Jersey Jack sent out an email update today that was pretty light in information but heavy in mystery.

In the release JJP announces their Open House and IFPA tournament on August 9th. What caught us off guard is the picture of Jack signing WOZ back boxes. That is not what is interesting about the picture though. What is interesting is the Midway style cabinet on the dolly behind Jack. 

Could this be a cabinet for the upcoming production run of Williams famed, Python Anghelo designed Pinball Circus? I will admit that I am not an expert in Vid art packages but to me the art is unfamiliar and looks to be very glossy which leads to the fact that it may have been freshly applied. 

Is this a hint at the upcoming Pinball Circus project that JJP is rumored to be producing? If so it is very exciting to see.

You may also notice another interesting image in the picture, a pinball machine shaped to look like a Chicago style hot dog cart! Hmmmm...... Could this be the prototype for Pat Lawlor's new game? Why would JJP have a hot dog cart in the warehouse? The mysteries continue to build! Perhaps the new prototype metal and umbrella cabinet are the real "Game Changers" that we have been waiting for in pinball. And you thought an High Def LCD panel was a big deal! I know that I would like a hot, snappy, juicy hot dog to shoot out at me when I get into the vault more than a silly token. Is there tasty, mustard laden pinball in our future? Only time will tell.

Post your comments below and let us know what you think or know ion the subject. 

Oh, by the way, here is the email that was sent out today in case you missed it.

Greetings Pinball Fans,  

This Saturday August 9th, Jersey Jack Pinball will host an Open House and what we hope will be the first place holder for the Jersey Shore Pinball and Gameroom Show.

There is an IFPA sponsored Pinball Tournament on Wizard of Oz that starts at 9 AM

We will have door prizes, a Pizza Party at 1 PM and an opportunity to see a pinball factory at the Jersey Shore. We will have vendors bringing Pinball machines and video games to play and sell. Games will be setup inside and in the parking lot for the swap meet.

We will have many collectible items to buy and we guarantee perfect weather 80 degrees, low humidity and no chance of rain.

Keith Johnson will be here too!

Please RSVP to Jen@JerseyJackPinball.com

Hope to see you here! 

Oakland Pinball Machines will finally be legal in the California city after an 80-year ban following the City Council public safety committee meeting on Tuesday, June 24. The ban is part of an effort by the city council to modernize and broaden the gambling laws of Oakland, California.


The 80-year old ban can be traced back to the 1930′s when pre-war pinball machines were popular. The tables were produced from the 1900s up until the 1930s when electronic versions were introduced between 1936 and 1948, giving rise to the “payout” machines. The idea behind these flipperless tables were in the player launching the ball and using skill and nudging to get the ball to land or trigger a payout from the bartender or proprietor turning a penny into something more.



The machines became more sophisticated, resulting in the game becoming more addicting, and many cities, including Oakland, banned all pinball machines outright. Once World War II broke out, the manufacturing companies essentially ceased production of the “payout” tables in favor of the war effort and over time the ban became obsolete.

When the war was over, pinball machines began ramping up production again and in 1950, the famous D. Gottleib Co. made the first table with the modern inward facing flippers called “Spot Bowler.” From there Gottleib and Williams rode a wave of new interest in pinball and, with the advances in technology, the tables became more complex and offered more intricate goals, lights,and sounds. There were even tables that spoke to you, such as the famous “Gorgar” table. As the pinball machine and arcade become more popular, cities decided to remove the old bans with one of the most famous cases being that of the New York City Council.

In 1976, the New York City ban on pinball tables was overturned by a historic shot made by Roger Sharpe, one of the best players in the city. Before the City Council, the demonstration provided the tangible evidence that the game was indeed based on skill, not chance. Sharpe explained that if he pulled the plunger back to the right position, the ball would go in a certain lane and before the assembled council and reporters he made the shot perfectly.

Now it is Oakland’s turn and according to the SFGate, the public safety committee of the Oakland City Council will vote to overturn the 80-year-old ban, which has not been strictly enforced. The recommendation before the council (PDF) will allow councilman Noel Gallo to start work on a broader campaign to update the gambling laws. The vote will remove a club poised above arcade owners and bartenders who have pinball leagues hosted at their establishments and will hopefully allow the only current pinball company, Stern, to make more tables in the area such as they usually display at CES.

Image Source | The Everett Collection

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1314708/oakland-pinball-machines-to-be-legalized-after-80-year-ban/#CZOxAf7j7H4rmTRB.99

Jersey Jack Pinball today announced some rather big news today as the company has hired legendary audio engineer or "pinball sound master" David Thiel to work on The Hobbit Pinball, the next Pat Lawlor game as well as future JJP games. Considering David's past work including the incredible sound on Tron Legacy pinball along with the groundbreaking sound system utilized by JJP, we can rest assured that the future of pinball will sound amazing.

In addition, JJP revealed new images of The Hobbit Pinball playfield art.

