Journalist Tool

Kineticist

  • HDashboard
  • IItems
  • ↓Ingest
  • SSources
  • KBeats
  • BBriefs
  • RIntel
  • QSearch
  • NName Review
  • +Health

v0.1.0

← Back to items

DPP #12 "Mod News! Outreach stories! Pulp Fiction! Deeproot? Yeah there's more. "

Don's Pinball Podcast (regular feed)·podcast_episode·30m 57s·analyzed·Feb 2, 2023
View original
Export .md

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.032

TL;DR

Deep news coverage: mods, venues, Pulp Fiction rumors, Deep Root analysis, and spring pinball season preview.

Summary

Don hosts a wide-ranging episode covering pinball mods (Diddy's Spectre Mansion for Bond, Sparky Pinball toppers), outreach activities to local arcades and international manufacturers (Pinball Brothers in Sweden), venue spotlights (Blue Moon Bar and Grill in Madison with LE collection), pinball award winners, rumors about Pulp Fiction pinball (Raw Thrills/Chicago Gaming, Mark Ritchie as designer, possibly single-ramp gameplay), and a deep analysis of Deep Root's collapse (Robert Mueller, delusional thinking vs. intentional fraud). Also discusses upcoming spring announcements and theme ideas.

Key Claims

  • Pulp Fiction pinball is rumored to be developed by Raw Thrills with Chicago Gaming Company, designed by Mark Ritchie (brother of Steve Ritchie), possibly featuring at least one ramp

    medium confidence · Don citing rumors from 'K-Man, Mr. Kaneda' with possible Texas Pinball Festival announcement in March

  • Deep Root's Robert Mueller spent lavishly on office space, warehouse, and funded an animation studio in Utah despite zero game delivery

    high confidence · Don reviewing archived videos captured by Kaneda showing Deep Root production process

  • Pinball Brothers' production facilities are in Bergamo, Italy (not Spain) with designers distributed globally and offices in Urebro, Sweden

    high confidence · Don's email exchange with Pinball Brothers during outreach

  • Bond Limited Edition at Blue Moon Bar includes a shaker motor, distinguishing it from other Bond variants played

    high confidence · Don's hands-on play experience at Blue Moon Bar and Grill

  • Spring 2024 will see Scooby-Doo, Queen, Cornerstone, potentially Venom, and possibly Pulp Fiction announced at Texas Pinball Festival

    medium confidence · Don's speculation based on rumors and confirmed announcements

Notable Quotes

  • “this guy thinks like I do. Only he makes mods better than I do.”

    Don @ ~5:30 — Enthusiastic endorsement of Diddy Mods' Spectre Mansion mod for Bond's double ramp system

  • “I would like this to be more Big Lebowski and less Bond 60th if that makes sense.”

    Don @ ~44:00 — Expresses preference for Pulp Fiction's game design tone/direction relative to other licensed titles

  • “A delusion is a sincerely held false belief. So this guy may be completely legit in believing what he's saying, but what he's saying isn't real.”

    Don @ ~55:00 — Core analysis of Deep Root's Robert Mueller, distinguishing between fraud and delusional thinking

  • “This is going to be the most nuclear spring that I have known since I've been following pinball.”

    Don @ ~47:00 — Summarizes expected announcement density and excitement for upcoming season

  • “If this guy was just a grifter looking for cash, that cash wouldn't have just gotten spent.”

    Don @ ~56:00 — Key reasoning step distinguishing fraud hypothesis from psychological delusion in Deep Root analysis

Entities

DonpersonDiddy ModspersonSparky PinballpersonPinball BrotherscompanyBlue Moon Bar and GrilllocationKanedapersonRobert MuellerpersonMark Ritchie

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Deep Root Pinball's collapse analyzed as likely psychological delusion/schizophreniform disorder rather than intentional fraud based on spending patterns

    medium · Don's analysis contrasting with Spooky Pinball's lean operations; extravagant office, warehouse, Utah animation studio funding without game delivery

  • ?

