shipped to the uh Port Huron depot and he'll be picking those up soon. Oh, also got new plastic here for this guy and a new plastic for this guy. So, didn't have to buy a whole new plastic set after all. These plastics look to be in good shape. Oh, we checked this is a fake. Yeah, I was looking at Ray's and this does appear to be someone's homemade version, but We have our old one here, so You have your old one? Yeah, that plastic. Is it broken? No. Oh, maybe I'll steal that. Is it in there? Yeah, the rocket will replace the plastic. Oh, does it? We'll see. Oh, okay. Cool. All right, so the moment of truth here. Let's have a look at the Twilight Zone with the new custom decals.
    10:41
    Oh, wow. I >> [music]
    10:42
    [music]
    10:42
    [music] >> am amazed on two accounts by how cool
    10:46
    am amazed on two accounts by how cool
    10:46
    am amazed on two accounts by how cool this looks. And I mean, I was just here a week ago and the amount [music] of progress that you made on this thing is crazy. So, there's just so much to take in here. American Pinball was just purchased and they have announced that they're going to be coming out with some, you know, remaking some Bally Williams titles. And uh there's going to be like a few different [music] models. There's going to be like this sort of pro and the premium. And then there's going to be the reimagined [music] version. And that's going to be like all custom art.
    11:31
    Uh and that's going to be done by Brian Allen. So, the first [music] game that they have announced is Circus Voltaire. So, there's going to be the Circus Voltaire reimagined machine with custom art. So, I think I'm going to call this the Twilight Zone reimagined. So, one of a kind and uh >> [music]
    11:55
    [music]
    11:55
    [music] >> there will not be another one like it.
    11:58
    there will not be another one like it.
    11:58
    there will not be another one like it. Here's the original. let's have a look at them [music] side by side. Pretty >> [music]
    12:09
    [music]
    12:09
    [music] >> freaking amazing. I am excited
    12:13
    freaking amazing. I am excited
    12:13
    freaking amazing. I am excited to get this in the lineup. Dutch, walk me through everything that's been done. I don't do this stuff. Kevin, get in here. >> All right, let's see if we can uh let's
    12:22
    All right, let's see if we can uh let's
    12:22
    All right, let's see if we can uh let's see if we can tackle everything here without missing anything. Obviously, the cabinet was restored. All the bumps and bruises. It was painted black. And then, we've got the flat black powder coated coin door. We've got powder coated purply blue. What would you call this color? I think it's literally called blue purple. >> Blue purple.
    12:44
    Blue purple.
    12:44
    Blue purple. So, we got the shooter housing, lock bar, side rails, side [snorts] rails, hinges, hinges, legs, and um Yeah. The Oh, yeah, the uh speaker panel channel. And we have things down here. What do we got? Oh, right. All this Holy crap. Is this all for Twilight Zone? No. This is Night Rider stuff, the blue and the white. >> That makes sense. So, you got this piece
    13:11
    That makes sense. So, you got this piece
    13:11
    That makes sense. So, you got this piece and the custom apron cards I just got off Ben Ziff on Tuesday are already installed. >> all the
    13:16
    all the
    13:16
    all the German stickers off there. Oh, that's right. Yeah, there was some stickers on there. They came off nicely. Absolutely. Came off. Yeah, they came off. Wireforms. They're all nice. Well, it looks like uh Wireforms this piece. brand new. This is the one that throws it off the ramp. >> Oh, okay. That's the one where the
    13:34
    Oh, okay. That's the one where the
    13:35
    Oh, okay. That's the one where the magnet mod goes. Yeah. Yes. So, that is going to look incredible. And then, we've got new yellow flipper buttons. Every bolt has been polished. And I'm sure there's a Is there metal leg protectors Yep. >> [snorts]
    13:55
    [snorts]
    13:55
    [snorts] >> on there? New That is standard. That is
    13:57
    on there? New That is standard. That is
    13:57
    on there? New That is standard. That is standard. New nylon feet, new leg bolts with washers, leg levelers, and Gravely Garage seal of approval. Oh, and then of course, we've got the art blades. Matching set with the side art. Which is super cool. I love these things. I almost forgot, transparent blue shooter rod. I just happen to have that in stock and it matches perfectly. And also, there is some sandblasted and painted parts like this vent back here, receiver bar probably. Yep.
    14:48
    Here we go. Even a new sticker. I did. I had one. Very nice. Perfect. So, did I miss anything? I think we're pretty much done. I think I think I covered it all.
    14:59
    But there it is. Definitely excited to get this in the lineup. Twilight Zone reimagined. I'm thinking of calling this one the don't touch the [ __ ] door edition. What do you think? I'm just over at the garage working on Bull Fight. About to do a gameplay video. Look what I just found.
    15:24
    Quarters. This is my favorite thing about getting a new pinball machine. Look at that. One American and one Canadian. I totally missed one. Did you see that? Don't touch the door.