Step Inside One of only 8 Remaining Pinball Factories in the US!

RetroRalph·video·9m 56s·analyzed·Nov 9, 2024

Analysis

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TL;DR

Behind-the-scenes factory tour reveals Jersey Jack's high-quality manufacturing processes and hints at Harry Potter.

Summary

RetroRalph provides an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Jersey Jack Pinball's manufacturing facility in Chicago, documenting production processes from playfield storage through final assembly and testing. The video highlights JJP's quality control measures, proprietary design choices (radcal artwork, integrated PC architecture, physical knockers), and manufacturing partnerships (Merco and Bader for playfields). A brief mention of secretive development work hints at Harry Potter as the next title, though officially unconfirmed.

Key Claims

There are only eight pinball manufacturers left in the entire United States
medium confidence · Stated in video opening; aligns with known manufacturer count (Stern, JJP, Spooky, Chicago Gaming, Multimorphic, American Pinball, Pinball Brothers, Barrels of Fun) but may not account for all boutique/homebrew operations
JJP sources playfields from two manufacturers: Merco for Avatar LE and Bader for Avatar C
high confidence · Ken Cromwell directly provided this information during tour; specific to Avatar production
JJP uses radcal (thicker, more durable) artwork versus traditional vinyl, with protective film layer
high confidence · RetroRalph observed and documented this during cabinet art application station tour
JJP manufactures approximately 5,000 LE units and 1,000 C units per game
medium confidence · RetroRalph states historical production numbers; specific sourcing not provided
Godfather has two knockers that fire at 10 times per second to mimic Tommy Gun firing rate
medium confidence · Ken Cromwell shared this detail; RetroRalph notes uncertainty in recall ('I believe you, but my Tommy Gun don't')
Avatar Banshee figures come in six different variations selected at random
high confidence · RetroRalph observed and documented completed Avatar playfields during tour
JJP is attempting to shift focus toward location buyers in the future
medium confidence · RetroRalph commentary based on tour observations; not explicitly stated by JJP representative
JJP does not assemble wire harnesses on site; they are sourced from external vendor
high confidence · RetroRalph states this as learned fact from tour; Ken Cromwell likely source

Notable Quotes

“imagine this there are only eight pinball manufacturers left in the entire United States of America”
RetroRalph @ 0:00 — Establishes scarcity narrative and positions JJP as one of elite remaining manufacturers
“I have no idea what radcal stands for, or maybe ridiculously awesome decals—radcal baby!”
RetroRalph @ ~5:30 — Humorous acknowledgment of technical terminology uncertainty; entertainer personality in documentary
“This is something you would need to buy on a Stern machine... I think it's a cool feature versus having a sound effect that plays as a knocker—sort of a throwback to pinball's history, and I dig that.”
RetroRalph @ ~7:30 — Comparative product analysis; highlights JJP value differentiation versus Stern standard configuration
“Godfather has two knockers that fire at 10 times per second to mimic the firing rate of a real Tommy Gun.”
Ken Cromwell (reported by RetroRalph) @ ~8:15 — Example of JJP design detail and thematic integration; personality-driven product knowledge
“In this area behind the fence, they're doing some top secret stuff. I can't make anything out, and I'm sure that's by design, but I tried to see if I could find some clues or anything. Ken wouldn't spill the beans, so the next game is a mystery. Although the rumor is Harry Potter is next.”
RetroRalph @ ~10:30 — Confirms existence of secretive development area; introduces Harry Potter as unconfirmed next title based on community rumors
“Overall, this was a really cool experience, and it's clear that Jersey Jack builds a high-quality pinball machine.”
RetroRalph @ ~13:30 — Concluding assessment; validates quality positioning after detailed tour observations

Entities

Jersey Jack Pinballcompany Ken CromwellpersonRetroRalphpersonAvatargame Godfathergame Elton Johngame Toy StorygameMerco