    business_signal: Pinball Brothers declined Don's facility tour request citing closed office status and distributed designer model; offers possibility of summer Italy production facility visit

    high · Don's outreach exchange detailed; designers worldwide, production in Bergamo Italy, headquarters in Urebro Sweden

  • ?

    community_signal: Don launching weekly livestream for community dialogue; Fat Tire beer sponsoring free-play tournament at Blue Moon Bar on Feb 16

    high · First livestream completed; badge/tournament/giveaway details provided; specific date and venue confirmed

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Don expresses renewed appreciation for Avengers Infinity Quest after playing LE at Blue Moon; considering adding to personal collection

    high · Direct quote: 'I have a renewed love for Avengers Infinity Quest. That's a fantastic game. That just made my list'

  • ?

    community_signal: Local arcade operators rebuilding pinball lineups post-COVID; Midwest Gaming Conference in March coordinating dealer connections

    high · Geeks Mania operator Kenny confirming rebuild plans; Don promoting local arcade as outreach effort

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.093

0:00
sliding into your midweek it's episode 12 of don's pinball podcast for your ears man i've got a ton of news this tommy is great it just keeps dropping so i've got mod news pinball award news i even want to get a little bit into the what deep root what we're gonna do it all here right coming up after the drop so get your fat dire beer if you're an alcoholic and get in on this i'm just playing Let's go.
0:37
That'll all become relevant later. As I was saying in the bump there, man, this hobby and covering it has been fantastic because there's just this constant slow drip feed, and sometimes you get a little extra stream of information coming in, and that's what happened today. Plus, your boy has been doing some outreach, so I have some adventures to share. so i want to start this right up at the top hitting on some mods because i have some mod news time all right so bond right we've talked a lot about bond it's coming out and i made some predictions i believe in one of my very first episodes here of some mods that i would like to see because y'all know your boy is into the modding community um so for bond i did talk about diddy's mods because at the time diddy had shown pictures of the new rocket tower that he was designing for the game. And looking at it here on Facebook, that looks like it's coming on even better, I think, than when he first dropped it. But he did one other thing. So as you all know, this game by Mr. George Gomez has a double ramp system just like another game by Mr. George Lopez. Oh, kill me. Go me.
1:46
Just like Deadpool, right? Also designed by him. where at the top of that double ramp system, there's a clear acrylic plastic air ball protector, so your balls will just go flying right off the ramp and hit the glass. And I was looking at that as a prime location, right, just like playing Monopoly, for a development, and a development that I would give to Mr. Diddy Mods, because his stuff is complete fire, right? So he has come with the Spectre Mansion for that exact same spot. this guy thinks like I do. Only he makes mods better than I do. So this looks fantastic. He's dropped some images on his personal ditties pinball mods Facebook page of the Spectre Mansion from Goldfinger. And it looks like it takes up that entire acrylic. It looks like, heck, it just replaces the whole dang thing. And so now instead of just a clear plastic area that we were looking at, boom! There's a building there. And there's enough height beneath the glass for this to be a pretty full-form model. It even lights up two different colors from what I can see. And he's still not done with this thing. So, bro, kudos to you, man.
person
Raw Thrillscompany
Chicago Gaming Companycompany
Texas Pinball Festivalevent
Geeks Manialocation
Kennyperson
Jim Schmockperson
Stern Pinballcompany
Spooky Pinballcompany
American Pinballcompany
?

design_philosophy: Deep Root's innovations (hood lift glass, backlit side panels, touchscreen menus, wraparound graphics) described as 'solutions in search of problems' with limited practical value

high · Don's critical analysis of each feature; comparison to existing solutions (iPad apps for menus, standard glass removal procedures)

  • ?

    leak_detection: Deep Root production videos captured and preserved by Kaneda showing pin pod crate design, Razza arcade/extra editions, and failed innovations

    high · Don watched videos including 'pin pod extravaganza' and Razza unveil; videos originally released then removed from public access

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Pulp Fiction pinball rumors suggest Raw Thrills/Chicago Gaming secured licensing rights for high-profile 1994 film property

    medium · Kaneda rumors; Don's excitement about theme timing announcement; Pulp Fiction considered 'dream theme' by Don

