PINBALL EXPO '91
- The Seventh Year
-
By Russ Jensen
For the seventh year in a row, the
world's greatest "all pinball" show
occurred
in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois on October 25, 26, and
27. The site was again the Ramada O'Hare hotel
with it's nearby reasonably
priced
diner, "Snack Time", where many of the pinball fans go to eat at all
hours
of the day and night (there was even one time at 3 AM when three of
us
could not get a seat together, even at the counter!). By the way, this
was the
first year that the show officially lasted 3 days, ending at 4 PM
on
Sunday.
As was the case last year, for an extra
$20 attendees could get a
"preview
peek" at the Exhibit Hall goodies on Thursday evening, during set-
up time
for exhibitors, before the show's official start on Friday morning.
I again
attended this preview to get an early chance to meet and talk with
many
old friends and meet new ones. It was
apparent at that time that
there
were to be many nice pingames on display and for sale in the hall,
but
more about that later.
OPENING
REMARKS
This year the opening remarks began a
half-hour earlier than in the
past
and, as was done last year, a foreign visitor, a young Canadian named
Aaron
Benditt, presented the first greeting to Expo attendees. He began by
welcoming
us all and then saying that there were "two main reasons" why we
were
there. First, he said, was to "experience
the very best in pinball",
"talk
about it's status in today's world", "discuss it's rich history and
heritage",
and "talk about it's future".
The second reason, he told us,
was
"to have the very best time you've ever had in your life!" He ended by
saying
that we should "expect the unexpected".
Aaron then introduced Expo host Rob Berk
who welcomed us to this
seventh
year of Pinball Expo. He then described
this year's "three day
format";
announced an extra seminar, "$1 Pinball", which had been added
since
the program was printed; and told us of the Pinball Art Contest as
well as
the designers/artists/authors autograph session which was to be
held
Saturday afternoon.
Rob then introduced his co-host, and
Exhibit Hall Chairman, Mike Pacak
to say
a few words. After asking the
exhibitors to help by keeping their
displays
within their allotted space and the show attendees to stay away
from
the exhibit area when the hall was not open, Mike ended by saying
"let's
all have fun!"
At this point Aaron again came up and
conducted a special fun contest.
He
himself imitated speech segments from 25 different modern pingames,
asking
each person in the audience to try and identify from which game each
came on
a special form he had passes out to us.
The prize, which was to be
awarded
later after the scores were tallied, was an Expo sweat shirt.
RICAR
INDUSTRIES
Rob Berk next introduced the first
seminar speaker, Phil Burnstein, to
give
his talk titled "RICAR Industries, Custom Manufacturer For The Pinball
Industry".
Phil told us that in the past he had
worked for Stern Electronics in
1981
and 82 and then at WICO for awhile. He
then said that there have been
many
changes in the pinball industry in the past 11 years. Between 1981
and
1991 he said the prices of pingames have increased by 25 percent.
During this period, he then said, there
has been a marked increase in
the
number of parts on the playfield, resulting in more "bang for the
buck"
for the
player, but also increased cost for the manufacturer. Therefore,
he
continued, the manufacturers have farmed out to subcontractors ("custom
fabricators")
to make playfield parts in order to cut production costs. He
said he
was going to describe the various processes used by these outfits
in
producing these parts.
The first process Phil described was
"injection molding", the process
described
in much detail at last year's Expo by Foremost Plastics. During
this
process, he explained, plastic was heated and injected into a mold to
form
the part. He then said that many types
of plastics were used to
create
many types of playfield parts, an example being the shooter handle.
The
molds used were said to be expensive and there was a long "lead time"
involved
in producing them; however, they allowed complex shaped parts to
be
produced.
"Vacuum Forming", which was
used to produce playfield "ramps", Phil
said
was a simpler and cheaper process, but was "labor intensive". That
process
uses an Aluminum or Epoxy mold, with the plastic being heated over
the
mold and then sucked into it using vacuum, holes then being added where
needed. He said the tooling cost was about half that
of injection molding,
with
the lead time also being much shorter.
The third process Phil described was
"metal fabricating" using a
tape/computer
controlled punch press. This method he
said can produce
complex
parts quickly, with no tooling costs, and a very short lead time.
The
parts, he said, are made on a sheet of material and punched out later,
also
being formed if necessary.
Phil then described "metal
stamping" which is used for parts which
can't
be done any other say. In that process
a "4 stage dye" does various
things
to the part such as punching, forming, etc.
The use of an "automatic screw
machine" was next described in which a
bar of
material passes through the machine with different tools being
brought
to the part, each performing a different operation on it. Phil said
that an
example of a part produced this way was the "shooter shaft". The
tooling
for this method was said to be quite inexpensive.
For producing parts when a fairly low
volume was required Phil said
that a
"computer controlled lathe" was often used. The lathe is programmed
for
what you want it to do to the part, and there is no tooling, no lead
time,
and a "quick turn-around" in producing the parts.
The final process Phil described was the
"Cold Heading Process" which
used
dyes to work on wire stock fed into the machine, which is deformed in
a
"cold state". This process
was said to be very inexpensive for large
volume
production. It does, however, require
long set-up and lead times,
but is
very cheap for high volume items such as fasteners.
After describing these processes Phil
showed us examples of the parts
he was
referring to. He then said that today
companies, such as RICAR, are
often
required to develop special processes to satisfy the needs of the
pinball
industry, an example of which he said was "laser cutting" which
could
allow them to make parts that years ago could not be made at all.
When Phil asked for questions from the
audience two questions were
asked,
both involving "laser cutting".
When asked what thickness of
material
could be handled by it Phil replied "a 48 by 96 inch sheet of 1/2
inch
steel". When asked if it was a
"manual" or "automatic" process, he
said it
was a manual one.
ARCADE
ACCESS
Rob Berk introduced the next speaker, Dan
Goodman, who founded an
organization
known as "The Silverthorne Group", to give his talk "Arcade
Access;
Pinball For People of All Abilities".
After that, one of the
specially
modified pingames Dan provides was set up on stage.
Dan began by telling us that in this
country there are presently 43
million
"disabled" persons, many of whom cannot operate a standard pingame.
He then
remarked that "new activity can give them a 'new window on life'".
Dan next described the modifications he
makes to a standard pingame to
allow
people with various disabilities to play it.
The front of the body
is
first cut out to allow wheelchair access and "wrist supports" are
added.
The
game's controls are also modified in different ways to allow people
with
various disabilities to operate the game.
For example, the game can be modified to
be started by "touch", with
the
balls being shot in the same way. A
"remote control" unit is often
used
which is operated by "touch pads" with the touch adjustable so it can
be
operated by almost any body part (elbows, fingers, feet, etc.).
Dan went on to say that for people with
even greater disabilities
games
can be made to operate by such things as biting or even by the
breath. Joystick controls are also often used. His games, he said, can be
operated
by people with almost any degree of disability. Dan then told us
that he
provides some machines to the National Institute of Health to be
used
for therapy.
He then told us that he first got stated
doing this by fixing up a
game
for a friend's son who had been injured in an accident. Dan then said
that
some of his machines are used in hospitals to help people who have
sustained
brain injuries to improve their "interest in life", it helping
these
patients to re-learn to use their muscles, minds, and eyes.
We were then showed a video showing a boy
who had suffered a severe
brain
injury using one of the games. His
mother described how he had used
the
game to help him start using his arms, etc., and also how it was
helping
improve his "short term memory".
She told how the game also helped
with
his "hand/eye coordination" after playing it for about 2 months. The
machine
"talking back" to him (because of it's speech feature) she said
also
provided needed "feedback" to him during play. The game the boy was
using,
by the way, was a modified version of Data East's MONDAY NIGHT
FOOTBALL.
Dan next asked us if we had any
questions? When asked if his games
were
used in any "public places", Dan replied that they were only used in
institutions
and private homes. When someone asked
about the cost of a
modified
game, he replied that it varied from game to game, but that it was
usually
around $6800. Dan then remarked that he
had not gotten very good
response
from the game manufacturers when it came to providing games for
him to
modify at a reduced cost. (All I can
say to that is "shame on
them!")
It was then asked if this type of
modification could be done to
electro-mechanical
games? Dan replied that it was
possible, but that it
was
much easier using solid-state machines.
When asked how many games he
had
modified so far, Dan said about 10 or 12.
In response to a question on
how
long a modification takes, he said approximately a week.
The final question asked was what
technology was used? Dan answered
that it
was "infra-red" with a "5 millisecond response time". He ended by
telling
us that the game he had with him would be available in the Exhibit
Hall
for us to try if we wished.
The next speaker was supposed to be
pinball artist from the 1960's,
Jerry
Kelley, but after introducing him Rob Berk discovered that he was
nowhere
to be found! So after a few brief
announcements it was decided to
let
Steve Young and Gordon Hasse begin their presentation which was
scheduled
for the next morning.
STATE
OF THE PINBALL HOBBY (PART 1)
Rob introduced Expo regular Steve Young
who began by telling us that
he was
going to "bring us up to speed" on what is happening in the pinball
collecting
hobby, and then tell us "what we can do to help". He then
remarked
that he would like to do a similar thing at future Expos.
As far as collecting itself was
concerned, Steve said a lot was
happening. He said there are several "large"
(400 plus games) collections,
remarking
about Tim Arnold's idea of using his large collection to earn
money
for charity. He then said that there
are also many new collectors,
some
with only one to five games, usually ones they had played as kids.
Steve next remarked that he thought that
prices of $500 to $1500 for
games
were not a deterrent to new collectors, and that those people are the
"primary
drivers of price", with the modest collectors being the "secondary
driver". He then said that scarcity was also a factor
in price increases.
Pin prices, Steve then said, are
escalating rapidly, especially for
1960's
games with backbox animation and baseball machines. "Locality", he
said,
was also a big price factor, prices for games being higher on the
West
Coast. Steve then said that
"popularity" (the "hype factor") was a
major
driver of price. He next told us that
price corrections may occur in
the
future, adding that a price guide can't stay accurate for long.
Steve next discussed the subject of
"value", citing a list of value
factors
which he thought needed to be defined.
These included: Classes
(themes,
ages, etc.); a Rating System for game cosmetics; and a
"relationship
between the elements of aesthetics."
He then said that
"detractors"
from value and price need to be defined, along with the
relation
between these detractors and a game's value/price.
This type of information, Steve told us,
needs to be published, as it
is in
other hobbies. He added that questions
of "touch up" of a game's
cosmetics
(reproduction/touch-up of backglasses, playfields, cabinets,
etc.)
need to be addressed. Steve then
volunteered to "coordinate" the
collection
of such information.
On the subject of "history",
Steve began by saying that too little is
currently
recorded. He then quoted a Smithsonian
historian on the need for
accuracy
in all recorded written history. Steve
then gave us an
"assignment"
to aid Dick Bueschel in the preparation of his series of
pinball
books, chiding Dick to lay off other types of machines and
concentrate
on pinball. This drew a large round of
applause from the
audience.
Steve ended his part of the presentation
talking in more detail
regarding
restoration of backglasses and methods for reproducing them. He
also
told of his and Donal Murphey's efforts in reproducing playfield
plastics,
etc., adding that for that type of effort to succeed support of
all in
the hobby is required.
At this point Steve introduced Gordon
Hasse who said he would tell us
why
pinball is different from other collecting hobbies.
Gordon began his list saying first that
"pins are not easy to
collect",
because of their size and difficulty in repairing. A second
factor,
he said, was a "lack of 'public experience' with the game",
remarking
that many Americans had never played a pin because they were
illegal
for many years in many localities.