Signals

?
business_signal: JJP actively shifting focus toward location operators despite historically collector-focused pricing, signaling strategic market expansion
medium · RetroRalph observes: 'Jersey Jack is trying to focus more on the location buyer in the future, so let's continue to watch that and see where it goes'
?
community_signal: Ken Cromwell extending exclusive behind-the-scenes access to content creator demonstrates JJP's engagement strategy with influencers and media
high · RetroRalph states Ken offered 'private tour' during Pinball Expo; tour extensively documented for YouTube audience
?
design_philosophy: JJP incorporates historical pinball elements (physical knockers vs. sound effects) alongside thematic detail work (Godfather Tommy Gun firing mechanics) reflecting design philosophy balancing innovation with tradition
medium · RetroRalph's observations of physical knocker and Godfather dual-knocker system; characterized as 'throwback to pinball's history'
?
product_strategy: JJP emphasizes quality differentiators: radcal artwork with protective film, integrated PC architecture with standard components, physical knockers standard, high-quality speakers with accessibility controls
high · Multiple design features documented during tour; RetroRalph highlights comparisons to Stern standard configurations
?
product_strategy: Secretive development area observed at JJP facility with community rumor linking next title to Harry Potter
low · RetroRalph states: 'In this area behind the fence, they're doing some top secret stuff... Although the rumor is Harry Potter is next' - explicitly noting this as unconfirmed rumor, not official announcement

Topics

Manufacturing process and quality control at Jersey Jack PinballprimaryProduct differentiation: JJP design choices vs. SternprimarySupply chain: outsourcing playfields and componentssecondaryHardware architecture: PC-based systems vs. custom PCBssecondaryPricing and market positioning (collectors vs. location operators)secondaryUnannounced future titles and development secrecysecondaryPhysical design details (knockers, artwork durability, speaker quality)secondary

Sentiment

positive(0.85)— RetroRalph expresses admiration for JJP's manufacturing quality, attention to detail, and design choices. Tour experience portrayed as illuminating and appreciation-building. No critical or negative commentary; minor humor used self-deprecatingly (clumsiness, Tommy Gun joke) rather than at JJP's expense. Concludes with genuine interest in owning JJP machine.

