Thunderbirds
Homepin, 2018Quoted from oldskool1969:Why not just send a newer, better bushed and put that in?
The flipper is already mostly taken apart looking at the instructions given.
Or you could replace the Homepin bushing with the superior Williams flipper bushing # 03-7568 and not have to worry.
https://www.pinballlife.com/williamsbally-nylon-flipper-bushing.html
Quoted from KenLayton:Or you could replace the Homepin bushing with the superior Williams flipper bushing # 03-7568 and not have to worry.
https://www.pinballlife.com/williamsbally-nylon-flipper-bushing.html
totally agree, had thought of that as well
Quoted from swinks:totally agree, had thought of that as well
I changed the flipper bushings to WMS ones,no real difference just less slop. Was a bit of a fiddly job ,try it lock tight and backing nuts hold the bushes to the mounting plate.
The SS sleeves are a much easier job.
I've also changed the flipper mechs to Stern, plungers,links,pawls and flipper bats.
Experimented too with super bands just the feel is different ,by the way the flipper buttons are fine...
Quoted from KenLayton:Or you could replace the Homepin bushing with the superior Williams flipper bushing
good idea in armchair theory but its been covered already numerous times ken.. he has to MAKE whatever he uses.. one cant ship second hand parts into china.
id imagine it was much more practical to cut a sleeve that make a new nylon bushing.
Quoted from wiredoug:good idea in armchair theory but its been covered already numerous times ken.. he has to MAKE whatever he uses.. one cant ship second hand parts into china.
id imagine it was much more practical to cut a sleeve that make a new nylon bushing.
I think he was offering a piece of advice to owners and operators, not suggesting that Mike could use OEM WMS parts.
Quoted from twitami:So an airball broke one of my spotlights. How and where to I get a replacement for this?
Email China.
Quoted from EricHadley:Or just replace the whole game with a fun game
I fully endorse this message.
When does game 2 make an appearance?
Will it be better than game 1?
Will lessons have been learnt across all aspects?
So many questions as to the plan for this company to keep going with the pinball model.
Quoted from oldskool1969:Will it be better than game 1?
Will lessons have been learnt across all aspects?
So many questions as to the plan for this company to keep going with the pinball model.
did you drop a playfield on your head ??????????
What were the other themes Mike had kicking around other than Thunderbirds? Apparently there were a few he was considering and ended up going with this one. Not that it really matters if you can’t design a proper playfield that is fun and has satisfying shots.
Quoted from pipes:What were the other themes Mike had kicking around other than Thunderbirds? Apparently there were a few he was considering and ended up going with this one. Not that it really matters if you can’t design a proper playfield that is fun and has satisfying shots.
2 most recent rumours was mainly a chinese theme not aimed at any of us stated by mike - probably a kung fu, also rumour of a surfing theme
that said early days he claimed he had a whiteboard full of ideas with 5 main ones he was going to run with, had heard one was a band theme (80's American Heavy Metal Band)
also the Arcooda digital pin for Highway Entertainment who is the distributor which is another game in the many years in the making...
Should this guy ever get around to a 2nd machine, it would utterly amaze me anyone would buy one. If you read this thread again (all 76 pages, and counting), and all the other threads about Homepin, and you actually entertained buying a machine off this guy. I guess I would just shake my head. He's dug his own grave, and then some.
Unboxing the first Thunderbirds pinball in Sweden
Done at Flipper center Gothenburg ( pinball center Gothenburg ) at friday 26/5.
The record for the night hold by Stavaros at 166.000.000 congratulation and you win in a smal price.
The games was very well packed , the pallet was fixed into the game with the back bolt for the legs , smart done it was stuck 100% to the pallet in trasportation.
It was well packed and plastic film cover booth the palyfield and the glas .
Comes with a bag of tokens to use when you play with homepin brand on one side and the tundebirs name on the other side.
The game worked hard for like 8 hour tha night and no problem while playing.
The game is for sale in Northen Europe at www.retroarcade.se if you like one.
IMG_7791 (resized).jpgIMG_7793 (resized).jpgIMG_7795 (resized).jpgIMG_7796 (resized).jpgIMG_7797 (resized).jpgIMG_7799 (resized).jpgIMG_7800 (resized).jpgIMG_7801 (resized).jpgQuoted from Vintage2:he should really make a DONALD TRUMP pin
Already been done...
