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The Grasley Garage! Slugfest on steroids! TZ progress & Night Rider works... kind of!

Pinball Shenanigans·video·14m 20s·analyzed·Apr 16, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Garage tour documents Night Rider, Twilight Zone restoration, and improved Slugfest gameplay.

Summary

Mike Diamonds visits a garage workshop to document restoration progress on Night Rider and Twilight Zone pinball machines, and playtest an improved Slugfest bat mechanism. Night Rider, now owned by JC following Six Million Dollar Man completion, is being refurbished with new gates and troubleshooting various electrical issues. Twilight Zone cabinet restoration is underway with custom art blades, purple powder-coated wire forms, and LED-enhanced décor planned. Slugfest's bat mechanism was rebuilt and significantly improved for better ball-launching performance.

Key Claims

  • Night Rider gates came from an old Star Trek pinball machine and will be powder-coated

    high confidence · Mike Diamonds describing the one-way gates he brought to the garage

  • Night Rider's MPU has unknown ROMs installed and fires random coils on boot

    high confidence · Mike and Dutch discussing the replacement MPU's behavior during gameplay

  • Twilight Zone cabinet wood was not originally painted and had rippling issues

    high confidence · Mike observing the stripped cabinet during restoration work

  • Twilight Zone art blades are custom one-of-a-kind pieces with no reference images online

    high confidence · Mike describing the custom art blades sourced from Mark Braun

  • Slugfest bat mechanism was rebuilt by Kevin and significantly improved for harder swings

    high confidence · Dutch and Mike discussing the bat rebuild and demonstrated improvement in gameplay

Notable Quotes

  • “Came straight off of the old Star Trek that you did for me eons ago. A little rusty, but you're going to powder coat those bad boys.”

    Mike Diamonds@ 0:42 — Describes component recycling from previous restoration (Star Trek) to current project (Knight Rider)

  • “I don't know if you noticed but or if you heard it in the recording, but when the game booted up, it fired a bunch of random coils.”

    Dutch@ 2:21 — Identifies a potential electrical issue with the replacement MPU on Knight Rider

  • “I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be solenoids of chimes. Hate these things. Yeah, I usually disconnect the wire on those guys.”

    Dutch@ 2:46 — Technician preference for disconnecting chime solenoids due to noise/vibration issues

  • “It wasn't our fault, I promise. It will look a little better and play a little better eventually.”

    Mike Diamonds@ 5:45 — Acknowledges Knight Rider's current rough state and commits to improvements

  • “I don't know if anybody's ever done these art blades before, but They're not even any images on the internet apparently, so this is for now one of a kind.”

    Mike Diamonds@ 12:10 — Custom art blades sourced from Mark Braun appear to be a novel modification approach for Twilight Zone

  • “That is way better. Yep, Kevin really knocked this one out of the park.”

    Mike Diamonds@ 11:21 — Confirms the bat mechanism rebuild was successful and functionally improved

Entities

Mike DiamondspersonDutchpersonKevinpersonJCpersonMark BraunpersonCasey ButlerpersonNight RidergameTwilight ZonegameSlugfestgame

Signals

  • ?

    restoration_signal: One-way gates from Star Trek machine recycled and powder-coated for reuse on Knight Rider

    high · Mike brings gates from old Star Trek restoration to use on Knight Rider

  • ?

    product_concern: Knight Rider replacement MPU fires random coils on boot and has unknown ROM configuration

    high · Dutch observes random solenoid firing on startup; ROM version unknown; board has new headers on all connectors

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Twilight Zone cabinet stripped and sanded; original wood had rippling and poor initial paint coverage

    high · Kevin stripped cabinet completely; wood rippling noted; planned bondoing and repainting

  • ?

    design_innovation: Custom one-of-a-kind art blades created for Twilight Zone restoration with no reference images online

    high · Mike confirms art blades are novel and sourced from Mark Braun; no internet documentation exists for this style

  • ?

    operational_signal: Twilight Zone parts (wire forms, playfield components) sent out for purple powder coating as part of restoration

    high · Side rails, legs, lock bar, hinges, trim, wire forms, shooter housing, and coin door parts scheduled for coating

