Stay ConnectedA biweekly pinball podcast brought to you by the people that run Wedgehead, a pinball bar in Portland, Oregon. Each week Alan and Alex discuss a different pinball topic, with a focus on location play, often with other interesting guests.
Support our show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
If you have any questions, or might want to guest on a future episode, please email : wedgeheadinfo@gmail.com.
Copyright: © 2023 Wedgehead Pinball Podcast
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode, Alan and Alex are joined on the show by Sean Irby, a northwest pinball neighbor from Seattle to discuss the making and development of homebrew pinball machines, AKA making your own pinball machine.
Over the last 5 years, the homebrew pinball community has exploded thanks to the availability of boards, mission pinball framework, and the online community surrounding these tools.
Sean built his own pinball machine, Eight Ball Beyond, a spiritual successor to the trilogy of Eight Ball games made by Bally, and he talks with us about his process, offering advice for players looking to follow in his footsteps and build their own game too.
Anyone in Portland, or the surrounding areas can play this awesome game at Wedgehead for the entire month of August 2024, as Sean is bringing it down and dropping it off for the community to play and enjoy!
For everyone else, check out this pinside thread that he created, documenting more of the process: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/eight-ball-beyond
As always though, we use some adult language throughout the show.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this special edition of our popular 'Die on this Hill' series, Alan teams up with his buddy AJ, the owner and operator of the Flip a Coin Arcade, to defend Data East's Hook.
Alex is there as the resident hater on the show, and he GLEEFULLY reads AJ and Alan an avalanche of awful reviews scoured from the depths of the internet.
Buckle up, this one is a wild ride.
But we do use some choice and tasty adult language throughout the episode to punctuate our refined takes. You've been warned! BANGARANG!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
We are joined on the show by Adam 'AJ' Jordan, owner and operator of the 'Flip a Coin Arcade' that they built in the basement of his girlfriend's bakery, the 'Bite Me Cake Company' in Pueblo, Colorado.
We talk about building a scene in a small town, taking a leap in the middle of covid, and how his day job as an autobody repair guy has bled over into his operating of pins, including spraying new clearcoats and repainting old cabinets in the booth.
AJ is another very passionate hobbyist turned operator, and one of those folks that we absolutely love talking to and highlighting on the show.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Our pal Jeff Johnsen, the operator of Walt's in LA, is back on the show to defend the last pinball machine that the original Stern Electronics company ever made, Orbitor 1.
Jeff tells us about the historical significance of the game, including the two pinball outsiders and NASA engineers, who brought their concept and ideas for an entirely new play experience to a company under duress, and convinced them to take the leap and manufacture one of the most hated pinball machines of all time in the process.
What most people write off as a weirdo art project novelty, Jeff argues that it's actually a real pinball machine and is very controllable and satisfying to play once you take the time to learn it. The internet disagrees...HARSHLY.
As always, we are adults and speak like them. There are a few naughty words used throughout.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
We speak with Jeff Johnsen, owner and operator of Walt's Bar in LA's Eagle Rock neighborhood about how his father taught him and his brother how to work on games as kids, almost blowing themselves up in the process.
We talk about the LA pinball scene, pricing games, giving up his route, and how to properly rehab an old plumbing supply store into an iconic LA bar, replete with 10 vintage pins.
Join us for a chat with one of the wildest pinball operators we have ever chatted with, as we talk about one of the most vibey pinball locations in the country using some choice adult language.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Pinball restoration artist Ashley Ludwig (@ludwigsynopsis) is back on the show to defend her favorite trashy 90s pin, Lethal Weapon 3.
Made by Data East in 1992, and based on the hit series of odd couple buddy cop films, Ashley passionately tells us why she thinks that LW3 is actually better than the Addams Family, and we confront her with the heap of bad reviews we found for it all over the internet refuting her claim.
Obligatory swear word warning here: we cuss a little bit.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Ever wanted to know why operators choose to use quarters vs tokens? Or why so many large arcades have ditched coins altogether and installed card readers on their games? Or why Wedgehead moved over to a freeplay model?
Then this episode is for you. Alan and Alex discuss each payment system in depth and outline the pros and cons of each from both the operator and consumer's point of views. There's a reason for every decision, and it's usually not because your local operator is a crook.
Our hope after listening to this episode, you will leave with a greater understanding of why your local spot chose the payment system best suited for them, and why no matter the system, you should support them.
...but we do swear sometimes throughout the episode.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
In this episode Alan and Alex are joined on the show by Ashley Ludwig (@ludwigsynopsis on instagram) to discuss the finer points of restoring old pinball machines.
Ashley restores old pinball machines full time in Rochester, NY and she enlightens us on the skill and craftsmanship it takes to get to the level at which she operates.
Make sure to follow her on social media so you can catch regular glimpses of her incredible work and talent.
...but the three of us are adults, so there may be a couple swears sprinkled throughout!
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
Ian Matheson, owner and operator of Propeller Arcade comes back onto the show to defend his love of all things Freddy Kreuger, but especially his love for Gottlieb's 1994 pinball machine, A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Hear Ian passionately defend Freddy as a great gateway game, with incredible theme integration as Alan reads him scores of bad reviews for the game that he pulled from the depths of the internet.
...don't forget, we use adult language.
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast
It's the year 1980, and the US Olympic Hockey team shocks the world and beats the Soviet team in a stunning 4-3 upset in Lake Placid, NY during the height of the cold war.
But another miracle happens in pinball that same year too, as a fledgling Stern Electronics releases 9 excellent machines in 1980. They were the clear last place manufacturer behind Bally, Williams, and Gottlieb, but in 1980 Stern makes an unbelievable run of machines, a run that we think has never been bested by anyone.
Alas, even though these games were of an undeniable quality, they weren't selling the units that the other big three makers were selling, and they unfortunately did stop making pinball machines altogether in 1982.
The original Stern Electronics company wasn't around for long, and they were highly underestimated. But for this one fleeting moment, Stern Electronics was the greatest pinball company in the world.
1980 was truly a year of miracles.
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