6F50DAA3-3774-45E0-925D-DCFD09C0593A (resized).jpegQuoted from Vintage2:he should really make a DONALD TRUMP pin
Quoted from jwilson:The nicest thing you can say is it was well packed.
Perhaps he should go into pack and send business and be a huge success? A different prosperous avenue
Quoted from Vintage2:Perhaps he should go into pack and send business and be a huge success? A different prosperous avenue
Perhaps not.
This is how mine arrived...
Looks like he has since redesigned the backbox without that ridiculous hump sticking out of the front. The only purpose it seemed to serve was to put unnecessary pressure on the glass when folded down. So dumb.
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Quoted from pipes:Perhaps not.
This is how mine arrived...So dumb.
its obvious from the heavy dents in the rails yours had a belting from a side impact. probably a forklift accident.
You cant defend against a lazy idiot smashing around on 4 ton of vehicle without shipping them in full metal crates.
Accidents happen in transport.
Quoted from wiredoug:its obvious from the heavy dents in the rails yours had a belting from a side impact. probably a forklift accident.
You cant defend against a lazy idiot smashing around on 4 ton of vehicle without shipping them in full metal crates.
Accidents happen in transport.
No, that's not correct at all actually. The box it came in was completely in tact...not a scratch on it. The backbox has this stupid hump on the front so when it is folded down the entire weight of it rests on top of the glass instead of the side rails like in a normal game - aka, every single other game ever made. All they did was put a foam piece between the hump and the glass and strapped it tight. All of that pressure was focused solely on the glass itself. When the glass gave out and the backbox punched through, the paper thin side rails then got dented as a result...both sides exactly where the top of the backbox was resting when I unboxed it.
Please don't make excuses and put the blame on others for Mike's incompetence.
Quoted from pipes:No, that's not correct at all actually. The box was completely in tact...not a scratch on it. The backbox has this stupid hump on the front so when it is folded down the entire weight of it rests on top of the glass instead of the side rails like in a normal game - aka, every single other game ever made. All they did was put a foam piece between the hump and the glass and strapped it tight. All of that pressure was focused solely on the glass itself. When the glass gave out and the backbox punched through, the paper thin side rails then got dented as a result...both sides exactly where the top of the backbox was resting when I unboxed it.
Please don't make excuses and put the blame on others for Mike's incompetence.
So what's the resolution?
Quoted from pipes:No, that's not correct at all actually. The box it came in was completely in tact...not a scratch on it. The backbox has this stupid hump on the front so when it is folded down the entire weight of it rests on top of the glass instead of the side rails like in a normal game - aka, every single other game ever made. All they did was put a foam piece between the hump and the glass and strapped it tight. All of that pressure was focused solely on the glass itself. When the glass gave out and the backbox punched through, the paper thin side rails then got dented as a result...both sides exactly where the top of the backbox was resting when I unboxed it.
Please don't make excuses and put the blame on others for Mike's incompetence.
i based it on your photo dude i didnt even know there was a box. this is nothing to do with mike. your pic looks like a fork crash thats all.
Quoted from 27dnast:So what's the resolution?
Although he also blamed the shipping company, Mike did send me new side rails when I emailed him.
If you notice, the newer games do not have this hump on the backbox anymore...Hmm, I wonder why?
What Mike failed to mention however, is the fact that the side rails are glued to the sides of the cab. Needless to say, getting the old ones off was super fun. FYI, they WILL NOT come off without damaging the cabinet decals. Good luck to anyone that ever has to do this. I had to use the side rail as a guide to cut the decal with an x-acto knife so when I pulled the rails off, only the part of the decal covered by the rails peeled off the cab. When the new rails went on you couldn't tell there wasn't any artwork underneath. Being that they're so paper thin and cheap I realized why the rails had to be glued. They flex and bend and don't sit tight to the cab. What an experience.
Quoted from pipes:Although he also blamed the shipping company, Mike did send me new side rails when I emailed him.
If you notice, the newer games do not have this hump on the backbox anymore...Hmm, I wonder why?
What Mike failed to mention however, is the fact that the side rails are glued to the sides of the cab. Needless to say, getting the old ones off was super fun. FYI, they WILL NOT come off without damaging the cabinet decals. Good luck to anyone that ever has to do this. I had to use the side rail as a guide to cut the decal with an x-acto knife so when I pulled the rails off, only the part of the decal covered by the rails peeled off the cab. When the new rails went on you couldn't tell there wasn't any artwork underneath. Being that they're so paper thin and cheap I realized why the rails had to be glued. They flex and bend and don't sit tight to the cab. What an experience.