Gordon's next point was that there was
"no observable history of
collecting",
adding that Tim Arnold's "charity project" might help that
situation. He next said that there were "no points
of entry" for the new
collector
because people don't know that pin collectors exist. He next
said
that we have a "network" of collectors but no collector's
organization.
Gordon's next point was that pin
collecting has not been recognized by
the
"poplar culture community" primarily because we have not let
"academia"
know about
it. He then remarked that we need
published papers on the
subject
of pinball and also should "court the media".
His next point was that there were
"no famous collectors".
Gordon
then
said that we "need higher prices to 'bring out' more machines" like
has
happened with jukeboxes and slots. He
then remarked that there have
been
"no auctions of good pins" like occur in other collecting hobbies.
The last three differences Gordon
mentioned were: "lack of a
comprehensive
support system"; "no standards"; and "no price
guides". He
then
closed his talk by asking if anyone could share any information with
him
regarding pin artist Roy Parker, as he was working on a book about him.
PINBALL
FIRING LINE
Rob Berk then came up and introduced the
four panelists for the next
seminar
event, "The Pinball Firing Line": pinball manufacturing executives
Alvin
Gottlieb, Gil Pollock, Gary Stern, and Joe Dillon. Rob then asked
each of
them to give a brief statement as to "what they do".
Joe Dillon told us that his primary job
was "selling
Williams/Bally/Midway
products". He then said he used to
work for Seeburg
and
joined Williams in 1979. He said he now
travels all over the world to
"see
what pingames are doing".
Gary Stern said that he was Vice
President and General Manager of Data
East
Pinball and that he "runs design" (but maybe not Joe Kaminkow, he
quipped)
and also handles export sales.
Gil Pollock then told us that he was
President of Premier Technology
who
makes Gottlieb games and that he bought the company when Coca-Cola "let
it
go". He then said that he started
working for Gottlieb in 1972.
Finally, Alvin Gottlieb told us that he
had just "re-entered" the
business
and was now President and CEO of A. Gottlieb and Co. which does
design
and engineering of games, working in conjunction with Premier.
Rob next asked for questions for the
panel from the audience. The
first
question asked was "where do the people on the panel think the
industry
is going in the next 10 years?"
Joe Dillon responded first and told how
arcades are located in most
foreign
countries (even in the Eastern Bloc now) and are especially popular
in
France, then describing the price for playing a game on pinball in
various
countries. He then said that the future
is "left to the
imagination
of today's designers", but that it should be "bright", adding
"competition
for the 'entertainment dollar' must be considered".
Alvin Gottlieb responded next, first
telling of his father Dave's
saying
that "the tavern is the working man's country club" and telling of
Dave's
early days in the pingame business. He
then remarked that "new
players
are being born every day", adding that in the future "directions of
the
industry will vary", "prices will surely increase", and that the
future
will
certainly depend on "the ingenuity of the game designers and
engineers."
Lastly, Gary Stern told us that
"pinball is a business and must make
money",
and that he sees an increase in pins and a decrease in videos.
This
however, he said, would also depend on "European economic
conditions".
In this
country, he told us, some locations have been lost due to "urban
renewal",
etc.; that there is some growth now; but that it could change in
the
future.
In was next asked, "what changes
have you noticed in arcades"? Gary
Stern
replied that they were not really in the "arcade business", saying
most of
their games were in "street locations" (bars, etc.). He then told
of the
arcades in Europe and how they had a mix of "light gambling" and
"amusement"
games.
Joe Dillon then elaborated on this,
saying that many European machines
were
considered "amusement gambling" which he defined as "gambling
which
won't
change your life if you win". In
this country, he then said, as the
video
marked gets "softer" there will be more pins in arcades, which will
be an
opportunity for the pingame industry.
When the panel was asked "what do
you think is 'today's market'"?,
Gary
Stern responded that "licenses" appeal to the current player and have
"broadened
the player base", and also are "uplifting the image" of pins,
giving
them more of an "entertainment look".
Gil Pollock then said that he has not seen
a great change in the
"player
base", which he said was primarily males 18 to 40 years of age. A
few
games, he said, appeal to the "female market", but most game themes
still
exhibit a "male macho image".
When a women asked if some games would be
designed to appeal to women,
Gary
Stern replied that the manufacturers were trying to broaden the player
base,
but added that this was really up to the operators. Gil Pollock next
remarked
that the Eastern European Bloc market could "explode" soon, saying
that
this was primarily a "mature market".
Someone next asked Joe Dillon of Williams
why his company was getting
into
the "video lottery business", and how he thought that might impact
the
pingame
market? Joe replied that this might have
a "short term" negative
influence
on pins, but in the "long run" it could be beneficial, hoping
that
operators can understand that amusement and gaming can exist side by
side as
they do in Europe. He then said that
they needed the lottery
business
to "keep the company profitable".
When the panel was asked how many people
in each company were involved
with
pingames the answers given were: Williams/Bally/Midway - approximately
1100;
Data East and Premier - 250 to 300; and at A. Gottlieb and Co. - 5!
The next question asked was on a subject
that has been widely
discussed
at the last several Expo's; "what were the panelists' views on
'One
Dollar play'"?
Gil Pollock first said that it was
"the only way to move in the
future". Joe Dillon then remarked that the
manufacturers are not trying to
"fix
prices", but only to suggest to operators that they "look at the
economics"
of the business and then decide on play pricing. He added that
he
thought "the 'entertainment' is worth that price".
When someone asked if foreign game
manufacturers were any threat to
the
U.S. companies, Gil Pollock replied "no, it's a 'Chicago Industry'".
Joe
Dillon then remarked that there was really only one significant
European
manufacturer in Spain.
Old-time Philadelphia operator Stan
Harris from the audience next told
of
games he had received back from locations whose playfields had been
completely
worn out; then asking the panel what their companies were doing
to help
playfields to last longer and be easier to clean?
Joe Dillon began by saying that in the
past operators would clean
playfields,
but as they got more complicated this became hard to do, one
almost
having to take them apart to properly clean them. He then said that
today's
designers have to make their games both "fun to play" and also
"serviceable". He then added that Williams is using
"hard coat" to try to
help
with those types of problems.
After several comments from players in
the audience saying that the
operators
must keep playfields properly maintained to attract players,
Alvin
Gottlieb commented that much attention to this by the manufacturers
would
force them to raise prices for games and make pin operation less
profitable
for operators. He then added that
operators can't afford to
spend
much time cleaning playfields. Finally,
Gil Pollock remarked that
this
would keep pinball from being competitive with other forms of
entertainment.
The panel was next queried regarding the
"family and humanitarian
approach",
and about donating games to the handicapped (an obvious
reference
to a previous talk). Expo host Rob Berk
made the only comment on
the
subject, saying he had talked to Alvin Gottlieb about it, and that the
Gottlieb
Memorial Hospital is trying to help in that area.
A question regarding the use of a
protective playfleld coating used by
some
foreign manufacturers was answered by Gary Stern, saying that OSHA
regarded
that compound as "carcinogenic", but adding that his company was
looking
into the "hard coat" used by the automobile industry.
When Alvin Gottlieb was next asked for an
"update" on his new
company's
endeavors, he replied that they have some "games on test", but
that
they were embarked on "an extensive testing program" which would take
some
time. He then added that they would
have more information early in
1992. The panel was next asked if all the games
tested by a company were
eventually
produced? The answer given was
"not always".
A collector in the audience next remarked
that he often found it
difficult
to get parts for newer games (sometimes only 2 or 3 years old)
and
asked the panel to comment on this? Joe
Dillon then told us that
(except
for playfield ramps) it was difficult and expensive for the
manufacturer
to make "short runs" for parts after production of a game had
ended. He then added that there was a "long
lead time" involved with their
suppliers
for this type of thing. When Rob Berk
then asked for a "rule of
thumb"
as to how long parts are generally available for a game, Gil Pollock
replied
"5 years, and sometimes longer" for his company.
The panel was then asked if the
manufacturers could "clean up" game
themes
(eliminate "demonic" or "satanic" themes, etc.) to make
games more
"family
oriented"? Joe Dillon replied that
a large part of their market is
in
Europe where these things were not so objectionable. He then said they
sometimes
try to "play down" certain themes, but that the bottom line was
that
"violence sells", especially in foreign countries. Finally he added
that
they have to sort of "average things out" between the U.S. and
foreign
markets.
Alvin Gottlieb then reminded us that one
of their past games, MONTE
CARLO,
had his picture on the backglass which was pretty mild. Gary Stern
then
commented that they have to "deal with modern society's taste", and
that
pins were "grown-up entertainment" and "we have to appeal to
them".
A final question dealt with the number of
designers each company uses
on a
game. Gary Stern replied that some
companies use individuals (or
small
teams) on a game, while others use "large teams".
$1 PINBALL
Rob Berk next introduced Joe Kaminkow of
Data East Pinball and Larry
DeMar
of Williams for the special added presentation Rob had told us about
earlier. Larry began by telling us that a standard
play price of $1 for
pinball
is very controversial and that he can't wait for it, although it
will
probably meet with some resistance.
Larry then said that pingame
manufacturers don't seem to be able to
agree
on anything. For example, he went on,
Data East has 2 tilts on their
games
and Williams has 3. He then proceeded
to ask and answer four
questions
about his new idea for "$1 pinball": How many for $1? -
"One";
Will it
require a $1 coin? - "No"; Will there be competition? - "Don't
care";
and will it target more players? - "Yes, it will allow more women
and
children to play".
At this point Joe and Larry unveiled a
large trophy which they said
would
be presented to the winner of their game.
They then told us that
their
game was similar to "Liar's Poker", could be played anywhere, and
could
be played either "manually" or on a computer, using a program on a
disk
which they could provide.
At that point they described how to play
the game in detail. It was
played
using any one dollar bill; using the serial number, and other things
on the
bill, to determine your "pinball score". They then went through an
example
using a dollar bill and their computer program. After that they
had
people from the audience call out numbers from bills they had, with Joe
and
Larry determining each one's score using the program. The person with
the
highest score was awarded the trophy
LICENSING
For the next presentation, "The
Future of Pinball: Design,
Development,
and Licensing", Rob introduced Joe Kaminkow (again), and Tom
Nieman,
Steve Kordek, and Roger Sharpe of Williams/Bally/Midway. Joe began
by
telling us the sad news (which many of us had already heard on TV) that
Star
Trek creator Gene Rodinberry had just passed away; then telling of a
"condolence"
FAX Data East had sent to Hollywood, and adding that they were
making
some changes to their STAR TREK pingame in Gene's memory.
At that point Joe showed us a video made
by his company highlighting
their
pinball licensing efforts. The game
themes illustrated in the video
included,
among others: Monday Night Football, Back To The Future, The
Simpsons,
Home Alone, Star Trek, Freddie's Dead, and Hook.
After the video Joe talked more about
Data East's "licensing
philosophy". Themes like "Freddie Krueger" and
"Home Along", he told us,
help
"expand the player base", and "keep pinball clean and
wholesome". He
added
that the license has to be "implemented well" and that it gives their
designers
plenty of "food for thought" when it comes to creating the art,
sounds,
etc., for the games.
Roger Sharpe from Williams then said that
they are beginning to get
into
licensing more nowadays, but using a "selective approach", then
mentioning
their recent licenses: BUGS BUNNY, GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, and
TERMINATOR
2. He ended by saying they will be
doing more in the future,
but
that they were not as "overt" with their future plans as some of
their
competitors.
