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Part 14: 1978 Interflip Alaska 4 Player EM. Alaska is finished!

Pinball Shenanigans·video·27m 11s·analyzed·Mar 27, 2026
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.010

TL;DR

Mike Dus finishes restoring rare 1978 Interflip Alaska 4-player EM pinball machine.

Summary

Mike Dus completes the restoration of a rare 1978 Interflip Alaska 4-player EM pinball machine, installing the backglass, back door, and legs. He plays test games to verify functionality, discusses the machine's rules and scoring, and reflects on the completion of the long restoration series while teasing future projects and mentioning his acquisition of a Pokémon Pro pinball machine.

Key Claims

  • The 1978 Interflip Alaska 4-player EM may be one-of-a-kind or extremely rare; Mike challenges viewers to find another one

    medium confidence · Mike Dus directly states this and asks viewers to research whether another 4-player EM Alaska exists

  • Alaska has approximately 70 LEDs in the backbox and 150 LEDs total across the machine

    high confidence · Mike Dus states this figure when discussing the backbox lighting upgrades

  • Rob Burke's Past Times Arcade in Girard, Ohio has about 400 pinball machines on the floor and approximately 1,000 total

    high confidence · Mike Dus states these figures when discussing Rob Burke's venue

  • Mike Dus is receiving a Pokémon Pro pinball machine and has a launch party scheduled in Allentown

    high confidence · Mike Dus explicitly mentions 'I'm getting a Pokemon Pro. Cory's going to pick it up for me in Allentown. We already got the launch party scheduled.'

  • Mike Dus previously sold a Stranger Things pinball machine

    high confidence · Video text mentions 'A while back, he sold Mike in Stranger Things'

Notable Quotes

  • “I think I'm done. I'm Mike Dus and this is Pinball Shenanigans.”

    Mike Dus @ Opening — Opening declaration that the Alaska restoration is complete

  • “Look up four player EM Alaska on the internet. See if you can find one other than this one. I'm curious.”

    Mike Dus @ Backglass installation section — Indicates potential one-of-a-kind status of the machine and requests community research

  • “Looks like freaking Pulp Fiction suitcase. It's just particle board, so it screws in so easily.”

    Mike Dus @ Backglass installation — Humorous comparison to Pulp Fiction imagery while installing backglass

  • “Wouldn't this Alaska look incredible next to a Dragon in some collection? It would be the only Interflip four player EM pair in existence.”

    Mike Dus @ Post-gameplay section — Speculates on potential sales pitch to Rob Burke for the machine

  • “What is a one-of-a-kind four player EM Alaska worth? How do you even value something like this?”

    Mike Dus @ Valuation discussion — Raises question about pricing rare and potentially unique restoration projects

  • “The main gremlin that Cory killed still dead. So that the machine has never spontaneously died since Cory adjusted that switch.”

    Mike Dus @ Late in video — References successful repair of a persistent technical issue that plagued the restoration

Entities

Mike DuspersonAlaskagameInterflipcompanyRob BurkepersonPast Times ArcadevenueShane JacksonpersonMaple PinballcompanyKevinpersonCorypersonPokémongame

Signals

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Mike Dus completes multi-part restoration of rare 1978 Interflip Alaska 4-player EM pinball machine with backglass, back door, and leg installation

    high · Explicit statements about finishing the Alaska restoration, installation of major components, and test gameplay showing fully functional machine

  • ?

    collector_signal: 1978 Interflip Alaska 4-player EM appears to be one-of-a-kind or extremely rare; challenge issued to find another example

    medium · Mike Dus states 'probably one-of-a-kind back glass' and challenges viewers to find another 4-player EM Alaska online

  • ?

    product_concern: Alaska machine required multiple switch adjustments and had a persistent 'main gremlin' issue that was recently resolved by technician Cory

    high · Mike mentions adjusting switches at the beginning and references that 'the main gremlin that Cory killed still dead'

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Alaska features Gottlieb-style EM scoring with outer lanes advancing bonus, drop targets, pop bumpers (10,000 pts), and saucers (50,000 pts); typical high-scoring EM with rule complexity limitations

    high · Detailed explanation of game rules and test gameplay demonstrating scoring mechanics and bonus multiplier system

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Alaska restoration includes approximately 70 LEDs in backbox and 150 total LEDs throughout machine, modernizing original incandescent lighting

    high · Mike Dus explicitly states 'We got 70 LEDs in the backbox. This thing is a beast. Probably 150 LEDs in total.'

