Burlington, WI
Quoted from Concretehardt:JPOP is the Milli Vanilli of the pinball world, the guy is like a lip sinking rockstar (that can't sing).
oh, girl you know it's true.
(Topic ID: 92436)
Linked Games
Alice in Wonderland
Gottlieb, 1948-
Houdini
American Pinball, 2017
-
Magic Girl
Zidware Pinball USA, 2017
-
Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland
Zidware Pinball USA, 2012
Topic Gallery
Rotterdam
Quoted from lowepg:Interesting.... I recall some similar rules paypal had that it seemed Jpop violated as well...
Wondering how this law might apply to the sliding delivery dates of the other boutiques (JJP, DP, etc)? Seems like this could touch their practices as well?
Except JJP has actually shipped thousands of games 
Quoted from Concretehardt:JPOP is the Milli Vanilli of the pinball world, the guy is like a lip sinking rockstar (that can't sing).
I don't see the comparison. If only he had delivered games made by someone else, everyone would be a lot less pissed off.
Any updates from anyone on what JPop is up to these days? Has he gone out and acquired a job of some kind by chance?
It's hard to imagine he is just managing the litigation (or whatever) with no income unless he had more deposit money left over than he led anyone to believe.
Quoted from TigerLaw:Any updates from anyone on what JPop is up to these days? Has he gone out and acquired a job of some kind by chance?
It's hard to imagine he is just managing the litigation (or whatever) with no income unless he had more deposit money left over than he led anyone to believe.
Hopefully his new work mantra has to be repeated ad infinitum each day: "do you want fries with that?"
Robots are going to be doing that soon with new wage increase. Fast food has no choice but to let you push the color button to order fries now like getting your own drink. I remember the good days when a real person messed up our order.
Quoted from doughslingers:Robots are going to be doing that soon with new wage increase. Fast food has no choice but to let you push the color button to order fries now like getting your own drink. I remember the good days when a real person messed up our order.
I hear ya. Problem with keeping the wages low is then the worker applies and gets food stamps, housing assistance, etc to make ends meet. So the taxpayers end up paying while the companies maintain their profit margin.
You're right though - robots are the future. Companies love 'em. No downtime, overtime pay, health benefits... the rub is if they take away too many jobs... who'll have $$ to buy the companies stuff?
I will never have robots at the drive in as I often work the ticket booth and love interacting with my customers. Our food concession stand makes everything the old fashioned way fresh and hot made to order. Sometimes the wait can be long however. 15 dollars per hour would probably inflate movie tickets from our 8 dollars for two.movies to 10.dollars per person. Check us out at www.centraldrivein.com
Pinsiders get half price if they mention Pinside and are a member.
Oh that's cool - you're one of the last and probably the most famous drive in movie theater. I remember your posts about the drive in a while back ago. Glad you're still in business.
Sadly you're a little far out for me as I'm up near DC. I'd love for my two kids to be able to have the drive in experience. I barely got very many of those myself growing up.
Quoted from doughslingers:I will never have robots at the drive in as I often work the ticket booth and love interacting with my customers. Our food concession stand makes everything the old fashioned way fresh and hot made to order. Sometimes the wait can be long however. 15 dollars per hour would probably inflate movie tickets from our 8 dollars for two.movies to 10.dollars per person. Check us out at http://www.centraldrivein.com
Pinsiders get half price if they mention Pinside and are a member.
Looks very cool! If I am ever in that neck of the woods I will have to catch a flick or two.
Quoted from pinballrockstar:By far the best jpop joke on pinside
Thanks.. you need the second one too for the full effect. (Upside down backglass FTW)
707ee4bed1f19aabf5be59f6910b2984d872bffd.jpeg_(resized).jpg4fe3a2ee803e11cb288c3a7bbae6dccd72baea59_(resized).jpg
Quoted from ralphwiggum:.. you need the second one too for the full effect.
Quoted from ralphwiggum:Thanks.. you need the second one too for the full effect. (Upside down backglass FTW)
Good stuff!!
Quoted from ralphwiggum:Thanks.. you need the second one too for the full effect. (Upside down backglass FTW)
Epic
Quoted from Strange:Magic Girl is my dream pin. Theme, art, and audio are all out of this world! I'm fully supportive of Zidware to fully complete the three games promised and make good with the pre-order buyers (even if it's at the end of the day).