Tom Nieman began by telling us that he
had previously worked for Bally
for
about 14 years, and was involved during the 1970's with "third party
licenses". He then told of Bally's experiences with the
"Tommy games",
WIZARD,
and CAPTAIN FANTASTIC.
Tom said at that time he thought that
"there must be a better way to
market
a pin". He said that he thought
you should introduce "personality"
into a
game as a "hook" to attract players.
Tom then told us that he
thought
of using music (telling us he was a "Who fan") so he contacted
Columbia
Pictures who he said was "an easy sell". But, he told us, selling
the
idea to Bally was somewhat harder, then telling us that Bally in turn
allowed
"The Who" to use it's company name in the song "Pinball
Wizard".
After telling of meeting the Columbia
representative in New Orleans to
finalize
the deal, Tom said Bally gave Columbia six machines, plus another
12 to
be used in a "promotional pool".
He then told us that Dave
Christensen
did the art "basically blind".
Tom then said that he had a "great
time" promoting the game. He ended
by
quoting from a Replay Magazine article of the time (written by a "so-
called
pinball expert" - Roger Sharpe) which told of "foresight into the
future
of the industry" when referring to CAPTAIN FANTASTIC. Tom then
showed
a T-shirt he had which was autographed by the stars of "Tommy". Joe
Kaminkow
then remarked that Tom was sort of a "hero" to him, and
complemented
him for his fine work for the industry.
Steve Kordek then told us that Williams
has had success with their
"licenses",
adding that they are working on others for next year. He then
said
that "the future of pins will be exciting", but so was his
involvement
with
the industry in the past.
Steve then told of some "ups and
downs" in the pingame business during
the
1940's and 1950's; such as when "roll-downs", shuffle alleys, and gun
games
brought a "lull" to pins in the later Forties, like happened with
"bumper
pool" in the Fifties and video games in the Eighties. Steve ended
by
telling us that the future "gets more exciting with each new game",
and
that
today you can do things in games that once were impossible.
At that point the audience was asked if
they had any questions? When
Roger
Sharpe was asked if he designed the "Bugs Bunny" game he replied,
"No,
it was done by John Trudeau and Python Angelo." When Rob Berk asked
if licensed
game would increase in the future, Steve Kordek answered "yes".
Roger Sharpe then commented that we need
"good games" in addition to
"good
themes", adding that they have had "solid success" with
non-licensed
games
such as FUN HOUSE.
When my friend Sam Harvey asked how the licenses were paid for,
Tom
Nieman
quipped "they normally start with a 'body part'". Joe Kaminkow then
said it
could happen in several ways, sometimes by paying money directly,
and
sometimes with games. Tom then remarked
that the "license deal" may
not
always be a "good deal" for the pingame manufacturer.
The final question asked was "at
what point in the process do you
usually
get in?" Roger Sharpe answered
saying that in the case of
GILLIGAN'S
ISLAND it was obviously long afterwards since that was an old
show. He went on to say that the "design
team" had the game already
thought
out when they met with him and wanted to call it GILLIGAN'S ISLAND,
Roger
himself preferring ROBINHOOD. With
TERMINATOR 2, on the other hand,
he said
it was "early", him first meeting with the producers in July 1990.
He then
added that they had "good cooperation" with the TERMINATOR 2
people,
working "hand in hand" with them throughout the process.
After the questions were over Tom Nieman
asked the audience to
indicate
by a show of hands if they liked "licensed games". The audience
seemed
to agree that licensing was good. As a
final statement, Joe
Kaminkow
remarked that they had a "good home market" for their SIMPSONS
game,
adding that he thought that "celebrity games" would become
"collectable"
in the future.
60'S
ART
For the next presentation Rob introduced
pinball artist Jerry Kelley
(yes,
they finally found him) to present his talk, "Contemporary Pinball
Art of
the Sixties". Jerry first set up a
display of four backglasses he
had
done: Bally's CAPERSVILLE (1966), MINIZAG (1968), and ROCKMAKERS
(1968);
and Williams' A-GO-GO (1966). He then
told us that he had made up
a
bookmark, which he was going to give us, on which was printed the names
and
dates of all the glasses he had done.
He then said he would give us an
idea of
"what it was like in the Sixties".
Jerry then told us that when Rob Berk
once showed him a list of
pinball
artists from the past he told Rob that he had no idea what the
others
had done, adding that at that time he was sort of a "loner".
Jerry said his first job in the coin
machine industry was doing art
for
United bowlers. He then said that when
"shuffle alleys" came in United
asked
him about doing the art for the sides of the cabinets. When he
criticized
the "30's style art" they had been using he was called in to
talk to
company President Lyn Durrant. Jerry
said he told him "you can't
do this
'Thirties stuff' all the time, you should go 'contemporary'". When
Lyn
invited him to go to lunch with him Jerry said "I knew I was in".
Jerry next told us that Advertising
Posters did the screening for his
backglasses
and that he worked closely with their people, adding that he
always
thought they did "good work".
He then began telling of the steps he
went
through creating a new backglass.
First, he said, he was given an
"engineering drawing" of the field and
backglass,
indicating the positions of the "score reels" and the items on
the
playfield he had to work his art around.
From this, he told us, he
created
a "black plate" which he would then add colors to.
Jerry then told us that he liked to use
some black in his art, but
that
the industry objected to this because they felt that black connotated
"death". But, he said, it took a lot of convincing
but he finally was
allowed
to use more black in his artwork.
Jerry then told us that he also convinced
the manufacturers that games
should
be "exciting". He next told
of receiving his first "fan letter" in
1977
from a man from Florida who even called him a "genius".
He then told of "little things"
he would put in his pictures and
described
the characters on the ROCKMAKERS glass and what each was doing.
He also
told how he "balanced" his use of black by putting color around it.
Jerry
then showed us pictures of three of his glasses in Michael Colmer's
book
"Pictorial History of Pinball" which came out in the 1970's,
remarking
about
the good quality of the color in the book.
Jerry then told us that he created the
names for all his games, and
that he
"tried to give a 'message' in his art". He then told of creating
the art
for Williams BEAT TIME in 1967, using caricatures of "The Beatles",
but
calling them "The Bootles" probably to avoid a lawsuit.
When it was asked if there were any
questions from the audience, the
only
thing asked was "did Ted Zale design most of your games? Jerry
answered
that he did not know who designed any of the games.
Jerry ended by telling a story about Sam
Stern of Williams and his
preference
in colors. He said that Sam liked a lot
of red, white, and blue
to be
used in the artwork, and did not like it when Jerry used other colors
on POT
OF GOLD. When he and Sam were
discussing this, Gary Stern, Sam's
son who
was in college at the time, came in and overheard the conversation.
Jerry
said that after Gary told his father that POT OF GOLD was getting all
the
"action" on location and other Williams games were not, Sam never
argued
for red, white and blue again.
Before stepping down, Jerry told us that
the only thing that "saved
him"
after World War II was over was going to an art institute and getting
a
degree.
PLANT
TOUR
After Jerry's talk it was only a short
time before we had to board
busses
for this year's Pinball Plant Tour. It
was "hyped" to be a tour of
the
"Bally Pinball Manufacturing Facility", but since "Ballygames"
are now
produced
on a second assembly line at the Williams plant, we actually got a
tour of
both the Bally and Williams production facilities.
During the bus trip a company
representative told us that at the
present
time Bally PARTY ZONE and Williams TERMINATOR 2 were being produced
at the
plant. After passing through some
"old Chicago neighborhoods" we
arrived
at the plant. We had to wait outside
for about 20 minutes this
year,
but it was not nearly as cold as last year waiting to get into Data
East.
The tour guide for our group was a very
congenial long-time Williams
employee. He began by telling us that the same
cabinets were used for both
the
Bally and Williams games, and that they were manufactured at another
plant. After telling us that different coin
mechanisms for American and
several
types of foreign coins were used, depending on where the game was
going
to be shipped, he showed us where the new cabinets were being
drilled.
The next area we were shown was where
parts for the games were being
received,
the trucks delivering them backing up to doors where the parts
could
be unloaded by personnel inside the factory.
Our guide next showed us the "mini
line", an assembly line where a
limited
number of games could be assembled. He
explained that this was
usually
used to test the assembly process for new games, but at this time
was
being used for limited production of additional Bally HARLEY DAVIDSON
games.
After passing the locked door of the
"prototype room" (which we were
told we
could not see) we were shown the "print room" and then taken to the
"parts
stocking area". Our guide told us
that there were up to about four
thousand
parts used on a single game. He then
told us that the company had
a
"sell before make" policy, meaning that they did not make any games
for
which
they did not already have orders.
We next saw the area where new blank
playfields were being readied for
assembly. Our guide told us that they used very good
plywood, and that
they
were "coated" for longer life.
After showing us a machine used to
punch
holes in the playfields, our guide told us that there was not much
"machine
shop work" done at the plant anymore, most of it now being "farmed
out".
After passing an assembly line area, we were taken to the area where
the
cabinets, playfields, and backboxes were merged, and then to the "final
test"
area. After that we saw where the
finished game was packaged ready
for
shipment.
Finally, we saw where trucks were again
backed up to the plant, this
time so
that the finished machines could be loaded for shipment. Our guide
said
that they had a "truck to truck operation", referring to how the
parts
came in
by truck at one end of the plant and the finished games were loaded
into
trucks at the other.
After the tour was over we were treated
to free "soda pop" and then
boarded
our busses for the trip back to the hotel.
PINBALL
FLYERS
After returning from the plant, we again
went to the lecture hall to
continue
with the seminar presentations. First
up was COIN SLOT's own Dick
Bueschel
to give his presentation titled "The History of the Pinball
Flyer".
Dick began by remarking that he was in
"deep trouble" because he had
not
come out with his "Pinball 2" book yet. He said he had "blocked out"
all 10
volumes, and that he expects to really get into "Pinball 2" early in
1992.
Dick then told us that his subject today
was "the pinball flyer",
remarking
that the flyer was really "a matter of marketing", adding that
"pinball
is a business like any other" and selling games is "a matter of
competition". Dick then told us that the pinball machine
is a combination
of
technology and art, and is designed to give "entertainment for
money".
The brochure, he went on, must "sell
the game" and is "the first
expression
of the game." Dick then told us
that at first flyers were only
one
sheet, but later got up to as many as four pages. Dick then remarked
that
the flyer must try to make the game "irresistible" to the operator,
causing
him to make an "emotional buy".
To accomplish this, he went on,
requires
a combination of good "copy", art and photography.
Dick then remarked that many pinball
collectors today also collect
flyers,
which he described as "the 'baseball cards' of the hobby", which,
he
added, you can really get "hooked on". Getting back to the business
side of
flyers, Dick remarked that the flyer often "drives game sales".
Dick next said that he would take us
"behind the scenes" of the
preparation
of a pinball flyer. As his first
example he used Williams'
1990
game WHIRLWIND, showing us the 4 page brochure which used the phrase
"feel
the power of the wind" to draw attention to the game. He then showed
some
sketches from which the flyer was developed.
Roger Sharpe, who had
provided
this material to Dick, then told us how some of the changes which
took
place between the original sketches and the finished brochure came
about.
Dick next showed the brochure for Bally's
GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, saying
that TV
shows are "the hottest things in 'pop culture'". He then showed
how
they incorporated the TV show theme into the brochure. Roger Sharpe
then
told us that one main purpose of the flyer was to sell games to
operators
who don't get the trade magazines, Dick adding that they are used
as
"direct mail advertising" and for the distributors.