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:03
Okay, I just came down to work on Alaska. I uh adjusted this switch just a little bit and this switch just a little bit. They were a little bit sensitive. I played a couple test games and then I just come to the realization that I think I'm done. I'm Mike Dus and this [music] is Pinball Shenanigans.
0:34
There's no more issues to resolve. I believe Alaska is finished unless something pops up between, you know, now and the end of the video. But, you know, that's just how pinball works, right? There's always going to be something. Yeah. You know, couple iffy bulbs here, but like I said in the previous video, I'm not too worried about it. We got 70 LEDs in the back box. This thing is a beast. Probably 150 LEDs in total. So, having said that, I think it's time to install the back glass and lock bar. Play some test games. Maybe No, I won't put on the glass yet. I'll have a I'll install a brand new piece of glass, but if I do that, then that light will just be super glary. So, I'll do a proper
1:32
gameplay video and well, more like play testing even though I I think I'm done. And then eventually maybe when I get this things this thing on legs in the other room, then I'll do a proper gameplay tutorial video because I'll want the camera horizontal for that. I mean vertical. So, the back glass has been patiently waiting for me. I think you haven't seen a whole lot of Ellie during this series because she's kind of terrified of all the noises that Alaska makes. Jamie just brought her down like 20 minutes ago and I and I was just telling her about that. So, I went to start a game and uh the machine was doing all of its clunking and banging and Ellie immediately ran upstairs. So, she's afraid of Alaska. That's why she's not down here. So, I can throw in the back glass. I can throw on the back door. That will hush it up a little bit, too. That'll be kind of nice. And then, uh, find wherever I put the lock bar. Yeah. Can't believe it. I'm excited to be finished because Alaska has been fun. And, you know, it's been a bit of a pain in the ass, too. Uh h all machines have their their little roller coaster rides, but that means new project time, too, which is equally exciting. What is it going to be? What is it going to be? I got a few options. Should I bust out my Allied Leisure Getaway that nobody's heard about that probably nobody would ever vote for, but I'm excited about it cuz it's new and quirky and rare. Should it be my
Stranger Things
game
Dragongame
Rushgame
Williams Blackoutgame
Ellieperson
  • ?

    venue_signal: Past Times Arcade in Girard, Ohio operates ~400 machines on-site with approximately 1,000 machines total in operation

    high · Mike Dus states 'he has uh about 400 pinball machines on the floor and probably like a thousand in total'

  • ?

    collector_signal: Mike Dus is actively acquiring new machines including Rush, Pokémon Pro, and potentially expanding collection; considering selling Alaska to operator Rob Burke

    high · Mentions buying Rush, getting Pokémon Pro picked up in Allentown with launch party, and potential sale of Alaska to Rob Burke

  • ?

    content_signal: 14-part Pinball Shenanigans series on Alaska restoration completed; teases future restoration projects from collection including Allied Leisure Getaway and Time Machine

    high · Mike states 'this series is over' after test gameplay and discusses next project options

  • ?

    event_signal: Mike Dus attending mega match play weekend tournament at Past Times Arcade in Girard, Ohio

    high · Mentions 'I am going to be going to Past Times Arcade in Gerard, Ohio tomorrow for the mega match play weekend tournament'

  • ?

    supply_chain_signal: International parts sourcing for vintage pinball components; TDA 2002 amplifier chip sourced from London for Williams Blackout soundboard repair, coordinated hand-delivery across US-Canada border

    high · Shane Jackson calls about TDA 2002 chip availability; Mike confirms he has one and plans to deliver it in Ohio, with Shane re-exporting to Canada

