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Homebrew Top Gun pinball builder Brad shares design, coding, and gameplay details at Texas Pinball Festival 2026.
Brad started Top Gun design using VPX virtual platform over 6 months before building the physical machine
high confidence · Brad describing his development process to Marco
Brad sourced a blank playfield from Ernie at Trident Pinball and used Fast Pinball hardware/support from Aaron
high confidence · Brad explaining supplier relationships and hardware sourcing
Brad learned to code using Claude AI with step-by-step prompts to implement game features and light shows
high confidence · Brad discussing his coding methodology and AI-assisted learning approach
The machine has been on display since Thursday and has received consistently positive feedback from players
high confidence · Brad's response to Marco asking about 36 hours of player feedback
Brad is planning to build a Fast and Furious pinball machine as his next project, focusing on the original 1989 film
high confidence · Brad and Marco discussing future projects at end of interview
“I like flow. Um, so after about 6 months of that, I got the idea that I can build this for real because it was working well and I was enjoying it in the virtual environment.”
Brad@ 2:01 — Demonstrates Brad's iterative design philosophy and confidence-building through virtual prototyping before real-world construction
“I didn't know how to do anything. I work in finance marketing... but I wanted to teach myself some new skills, so this was the opportunity to do it.”
Brad@ 5:33 — Establishes Brad as a non-professional builder learning multiple skills (CAD, welding, coding) through this project
“I put prompts in there saying, 'I want to do X, Y, and Z. Tell me at a first grade level how do I do this?' and it will give me instructions... it gets me close enough to where I can start adding in the features that I want”
Brad@ 6:08 — Shows practical use of Claude AI as a learning tool for coding non-experts in pinball development
“There's one thing that I can't stand personally is clunkiness. I don't like a game that the shots rattle... I spent a lot of time making it to where everything feels like it's cohesive and it flows.”
Brad@ 11:20 — Reveals Brad's core design philosophy prioritizing shot consistency and smooth gameplay flow
“What I've seen is excitement, which it warms the heart because that's the goal... to feel like they're part of the movie experience”
Brad@ 12:29 — Articulates Brad's design intent—creating an immersive thematic experience rather than a technical showcase
“My goal for this game was for people to feel like they're part of the movie, experience the movie, have fun, talk about it, and then walk away and think that's not a garage game.”
design_innovation: Brad's iterative workflow combining 6-month VPX prototyping, physical layout testing with foam marker, and incremental coding represents emerging best practice for non-professional homebrew builders
high · Brad's detailed explanation of moving from virtual to physical validation before hardware investment
design_innovation: Use of Claude AI to teach coding through first-principles step-by-step prompts is a novel approach enabling non-programmers to implement complex game logic
high · Brad's extended discussion of using Claude AI with natural language prompts to learn and implement game features
design_philosophy: Brad's core design philosophy emphasizes smooth shot flow, elimination of 'clunkiness,' and cohesive ball travel—contrasting with complexity-first approaches
high · Brad repeatedly emphasizes flow, shot consistency, and avoiding rattling/misdirected balls throughout interview
design_innovation: Dual eject mechanic (skill shot activation, physics-driven success/failure outcome) and inverted multiball (reversed flippers) creatively translate film scenes into interactive game mechanics
high · Brad's explanation of dual eject handles, Goose death scene fail-state, and inverted scene tied to reverse-flipper mode
community_signal: Strong positive reception to Top Gun at Texas Pinball Festival 2026 indicates robust interest in high-quality homebrew and validates homebrew as showcase category at major events
high · Brad's description of 36 hours of consistently excited player feedback and Marco's personal endorsement as 'obsessed'
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Brad@ 12:57 — Explicitly states Brad's ambition to create production-quality homebrew that elevates the garage builder reputation
design_philosophy: Brad's stated design goal is creating a shared family experience and emotional connection (dedication to grandfather, military service) rather than competitive complexity—suggests shift in homebrew builder motivations
high · Brad's repeated emphasis on family bonding, military tribute, and reaction to seeing families play together
technology_signal: Fast Pinball selected as hardware platform for homebrew; Aaron's direct phone consultation and custom package development suggests strong ecosystem support for indie builders
high · Brad describing hour-and-a-half consultation with Aaron and custom hardware package tailored to his vision
personnel_signal: Brad represents emerging class of non-professional, non-technical homebrew builders using accessible tools (VPX, AI, community forums, Fast Pinball) to create production-quality machines
high · Brad's background in finance/marketing with no prior CAD/coding/welding experience successfully completing complex machine
rumor_hype: Brad and Marco discuss planned Fast and Furious homebrew; Brad wants to focus on original 1989 film; both express enthusiasm for the project
medium · Brad stating 'my wife and I are on the same page. We both would like to do Fast and Furious' and discussing focus on original film
product_concern: Brad explicitly mentions homebrew construction cost as significant barrier to multiple projects ('it's not cheap unfortunately') and uncertainty about financing next build
high · Brad: 'I just got to figure out how I can from a time perspective how to make something else and then it's it's not cheap unfortunately'
event_signal: Texas Pinball Festival 2026 features dedicated homebrew showcase with prominent coverage; top quality homebrew (Top Gun) receives comparable media attention and playtester engagement as commercial releases
high · Marco's coverage and enthusiasm for homebrew; Brad's machine as featured attraction with sustained player traffic over multiple days
community_signal: Community forum and peer code-sharing culture enables non-expert builders; experienced community members share code examples to teach by example
high · Brad describing how community members shared their code so he could learn by reading and understanding working implementations