(Topic ID: 92436)

John Popadiuk update thread……MAGIC GIRL, RAZA, AIW…..

By iceman44

9 years ago


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34 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items.

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Post #7211 Zombie Yeti (Jeremy Packer), first post on the Magic Girl/JPop fiasco Posted by zombieyeti (8 years ago)

Post #20523 Link to legal documents with allegations & responses Posted by DennisK (7 years ago)

Post #20526 Third amended complain document Posted by c508 (7 years ago)

Post #20532 Summary of complaints & responses in legal documents Posted by DennisK (7 years ago)

Post #20626 MG is now ready! Posted by TecumsehPlissken (7 years ago)

Post #20631 Scott Goldberg mail on MG completion Posted by TecumsehPlissken (7 years ago)

Post #21819 Information on webpage dedicated to Magic Girl Code Features. Posted by applejuice (7 years ago)

Post #22024 moderation notice Posted by Xerico (7 years ago)


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#2548 9 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

My feeling is that even 3 flippers on a PF is pushing it.
They're always in the same place (about 2/3rd way up of PF on left or right orbit) and you get one or two shots out of it max. Not a good justification for cost.
Exception I might make is Twilight Zone.
Plus mini or upper PF eat up loads of PF real estate and increase build complexity / cost.

Really sad/bummed to hear you say this Ben. More player interaction is always good and IMHO if you are thinking as upper flippers ONLY for the 1-2 shots they are mainly used for then you are missing the beauty of upper/extra flippers. They add a whole additional dynamic to a game for redirecting ball movement, richocheting to other shots or even using them as a new path (i.e. Stern ST under the flipper shot). More flippers can add a whole new level of fun player interaction to a game. The more I can interact with the ball, the better.

4 months later
-1
#8532 8 years ago

From my experience with Predator I would advise EVERYONE that has money on this project to show up at John's studio and take your money or equivalent in parts ASAP.

I have been loosely following along and this seems to be going a similar path. Get your money (or equivalent in parts) now, while you still have a shot at something.

Good luck to all, maybe they wil make a special jail cell somewhere to hold scam artist pinball designers.

#8536 8 years ago

Knowing what I now know post Predator, if I was in on this game I would be figuring out when is the most likely time to have people at his shop and would be booking a plane ticket and car rental today.

The cost of travel is cheap to Chicago from almost anywhere in the nation and it may save you 10kplus (I know many that are in for multiple jpop games).

I woudl be happy to stop by his shop on Thursday when I am on my way to VFW show, but I have a feeling it woudl not do anyone any good and since I am not in, he does not owe me any answers.

#8540 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Please go, I can't get there until June myself.

If someone wants to send me information (assuming it is enroute/ in chicago land area) then I can try to stop by as your representative.

I have not been paying full attention to this saga so i would need to be briefed on what I need to look for and what questions need to be answered.

#8553 8 years ago

If someone wants to message me pertinent info so I know where to go, please do.

No promises but I have ample time in the near future and assume he is less than a 3 hour drive from me?

I have no problems with shomwing up at a business as a representative wanting to put eyes on the progress. Wasn't that the promise to all buyers? They are allowed to show up and see the shop and progress.

#8556 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

I'll pay for your gas money and dinner

Send me info ice and I will go as your representative.

-1
#8566 8 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

No. You and Pinchili are missing the point. Nobody said it was wrong to just show up at his business. But he said go and just *take* your money or equivalent in parts:

Really?
Great advice...if you want to go to jail.

I did not mean to loot from the guy. I meant to actually talk to the guy that has your 10k plus in person where he can not ignore you. I know I would be sure to leave with either a refund or the equivalent in parts and have a feeling john would comply with your demands if done in person.

#8576 8 years ago

rosh > goven the multiple projects there is already a good case for larceny by conversion (i.e. using RAZA funds to work on MG).

If someone wants me to stop by as their rep, jon let's me in, and he answers questions, then I will report to the person that I am representing with what I see, what he says, and my general opinion on the matter. It may not be anything ground breaking but it will be more than you have now.

I am guessing the odds of John even letting me in are slim, but I am happy to try.

After having a large sum of money stolen from me by SkitB, I am happy to help at least be eyes since I am somewhat local. If John does not let me in, then that alone is telling. I am happy to sign whatever NDA he requires so long as I can report back to the person I am representing.

#8577 8 years ago
Quoted from roc-noc:

Since you are driving to MI, and have experience with Predator, why not visit Kevin and get our money back? I think you have lost your focus.

There are other actions in the works for Kevin, but I like where your head is at.

#8646 8 years ago

I was never provided info on where to go so looks like no eyes on the ground today at Jpop headquarters.

#8651 8 years ago
Quoted from RomstarArkanoid:

I typed "Zidware Address" into Google and got the answer without even having to click. Hell, even Bing brought it up as the top link.

I was willing to go as someone's representative assuming they are requesting some eyes on the ground, but nobody appears to want that at this time.

#8667 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Sorry Hilton, didn't know you were going to jump right on this!
Like I said, gas money and dinner for you.

Sorry, just saw this. On road to VFW show already at this point.

Looks like his show is under 2hrs from madison. If someone wants me to be their rep then talk w stevenp or whomever i guess and arrange a date. i will go down and be the eyes ears and critical thinking head you all likely need at this time. I have zero bias since i am not in on any jpop game.

1 week later
33
#9269 8 years ago

As someone whom has been in a very similar situation with skitB, I HIGHLY suggest all owners get out NOW! Do not wait till tomorrow, do not sit and think about it any long. Call and find a lawyer today!

This is obviously a huge stall tactic and the worst part is now you are not only fighting an inept Jpop, you have businessmen looking to somehow turn a profit while also absolving all risk.

Seriously, find a lawyer today. That email is clear that you are already faced with zero options and a threat of bancruptcy. they want you to throw more good money after bad money. Since you are going to be spending money either path you take, than ACT now and start legal action immediately.

Plain and simple is that you already know that jpop is going to be claiming bankruptcy as there are already lawsuits against him. he has been cooking the books for the past few weeks with the help of the investors to even show where all the money supposedly went. he is now prepared so act quickly and talk to a lawyer NOW.

This thing is a complete failure and Jpop is worse that skitb because he is attempting to take action to save himself. The hard reality is that you are unlikely to get any money back ever but you can send this scumbag to jail and make him pays for his lies.

#9273 8 years ago

I am very sorry for all of you that are going through this.

Good luck in whatever you do. I personally would be visiting Jpop in person before June 1st if I was in on any of his games. (Mods this is not threatening violence, this is merely a suggestion that I am old school and would be making damn sure i find jpop and talk to him face to face) At minimum the guy should be pretty scared to meet an owner in person given what he has been and is doing and I have nothing wrong with that. fear is often a good negotiation tactic, as evidenced by what jpop is saying with this bs letter.

#9300 8 years ago

GET out now! Contact a lawyer immediately!
track down and talk to jon in person this holiday weekend!

Do something and do it quick!

#9389 8 years ago
Quoted from ChrisVW:

What good will it do? Why is this even being discussed? You think if every owner files a lawsuit we will all get our money back? This only works if there is money left. What about John Popadiuks and the way he's operated his business makes you think there is ANY money left? The whole lawsuit thing is a nonstarter. May as well sue him for 3 billion, why settle for $30,000.

You are not getting any money back but you can still make Jon poops life a living hell for a long time.

-3
#9456 8 years ago
Quoted from s1500:

Dude, don't Whysnow us here

You are a donkey

Mods> when i get a thread eject because he whines that i called him a donkey, please make sure this donkey gets a nut punch on his way out also.

Keep in mind is was banned for ultimately using someones name as a verb. If you want to take the same action with this donkey that would be just.

#9463 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

You guys can do whatever the F you want.
Move on, sue John, whatever.
Consult your local attorney
The Investor would be dumber than John to assume the liabilities. Based on the reception here there won't be 199 to sell so it might be over anyhow before it starts
This is exactly why Im glad I'm not involved. The world won't let you be a nice guy
It will be funny when he pulls the plug and says go F yourselves
Then we can all go back to crying about John

Better yet,start taking action right NOW to go after jpop.

Show up at his memorial dya bbq for all I care, just do something. find a lawyer, open a case on your own, try and file a chargeback. Do it all NOW! ASAP

This thing is beyond dead and every day sooner you react can do nothing but improve your already small chances of getting anything back.

#9643 8 years ago

The entire sharpe family is smart enough to not get near this failure with a 100ft pole.

This entire thing is completely dead and I hope all impacted do all they can to make jpop pay. Make him file bankruptcy, make his life hell, sue him and his wife. do all you can to show him that ineptness is not an excuse.

#9695 8 years ago
Quoted from StevenP:

Not this one. A completely different one that was not part of the current deal, and obviously is not being sent.

So what is stopping you from posting the now defunct deal you were trying to help out?

15
#10241 8 years ago

I encourage everyone still in to get out now! the fact that they are still asking for a deal that prevents you from suing anyone is a complete joke and tells you everything you need to know. Contact a lawyer and start proceedings now. Do not wait another day.

this would be the equivalent of the first 10 pred owners stepping in to say they were taking over the company and going to get games made, but you will end up paying more and they are getting their games first... Oh by the way you can't go after us or kevin after we get all the assets and are able to walk away with what has already been completed.

ANY potential deal that does not #1 put jon on the hook to work his ass off for the next x months to do what is needed and have a boss cracking the whip or be fed to the wolves with the understanding that he will not only lose what little rep he has left, but quite possibly result in complete bankruptcy of him and his family and even jail time is silly. Jon does not need to be coddled he needs his ass kicked and put in gear. #2 there should be NO efforts to save Jon. That is obviously his attempt at negotiating with WCBRANDES and the carrot dangled so they could get him to comply. Reality is that Jon holds no cards in the matter and it should be presented to him that he is lucky someone is coming along to give him one last chance to not lose it all.

THE harsh reality of options for jon are figure out how to complete games or give back a reasonable amount of money OR get sued, spend years dealing with legal issues, likely have someone physically beat the shit out of you (I know one owner specifically that has made it clear Jon needs to watch his back), or possibly his best option would be jail time as then he has known fears to deal with rather than the unkown that is going to keep him in fear for the rest of his time.