    • 3:20
    time machine? I probably should do Time Machine. Maybe I should mix up some like a more common maybe less pain in the ass game because I hear Allied Leisure is uh a real pain in the nuts. Like this is uh an Allied Leisure board here and Lake Gotly. They're all edge connectors. So there could be a lot of repinning and uh learning to go along with it, which is fine, but maybe I'll maybe I'll do something a little more straightforward like what else do I got that I could possibly that would be, you know, if it's in the other storage unit and there's, you know, I want something accessible. So there's that. But anyway, new project is going to be happening soon. Let's just uh focus on Alaska here. And then I am going to be going to Past Times Arcade in Gerard, Ohio tomorrow for the mega match play weekend tournament. And if you haven't heard of or been to pastimes, it's Rob Burk's place, who I may just sell this Alaska to eventually if he wants it. cuz he has uh about 400 pinball machines on the floor and probably like a thousand in total and it's an incredible place. So, I'm going to check that out for my second time tomorrow. So, good time good timing for finishing off this project. So, I will start with the back glass. All right, backlass time. Oh, wait. I need
    5:13
    to set the back glass down cuz I got to open the hatch. Hopefully I have the machine lowered enough.
    5:42
    basically potential one-of-a-kind back glass. I I'm going to challenge you to do some homework. Look up four player EM Alaska on the internet. See if you can find one other than this one. I'm curious. My searching skills are limited and I'd be curious to know if you can find another Alaska out there that is the four player EM version.
    6:16
    Okay. So, what I think I'm going to do is I removed the piece of wood that was stapled to the top there that held the back glass in. So, I think I'm going to use a couple screws and washers to uh secure the back glass in place. Uh, I'll do that and then I'll show you what I mean. Okay. Can you see what I did? I did this. Just a drywall screw and a washer. Doesn't that look like so bright though? The light coming out from the top. Looks like freaking Pulp Fiction suitcase.
    7:02
    It's just particle board, so it screws in so easily. The washer is just a little too obnoxiously large.
    7:20
    Okay, that is my solution. I got a bigger washer on the left, smaller washer on the right, but [music] back glass is in there. Good. Now we can close it up.
    7:49
    Can you give me a hand? Can you push that in, please? Oh, fine. I'll do it myself. No. There we go. Okay, there it is. Now, let's get the back door. [clears throat] Pardon me.
    8:09
    Kevin did such a nice job. This back door was not smooth at all. Had many layers of old paint [snorts] were just worn and primer and whatnot. Let's see if this uh will go back on as nicely as it came off. Check this out. New lock.
    8:47
    It's a weird lock. Okay, there we go. Let's have a look at what it looks like. I kind of took a little sneak peek and you're going to be able to see all the uh scratches on the glass. a lot easier now. But okay, I'm going to turn off the flash. Let's turn off this light and see [snorts] what it looks like. Okay, you ready? Looks pretty good. Yeah, look at that. First look at Alaska. Mostly assembled. Where'd that lock bar go, by the way? Feel like it's here somewhere.
    9:34
    Where the heck? Oh, wait. There it is. Let's add that into the equation. Going to need to open this. [snorts] Slide that. Boom.
    9:49
    And here it is. Minus the playfield glass and legs. The finished product.
    10:00
    Okay. Well, let's have one closer look at this back glass first. Oh, check out the score reels.
    10:08
    Looking pretty good. Let's uh start a game. Get them all to zero. Oh, it doesn't sound near as loud as it used to. Oh, and we can see the indicator light and the number of players lights. Oh, I should tilt it. No, I got to actually start it first.
    10:31
    Now, let's Oh, there it is. There's our tilt light. But yeah, this art is super cool. Is this sunset or is this sunrise? Either way, take a look at all the colors they use like pink sky and creamsicle Alaska colors. The uh the yellow interflip logo with the R and the F kind of highlight for recreativos Franco, which is very clever. And then uh just all the characters. We got the danger thin ice seal, the yellow polar bear, the native dude fishing with a like a rainbow fish that he's caught, or that's just jumping out of the water. Got the penguins that look like they've been smoking fatties all day. And then this dude here, he's like running for the igloos for some reason. Uh, it's leaving a pretty cool reflection in the ice there. I love the reflections on this. Like the polar bear got yellow. This dude, you got this reflection here. Penguins. Very cool art. And yeah, so pretty happy with uh how this is all looking. I think it is