  • $

    market_signal: Blue Moon Bar and Grill operating high-tier LE collection (Bond, Mandalorian, Rush, Godzilla, Avengers LE) signaling strong collector/premium machine interest in Madison market

    high · Specific machine lineup and pricing ($1 play/$6 for 5 coins) documented during venue visit

  • ?

    community_signal: Mark Ritchie (brother of legendary designer Steve Ritchie) rumored involved in Pulp Fiction design for Raw Thrills/Chicago Gaming

    medium · Don identifies Mark Ritchie as designer; notes he previously designed Road Kings; rumor sourced from Kaneda

  • ?

    announcement: Spring 2024 pinball season expected to include Scooby-Doo, Queen, Cornerstone, potentially Venom, and Pulp Fiction

    medium · Don summarizes confirmed and rumored titles for March/spring timeframe; calls it 'most nuclear spring'

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Pulp Fiction pinball development by Raw Thrills/Chicago Gaming with Mark Ritchie as designer; single-ramp gameplay rumored

    medium · Don cites rumors from Kaneda; expects announcement at Texas Pinball Festival in March; comparison to Road Kings design

    • 2:53
    That thing was great. If I had a Bond, for sure that'd be going on it. And I love that tower that he's made for the pro. In other mod news today, I assembled my Bond We're still staying with Bond. My Bond topper from Sparky Pinball. Now, I talked about this guy in a dealer spotlight. He makes toppers for $125. He makes them out of metal. He makes them in multiple dimensions of flats so they have a 3D look. 125, powder coated, and he's got them for a ton of games. I've got one on my Godzilla. I've got one on my Rush. And he has just made one for Bond. There's four Bond women in the foreground. And then that rifle barrel look in red right behind that. And then right in the center, there's Bond himself right in the back holding his pistol up high ready to shoot. Man, this thing looks classic. I took a picture of it and I put it up on the Facebook page of Don's Pinball Podcast. Be sure to check that and hit a follow and you can see a picture of it. Now, I am not sponsored by him. He did give me a 20% discount for giving him a shout-out. But I did drop real money for this thing, and I don't even have the game. That's how much I like his product that he made. So I mounted it to a 2x6, and I think I'm just going to make a shelf out of it in my pinball room. I mean, it's good to look at. I love the thing. So check that out, Sparky Pinball Mods. There he's on pin side. Diddy's on pin side. And they both make some excellent, excellent stuff. So moving on into outreach. This, I guess, is February as I'm recording this now, and I'm one month deep into this, and I do not see myself slowing down at all. I think I'm going to keep this going. And so what I've started to do now is reach out into the community. I can reach out as far as my hand to give a handshake to folks that are local, and I can reach out online to our folks around the world. And so reach out I did first through Facebook on the Pinball Brothers. They have actually a fairly robust social media presence, and they do post updates. I covered photos that they put up of Queen Pinball being assembled. So I gave them some good comments and then I reached out to them by email saying, hey, you guys are located in Sweden from what I believe. Can I come swing by the office? Say what up? Take a couple photos, maybe give you some stickers. And gosh, if everything aligns, maybe a short little interview or just a shout out or something. And they replied with, we don't really understand what you're asking for. So my background on this. So I come from the roller coaster and theme park and themed entertainment community where we reach out to and have a good working relationship with roller coasters and ride manufacturers, right? And it's not unusual at all for us to call and arrange a site visit to, you know, offices or to production facilities or even on site where these rides are and get, like, some backstage tours, you know, talk to the designers that make these things, have them sign stuff for us. And, you know, I can see the same thing happening in pinball. You've got these big assembly facilities. It would be nice to stop by, just say what up, thank you to the people that make these things for us, and get a feel of what it's like at the place where these things are made. So then when we get in our homes, we kind of have a better idea of exactly what goes into making these things. Where does all that build a material budget go to?
    5:58