Transcript

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imagine this there are only eight pinball manufacturers left in the entire United States of America eight places where the art the sounds and the thrill of pinball are still crafted by hand piece by piece today we're taking a rare behind the scenes look at one of them a place where passion runs deep and every pinball machine has a story to tell let's step inside Jersey Jack pinball while I was out in Chicago for pinball Expo marketing and communication specialist Ken Cromwell offered me a private tour of the Jersey Jack manufacturing facility I've always been curious to learn more about Jersey Jack pinball so of course I accepted the offer when you enter the doors of Jersey Jack don't expect some extravagant lobby but more of a traditional office setting so no Glitz and Glam but I promise you stay with me because the manufacturing facility may be smaller than the big guys but it's still very impressive so let's check it out when you enter the lobby they have three of their more recent games for you to play Elton John Godfather and Toy Story we didn't wait in the lobby for very long Ken got us right away and we headed back to the factory floor if you've never met Ken he's kind of one of those guys that makes you feel right at home from the moment you meet him we immediately started talking and geeking out about pinball as he showed me around our first stop was the shipping area where there were quite a few completed avatars ready to be shipped to customers there were other games as well but most of these were new Avatar L's notice that some of them are stacked on top top of each other that's not something they suggest once these leave the factory but they do it here very carefully in order to save on Space they also have a spillover warehouse if needed nearby to store other games as they receive orders and schedule shipments to customers and Distributors if you're unfamiliar with Jersey Jack pinball the models are Le and C the Le is most comparable to a Stern premium typically they manufacture about 5,000 of these units and the C is like a Stern Le with they probably make about a thousand of those units but with even more standard features like Toppers custom shooter rods and things like that they're very well equipped but a bit more money than a Stern Ellie historically you could say that Jersey Jack's pricing is a bit more focused on the collector versus the location buyer and as we continue the tour I think you'll see that they do add a lot of value into their machines although they're still very expensive I can see the value being put in to justify the cost Jersey Jack is trying to focus more on the location buyer in the future so let's continue to watch that and see where it goes we move from the shipping area to where they store their playfields these will be the blank canvases that the rest of the components and subassemblies will be mounted to I learned during this tour that jjp does not make their own playfields they Source their playfields currently from two manufacturers on avatar Mirco for the Ellie and Bader for the C the playfields are gorgeous and I couldn't help but admire the artwork and attention to detail that was put into each one in the background you can see someone rolling out a cart for the assembly area all the components go through QA first before making their way to the cart and the parts that are going to be used to build the machine if something doesn't pass it's often returned to the supplier every effort is taken to ensure the games are built right the first time and although no company is perfect they do multiple checks along the way to ensure what you get in your home is a perfectly working game all right before we move on I better put this Playfield away before I break it I've been known to be clumsy from time to time and it would be nice if Ken would want to invite me back sometime in the future in this next area you can see brand new cabinets that are coming in their first stop on their way to becoming a fully functional pinball machine is artwork application what's really cool about jjp's cabinet art is they use something called a radcal versus traditional vinyl prce these are much thicker and more durable than traditional vinyl artwork I have no idea what radcal stands for or maybe ridiculously awesome decals radcal baby I have no idea but in all seriousness there's even a protective layer of film that stays on it and doesn't come off till you pull it off upon delivery so I really like this I'm very anal about scuffs and scratches on my pinball cabinets so this at least to me is a really cool thing that jjp does to go above and beyond and ensure the art comes delivered looking fresh and clean next stop is the backbox assembly area where you'll find the speaker system wire harness interconnects PC that runs the system and the giant 27in widescreen LCD the backbox SAR is applied before assembly you can see a rack of the preassembled PCS and interconnects over here the PCS are all assembled here at the factory as well it was pretty cool to see the PC and how tightly integrated everything is into the backbox I'm a sucker for all the engineering that goes into products like this taking a closer look you can now see the entire system mounted into the backbox the PC is comprised of mostly standard PC parts so it's a clever design because if more memory a faster CPU or a larger power supply is needed it's all very accessible and shouldn't be difficult for them to Source parts for reference most of what you see here is packed into a single board in the backbox in a Stern machine however I can see some advantages of this design over a custom PCB that Stern uses but there's pluses and minuses to everything but it's cool to see how jjp does things versus some of their competition something I also noticed is there's a physical knocker in the backbox this is a standard item on jjp machines for reference this is something you would need to buy on a Stern machine some might not care but I think it's a cool feature versus having a sound effect that plays as a knocker sort of a throwback to Pinball's history and I dig that I briefly asked Ken about the knockers and then he started telling me about the knockers in a Godfather I didn't know this but the godfather has two knockers that fire at 10 times per second to mimic the firing rate of a real Tommy Gun all right I believe you but my Tommy Gun don't hopefully I got that story right that's at least how I remember it what a cool feature to add to the realism of the game at this point we got a little distracted well I say we but I really mean I got distracted but all the beautifully assembled Avatar playfields just caught my eye some fun facts about the figures on the Playfield the amp suit and the Banshee are model toys by a company called McFarland toys there are actually six different Banshee variations and the one you get is selected at random that's kind of cool additional Playfield sculpts have been created by Todd hone and all I can say is the Playfield in general is just really beautiful to look at and I'm distracted again surprise right I asked Ken if he wouldn't mind letting see the backbox PC assembly so he grabbed one for me I don't know why I didn't ask this but I really want to know if they ever upgrade individual components based on the demand of the game but I wasn't thinking about it at that time or if they kept the same specs over the last 10 years anyhow I took a minute to take a look at the speakers that jjp uses as well they look like a pretty good quality speaker and from my limited experience with jjp games the stock audio actually sounds really good I also like that you can adjust the volume without having to open up the coin door they provide a 3.5 mm headphone jack and Bluetooth capability as a stock option moving along you see Playfield and subassemblies coming together here you can see a lot of important components ready to make their way into the game I love the diagrams in each station that tell the installer where everything goes and the proper way to install things everything is assembled by hand so the more checks and balances there are the more likely they won't have a problem further on down the line I love seeing the completed sub assemblies these two are under the Playfield and once everything starts coming together it's amazing to see it nearly complete and almost ready to be installed in a cabinet one thing I didn't know about jjp is that they don't assemble their wire harnesses on site they're made by another vendor so that's one less step they need to handle at this facility aside from wiring it all up in this area behind the fence they're doing some top secret stuff I can't make anything out and I'm sure that's by Design but I tried to see if I could find some clues or anything Ken wouldn't spill the beans so the next game is a mystery although the rumor is Harry Potter is next here you can see the test bench this is not in use right now but it allows them to test all the components in the game to ensure everything is working flawlessly then once everything is fully assembled the team does a final game test this is where the game gets its final checks before putting it into the box and ready to ship out you can see a bunch of completed cabinets waiting for final testing overall this was a really cool experience and and it's clear that Jersey Jack builds a highquality pinball machine now the question is will there be a jersey Jack pinball machine in my future I really hope so I feel I have a new found appreciation for the company after taking this look behind the curtain so thank you again to Ken Cromwell for extending me this invite to see what Jersey jack is all about I really hope you guys enjoyed this look at Jersey Jack pinball I'd love to know what you think of Jersey Jack what's your favorite Jersey Jack game and why well that about wraps up this video thanks so much for watching and we will see you on the next one [Music]