Read the press release and see the images after the break.

While certain games produced by Stern pinball have fallen flat on the sales and collectibility front, others have done the complete opposite and soared in collectibility as well as value. This action has led to the reality that some games such as Iron Man, Tron, AC/DC and others have become out of reach for players due to limited (though not intended) availability. 

Stern Pinball today announced a new 'Vault' edition Iron Man Pro in order to satisfy the consumer demand. The new run of machines will include updated technical specs inline with current production games features.

It is yet unclear as to how many of these 'Vault Editions' will make their way into production as licenses, parts availability and other factors have to be considered but either way it's a great way to keep the market in check while providing players with the games that they desire to play.

Stern Pinball Opens its Vault to Reintroduce Iron Man Pinball

World’s Leading Maker of Arcade-Quality Pinball Games Announces First Stern Vault Release With Iron Man Pro

MELROSE PARK, IL – June 12, 2014 – Stern Pinball, Inc., the world's oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball games, announced today it is opening the Stern Vault for re-release of Iron Man™ Pro. The Iron Man pinball machine features visuals, speech, music and sound effects from the Marvel blockbuster films Iron Man and Iron Man 2. After numerous requests from the pinball community, Stern is re-introducing this exceptional game.

Originally released in 2010, the Iron Man Pro model continues to bring the battle between billionaire industrialist, Tony Stark/Iron Man, and his enemies to the fingertips and flippers of pinball players. With non-stop action, Iron Man Pro Vault Edition heightens the excitement, bringing back a classic game for the players of any age and skill level.

 

Iron Man Pro Vault Edition features technological and manufacturing upgrades utilized by Stern in its current Pro models.  Among the improvements is all LED playfield lighting.  Iron Man is manufactured with Stern’s updated modern metal and wood back box with red t-molding and with a decaled cabinet and speaker housing.  The Iron Monger, War Machine and Whiplash figures have been molded in one piece construction for improved strength.

“Operators tell us Iron Man is a great earning pinball game, and enthusiasts tell us it’s a great playing game.  We didn’t make enough,” said Gary Stern, founder, CEO and chairman of Stern Pinball.

Look for future Stern Vault Editions.

Pricing and Availability:

Pro Version:  $5,495 (MSRP)

About Stern Pinball, Inc.

Stern Pinball, Inc., headquartered just outside Chicago, Illinois, is the oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball games in the world. Stern’s highly talented creative and technical teams design, engineer and manufacture a full line of popular pinball games, merchandise and accessories.  Recent Stern titles include Mustang, Star Trek, Metallica, The Avengers, X-Men, AC/DC, Tron, Transformers, Avatar, Iron Man, Batman, Spiderman and many more!  All of Stern’s pinball games are crafted by hand and assembled by Stern’s expert team. Both pinball enthusiasts and casual players around the globe enjoy Stern’s games. For more information, please visit www.sternpinball.com. 

###

 

All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies.

VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) -One man's determination to get his stolen pinball machine back helped lead to the arrest of two people accused of trafficking stolen property in Vancouver.

James Bray told FOX 12 that someone broke into his Vancouver home and stole his Bally Aladdin's Castle pinball machine.

The machine is just more than fun and games to Bray. It's been in the family for nearly 30 years.

Bray and his brother figured they would never see it again.

"I didn't think anyone would try to sell it around here because it's rare, and if you did, someone would know about it," he said.

Still, Bray filed a police report and kept an eye on Craigslist. Sure enough, last week his rare pinball machine was posted for sale in Vancouver.

"I was like, 'That's it, oh my gosh,'" he said. "I was calling people, I was shaking like crazy because I was excited about it."

Bray called police, which led to a SWAT operation at an apartment complex on Southeast 152nd Avenue. It was part of an ongoing theft investigation by Vancouver police that included warrants being served at several locations.

The pinball machine, along with other stolen property, was recovered, and two people were arrested.

Kristine Nelson, 25, and Shawn Justin, 36, both appeared in court on Monday and are facing charges of trafficking in stolen property.

Investigators were also interested in more than just the stolen machine for one of the suspects.


Nelson is also accused of forging checks at multiple businesses in Portland and Vancouver. They are both scheduled for formal arraignments on May 2.

For Bray and his family, they're just happy to hear the sounds of their pinball machine again.

"It's wonderful to have it back," he said. "I remember the day my dad brought it home when I was 3. He put it in the living room. My mom wasn't happy about it, but you can imagine as kids something like this was fun."

Copyright 2014 KPTV-KPDX Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. 


Video here http://www.kptv.com/story/25314531/determination-to-find-stolen-pinball-machine-leads-to-arrests-in-vancouver

WASHINGTON -- If you love pinball, you'll flip for this.

The man who founded D.C.'s now-closed National Pinball Museum is selling his collection of hundreds of machines, andthe second in a series of auctions is set for 9 a.m. Sunday, April 27.