    For every play field that goes get put in a game, there's got to be a ton that are just rejected because they're not perfect. And so just to get that perspective, plus it's fun to say hi. Jersey Jack does tours. That's fantastic. Stern does tours. I'd love to see more of that. And so it's like, Pinball Brothers, what's going on this summer? I tend to go to Europe every summer now. Love the place. And so I'm also into coasters and theme parks. And there's a Colmarden Zoo, which has a relatively new coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction that I haven't ridden yet. And it looks like Wildfire, literally, because that's the name. They said that they do have offices, but it's a closed office. I don't know exactly what's going on or anything. But from what they told me, and they were very kind in their email, they let me know that their production facilities are really worldwide with their designers located all around the world, and they all kind of work on each individual project. And it all comes together kind of at their office, and then their production facilities are actually in Italy.
    6:59
    I've got Spain on the brain. Sorry. So the headquarters is over in Urebro, Sweden, kind of between Stockholm and Jotunberg, if you guys are familiar, and then Bergamo, Italy, just east of Milan is where their production facility is. So I'm still planning like a Spain, southern France, and Italy and Alps kind of road trip this summer. It's still preliminary, but I'm fairly certain it's going to happen. And how fun would that be to swing through between pizzerias and relaxing in the Italian rivers, but just spending 20, 30 minutes walking around the production facility and seeing these different builds and kind of what the line is like and just chat and see how they're doing and practice my Italiano. So I still have to float that by them again Now there could be industry secrets they want to protect or they may not be set up to have you know this this American guy wandering around their production facilities or whatever so it may not happen but I can at least go out front and shoot a selfie that I was there right I've done it with Zamperla with their coaster manufacturing and rides so we'll see what happens but more locally I've reached out to a couple of arcades Now I live up here in central Wisconsin. Currently the temperature is frigid, I believe the word is for it. It was negative seven the other morning going to work. Cold enough to freeze your nostrils together. So I went over to, what's it called? I want to get it right. I called them Nerd Haven last time. Geeks Mania, a pay one price arcade located in Madison, Wisconsin. I stopped in and spoke to Kenny, super nice guy. What I had noticed was that this arcade that I had been going to, which had about between 14 and 20 pinball machines. I mean, they had every single Black Knight, like all three of them. They had a Jersey Jack Pirates of the Caribbean. They had a Houdini, Rick and Morty, like a lot of really nice version of Wizard of Oz. Ruby Red Slippers were on there. And then I noticed on pinball map that they'd been dwindling and only had four or five games listed. What? So I just figured I'd pop in there, talk to the guy. So it turns out that these guys are just doing it, man. They're going to make sure that this business is surviving. And so through COVID hit them very hard, and so they were in need of some operating revenue. And, I mean, nothing generates operating revenue like selling pinball machines, am I right? Like, you know, it's Pirates of the Caribbean going for $30,000 or some insane amount, plus, like, all their other versions of games they had. So they had to dwindle to stay in business, but they are rebuilding. And Kenny told me that they are going to be at Midwest Gaming Conference coming up in March next month. Next month it's coming up, MGC. And so they're looking to make some deals. So if you're a dealer and you're going to be at MGC, why don't you hook up with some local guys that have a truck that can take the machines right up the road and keep them local. Give them a good package deal. Tell them Don sent you. So anyway, right now they're still operating their robust arcade. They've got a lot of classic arcade game machines too. I mean, it's not like the place is cleared out. He gave me a walking tour today. Let me walk around and check everything out. I threw a picture up on their site. So for $15 right now, pay one price. They're open like 10 to 10, some nights until midnight. They do birthday parties, and I can see them starting leagues once they get their games built back up this summer. So it's on. They're at 6502 O'Donnor Road in the city of Madison, Wisconsin. So check them boys out. All right, moving on. Throughout my day, what did I do today? I went in, I got some Italian lunch, went to Cost Plus and spent way too much on some really awesome stuff. hit up Costco, went to Geeks Mania and then you know what? I found out that there is a Bond limited edition in Madison now available for play. So I stopped by the Blue Moon Bar and Grill a place where I had been before the first place I actually found a Toy Story 4 and this place has a great curated collection of pinball machines. Now there's about 6-7 machines. However, they're nearly all limited edition sterns. So if you want to go one stop and just go down the line and try all the best tier editions, best trim level machines, this is the place to do it. They are Insider Connected. They have the big screen up there and tracking, and they do some awesome events. And they told me about one, which I will advertise shortly. So going down the line, they had the Bond Limited Edition. Right next to that is a Mandalorian Limited Edition. First time I was able to play that. There's a Rush LE, Godzilla LE, Avengers Infinity Quest LE. They even got a Stranger Things Pro on one side of the lineup. a Cactus Canyon remake on the other side, and they still have that Toy Story 4 for good measure. All games are $1, 6 for $5, some are 3 for $2. So stop on in there. They have a bar downstairs. They're a bar and grill. They got sandwiches and things. It looks fantastic.
