(Topic ID: 181987)

Hardtop Playfield New Product Announcement .. Poll Included

By Outsidedge

7 years ago


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  • 304 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by JT-Pinball
  • Topic is favorited by 171 Pinsiders

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Topic poll

“If you plan to buy a Hardtop, please select from the 3 titles below.”

  • Space Shuttle 141 votes
    49%
  • Pharaoh 33 votes
    11%
  • Comet 52 votes
    18%
  • Future Spa 46 votes
    16%
  • Wizard 18 votes
    6%

(290 votes)

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22
#1 7 years ago

Hello Pinsiders! A small number of you have been following our beta test of a product that we have developed to restore playfields. With many more titles in mind, we started with Space Shuttle.

The Hardtop product was specifically developed with the challenges of playfield wear, value of machine, replacement availability... and durability in mind. It is meant to be the closest thing to the "silver bullet" solution to that fun, yet worn out game your not sure what to do with.

Our Hardtop is much more scratch resistant than the traditional clear coating methods currently being done today.

The Hardtop is NOT a "sticker"... or overlay in the sense most have seen.

This product essentially goes directly over top your old, worn playfield and you simply repopulate the parts back onto the field. (again, see the linked thread above)

This product (in most cases) will roughly cost 1/2 of a new repro playfield.

We partnered with a Pinside member to officially beta the product, and he did an outstanding job with his videos!
If you have questions about what this product is... click the link!
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-shuttle-new-prototype-playfield-product

In total, there are officially 3 Space Shuttle Hardtops installed to date. Mine has been in use since last summer. (yea, I know.. it takes forever to bring a product to market!)

Well, we are finally ready to begin production of Space Shuttle, and have selected 5 more titles to start developing. In total, we have 31 titles on our "to do" list. We are currently licensed for Bally and Williams, and working on Gottlieb. More will most certainly be added to the list. We hope to debut 4-6 titles per year. More if we can muster it!

Most titles you see us do are titles unlikely to see an official repro playfield anytime soon... or never. A few titles may be some that have had actual repros made... but not all either want to or CAN spend what it takes for a new playfield.

We will cover pricing in the near future, but keep in mind that each title will have it's own price. Too many variables exist to "standardize" pricing at this time.

Our first tiles on deck are:
Space Shuttle
Pharaoh
Comet
Future Spa
Wizard

Please take our pole if you plan to purchase... this REALLY helps us plan! As usual, we request that you reply only if you are certain you would be a customer for a specific title. (see poll)

I know lots of questions... skepticism, and requests for titles may flow....
I will try to keep up, but please note that i only pop into the site a few times a week.

Lastly, I will post a longer term list of titles quite soon, along with the need for loaner STRIPPED playfields, where in return for your help you will get a FREE HARDTOP. More details to come!

Have I mentioned that there is a poll?

- OUTSIDE EDGE

#4 7 years ago

Sorry folks! I have a typo in my question, obviously... We are starting with 5 titles as listed.

#11 7 years ago

Pricing... think low side to high side for "most" titles..... $285.00 - $385.00 ... nothing planned that I can think of that would approach $600.00. Each title will have a unique set of challenges, and as we all know the devil is in the details!

I will have title by title pricing for the first 5 soon.

Thanks for the questions!

1 week later
#88 7 years ago
Quoted from StratDoc:

Do we know when and through what channels this will be available? Looking forward to getting a space shuttle.

Hi All! The Hardtops will be available through pinballgifts.com and PPS. When... approx. 6 weeks.
Here is the first title price announcement..... Space Shuttle $298.00 plus shipping.

#89 7 years ago
Quoted from singlezero:

id be in for a space shuttle too. is this company going to Allentown and I d have to ask about shipping to Canada.

Not going to Allentown.... next show is Pin a go-go. Although I will be an anonymous pinball head at VFW and Ohio Show as well

In Dixon, we will have our cool lampshades, coasters, wall graphics and neon clocks. Possibly a small amount of Hardtops. It is currently unknown what Hardtops will be available by the time that show gets here.