My point being is that Jon has zero options and hence no negotiating power. If he thinks it is as simple as declaring bancruptcy and this all goes away then he really does not understand the reality of what happens when you lie and steal large sums of money from hundreds of people.

Jon needs to be left on the hook legally as it is his only incentive in his brain to get anything done. Currently no investor can complete these games as they are so far from done it is still just a shell. there is not even a flippable game yet so you don't even have a clue if the thing is playable.

#10283 8 years ago
Quoted from taz:

Actually, in our system it is that easy, unfortunately. Other than a hit to his reputation and possibly ego, nothing will happen to him. We already know his excuse, he's just bad a business. We can sue all day long and lose more money. In the end, everyone might get a few pennies on the dollar, though probably not enough to cover legal fees. That's the really sad point in all this, especially to the people who have large sums tied up.

I don't think you and I operate in the same system...

there are MANY people either crazy enough or with the right connections to operate outside of your system. this is a case where my system tends to get more done. Jon is a mentally small man and operates on fear is my impression. If I were in on this mess I would be pulling those strings. I have a feeling that it would only take 1 visit from the right person and Jon would find a way to get you your money very quickly. Jon needs to understand he is now operating under the system of many different people.

20
#10417 8 years ago

If all the money is gone I think pintasia needs to explain where the hell it went!?!?!

How is it possible to blow that kind of money and still have so little to show for it?

pintaisa if you want people to get on board, the first thing you are going to need is a better explanation of where the cash went.

this all seems so blantantly obvious as a stall tactic.

#10421 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Thanks for that level headed observation
I'd encourage everybody to pick up the phone and call Bill
There are no more excuses now. All the smart ass comments are cute and funny but the guy with answers to your questions is a phone call away
Report back with what you find out
I'd love for some of the more vocal guys to pick up the phone and get the facts for yourself versus pounding away on the computer

I encourage everybody to save the time and spend the phone call to your lawyer.

The sooner you act the better your chances of seeing anything. Keep in mind that pintasia has been helping cook the books and evaporate assets for 2 months, so everyday means more time for them to try and legitimize the crap jpop has been doing and remove more assets. Heck they are already putting things in motion to remove the most valuable asset, the proto magocgirl...

This thing is completely dead and the sooner you realize that the better you can possibly be.

I do not think you will see a penny back, but at minimum the sooner you act the quicker jpops life turns to crap.

18
#10464 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

You are amazing Hilton, especially coming on the heels of your ridiculous non stop promotion of Predator. Haven't you learned anything. Get your facts straight
This is not that. We don't need to be saved by you but thanks for your concern

Point being that i HAVE used my previous experiences to learn from. This thing stinks even more than the skitB fiassco and to think they actually had multiple working prototypes before even taking serious money. You to should be looking at the past to see why this current scam is such a raw deal. At least Kevin has not come begging for more money to help him.

I don't need to list out the differences that make jpop even worse than skitB, but in regards to the current plan the biggest issue is jpop is caustic and owes MANY vendors for product that he has not paid for. Those vendors will and should bankrupt this current plan before it ever takes flight.

At least skitB has not asked anyone to sign away their right to presscharges or sue, LOL. WTF kind of deal is that.

#10473 8 years ago
Quoted from Jokercyclone:

I'm not in on any Jpoop game. It would seem to me looking from the outside that everyone could give the new guy his one month. By that time the game will have hit a show, also all the details will be put forth before you sign. Then after the month you can still get on board or sue Jpoop either way, just have all the facts you need to make an informed choice.

Just keep in mind that while you could be sitting with your thumb on the pause button, that the other side will be evaporating assets and making the books appears in order.

The only one you should presenting any amount if due diligence to on your proof of payment is your lawyer, the courts, and the cops. Jpop is a fraud 100% and the most flagrant evidence is him attempting to take deposits in the past 60 days when pintasia plan was obviously already in motion. Anything you provide to prove yourself now will be what they then amass in rear and using against you in court. Do not provide them with the opportunit to accurately fill in the blanks in Jpops bad book keeping! The poor book keeping alone is fraudulent.

WAKE up!

Start asking what the real motives are for pintasia to come in at this stage, what risks he is not taking, what he has to gain in all scenarios!

ACT now!

Do not wait!

#10491 8 years ago

I fully understand pintasia and ice and wcbrandes desire to see something come out of the large personal and emotional investment they have in jpop. trust me, I of all people fully understand that innate desire to see something you love come to light. However, not all of these people are doing this for the innate want.

I admire and can identify with you ice, but you are being bamboozled just like I was on Predator.

The bad thing here is they are trying to bamboozle many others and pintasia has personal financial interest to gain now. Worst case scenario he will walk away with a prototype in a few weeks time.

I highly suggest all owners get eyes on jpop studio ASAP and get lots of photos inside of what is currently there. there is still money and enough bills have been paid to keep the lights on up to current time. parts and equipment will evaporate quickly.

I really wish Ice had me stop over two weeks ago when I offered as at minimum it would be a recent record of what was there and could have been good evidence of more fraud that will be happening and is likely happening right now.

10
#10527 8 years ago
Quoted from TOK:

You were basically saying "whats that smell?" while your hair was on fire with Predator, even willing to bet one of your games that you'd have your shiny new machine in a month.
I know you say you learned, but you can at least understand why people don't respect your opinion on this, right? Sometimes it makes sense to just lay low.

Completely understand. I hope some people can also see that i have learned, know some of the people that were originally on the inside on this, and there is also reason to try helping others that are blinded by the money they have already paid. I know what it is like to be on that side unfortunately.

#10542 8 years ago
Quoted from DCfoodfreak:

If jpop is at that show I hope everyone yells him off the stage and out of the room!

I hope they do more than merely yell.

16
#11016 8 years ago

I know those that have large sums of money plopped down as game buyers must be somewhat excited by seeing some progress and these ramps, but I implore you to try your best to keep your critical thinking glasses on. You really have it in your best interests to file a complaint with the state attorney and contact your lawyer TODAY if you have not already done so.

It seems very obvious as someone looking from the outside in (and given my past of being in your similar shoes for Predator) that there are a few key individuals involed which are motivated mainly by personal desire to hedge their potential losses. They may have their heart in the right place but their heads are also. Many of these guys are rich and savvy businessmen. Research their history to get a better understanding of whom you are dealing with.

WC, PDX (he paid for the current ramp molds is my understanding), and a few others are bank rolling this current short term effort but they also have the most to possibly gain. Worst case scenario for them is they will now be walking away with the 3? prototypes in a more completed form when everything else crashes and burns. This is really the only true asset that zidware has of any value at this time.

It is also obvious that there is no real plan in place to prevent zidware and Jpop from declaring bankruptcy and as soon as that occurs then all other efforts become just more of the dog and pony show.

Thinking realistically.

1. Even if this game is the GOAT, it will never be worth the crazy price tag they have put on it. It has zero "rare" collectibility at 199.
2. No offer with a request to remove all ability to sue is EVER looking out for your protection as a customer. They are merely holding you hostage with the threat of something 'possibly' or seal your fate with nothing. Think long and hard why ANYONE would ever present this offer in the first place and you have the real reason behind all their motives.
3. Making a prototype is the fun and easy part. Manufacturing games in the difficult, costly, and not fun part. There is no current manufacturer that is willing or able to make these games and if they did it will not be the custom hand tooled expectations you had as original buyers. This game is already such a mess of custom that even Stern would be unlikely to ever think about taking this on. So where would these EVER get made, by whom, and at what cost. It really is not feasible.
4. 16k!!!??? WTF? Seriously! Start doing the math yourself on this and you will quickly understand that you are still getting hosed. They realize you are screwed and taking advantage of that leverage to toss a WAG and see what sticks.
5. Their current motives are squarely aligned with their own personal desires of MG and they are giving the majority of people already screwed (RAZA buyers) the biggest short of all. All caveats of their language continue to be geared in this direction.
6. Jpop and Pintasia claim that all the money is gone, yet based on the photos from yesterday, he is still occupying his 4k per month state of the art shop. In other words, you are still being lied to. These huslters will continue to lie and string you along based on emotion and desire to get a game you have dreamt about and already potted in. They are playing off this emotion and ramps should not be enough. At minimum they should have all the books completely open for you to see (This is what will happen in bankruptcy, they are trying to circumvent that and remove assets now, so seems only right that they also provide you the books in full right now).
7. All prototypes and equipment that leaves the current studio will never return and easily evaporate. This is the reality and no bankruptcy proceeding is going to be able to force them to return the assests or spend any amount of time looking for them.

Good luck to all. I highly suggest you take action now to put things in motion that have the best chance of benefiting you (or at least mitigating as much of your loss as possible). These guys are already taking actions to mitigate their losses and they have had the benefit of a couple month headstart (likely an illegal headstart after jpop files bankruptcy this week).

#11027 8 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

But what difference does it make to me to wait 2 weeks? Nothing.

In short...

It means 2 weeks more time for assets to disappear from Zidware.
It means 2 weeks more time for Jpop to get the head start on getting books in order to make sure all money disappears (keep in mind he now has help from business savvy people).
It means less chance for you to mitigate personal loss.

On the other hand, if this is alreayd a write off for you then it likely means lieelt edifference to you.

I personally would want to make things as difficult for Jpop as possible as he has lied and stolen from all of you.

#11120 8 years ago
Quoted from MikeS:

The layout reminds me a lot of SWE1. Symmetrical ramps, open target area in the middle, pop bumpers in the same place, raised skill shot, similar orbit placement, etc... Magic Girl has more going on obviously with the upper playfield, loopier ramps and more magnet tricks.. but deep down I think this game shares more with SWE1 than any of JPops other games.

good observation and I agree

#11130 8 years ago
Quoted from epthegeek:

Seems like the right way to do this is for someone to:
- Step in, and buy Zidware's assets outright
- Pay off the vendors owed
- Refund all the preorders
- Finish MG
- Build it and sell it.
Who's up for that?

