Look for the rest of the announcements including the addition of Lloyd Olsen to the technical support staff and a link to the JJP E3 video produced by us here at performancepinball.com
Jack and the crew at Jersey Jack Pinball have sent out big update with some impressions from a happy new Wizard of Oz pinball owner and his two happy kids proudly taking a picture. JJP have also included a sneak peek at the lower playfield section of the Hobbit pinball machine currently in the design phase. With some unique features not seen before like the slingshot mounted articulating axes, long-since-seen outlane kickback and what appears to be another long-missed and unique feature, a cross playfield trajectory shooter lane instead of the usual straight to the back shot.
Look for the rest of the announcements including the addition of Lloyd Olsen to the technical support staff and a link to the JJP E3 video produced by us here at performancepinball.com
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Stern Pinball to hold sanctioned launch party events for the new Metallica pinball machine.
Read below for more info. To celebrate the launch of the Metallica Pro Pinball machine, Stern and the IFPA are teaming up to host 12 launch parties going on across the US! There will be machines set up at each location on free play, with a cash prize tournament also being held throughout the party. Please see flyer for location information, and contact the IFPA atifpapinball@gmail.com should you have any questions. Within this digital city we call Seattle, more and more people are turning to analog entertainment, at least when it comes to pinball. Pinball, however, hasn't always been as accessible as it is today.Pinball was banned in New York City beginning in the early 1940's because it was seen as a game of chance. The machines were destroyed and dumped into the city's rivers. The ban ended however, when Roger Sharpe, a star witness for the Amusement and Music Operators Association testified in April, 1976, that pinball games had become games of skill and were not games of chance.
"Part of my testimony was also to demonstrate that the games were based on skill and wound up playing before the city council members. Without any vanity at all then Mayor Abraham Beame signed a legislation on my birthday of that year, August 1st, to legalize pinball," says Sharpe. Which brings us to today and the Seattle Pinball Museum. "One of the things we'd like to do with the Seattle Pinball Museum is promote it to families and let them know that this is part of American culture and it's not as it's always been perceived: something relegated to backrooms of speakeasy's, bars and pool halls," says Charlie Martin, one of the co-owner's of the museum. Over the last three years, Charlie and his wife Cindy have made it their passion to provide the public with pinball. Read more via mynorthwest.com The website chicagoreader.com has posted an article which highlights influential Chicagoans every wery week. This week they have chosen to profile Gary Stern of Stern Pinball. "Except for a short stint of practicing law, I've been in the business of pinball my entire life. My father started as a pinball manufacturer when I was two. I'd go with my father on weekends to his factory at 4242 W. Fillmore. He knew pinball. He could walk by your desk, and you'd be working on something, and he'd say, 'That number is wrong.'
"When I was 16, I started working summers, first in the stockroom, then as a personnel manager. It's a wonderful thing, to work in a family business. I proved they shouldn't let me hold tools, 'cause I destroyed some games trying to put them together. Every morning my father got up at six to think of something he could call me about at seven. Ultimately, he worked for me. "Pinball is a Chicago product. The people who know pinball are here. Detroit was once the capital of automobiles, and Chicago is and will remain the capital of pinball. Most of our parts are made in the Chicago area, either by ourselves or our suppliers. In 1986, we made a game that had a little map of America with a flag coming out of Chicago, and it said on this map, 'Made in Chicago, Illinois, Pinball Capital of the World.' We spelled "capital" wrong, but we didn't realize that till we'd made the third game. "There's about 3,500 parts in a pinball machine. Over half a mile of wire. About three and a half to four man-days of labor. That's more, I read, than the Ford Taurus. So yeah, it's complex. Before the 70s, there were no microchips, no transistors. It was done with step-up units and relays, like one of those old telephone switchboards with the wires you plug in. Read more via chicagoreader.com All eyes will be on the silver ball in Thursday's (May 16) free “Pinballapalooza” in Toronto. Organized by the Stratford Festival to herald its new staging of “The Who’s Tommy,” the day-long event features an attempt to set a Guinness World Record when 100 pinball machines are played simultaneously at 12:40 p.m. Even if you’re not a pinball wizard, the 9 a.m.-6 p.m. celebration at First Canadian Place offers games, ticket deals at a pop-up box office, and performances by “Tommy” cast members. The rock opera about a boy who becomes a pinball wizard despite being blind, deaf and unable to speak is the largest musical ever staged by the Festival. Using 21st century technology to enhance the visual “bells and whistles,” the production is led by Des McAnuff who co-created the rock opera with The Who’s Pete Townshend and directed the Tony Award winning Broadway production 20 years ago. The musical is part of the Festival’s 61st season of diverse repertory presented on four stages in Stratford, a city 2 hours west of Toronto. Visit www. stratfordfestival.ca for information on tickets and performances of “Tommy” and other plays and musicals in the season that runs through Oct. 20. For information on May 16 event, visit www. stratfordfestival.ca/pinball.