David Silverman, of Silver Spring, Md., first opened the National Pinball Museum in Georgetown in late 2010, then moved it to Baltimore before closing it for good last year.

Silverman says he then moved hundreds of his machines to a storage area at a former mall in Sykesville, Md., where he was told he would have one year's notice before he would have to move them.

He considered opening the museum a third time when he got word that he would have to move his items out in just 30 days. That's when he called Morphy Auctions, in Pennsylvania. Although the auction will be held in the Lancaster, Pa.-area, D.C.-area bidders can participate online or by phone.

See what is in the auction catalog here.

Silverman says he doesn't plan on going to any of the auctions.

"It's partially painful, and partially, I'm trying to get beyond it."

Among the items for sale in Sunday's auction is a 1936 machine called Daily Races, which was banned in many places because players could win money from it. That makes it a rare machine because it would often be confiscated, Silverman says.

"The interesting part about that game is that, the one that I found, it was confiscated to the basement of a policeman's home.

"I don't know how many of this game exist, but it was one of the highest-priced games that I ever bought."

Another game, called Safe Cracker, is a game within a game within a game. Scoring in the pinball game help move you forward on a second Parcheesi-style game board on the backglass, the upper part of the pinball machine. If you win this second part of the game, something amazing happens.

"You get a token that rolls right out of the game, onto the playfield glass, into your hands. That token then you can use to put into a different coin slot, and that coin slot plays a different game."

Other interesting machines in Sunday's auction include an "Indiana Jones" machine, another based on "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" and a very hard-to-find rolldown machine, which was made for states where shooting a ball with a plunger was considered gambling.

Silverman says it's a good time to buy and a bad time to sell. He says the economy has really affected the value of older pinball machines.

"The first auction has kind of taught me a lesson ... I don't even expect to come close to getting what I paid for these games."

Silverman collected about 700 games over almost 35 years, but he's not selling all of them.

"I'm keeping about 12 or 15 games, and they're for all the wrong reasons that people would think of. They're not necessarily the rarest, and not necessarily the most beautiful. They just have a lot of historical importance to me -- not only from their own historical perspective, but they had importance to me based on my collecting, where I was in my life during it.

"Like the first game I ever bought was a game called Fireball. I've always kept that game -- we kept it in this house. At one point we kept it as a night light because it had the most beautiful backglass -- these reds, oranges and yellows."

He also has a brand-new "Wizard of Oz" pinball machine at his home that he intended on showing off at the museum. Sadly, it was delivered after the museum closed.

Silverman has gone through a range of emotions since the museum was shuttered, but now he can look back and smile.

"I'm sad that it didn't survive, but it came as close to my mind's eye of what I wanted as it could have ever been. And so I'm satisfied with having that happen, and that's taken a lot for me to actually say that."

Follow @WTOP and WTOP Entertainment on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.

© 2014 WTOP. All Rights Reserved.

via www.wtop.com

With today's celebration of Ford Mustang Day, Stern releases never before seen images of the Mustang Limited Edition pinball machine. Check out the pictures and news release after the break.

Local television station KUSA reports on the RMPS with an in-studio pinball demonstration.
Video on their site here http://www.9news.com/story/life/events/2014/04/11/pinball-convention-bounces/7589339/

KUSA - If you're on the ball, the Rocky Mountain pinball expo is finally here.

This event is perfect for all pinball wizards, arcade gamers and video game aficionados but it's also great for people who just want to have some pinball fun.

The three-day event features a selection of over 125 free pinball and arcade games to play. Don't worry, you won't need any quarters.

While you're there you can also check out various tournaments and seminars, plus they'll be tons of buying and selling exhibits. In all, for a meager ticket price of $25 you can't go wrong.

The event takes place in Greenwood Village. Find out more information onhttp://bit.ly/1kLNn4r.

(KUSA-TV © 2014 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

On the heels of the recent Jersey Jack Pinball update, comes another in rapid-fire succession. First off is an update on Jack's visit to the Michigan Pinball Expo as well as new statistics on WOZ earnings on location. Jack and the team have been hard at work in developing The Hobbit pinball and have some videos to show us.

New Wizard of Oz machines are being delivered and check out the uber-cool new jukebox functionality from Pinnovators as well.

Read the update below and let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

This news may come late to some and apologies are expressed for not having reported this as it happened. Python was an incredible man whom touched the lives of everyone that he met including myself. Pyhton was a selfless man who treated strangers as friends and friends as family. 

With an incredible career most notably as a pinball artist Python left his indelible mark that the industry and fans will never forget. Python was responsible for classic coin-op artwork such as Comet, Cyclone, Fish Tales, Pinbot and more

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of such a great man. We will miss you Sir, we will remember you, always..........

More news on Python's passing can be found all over the net including the following

http://www.pinballnews.com/news/python.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/legendary-pinball-video-game-artist-python-anghelo-passes-away
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/python-anghelo-has-passed-away