That would be the right way for someone that had the ultimate goal of producing all the games and making sure all previous buyers were made whole.

I see 3 options for any liscensee:

1. Do the underhanded route which is currently happening. Step in and sweet talk Jpop with a promise of "hand over the rights and step aside and I will get people to not sue or send you to jail".
I keep asking myself what is the underlying motive of doing it this way???

2. Wait for Jpop to declare bankruptcy and then step in and buy the IP and physical assets by bidding on it against others. This gets sticky as you are unsure of what you may or may not need and Jpop woudl likely make sure some of his key electronic files are never provided. You also would need to bid on everything and some collectors have deep pockets and could get certain parts you really need if you want to build complete games.

3. Do what epthegeek proposes and buy out zidware, taking on all the IP, assests and DEBTS. You take the whole pill and swallow it, but this also obviously means you care about making everyone whole or at least as much as you can.

To me the motives of Pintasia opting for #1 is very telling of what their motives may be.

#11142 8 years ago
Quoted from MikeS:

It's not all a lost cause though as they'll find a way to keep at least one of the Prototype games which should be worth plenty just on rarity alone.

Sometimes the simplest explanation really is the most likely.

This is their obvious end game. Even if it is not their current end goal, they are hedging all efforts on having the playable prototypes in their personal posession.

#11165 8 years ago
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:

MG is much further along than RAZA
All the toys for RAZA are not complete
The art, theme and direction of the pin needs major rework, Godzilla,Robbie the Robot, Mars etc will need to changed.
If Pintasia can pull off MG, RAZA will be next but in terms of getting a game to a production line MG is the clear choice. Because of John actions or lack of them there isn't a lot of time to get the ball rolling.

The way you post and your recent posting history make it sound like you a a member of Pintasia.

Is this correct?

What involvement do you have on this project at this point?

#11170 8 years ago
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:

Zero position with Pintasia
I'm just helping if I can.

Didn't you fund the development of the ramp molds?
Was that seperate to the Pintasia take over?

21
#11292 8 years ago
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:

Plus it does cut down on the overall costs if your mom does the art.

like not paying the guy that did all your coding?

#11420 8 years ago

The intentional scrubbing means Jpop is well underway towards bankruptcy filings.

Yet another reason to ACT now, file a complaint and contact your lawyer ASAP!!!!

While you are at it, start scouring and saving screenshots and use archive to preserve info now!

#11500 8 years ago
Quoted from fosaisu:

I know you mean well and are trying to protect Zidware customers given your experience with Predator, but I'm afraid that you're once again giving suspect legal advice. If Zidware/JPop bankruptcy is imminent, which seems pretty likely to me too, then there's no obvious benefit in rushing to pay a lawyer to get a civil complaint filed. Bankruptcy "pauses" almost all pending civil cases anyway, so you'd be out your legal costs and in no better position than buyers that just wait to file a proof of claim with the bankruptcy court.

If you want to try and stop the removal of assets (obviously already occuring) then the quicker you act, the better.

If you want to start the greater eye of scrutiny on this liscense 'deal' between jpop and pintasia then the quicker the better.

There are LOTS of reasons that it is worthwhile to pay a couple hunder to have a claim started.

#11514 8 years ago
Quoted from jwilson:

Doing them for all three prototypes I take it?

appears that way.

Wonder why the need to do them for all 4???

#11527 8 years ago
Quoted from rai:

Am I the only person who thinks this is some kind of shell game?
How are we to believe or how can it be proven that John has no money left?
And as I said before if (as Ben suggested) it would cost ~$1M to build and code the games (so John should have known how much he could burn designing them and how much he needed to keep in reserve) so why was John spending money like crazy and can we believe there is no money left from over $1M collected when he has made so little progress and paid virtually no one involved?

That is the MAGIC behind the MG title. Magically disappear the funds paid into one account and they reappear as salary in his own personal account.

#11535 8 years ago
Quoted from CraigC:

what's the cost on something like this, is it possible to do this for home brew games at a reasonable price?
-c

That would be great!

-2
#11605 8 years ago
Quoted from PINTASIA:

Thank you for that...It is apparent to us that there are people on Pinside who do not want Pintasia to succeed. We understand, there are people in every crowd who find comfort in seeing people fail, as they can't be happy with the success of others due to their own situation. These people wish to see that purchasers of Zidware products lose all their money.
Pintasia is owned 100% by William Brandes, also known as Bill Brandes aka wcbrandes on Pinside. Bill is also a fellow Zidware product purchaser. He has done nothing but put out his own cash, time and effort to help all Zidware purchasers and has accomplished the following:
1) Magic Girl prototype - due to Bill's efforts (and the people he is working with), the Magic Girl prototype is being completed and it will be making its way to the Northwest Pinball and Arcade show. Bill flew out to Chicago at his own expense to see for himself the status of the prototype and to find out what was outstanding to get it completed. Unlike the speculation of the naysayers, he is getting this completed NOT to add to his personal collection, but to find out the reality of getting this machine into production so that Zidware customers can get a game in their hands (should they wish to get a MG).
2) Pintasia business plan - As represented, Bill did not pursue this venture due to profit motivation. Anyone who understands business and knows what it takes to get this off the ground will know that it will cost a lot of investment dollars before dollar one. Not only that, Bill has stated that he wants to take the profits of the games to help make Zidware product purchasers whole. This means not only people who bought MG, but RAZA and AIW as well. Since the games need to be made one at a time, he is offering different ways for RAZA and AIW customers to speed up the process that they can see results whether that be from 1) converting to a MG or 2) taking profits from MG sales and crediting that to RAZA and AIW customers.
3) Information and updates - Bill has spent countless hours on the phone, on Pinside, on Facebook, answering emails to bring information and updates to Zidware customers. This is the information that everyone has been asking for and wanting. No, he is not being paid to do this. He is spending time that he could be doing something else, helping people.
4) Manufacturing - As stated, Pintasia will not be manufacturing the games. Bill has been speaking with potential manufacturers to understand what the BOM will be, what remaining items are needed, timelines etc. to work out a contract that can get games into production, and into the hands of Zidware customers.
5) Vendors - Pintasia has been contacting and working with past vendors to understand what has been done and how parties can work on the project moving forward and get paid.
6) Attorneys - Hired attorneys to help look at the situation as to how to help Zidware customers without wasting further time and preserve the IP.
And the list goes on...
In such a short period of time, he has accomplished so much on behalf of Zidware product purchasers. Yes, there are the people who have stepped up to help and been supportive of the cause. However, there are a large number of people who spend all their time trying to criticize and find fault. Honestly I don't know how you can try to find fault with a person who has not asked for any money, has generously contributed their time, money, effort, personal contacts (asked for favors) in order to help the pinball community.
Bill asked Sabrina to assist him in various aspects of due diligence on Zidware and for operations of Pintasia. As part of that effort, she assisted in the incorporation of the company. That does not mean she owns the company. For those who do not understand who the owners of a corporation are and need a lesson in this...the owners are the shareholders. And Bill is 100% shareholder of Pintasia Design Inc.
The problem with google is that you will find a lot of information, some which is true and some which is false or simply has nothing to do with the topic at hand. How many people have the same name? Has someone really tried to understand who these people are behind Pintasia, or is everyone on a race to try to put up nasty posts and create drama. There are a number of people all with the name Sabrina Wei, and unfortunately some of those people have had a checkered past. You may want to blame Sabrina's parents for giving her the name, however, there are lots of other names that are significantly worse. So before throwing @*!@ against the wall and slinging mud, watch the real actions of the people you are doing that with. Sabrina has several professional designations, is well respected in the business community. She is a very hard working individual who has also contributed her own time and money to help Zidware customers. Anyone who has met her will tell you that she is a very kind hearted person who is genuine and wants to help others. She has taken on the mission to assist Bill and those who have been hurt in the Zidware situation. We invite those on Pinside who have actually met Sabrina in person to tell you what they think of her instead of reading stuff that has been conjured up to hurt Pinside and Bill's reputation.
So for those people who are the naysayers and can't stand the fact that someone has truly stepped up out of the goodness of their heart to help the pinball community and want to just try to dig up stuff to hurt Bill and Pintasia...stop, just stop. You don't realize how many people have called us as fellow pinheads to say, are you out of your mind to try to take on this project and these responsibilities?!?
Maybe, just maybe they are right. If the pinball community can't appreciate a good samaritan and would rather see Zidware crash and burn with all their customers receiving zero in bankruptcy, maybe that is what should happen, then everyone can look back and understand what Bill was actually trying to save them from.
Bottom line is this, the only reason Zidware customers are trying to sue or put Zidware in bankruptcy is because they think there is money to be had. Maybe sometimes people just need to find out the hard way...and no, this is not Bill writing this post. It is someone at Pintasia who has seen the hard work that Bill and Sabrina has put into this project and feels that they don't deserve this type of treatment by ignorant people posting on Pinside.

wtf?

#11624 8 years ago
Quoted from retro_p:

It's been two friggin' days! And Bill has been working (and spending a lot) to get a prototype at NW.
The third degree from people with zero skin in the game is getting a little old at this point.

Actually what is getting old is the fact that so much energy is being put into getting a single game ready for NW (a game that was supposedly flippable 2 years ago!!!) and yet there is no time to answer a few VERY simple questions!

2 hours on pinside and he could answer every single question posed.

An efficient way to do this would be to ask the mods to start an "ask Pintasia" thread and moderate it. 2 dyas of asking questions and then 2hours to answer them all. BAM, done!

The priority to spend all time getting a flippable game to NW is very telling of where the priorities are aligned and to me make the intent less than transparent.

24
#11634 8 years ago
Quoted from Concretehardt:

Ironic that anyone suggesting something like this on the Predator thread a few months ago would of been lit on fire by you.

Yup and I was completely wrong.

I am seeing almost the exact same signs that I missed back then. At least I learn form my mistakes I guess

#11680 8 years ago
Quoted from pinball_customs:

Bwahaha! I was thinking the same thing. Especially for something as simple as "wtf".

sometimes quoting is just to make sure the verbal barf of a business talking in the 3rd person does not evaporate. Simple way to hold it for posterity (may or may not be needed at a later date as nobody can predict what will happen on this train)

#11874 8 years ago

Where is the Yetti and FAST.