We were next shown the flyer for Bally's
latest game PARTY ZONE. Dick
then
showed some "boards" with examples of the ad for the game. He then
told
how this original concept was changed (the "correction process") to
produce
the final brochure.
Dick then asked the question, "who
are the people that produce the
flyers?" He then remarked that these talented people
should be given
credit,
adding that the collectors should know who was responsible for the
flyers
in their collections.
On the subject of "where the idea
for the brochures came from", Dick
said they
"had been around for as long as the games". He went on to say
that
cost was always the "determining factor" in advertising, saying that
magazine
ads were usually quite expensive. In
1931, for example, Dick told
us that
a page in a trade journal cost between 60 and 90 dollars, a major
"ad
campaign" of several months running over $1000. Today, he told us, the
cost is
about 20 times higher.
Dick next showed us slides of early
pingame brochures. He first
showed
the single page flyer for the 1901 pin-like trade stimulator LOG
CABIN,
quoting from the ad. He next showed the
flyer for Gottlieb's 1931
pin
BAFFLE BALL, again quoting from the text.
After showing a "lease
brochure"
for Keeney's early game KEEN BALL from 1932, Dick showed the 4
page
color brochure for another early pin WHIFFLE ZIP.
Dick next showed the color brochures for
3 important games of the
early
1930's. These included Rockola's 1933
"classics" JIGSAW (70,000 of
which
were sold) and WORLD SERIES, and a nice color flyer for the first
"automatic
payout" pingame, Bally's ROCKET, which Dick said was "an
enormous
hit" even though it was not "run in the media".
After remarking that sometimes the flyer
came before the game and
sometimes
after, Dick showed some more 1930's pingame brochures. These
included:
the 2-color brochure for Western Product's game HELL'S BELLS,
Exhibit
Supply's ELECTRO, Bally's SIGNAL, and MAJIK KEYS KICKER by Allied
Amusement
Co., all from 1934. Dick then ended his
showing of 1930's
brochures
with one for a rare game called JIMMY VALENTINE, and another for
Rockola's
JIG JOY which had a jigsaw puzzle on it's backglass, Dick
remarking
that the latter game was also not publicized in the media.
Dick then mentioned the fact that no new
pingames were manufactured
during
World War II, only "revamps" of pre-war games by outfits such as one
calling
itself Victory Games. When the war was
over, he went on, there
were
still a few companies "revamping" pingames such as Victory Sales
which
converted
pre-war "one-ball horserace" games.
Other post-war "revampers",
he told
us, included Marvel, P and S, and Nate Schneller Inc. which
converted
United pre-flipper pins into flipper games, such as SINGAPORE
into
MADAM BUTTERFLY.
Dick next showed some Gottlieb flyers from the 1950's and 1960's
which,
he remarked, looked very much alike in format.
Bally, he said, had
more
money and produced 4-color flyers, then showing us some later ones,
which
included the "Feature Gram" - a detailed playfield layout with
feature
descriptions next to it, which they had on the backs of many
brochures.
After showing a Stern Electronics flyer,
and one for Game Plan's 1979
game
SHARPSHOOTER, Dick ended by showing the elaborate multi-page brochure
for
Williams' 1980 hit BLACK KNIGHT. Dick
finally remarked that this
brochure
"set the pattern for most flyers to come", adding that there
hasn't
been many changes in the pinball flyer since then.
DESIGNING
A PINGAME
It has been an "Expo tradition"
for the past several years to have an
"audience
participation" seminar during which the audience "designs" a
pingame,
aided by personnel from one of the game manufacturers. (One year
a
'prototype' was even constructed from our design and brought to next
year's
show for us to try out.) This year we
again had Data East Pinball's
chief
designer Joe Kaminkow conducting the design seminar.
Joe began by telling us that we were
going to design "a pingame for
the
future". He then asked for
suggestions from the audience as to the
game's
theme, which he said could be "original", a "license", a
"card
game",
etc.
Suggested themes included: Landing on
Mars, Green Acres, Shakespeare
(we had
a college English professor in the audience), The 3 Stooges, Horse
Racing,
World Cup '94, World Series, Titanic, Pee Wee Herman, Fire
Fighting,
Demolition Derby, Skateboarding, Health Clubs, and Hook. The
theme
selected for use by popular vote was "The 3 Stooges".
The game's "format" was next
chosen to be a "46 inch 'wide body'". It
was
then time to choose the game's "playfield layout". For a "skill shot"
the
following were suggested: a
"rotating ramp", 3 rollovers (for Larry,
Moe,
and Curly), a "ramp shot into the mouth", a "slapping hand"
to move
the
ball, a "hand poke in the eyes", a "pie in the face", and a
"sandwich
shot"
(don't ask me what some of these things mean!). The audience then
voted,
picking the "ramp shot into the mouth".
The number of flippers was next chosen to
be 3 (for the Stooges, of
course). It was also decided to have 3 pop bumpers
and also 3 lanes at the
top of
the field. Joe next asked for
suggestions for a "playfield gadget",
but as
far as I could tell these were never voted on.
The gadget suggestions included: a spinner, a 'maze' in the
backbox, a
'gobble
hole', "hold ball and give player 3 seconds to make a decision
(??)",
laser beam for ball to pass through, player must 'qualify' to use
3rd
flipper, spinning pop bumper, a 'deferred mode' (??), an eject hole to
start
the pie throwing, a "black hole thing", and a "flame
thrower".
Joe next asked for suggestions for a
"ramp shot". The audience's
ideas
included such things as: two hills; a target with a hole in the ramp
which
the ball might drop into; tiered 'gobble holes' on ramp; a high slope
ramp; a
short, steep ramp; a ramp with a gap; a ramp to steer the ball
outside
of the game; ball disappears and reappears in various places; loop
the
loop; a ramp over and back up; and a ramp going half way around the
game. The shot finally chosen by the audience was
"ramp to steer the ball
outside
of the game."
Joe then drew the proposed playfield
layout on a large sheet of paper.
He then
told us that "pinball design is a matter of 'trial and error''".
He next
remarked that "there is no such thing as a 'bad idea' for a game,
it only
being bad if not mentioned at all".
As far as music for the game was
concerned the "Curly Shuffle" was
suggested
by Joe. Various "stooges sound
effects" were then discussed and
demonstrated
'vocally', all being decided to be appropriate for the game.
It was
also suggested that the backglass start out as "black and white", it
being
"colorized" during play of the game (the "Ted Turner
Mode").
A "laser kick" and "zipper
flippers" were also suggested for use.
The
final suggestion for the design was a "jackpot" with a "pie in
the
face"
motif. Joe then completed the drawing
for the playfield and that
concluded
this session and also the Friday seminars.
That evening the
Exhibit
Hall officially opened, but more about that later.
STATE
OF THE HOBBY (PART 2)
When the seminars began again Saturday
morning, Rob Berk re-introduced
Steve
Young and Gordon Hasse to continue the talk they began Friday
morning,
"The State of the Pinball Hobby".
Steve began by saying that he hoped to
recap what was said yesterday.
Then,
he said, he would like to start a 'dialogue' with the audience, who
he said
represented "the community of pinball" and were responsible for
"driving
the hobby".
He next told us that this must be "a
two-way thing", that he is only a
"reporter",
that he did not want to hoist his personal views on anyone, and
just
wants to "tell it as he sees it".
He then told us that what we do
will
"set the vision/direction of future movement of the pinball collecting
hobby".
Recapping from yesterday, Steve briefly
mentioned the four areas he
spoke
about. Regarding
"collecting", he said there were all sizes of
collections,
and that new collectors are coming in, many of which don't
understand
how to get parts.
Regarding the relation between price and
value of games, he began by
remarking
that "play value" appears to be secondary as a "price
factor",
outweighed
by "cosmetics" and the availability of games in a particular
area. He added that "overall popularity"
of a game was also important when
it came
to price.
After again mentioning the necessity of
Dick Bueschel getting his new
book
out as soon as possible, Steve talked briefly about "restoration",
talking
about reproductions of backglasses, parts, etc. On the subject of
price
once more, Steve ended by saying that he "was not here to 'push up
prices'".
At
that point Gordon Hasse began reiterating Steve's statement that
they
were not there to "hoist their views on anyone", but only to
"establish
a dialogue" to "see what we think". He then said that a few
good
points had been expressed to him after yesterday's talk.
Gordon then began recapping the reasons
he had previously given as to
why
pinball collecting has not achieved the status of other "collecting
hobbies". Rather than repeating these here I will only
mention those
points
where Gordon (or the audience) had some new information to ad since
the
previous day's talk.
When he talked about their being no
displays of pins in museums, etc.,
Dave
Marston from the audience reminded him of the new "video game and
pinball
museum" which had recently opened in St. Louis. Stan Harris'
private
collection was also mentioned which could be viewed "by appointment
only".
When Gordon again mentioned "getting
media attention for the hobby",
he
stated that we should try and contact local papers with pin-related
stories. When he again talked of getting
"academia" and the "popular
culture
associations" involved, he told us that Dan Fuller was "trying to
help
with that".
When Gordon again brought up the point
that "no famous people"
collected
pins someone said that Walter Cronkite and Hugh Hefner had pins,
as well
as other "celebrities". When
talking about the "lack of a
significant
marketplace for pins", Gordon remarked that the auction being
conducted
Sunday at the Expo was starting "a positive trend" in that
direction.
Gordon ended his part of the presentation
by challenging us to "do
something
positive to 'spread the word'".
The audience was then asked if
they
had any questions or comments?
Steve was first asked if he is putting
some type of article together
to
help? Steve answered, "no",
saying that one person alone can't possibly
do it
and that he hopes others will do it. He
then commented that there
are
more people writing about pins now than even before, but that most are
writing
about "their own personal feelings".
Gordon next said that he wanted to thank
collector Bob Spieler for
bringing
part of his great pin collection to the show for all to enjoy,
this
drawing a big round of applause. He
next told us that in the future
he will
be preparing an article on "backglass restoration" describing the
results
of a project he is currently engaged in using a professional
artist.
Someone from the audience, who said he
was "new to the hobby", then
made
the comment that he had never seen "such a bright group of people",
suggesting
that more of us write articles for the pin magazines. Steve
then
made what I consider to be a very good suggestion, that the magazines
print
lists of topics that people could write about.
When someone made the
comment
that he did not write because he would not get paid for it, Steve
responded
that he always "donates" his articles.
Steve and Gordon were next asked
"what is the advantage of higher
prices
for pins?" Gordon answered that
the games in the Exhibit Hall this
year
were a good example, saying that the reason people brought so many
great
games to sell was because they thought the higher prices made it
"practical"
for them to do so.
The question was then asked if the
International Flipper Pinball Assn.
(IFPA)
was really helping with media publicity for pins? Steve replied
that a
"national organization" for collectors could also help, adding that
Sharon
Harris would have more to say on the IFPA in the next seminar.
John Campbell from the audience next
commented that "personal computer
networks"
(COMPUSERVE, etc.) could also aid in "getting the word out",
asking
if a dedicated pinball computer "bulletin board" might help? This,
he went
on, could provide "conferencing", ads, "chats", etc. on
pin-related
subjects. Steve commented that this was an
"excellent idea", saying he had
forgotten
about that even though he had himself received information in
that manner. Dave Marston then told of a pin-related area
on an existing
system,
but saying at the present time it seemed to be mostly used by
"solid-state
fans".
