News in Brief

Pinball News Website·article·held·Feb 19, 2012

Analysis

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TL;DR

Popadiuk's second game, XPin launch, LOTR protector redesign, and Toronto café zoning dispute.

Summary

This February 2012 news roundup covers John Popadiuk second pinball design (Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland), the launch of XPin, a new replacement parts company by Brett Davis, a new Lord of the Rings playfield protector manufactured in Australia, and a Toronto café's legal battle over zoning laws regarding its eight pinball machines.

Key Claims

Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland is priced at $9,995 and features an LCD screen positioned at the back of the playfield.
high confidence · Article states the price and LCD screen placement explicitly
XPin is a new company based in Phoenix, Arizona, founded by Brett Davis who previously worked with Marco Specialties on the PinScore brand.
high confidence · Direct statement in the XPin company section
XPin products are manufactured in the United States and distributed through Bay Area Amusements and MyArcadeRepair.
high confidence · Explicitly stated in the XPin section
Scott Milgate bought the rights to the Lord of the Rings protector from David Eisner and is manufacturing an improved version in Australia.
high confidence · Directly stated in the protector section
Toronto's General Zoning By-law No. 438-86 prohibits 'pinball or electronic game machine establishments' with more than two machines in certain areas.
high confidence · Zoning regulation quoted in the article

Notable Quotes

“the next step in the evolution process for replacement products”
Brett Davis — Describes the vision for XPin as a successor to PinScore with next-generation design
“XPin products utilize the latest technology advancements and components, produce a lot less heat, and showcase the most alluring aesthetics of any product on the market today.”
Brett Davis — Details the competitive positioning of XPin products over previous offerings
“A big part of my product focus is still displays, but I will not be limited to them. I have been making substantial investments to bring more colors to the display market and will continue to do so.”
Brett Davis — Reveals XPin's product strategy and commitment to expanding LED display color options
“In general, our plan is to be making regular announcements every 2-3 weeks.”
Brett Davis — Indicates XPin's aggressive product release cadence
“I'll put it in a folder, give it to my lawyer, and keep my doors open”
Jason Hazzard — Café owner's defiant response to potential zoning violation fines

Entities

John Popadiukperson Ben HeckpersonBrett DavispersonDavid EisnerpersonScott MilgatepersonJason HazzardpersonBen Heck's Zombie AdventurelandgameXPincompanyMarco Specialtiescompany

Signals

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product_launch: XPin launched as new replacement parts manufacturer; successor to PinScore brand with next-generation product designs
high · Formal announcement of XPin company formation, product lines, distribution partnerships, and retail availability
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design_innovation: Improved Lord of the Rings protector design using thicker 3mm plastic and heat-bending construction
high · Scott Milgate redesigned protector with documented improvements over original PinWest version
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product_launch: John Popadiuk's second custom/low-run game in production; priced at $9,995 with DIY build option
high · Website launched to promote Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland with price point and DIY kit option documented
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venue_signal: Toronto Pinball Café fighting city zoning enforcement over eight pinball machines classified as 'pinball machine establishment'
high · Documented zoning dispute and owner's resistance to potential fines
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design_philosophy: John Popadiuk emphasizing customization options and unique builds for each purchaser of Zombie Adventureland
high · Article notes emphasis on customization during design and build process
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manufacturing_signal: XPin re-engineered PinScore product line with latest technology, reduced heat output, and improved aesthetics