I hope they are paying attention to this since they are now facilitating the selling of the game and promotion of it at NW show.

#11875 8 years ago
Quoted from TheNoTrashCougar:

I hope this message does not get lost in the madness of this thread.
I have one very important thing to say...
Bill, you MUST respond to the emails that Jim from Orange Cloud Software has been sending you before you go and show off MG as a sale generation tool. He must be "made whole" ahead of time.
Thank you.
--Scott

ALL people that worked on the game should be made whole BEFORE showing off the game!

#11914 8 years ago
Quoted from zombieyeti:

It's messages like these that make me think I should stay home

It may honestly be the best idea to seperate yourself from this project as much as possible. If you have not been paid for your work up to this point then that would be an extra good idea.

#11953 8 years ago
Quoted from jrivelli:

Are we able to get our deposits refunded from you guys we paid directly before paying john the rest of the money?

Scary for cointaker but they are definitely on the hook for any deposits paid to them. Makes this a whole extra level of scumbag from Jpop.

13
#12072 8 years ago

REALITY IS JPOP STILL HAS YOUR MONEY.

It is NOT all gone. Add it up and atleast 25-50% remains. He has lied to you for years so why do you think he is telling you the truth now.

If the money is all gone then he has been funneling to his owne personal accounts and this is not legal.
He is likely stupid enough that he has been commingling with personal account which will open him up to much greater harm.

Seems like this lawyer is offering a good low cost option. $500 and only 25% of what they secure.
I have not done due diligence to see if he is any good but it is nice to have cases consolidated for cost effectiveness and also since they are likely to work harder when they have a greater return from more people using them.

Contact details:

Zane D. Smith
Zane D. Smith & Associates, Ltd.
415 N.LaSalle – Suite 501
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312) 245-0031
(312) 245-0022 – Fax
[email protected]

#12089 8 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

Seems like vendors are popping out of the woodwork. They might be able to help paint the picture of how much John actually spent.
Creating a game is where the expensive labor is. It wouldn't take that many contractors to blow through 1.5 million in four years, or even three years if we go by the fact sounds like the money ran out a year ago.

Even severly over inflating cost guestimates.

Total cash brought in >> 1.2 to 1.6million

Rent for shop (has he been there for 4 years?) 4k per month = 200k in rent
Shop Equipment (assume purchased from the videos we saw) = 60-100k
Payments to some vendors for limited total parts (what are we talking 3-5 total prototypes) 60k
Payments to coder, artists, sound guy, etc (from what we know this was limited) 100k
Salary for Jon (should have been zero, but with the size of his ego) 100k per year = 400k

Absolute worst case he still has 300k in the bank.
He still has all of the shop equipment which has retained most of its value.
He would have a very difficult time justifying a 100k salary given the comparables of other well known designers.
The IP is worth something to the high dollar colectors.
The prorotypes are also worth something and if they do not all disappear would like bring high bids at auction.

If forced into bankruptcy there is likely the ability to prove/find 300 to 900k still remains. (some paid in salary but likely able to prove this was not part of the agreement and he will owe this back, esp given his likely cominggling of accounts)

This means .50 on the dollar possibly returned for each person that paid him.

I would assume that with Pintasia stepping in they have structured a deal on the Jpop side where they will claim to be a vendor/supporter and will be a secured debtor. They are blowing through money like crazy (claiming 100k in the past week!!! WTH? How is that even possible? ).

Wake up and realize the angle you are all being sold on. Jpop is scrubbing the internet in order to make your jobs harder to get him. Act now and do all you can to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible. I would say the best thing you can do is to force him in to bankruptcy ASAP.

-2
#12114 8 years ago

I would say your action at this point come down to whom do you trust and believe less?

Jpop or Pintasia...

Also, it should focus around 1 question >> Do you think all the jpop money is really gone?
If you genuinely think it is gone then you may think you have no finacial reason to spend $500 more and send Jpop into bankruptcy. Still other good reasons to make Jpop pay dearly for his lies and actions.

I think it is obvious that not all the money is gone. Jpop still has a full shop as of a few days ago. This is filled with tons of equipment, prototypes, and sellable IP. Jpop has poor accounting and likely has personal accounts that were tied to zidware accounts. This opens up all his personal assets to liquidation. There is money to be had but currently you have a new secured debtor that will be rushing to the front of the line to get paid when the project completely fails (which is inevitable given the circumstances and the math) and that new debtor os blowing through cash like it is going out of style.

#12137 8 years ago
Quoted from YKpinballer:

I am pretty confident it will amount to 3 completed machines. There is like a 90% chance of that. Anybody who thinks they are getting one of them without forking over a ton of money is in dreamland.

I think we can all make a good guess to where a few of those completed games will end up...

#12203 8 years ago
Quoted from ChrisVW:

You're right. I think we are talking past each other here. I agree with you JPOP doesn't want to get sued. No ones disagreeing with that.
I just refuse to expend 1 more dollar or calorie thinking about what JPOP needs, wants, says or does.
I'm DONE with him.

I would kickstarter some cash for anyone that is putting together an organized effort to force Jpop into bankruptcy and chase this to the end!

$100 donation from me if someone wants to gofund.

I want clear list of your plan of action and the full storyline to be shared (I need something for my $100 kickstarted contribution). I also want to see all the gory details as it unfolds.

I bet there are a few others here that would be willing to chip in on this.

I want to see Jpop pay for his crimes and be humilated for it (likely a bigger payment from him is the damage to his ego).

#12228 8 years ago
Quoted from chessiv:

That's the problem with boutique pins. You need a pro designer, coder, artist and musician to make a truly great pin. Many of the boutique pins fall short in one or more of these areas. Seriously short.

What pin made in the past 10 years does not fall short in ATLEAST 1 of those categories?

#12260 8 years ago

zombieyeti > do you have a website?

Also, do you have any interest in doing rock art posters?
I know a few people and will point them in your direction.

I would like to buy some art prints from you and would HIGHLY suggest some full color limited edition prints of your work.

I would buy one of that AiW image above or similar character work. I like your style.

#12278 8 years ago
Quoted from zombieyeti:

I appreciate the support man
I do and I do

Zombieyeti.com - portfolio (in need of updating)

Zombieyeti.bigcartel.com (prints and stuff)

WOW. You already have your sh!t together! Nice!

Make more art prints of pinball in nature and I will buy them up (as will many others)
We already like collectible and limited crap

#12380 8 years ago
Quoted from zombieyeti:

I have considered selling the first MG prototype backglass... But not sure it'd be desirable, all things considered

Opening bid $300

#12396 8 years ago
Quoted from jwilson:

I'd pay $500 for it, easily.

time to put it on ebay zombieyeti. There is interest.

#12416 8 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

JJP may last minute license it and I hope so.

not everyone likes crappy "hot right now" licensed themes. I am pretty sure that a Pat L theme where he is allowed to innovate and no more pre-order will do very well.

There are plenty of collectors and buyers that are not like you. Although it is funny that your best and most expensive title is actually a non-licensed Pat Lawlor theme hmmm interesting couterpoint is found right inside your own collection.

#12423 8 years ago
Quoted from herbertbsharp:

A licensed game is going to sell more units

WWE says that a licensed theme does not = more units sold

I would say it is not so cut and dry as licensed = lower risk. Reality is that if a game shoots well and has a fun theme then it will do well. Just because Stern has created an equation for them does not make it smart for everyone else to follow it.

To me, there is obvious pent up demand for a Pat Lawlor original theme with NO preorder. I have said that the best thing for JJP is to make a great game, have it ready to sell, and show up with a semi (or 5) at expo. If Pat is given the opportunity to innovate then I bet they go home with 5 empty trailers and lots more demand.

#12510 8 years ago
Quoted from gweempose:

That is a lot easier said than done.

depending on how John kept his books, it may not be too difficult given the right lawyer

#12516 8 years ago
Quoted from Join_The_Cirqus:

http://www.pinballschool.org/
Looks like you can still apply to pinballschool at Zidware.
Was this IP also licensed by Pintasia or under the same LLC?
Couldnt money be shifted into this by John ?

hey at least a partial list of equipment on that page

"Makerbot Replicator 3D printers
Makerbot 3D Desktop Scanner
Zenbot 4848 CNC Machine
HP CAD Color Paper Plotter
Electrical Work Bench Stations
Mechnaical Work Bench Stations
Benchtop PCB Reflow Solder Oven
Chicago Rivet Automatic Ballguide Riveter
Pnuematic Air Stapler Tools and Drills
Wood Working Machinery & Saws
Metal Working Machinery and Nibblers
Solidworks® 3D Cad Suite
Adobe® CS Creative Suite
Draftsight 2D Cad Suite
and much more! "

#12518 8 years ago

in case anyone wants to sign up still

2014_PDW_Application_r1.pdf2014_PDW_Application_r1.pdf

#12521 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

I said I wouldn't to John, and John asked me not to b/c of the Pintasia agreement. It is a licensing to Pintasia issue, John doesn't control the intellectual property any longer. The videos were from before the agreement, and then recently, the pics Bill released are the only recent pictures I've seen. I'm not sure what you'd want pictures of, that you haven't already seen.
The picture Bill showed of the game in the front office at Zidware is the same office I saw Thursday, except the cabinet and playfield are now with Pintasia, on loan, going to the NW show.

Just wanted to point out that if John was really completely out of money, he would have been busy emptying out that expensive shop that he is paying rent on...

#12529 8 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

He still needs all that room to store his ego.

He must have the whole damn office park rented in that case!!!

Now I know where all the money went.

1 4k per month shop to tinker
6 more 4k per month shops to try and contain his ego.

#12580 8 years ago
Quoted from Shapeshifter:

Yup, Pat's unlicensed game would look pretty cool with Zombieyeti artwork. Wonder if JJP thinking this way? Time will tell.

Pretty sure it is already John Youssi

#12659 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Pretty F ing disappointing. Not a single taker on my bet. It's 3 cases of beer to 1? What's not to like?
?

I have not been paying attention so i do. Not know what the bet is. However, i want to drink with iceman so i am in.