Steve ended the presentation by
encouraging people to contact him with
ideas
on "what people can do" to help publicize the hobby. Dick Bueschel
then
suggested that this talk be contributed to a magazine, which Steve
said he
would probably do.
Before beginning the next talk Rob Berk
told us that, starting with
next
year's Expo, he planned to initiate a "Fireside Chat" session with a
well-known
pinball personage such as Wayne Neyens.
He then reminded us of
the
"autograph session" scheduled for that afternoon, the "Art
Contest",
and
also to sign a special giant card to be sent to Expo regular Harvey
Heiss
who could not attend this year due to illness.
I, for one, sure
missed
this great gentleman, him being one of my all-time favorite "pin
people".
PROMOTIONS
Rob Berk next introduced Sharon Harris of
Philadelphia who would be
the
"guest moderator" for the upcoming panel discussion, "Pinball
Promotions,
Tournaments, and League Play".
Sharon began by introducing herself,
saying she was in her second term
as
President of the "International Flipper Pinball Assn." (IFPA). She then
said
that last year she described the IFPA to us, but that a lot had
happened
since then, the organization now having 36 "charters" even in the
countries
of Canada, Spain, and Yugoslavia.
Sharon then told us that the tournament
they sponsored last year had
over
400 entrants, and that the 1992 tournament would be held March 22-25
in
Milwaukee. She then introduced her
panel consisting of Steve Epstein of
the
Broadway Arcade in New York City who was also President of the
"Professional/Amateur
Pinball Assn." (PAPA), and Doug Young the Executive
Director
of IFPA.
At that point Steve told us that this was
his 6th Expo and that this
was the
second year for the PAPA leagues. He
said they now had leagues in
Chicago,
New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and New York, and were
expanding
into Canada. Steve then told us that
pinball was "a love of his"
being
basically a player. He next said that
he had been playing pinball
since
1955, and in 1964 began running the arcade started by his father many
years
earlier.
Steve then went on to say that the idea
of having pinball leagues
started
with the competition he had always had playing against Roger
Sharpe,
realizing how the 'competitive spirit' can be motivating. Steve
then
told us that his first tournament was held in New York City, was open
only to
PAPA members, and was covered by the media (MTV, CNN, New York
Times,
etc.).
Steve next showed us a video of his first
tournament. He then
announced
that the winner of this year's Expo "Flip-Out" tournament will be
given a
free trip to New York to participate in the next PAPA tournament,
which
he said would be "open to the general public". Finally Steve said
that
there is a need to establish more pinball tournaments all over the
country,
adding that pinball in the future should be like bowling is today.
Sharon next remarked that the "main
goal" should be "to get the word
out"
about pinball, mentioning some recent publicity on TV, in the
newspapers,
etc.
At that point Doug Young began giving us
some background of the IFPA.
He
began by telling us that it is "operator focused" (operators being
given
all the
information needed to help promote tournaments), is "non-profit",
and was
started in July 1990. Funding, he went
on, is from AMOA and the
game
manufacturers. He then said IFPA was
run by a Board of Directors
consisting
of the President (Sharon) and four AMOA members. Doug then
added
that he was only an "employee" of the organization.
Doug next remarked that with tournaments
"reward is what it's all
about". He then said that for their first tournament
the game
manufacturers
provided 80 games. Doug next told us
that their tournaments
are
open to men, women, and youth; and to players of "all skill levels".
He then
remarked that "promotion is the key" and that his job is to get
publicity,
get new members, and to "solve problems", adding that he is
always
getting calls from people who want "new and different things".
Doug next told us that IFPA needs the
cooperation of the
manufacturers,
the operators, and the players, and requires a "grass roots
effort". He ended by telling us that he thought we
were "on the threshold
of
something bigger", but that they have to work through the operators,
adding
that he "works from the top" but that we (the players) must
"work
from
the bottom" if we want tournaments to be a success.
Steve Epstein then said that with PAPA
they attempted to go "directly
to the
player", saying that a player can start a league at a bar, etc. He
then
talked of their "handicap system" for all skill levels, then telling
of
their "prize package" which consists of jackets, trophies, etc. Steve
then
told us that he feels that the operators have to be "pulled along"
and
that
this was a "labor intensive promotion".
After describing his location which has
65 games, 18 of which are
pins,
and high rent and an immense overhead, he remarked that this should
prove
to operators that you can make money with pins. He ended by
emphasizing
"we really need player support" for PAPA to be successful.
Doug then told us that the players should
"sound their horn" to the
operators
to let them know they want tournaments.
He then quoted Sharon
regarding
the "excitement of playing", adding that "we all have the
opportunity".
Sharon then told us that she was the
"league director" of their
company
and that it was "grueling work".
She then suggested to players
that
they be "sure of their commitment" before approaching an operator
regarding
tournaments. She added that, speaking
as an operator, if
operators
have dedicated players it will work.
When the audience was asked if they had
any questions for the panel,
the
first question asked was that always controversial one "what are you
doing
to correct the problem of badly maintained games in arcades?"
Steve began by saying that it is tough to
get operators to maintain
their
games, calling it a "boom or bust situation". When Roger Sharpe
commented
that leagues can help when players demand that the games be
working
properly, Sharon agreed saying there's always "strength in
numbers".
Doug then said that IFPA is a
"conduit of information" and that
operators
will be required to participate in seminars on game maintenance
subjects. Sharon added that IFPA also gives
"helpful hints" to operators
including
"10 things to do to games in the shop" and "7 items to check on
later
on location".
Despite these comments from the panel,
people in the audience voiced
more
"negative comments" regarding the subject of "on-site
maintenance".
Steve
then commented "we can't dance around this issue", saying that one
thing
that can be done is for players to get together and boycott locations
with
badly maintained games.
When Sharon remarked that "street
locations" were better than arcades
as far
as the problem was concerned, someone from the audience commented
that
those locations were just as bad.
Another person then commented that
in
bars, etc., where they have only one or two games, that the operator was
more
inclined to keep them up because if he didn't the patrons wouldn't
play
and he would lose money. In arcades
with many games, he went on, if
one or
two don't work properly players can always play another machine.
Another critic from the audience then
told the panel that they were
"missing
the boat", saying that bowling leagues have forced bowling alleys
to
"give them what they want", so why can't pinball leagues do the same?
This
again got back to the "strength in numbers" idea.
After that long discussion resulting from
the first question, the next
question
was far less controversial it being "how can leagues be conducted
in bars?" Steve said that "bar leagues" are
definitely possible, telling
us that
IFPA is oriented toward that type of location.
Doug then commented
that
IFPA tries to follow a "program" similar to that used by darts
leagues;
what he referred to as a "traveling league". Sharon then told us
that
Doug himself is actually playing in a league.
Finally, Steve said
that
PAPA can "blanket any type of location".
Doug was next asked if there were any
operators in Chicago running
tournaments? He replied that some operators in the area
are getting
started,
but that there are not any tournaments set up yet. He then told
us that
the game manufacturers are taking a "firm roll" in encouraging
operators
to participate in tournaments.
Doug then told the person who was
interested in Chicago area
tournaments
to see him for a list of local operators holding "IFPA
charters". Sharon then commented that she uses every
opportunity to "get
the
word out", telling of once when she brought up the subject during a
city
council meeting.
The panel was next asked what the
difference was between IFPA and
PAPA? Sharon replied that PAPA was "player
oriented" (working "from the
player
up"), and IFPA is "operator oriented" (working from the operator
"up
to the
manufacturer" and "down to the player").
The final question was "are any of
your organizations sending out
flyers?" Sharon answered that both have flyers, Steve
adding that PAPA
also
advertises in the "trade papers".
Steve's final comment was that PAPA will
have four different
tournaments
between February and April of 1992.
Sharon ended by
reiterating
that a "grass roots effort" was required if tournaments were to
succeed,
adding "we need your help!"
PINBALL
MOTORS
For the next seminar Rob Berk introduced
Don Patzke and his son Mark
of
Multi Products, a company which has been making motors for the coin
machine
industry for many years, to give a talk titled "Pinball Score
Motors". Don began by thanking Rob for inviting him
to the Expo, and the
coin
machine industry for supporting his company for over 45 years.
Don first told us that he got into this
business 45 years ago working
for a
company called Electric Motor Corp. He
said that motors in those
days were
"low torque" and used brass gears and pinions. As the machines
got
more complex, he went on, clutches, etc., were added to the motors.
Don then told us that over the years they
sold motors to most of the
game
manufacturers such as Genco, United, Williams, Gottlieb, and Midway.
He then
said that when it was found that the gears they originally used
tended
to wear out, they switched to heavy duty gears employing steel gears
and
pinions, and that they "continually upgraded their products".
Manufacturers today, Don continued, are
working for a "quality
product". He said his company sometimes supplies 5 to
7 thousand motors a
week
with very few being returned to them as being faulty. In the old
days,
he then told us, he used to visit all the plants.
Don then told us that today many
companies have special requirements.
For
example, he went on, four years ago Williams needed a very small 12
volt
D.C. motor, and when his company was given the requirements they were
able to
modify an existing product to fit.
Don went on to say that their company
often makes improvements in
their
products when a customer has a complaint or gives them a new
requirement,
always "adjusting to the customer's needs". Most of his
competitors,
he told us, will not "change to fit". As an example, he told
of
making an "oscillating motor" required by a customer using the same
idea
used in
oscillating electric fans.
During the talk they passed around
examples of some of their motors
for us
to look at. After describing some of
their older motors, Don told a
story
of their "quick response" in the past to a customer's special
requirement.
He said he once got a call from a game
manufacturer who needed a motor
the
next day for a baseball game. Don said
he drove in a storm and worked
all
night so the game could go into production at 8 AM the next morning,
adding
"it's crazy what you can do when you really want to do it".
At that point Don asked if there were any
questions? It was first
asked
if they recommended lubricating the gears on a motor unit? Don
answered
that if it was an "open motor" you should use "DTE" oil,
but that
"enclosed
motor units" are pre-lubricated.
When asked if they could still replace
old motors when they go bad,
Don
answered "yes", saying that only the other day they replaced a 1964
Chicago
Coin motor for someone. When Don was
next asked if there was any
chance
of replacing motors on foreign Playmatic games he replied "if you
have a
part number we'll see".
At that point Steve Kordek of Williams
congratulated Don and his
company
for the "tremendous job" they had always done for the industry. He
then
told of the "rigorous testing" that Williams does on motors they
receive,
and how if a problem is found Don's company is always ready to
correct
it.
Someone from the audience next asked if
Don could rebuild a motor from
just
looking at it? He replied that they
still repair old United motors,
adding
that they will repair almost any motor sent to them for $20 with a
one or
two day "turnaround". When
asked about a common problem which
occurs
in the "ferris wheel motor" on Williams CYCLONE, Don simply replied
"that's
not one of our motors".
Don was next asked if he could repair
Coke machine motors? At first
he
answered "no", but then he commented "it may be possible; send
it in and
we'll
try". He then said that sometimes
they even "copy" motors. Don
then
told us
that, in addition to pins, his company made motors for arcade
games,
jukeboxes, "horse race games", etc.
When asked if their motors always have
the company name on them, Don
replied
"yes". The final question to
Don was if 50 and 60 cycle motors
could
be interchanged? He said that interchanging
them would affect the
speed
and "heat dissipation", adding that they could always replace a motor
with
one of the right frequency.
Finally, someone from the audience told
of having an old Keeney
shuffle
alley with a bad motor. He said he sent
it to Don's company and
they
fixed it!