Hi John!
Quoted from wizard_mode:Hi John!
Yeah lol, there is only 1 deluted zidware supporter left 
Well, not much of a news update, but I noticed that the VPForums website is still running a Zidware ad.
It's the upper-left image. It rotates, but seems to start with Zidware when you load the page. I'll include an image here. The link it goes to is broken, but I found it odd there would still be an ad up anywhere.
This was sent out May 23rd, 2015.... happy anniversary dead Pintasia announcement
RE: PLAN OF ACTION FOR PURCHASERS OF MAGIC GIRLTM, RAZA AND AIW
It is with great excitement, determination and love for pinball that has led me to pursue and find a possible
solution that can be announced to you today. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one
of you who believed in the magical designs that have been created. I acknowledge and appreciate the
faith you have in placing deposits with Zidware, Inc. (“Zidware”) to deliver to you incredible machines that
take pinball to another level. Thank you for your patience and support ...this well-deserved update will
give you a good idea of where we have been and where we are headed in the future.
First and foremost, my apologies for not being a better businessman. In the past, great success was
accomplished by focusing on what I do best... design and artistic direction of games. The business
mechanics were left to the executives at companies such as Williams and Bally. I did not realize what it
entails to run a company and get a machine designed and produced from start to finish. At the rate that I
have been going, bankruptcy would be inevitable absent some type of corrective action. Zidware no
longer has the ability to get Magic GirlTM (“MG”) into production let alone Retro Atomic Zombie
AdventurelandTM (“RAZA”) and Alice in Wonderland The PinballTM (“AIW”). A copy of current financials will
be available evidencing the impossible predicament Zidware currently faces. Further, the delivery of
machines to my customers who have placed orders and provided deposits has always been my primary
concern and a responsibility that I take very seriously.
Therefore, I have sought out a solution to bring these games into production and to benefit all purchasers
who have continued to believe in me. Apologies for the lack of communication, however it was best to
find a workable solution first, rather than to string everyone along on false hopes. At this point I have a
plan in place and therefore am taking this opportunity to share it with you. My hope is that with this solid
plan, you, as a purchaser, will be supportive of this endeavor and remain patient and work with this plan
to achieve the desired goal of producing MG, RAZA and AIW machines.
What is the plan and how will it help the purchasers of Zidware products?
In a call for help, one of my customers, a businessman specializing in the restructuring of companies,
realized that there was no way Zidware could get this project over the finish line and into production. He
was saddened by the fact that many would suffer a loss and it would be a black eye for the pinball
industry and my reputation.
Over the last month or so, this individual and his associates have done extensive due diligence on
Zidware to determine the best plan of action. They have assembled a team of professionals capable in
bringing pinball machines to production under a new, unrelated company. I have granted this new
company (“Licensee”) an exclusive license for MG, RAZA and AIW. They will then be able to take MG
from its current state to the point of production, along with potential orders for RAZA and AIW. Once
these machines are produced, the Licensee plans to continue and grow to become an industry leader in
creative unique pinball design.
{34564: 001: 01634628.DOCX :2 }
What can you expect next?
The Licensee is now underway to complete a master prototype Magic GirlTM. An announcement will be
made as to when this will be, however the goal is to have it ready in time to unveil at an upcoming show.
From this point forward, information and progress will be provided by the Licensee as Zidware is no
longer in control.
This group is currently in the process of negotiating with proven known quality manufacturers to get the
games produced. As soon as this is contracted, purchasers will be notified and given a forecast of the
timeline to complete development as well as release dates for final product. As it stands today, the
anticipated timeframe until production of MG is approximately 2 years or sooner.
As for the other 2 games, art work will be under the Licensee’s direction and prototypes will be
forthcoming. I have agreed to independently consult with the Licensee for continuity to complete the
pinball designs for all 3 games. The timeframe until production of RAZA and AIW product is 2 to 3 years
post MG production.