Maybe we can convince Robin to let us have a drunk posting at expo thread where anything goes...

-8
#12726 8 years ago
Quoted from ChrisVW:

Isn't publishing PMs a big no-no? I'd delete that.

agreed. Even low for lowepg.

Everyone please take note that he is the sort of guy to publish PMs (PERSONAL messages) that you send to him. Pretty disgusting forum behavior.

-19
#12731 8 years ago
Quoted from TaylorVA:

the above quote is from whysnow
threatening someone in a PM transcends any privacy of that PM IMO. Not speaking to this specific incident but people should be aware if members are being abusive in PMs. That should not be tolerated at all.

that is what moderator forum is for. If you are getting abusive PMs there are easy solutions:

1. put the person on ignore (pretty sure this prevents them form PMing you
2. Open a moderator thread

Posting PMs in public is not the answer and VERY poor form on a forum (esp when one of our own just had a little too much to drink and got sick of someone's insentient trolling for reactions; notice that lowepg is at the center of any drama and seems to take joy in not just pointing out the salt but rubbing it in).

#12800 8 years ago
Quoted from jonnyo:

Same EXACT thing happened with Predator. People feel powerless to do anything against Jpop so they vent their anger on each other.

well that and some people just do their best to rub it in your face when you screw up. They are trying to get teh reaction and then act innocent after they get the exact thing they were striving for.

#12843 8 years ago
Quoted from zombieyeti:

John is the ONLY problem here. I resisted this for a long time because I wanted to see these machines and the work I put into them. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I liked him. It's not like it was a pleasure working with him all the time, bear in mind. Whether I was being delusional or selfish, I'm getting a pretty clear picture now thanks to the last few weeks.
One question keeps coming back to me: If John could lie for years purporting to be doing the art himself, why would I think he would be honest about ANYTHING? Or capable to DO anything himself? It saddens me to even think some of what i now do about him - but the evidence is pretty overwhelming.
So I probably shouldn't share this - but I think it's important because Bill will catch hell from some here regardless of the showing at NW - BUT here goes... The prototype - John's LAST ditch effort to prove himself and possibly earn an ounce of goodwill back to his toxic reputation - was all based on pure horse excrement...
John said it would be ready by last weekend. It wasn't. Monday? Not even close. Tuesday? Nope.... Bill was taken for a ride in this, albeit an extended one by comparison to most - based on the info John presented and trusting it. BUT he pushed through - a team of local owners came in to dig John out and get something out of nothing over the past days. That team got it functioning at 2am this morning. Right now the machine is leaving Chicago for NW.
Unfortunately in all of this, and personal circumstances beyond my control, I won't be riding or attending NW afterall. It saddens me because I wanted to see MG just once in a working form and buy Bill & anyone involved a few rounds of drinks.
Argue that it was futile all you want - but at least someone tried. It definitely wasn't John.

sorry you will not be able to see it flipping in person.

Reality is that as a contractor that is owed money if you open a case now you can likely be a secured debtor which means you go to the front of the line for payment. Maybe you can get a game for all your efforts.

#12886 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Pin-pimp. Your ramps do look great in the game! If you don't like the metal connection underneath the two half circles, blame me. I don't have a game on order, I'm just a local collector in the loop with Chicago area pinheads, coders, suppliers and designers. I decided to help these last two days to give everyone a change to judge and decide what to do if I had a preorder. I would hope someone would step up if the game was being made in Seattle and I had $ in here in Chicago with a reveal at Expo. You guys deserve to see it.
Things we did were assembly, testing and tweaking final part fitting, a lot of little adjustments to connector placements or such - minor stuff - with a lot of small step testing.
I'm not looking for any atta boy - but you deserve a game to see and judge, and to know the game is done, and hopefully with no bugs created in transport, be able to play the game (or see someone playing) and let the chips fall where they may.
Dan

I hope you took some photos of the shop and general contents. It could be valuable for placing a time marker on the assets contained int eh shop when this goes to further litigation.

#12936 8 years ago
Quoted from PoMC:

Thanks from holland,I appreciate your efforts,you will be legend if this works out...legend..

I LOLd

-10
#12948 8 years ago
Quoted from fosaisu:

Why do you say he'd be in a better place by filing a civil law suit now vs. waiting for the bankruptcy to make a claim? And whatever happens, is it likely that a bankruptcy court is going to start simply handing out games to unpaid contractors instead of auctioning everything off and distributing the cash?

sorry I mixed up debtor and creditor. Feel free to correct my spelling errors while you are at it if it makes you feel better.

My point being is that if he does nothing then he can be sure of getting nothing.

I suggest he contact a lawyer ASAP and file a civil claim now. If he is owed money as a contractor and not paid then the best thing he can do is to get the ball rolling ASAP and be on the front line of the matter. I thought contractors that are unpaid and provided a physical product typically go ahead of us dumbasses that pay deposits on preorders? Guess I am wrong on that.

A bankruptcy is obviously going to liquidate assets and then pay out based on what they get. I assume they pay certain groups first and thought contractors were further up that line than most.

It was a joke that he would actually getting a game, but I am guessing you missed that since you were more concerned with condesending asshattery than the obvious reality that nobody will ever be getting a game (unless they buy a prototype at bankruptcy liquidation I suppose).

#12953 8 years ago
Quoted from rai:

By the time these pins are done Whysnow could enter law school, graduate and pass the bar exam.

lol, but no thanks.

#12958 8 years ago
Quoted from YKpinballer:

It is already headed to NW so it will be very close to Brandes' home of Vancouver. Maybe he'll just take his boat down to the show and... you know... boat back. With some cargo. :p

If I was an original MG deposit payer I have to say that I would be making sure the game does not go back to Jpop.

#12962 8 years ago
Quoted from TaylorVA:

The game is Jpops though. Right? So confused at this point.

supposedly/technically that sounds to be the case and Pintasia is just 'borrowing' it.

Either way, I woudl be making sure it does not get back to John. If Pintasia is really planning to produce these then they will need the only fully working proto to make adjustments ansd tweaks (don't worry it is never going to happen and this is the swan song for this game). Assuming Jpop is going bankrupt then no reaosn to allow him to squirrel away this most valuable asset or make it disappear before bankruptcy.

#12977 8 years ago
Quoted from fosaisu:

Stick to what you know

a baseball bat is not a allowed form of prescribed legal rebutal on pinside unfortunately.

I would say if you are stupid enough to come to a pinball forum for legal advice from an internet lawyer then you are the real dumbazz.

Quoted from jayhawkai:

"Seldom right, but never in doubt."

Fortunately I am smart enough to hire a real lawyer when needed.

-1
#12978 8 years ago
Quoted from fosaisu:

Sorry you feel this way, but you routinely offer questionable legal advice/analysis in a very confident tone.

I am very confident that the longer you sit with your thumb up your butt the less likely you are to see any recourse or return of any funds.

IF there's no bankruptcy and there are assets, then the first to get judgments will be the first ones to be able to seize assets and get their money back. Once the assets are depleted, there's no more to go after and good luck getting paid from a defunct company with no assets.

#12981 8 years ago

any chance of getting this in color rather than just the line art?

#13023 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Btw, I'll let you know when I'm in your back yard and we will see who the "little bitch" is. Your words
My cousins live in Cary and I was born in Smithfield so I'll be visiting this summer. Let's get together and have a few drinks

I like your style!

#13048 8 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

» YouTube video

close it down for the week Ben. You just won the internet!

#13059 8 years ago
Quoted from epthegeek:

Internet famous. It's different. Nothing against Ben, of course, he's a great guy. He's just not "Famous" famous.

It is really all relative. All I know is he is a great dude and funny as hell sometimes!

#13097 8 years ago

Please do the coloring on AiW and do another print. Maybe a run of 100 this time.

Also, I vote you then take these funds and buy yourself a pinball machine. If you are going to stick around you need to embrace the silverball. It will also help you to start thinking 'pinball' for when you get the next opportunity to do the art for a full machine.

#13100 8 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

I recall John saying something about Copperfield too... Like he was maybe a customer and they were going to "skin" a custom MG for him maybe?
Not too far fetched TOM started as David Copperfield but was changed.

I thought copperfield was the early SS game that Epthegeek was coding?

#13169 8 years ago
Quoted from hank527:

Post 13168
Here's John's cell phone number be sure and send him some text messages
***-***-**** (No personnel information for other people allowed, Edited by Moderator team)
Maybe he will respond. Though I doubt it.

Does he even answer calls?

#13178 8 years ago
Quoted from hank527:

Post 13168
Here's John's cell phone number be sure and send him some text messages
***-***-**** (No personnel information for other people allowed, Edited by Moderator team)
Maybe he will respond. Though I doubt it.

the mailbox is full and can not accept any messages at this time.

-8
#13201 8 years ago
Quoted from woz:

The calm before the storm.....

I think you meant the calm before the shitstorm.

Can't believe the monkey is even attempting to show teaser pics and "nan nan boo boo look what I have" shit. What a joke.
Either take some high quality pics and video or just shut up and let people at the show do it for you. Your hype meter is broken and not a good idea to try and set expectations high in this case.

I bet it barely plays and has major issues and parts still missing. It already appears slapped together in a couple of weeks even from one grain crappy photo. Pretty disgusting at all that pintasia is showing this off as some major accomplishment without having paid ALL vendors and contractors in full before doing so!

#13258 8 years ago
Quoted from YKpinballer:

Haha... come on, despite all the internet tough guys on pinside, even if JPop himself showed up the worst he would get is some overly polite complaining. Nobody is going to vandalize the game or cause Bill and his company any trouble.

I would not be too sure about that. The game is supposedly just borrowed from Jpop. I know if I was in attendance and he had stolen 20k from me that he would be getting more than "polite complaining". I would make sure the guy was completely humiliated and unable to stay at the show.

#13300 8 years ago
Quoted from zombieyeti:

wow... impossible not to take that personally

Yeah it is a coment on the color bombing of crappy lighting. "Skittles" is what a game with lots of color bombed GI looks like and that is a perfect discription for MG.