#90 7 years ago
Quoted from mjalexan:

I'm in for three space shuttles. 2 hot dog and 1 circle style 'Space Shuttle' inserts.

Yes, those pesky circle insert versions.... we will see what we can do. It may take a bit.

#91 7 years ago
Quoted from Toyguy:

I'd love one for Medusa, even with the CPRs still available. I'd much prefer to do something like this than the whole playfield swap thing for mine. I'll do the CPR if I have to, but this sort of thing would be so much easier. Ditto for my Black Knight and Alien Poker.
I think it would be short sighted to limit yourself to only games that haven't been reproduced.

It's on the "longer range" list!

#92 7 years ago
Quoted from crussomd:

Serious question to outside edge. If someone has a pin with a play field that needs to be restored but they want to retheme are you able to print custom graphics on one of the hardtops with the custom hole layout for that specific game. I feel like that could be very useful to a lot of people.
thanks
chris

Well, this is "technically" quite possible. To make a la carte options available is most likely going to be financially unfeasible. Here is why... To have a commercial shop with equipment and people and all the infrastructure it takes to operate at the level we do, we must cover our sizable overhead. In order to do this, we cannot get wrapped up in dealing with an individual's passion for a cool one off idea affordably to said person. We are $85.00 per hour for graphic design. I cannot imagine jumping off into a rabbit hole of a custom design would be just an hour or two... it would be MUCH more.

A quick example: We have between 25 and 40 hours invested in preparing/recreating existing art for a playfield. That said, I imagine "customizing" an existing title would easily run into another 10-20 hours to do it right, anyway.

I cannot imaging many folks being interested in $1,500.00 Hardtops. (Time is money) Now, if art was provided (as long as no IP infringements are imposed) ... It would be less. However, those who choose to do that art need to understand how to set the files up, and know where to back with white, where no to ... matching existing holes... and way more "fun"..... wayyyy more "fun" to get it right.

So....
Can we? ... YES
Is it real feasible? .... NOT REALLY
Will we, under the correct circumstances?... SURE, PROVIDED NO IP IS BEING INFRINGED

#93 7 years ago
Quoted from nate1981s:

Time Warp please. All I have ever seen are trashed. And how about printing new backglasses on that material too!

It is on our list

10
#103 7 years ago
Quoted from John_I:

I posted some words of caution and tips in the other thread and figured I should post them here too:
I would be concerned about the long term outcome of this experiment. In particular I'm worried that eventually the glue would weaken and the protector would pucker/lift upward in the middle of the playfield. Poly-carbonate expands at a much greater rate than wood when heated.
I made my own protector for a Bally Quarterback. Instead of cutting around all of the playfield posts like existing protectors, I used small holes that went underneath all of the posts and reinstalled the posts on top of the protector. I quickly learned why the protectors were designed to go around all of the posts: to allow for expansion. Within minutes of turning the game on, the protector lifted away from the playfield in the middle by at least a quarter inch! This wildly changed the direction the ball moved in during the game. After turning the game off and letting it cool, the protector sat back down as flat as could be.
I thought about gluing it down, but my solution for this problem was to make sure the game/playfield never heated up. Obviously the first step was to replace every bulb in the entire machine with single LED bulbs. Next I noticed that there was a bridge rectifier installed on the bottom of the playfield using the playfield as a heat sink. I unscrewed the rectifier and attached it to a metal heatsink installed on a plastic standoff. After that I unscrewed all of the relays attached to the bottom of the playfield and installed them on plastic standoffs. Finally I installed a forced air cooling system with two 64CFM fans blowing in through the bottom of the machine where the coin box once was. The air blows directly toward the flippers then passes along the playfield and out the top of the backbox. One entrance, one exit. I installed temp probes in the machine and it doesn't heat up more than one degree even after hours of play! The end result is the playfield protector sits flat and plays amazing no matter how long the game is turned on.
My recommendation for anyone who installs this product is to do whatever possible to remove heat from the game and in particular insulate the playfield from heat producing components and boards. I might have gone overboard with the fans, but better safe than sorry. As long as the game does not heat up much during play, there should be nothing to worry about. I look forward to someday trying one of these on one of my machines.