time to um throw up the tripod and play a test game. All right, let's play a couple games. Have a look. We got the game over light on. First time seeing that. And let's uh do this right here. It's a nice view of the playfield. All right, let's go. So, if you haven't watched the last 26 episodes of Alaska, the rules are pretty simple on this game. The two outer lanes will advance bonus and score 5,000 points. The second lane will give double bonus. The third lane will give triple bonus. And the drop targets will advance bonus. and the center target will advance bonus. The pop pumpers when they're lit are worth 10,000 points and the two saucers seem to be worth 50,000 points all day long. So, couple different scoring strategies. Go for drop targets, go for saucers, probably don't go for the center target cuz it will kill you. There's a pretty significant flipper gap. So, we got it set to five balls. Let's see what happens here. Come on. Starting off with a triple bonus. So,
    13:27
    I got a 10,000 points for hitting the lit pop bumper there on the way down. So, that could be classified as a super skill shot.
    13:42
    Oh, I hate when the in lane turns into the out lane. So, I had triple 10 30,000 for bonus. [snorts] That puts me at 47,000 points right now. Obviously, this is a high-scoring EM. It's not that hard to get a million points. And this is just like any gotle em where if you hit targets too quickly, they won't all register cuz if the score motor is turning and you hit two [music] drop targets side by side or bang bang. Uh it doesn't have time to register both. So also now that I knock down all these left targets, special is lit. Same will apply for the other side. Uh wonder if I could [snorts] cheat the backhand off the pop bumper.
    14:39
    Special is just free game. I don't know if I can set it the points or not. I haven't really looked into that. Also, I don't speak Spanish. Double bonus. Double bonus almost might be better cuz you got two bumpers worth 10,000 a pop and they are way safer points than the drop targets.
    15:06
    I want to go for a couple 50k saucers. Let's see if I can get me one. That in lane almost turned into an outlane. The uh rubber posts
    15:20
    uh on the sides of the machine are actually uh very friendly. This this one will save you a lot and that one kind of just feeds it nicely. So,
    15:35
    it's nice that if you go into the actual out lane, it doesn't drain you 10 out of 10 times. I haven't quite figured out what lights the extra ball. It's either getting to 80,000 bonus or maybe I reach the target score. No, it must be getting 80,000 bonus. I think lights the extra ball. It's kind of a weird rule. I might change that because I'm at 458,000 right now and a free game is 720,000. I'm on ball three. So, let's see if I can get the knocker to go off here. Still don't think I've hit a saucer, but this is extra ball, so I should be able to get the replay value. Don't do it. I got triple bonus times 30. There's 90,000. There's another 30,000 hit. I'm at 500,000. That'll give me another 120. So, I should be at 620. Yep, I'm at 620. All four. I need another 100,000 to get a free game. All the plunges are okay cuz the outer lanes are advanced and 5,000. So, I hit that. Don't do it. hit that outer lane twice. So, that was 10,000.
    17:01
    I'm not trying to hit that center target, but I am at 40,000, 50,000 in bonus. Oh, I hit already those two exact drop targets. Let's do it again. 60,000 bonus. Uh, am I Did I What? Okay, I'm at I thought I thought I was getting ripped off some points, but no, I'm at 652,000. Let's go, saucer. Oh, that wasn't too bad. I cheated the center drop target. There we go. 700,000. 713
    17:41
    718. Uh, but here comes bonus. There's my free game. And that might have been what also gave me the extra ball. So, I got a free game and an extra ball. I'm going to have to mess with these settings. Double bonus. So, I'm at 800,000 right now. And I would love to try and roll this game. Okay. Ball five though. 838.
    18:19
    for the size of the gap. Oh, that's not nice. I finished with 868. Okay, I got to take this call. I'll be right back. Okay, sorry I had to take that call. That was Shane Jackson of Maple Pinball. He was looking for a TDA 2002 amplifier chip for a Williams Blackout soundboard. And guess what? I actually happen to have one. So, I'll bring that to him. be seeing him tomorrow in Ohio. So yeah, I'm gonna import this chip from London to Ohio to give it to Shane and he's gonna reexport it back to Canada over to Missaga. Anyway, let's try one more game
    19:06
    and see how it goes. Let's see if we can roll it. This time when I do a proper gameplay video and tutorial, it will be horizontal. You'll be able to see the scores. I don't really know about how airball. If I were to do like part of the video horizontal and part of it vertical, how that would look. Uh I know in my old software it wouldn't even really let me do that. But now that I'm using cap cut, I think I could. But oh, I don't know if that would look all that great.