UGH. That sucks.
Quoted from wiredoug:its obvious from the heavy dents in the rails yours had a belting from a side impact. probably a forklift accident.
You need new glasses Doug because it is definitely obvious that it is NOT! 
Quoted from oldskool1969:You need new glasses Doug because it is definitely obvious that it is NOT!
blind devotion
Quoted from pipes:Although he also blamed the shipping company, Mike did send me new side rails when I emailed him.
If you notice, the newer games do not have this hump on the backbox anymore...Hmm, I wonder why?
What Mike failed to mention however, is the fact that the side rails are glued to the sides of the cab. Needless to say, getting the old ones off was super fun. FYI, they WILL NOT come off without damaging the cabinet decals. Good luck to anyone that ever has to do this. I had to use the side rail as a guide to cut the decal with an x-acto knife so when I pulled the rails off, only the part of the decal covered by the rails peeled off the cab. When the new rails went on you couldn't tell there wasn't any artwork underneath. Being that they're so paper thin and cheap I realized why the rails had to be glued. They flex and bend and don't sit tight to the cab. What an experience.
sounds like all side rails.. especially the WMS/BLY era. They are attached with two sided tape.. that is best removed with heat and a putty blade. The side armor is thin and off the cabinet you can even bend or kink it just holding it unsupported.
Older rails have screw nails or newer sterns have screws... but the old tape method has been around for agees
Quoted from flynnibus:sounds like all side rails.. especially the WMS/BLY era. They are attached with two sided tape.. that is best removed with heat and a putty blade. The side armor is thin and off the cabinet you can even bend or kink it just holding it unsupported.
Older rails have screw nails or newer sterns have screws... but the old tape method has been around for agees
I don’t know about that. I’ve never seen anything like it before. This is what I did to them taking them off the cab. If they were any thinner you could make cliffy protectors out of them. It actually feels like you’re holding a piece of plastic they are so light. These rails are definitely thinner than the ones on my Shadow for instance. Not even close if you compare to my Sterns.
You can see that they used some kind of adhesive, not tape. I tried applying heat to soften it up but I could not stop the decal from peeling off with it. I may have been able to save the decal if they had used a double sided tape instead. Ugh.
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Quoted from oldskool1969:You need new glasses Doug because it is definitely obvious that it is NOT!
sad you cant make a comment without making it personal andrew. the impact appears higher on one side than the other. the side rails do look crap dont they.
Quoted from wiredoug:sad you cant make a comment without making it personal andrew. the impact appears higher on one side than the other. the side rails do look crap dont they.
I will use me ol'mate in future
It had to be personal as no one else said what you said. It was a bit of tongue in cheek. Don't be offended 
Quoted from wiredoug:how thin are the rails? the original spec was 1mm same as stern .. whats he used?
Haha...no. The Homepin rails are practically sheet metal, like what metal wall studs are made of. Ridiculous.
You may think I’m exaggerating but I’m really not. Just reporting the facts.
One looks more than twice the thickness of the other. Possibly close to three times thicker. I’ll let you guess which one is which.
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they look to be 0.5-0.7mm thick which is mirror blade thickness, way to thin for rails on a arcade pinball
even seeing the way that adhesive has been slapped on just doesn't show pride
The legend of Thunder Turds grows!
Man, the Bro crew gave the game a scathing review - their commentary on the buttons was hilarious.
Quoted from swinks:they look to be 0.5-0.7mm thick which is mirror blade thickness, way to thin for rails on a arcade pinball
Yes! Good comparison. That’s exactly what they are like.
Quoted from 27dnast:Man, the Bro crew gave the game a scathing review - their commentary on the buttons was hilarious.
That review was 100% accurate. It’s hard to put into words exactly how bad the game is but they did a great job. I felt Nick was actually holding back a bit, lol.
Quoted from wiredoug:yeah they look thin for sure. Grab the ruler or vernier or something for me? .. how many /64th inch are they ? or mm if you prefer..
Yeah, I’ll grab a ruler and check later on but does it really matter? Whether it’s 0.5mm or 0.7mm, either way it’s complete garbage.
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