On a personal note, I myself would sure
like to compliment Don and
Mark
and their company on their gracious effort to repair any of their past
products
for a cost of only $20! I seriously
doubt that any other company
in the
country would do anything like that.
Thanks guys!
FUN
HOUSE
For the next to the last of the Expo
seminars Rob Berk began his
introduction
by saying: "Nine months in the making - who was the team? -
the
game was FUN HOUSE." Rob then
introduced the leader of the Williams
design
team for that game Pat Lawler.
Pat began by saying "hey, it's only
pinball", but quickly added "we
know
better - it's a life and death struggle for 25 cents!" He then told
us that
today he was going to tell us how he designed a game with a group
of
"specialists". Pat then
introduced Larry DeMar, their "software
genius",
and John Crutch, their mechanical engineer/designer, who he said
"makes
all those 'wonderful toys' used in their games."
Pat then remarked that pins have changed
drastically in the last 5
years. In the past, he said, a few people could
design a game, but now a
pingame
consists of "a number of 'whole little worlds' in a cabinet" - a
"brand
new form of entertainment".
Comparing a modern game to a movie, he
said it
needs a "story line", "special effects", etc. He then added that
only
part of the "team" was there, it taking hundreds of people to
actually
produce
it.
At that point Pat introduced their
artist/illustrator John Youssi who
was
also involved in creating the dummy called "Rudy" which was an
integral
part of
the game. He then introduced Chris
Granner who was responsible for
the
sound/music. Pat then told us that
"Rudy" says over 120 different
things
requiring 4 megabytes of "digitized speech". He then congratulated
Chris
on these accomplishments which drew a round of applause.
Pat next began talking about design in
general. In answer to the
question
"what is pinball?", Pat answered that to "us" (the players)
it is
a
"great entertainment device".
But to "them" (the makers) it has a "whole
different
perspective".
As an illustration of what he called
"design perspective", Pat drew a
chart
illustrating the "chain" which he said the manufacturers have to
"satisfy"
with their products. From the top down
it consisted of the
"Design
Team" (about 10 people); the Manufacturing Plant (100's of people);
the
Distributors (in the 1000's); the Operators (in the tens of thousands);
and
finally the Players (in the millions).
Pat then explained that they must
"sell" their product all through
that
"chain", and if any level is disappointed they "have a
problem". He
then
said that many people tend to forget that each "intermediate level"
must
make a profit, adding that to each "level" the game is a
"different
commodity". Pat then added that they can't skip any
level of the chain
because
without it the "game can't end up with you".
Pat next said that producing a new game
takes 3 important items:
money,
people, and time. When they start a new
game, he told us, they are
given
two "directives" from the company: an amount of time (9 months, for
example),
and so much money. If either of these
is exceeded, he went on,
someone
in the "chain" gets "angry".
Pat next explained that if the cost to
produce a game goes up then the
price
per play must be raised by the operator.
He said for this reason
features
often have to be removed from a proposed design. He then added
that
they were "lucky" because at Williams management usually leaves the
design
team alone after giving their initial directives. Pat then drew a
"time
line" showing events in the design process, which he added to as his
talked
progressed.
At that point programmer Larry DeMar got
up to tell us what he did for
the
game. He first said that the programmer
also contributes to
"everything
you experience as a result of the program". FUN HOUSE, he went
on, was
a particular challenge because, in addition to the "normal design",
he had
"Rudy" to contend with, resulting in "mechanical" as well
as program
challenges.
Larry said the two biggest challenges
that Rudy caused for him were
getting
his jaw to follow his speech, and what he called "Rudy's 'moods'".
These
'moods' he described as being "happy", "real angry", and
"excited"
(during
"multi-ball play"), adding that a different "speech
repertoire" was
required
for each mood. At that point Larry
introduced Ed Boone in the
audience
who did the voice for Rudy.
Pat Lawler then got up and said more
about satisfying the "middle part
of the
'chain'" (distributors and operators), who he said they "had to keep
happy". Pat said their design had to include maintenance
and bookkeeping
aids,
in addition to 'play features', adding that they introduced a new
"software
operating system" with FUN HOUSE.
He then commented that if the
programmer
knew from the start what the game should do his job would be
much
easier, adding that that was usually not the case.
Artist John Youssi next got up and
started by saying that each artist
has a
different approach. On FUN HOUSE, he
went on, Rudy also gave him
extra
problems. He told us that when he first
"met" Rudy he was only a
hole in
a "whitewood" prototype. He
said he then prepared sketches of
"potential
Rudys" which he showed to Pat and from which he picked the one
he
wanted to use.
The selected sketches, John then told us,
were given to a "model
maker"
who made the first model of Rudy. He
then told of sketching his
ideas
for the backglass, cabinet, playfield, etc., from which Pat again
made
his choices. John then showed us
various sketches, drawings, etc.,
leading
up to the final artwork for the game.
Pat next told us that on most games they
use 13 to 16 passes of silk
screening
to produce the playfield art. After
showing us the first model
of
Rudy, he remarked that the game always changes during the design
process. Larry DeMar then said that all during the
design they received
inputs/opinions
from many people which he said was often a "political
battle". He then remarked that the best games are
often the ones which
cause
the most argument.
At that point Chris Granner began to tell
us more about the game's
sounds. He began by remarking that "Larry
doesn't like anything", saying
that he
"had to do 110 percent the first time to satisfy him". Chris then
gave
details on how he created the sounds for FUN HOUSE, talking of the
many
changes he had to make as the design progressed and the various types
of
music which the game required.
Pat Lawler then remarked that all that is
required to produce today's
games
is "highly technical" and that games are no longer simple and require
many
"professionals" to design them.
After remarking that Larry DeMar was
the
"unheralded conscience of Williams", Pat told us that the team often
worked
until 2 or 3 AM. He then said that
their work keeps the factory
workers
in a job. Finally, Chris remarked
"we love what we do and hope it
shows
in the product."
At that point Pat showed some slides
which showed various changes made
to the
game during the design process. He then
talked briefly about
testing
new designs using people at the factory to see if people can
understand
"how to play the game". Pat
then showed us the "Game Of The
Year"
award that FUN HOUSE had won at the AMOA show.
Pat then asked if we had any
questions? When asked where the name
"Rudy"
came from, Pat said that when he asked his 5 year old daughter what
to name
it she immediately answered "Rudy".
When Chris was then asked if
he
wrote his music on paper, he answered "yes", adding that he had to
enter
each
note "by hand" into a computer system.
It was next asked if any of the game's
"rules" had to be changed after
it's
first "location tryout"?
Larry replied that only one such change had
to be
made. The session ended with the
question "isn't it expensive to
make
'late changes' to a game?" Pat
simply answered "yes, it is".
ELECTRO-MECHANICAL
PINBALL REPAIR
The final seminar of this year's Expo was
presented by collector Tim
Arnold
who Rob Berk introduced as "a collector extraordinaire", and was
titled
"Electro-mechanical Pinball Repair ("Hands-On Workshop")".
In his introduction Rob told us that Tim
got his first pin years ago
in
Michigan, and now has a collection of over 600 machines. He then
remarked
that in order to own games you have to know how to fix them, the
purpose
of Tim's talk.
Tim began by saying that in order to
properly maintain your game you
must
have a "tool box" equipped with the proper tools, proceeding to tell
us what
to use. Tim first suggested having two
good soldering irons, one
"high
power" and one "low power".
For solder he said to always use a good
"60/40"
rosin core type; never acid core! He
then added that "soldering
flux"
should be used for some jobs.
After suggesting that we use a good
quality electrical tape for
insulation,
Tim told us we should never us "WD-40" as it is an "electrical
inhibitor". He also advised that we be careful with
"contact cleaners" as
they
can damage the silver in the contacts, suggesting we use a fine file
(except
for gold contacts).
On the subject of fuses, Tim told us to
always replace burnt out ones
with
the exact value called for, and then said they could be replaced with
"circuit
breakers". For removing fuses he
suggested using a "fuse puller".
As far as "nut wrenches" were
concerned, Tim suggested buying a good
set (no
cheap ones!) including at least: 5/16, 11/32, and 1/4 inch sizes.
He then
suggested a "good selection of pliers", including "needle
nose" and
good
"wire cutters".
For lubrication Tim recommended using a
good brand of "white lube".
If you
need to repair a broken part he suggested using a good brand of
"super
glue" (again no "cheapies").
Tim next said your tool kit should
contain a good set of socket
wrenches,
assorted screw drivers, and a set of disposable Allen wrenches.
In
addition, he suggested a good "power screwdriver". That ended Tim's
discussion
of "the pinball tool box".
Tim then showed us the 1970's vintage
pingame he was going to use in
his maintenance
demonstrations, saying it was representative of an average
electro-mechanical
machine. He then proceed to demonstrate
the proper
removal
of the playfield glass, cautioning us not to pull it out part way
and let
it "hang", and not to tap tempered glass on it's edges. He said
you
should let the glass land on the top of your feet and then set it aside
safely.
After reminding us to remove the ball
before you raise the playfield,
he
raised the field on the game and set it on it's stick prop in
preparation
for a detailed demonstration of flipper maintenance. Tim began
that
discussion saying that if your flippers have "low power" the coil may
need
replacing, and if it gets unduly warm that's probably the case.
After showing how to correctly remove the
"set screws", Tim
demonstrated
removing the flipper shaft assembly. He
then told us that we
should
clean it and not over-lubricate it. Tim
next demonstrated removing
the
"plunger assembly" and how to clean it, adding that the
"linkage"
should
be replaced if worn. To remove the
"roll pin" easily he suggested
heating
it first and then removing it using a small punch.
After showing how to remove the
"flipper bracket", Tim demonstrated
removing
the coil. He then told us to check the
"coil stop", and if it is
worn to
replace it, also using new screws. Tim
next advised us to check
the
coil and "sleeve", saying that if the sleeve is at all worn it should
be
replaced. As far as the coil was
concerned, he told us that if it's
wrapper
looks burnt the coil should be replaced.
Tim next advised that you
"test" the solder joints on the coil and
"End-of
Stroke" (EOS) switch by tugging on the wires, adding that it's a
good
idea to "beef up" the jumper wire to the EOS switch with "18
gauge"
wire. He then suggested that the EOS switch be
checked carefully and
adjusted,
filing the points if dirty, or replacing them if bad.
At that point I had to leave Tim's
interesting seminar to attend the
"autograph
session" in which I had been invited to participate. When I
later
asked a person who stayed until the end what went on after I left, he
told me
that Tim went on into detail on "pop bumper" maintenance in a
manner
similar to what he had done with flippers.
This was followed, he
told
me, with a "question and answer session" which included much
discussion
on "lamp socket problems".
THE
AUTOGRAPH SESSION
Several months before the Expo I received
a letter and "form" in the
mail
inviting me to participate in a "Pinball Designers, Artists, and
Authors
Autograph Session", a new feature at Expo '91. I felt greatly
honored
to be asked and immediately responded by sending in the form,
acknowledging
my acceptance of the offer.
The session was held in a special room
set up with two long tables
that
the participants sat behind and space to display artwork, etc. The
Expo
guests who wanted to get autographs (or just say "hello" to the
designers,
artists, and authors) could walk in front of the tables,
stopping
to see whomever they wanted.
Where I sat, at the beginning of the
table nearest the door, I was in
"pretty
good company". To my right was ace
pinball designer Steve Ritchie
who,
during the session, autographed many copies of the brochure for his
latest
hit, TERMINATOR 2 (I even got one!).