    19:50
    Wouldn't this Alaska look incredible next to a dragon in some collection? It It would be the only inner flip four player EM pair in existence.
    20:06
    It would be cool. be super cool. And that might be my sales pitch to Rob Burke. So, let me ask you, what is a one-of-a-kind four player EM Alaska worth? How do you even value something like this? Just go by generic EM Spanish rare games and just compare to the others. And that's about the only thing you have to go on. Is this a uh, you know, $3,500 game? Is it a $8,500 game? If it was in an auction, would it even get any bids from anybody that actually appreciated the significance of it? So, I don't I, you know, I don't think this would make for a good auction item unless it was marketed to pinball people that actually
    21:05
    knew what they were uh buying. Shane texted me again. What is he saying?
    21:16
    [singing] Oh, he just found an amplifier chip. So, I do not need to import said amplifier chip to Ohio. Okay, this game's not going very well. probably cuz I'm not even paying attention to it. I'm just talking away. Let's see if I can have a ball. Five miracle. I'm at the end of the game with se 374,000. Okay, this is going to be the last game and that's it. Alaska is going to be done minus my gameplay tutorial video which will happen in the future, but that's not really necessarily part of the series. This series is over in five balls. Are you guys sad? What do you think about the whole PM series? Oh, come on, Alaska. I think it's pinball. And y'all love pinball. Y'all are pinball enthusiasts. Whether it's [snorts] 1975, oh or 2025 pinball machine. Did I tell you I bought a Rush? And uh I'm getting a Pokemon Pro. Cory's going to pick it up for me in Allentown. We already got the launch party scheduled. I want to win the Pokemon plaque.
    22:44
    Add it to my launch party plaque collection. [music] Pretty
    22:54
    thrilled. Pretty thrilled with how well this thing is working. That main gremlin that Cory killed still dead. So that the machine has never spontaneously died since Cory adjusted that switch.
    23:14
    Oh no. Okay, down to one ball, boys and girls. So, I think the overunder on this series was 10 episodes. So, if you bet over, [music] you are a winner. All right, I didn't roll the game. I only got 49,000. But anyway, it's been fun. We'll see you guys on the next series. All right, I knew you wanted some more shenanigans. I'm going to move this thing into the other room. But those stupid planks under the machine, they're just too long. They've always been too long. I've knocked my knees into them many times. So, time for them to go.
    24:22
    My kid's a champion of everything.
    24:22
    My kid's a champion of everything. Don't even [music] think of challenging him. Watch your shots and post [music] as he kicks you in the ass. Promotion [music] we can't resist. Best YouTube channel you don't want to miss. All [music] 40 garage fixing pins. No matter how you look at it, we all win. Now look at Julie's [music] big smile as she takes down your score by a mile. There's no girl that can rescue. [music] Don't dinner or you will be paying the bill. Shenanigans [music] we can't resist. Best YouTube channel you don't want to miss. Pinballs [music] glistic garage fixing pins. No matter how you look at it, we all win.
    25:13
    We all win. We all win. Kevin's a pinball restoration [music] king who never stops. Takes a pile of junk and makes it pop. Bringing [music] one, two, three pinball machines. He don't care. Don't hit a week and you won't be able to not stand. shenanigans. [music] We can't resist. Best YouTube channel you don't want to miss. Victoria [music] Garage fixing pins. No matter how you look at it, we all win.
    25:58
    Here comes a shy boy scoring high on each prim. This guy [music] only knows how to win. A while back, he sold Mike in Stranger Things. These two are living like kings shenanigans. [music] We can't resist. Best YouTube channel you don't want to [music] miss. Pinballies garage. No matter how you look at it, we all win. >> All right, there she is.
    26:24
    All right, there she is.
    26:24
    All right, there she is. >> I struggled a little bit with the back
    26:26
    I struggled a little bit with the back
    26:26
    I struggled a little bit with the back left >> inside leg bracket.
    26:29
    inside leg bracket.
    26:30
    inside leg bracket. But that is all remedied now. And uh Alaska has legs and he is looking good. I can clean up my mess now. >> And uh
    26:43
    And uh
    26:44
    And uh >> 7 mm and 8 mm.
    26:47
    7 mm and 8 mm.
    26:47
    7 mm and 8 mm. I don't think I'll be needing you for quite some time. >> [music]
    27:08
    I can finally clean up my net my nest.
    27:08
    I can finally clean up my net my nest. Let's try that again.