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Slugfest bat mechanism rebuilt by Kevin; improved swing force addresses previous gameplay issues

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:06
Uh-oh. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. >> Bad. Bad. Back.
0:08
Bad. Bad. Back.
0:09
Bad. Bad. Back. So many outs right now. Yes. Home run. Yeah, Kevin really knocked this one out of the park. Eh.
0:23
I'm Mike Diamonds [music] and this is Pinball Shenanigans.
0:33
Okay, impromptu crazy garage visit. I
0:33
Okay, impromptu crazy garage visit. I came here to drop off some one-way gates for Knight Rider. Check them out. Came straight off of the old Star Trek that you did for me eons ago. A little rusty, but you're going to powder coat those bad boys. And they are for Well, I guess this is going to be JC's Knight Rider now that Six Million Dollar Man is done. One gate is uh missing parts. And you said uh one is missing Oh, there it is. So I was looking for the holes. So we have uh no gate action here and you popped in a random MPU yesterday. Hey, and it has uh the Bret Brent Butler uh kind of like patented sticker there, so >> it might be okay. So that's That's why I
Star Trek
game
Six Million Dollar Mangame
Pinball Shenanigansorganization

high · Dutch notes bat wasn't swinging hard enough in previous video; Kevin rebuilt mechanism; demonstrable improvement in ball launch power shown in test game

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Dutch and Kevin working together on multiple restoration projects in shared garage workshop

    high · Both assist with Knight Rider, Twilight Zone, and Slugfest across the video session

  • ?

    content_signal: Mike Diamonds documenting active restoration projects in real-time for Pinball Shenanigans audience

    high · Video format shows hands-on troubleshooting, gameplay testing, and parts inspection with commentary

  • ?

    community_signal: Mark Braun recognized as source of custom pinball restoration parts with specialized design knowledge

    medium · Mike credits Mark Braun for sourcing custom art blades; presented as trusted vendor for specialized components