It is really a shame, esp since your art is so good! Warm white GI would really make it pop instead of the taste the rainbow lighting abomination that it currently has.

#13319 8 years ago

To me it is a shame that John's ego is so big that not only does he hire a great artist and not pay him, but then he decides that he is the artisitic genious and wants to tweak a bunch of stuff. Sure, provide your input to steer as the designed but let the pro do the driving.

14
#13331 8 years ago

Here are some photos
MG1.jpgMG1.jpg

#13336 8 years ago

more

MG2.JPGMG2.JPG

MG3.JPGMG3.JPG

#13338 8 years ago

more

MG4.JPGMG4.JPG

MG7.JPGMG7.JPG

#13339 8 years ago

and

MG8.JPGMG8.JPG

14
#13444 8 years ago

Too bad we still do not have a clue on the most important thing...

HOW DOES IT PLAY!!!

I will say time and time again it is completely disgusting that this is going to be shown at a show when you have NUMEROUS unpaid vendors, artists, coders, etc... Many of these guys are our pinball brothers and yet they got stepped on and kicked in the junk while their hard work is being featured so someone else can attempt to turn this disaster into a feasible business model and beta for more cash! Never mind that the proposed business and its employees have a littered past and shown to be questionable ethics, they are also doing it on the millions of dollars in preorder money that is being dangled with a non-sue BS contract.

HOW is it possible that so many people are willing to overlook all this?

Pintasia has claimed that he spent over 100k to get the game playable and to the show and it is obvious that even more volunteers have put in lots of time to make stuff happen in the past few months, yet the artists and coders and parts suppliers are still sitting here unpaid!!!

This is a serious WTF in my book.

It is this weird dichotomy of so many great people trying to make something 8thanks to all of you) out of a pile of crap and yet the people steering this whole thing appear to have not taken a single step towards doing the right things to take care of those that even got it to this point.

On top of this all, John the tool that made all this shitstorm come to life is being offered a get out of jail free card if Pintasia can convince and manipulate people into giving even more money.

The red flags are huge and sickening and unpaid vendors and artists should be fuming that their work and parts are being featured at the show.

I feel for all of you that are going to loose in this situation but even more so that your emotions are continually being toyed with.

Play the game like you stole it because it will likely be the one and only time this flippable game? is seen in the real world.

-2
#13546 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

note the word GIVE. Bill is willing to try to get your machine using the credit of what you paid in towards the machine, and you pay the remaining to get delivery.

sorry but this is COMPLETE BS! He is not giving you a damn thing. He is lieing and telling you there is zero money with John (we know this is a lie since the shop is still open and John has yet to declare banckruptcy). The purpose of this lie is to convince you to give him more money, in fact enough money to build the damn machine from the start. He is trying to 100% walk away with the most valuable asset of zidware and at the same time convince you to pay even more money and take and even greater risk in him. There are NO gaurentees that he will not fail and if recent history holds true, he will fail. That means potentially even more money gone from pinheads. Don't give us this BS that he is being generous and 'giving' people anything. He has structured quite possibly the sweetest deal he possibly can and is trying to strong arm literally hundreds of buyers into GIVING HIM more money and taking on more risk!

Quoted from dgarrett:

You can bail on Pintasia's offer and sue Zidware, that has no cash

Again more BS. You are drinking this koolaid way too concentrated and you now have personal vested interest in this so are just another mouthpiece for the lies. JPOP still has his studio and still has some amount of cash. just STOP with the lies of no cash unless you or Pintasia are going to actually show the books to ALL RAZA and MG people.

Even the language you and pintasia are attempting to use in this situation is VERY telling to the reality of the situation. You would all make great politicians! What a complete joke.

I will again encourage every person owned money (either deposit or contractor) to open a claim NOW. If there is no bankruptcy then the first to the money the better the chance. IF there is a bankruptcy and you want the best chance of ANYmoney back then you want your name in the hat and you want ALL assest sold off to the highest bidder. You will also want to know that JPOP does not get off free and clear, trust me on this one.

Reality is that there are already cases against Jpop and IF you think bankruptcy is eminent then you will also realize that the MG proto and any 'license' agreement with Pintasia will likely not stand. Even if you want to support Pintaisia and their efforts, you need to WAKE UP and realize it is already doomed since they structured the entire deal so poorly. If they REALLY cared about all the pinheads then they would have made a deal that allowed them to work on making the game AND allow you to go after Jpop. THEN and only then would they attempt to sell you MG at a later date. None of this hold you hostage with threats of no money unless you give the tons more cash!!! WTF!

-18
#13619 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Alright - enough!. I'm done with you. You are making stuff up now, man - you need to stop. You claim there is money. Past posts said 300k or 900k or other #'s - you claim you haven't seen the books - so what's your number based on? Libel and slander are crimes too.
Including this post - I count 14 posts saying , get out now, call your lawyer. Made your point - please stop repeating it.
Stop the repeated threats of baseball bats, showing up at the shop, "make his life a living hell" - how many violations of pinside rules does it take to lose your pinside access? None of these were softened with "just kidding" or sarcasm emoticons.
Finally, I will say it again, I have no personal vested interest. I have no pre-order, I just volunteered some time (alot of time) earlier this week to get the game in the van with PDX so Bill/Pintasia has a chance to show it, and owners have a chance to see it.
Your calling me a liar, more mouthpiece for lies, etc. is stupid. Grow up. You need to STOP.
I'm not going to hi-jack the thread any longer, or argue with a guy who makes pinside more of a crappy place than RGP.
My conclusion is to push the ignore button, I suggest you do the same and chill out from threats and legal advice.
Sorry for the detour guys.

You are the one that NEEDS TO STOP! You are claiming there is no money, correct?

Then answer this simple question... Where were you at this past week when you were working to get this prototype together?
That is a rhetorical question as we all know the answer. You were at zidware with Jpop. The shop is still open and the lights are still on.

Yes, you are flat out telling lies if you say there is no money.

It does not take a genius to add it all up, calculate how much money was brought in and possible places it went. IF the money was close to all gone then JPOP has been paying himself a HUGE salary all these years (could likely be an attempt to go after that when cases are brought against him is my understanding). The real test is that IF the money was all gone the shop would already be empty, the lights would be off, and John would all ready be bankrupt. Equipment would be sold and it would all be over.

The fact that you can not see you are vested in this is silly. Of course you want it to seceed. You spent long hours and donated time to try and bring it to life and you are proud of your accomplishments. You should be! Unfortunately you need to seperate that from the reality of this situation.

You tell us where the money went if you claim it is all gone. You tell us how the shop is still functioning, the lights are on, and the rent is paid if the money is all gone.

Pintasia claimed 100k spent to get the game to where it is. Where did he spend this 100k?

NOTHING adds up with this game, absolutely nothing!

How is it even remotely OK to you that artists, programmers, and vendors are left unpaid but yet you are part of the team that made it possible to try and sell their hard work at the show this weekend? Is this how you do business?

-14
#13624 8 years ago
Quoted from Mycal:

Dude, we get it but you're just repeating yourself for pages and pages of posts. Please stopping beating the horse, it's dead.

unfortunately it is not dead.

We are being told that JPOP has no cash and their only hope is to invest more in this new very risky venture. Until they show that the money is all gone then they should not be making these claims, esp as part of their desire to force others hands to invest more.

We are being told they spent 100k as another way to try and show that they are really putting cash into this. "Look everyone I am putitng in cash and you should to" Show where that investment is.

The entire deal is magic and hidden for everyone else. Until they show ALL the people with money it what the actual deal is, then unfortunately the horse is still kicking.

Artists, coders, vendors sit unpaid while their hard work is used in an attempt to bring in more money. How is this OK in our community?

Even more sickening is the handful of people very vested in the project trying to gloss over all these things.

The horse is dead when these simple thins can be answered.

#14071 8 years ago

So have we heard from the licensee/new 'owner' if this this is still a go?

My impression was that they needed to get this to the show in order to hopefully drum up enough business both by strong arm tactic of those already potted in with Jpop and also hopefully enough new orders to make this even remotely feasible from a business standpoint. One of the guys on the inside mentioned 150 orders to even be feasible???

I am guessing based on how far the game was from even beta proto that little new business came in and imagine many of those that were hopeful there would be enough content for them to personally justify paying double for an 8k game have come to reality that the risks are still very high with this venture and they are still getting a higher production game for way more money. I have not seen a single post from anyone saying that they are in, back in, or newely in.

Is there supposed to be some sort of official announcement IF this is still proceeding or are the new 'owners' of the IP still just waiting things out to see how many will sign away legal rights to sue Jpop/zidware before making any final decision?

#14075 8 years ago
Quoted from markmon:

Some of the most vocal and opinionated constant complainers in here lost no money and never preordered. As someone that does have money in the game, I feel it would be nice for those folks to ease up and move along.

You need to realize that even those of us that did not have money in on this project likely have lost some elsewhere on a similar project, have friends that are 20k deep on this PoSaduick, and also understand that millions of dollars literally robbed out from the hard core collectors is BAD for the hobby. This is $ that could have more positively gone towards projects that are actually happening and moving things forward in pinball. This really is something that impacts the entire hobby for many of us. It impacts the entire trajectory of the hobby and while it may not have the personal sting of losing 20k to Jpop and then being strong armed into paying even more for a hope of getting something, it still stings for what this has done to all of us on a community and hobby of collectors level (including some good friends on a personal level which adds to this).

#14078 8 years ago
Quoted from markmon:

As an owner I'm not going to sue. So there you go

but are you in? Are you going to pay more money now in order to invest into this new company after seeing and playing what you did at the show and the other factors you have to analyze for yourself? Have you assessed your risks/rewards in this current situation and decided to pony up more cash for the game/Pintasia attempting to make the game?

That is what I meant by 'in'. Not suing is very different from putting down more money on something you have already paid for in full.

12
#14081 8 years ago
Quoted from markmon:

But he didn't "rob" anyone as that shows intent.

You may have missed it Mark, but Jpop was attempting to collect $$$ for new orders a month ago when he was already in negotiations with Pintasia to sell all IP rights. This shows clear intent to steal peoples money. He knew the project was dead for him but was trying to get more money.

