claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.034
Pintastic 2023 preview with restoration shop tales and venue/timing concerns.
Pintastic has been covered on the podcast approximately 5 times across episodes 1, 2, 5, 68, and 69 (with one title uncertain)
medium confidence · George and Dave discussing their show history; Dave says 'four times,' George corrects to five, citing episodes 1, 2, 68, 69, and 5
Dave has worked on approximately 30 games in the five weeks since their last recording (July 9)
high confidence · Dave states directly: 'probably about 30 games or so have gone through my hands working on stuff since then. In five weeks? Yeah. Yeah, lots.'
Dave installed an Andrew Weebly power supply board replacement in a Lux game, solving persistent electrical issues with bridge rectifiers from questionable China stock
high confidence · Dave describes diagnosing and replacing bridge rectifiers that were failing prematurely, sourced from a pinball supplier who may have purchased bulk stock from China
Stern's Jurassic Park had broken wires to the T-Rex opto sensor caused by movement of the mechanism, not the opto itself
high confidence · Dave: 'It wasn't even the opto, basically, because the thing moves around so much, it broke the wires to the opto.'
Pintastic's post-Labor Day timing and Sturbridge-to-Marlborough venue location are deterring some attendees from New York and Pennsylvania due to vacation depletion and school/activities schedules
high confidence · George: 'The timing this time of year to hold a show right after Labor Day... people already used up their vacation for Labor Day. They already traveled. OK, the kids are going back to school. Soccer starts.'
Some Pintastic vendors have complained about limited access to the Extra Ball Lounge, affecting their willingness to bring games to the show
high confidence · George: 'they wanted a little more access to the Extra Ball Lounge, a little more unlimited access to the Extra Ball Lounge, and they had limited access by bringing games. So that was a sticking point for them'
Firepower machines with drop target conversions were prototypes; approximately 100 were made before the design was switched to stand-ups
“Pintastic has become the GTF show. Is that kind of like a GTO? No, it's like a GTFO.”
George @ ~7:30 — George's assertion that Galactic Tank Force developer John Borg and his company dominate the Pintastic 2023 show's presentation, using wordplay to express frustration (GTFO = 'Get The Fuck Out')
“This is why I'm so glad I collect 1990s and earlier games. Don't have to worry about any of this crap.”
George @ ~12:00 — George's reaction to Stern's Jurassic Park limited edition re-release and color variants, expressing preference for vintage EM/solid-state games to avoid modern manufacturer practices
“Stern sent him some sensor and an opto and some other stuff and some wiring, and he didn't know how to do it... It wasn't even the opto, basically, because the thing moves around so much, it broke the wires to the opto.”
Dave @ ~15:30 — Illustrates a common issue with modern Stern games where customer support provides parts but installation guidance is insufficient, and the root cause is mechanical stress, not component failure
“Williams drop targets suck. They always suck... they never tightened down their flipper pawls all the way like they're supposed to.”
Dave @ ~40:00 — Dave's professional assessment of a longstanding manufacturing quality issue across multiple decades of Williams machines
“The game is actually designed in software for drop targets. The stand-ups were an afterthought when the drop target thing wasn't going to work because their assembly sucked.”
Dave @ ~75:00 — Reveals design history of Firepower and explains why converting back to drop targets is technically superior, driven by improved magnetic read switch technology
“I'm even-handed. I like coming to the show... could go to other shows and I am going to another show. But next year, now you're going to be closer to Allentown, which is closer to me. You know, am I going to travel the extra 300, 250, 300 miles?”
George @ ~88:00 — George articulates the economic and logistical calculus for attendees deciding between multiple pinball conventions, hinting at a conflict between Pintastic and another show near Allentown
venue_signal: Vendors and players from NY/PA region are voting with their feet against Pintastic 2023 due to post-Labor Day timing (vacation depletion, school/activities start) and Sturbridge-Marlborough location (distance from their regions)
high · George: 'they wanted a little more access to the Extra Ball Lounge... and they're kind of voting with their feet in their checkbook and saying no this time around'
product_concern: Bridge rectifiers purchased from a pinball supplier (potentially China-sourced) are failing prematurely in power supply boards across multiple machines
high · Dave: 'those bridge rectifiers seemed to fail pretty darn quick, and this one was no exception... I think he got a bunch of stock from China or something'
design_innovation: Magnetic read switch (MRS) technology conversion for Williams drop targets is being adopted as a superior solution to original Williams drop target assemblies, enabling Firepower drop target conversions
high · Dave: 'magnetic read switch technology conversion for their drop targets, because Williams drop targets suck... Now that you have better technology with the magnetic read switch technology, it's a lot better with drop targets'
restoration_signal: Multiple modern Stern games (Jurassic Park, Mandalorian, Medieval Madness) share recurring flipper pawl looseness issues requiring professional rebuilding; post-factory service support often provides wrong diagnosis/parts
high · Dave: 'Stern, even the Williams games from the 90s, they never tightened down their flipper pawls all the way like they're supposed to... they always loosen up and have a loosey-goosey lot of play'
groq_whisper · $0.317
medium confidence · Dave discusses working on a Firepower with drop targets: 'I thought was a prototype, But actually, all these games are convertible to drop targets because there were prototype games, about 100 made until they stopped doing that'
Williams games never properly tightened flipper pawls, leading to looseness and weakness that requires rebuilding
high confidence · Dave: 'Williams drop targets suck. They always suck... Stern, even the Williams games from the 90s, they never tightened down their flipper pawls all the way like they're supposed to.'