    • 1:25
    it might be okay. So that's That's why I
    1:25
    it might be okay. So that's That's why I threw that one in. And actually, I think I remember this board. It has like brand new headers too on all of the connectors, so believe it or not, whatever ROMs these are, we're not really sure. Do you know what ROMs they are? No, I don't. Okay. The game actually boots up. There's a lot of oddities. Dutch, do you want to demonstrate? >> Yeah,
    1:47
    Yeah,
    1:47
    Yeah, Mike. First I got to turn it on, okay. There's the power button. >> Oh, I was going to look for that.
    1:52
    Oh, I was going to look for that.
    1:52
    Oh, I was going to look for that. >> underneath the whole time and there's
    1:54
    underneath the whole time and there's
    1:54
    underneath the whole time and there's like a big wooden plate. [snorts] What do we got?
    2:02
    Oh, yes. I see what you're talking about. There is uh a little bit of um extra wood there. >> [snorts]
    2:08
    [snorts]
    2:08
    [snorts] >> Completely
    2:10
    Completely
    2:10
    Completely blocked the power switch hole. Okay, so that's pretty impressive. It actually uh boots up. Sorry, what were you going to say? I don't know if you noticed but or if you heard it in the recording, but when the game booted up, it fired a bunch of random coils. >> Oh, no, I missed that.
    2:26
    Oh, no, I missed that.
    2:26
    Oh, no, I missed that. Let's do that again. I was too busy freaking blathering. So Okay, here we go.
    2:41
    Uh okay, so that's I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be solenoids >> of chimes.
    2:45
    of chimes.
    2:45
    of chimes. Hate these things. >> Yeah, I usually disconnect the wire on
    2:48
    Yeah, I usually disconnect the wire on
    2:48
    Yeah, I usually disconnect the wire on those guys. They vibrate and they're obnoxious. Okay, so look at that though. We have a track mode. We've got displays. We've got general illumination. This play seems pretty good. Yeah, actually. They are in nice shape. A little bit of burnish here, but I'm pretty sure they're getting new ones anyway. Yeah, probably all new LED displays coming. Okay, so what happens when you start?
    3:19
    Not a lot. Not a lot. I'm pretty sure that slingshot is supposed to be the kickover. >> Oh, yeah. That would make sense. Well,
    3:24
    Oh, yeah. That would make sense. Well,
    3:24
    Oh, yeah. That would make sense. Well, I want to see this uh this fun plunge.
    3:31
    We got flipper action? Okay. >> Oh, we do. Hey, we can play. I'll just
    3:34
    Oh, we do. Hey, we can play. I'll just
    3:34
    Oh, we do. Hey, we can play. I'll just be the uh I'm putting it in the super lane. All right, here we go. Yeah, yeah. So >> I've I've been told stories about this.
    3:40
    I've I've been told stories about this.
    3:40
    I've I've been told stories about this. Let's see this plunge. Here we go. This is a stiff-ass spring. That one good. This is a little clunky. Oops. I want to try and uh-oh. Stuck in there for good. I want to plunge. I want to plunge. Our display's gone no good. Here we go. Uh it's clunky. I want it to like just whip around. But it >> the It hits this uh plastic here. But
    4:05
    the It hits this uh plastic here. But
    4:05
    the It hits this uh plastic here. But yeah, no gate-age. Our switch doesn't work either. >> Okay, Kevin, you're the outhole.
    4:10
    Okay, Kevin, you're the outhole.
    4:10
    Okay, Kevin, you're the outhole. Dutch, you're the saucer. And the left flipper and I'm right flipper. Okay, ready? Here we go. Oh, house ball. Kevin. Don't plunge so hard. I should try actually That's like a true skill shot. Trying to get the saucer up top.
    4:32
    Did that pop up or actually pop up or was that just loose loose plastics? I think it did. I think it Skill shot. >> it is.
    4:38
    it is.
    4:38
    it is. Oh, right sling triggers the pop bumper. That It's up. There you go. Oh, that's cute. It's kind of reminiscent of Six Million Dollar Man. There's our Okay, so anytime a ball goes in here, we just got to do that. And that's the uh left drops. Uh-oh. >> Switch is stuck.
    4:57
    Switch is stuck.
    4:57
    Switch is stuck. What have you done? Okay, so this is reset. Uh-oh. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. >> Bad. Bad. Back.
    5:07
    Bad. Bad. Back.
    5:07
    Bad. Bad. Back. There we go. This game is awesome. >> It works, man. It works.
    5:18
    There we go.
    5:18
    There we go. Couple tweaks and this thing's good to go. >> What What activates the chimes?
    5:23
    What What activates the chimes?
    5:23
    What What activates the chimes? Oh, that's that. Well, that works. Some switches are working. Oh, that one doesn't do anything. Oh. That was just like uh advance bonus. That actually kind of works as it should. All right, well, that's the current state of uh Knight Rider. It wasn't our fault, I promise. It will look a little better and play a little better eventually. I hope so. You're working killing it. That's a great score for ball one. >> One, two, three. Two, four, oh. Okay,
    5:53
    One, two, three. Two, four, oh. Okay,
    5:53
    One, two, three. Two, four, oh. Okay, there is some progress on the Twilight Zone as well. Kevin has stripped the cabinet right down. Sanding has to happen yet. Some bondoing has to happen yet. This is uh kind of weird. Why is it like that? I think they didn't paint it at all. >> All the wood was rippling. Oh,