I encourage fellow Pinheads to allow this team to help make these games come to life. The Licensee has
already made significant investment in both time and money to get where we are today. They have
acquired the licenses for these games not motivated by profit, but to make the designs a reality and forge
a viable path for production of these products to Zidware customers. The only other alternative is that
Zidware would be forced to file for bankruptcy, resulting in virtually nothing to the purchasers and none of
the games that we have worked on all these years will ever be produced.
We need patience, positive input and support from you and all of Zidware’s customers. Once each
purchaser has responded back with positive intentions, the Licensee will be formally announced and be
able to continue to move forward. However if there are any clarification questions regarding this letter or
agreement, please do not contact the attorneys directly, instead you may send an email to: Magic Girl
Info . The Licensee has already indicated that they will be opening the
doors to share the progress with customers and welcoming everyone with open arms!
To be clear, there will not be any refunds as Zidware lacks the cash reserves necessary to return any
customer deposits. The Licensee is here to create and build pinball machines and it is not responsible for
Zidware’s liabilities. Nonetheless, working together, the Licensee will have the ability to produce
machines and Zidware customers will be provided credits for deposits made. We are very lucky that the
Licensee started down this path to help the pinball community by trying to rectify this situation.
This is what we need in order for the Licensee to move forward, please take advantage of this opportunity
and complete the attached agreement prepared by the attorney for the Licensee. This is what is required
from you in the attached agreement in order for the plan to succeed:
1) Confirmation of your intent to complete the purchase of the ordered item(s) by executing and
returning the attached agreement so that the Licensee does not expend resources for customers
who may not wish to complete their order.
a. Magic GirlTM – original purchasers. The Licensee is already in talks with potential
manufacturers to create a Magic GirlTM–Collector’s Edition, limited to only 199 worldwide
for those who have already purchased or provided deposits. This is first come first serve
as we will close off as soon as we reach 199 orders. Zidware deposits will be converted
to credits dollar for dollar.
b. RAZA or AIW purchasers. For those who have placed a deposit on RAZA or AIW, the
Licensee is allowing these purchasers to convert their deposits to credits towards:
{34564: 001: 01634628.DOCX :2 }
i. Magic GirlTM–Collector’s Edition ($15,995) – Limited to only 199 worldwide,
this is first come first serve as we will close off as soon as we reach 199 orders.
Zidware deposits will be converted dollar for dollar, 1
(eg. $6,500 deposit =
$6,500 credits).
ii. Magic GirlTM-Classic (TBD estimated at between $9,995 to $11,995) – We are
offering a new edition of Magic GirlTM with all of the same functionality and
quality, since the final product is yet to be finalized and we don’t have actual
BOM, we can only provide the price range. Any customers interested in this
option will have opportunity to confirm their purchase at time of release of actual
price. Zidware deposits will be converted 1:2 (eg. $6,500 deposit = $3,250
credits) for this option.
Once you take delivery of your machine, you have an asset in hand and the ability to keep it or sell it
for cash. You will also have the ability to sell your position. Should you wish to wait for the possible
creation of a RAZA or AIW, that option is also available.
2) Agreement that you will not bring any action for money damages or specific performance against
Zidware, the Licensee, the manufacturer, or any of their directors, officers or members during the
earlier of:
(i) delivery of the product or
(ii) 4 years
This is what we need to move forward; we ask your cooperation to support us and allow Zidware to get
the Licensee what is needed at this time. This is the only plan that will possibly get these machines
produced. It is time sensitive as we need to move quickly or I will have no choice but to pursue a chapter
7 bankruptcy filing resulting in the liquidation of Zidware without delivery of any of the games and virtually
no cash to Zidware customers.
This plan is for you, the Pinheads that want something that is a true work of art, quality built that can be
treasured for years to come. I have now found the right business team that is dedicated to try to get my
work to the finish line and into production. Help me to help you get what you came to Zidware for...a
pinball machine that you will be very proud of to have in your collection!
To Our Success!
Best Personal Regards,
ZIDWARE, INC.
John Popadiuk
President
That deal is (long) dead, but we're still here, and John is still toiling away some where today. He sure knows how to run out the clock.
Quoted from frolic:This was sent out May 23rd, 2015.... happy anniversary dead Pintasia announcement
When I saw this thread was bumped I started thinking of the anniversaries of John's "project" even before I read this. Wow, how time flies. I'm not trying to open sore wounds, I started doing some some digging to refresh my memory. I figured I'd post a timeline of what I found as I was trying to remember how this all started and progressed.