Thank you for posting your concerns and experience! I have a couple of differences to note, and some details about the adhesive.

First, the testing on this product started over of a year ago. As noted in previous posts (I know there have been a lot of them)... The first "acceptable" Hardtop was installed on my personal Space Shuttle approximately 8 months ago now. There have since been 2 more installed on other games. First was another Space Shuttle in my friend's game and then another in the "official" beta test that I was willing to proceed with after the positive results experienced with the first two in my "inner circle". It was only then that I started making our product idea public by posting about our project.

As a note... There were 4 versions prior that had issues as we tested these. Most dealing with missing holes and adhesive that needed to be changed in the die file.

FYI... to date... "ZERO" issues.. "ZERO" buckling on what we are deeming "ready"

While familiar with expansion and contraction rate differences between wood and Polycarbonate (only one of 2 materials used on the Hardtop) ... it is true I have not conducted actual tests comparing the specific wood product used for playfields to the Hardtop.

A behind the curtain disclosure:... Our ORIGINAL idea for the product (Like I said, over a year ago) would have been ridiculously cool... but it just was not feasible. I know because I tried it, and had the help of some really knowledgable folks in the polymer business helping me. The idea was to create the very product you see that FLOATS over the existing playfield.... no adhesive. I made several, tried them... and while they "could" work, it would have been a disaster trying to make sure each collector installs with NO PINCH POINTS for buckling. It was unwieldy even for us... so we scrapped the idea. With that element gone (of no adhesive)... gone was the marketing claim that these can be purchased to preserve existing,savable, original fields. BUMMER!

However, I have spent 23 years in the commercial/industrial printing/fabricating world and have learned (sometimes the hard way) what works and what does not work. So, we moved on by developing an idea to use an adhesive product that must be VERY robust. We know where to look, and what to use for different applications. The adhesive is a 3M product that is the same used to hold together things outdoors (think temp. changes) on all sorts of materials. This left a market for us to explore that would include "roached" playfields that really had little value and poor play. With this product ... it would (as you have seen in the videos) resurrect a junk field back into an attractive, usable playing surface. As a result of my testing, it appears as though the product delivers just that.

LONGEVITY:
One of my concerns are the durability of the surface itself. Scratching resistance. Polycarbonate on it's own is a poor choice for a playing surface. It's too soft, and easily scratched. So, I set out with my trusty vendor list of plastics professionals and quickly weeded out the folks who did not show the interest, or simply lacked the knowledge to help. I wound up with a hard coating applied to our .030" material that is NOT commercially available. This hard coating is usually on airplane canopies, tall building windows, and other exterior... industrial applications where scratching is to be avoided at high cost. The manufacturer is making this material for me in small runs... as long as I wait for the lengthy lead time.... for a price! I still was not satisfied in spite of my "non scientific" testing with a silver ball at my shop, and with actual testing in my game. I wanted DIRECT comparisons to our product as compared to how games are made right now... and restored ... clear coat! I can honestly say now, that my product withstands swirl and scratching better than clear coat. I have the data in hand from Israel, where the ATSM testing was conducted. I sent actual wood with the same coatings over there. No, the data did not already exist, as the plastics world and the clear coat world do not normally test the same way. Therefore no apples to apples existed.

ADHESIVE:
It is true that I cannot report or guarantee anyone that the adhesive will not "eventually" fail years down the road. As did the fields themselves in the first place! Nothing is forever. What I can say in regard to temperature change is that one of the test Shuttle games is in an unheated garage in Ohio... where we turn on the heat and consume Beer and play games after the temp reaches 60F +... no issues. I can also report that the other game is in my basement that normally is 55-60 degrees until I turn on the gas fireplace... and consume beer. No issues. Fairly decent temperature changes, now that is not to say (to your point) that some games might have hot surfaces that occur that could create problems! We will have to address. We are going to prototype EACH TITLE with collectors (some of which I am sure are reading this) and play them for a while and leave them on for hours and do the things we do with temperature before we just go shipping out tons of these. Actually, while testing.. said collectors may also consume beer. Well, except one who may have a glass of homemade wine.... ANYWAY... I get your concerns, have delt with them on the one titles we have developed and will be shooting the issues out of the air as they arise when we develop COMET, PHARAOH, WIZARD and FUTURE SPA for starters. In all, we have 32 (I think) now on the list to do.