Transcript

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Date: 19th February, 2012 JOHN POPADIUK PROMOTES HIS SECOND PINBALL DESIGN Pinball Designer John Popadiuk has been busy working on his second low-run game - Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland - and has launched a website to help promote it. Promotional material for Ben Heck's Zombie Adventureland The $9,995 game features an LCD screen, believed to be positioned at the back of the playfield as the DMD is in Cirqus Voltaire, but on a larger scale. A DIY kit option is also available where John and Ben can visit the purchaser's home and help them build their own game. John is keen to promote the customisation options available during the design and build process, allowing each purchaser to ensure their game is unique. John and Ben have released a couple of promotional videos for the game as well, one featuring Ben and the other more conceptual than factual. You can watch these on John's Pinball Inventor website, where he is also promoting the concept of a pinball design school, where student can learn the way of designing a pinball machine, and create their own designs to take home with them. NEW PARTS COMPANY Replacement pinball boards designer Brett Davis has announced the formation of a new company to design and manufacture a new range of products. XPin is the name of the new company based in Phoenix, Arizona, and you will soon see Brett's products appearing at shows and on his distributor's websites. The XPin logo Brett previously worked with Marco Specialites who produced and marketed Brett's designs for LED displays, driver and controller boards, and power supplies under the PinScore brand. Now though, Brett has branched out on his own and set up the XPin brand to design, manufacture and market a new range of next-generation products. Brett Davis Brett described his new XPin range to Pinball News as, "the next step in the evolution process for replacement products." He said all the designs have been re-engineered from those he created for the PinScore range and are unique to XPin. He continued, "XPin products utilize the latest technology advancements and components, produce a lot less heat, and showcase the most alluring aesthetics of any product on the market today." He aims to produce the same types of boards as before, where he was probably best known for his multi-coloured LED replacement displays, but also created many power supply and driver boards. "A big part of my product focus is still displays, but I will not be limited to them. I have been making substantial investments to bring more colors to the display market and will continue to do so. I am also putting... time and energy into power systems and driver boards. I have many new products planned that have never seen the light of day. In general, our plan is to be making regular announcements every 2-3 weeks." X-Pin products will be manufactured in the United States and be available direct from Brett or through his distributors who are currently Bay Area Amusements and MyArcadeRepair. The first of the orange XPin LED displays have just become available from BAA. They are suitable for Williams, Bally and Data East machines, with some also available as blue, green and red versions. NEW LORD OF THE RINGS PROTECTOR Back in 2005 we reviewed a new plastic protector for The Lord of the Rings which was designed to protect the game's plastics and playfield as the ball fell off the Paths of the Dead mini-playfield into the Hobbiton upkicker. Points where damage occurs in The Lord of the Rings Two runs of these were produced by PinWest's David Eisner with the second addressing all the issues we had the first time around. However, PinWest closed down several years ago and although they were good, these protectors didn't last forever. Now help is at hand for anyone with a broken protector, or who want to prevent any further damage to their game, thanks to a new version being manufactured in Australia and sold by Scott Milgate. The new Lord of the Rings protector Scott bought the rights to the protectors from David Eisner and set about improving the design. The new protector is made from a much thicker 3mm clear plastic which also has corners and edges made by heat-bending rather than the grooved construction used in the original version. The changes should make the new protectors much stronger and resilient. The new protector in place Scott's Lord of the Rings protector is available directly from him by e-mail, or through his Ebay listing where the price is AUS$49.99 plus shipping. (£34 or US$53.90) CAFÉ FIGHTS TO KEEP PINBALL Canadian listings and review site blogTO reported recently on the battle a Toronto café owners is having with the city over the zoning by-laws, as originally reported by Toronto Life. The problem is over the Pinball Café's eight pinball machines which sit alongside the coffee drinkers and provide a haven for those in need of a fix of both ball and bean. five of the café's eight machines (picture: Toronto Life) The General Zoning By-law No. 438-86 states that a "'pinball or electronic game machine establishment' means a portion of a building containing more than two pinball or other mechanical or electronic game machines operated for gain, excluding any machines used for the purpose of gambling." With eight machines, the Pinball Cafe is designated as such an establishment, which is specifically disallowed in that part of the City. While owner Jason Hazzard applies for a variance to the Zoning By-law following the rejection of his application for a business licence in January, he is determined to remain open and is unconcerned about the possibility of receiving a fine. "I'll put it in a folder, give it to my lawyer, and keep my doors open", he said. Back to the News page Like this page? Share it with your Facebook friends: Back to the front page