(Topic ID: 112884)

Heighway Pinball & Canadian Proto Type Pins

By greatwichjohn

9 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 16 posts
  • 10 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 9 years ago by sven
  • Topic is favorited by 5 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    008.JPG
    #1 9 years ago

    I have been talking with Andrew since we met at Pinball Expo 2013. There has always been a core group of people in Halifax & across Canada interested in building custom pins. So with the start of 2015 we will start a volunteer skunk works mainly based with me in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We will build a variety of different themed pins, with many different ideas. The goal for us is to be able to produce proto type pins either 1 or a few for the participants. It will be like a co-op for us towards build. We get to use parts, design work & the operating system that they have invested in at a reasonable cost.

    Heighway Pinball will be able to use some, all, or none of our ideas. It will be another independent source of ideas. At first it looked like about 15 people interested, now it looks like more want to join in. I will act as the volunteer director, people will be signing NDA's for Heighway Pinball. Their future projects will remain confidential, & we prefer to find out like everyone else.

    Everything is in place to do this, & there are a number of technical people in Canada willing to volunteer. Who wouldn't want your own very limited pin or 1 off game. The realistic goal is to have a few or a bunch of pins ready for the Fall of 2015.

    There are different groups that are interested like our local Hal-Con Show for 2015 & a number from: http://halifaxmakerspace.org/ So far there are 3 or more cnc shops to cut playfields & cabinets. I have the printing & access to a laser cutter for plastics. A shipping crate will be going to/from Marco Specialties for parts also. So far we have a few software guys, & artists lined up. Many mechanical assembly people use to working with pinball playfields & games.

    I just want to finish by saying this group will not be using Classic Playfield Reproductions for any work. They are way to busy & should focus on their core production.

    #2 9 years ago

    That's awesome John. Little collectives are a great way to pool resources, and if you can harness Heighway's manufacturing that solves the ultimate headache for any small group effort.

    #3 9 years ago

    Sounds like something fun and interesting I look forward to seeing what develops from this.

    #4 9 years ago

    Why couldn't you be in Toronto! Alas. I'd kill to have a pinball maker collective here.

    #5 9 years ago

    Your in luck it's anywhere in Canada to get in the group. There will be remote guys, probably a lot more than about 15 guys in Nova Scotia.

    #7 9 years ago

    sounds cool

    ummm... there's more than about 15 guys in Nova Scotia ?

    #8 9 years ago

    This & the whitewood thread is refreshing to see. Getting all pinballcontrollers.com all up in here.

    #9 9 years ago

    The goal for myself is 12 proto type pinball machines for play at 2015 Hal-Con Show here in Halifax. I will be guiding the builds which should be a realistic goal if there is a good team of guys. Much of the work will be already in place with Heighway Pinball for parts, & operating system. So that leaves the building, rule sets, art, & design to us. Which is way more easier to do with the help of contractors also that I use for backglass, playfields, etc. After the show the pinball machines go to their final homes in Canada.

    008.JPG008.JPG
    #11 9 years ago

    Cool idea, and even better since you get to develop on Heighway's platform. Good luck with it.

    #12 9 years ago

    I know & hope you join in. Going by the latest info on Pinball News interview with Andrew. I'm hoping we could just get the metal skins & build the cabinets here to speed things along.

    #14 9 years ago

    Two questions : What is the heighway 'operating system', and are you saying that heighway will just get to take ideas that the group comes up with, and use them for free if they want to?

    #15 9 years ago

    Even I don't have the time to answer all the questions & I don't know everything that is going on. The goal is to make pinball machines for a very small group of Canadian participants, willing to volunteer their time & ideas. The group saves a nearly impossible task of doing everything from scratch. So we would get parts at cost & don't have to pay for expensive R & D. Piggy back on a new manufacturer, win - win for all parties. Andrew wins if by some long shot the group might think up something new or possible ideas from our work.

    Cabinet info & some other stuff is available: http://www.pinballnews.com/news/heighwayoursler.html

    So for example the group could build Heighway Pinball cabinets here using metal parts etc. We would cut our own wood & build the cabinets here. So you are saving on shipping cabinets overseas.

    #16 9 years ago

    Sounds like a great win-win idea indeed!

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/heighway-pinball-canadian-proto-type-pins and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.