    11:47
    While I was there, I was able to play the Bond LE, and boy, that thing is pretty when it's in your hands. I mean, I know we talk a lot of game, a lot of mess about, you know, the price is now $13,000. For $3,000, what are you getting? Basically a Thunderball art package. Yes, there's mirrored glass, but they're kind of limited because they had to use the stock images. So you can only see the mirror flash for parts of it. But gosh, looking at that with that aqua blue armor and that fresh play feel with no pits at all. I was having some thoughts. Like, actually, if this was in my house, I would be fairly proud. So great build, Stern. Great color choice on the powder coat. The armor, though, looking next to Mandalorian, next to it has the laser cut for the Mandalorian's long rifle. And then Bond just has that button cover slash area, and that's it. There's really no design in there.
    12:39
    It could have been so much better. But, man, it feels good in the hand. And this was interesting. It was a limited edition, I believe, or they added. It comes with the shaker motor. And that's the only Bond I've played that actually had one. And so when you hit the rocket and feel the shake, and given that their games are up on the second floor, you really feel it in your feet too. So that added a ton to the gameplay. I had a great time on Bond. I played their whole lineup up there. I have a renewed love for Avengers Infinity Quest. That's a fantastic game. That just made my list for maybe at some point getting in the lineup. So I went down and said hi to the guy at the bar. Turns out Jim Schmock is his name, and he's a fantastic guy. These are his games, and boy, does he know how to curate. Now, there is an event coming up that I said I'd give him a shout-out. Fat Tire, the beer company, is hosting. This is an amazing deal. On Thursday, February 16th, they are having free play pinball sponsored by New Belgium Fat Tire Beer. And so that means that you can show up from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 16th, right in Madison, right near downtown, right near the university, and you can get exclusive badges on Insider Connected. There's going to be a tournament, there's going to be giveaways, and there's going to be free Fat Tire beer from 5 to 9 p.m. on the house. Now, you can't swing a cat and hit a better deal than that in the center of Madison, Wisconsin. It's freezing cold outside. Go play you some free pinball. Get yourself in a tournament and get lit on Fat Tire down there at the Blue Moon Bar and Grill, located at 2535 University Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin. Tell them Don sent you.
    14:21
    All right, that's some good promotion. So this was fun. I met some great people today. I told them, hey, my name's Don. I got this podcast. I'm local. I like pinball. What's going on? Do you have things to promote? And these guys couldn't be happier. We had great conversations, solid dudes, solid locations, and I'm going to take this on the road. What's up, Rhodes D.I. so that I can get around this summer. All right, moving on. We did just have the pinball awards. I don't want to waste a ton of time covering all the winners and everything because that would be a whole show unto itself. But there were some definite winners. Now, there was the pinball machines themselves. Way to go, Rush. I knew you could do it. And, hey, Toy Story, great. I want to get shout-outs and art. I mean, the art's great. It's Disney. Who could say that? But there was another bunch of winners, and those were the people in the comments. So watching the live stream, if you were in that comment thread, You could be randomly chosen for pinball swag. And they had play feels from Spooky. They had gift bundles of wear. What do humans put on their chests? Shirts and things, you know. And your boy here who had no expectations on anything ended up getting himself a Godzilla banner So thank you Flippin Out Pinball everybody involved the live streamers It was a great show. I sat there and watched the whole thing while I was sitting in the background doing my taxes and then commenting when I could. And I got myself a banner. I can't wait to put it up on the wall. Thank you, thank you so much.
    15:46