    6:15
    All the wood was rippling. Oh,
    6:15
    All the wood was rippling. Oh, touch-ups. Okay. Uh also, a lot of the playfield parts, like wire forms and whatnot, have been removed and they are going to be sent out for some purple powder coating. It's going to be amazing. And the art blades are installed and we're going to go check those out now. >> Not in No, sorry. The art blades are in
    6:37
    Not in No, sorry. The art blades are in
    6:37
    Not in No, sorry. The art blades are in the building. We're going to go check those out. Okay, we're back. One more crack at Slugfest here, but this time with a new and improved bat mech. We didn't quite realize it at the time, but uh in the last game play video, the bat just wasn't swinging as uh hard as it should and that is the reason why I sucked. It wasn't me after all, it was the bat's fault. So, Kevin has uh rebuilt the thing and it is uh heck of a lot better now, says Dutch. So, we're going to see if we can knock some balls out of the park here. Father versus son battle. >> Do you want to play? Oh, yeah, sure.
    7:16
    Do you want to play? Oh, yeah, sure.
    7:16
    Do you want to play? Oh, yeah, sure. Okay, why not? Me versus Dutch. All right. Here we go. Okay, let's see if I can uh bat better this time around.
    7:29
    And I'm not holding the camera either, so Oh, he's already messing with the heckle button. Oh, man. Look at that. Way better. Single. That's just trying to camouflage his pitch.
    7:52
    I don't know what Oh, look, Kate. The ramp is up. Oh my god, that is way better.
    8:01
    Oh, I want to Let's go for the home run. So you got to swing a little bit early for that. Too early.
    8:10
    It's a little harder to hit on the right side, I think. Single. That was banked into the single.
    8:19
    Where is the heckler to hit? Like I see it says right there. >> He's in the stands.
    8:21
    He's in the stands.
    8:21
    He's in the stands. >> Oh, okay. You got to get a grand slam.
    8:24
    Oh, okay. You got to get a grand slam.
    8:24
    Oh, okay. You got to get a grand slam. >> Oh, I see. Okay.
    8:26
    Oh, I see. Okay.
    8:26
    Oh, I see. Okay. And if so, you win a free inning. Ah, there's an Oh, I didn't hit it hard enough. Sweet. That's some
    8:43
    Oh, yes. I didn't hit it hard enough again. Good thing I suck on that one. >> Who works
    8:46
    Who works
    8:46
    Who works Who Who fixed this thing? Oh. Late. Okay, so I got I got out. So many outs right now. Yes. Home run.
    9:06
    All right, how many runs do I got now? Six. You're in trouble. Double.
    9:18
    All right, okay. Six runs, not bad. I got to follow that up now. Uh-oh. Oh, you hit your duck the other day. I did. And it was uh over there. And your ribbies. That tactic doesn't work. What about the heckle and curveball at the same time? There's a sound effect when you pitch though. All right, let's try the heckler shot here. Oh. I want to get an extra inning. I won't do a fastball. I'll try the changeup. It's easier. Oh, I teed it right up for you. Okay, I'll do it again. Oh. It's a changeup. I'm on that one. a change up. I don't know where it's going.
    10:09
    The pressure's on now. I can't I can't lose to you. That's the fastball. All right, one strike. Two outs.
    10:44
    Oh, man. Six to six. All right, let's watch this. I'll give you the change up.
    11:11
    Seven six, good comeback. That is way better. Yep, Kevin really knocked this one out of the park.
    11:27
    All right, let's check out these art blades and Dutch's butt cheeks. You trying to be the new Rob Vieira?
    11:36
    There's no There's no crack though at least, so I'm sorry. I'm a human being. How dare you? All right, let's check these out. First time First time you didn't even know what you were getting, right? So Uh Mark Braun just said, "I got something that's going to work perfect." These are freaking cool.
    12:02
    I don't know if anybody's ever done these art blades before, but They're not even any images on the internet apparently, so this is for now one of a kind. Very, very cool. Let's bust out the cabinet decal and put them side by side just to see. Yeah, kind of looks like Poké Balls. I'm putting Dutch to work. He's crawling under the machine again.
    12:34
    These are awesome. Some of the coolest art blades I think I've seen. There's a few options for Twilight Zone. Kevin's got the uh the sort of hypnotic black and white effect on his. What's that? Hypnotizing circles. And yeah, I'll I'll throw in a photo of other options, but this is super cool. I'm so excited about this project. Okay, here it is, the full cabinet decal set. We noticed that there's a little bit of difference between the two. This got the red outline on the characters. This one's got the green outline. Here is the front of the cabinet. Art blades and the head. So all you purists ain't going to love this, but I'm telling you it's going to be awesome. Here's all my TZ parts that are going in for powder coating. Side rails, legs, lock bar, hinges, trim, wire forms, this piece here, shooter housing, and coin door parts, so most of that is going purple. Coin door is going to stay black and it is going to be awesome. And also, I've had this Robbie the Robot for like seven years. Came to me in like five pieces, so I just crazy glued it together and added an LED and that's going to go into my Twilight Zone.