-July 23, 2011, Magic Girl announced
http://www.pinballnews.com/news/popadiuk1.html
-November 2011, BHZA
http://www.pinballnews.com/news/nib7.html
-February 2013, found a reference to Alice in Wonderland. "Christmas 2013"
http://web.archive.org/web/20130226115230/http://www.pinballinventor.org/games/wonderland/index.html
-Expo October 2014, John shows up with empty cabinets
http://www.pinballnews.com/shows/expo2014/index.html
-May 23, 2015, the infamous letter from John and we all know the wheels have officially fallen off
-June 6, 2015, The reveal of MG
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/magicgirl/index.html
-Late June 2015?, Bill of Pintasia says that it is over (in this thread I believe)
Quoted from stangbat:I'm not trying to open sore wounds
The wounds never closed up... nothing has changed!
Oh well.... as I've said before, John has/is continuing to waste prime years of his life now. Prime work/earning years. That money he took from us while he was on the ride will be a pittance to what he lost. Think about how you did this past year in comparison. He's screwing himself now more than he's done to any one of us, so take whatever you like from that.
Canmore, AB
"Nonetheless, working together, the Licensee will have the ability to produce
machines and Zidware customers will be provided credits for deposits made."
So these "investors" have agreed to waive the million dollars jpoop stole from everyone? I call bullshit!!!! What investor would agreed to this?
I think jpoop has just come up with another scam/stall tactic. This guy never gives up. Jpoop, your an A-HOLE!
QSS
Quoted from QuickSilverShelby:So these "investors" have agreed to waive the million dollars jpoop stole from everyone? I call bullshit!!!! What investor would agreed to this?
I think jpoop has just come up with another scam/stall tactic. This guy never gives up. Jpoop, your an A-HOLE!
That was from one year ago. That was Bill's deal and it did not work out.
Quoted from frolic:I did not realize what it
entails to run a company and get a machine designed and produced from start to finish. At the rate that I
have been going, bankruptcy would be inevitable absent some type of corrective action. Zidware no
longer has the ability to get Magic GirlTM (“MG”) into production let alone Retro Atomic Zombie
AdventurelandTM (“RAZA”) and Alice in Wonderland The PinballTM (“AIW”). A copy of current financials will
be available evidencing the impossible predicament Zidware currently faces.
The light bulb just went on in John's head this time last year i guess, 4 years after announcing MG.
I guess it never dawned on him bankruptcy was inevitable before this announcement? 
Yet he kept perpetuating the lies and taking innocent victims $$$ all the way up to the "announcement".
My how time flies, John is just roadkill now, and i hope the image in the rear view mirror fades every year.
So today, I will raise my glass/can, several times, in honor of GREAT PINBALL, and all of the other awesome options and worthy people in the hobby today that make it great for us collectors.
As for John, I will think of you John, as I drop a deuce and joyfully listen to it swirl down the porcelain hole and imagine that's you. 
I wonder if John had made simpler pins along the lines of AMH, RZ etc.. If that would have fufulled his contract and/or made people accept a lesser pin and drop litigation on the belief that something is better than nothing.
Of course the future payments would need to have been scaled down as well. No one would be happy with a $16k pin along the line of AMH with ordinary hinges, ordinary cabinet, display placement etc.
I think John shooting for the moon painted himself into an impossible corner, plus needing to design everything from scratch didn't help at all.
Quoted from rai:I wonder if John had made simpler pins along the lines of AMH, RZ etc.. If that would have fufulled his contract and/or made people accept a lesser pin and drop litigation on the belief that something is better than nothing.
It probably would have stopped him from being sued. Also, a super low number of AMH with Dirty Donny quality artwork would have had tremendous value so the buyers would not have lost much if any money...probably would have made money.
Problem is even with a simpler game how would it have been assembled? He had no path to manufacturing/assembling them himself for sure.
He must have been counting on a rich angel investor appearing who liked pinball so much that they didn't even care if they made their money back. (Compare with WMS shutting down pinball just because it wasn't making enough!)