    All right, so otherwise, in the news this week, I mean, we're getting some rumors from the K-Man, Mr. Kaneda. I will give him full credit for revealing these rumors that he does. I like them. I like these rumors. Pulp Fiction has surfaced out of nowhere. Long rumor to be coming from somebody, but likely Chicago Gaming Company of some sort. And now adding to the spice mix is Raw Thrills, the makers of those shooty-up arcade games and everything. They want to get in the pinball business, and I believe they have the power to do it. So this is rumored now. We got a maker, Mark Ritchie? Brother of Steve Ritchie? As you know, I'm new to this. I've been doing this a year and a half, so now I know there's two of them. And just for good measure, I went and played Road Kings today, as recommended to me on the live stream. And, you know, I didn't hate it for being an old single-ramp game. And speaking of single-ramp games and throwbacks, that's what Pulp Fiction is rumored to be. Now, what we had heard was it was going to be a street-level play field, right? Meaning no ramps, no jumps, no fucks, no none of that. now the rumor is saying there's going to be at least one ramp in the game wow just like road kings huh maybe some saucers or something too like road kings same designer so hey that would be fun maybe just a reskin wouldn't that be funny now this is like a dream theme for so many people man this movie hit in 1994 i was 15 years old completely impressionably wide open and this thing just soaked right into my brain juices took me until senior year for me to really understand it. But yeah, what a theme. What a movie. I had the screenplay even after that. Man, I got all into this thing. I was quoting Jules non-stop for the latter half of high school. So I want this game to be fantastic. The rumors that I'm hearing kind of go, I would like this to be more Big Lebowski and less Bond 60th if that makes sense. And I think I'm not alone in that thought. So those are my thoughts on the Pulp Fiction thing. I can't wait to see it. is, you know, I'm much more excited for it than I am for Godfather, but I am equally excited to see both of them because I want to see exactly what's really going on. So is this a raw thrills developed game that's going to be built by a Chicago gaming company? We will wait and see, but we may not have to wait that long because the last part of this juicy, juicy rumor is that March Texas Pinball Festival, there may be something there for us. What better time to announce? This is going to be pinball spring coming. Pinball Springmageddon will be on us. We've got Scooby-Doo confirmed being built, coming out. Queen Pinball is being assembled. We've got Cornerstone from Stern coming, probably Venom. Will it be there? Will it be announced the weekend of the show?
    18:27
    Chicago Gaming Company and stuff. Ralph Thrillz is getting in here. And who knows who's next? American Pinball. American Pinball is supposed to have something. This is going to be the most nuclear spring that I have known since I've been following pinball. So I'm excited. I can't wait. It's got to be great for us. We're going to have a confusion of riches. No, that's not how it goes. A problem of tons of stuff to do. Good problem to have. I think that's what it's going to be. I heard that from the live stream today. For those that missed it, I want to start a weekly live stream just so we can have that live dialogue back and forth. And so today was the first one. And I think it went pretty good. It went for about an hour. It's archived up on the Facebook site. So if you could go check that out, your boy would be most appreciative. Moving on to Deep Root. Where?
    19:17
    Where do I start with this? The collapse of the whole Deep Root pyramid was going on right as I was kind of getting really deep into the nuance of this hobby. And it was just mind-freaking-blowing. So for the people that have been following him, it was a multi-year saga. So basically this guy, oh gosh, his name is escaping me. You know who I'm talking about. What really prompted my re-interest in it, again, Kaneda, he has captured videos that were during the production of the whole Deep Root process that were released and then, of course, are now nowhere to be found. He's been throwing them up on a Facebook page, or a YouTube page to watch. So I watched a few of them. the pin pod extravaganza video, and then his other Raza unveil, here's my two additions and here's all our magic innovations video. And my mind is blown with this whole thing.
    20:12
    His name is Robert Mueller. There, it just came to me. So Robert Mueller, this guy, there's the guy and there's the saga. So I want to get into the innovations. But first off, what this man did, to recap from the best of my recollection now of putting all this together, basically bilked investors, mainly old retirees with life savings, into supporting his pinball company and then went through a multi-year process of promises, promises, promises, and zero delivered. Now, of course, you have to take every investment with the risk that comes with it, but this seems like it was one of two things. Either this was an engineering scam where his plan was to embezzle this money from the beginning and just keep going with BS cloud to keep the money train going until the point he hit where he could jump off with his riches. But that's not really what happened. The other thing that this could be is psychopathy, clinical schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, some sort of mental upset and delusion.