Next to Steve were two old-time great
pinball artists, George Molentin
who did
much of the great art for the pins of the 1940's and 1950's, and
1960's
artist Jerry Kelley whose Expo talk the previous day I have already
reported
on.
After a while we were asked to move down
a little to make room for
Bally
designer of the 1970's Greg Kmeik, who designed such great games as
CAPTAIN
FANTASTIC and WIZARD. I had the
privilege of sitting next to Greg
for a
little while, and even got him to autograph the photograph of my
CAPTAIN
FANTASTIC machine.
I myself got to sell and autograph a few
copies of my book "Pinball
Troubleshooting
Guide, and to talk to others who already owned a copy. I
also
got to meet another author of a pinball troubleshooting book, Henk de
Jager
from Holland. He later showed me a copy
of his book which looked
wonderful,
except that it was written in Dutch and I could not read a word
of it!
Later on, when the crowd thinned out, I
hurried to my room to get my
copy of
Englishman Brian Temple's book "Pinball Art", which I had purchased
the day
before, and brought it back to the autograph room to get a few
autographs
myself. I was able to get great pinball
artists such as George
Molentin,
Jerry Kelley, Dave Christensen, and others to autograph in my
book
next to the pictures of some of the great backglasses they created.
All in all, I really enjoyed
participating in this event, and really
felt
privileged to be able to sit with such distinguished personages of the
pinball
industry.
THE
BANQUET
After the usual pre-banquet
"cocktail hour" for mingling, and the
always
good meal which has been associated with all past Expos, we settled
back
for the after dinner program.
The guest speaker this year had been
announced as old-time Bally
personage
Paul Calimari who attended, and was involved with a great
seminar,
at the first Expo. I had been looking
forward to seeing and
talking
to Paul again, and so was extremely disappointed and saddened when
Rob
Berk announced that Paul could not be present due to a minor traffic
accident,
adding however that he was "OK".
In Paul's stead Rob had engaged a
magician who presented an
entertaining
program using people from the audience, including Alvin
Gottlieb. This, however, to me was no substitute for a
pin industry old-
timer.
After the magic show Canadian Aaron
Benditt was asked to come up and
present
prizes to the winners of his "name that 'tune'" contest which he
had
conducted during the Expo "opening remarks" on Friday morning. He
declared
2 winners, one from the manufacturers people and one from the
"others". The winners, each having guessed 21 out of
25 "pinball voices"
Aaron
had imitated, were Larry DeMar for the manufacturers, and a fellow
named
Rob Rosenhaus.
At that point Rob Berk came back up on
stage and asked for a show of
hands
of the Expo "first timers"; there were quite a few. He then asked
for
"2nd-timers", etc., ending with how many had attended all 7 shows?
There
were also quite a few of us.
Rob next announced that he was going to
tell us of "a new idea for the
future". He then asked designer Greg Kmiek, who was
in part responsible
for the
idea, to come up and gave him a package to open. The package
contained
a large plaque titled "Pinball Hall of Fame". Rob told us that
the
first 4 members had been decided upon, and that two more would be added
each
year. The four "chosen ones"
were Gottlieb founder David Gottlieb,
Bally
founder Ray Moloney, Williams founder Harry Williams, and Harry's ex-
partner
and later founder of Stern Electronics, Sam Stern.
Rob next presented the award for
"best exhibit". which for the second
year in
a row went to Steve Engle and his wife's "Pinball Supermarket"
display. Rob told us that they assembled it first in
their basement at
home,
then dismantling it to be reassembled at the Expo.
Rob next talked about a "special
project" which he called his "dream".
He told
of the pingame, FLIP-OUT, which had been designed for the Expo by
Reinhard
("Reiny") Bangerter and put together by Data East. He said that
the
game was not totally operational, but was on display in the Exhibit
Hall. Rob then presented plaques to
"Reiny" and artist Greg Feres who did
the
artwork for the game.
Rob then told us that he was going to
introduce "a gentleman with a
mission",
who he said helped Joe Kaminkow with the creation of Data East's
STAR
TREK game. He then introduced Jim
Schelberg. Mike Pacak next told us
that
three years ago Jim first attended the Expo and ended up buying his
first
pin. Since then, Mike went on, he
started publishing the all pinball
magazine
"PinGame Journal".
Jim then told us that the game
manufacturers had been a great help to
him in
the production of his magazine, and that he wanted to show his
appreciation. He then proceeded to give plaques, which
featured a color
reproduction
of his first issue, to company representatives Mike Gottlieb
of A.
Gottlieb and Co., Roger Sharpe of Williams/Bally/Midway, and Mike
Vrettos
of Premier. Jim next presented a
special plaque to Joe Kaminkow of
Data
East which also included the cover of the issue of the magazine with
STAR
TREK on it.
Finally, Jim remarked that Rob Berk was
always giving out plaques, and
that it
was about time that he got one. Jim and
Mike Pacak then presented
Rob
with a plaque for all his efforts in putting on the Expos, Jim quipping
that it
entitled Rob to "all the Williams Add-A-Ball games - if he paid for
them
himself".
After asking Wisconsin collector Mark
Weyna to come up, Rob asked the
question:
"who will be 80 years old in December?" Industry veteran and
Expo
regular Steve Kordek stood up. After
coming up on stage Steve was
presented
(by Mark, Jim, and Rob) a Genco TRIPLE ACTION pingame - Genco's
first
flipper game which Steve designed, a machine which Mark had located.
That
drew a big round of applause from the audience.
After thanking them for the game, which
was a real surprise for him,
Steve
quipped that he remembered that when his father "turned 40" that he
thought
that was "old". He then
praised whom he called the "young kids"
for
keeping the pingame industry alive today.
Steve then told us that
Williams/Bally/Midway "loves to honor
individuals
for their accomplishments". He
went on to say that tonight
they
were going to honor one person; one of the Bally employees who came to
Williams
during the integration of the two company's game production
operations
in 1988.
This person, Steve said, began with Bally
in 1965, is proudest of the
Bally
game ODDS AND EVENS which he designed, and has recently been made the
company's
"Project Manager of Scheduling and Development". Steve then
asked
Jim Patla to come up, presenting him with their company's "Golden
Eagle
Award".
Jim next told us that it was a surprise
to most of the Bally people
when
they suddenly discovered that they were going to work for Williams and
that
they had "mixed emotions" about the change. He said that the two
companies
had always been "competitors" in the past, but were also
"friends". He ended by remarking that Williams had
"brought pins to new
heights",
and that it was "good to get back to a company that's behind
pinball".
At that point Rob Berk again came up and
began thanking various Expo
participants. He first thanked the exhibitors, with
"special thanks" to
Pennsylvania
collector Bob Spieler for bringing many of the fine restored
games
from his collection for Expo visitors to play.
This drew a big round
of
applause.
Rob next thanked the game manufacturers
for their participation, and
Williams/Bally/Midway
for letting us tour their plant. He
then
acknowledged
the designer of PARTY ZONE (the game used in the Flip-Out
tournament
qualifying rounds) Dennis Nordham and the artist Paul Feres.
They
both stood up and drew another round of applause. Rob then thanked
Steve
Epstein for offering the winner of Flip-Out a free trip to New York
City to
play in his PAPA tournament.
At that point Rob asked that all the
foreign Expo visitors stand up
and
then come up on stage; there were quite a few!
He then announced the
countries
they represented, which included: Australia, Canada, Germany,
Japan,
and The Netherlands.
Rob then told us that this was a
"special year", it being the 5th
Anniversary
of Data East Pinball. He then brought
out a "Birthday Cake"
and had
all sing "Happy Anniversary" to Data East. Rob then asked Data
East
President Gary Stern and Head of Design Joe Kaminkow to come up,
remarking
that they had both "been through a lot" in the past five years.
The
cake was then cut, the foreign visitors getting the first helpings.
Rob next thanked his Expo staff and then
presented Exhibit Hall
Chairman
Mike Pacak with a bag. When Mike opened
it he found a "jukebox
tie"
and a cup. A drawing was next held to
give away a KING OF DIAMONDS
backglass
donated by Arizona collector Dann Frank.
As luck would have it,
it was
won by Bob Spieler, which I thought was deserved since Bob brought
some of
his wonderful games for us to enjoy.
After presenting awards to the
"women's division" of the Flip-Out
tournament,
the wining raffle tickets were drawn.
Two brand new pins,
Gottlieb's
CACTUS JACKS and Data East's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES,
donated
by the manufacturers, were given to two lucky persons.
After the raffle, the "door
prizes" were given out, including books,
magazines,
coils, T-shirts, etc. The last item of
banquet business was the
awarding
of prizes in a "pinball art contest" which was also held during
the
Expo this year. Prize categories
included: photographs, clothing,
drawings,
"youth submissions", and paintings.
That ended this year's banquet. After it was over most people went to
the
Exhibit Hall to either watch the Flip-Out tournament final playoffs,
play
the many pins there, or just browse around again. By the way, the
final
winners of Flip-Out were California "wizard" Rick Stetta, and for the
manufacturers,
ex-Californian, now Chicago game designer extraordinaire,
Jon
Norris.
THE
EXHIBIT HALL
This year I believe there were more games
in the Exhibit Hall than
ever
before. With a few exceptions, prices
were reasonable, even though
they
have increased somewhat over the years.
This year for the first time
there
were even two "OK bingos", and a very rare payout pingame, Bally's
1937
classic GOLDEN WHEEL.
As I mentioned earlier, Bob Spieler had a
row of his beautifully
restored
classic pins from the 1950's and 1960's, set up for all to play
and
enjoy. New games from the manufacturers
were of course also shown.
Williams/Bally/Midway
had a very nice display, as well as a line of their
latest
PARTY ZONE games set up for use in the Flip-Out tournament
qualifying
rounds.
Premier had three of their latest: CLASS
OF 1812; Reinhard Bangerter's
CACTUS
JACK'S; and Jon Norris' latest design, a fascinating game called
SURF 'N
SAFARI. Data East Pinball had a large
display of their recent
hits,
plus a "one-of-a-kind" game, OPERATION DESERT STORM, with caricatures
of
Saddam Hussein, and President George Bush on the backglass.
The following is a chronological listing
of all the pingames I saw in
the
hall:
NAME MFG YEAR PRICE
____________________________ ________________ ____
______
BUNNY BOARD Marble Games Co. 32 375
WOW ? 32 450
JIGSAW Rockola 33 950
JUGGLE BALL Rockola 33 ?
BUMPER Bally 36 ?
GOLDEN WHEEL Bally 37 1000
ALL AMERICAN Chicago Coin 40 ?
FORMATION Genco 40 600
ABC BOWLER Gottlieb 41 295
BOLA WAY (AS IS) Chicago Coin
41 OFFER
SUPER SCORE Chicago Coin 46 ?
BERMUDA (AS IS) Chicago Coin
47 ?
BOWLING LEAGUE (AS IS) Gottlieb 47 ?
CAROUSEL Keeney 47 295
CYCLONE Williams 47 350
CYCLONE Williams 47 550
HAVANA United 47 350
HUMPTY DUMPTY Gottlieb 47 1200
HUMPTY DUMPTY (AS IS) Gottlieb 47 300
BABY FACE United
48 395
CINDERELLA (AS IS) Gottlieb
48 300
LADY ROBIN HOOD (AS IS) Gottlieb 48 300
TEMPTATION (AS IS) Chicago Coin
48 ?