The adhesive life/quality is greatly effected by PREPARATION. Our Shuttle beta tester wrote the book via Youtube how to do it right!

Adhesive effective bonding temperature range: -40F to 400F
Exterior grade and highly effective even in high humidity
Resistant to gasoline, oil, MEK and much more
Untechnical term for adhesive: Badass

We ask for patience as we complete our due diligence for each title. Space Shuttle... I am really comfortable with. Time to move on and doll up more games!

In the end, is this a new playfield? No, nor is it being sold as that. It is a "next best thing" to NOTHING being made, and we have certainly worked hard to develop an exciting option for lots of folks and THOUSANDS of ugly playfields. We are excited, but do not in anyway intend to over sell what this product is. I really do think you will all like it

Happy Friday all!

#106 7 years ago
Quoted from Sinistarrett:

Dont know how difficult it would be to secure licensing but if you could make these for classic Sterns ( Seawitch, Meteor, Nine Ball etc) I bet you could move a lot of them.
As for Bally.....Vector, Fireball 2, Flash Freakin Gordon, any of the 1981 games should be popular.

Flash Gordon permission is underway... no promises. IP owners must be part of the equation. I have PPS permission... as long as King Features will grant a license for FG art (for a fee:/)

#110 7 years ago
Quoted from DarkTruth:

Will these be made in runs or on demand?
For instance, I have a shuttle in the que to fix but probably won't get to it till next fall. I don't want 300 dollars tied up in a project I won't see in a year.

unlike playfield runs... this is NOT a one and done deal... while they may not be on the shelf (but usually will be)... we would be just a few weeks. The titles requiring actual screen print (think neon colors and similar) ... they my be harder to a la carte run. We would likely print enough though when we run them to last a while.

2 weeks later
#125 7 years ago

Hello All,
A quick update.... I am approx. 2 weeks away from having material to produce Space Shuttle. I am currently in possession of a Wizard loaner playfield, and a Pharaoh playfield and we are well underway with development of the Hardtops for those.

Right now, I am currently seeking a (1) FUTURE SPA playfield that is stripped to be sent to us. In return, the owner will get the playfield back with a free Hardtop! PM me if interested. We must approve photos of the fields before they are sent if they are in poor condition.

Please note that it's best to work with folks who can complete the installation of the Hardtop on a complete game.

2 weeks later
#142 6 years ago

Hi All! OK... an update. The great news is... we have begun artwork on Comet, Pharaoh, Wizard and Taxi! It takes us quite a while, but we are on it... and a collector for each of those titles has already stepped up with a loaner for us to develop from. THANK YOU!

I am working with a few collectors to get me a Future Spa also to work on.

The bad news ... (although not terrible) .... I was supposed to receive my material last week. It is delayed, and we will not receive stock now until 4/21. Then, of course there will be no Shuttle Hardtops for a few weeks after that until we can get them ready to ship.

I hate delays! However, my options are non existent since this material is not available and is made to order.

Stay tuned! No need to private message me asking "how soon" please... it will all be announced here.

Thank you all for your patience.

#149 6 years ago
Quoted from jwilson:

How much for those of us who know how to make separations? Do you have a per-screen fee?

Hi! I am sorry... I don't understand your question. How much for what specifically? We do not have a per screen fee. It's by project. If you are asking how much for a Hardtop if you supply art, that would be really tough... as the art is really only part of the issue. It's fitment/alignment... ball launch area decisions, mounting holes... and more.

If I don't go through the "development" process with a playfield in hand... I can almost guarantee you that I would be sending you a Hardtop with your art on it that won't work well.