Firepower was originally designed in software for drop targets; stand-ups were an afterthought when the original drop target assembly proved unreliable
medium confidence · Dave: 'The game is actually designed in software for drop targets. The stand-ups were an afterthought when the drop target thing wasn't going to work because their assembly sucked'
Mark Helms is filming a documentary part 2 featuring Steve Ritchie, including scenes at Dave's restoration shop, a customer's Firepower machine, and Pintastic 2023
high confidence · Dave: 'Mark Helms. He's doing a part two of a documentary featuring Steve Ritchie... He's going to come to my shop, film me at the shop... He's also going to come with me to a customer's house'
“People don't have them. I can do it. That's not the issue. It's do I want to do it, and is it worth my while to go do it? That really becomes the question.”
George @ ~90:00 — George frames the decision to attend conventions as not just about ability but about ROI and opportunity cost
“Mark Helms. He's doing a part two of a documentary featuring Steve Ritchie... He's going to come to my shop, film me at the shop, and some stories here. He's also going to come with me to a customer's house.”
Dave @ ~110:00 — Announcement that Dave and John Day are being interviewed for a Steve Ritchie documentary with filming at Pintastic and at Dave's restoration shop
content_signal: Mark Helms is producing a Steve Ritchie documentary part 2 with filming at Pintastic 2023, Dave's restoration shop, and customer locations; Dave and John Day are primary interview subjects
high · Dave: 'Mark Helms. He's doing a part two of a documentary featuring Steve Ritchie... He's going to come to my shop, film me at the shop, and some stories here. He's also going to come with me to a customer's house'
event_signal: Steve Ritchie confirmed as Pintastic 2023 attendee; Mark Helms documentary filming during show; John Borg heavily featured, creating perception that show is primarily 'Galactic Tank Force show'
high · George: 'Pintastic has become the GTF show... John Borg, and I listened to him... it appears to me... that Gabe has showcased that game and company'
operational_signal: Extra Ball Lounge access restrictions for vendors bringing machines is a friction point affecting vendor participation and show attendance; Pintastic organizers considering policy changes for next show (April)
high · George: 'they wanted a little more access to the Extra Ball Lounge, a little more unlimited access... they're kind of voting with their feet... Hopefully it gets all resolved by next show in April'
market_signal: Multiple pinball conventions scheduled close together (Pintastic September, another show near Allentown April) creating attendance competition and forcing players/vendors to choose which shows to support
medium · George: 'could go to other shows and I am going to another show. But next year, now you're going to be closer to Allentown... am I going to travel the extra 300, 250, 300 miles to come to your show?'
product_strategy: Stern releasing new color variants and backglass/translite changes for Jurassic Park after announcing game as one of 500 LE units, eroding collector trust in limited edition claims
high · George: 'they tell you, hey, you know, this is one of 500... We're just going to change a couple of colors... and we're going to put a new... trans light or back glass... now it's one of whatever they make it'
historical_signal: Firepower prototype/production history reveals that drop targets were original design, stand-ups were emergency substitution due to assembly reliability failures; modern technology (MRS) now enables return to superior drop target design
medium · Dave: 'The game is actually designed in software for drop targets. The stand-ups were an afterthought when the drop target thing wasn't going to work because their assembly sucked'
industry_signal: Pintastic organizer (Gabe) navigating tension between showcasing specific manufacturers/games and maintaining balanced appeal to geographically diverse attendees; timing and venue decisions creating unintended consequences
medium · George: 'you have to do something to stand out, right?... Gabe has showcased that game and company, but' also noting post-Labor Day timing and distance deterring participation