#29 East Bound and Down - Mission:Target Alpha - The Classic Pinball Podcast

TL;DR

Classic Pinball Podcast covers Target Alpha delivery, EM game mechanics, and Raspberry Pi sound retrofits.

Summary

Key Claims

• Target Alpha (Gottlieb, Nov 1976) was one of the last EM games Gottlieb made, with a production run of 7,285 units

  high confidence · George speaking about the specific machine being delivered

• Raspberry Pi soundboards can now be added to older solid-state games to add sound triggers

  medium confidence · Dave discussing technology heard on another podcast, confirmed as existing but not deeply detailed

• Knight Rider pinball was based on a 1979 TV show called 'BJ and the Bear'

  high confidence · Dave corrects George during discussion; George acknowledges Dave was correct in fact-check

• A custom Target Alpha modification resets targets between balls rather than only at game end

  medium confidence · Dave discussing a friend named John's modifications to improve gameplay depth

• George is actively conducting field service repairs and restoration work despite COVID-era restrictions

  high confidence · George directly describes recent repair of Millionaire machine and ongoing restoration pipeline

Notable Quotes

• “This thing is gorgeous, by the way. This is—I didn't know. When PJ said it was worked on, it's really—it's gorgeous... Stu did a lot of work in this thing.”

  George @ ~10:30 — Expresses enthusiasm about the quality of Stu's restoration work on Target Alpha

• “Eastbound and down, round and around and trucking.”

  George @ ~28:45 — References the Smokey and the Bandit song as thematic music for Knight Rider pinball with Raspberry Pi sound

• “He's called him the mad genius before and it's done with love. I mean, he is a smart guy. He never ceases to amaze me.”

  George @ ~36:00 — Describes John's approach to pinball modifications and his expertise

• “That's not like a real endearing thing to say to somebody who collects pinball. But it's—I go, yes, it's appropriate, but I don't know. It just—I've heard it so many times, it's like, stop it. It's cliche. It's hack and cliche.”

  George @ ~38:30 — Expresses frustration with the clichéd 'pinball wizard' reference in the community

• “It's one of the heaviest games, one of the most complex games, one of the heaviest games they ever made.”

  George @ ~41:30 — Describes Twilight Zone's physical and mechanical complexity

Entities

Signals

• ?

  restoration_signal: Target Alpha restoration includes playfield protection, metal buffing, cosmetic refinishing to professional standards

  high · George: 'He's got a playfield protector on it. He's shined up all the metal... he buffed all the metal on the thing. It looks like one of mine.'

• ?

  venue_signal: Small restaurant using pinball machine as customer attraction during COVID capacity restrictions

  high · George: 'it kind of advertises the place as something different... it kind of sets you apart a little bit'

• ?

  operational_signal: Health inspector visits requiring temporary removal/storage of pinball to avoid regulatory questions about amusement machines

  medium · George and Dave discussing strategy to disassemble and store Target Alpha as 'storage' to avoid health department complaints

• ?

  technology_signal: Raspberry Pi soundboards now available to retrofit sound triggers into older solid-state and EM games

  medium · Dave: 'you could now buy a Raspberry Pi soundboard for solid state games. So if you want to add sound triggers to an older solid state, you can do that'

• ?

  design_innovation: Custom modification to Target Alpha resets targets between balls instead of only at game end, increasing gameplay depth

  medium · George discussing John's modification: 'I think in his game they reset up on the ball... that pretty much completed the game'

• ?