2 weeks later
#184 6 years ago

Good news everyone! The material has arrived. We are waiting on another component, but will be ready to sell a few Space Shuttles soon. I am thinking 2 weeks. I am sorry for the delay... material has been the hold up! Wizard, Future Spa, Comet and Pharaoh are all under development. I will have an order set up at www.pinballgifts.com when Space Shuttle is ready. Thank you all for your patience!

3 weeks later
#202 6 years ago
Quoted from Jjsmooth:

Flash Gordon for sure.

I cannot get the FG Character IP owners to follow through I will keep trying.

#206 6 years ago
Quoted from pindaz:

Hi All Daz from Perth Australia. Here are some pics of my abandoned Pharaoh awaiting overlay . In the meantime i have a new lover see wedge head box pic.

You are in luck my friend.. This title is likely the next to ship.... give us a few weeks! play on

#211 6 years ago
Quoted from radium:

Are these prone to scratching at all?

Our product has a special hard coating to prevent scratching. That being said, it is NOT scratch PROOF. The art is basically un touchable, however.. as it is reverse printed on the backside. Our product is intended to be an affordable second choice to a brand new playfield. (If one exists). The product will be greatly appreciated when it is covering a horribly worn (beyond usable/presentable state) playfield... and an otherwise almost worthless game now has a shiny new surface with perfect art. Will it last forever, NO! How long will it last? We designed it to last for years. It will not be impossible years from now to strip it off and re-apply a new one (as long as our young'ens keep the home fire burning) . I will not say getting it off won't generate some foul language though..... It's designed to hang on.

#212 6 years ago
Quoted from radium:

Are these prone to scratching at all?

I should also point out that we DID take the time and money to have our harcoat compared to the typically used clear coat on a real playfield... and our coating is harder. We had to have this test conducted in Israel at the plastic manufacturer's lab.

#219 6 years ago
Quoted from radium:

What the hell could they possibly have to lose? Can you just put mustaches on all the characters and call it a parody work? I'd still buy one.

Patience fellow Pinsiders. We are working on FG. It will likely happen... just when is the unknown part. It won't be "years".... but could be a while.

2 weeks later
#242 6 years ago

Hello All Space Shuttle Hardtop purchasers! When you get your machines back up and running after the Hardtop install, be sure to show us all your games! Also, report on how it plays also if you don't mind. I feel like we have **a lot** of folks waiting to hear how this all works before they order. Any results shared would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Protoyping now... Pharaoh and Wizard!
SOON: Comet and Taxi and Future Spa

#255 6 years ago
Quoted from oropuro:

Anyone say frontier!? Well wish list Frontier

Frontier is on the list! It will be done.

1 week later
#261 6 years ago
Quoted from catboxer:

Still hoping for a Baby Pac. Seems relatively tiny/easy to do. There and lots of trashed ones and this is sooo much better than an overly.

The issue with that one is licensing. We do not currently have that title on our initial list as a result.

#262 6 years ago

Pharaoh will be placed on our website... www.pinballgifts.com very soon! We are ready to ship this title.

#268 6 years ago

Pharaoh is now live on our site for order. www.pinballgifts.com

#269 6 years ago

Also.. within the next 14 days, Taxi and Comet will both be released for initial prototyping. Once these are installed in the protoyper's games and bugs worked out, they will be added to our site as well.

#276 6 years ago
Quoted from Hop-Pac:

I've noticed none of the first few games have star rollovers. Is it too thick to be put on a game with star rollovers? Has it been tested or even considered? Or would it just not work

Wizard is being installed (prototype) as we speak with star rollovers. The procedure is a little more in depth... but very manageable. It will require the use of a small finishing router once the hardtop is installed, then set the rollover to the new depth (that was removed prior to installation for the Hardtop). I am hoping to have video on the process as well.

#277 6 years ago
Quoted from desertT1:

This is awesome news. I have a pretty worn Taxi that I cleared to protect before putting it on route. I'll be picking up one of these for that machine at some point. Can you tease us as to what titles are coming up next? Hoping High Speed is up there as I haven't cleared that one yet and would be a day 1 buyer (or a happy tester if needed).