Surely the universe wouldn't bless him with all this creativity and then leave him high and dry when it came time to actually produce product!
What's that they say about the road to hell being paved with?
Quoted from DanQverymuch:What's that they say about the road to hell being paved with?
Incompetence, lies, and greed...in this case.
WTF? pinball manufacturing? It's 41 sangra court, his old address was 39 sangra ct (possibly the expansion next door?). Last I heard the owner of all those buildings was selling it off. Maybe he's using a fake address to establish a location? Also the name listed "Dhavalkumar Vasani" is too common to pinpoint who it is.
Quoted from TigerLaw:That was from one year ago. That was Bill's deal and it did not work out.
That's all good. It always feels satisfying to call jpoop an A-hole, idiot of F#ck tard, I never get tired of that, even if I'm a year late in doing so.
Oh year, I think I do that semi regularly. Nothing wrong with that I believe.
QSS
Interesting development. I googled the phone number, this came up:
http://www.b2byellowpages.com/company-information/099365272-american-pinball.html
Also found this:
https://app.oneteam.net/Profile/american-pinball-inc-7HK98
Says business start date was nov 2015.
I had heard rumors around that time about another rich guy (next in line of many), and John even told a MG owner I knew that he could have his machine by January (har har).
I googled the name registered, and matched someone in Illinois, and possible connected to this company:
http://www.us-tech.com/RelId/988747/ISvars/default/Aimtron_Growing_at_Home_and_Overseas.htm
Who knows what the status of any of this is today.
Melbourne
Quoted from Ballypinball:Yeah but Ron was at several companies inc nep electronics after williams
Who knows what is going on. I'm making no claims. All we've deduced is:
-There is a company called "American Pinball" registered to an address in the same building as jpop's (old) shop.
-One of the principles of American Pinball is also involved in a company called Aimtron
-Aimtron is a manufacturing company
-Aimtron employs someone who used to work at WMS the same years as jpop.
Quoted from frolic:Who knows what is going on. I'm making no claims. All we've deduced is:
-There is a company called "American Pinball" registered to an address in the same building as jpop's (old) shop.
-One of the principles of American Pinball is also involved in a company called Aimtron
-Aimtron is a manufacturing company
-Aimtron employs someone who used to work at WMS the same years as jpop.
- Aimtron CEO and a few principals last name is "Vasani", same last name as American Pinball registrar
The bummer about all of this is the Nov 2015 registration date. 6 months ago, and not a peep. Probably another Pintasia situation where they realized it was a clusterf___ after the fact.
Cleaning my mailbox and found a letter from John(01-25-2015)..
Hi Bas,
I am not sure what people are thinking. Pinball has always been
hard and controversial even at WMS. Us designers have always had
to "battle" the forces, all my games have bad events. But we leave
those in the past, as today all that has been created came from
nothing, just our imaginations. Which is amazing as I see it everyday
and it is "Divine" presence in the studio. There is no other explanation.
Did you see the Adobe® piece? It captured the feel and we are really
caretakers of pinball, and it demands us to be really great. I will send
you more art this week from MG so you can see more as we get the full
games ready to do "good" photographs.
We had our main cabinet vendor (prints the art) go down in December so
we have had to find a new vendor. Actually found 2 so we are delayed but
in better long position. But these games are my best work, and i am very
proud to show all. Dennis Nordman and Cameron Silver visited this last
week (to check up on me) and were floored. They could not believe the
progress of the games and how beautiful they are and creative.
They left without words, and yes my family and myself are fully dedicated.
John
I would love to hear an update from John P. right now. Luckily, I have not been stung by the past happenings of Zidware. I would be happy to see any of these 3 titles hit the showroom with a price tag on it and would likely consider purchasing one based on what I've seen.
Quoted from pinballrockstar:They left without words
Quoted from pinballrockstar:Dennis Nordman and Cameron Silver visited this last
week (to check up on me) and were floored. They could not believe the
progress of the games and how beautiful they are and creative.
And then John blogged about it at the time, because he needed "good news" to share with us. I'd love to hear what the reality was behind this post, just like when John posted about the Mission guys coming on board. I bet this would be news to Cameron that he was joining the team.
Promoted items from Pinside Marketplace and Pinside Shops!
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat 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+!