    21:12
    A delusion is a sincerely held false belief. So this guy may be completely legit in believing what he's saying, but what he's saying isn't real. It doesn't exist. So there's a spectrum there. Maybe it's a little bit of both, honestly.
    21:30
    So watching this guy is fairly amazing because on the surface level, he sounds pretty convincing. You know, the pin pod, okay. He invented and engineered an object formerly known as a plywood box, and this was going to be the crate of the future, right? Now, I believe people have been creating things with plywood since time immemorial, But basically, he built a six-sided plywood box and some metal hanger strips that would go in and hold this thing together. Basically, you'd put your pinball machine in the middle. There were some metal guides, and then you would use some ratchet straps to strap it down to the base. And then you assemble the sides and clip them all together, and then life goes on. Now, I don't know if he's aware that screws exist, and most crates are just screwed together. But, you know, bless him. It looks like he was using three-quarter-inch plywood. And of that, he was using high-grade. I mean, these were sanded both sides. This was A-grade plywood, which when you're thinking of a shipping container, you really don't need to go for the furniture-level stuff, man. He was selling these things or selling. This company never sold anything except lies and misery.
    22:37
    Retail, he wanted to charge $1,000 for you to pay in addition to the price of the machine so that it would arrive in this nice plywood box. The plywood looked great, by the way. Just it's unnecessary. would you pay an extra thousand dollars just to have your stuff come in a plywood crate which if it was damaged you would still refuse it just as you would refuse it with cardboard right this is a solution in need of a problem really but fine it was very well constructed it was an idea and ideas are great to have it good to build up mock But really Really The pin pod Carrie already was in that video I was laughing. It was funny. I enjoy that guy's videos. Never met him in real life. And then, looking at his other video where he had the two Razzas, what were the additions? They were called something stupid. It was like the arcade edition and then the extra edition. Robert Mueller, you are the extra in this case. So, basically a budget version and an upper version. Again, there were ideas here and It's interesting that they were made, and I hope these ideas don't die but keep getting workshopped. A few of them that come to mind is basically the hood lift or the bonnet glass.
    23:50
    You open the machine, unlock the lock bar, and then the whole glass lifts straight up. Not a bad idea. I don't know if it's worth the cost. Glass is easy enough to slide out. But, you know, okay, if that could be, you know, a budget engineer to be appropriate, that would be kind of fun to lift the hood of your pinball machine to get in there and work on it. The one thing I did see that I kind of liked was his lit side panel. So the cabinet art on the extra edition actually had backlit acrylic is what it looked like, so that the graphic on the side was actually backlit. That's kind of cool. I do have some backlighting for my Rick and Morty flipper cover areas on the sides, and they do produce a little bit of a glow, and that's kind of neat. It's the kind of thing that you would never see if the machine was in a lineup, like most arcades and most people's homes that have more than two games. But, you know, an interesting idea that in the right implementation, maybe if it was a showcase machine, it'd be nice to see that implemented. I think Pinball Brothers may have done something similar with a version of Alien where they had this insert that would go into the side of the cabinet. So that's interesting. The wraparound graphics on the back box, again, if this is like the only game in the lineup, you'd be able to see it. Otherwise, most people would not. The floating space between the back box and the LCD screen, that was weird. I don't see a purpose of that. And speaking of something with no purpose, do you want a touchscreen on your pinball machine? Is this necessary? It was kind of cool how you could operate the menus by touchscreen. So you can change the cost of the game. You can look at the audits. You can fire off the coils and do tests. That was neat, but I'm pretty sure you could do the same thing through an app and an iPad. I mean, again, a brilliant solution to a problem that's already been solved.
    25:42