#14083 8 years ago
Quoted from markmon:

No one is paying more money now. This isn't even an option being offered.

I thought the contract was to sign away all rights to sue anyone and a commitment for more money to be paid?

#14086 8 years ago
Quoted from markmon:

he has no obligation to pay Jpop's debts - why would he?

the ONLY reason I think he should be liable for debts is that he swooped in to negotiate a deal for the license before any forced liquidation.

Any reason why he did not wait for bankruptcy liquidation and attempt for a clean buy at that time? The current plan seems unnecessarily messy due to the timing/structure with Jpop and pending litigation against him and zidware.

#14089 8 years ago
Quoted from NYP:

Did you ever think maybe some people think YOU'RE bad for the hobby and Pinside, you keep making the same speeches over and over, some people might be tired of reading Pinside because of people like you, THAT'S also bad for the hobby.......

sure. If I need to be a vocal voice of reason to keep people from tossing more money at a bad project that has already stole a million, then you can make the personal attacks against me if it makes you feel better.

I see in your logic

stealing 1 million $ = being critical of a project that has stolen 1 million

19
#14188 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

I'll simply say... prove it.

here you go...
and this is not the only person to have email evidence of Jpop attempting to collect more money when he was already in discussions of selling IP

Quoted from rotordave:

I have been contacted by another Pinsider as a follow up from my previous post about JPop selling games while insolvent.
Again, his identity is kept confidential by myself, in good faith.
This is exactly what he sent me.
<paste>
Not wanting to add flames to the fire, but I emailed John on March 12, 2015
and asked him if any slots were available on all 3 games. John mailed me a
packet with promo artwork, brochures, and purchase agreements for RAZA and
AIW. I emailed him and asked him about MG, and he apologized and said he
has one for me on hold. I received that email March 19, 2015. He followed
up on March 20, 2015 and asked if I needed more info on MG. I debated but
ultimately decided not to purchase and walked away. I had 2 other friends
who did the same thing as me at the exact time, and all of us were promised
a slot for all 3 games. I have the emails if it helps. Just thought I would
let you know.
<end>
FWIW
Thanks to the Pinsider involved for contacting me.
rd.

#14201 8 years ago
Quoted from Manic:

Actually this really IS the only unsubstantiated claim and could be complete BS designed to give you even more drama to rant about...
The guy that wrote it probably hoped a whole bunch of people would then run with it... unfortunately he only got you.
It may or may not be true but this little second-hand note *proves* absolutely nothing.

Actually RotorDave is a WELL respected pinhead worldwide and if he says something is true then it is. It is as good as fact even if he was nice enough to redact the pinsiders real name.

I personally know another pinhead whom has an email from Jpop ~6weeks ago telling him that a RAZA spot was available and sent him info for payment. I also am not going to reveal the persons name as it if obvious that some of the supporters here will go to great lengths.

#14213 8 years ago
Quoted from Manic:

I think with your inherent lack of credibility (sorry dude that's the truth) I will simply ignore your second piece of "evidence".

how are personal attacks like this tolerated?

when I got the boot for much less...

12
#14218 8 years ago
Quoted from Manic:

Not a personal attack at all. In fact I didn't want to embarrass you any further about your behavior in the Pred thread so I kept it simple but accurate. Shouting people down, repeatedly LOUDLY stating "the license is a done deal people! what's your problem?"... etc... even when they were questioning the web wipe - this stuff might JUST affect your credibility.
So to see you now over here ranting yet again just rubs me the wrong way. I suppose I should have simply put you on "ignore" as you remind me of the RGP-style posters that I wanted to get away from. I've never used the ignore and didn't want to but realize that may have been the way to go.
Live and learn.

Sorry you must have missed where I repeatedly apologized for continuing to cheer on that project and not waking up to the signs sooner that it was dead in the water.

More likely I am guessing you saw my apologies and just took the low road like you often do and wanted to take the cheapest shot you could. How was it you planned to embarrass me?

I have no problem owning my faults.

-12
#14220 8 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

Manic and Whysnow, take it to PM please or better yet, both drop it.
For what it is worth I believe Rotordave's email. It looked like JPop's weirdo writing style. Not sure that matters at this point.

How about just giving this guy the needed time out for his personal attacks?

Then we can get back to discussing how it appears Jpop has very recently still been soliciting money from people, even after he was in negotiations to sell the IP.

#14222 8 years ago
Quoted from Razorbak86:

It's not really fair to compare WhySnow 1.0 (early Skit-B thread) to WhySnow 2.0 (current Popadiuk thread). This is the updated model.

you are being generous. It is more like v1.21.

Still in need of polish most days.

#14256 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Bill said the Pintasia letter, supercedes John's letter.

He can say whatever he wants. Reality is right now only Zidware is on the hook for any legal obligations and contract with those that paid deposits.

I could come in right now and claim I purchased the IP and am superceeding all other letters. It would be equally as laughable as the current situation.

Quoted from Oldgoat:

it could well be that the value of the IP is maximized by breaking it up

a VERY good point and likely true.

#14453 8 years ago
Quoted from Mocean:

Send him a PM!
I'd recommend he starts a new thread anyway.

Pretty sure the mods are trying to contain all this mess to a single thread. IF he is even going to come back here is should probably stay in a single thread just to keep overall forum noise contained. No reason to give him any special treatment over another user.

#14543 8 years ago

does this mean it is finally dead and peoepl can focus all efforts on going after Jpop?

Please tell me the answer is a resounding YES!

11
#15308 8 years ago

Do NOT believe anyone that tells you there is no money left. The facts are that there is still a shop and the lights are on. From what I can tell no bankruptcy proceedings at this time.

Plain and simple, there is still currently money and I hope anyone owed a large sum it putting in just a little more to try and recoup some of that money.

Worst case you end up with nothing but atleast humiliate Jpop and create some havoc in his life.

11
#15344 8 years ago
Quoted from markmon:

I agree there are assets. There is zero cash. The assets aren't going to be worth enough for preorders to get cash. After seeing what's there, you'd be convinced as well.

I am sorry Mark but you are not helping those that paid deposits, yourself, or pinbulbs with continually saying this without having any proof of it. Do yourself, the depositors, and the LED company you are part of a favor and stop saying this unless you have actual proof to back it up.

#15366 8 years ago
Quoted from limelime20:

Unbelivable BS, NO ONE bought into a company you RETARD, they bought into a PRODUCT ONLY..!! WHEN ONE PERSON SAID THEY
WOULD DELIVER A PINBALL for SAID MONEY$$$, that is the contract..NO MORE, NO LESS.

while I do not agree with the personal attack, it really is that simple.

exchange money for goods. K I S S.

#15394 8 years ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

What f'in planet do you all live on where you think people sell stuff for a price that only includes that item?

I live on a planet where I exchange money for goods. I do not care what the costs are to run that business as even when I preorder a product I am not an investor in that company. I simply paid a deposit and expect a product.

Luckily I also live in a world where when someone promises a product they are expected to deliver it or return your money. We have all sorts of laws that protect consumers and all sorts of laws it appears Jpop has broken in this sham of a business startup (guessing even more will be uncovered when more can be seen behind the curtain).

I am very certain that Jpop will pay in the long run. The only way he won't pay for this is if people are too lazy, scared, or ? to not put in the small amount of effort and relatively small amount of money to go after him.

#15407 8 years ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

Sure we could say he should have taken zero.. but he wasn't being lavish at that kind of number.

since he has not delivered a single product, it seems pretty obvious that the crazy salary alone is a big part of why he has failed. Imagine if he had 300k still sitting for him to use. Well that an the 4k per month he should not have been spending on rent for his workshop he obviously did not need.

#15427 8 years ago

That is great Jim!!!!

-3
#15437 8 years ago

I used to think flynnibus just trolled me... Now I undrstand that he dislikes most people and likes to troll them all.

-10
#15661 8 years ago

I would love to see WOOLY go into production but I really hope they do not come anywhere near getitng into bed with Pintasia. Aweful idea on so many levels.

-11
#15664 8 years ago
Quoted from jwilson:

I've talked to a bunch of people and I've shifted my opinion on Bill. He seems like the real deal. Maybe some good could come from all this if he's willing to front the production run on WOOLY. I bet people would buy it if it was ready and for sale rather than a pre-order.

I am SURE people would buy WOOLY if it was produced and no pre-pay and wait, but I do not see good things unless Pintasia is willing to just front the cash to get the games made and stay out of the way. I also think that if team Riot gets creative they will find a way to get this game done and not have to get in bed with a money man that is obviously looking for a cut.

-15
#15673 8 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

Ignorant.
Anyone who is going to invest in a company and put up tons of capital to get games actually built are "obviously looking for a cut."

well of course I would expect he would be looking for and deserving a cut, but I think he is possibly one of the worst people to get into bed with at this stage.

This Jpop deal was aweful from the start, he has people on the Pintasia team with serious potentially criminal background from their recent past, and I think he is now caustic espesially given all the continueed secrecy when he was trying to get MG proto alive. Best case scenaio is a completely silent investor. If he wants to reach out and try to put together a deal then great for him, but best case is to keep it completed behind the scenes as it wont do any good to have the PIntasia name on any future project IMO.

My point is I think there are likely better deals for Riot than having anything even remotely involving Pintasia or someone looking for a large cut. Granted, maybe they are interested in selling the whole thing off and letting someone like Pintasia give it a crack on moving it to produciton. There is not a much more deserving game to see come to light and I would love to see team Riot bring it all to reality.

#15679 8 years ago
Quoted from swampfire:

Libel is taken very seriously by the courts.

If he wants to sue me then he is throwing more money away. I clearly said "potentially" as from what I can see nothing is proven yet, but even the accusations against some of the Pintasia team are enough of a red flag to steer clear IMO.

It still amazed me how that was all glossed over in this whoel saga.

#15680 8 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

Yeah, $8k is a hard sell. I do think that WOOLY could reasonably sell for $1k more than AMH though. Better theme.

I think unfortunately that is where the math breaks down. The BOM is obviously much higher on WOOLY than AMH so the numbers may not ever be able to work out.

