The only real positive in this is that since the special relationship between Homepin and the AussieArcade purple circle has soured, the machine will actually be judged on its own merits this time.

So unlike TBAG it won't have any early fake reviews emanating from Australia/New Zealand via AussieArcade bottom feeders claiming it to be one step away from perfection in order to induce sales to pinsiders in the Northern Hemisphere.

Given his backstory in business I would never have put any money down from the beginning.

Still on pinside but with a different username.

Liquidated all his Aussie assets a few years back as well and transferred them offshore behind the bamboo curtain so it's a stretch to even promote any part of it as an Australian pinball company.

It's always someone else's fault.

That must be the "improved" design.

Most TBAG marketing consisted of shills from the two local forums providing initially poor quality advice/design input and later outright bullshit reviews on pinside to garner international sales.

In other words it was known by a majority down here from the start the final product would be woeful.

Now that element has been removed there will be a much better chance that TAP should be an improvement over game one.

In the case of TBAG it was more of an AussieArcade forum loyalty thing than a distro thing but based on how that panned out I would say that bridge was burned long ago.

Even with the dubious threats of international lawsuits to control the narrative as per the previous sales strategy its doubtful any pinsiders will fall for any hyped up fake reviews emanating from the antipode a second time.

More a sidenote curiosity than anything else, but the whole debut at a local pinball show as a sales tactic is pointless in itself since neither the company or the owner have had any physical connection with Australia for years besides a PTY LTD (LLC) trading name in order to give the appearance of a locally manufactured product.

On a positive note, the rest of the Aussie pinball scene has diversified itself and subsequently evolved for the better over the last few years.

This is how TBAG would have played out all those years ago but for the misleading reviews and dubious endorsements from Homepin/AussieArcade loyalists being posted at the time.

Fittingly the author L Ron Hubbard was a crackpot with delusions of grandeur.