We hope to announce this very soon. There will be 4-5 more titles announced in the next 30 days. Then, it will be a matter of finding folks to work with for prototyping. I will have more on that subject at that time.

3 weeks later
#291 6 years ago

Hi All,
Taxi and Comet are close to releasing only one to be prototyped. Those folks have already been selected. Once these are installed and tweaks made (as almost always is needed)... they will go on our site. Wizard is already being installed. As for more?? Of course! Future Spa is next up. Then, we will announce 4-6 more that we will work on for the remainder of the year. The goal is 8-12 per year. We will have 5 titles completed and added at www.pinballgifts.com as they are released. So far Space Shuttle and Pharaoh are there and ready for ordering!
Once we announce our next batch, we will need one stripped playfield sent to us for design and fitment. In return, this donor will get their palyfield back with a FREE Hardtop. Stay tuned... and many titles asked about so far in this thread will be done. Patience... this is not a fast process if you all want it to fit and work correctly. Thank you all for your interest.

#295 6 years ago
Quoted from StratDoc:

Any chance a Firepower is coming in the future? These playfields wether reproduction or decent original are impossible to find now.
I installed the hardtop product on my space shuttle and am very pleased with it.
Thanks,
Robert

Yes sir... I believe it is on the list. When? not sure yet.

1 week later
#301 6 years ago

As of this week, we will have 4 new titles being installed as prototypes for fitment and problem solving. Those are:
• Comet
• Taxi
• Wizard
• Space Shuttle "non hotdog version"

Once these are successfully installed and played, they will go on sale at www.pinballgifts.com

Within 2 weeks we will have Future Spa ready for initial trial.

Already for sale now at www.pinbalgifts.com:
• Space Shuttle (hotdog)
• Pharaoh

#302 6 years ago

NEXT TITLE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Mata Hari- we already have a willing collector to send a stripped playfield.

Frontier- We need a stripped playfield to borrow

Firepower- We need a stripped playfield to borrow

Black Knight- We need a stripped playfield to borrow

Evel Knievel- We need a stripped playfield to borrow

A note about loaners.... We can only accept stripped playfields (top and bottom). We will have these fields for approx. 2 months.. However, it could run a little longer. In return you will receive a new FREE Hardtop.

Please read:

1. If you cannot begin the install immediately after receiving this prototype, PLEASE do not volunteer. This process must be complete before we can put them on our site for sale. Basically, once we send the first one to you the world is waiting for the results so they too can order one.

2. If you do not have at least intermediate to advanced mechanical/electrical skills that include soldering, fitment etc.. or immediate access to a willing party who does, please do not volunteer.

3. Please private message us here on Pinside if you would like to help. I will then give you an email address to send a photo or two of your playfield for approval. Playfields with large areas of color missing are not good candidates, as there is nothing left to match to.

4. Please do not ship any fields to us without prior approval.

5. Although not necessary, we encourage and ask each donor to please youtube the process of installation. It helps our community greatly!

6. We have been contacted by several folks who have high res art they are wiling to share. in certain instances we MAY BE interested in that, although we still need an actual field in our possession. Please PM me for details.

7. At this time Outside Edge is not interested in creating one off "special"... or custom Hardtops.

THANK YOU!

3 weeks later
#332 6 years ago

Taxi has now been added to our site. www.pinballgifts.com Order away!

#337 6 years ago

Space Shuttle "NON HOTDOG VERSION" inserts Hardtop has been made live for ordering @ www.pinballgifts.com. Thanks everyone for your patience on that. That should cover Space Shuttle!

#342 6 years ago

Outside Edge is proud to announce Wizard! It will be live sometime this week and available to order @ www.pinballgifts.com

Soon... Comet and Future Spa

#352 6 years ago

Wizard is now live and available for ordering. Thanks!

#359 6 years ago
Quoted from AMBoggs:

Here is Space Shuttle installed.

So far, I really like the product. This seems to be answer to getting games back into playing condition. It plays and looks great.