Via Boston.com In "local" news,
Benton -- Carmen and Ken Burzynski had a vision to improve the Benton public square when they opened County Seat Antique Mall at 303 Public Square almost 10 years ago. In an effort to attract attention to the downtown area, the couple hosted a photographical display of high school graduation classes last month and a storewide sale earlier this month that only excluded gold and silver coins. “We are still catching our breath from last weekend’s sale that featured antique furniture, glassware, sports cards and memorabilia, stoneware, primitives, mid-century modern furniture, gas and oil collectibles, vintage clothing and artifacts,” Ken Burzynski said. He said the store is gearing up for another first in downtown Benton. “We are hosting a pinball wizard vintage pinball tournament to begin at approximately 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 18,” he said. “This will be a first for Southern Illinois. “We are accepting registration for 10 players per flight,” Burzynski said. “Participants must be over the age of 18.” He said trophies and cash prizes would be awarded. “We have 10 vintage pinball machines available for the competition,” Burzynski said. “There is a $25 entry fee per player. The overall winner gets a large cash prize and a large pinball wizard trophy.” Burzynski said one of the store’s vendors owns the 1960s and 70s pinball machines. “He delivers the pinball machines for free locally when they are sold and sets them up in the new owner’s space,” he said. Book signings follow on Saturday, June 1 when eight area authors converge on County Seat Antique Mall. “These are the most prolific Southern Illinois authors of the past quarter century,” Burzynski said. “The authors will be here from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.” http://www.bentoneveningnews.com/article/20130509/NEWS/130509078 Per the Stern pinball Facebook page Stern has hired legendary pinball designer John Trudeau.
"Welcome John Trudeau to Stern Pinball!!! We will get you a bigger desk when you make your first game." We are all glad to see Stern hiring the legends of pinball again. Stern promises to get John a bigger desk soon as well. Stern pinball has just released two new nuggets of information on the Metallica pinball with these flyers.
Click on the link to see the rest of the images. Pinball FX2 is about to get a healthy dose of Steam power as Zen Studios’ virtual pinball title, already a hit on pretty much every console out there in some form or another, gears up to arrive on Valve’s digital gaming service on May 10.
Over the past five or so years, Zen Studios has been churning out some pretty fantastic original pinball tables. While some of their earlier offerings could have been pulled off on a physical table, most of their later work involves effects, interactive pieces and animations that could never be duplicated in the real world. The result is a massive collection of fantastic tables that should keep any pinhead busy for weeks on end. Zen announced today that their Pinball FX2 platform will be available on Steam starting May 10 as a free download. Within the free version of the game, players will be able to try out a demo version of any of the tables currently available to the PC version of the game. If you find something you like, you can pick it up solo or as a part of a bundle, depending on the table. While Zen’s collection includes lots of original works, some of their best-known tables are the licensed offerings from such universes as Marvel and Star Wars. When Pinball FX2 launches on Steam, six table packs will initially be available, each going for $9.99. These include the Star Wars tables, Marvel Pinball, Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue, Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles, the Pinball FX2 Core Collection and Zen Classics. For more details, head on over to the Zen Studios official website. Via cinemablend.com PINBALL is not just child's play claims the Queensland state champion Peter Watt.
The Banora Point man is still smiling after taking out the state's top gong at Supernova two weeks ago. The pinball enthusiast said he's had a knack for the game for many years and credits his childhood for all the practice. "I grew up on the Tweed playing in the old arcades like most kids," he said. "It was a favourite hobby of mine. "I won one of my first competitions when I was just 14 years old. "It's a case of a hobby that's paid off." Mr Watt said pinball machines had come a long way since then and the skill level required today was much greater. "They are making them a lot harder these days and when we compete we have to play in tournament mode," he said. The talent for pinball seems to run in the family, with Mr Watts two sons in on the craze. Both sons faced off in the preliminary rounds at Supernova, going head to head for a chance to enter to final round with their dad. "My younger son did really well," he said. "He didn't get through, but came 10th overall." Once a month the boys and their dad compete in a social tournament at the Surfers Paradise Time Zone. Mr Watt is now preparing to represent Queensland in the National Championships. "The winner will take away a brand new pinball machine worth over $6000," he said. "It would be a nice treat considering the ones we play on at home are really quite old." Via www.ballinaadvocate.com.au/news/pinball-is-not-just-childs-play-claims-the-queensl/1854530/ |
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