TROPICANA United 48 400
GOLDEN GLOVES Chicago Coin 49 395
QUARTERBACK Williams 49 875
THREE FEATHERS (AS IS) Genco 49 300
BANK-A-BALL Gottlieb
50 NOT FOR SALE
KNOCKOUT Gottlieb 50 1500
STADIUM Chicago Coin 51 400
HIT AND RUN Gottlieb 52 NOT FOR
SALE
QUEEN OR HEARTS Gottlieb
52 NOT FOR SALE
FOUR BELLES Gottlieb 54 NOT FOR
SALE
GYPSY QUEEN Gottlieb 55 NOT FOR
SALE
PETER PAN Williams 55 500
SLUGGIN' CHAMP Gottlieb 55 NOT FOR
SALE
HARBOR LIGHTS Gottlieb 56 NOT FOR
SALE
ACE HIGH Gottlieb 57 NOT FOR
SALE
CRISS CROSS Gottlieb 58 NOT FOR
SALE
ROTO POOL Gottlieb 58 NOT FOR
SALE
SITTIN' PRETTY Gottlieb 58 NOT FOR
SALE
TURF CHAMPS Williams
58 NOT FOR SALE
DARTS Williams 60 NOT FOR
SALE
DARTS Williams 60 200
WAGON TRAIN Gottlieb 60 NOT FOR SALE
EGG HEAD Gottlieb 61 500
FLIPPER PARADE (AAB) Gottlieb 61 675
FOTO FINISH Gottlieb 61 395
LANCERS Gottlieb 61 450
SHOW BOAT Gottlieb 61 500
COVER GIRL Gottlieb 62 400
FLIPPER CLOWN (AAB) Gottlieb 62 NOT FOR SALE
GOLDEN GATE (BINGO) Bally 62 850
JOLLY JOKERS Williams 62 NOT FOR
SALE
RACK-A-BALL Gottlieb 62 500, 550
SILVER SAILS(BINGO) Bally 62 950
GAUCHO
Gottlieb 63 500
SLICK CHICK Gottlieb 63 NOT FOR
SALE
SLICK CHICK Gottlieb 63 700, 1000
SQUARE HEAD (AAB) Gottlieb
63 300
SWEETHEARTS Gottlieb 63 450
SWING TIME Williams 63 NOT FOR
SALE
OH BOY Williams 64 NOT FOR
SALE
BUCKAROO Gottlieb
65 NOT FOR SALE
COWPOKE (AAB) Gottlieb 65 800
ICE REVIEW Gottlieb 65 600
KINGS AND QUEENS Gottlieb
65 NOT FOR SALE
CENTRAL PARK Gottlieb 66 1000
CROSS TOWN Gottlieb 66 750
CROSS TOWN Gottlieb 66 NOT FOR
SALE
FUN CRUISE Bally 66 175
HURDY GURDY (AAB) Gottlieb
66 995
APOLLO Williams 67 NOT FOR
SALE
DIAMOND JACK (AAB) Gottlieb
67 600
DIAMOND JACK (AAB) Gottlieb
67 NOT FOR SALE
MELODY (AAB) Gottlieb 67 600
SING ALONG Gottlieb 67 450, 650
SING ALONG Gottlieb 67 NOT FOR
SALE
SURF SIDE Gottlieb 67 175
DAFFIE Williams 68 295
DING DONG Williams 68 260, 450
FUN PARK Gottlieb 68 350
LADY LUCY Williams 68 295
PALACE GUARD (AAB) Gottlieb
68 650
PIT STOP Williams 68 295
PIT STOP Williams 68 NOT FOR SALE
PLAYTIME Chicago Coin 68 350
SPIN-A-CARD Gottlieb 69 450
FLIP-A-CARD Gottlieb 70 450
FORU SQUARE Gottlieb 71 400
FOUR MILLION BC Bally
71 NOT FOR SALE
FOUR MILLION BC Bally
71 950, 1350
PLAYBALL Gottlieb 71 400
ROLLER COASTER Gottlieb 71 ?
FIREBALL Bally 72 1500
FLYING CARPET Gottlieb 72 395, 450
GRANADA (AAB) Williams 72 NOT FOR
SALE
GRAND SLAM Gottlieb 72 NOT FOR
SALE
GRAND SLAM Gottlieb 72 400
ORBIT Gottlieb 72 ?
WORLD SERIES Gottlieb 72 400, 450
HI LO ACE Bally 73 275
MONTE CARLO Bally 73 900
NIP IT Bally 73 650,
1000
HI FLYER Chicago Coin
74 325
LUCKY ACE Williams 74 295
SKY DIVE Gottlieb 74 295
SKYLAB Williams 74 NOT FOR
SALE
TRIPLE ACTION Williams 74 400
SPIN OUT Gottlieb 75 ?
STAR POOL Williams 75 495
WIZARD Bally 75 400,
750, 800
ALADIN'S CASTLE Bally
76 395
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC Bally
76 800, 1000
FLIP FLOP Bally 76 475
GRAND PRIX Williams 76 200
JUKE BOX Chicago Coin 76 495
OLD CHICAGO Bally 76 750
PIONEER Gottlieb 76 295, 350
SHIP AHOY Gottlieb
76 295
EIGHT BALL Bally 77 800
JACK'S OPEN Gottlieb 77 450
TEAM ONE (AAB) Gottlieb 77 395
BLACK JACK Bally
78 ?
DRAGON Gottlieb 78 ?
FOXY LADY (TABLE) Game
Plan 78 500
LOST WORLD Bally 78 500
MATI HARI
Bally 78 650
NUGENT Stern 78 ?
PLAYBOY Bally 78 975,
1295
POWER PLAY Bally 78 495
SINBAD Gottlieb 78 175
STRIKES AND SPARES Bally
78 ?
DISCO FEVER Williams 79 ?
FLASH (AS IS) Williams 79 295
HERCULES Atari 79 ?
KISS Bally 79 700
LASER BALL Williams 79 495
METEOR Stern 79 300
SHARPSHOOTER Game Plan 79 500
SOLAR RIDE Gottlieb 79 ?
STELLAR WARS (AS IS) Williams 79 250
TRI ZONE Williams 79 ?
ASTEROID ANNIE Gottlieb 80 450
BLACK BELT Zaccaria 80 800
BLACK KNIGHT Williams 80 950
FIREPOWER Williams
80 ?
FLASH GORDON Bally 80 750
SKATEBALL Bally 80 600,
650
SPACE INVADERS Bally 80 595
XENON Bally 80 750
BLACK HOLE Gottlieb 81 495
CAVEMAN Gottlieb 81 595
CENTAUR Bally 81 800
EIGHT BALL DELUXE Bally 81 400, 650
ELEKTRA Bally 81 475,
750
FATHOM Bally 81 450,
700, 750
FIREBALL II Bally 81 ?
FLASH
GORDON Bally 81 750
JUNGLE LORD Williams 81 ?
LIGHTNING Stern 81 ?
MEDUSA Bally 81 550
HAUNTED HOUSE Gottlieb 82 1000
MR. AND MRS. PACMAN Bally 82 600
ORBITOR I Stern 82 ?
X'S AND O'S Bally 83 750
SPACE SHUTTLE Williams 84 750, 795
BOUNTY HUNTER Gottlieb 85 400
CYBERNAUT Bally 85 ?
EIGHT BALL CHAMP Bally 85 795, 800
SORCERER Williams 85 895
GENESIS Gottlieb 86 695
GOLD WINGS Gottlieb 86 695
HOLLYWOOD HEAT Gottlieb 86 995
RAVEN Gottlieb 86 ?
ROAD KINGS Williams 86 895
BIG GUNS Williams 87 ?
F-14 TOMCAT Williams
87 OFFER
FIRE Williams 87 1195
LASER WAR Data East 87 ?
MONTE CARLO Gottlieb 87 575
CYCLONE Williams
88 1695
DIAMOND LADY Gottlieb 88 1000
SECRET SERVICE Data East 88 ?
BLACK KNIGHT 2000 Williams
89 1595
POOL SHARKS Bally 8? 1695
BACK TO THE FUTURE Data East
90 NEW
CACTUS JACK'S Gottlieb 90 NEW
GAME SHOW Bally 90 1595
GILIGAN'S ISLAND Bally
90 NEW
OPERATION DESERT STORM Data East 90 NOT FOR
SALE
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Data East 90 NEW
KING KONG Data East 90 NEW
CLASS OF 1812 Gottlieb 91 NEW
STAR TREK Data East 91 NEW
SURF 'N SAFARI Gottlieb 91 NEW
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Data East 91 2495
TERMINATOR II Williams 91 NEW
In addition to games, there were also
some pingame "parts" available
for
purchase. Steve Engle and his wife had
their "Pinball Supermarket",
which
was mentioned earlier, with a nice assortment of parts and
literature. There was also another booth selling used
pinball parts.
Donal
Murphey, of course, was also selling his fine "remakes" of pinball
plastic
parts (bumper caps and drop targets).
There were also two fine
"reproduction" backglasses available this
year,
each made by a different process. Steve
Young and Donal Murphey were
selling
a fine reproduction of Gottlieb's 1954 classic DRAGONETTE, while
Rob
Berk and Steve Engle were selling a great SLICK CHICK repro glass.
As far as literature was concerned, Mike
Pacak had his usual fine
selection
of pinball brochures, and Steve Young his fine assortment of
reproductions
of old pinball parts catalogs and other literature. The new
all
pinball magazine, PinGame Journal, was also represented, it's publisher
Jim
Schelberg having his own booth.
Due to the large number of exhibitors
there was an "overflow section"
of the
Exhibit Hall which was actually located outside the entrance to the
main
hall. This area contained one or two
game dealer booths, the display
of the
special pingame modified for the handicapped described in a Friday
morning
lecture, and a large area occupied by Las Vegas collector, turned
"philanthropist"
Tim Arnold, who also gave the previously described seminar
on game
repair.
All proceeds from Tim's booth, he told
us, went to charity. First,
Tim was
selling excellent color photographs of many of the older games in
his
over 600 machine collection. Also he
was "selling" one of his famous
"hand
made" books which, among other things, contained a listing of all the
flipper
games he owned, and which ones he was looking for.
But, associated with this Tim had an
interesting "gimmick". For
the
$1
charity donation you paid for the book you got one play on a special
"upright"
game machine Tim had constructed. A
coin would be dropped in at
the
top, would "filter down" through various pins, etc., and could land
in
one of
several special "pockets". If
you got into these "pockets" you
could
"win" either a banana (like I did) or a piece of toast (with the jam
of your
choice). A fun idea indeed!
This year, for the first time, the
Exhibit Hall was open totally on
Sunday. And, as a special feature Sunday afternoon,
a company called U.S.
Amusement
Auctions conducted a coin machine auction (mostly pins, but some
jukeboxes,
etc.) in a large room adjacent to the Exhibit Hall. This
attracted
many bidders, and games from the 1960's through the 1980's were
sold;
some cheap and others quite a bit higher.
Well, there you have it again, another
detailed description of almost
all
that went on at another great Pinball Expo.
And if this entices you,
and you
haven't been to one before, Pinball Expo '92 is already scheduled
for the
evening of November 12 (Exhibit Hall opens at 6 PM Thursday night,
with no
"preview fee") through Sunday November 15. I am absolutely sure
that
Rob and Mike have more surprises in store this year, so I'll see you
there!
For further information write Rob Berk at
"Pinball Expo Headquarters";
2671
Youngstown Rd. SE; Warren, Ohio 44484; or call him at (216) 372-4652,
or call
Mike Pacak at 1-800-321-2722.