Guys,

I know this is cliche, as somebody pointed out at one point "Kevin will eventually appear and smooth things over" ... so here I am.

I can see all the speculation, and I've now read all the sleuthing and hypotheses. You can all rest easy that there isn't really anything too dire going on. CPR is not ending. PPS is fine. The reason we don't freely jump into the fray in these type of threads is because there are some limits & boundaries when it comes to internal business stuff. As much as I know everybody loves to be connected-in on everything in this hobby, sometimes there are simply private zones where things can't become a tell-all expose.

I can piece together some of the basic puzzle from a CPR standpoint. Think of how we have had a particular phenomenal art contributor for many years, who later rose to the managing position of the entire team. Soooo many reproduction items brought to reality. Over and over and over and over, from this guy. Now think how it may be a shock (if you are this guy) to learn that a major part of your future contribution plans had just been made obsolete. Instantly. What if a treasure trove of pinball artwork was unearthed from someplace, and it was discovered pretty much ALL OF IT was there, and always had been there - but it had just been sit upon. Reproduction items for years could only happen if new artwork was created from scratch... but what if that suddenly changed? What if no longer there was any more need to vectorize new artwork from scratch forevermore. How would you feel? How would your relevance play out in a continuing role with CPR and the hobby? This is precisely the kind of re-alignment / re-directioning that has recently gone on inside CPR.

Yes, its a major change. But it is a fantastic thing and a sad thing all at the same time. It's a whole new world in the B/W arena right now. Stu (all of us) have had to adjust to a very sudden truth that B/W stuff very very likely doesn't have to be redrawn from scratch any more. After doing it "our way" with very few exceptions, for 10 years. So basically, CPR doesn't have to farm our own B/W artwork internally since about a month or two ago. So does this make what Stu said clearer now?

Stu is determined to continue to contribute. We're just working on ways he can shift gears and put his passion in another direction, that's all. Stu is not giving up. This hobby is his passion, as you all know. He's as excited as we are that B/W stuff will come to reality now - WITHOUT having to be started from scratch. So OK, that's cool. It's just that he doesn't want to stop designing pinball artwork. Stu not exercising his drawing talents for pinball is like Eddie Van Halen not playing guitar. So he's resolved to explore other projects he can work on - thus his original "hunt" in this thread. It's been a tender time for Stu as he finds a new path. That's all. From what I understand, his sudden flip was simply rooted in the prospect of existing films trouncing his path once again. He's trying to find a new niche, and we have no doubt he will find it.

Stu will still be the artwork master within CPR, in charge of all sourcing, verifications, sizing, fit, color consultation, Team management, and all the ongoing artwork duties he always had in his A.T. Manager role. He's a very important cog in our engine. He's shifted a ton of work off my back, as I could barely carry the yoke years ago, with all my other responsibilities. When it comes to my silkscreening, Stu is my right hand man that makes sure what I've got on my screens is perfect. It's crucial.

So things have changed a bit for CPR art sourcing. It created some duties' obsolescence. Happens in business all the time. But it's not the end of the world. We simply have to adjust, tilt, pivot, and continue onward. Talents can be steered in other directions. Right?

KEVIN
Classic Playfield Reproductions
http://www.classicplayfields.com

That may be true, but it doesn't mean they can't. We still have the means to develop additional layers that never existed before, which could partner with original films. PPS has always been supportive in allowing us to experiment with new ideas. I don't see why there couldn't be possibilities explored if ideas come up in the future.

It's all being worked on. In due time I will know the exact answers to all those kinds of questions.

Hit the nail right on the head.

Nail hit right on the head - again. Not putting anybody else down, but this may be the most concise paragraph in this whole thread. (aside from me getting a Nobel Peace Prize further up lol joking) If only my own 40+ lines of text in my post way up above could have been this short and sweet.

OMG yessssssss Please, pretty please - any potentials out there? We would love that actually...if there were other startups. Would take some burden (that word sounds negative, but it's not meant to be at all) off CPR's shoulders where the majority aren't looking to usually us to get it all done. Then more runs of playfields could be spread across even more makers. There IS no way for CPR to do it "all". Just some. PPS would work with you, just like they do with us. I wouldn't bellyache over there being only one remaining B/W rights holder - IPB had not been partnered with anybody for years anyway, and just sat on a ton of source, deciding to make their own stuff from their films - and we got what... maybe one playfield run a year from Gene?

The PPS rescue (for lack of a better word) of those artworks from a life of solitary confinement is a GREAT thing. As much as these artworks being accessible does change CPR's "self-reliant" methodology from the past, it certainly means that PPS can now save us (and anybody else involved in using those artworks) a ton of work and time. Even for Stu, there were actually playfields with such complex artwork that they were considered unthinkable to redraw, and they were avoided. Maybe some/all of those candidates sit in tubes - now possible! We shall see.

I'm working through some long overdue paperwork, and CPR's outlook for the future is being set up as we speak. Just getting re-organized, and PPS is right there with us. Once we get everything decided and some new (and old) paths are set/reset... then at some point we can come to the podium and make some positive announcements.

Then we can get to work. So will others.

I know folks always want more details. That's PinSide But just sit tight and let us all get our ducks in a row, at all tiers in the process. Then there will be some more detail to tell. None of this is "overnight express" and it takes time. Thx.

KEVIN
Classic Playfield Reproductions
http://www.classicplayfields.com