That is EXACTLY what we like to hear... well done on your project! I hope the idea of parting out games due to poor condition playfields will come to a hault as we continue to roll out new titles.

Waiting on Comet and Future Spa to be tested in donor's games as we speak. Soon as we get feedback and make any necessary tweaks ... they will go live for ordering as well.

On our screens now... is Black Night.

#370 6 years ago
Quoted from frunch:

To be clear, you are talking about Black Knight, right? Williams, 1980 upper and lower pf, etc? If so, that's AWESOME!!

Doah! Yes, sorry... typed that on my phone and I fear spell correction got me.

#371 6 years ago

Comet is likely to go live within 3 to 4 weeks. Stay tuned!

#375 6 years ago
Quoted from hobbypin:

I would like to hear a report on how these hold up after someone gets a 1000 (at least a few hundred) games on one of these.

Well, I can tell you there is at least 300 plays on my Space Shuttle... as well as an additional Shuttle we did in the early summer of '16 while we were developing these. Additionally, the Pharaoh that Skypilot recently did is in a public pincade in Akron, Ohio. Last report was that it was working/looking great. It's been 45 -60 days or so in a public place.

I understand your question, and why you asked it. NOTHING lasts forever. If you search through this Hardtop thread you can find long winded explanations or expectations and unknowns regarding our new product that I penned some time earlier this summer.

In short, we did not design this product to be a "short term" quick fix as a decal (some call them overlays) would be. It's designed to last years in a home use scenario.... possibly even in a severe duty environment like a public arcade. In the end, I would suspect they will outlast the original playfield surface... but again, time will tell. We do not want to invest the budget it would take for excellerated wear testing... as that would ultimately hit the retail price you pay. It is not feasible while trying to keep this product's price in line.

Truthfully, This is not the first Polymer playing surface that has ever been tried. Gottlieb played with this idea for new machines years ago. Much has changed since then though with technology and products.

We put hundreds of games on our machines before we sold one.

#380 6 years ago

Here is a more recent photo of the Wizard! proto install. Well done Andy! A few Wizard! Hardtops have already left the building.

wizard with Hardtop (resized).jpegwizard with Hardtop (resized).jpeg

#399 6 years ago

At this time, we do NOT have permission for Alien Poker. I suspect in the future, we will though. I would call it "probable" at this point.

1 week later
#416 6 years ago
Quoted from fingersport:

Will you be bringing any of the hardtops to Pinball Expo? Wizard is the one I'm interested in. Also are you doing any seminars at Expo?

Yes and Yes!

#419 6 years ago
Quoted from Jason43:

Just to be a pain in the ass....how's comet coming along?

Ha! No worries... just waiting on the prototyping collector to report in one last time.

#420 6 years ago
Quoted from WeirPinball:

Very glad to see this new product - all the people I've turned down for restos in the past because of crappy pfs may now have a second shot. Can't wait to see more titles available after seeing it in person.

Yes! I agree with all those otherwise complete games that just need the Hardtop. The big hurdle is to get past the "stigma" of it being accused of just being a "sticker" overlay. It's not even close. NEVER PART OUT A PINBALL MACHINE... well unless it was in the swimming pool or something.

#424 6 years ago

FUTURE SPA is now live for ordering @ www.pinballgifts.com

#427 6 years ago

We HOPE to have Comet released for sale this week. Stay tuned!

#429 6 years ago

Outside Edge will be at Expo this year and will have all released titles with us in short supply. We will also be hosting a seminar to discuss the Hardtop and answer questions. Hope to see you there!

#436 6 years ago
Quoted from Oldschool77:

Are these gonna stay in production and stocked, or are they going to be a limited run? I.E. If i decide a year or two from now that i want to hardtop my Taxi, will i still be able to buy one for it?

This question has been answered a few times, but I don't mind refreshing.... Yes, these will be available for the foreseeable future. However, if sales just are not there we will not continue to manufacture them. It's a time and resources thing... I think we all have day jobs, and can understand that it does not make sense to manufacture something that does not sell.