    Those are my views of this guy. What's most likely? Okay, if this guy was just a grifter looking for cash, that cash wouldn't have just gotten spent. I mean, this guy was spending money like crazy. He had an extravagant office. He had giant warehouse space, but the warehouse space he had wasn't set up. It wasn't optimized for what he needs, and his assembly line was nowhere near something that would actually work.
    26:10
    He was paying also for an animation studio in Utah, funding it with employees, from what I've been gathering. This was a company that was working on its first game and had plans to build five a year, which even the professional companies that actually make games and sell games haven't even done yet. So that leads me to lean a little bit more that something was off. There was certainly some delusions at play. Because if you're just grifting money, you wouldn't be spending money on like a condo for yourself and buying expensive furniture that's just going to get repossessed as soon as this whole house of cards falls over. And, you know, Spooky Pinball, from what I know of their rise, 10 years, congratulations, guys, is when they were in the business incubator working on America's Most Haunted and successfully building 150 machines and selling them, I don't think they were spending money hiring an animation studio in Utah across the country. So this whole thing just seems to come from probably a sincerely held delusion from a man that could probably use some assistance and obviously has a lot of drive to pull off this whole thing. I just think you may just need a little assistance there, buddy. Get yourself checked. Those are my thoughts on Deep River. I want to end with something cool. Something that occurred during the live stream. A listener reached out and he was like, what are your ideas for themes? Of course, I went right to, oh, Jaws of the Back of the Future. But then thinking about it, we went through Office Space, Beavis and Butthead, Idiocracy, fantastic movie. Everybody needs to see it because it's where our society is heading.
    27:48
    Then landed on Masters of the Universe. right like a franchise that only exists to sell toys and then after i was done with the live stream i was sitting there thinking and then this came to mind 10 years ago a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit these men promptly escaped from maximum security stockade to the los angeles underground today still wanted by the government they survive as soldiers of fortune if you have a problem if no one else can help and if you can find them. Maybe you can hire the A-Team. I mean, can you see that? The freaking A-Team pinball machine. The whole machine can look like their van, man. Or the van can be on top or running around the field. B.A. Baracus, man. Like, Mr. T, what a class act that guy is. I was talking on the live stream about celebrities and like how they can have all this talent built into a skill tree but then be lacking in other areas and you end up with the Justin Rollins and issues and things. And, like, you know, there's really very few people that have risen up and they're, like, a good, solid dude of character. Plus, they have good ability and we like watching them on screen and they're multifaceted. Keanu Reeves is a solid dude that's totally rocking it on just all fronts, right? Like, almost superhuman, but even that makes him more human. Well, Mr. T, Terry, B.A. Baracus, this is a solid guy. helped kids out had a cartoon show had a breakfast cereal and it was good dang it it was even in peewee's big adventure which is another dream theme so i would love to see just this action show the a-team i mean it's it's it's perfect for pinball you launch the ball there's four characters you can be four players each player can pick a character just like scooby has done now and each one can have a different attribute like how fun is that not 30 characters from pirates of the caribbean but just the four main guys you know and each one of them wants a longer ball save you know one of those got a you know less hits to hit the drop down target to make it stop or less balls you need to lock for multi-ball you know come on i'm just brainstorming here helicopters explosions rumble effects the van and then the whole show is based on missions right every episode is a different mission go through the first season first first or second season pick out those classic show, the ones with the best missions, and then make that into the modes. This thing writes itself. We just need it to build itself. I love when that pinball machine comes together. Somebody get the A-Team for crying out loud. A Peter Futh goes home crying to his mama. I do too, B.A. Baracus, and that brings us to the end of another episode.
    30:32
    I'm going to keep it up. Give me that feedback. What I want everybody to do, your homework assignment is to go to Don's Pinball Podcast on Facebook and follow the page so I can build up to 100 listeners. I've got 52 followers right now. I want 100 so I get the analytics. Also, throw me an email. Don'sPinballPodcast at gmail.com. I'm sending out the Rush Mods. They're free. Just give me your address. Let me know you want one. Later.