Secondly, if there comes a time that we are out of stock (or backordered) material, it could be months waiting on it. This stock is coated as a custom run at a large manufacturer... and this project is an exceedingly small run for them (think back of the line scenarios).

At this time we have plenty of stock, and plan to order more when we start getting low.

So, yes the will be available unless the title becomes completely dormant with sales.

#441 6 years ago
Quoted from Lysurgeon:

Blackout please

It will be done. Guessing in the next 12 months.

#450 6 years ago
Quoted from Willathrilla:

I'm in the process of installing a taxi hardtop. Is waxing recommended?

Yes! It works well.

#454 6 years ago

Comet is live!

#456 6 years ago
Quoted from freddy:

got pics of comet on site?

Not yet... here you go...

0905172106 (resized).jpg0905172106 (resized).jpg

0905172106a (resized).jpg0905172106a (resized).jpg

0905172107 (resized).jpg0905172107 (resized).jpg

#461 6 years ago

Should be ready around Christmas time

19
#462 6 years ago

We sold lots of Hardtops at Expo this year! Mark Ritchie came over and purchased a Taxi Hardtop for his personal game... now that's cool!

Roger Sharpe came over to our booth with Steve Epstein to play Pharoah outfitted with a Hardtop and give us the thumbs up too.

Coming in the next 90 days... Black Knight, Firepower, Evel Keneivel and Frontier.

The next round will be announced after these 4 are released.

Thank you all!

#472 6 years ago
Quoted from RazerX:

When I took a look at the 2 games these were applied to at Expo, I though they looked pretty good. My only real criticism was that the black ink over the inserts was not dark enough and too translucent. Still does not look as good a true touchup and CC, but I can see there being a market for those who don't want to go the other route, especially if their PF is totally blown out.

YUP! We are working on improving that. We are having the same issue my MMR has. ... but we will get it dialed in for the opacity on inserts.

#477 6 years ago
Quoted from johnnypinball:

I don't think you have anything to be concerned about. I never noticed anything wrong with mine I just installed. Here are a few pics. It was hard to capture because the lights were strobing but all of the inserts have Pinball Life super brights in them. The close up of the passengers and cabs looks really washed out in the photo but that is not the case in person. The black on the inserts look much darker in person than they do in these pictures.

Holy cow... great job man! Looks GREAT! Mark Ritchie is installing his now)

#480 6 years ago
Quoted from classicgamefan:

Another vote for Blackout!

Blackout is on the list

#481 6 years ago
Quoted from LouMatt:

These look pretty amazing, and looked great in person in Chicago. Was wondering if Xenon might be a future title?

Not yet on the list, but could very likely be done!

Quoted from DrJoe:Any chance of a Warlok Hardtop?

2 months later
#611 6 years ago

Hello All, and Happy New Year! Frontier is now live for ordering at www.pinballgifts.com Enjoy!

2 months later
#852 6 years ago

I have just posted in a seperate thread that we will be taking Evel Kenievel live tonight for ordering @ pinballgifts.com. More to come!

21
#873 6 years ago

Black Knight and Evel Knievel are going live this morning for ordering. We will be able to ship within 1 week of an order, then speeding up shipment from there.
Firepower is CLOSE!

Mata Hari is on deck... think July availability (we hope)
Flash Grodon WOULD be nice wouldn't it?
Silver Ball Mania on deck
High Speed on deck
Time Warp on deck

For those thinkers in the crowd... it may be shopping season at the shows to pick up roached palyfields while they can still be had cheap!

Thanks folks for all the kind words. Just keep saving those games. #neverpartoutagame

#874 6 years ago

Actually, Flash Grodon is Flash Gordon's frizzy haired brother... lol GORDON's ALIVE!! bumm bumm bumm bumm Sorry for the typo

1 year later
#1032 4 years ago

Hi All! Eight Ball Deluxe has gone live for ordering. We can ship the first batch in about 10 days.

Thanks!

#1035 4 years ago
Quoted from 64bsstp:

Hardtops are addictive. I'm just getting ready to apply #5. Hoping for Xenon soon.

soon, it will be.

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