-6
#15689 8 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

I have a staff member who had a DUI years ago working for me: does that mean I have a problem with alcohol?

you need a better comparison...

If you are in the business of serving alcohol and you hire the alcoholic I would question your judgement and be effect would steer clear of future business dealing with you, that is for sure.

It appears there were all sorts of shady things going on even post pintasia involvement. Let's not forget so quickly that they were trying to get everyone to sign away all legal rights on one of the most lopsided contracts even seen in the pinball world. None of it passed the smell test and that alone is reaosn for any other start up to steer clear even if an angel comes along.

Quoted from rai:

I know you want Wooly, so why should you object to someone getting behind it and putting it in production?

I do not object to whatever that team decides to do, but would tell them they should be more than careful in this situation. IF they were ever approached, I have a feeling it would not work out the best based on this recent past history of Pintasia.

#15694 8 years ago
Quoted from jonnyo:

Sorry, but this is ridiculous. His head of finance is appearing in a video ONE MONTH before the takeover plan for an obvious investment scam. She's billed as the manager of BC for a company that the BC securities and exchange has issued a warning for. That says either a) Bill knows and doesn't care, or b) Bill didn't know, because he didn't do his homework. Either way, you're going to trust your money with her?
For the work he did and money he spent he deserves some appreciation, but if you ignore the red flags his relationship with this person represents it's to your own peril.

agree 100% and I am continually amazed that smart people like tigerlaw are willing to ignore or overlook these huge flags.

-6
#15753 8 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

If what Kevin did wasn't criminal, no way John's actions were.

That is a poor comparison and worth note that we are not done with Kevin. Criminal charges are still likely but Midland MI is a much different place than the upper middle class neighborhoods of chitown suburbs.

#15758 8 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

the local police and FBI decided not to pursue it

for now...

#15796 8 years ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

For the same kind of reasons Kevin could argue "negotiations are still ongoing" - even if you think they are probably never going to end favorable.

you should not talk about what you do not know and is not in favor of helping anyone but the criminals

#15822 8 years ago

he is also very wrong about the other case he was talking about.

#15825 8 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

Being wrong is something flynnibus probably has a lot of experience in. He seems to be really good at it. I dunno...

qft

#15838 8 years ago
Quoted from jhagen:

I work in Midland, MI and live nearby ... can you explain this comment?

what needs to be explained?

They are completely different places and things are very different just based on that alone. Most notably a town of 50k where everyone knows everyone (I grew up in a very similar sized town and have a clear understanding of how it all works) is very different to the PO team one would be dealing with on this Jpop matter. In Jpops case home jurisdiction likes provides very little help to him as I am guessing the local PO do not even know his name prior to this incident.

#15959 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Pinside is a no-win place

why are you here if you don't want to be?

-8
#15971 8 years ago
Quoted from Gerry:Deleted post

I thought it was funny.

but... Is she hot?

-24
#15982 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Thinking raping someone's wife is funny

whoa whoa whoa there buddy. You are one messed in the head guy.

I am not sure where you read anything about raping someone's wife you damn creep and there is nothing funny about that it is disgusting. He said he wanted to bang his wife and finish her (i.e. make her climax) which jpop has never done. In other words if jpop can't finish this project in 4 years then he unlikely to have ever been able to please his wife either.

Much like Bill (a real man) attempted to step in and finish this project, maybe a real man needs to step in and help out jpop with his other issues.

It was pretty funny given the situation, but now some weirdo like you takes it to a whole new level. Get you head out of the gutter or maybe at least check yourself. How you read into that as a suggestion of rape/approval of that sort of suggestion is beyond cloudy and you may want to take a step off the ledge.

2 weeks later
32
#16263 8 years ago

lost ALOT of respect for Jack with that post. Also convinced me I will NEVER buy a JJP game till it is ready for pickup.

It is so off base it is scary.

10
#16298 8 years ago
Quoted from TaylorVA:

But why defend him? That's the question.

that is the CONCERN for me.

22
#16308 8 years ago

Likely all part of the legal defense. Since he was taking money post the eminent failure of MG and RAZA (while he was already in negotiations with Pintasia) he is trying to provide proof that new funds taken were for AIW. It is all part of his scam. Everything he does now is part of a legal show and likely advised by his lawyer in some sick way.

#16414 8 years ago
Quoted from PanzerFreak:

I'm sorry that my post was misunderstood.

he really is just as ignorant to reality as John. His inability to impose accountability on himself is SCARY.

#16477 8 years ago
Quoted from toyotaboy:

I don't know about classy, but he's still making spelling errors. apparently he's working on whiotewoods now
http://www.pinballinventor.org/feed_aiw.html

considering after all this he is still 'making' game #3, I think it is actually time for some owners to make a visit to his shop. Plenty of people in on this ride and it is time that he is no longer allowed to play arts and crafts. It is so plainly obvious that all he is doing now it to help build a defense that he purposefully defrauded people. The lawyer is likely most concerned about him taking new funds after already knowing MG and RAZA were dead (and in negotiations with Pintasia) and has advised him to try and show some 'progress' on AIW so he can claim that he was not attempting to bring in funds on the back of AIW in order to complete earlier games or just for the purpose of bringing in more funds.

That said, this seems like a tricky defense if his claim is going to be that people were investing in a startup and not purchasing a game. If they were investors then he has an obligation to do what is in the best interest of the company which would be to work on nothing but game #1 till it is shipped.

It is sickening to me that many of us go work hard jobs each day and this thief is still playing arts/crafts with pinhead money!

What happened to the claim from many that ALL the money was gone? It obviously is not as he has funds to keep paying rent and the lights on...

#16704 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

I'm going to get downposted

well... you were right about 1 thing, I will give you that.

#16733 8 years ago
Quoted from lowepg:

You guarantee a few dirty looks will suddenly force him to create a conscience and will also magically put $1M back in his bank account to payout?
I think thats fantasy.

unlikely 1mil, but I bet the 10k or whatever he owes the single person may get coughed up pretty quick. Again > NO THREAT OF VIOLENCE, just let his whacked out mind put the puzzle pieces together.

Heck, I bet as a potential AiW customer he would be happy to let you in the door.

Even better, tell him you are interested in investing or purchasing licensing for a game. That seems to have gotten others in the door to talk with him.

#16918 8 years ago
Quoted from Kneissl:

Pinball news broke the skitb news. Maybe they could do something on jpop

suprised they haven't TBT

2 weeks later
#17090 8 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Even if you did show up on his doorstep, what are you going to do?
Stand there and get shot?
Break in and get shot?
Get invited in and get shot?
Do you think Jpiss has $10,000 in his pocket and is going to give you a refund on the spot?
I just don't get what good thing people expect to happen when they show up uninvited at someone's house.... especially someone who is crazy.

If not pursuing legal action, then John is still putting up the fake image that he is working on games and has said open invite to any buyer to come see progress.

I would show up with LOTS of close friends (friends would be interested in AiW) and ask to see the progress on my game. I would be genuine and real with the hope that he would let me into the shop for a tour. I assume he is so in love with himself that he would actually let us in. After I get let in then the conversation would changes to me wanting out and wanting my money now. I would have ample video rolling and police on speed dial in case he tries to start any crazy. Jpop still has PLENTY of money at this point. He also has LOTS of physical assets that can easily be used to keep an individual buyer happy and appease them to leave the shop.

#17121 8 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

You will be arrested for a Class 2 Felony when you try to leave the premises with $10,000 worth of goods, even if Jplop owns you $1,000,000

I am assuming he would be happy to give me something deemed of equal value to what he owes and then i would leave. Nobody would be stealing anything.

2 weeks later
#17214 8 years ago
Quoted from jackofdiamonds:

so basically you're fucked!!!!
that would never be good enough for me
i support the victims

everyone should keep in mind that Dgarrett is a friend of Jpops and as such has a particular filter on all he says regarding the matter.

1 month later
#17645 8 years ago

What Nate did is great to take a snapshot of where things are right now. Jpop definitely said some things in that interview which should be beneficial to anyone suing jpop.

Also, maybe Jpop will be dumb enough to show up to expo.

10 months later
#19026 7 years ago

completely agree, never talk to him AT expo.
Be smart about where you talk to him.

I was not screwed over by Jpop, but I would call him out loudly in front of everyone. The man does not deserve to do anything even remotely involved with pinball ever again.

#19028 7 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

He had enough sense to skip Expo 2015, even with the lure of free eats at Pinball Life.

he was at expo last year but only went to a designers dinner of some sort early in the week.

1 week later
#19118 7 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

20 miles away, with a Portillo's hot dog joint nearby - might make a nice lunch hour trip.

weren't you JPops buddy that was helping him to assemble his one game? just drop on over and get some info

#19134 7 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Hilton
Come on, buddy. Give the "buddy" thing a rest. Your misrepresentations really are old and piss me off.
The ONLY time I spent with John was 20 hours to help Bill Brandes and pdxmonkey get the damn MG to the NW show. Some appreciated the effort , nobody accused me of being part on Johns scheme or his buddy, except you.
I've got friends who got screwed - and many pinball people here that needed and deserve help - that's it - give it a rest.
I have not seen Or heard from John after that 20 hour blitz - I got no pay - it was volunteer - Bill thanked me in person at Terry's , some here appreciated the effort .
End of story

glad to see you clear that up. Back when you were on the inside you were all secretive and defensive of Jpop and made it seem like you were his friend/buddy. Nice to see that was not the case. thanks and I am sorry

#19139 7 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Then it got interesting, b/c someone came around the corner to say "Hi". See next post for the rest of that story, and some pics.

post quicker

#19144 7 years ago

thanks for sharing.

Wish you would have asked him if he knew about JPOPs past and how he stole millions from pinheads in the past few years?

3 weeks later
#19281 7 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

Mike Pacak just posted a rumor about a jpop game at expo 2016.
I had also heard from someone who had been in touch with John that John said he "never gave up" and had a lot of progress to show.
Obviously we know the guy is a delusional moron, so this may very well translate to "empty cabinets part deux".
I believe none of the subcontractors (boards, lights, programmers, etc) have said anything that things are moving forward.

all likely a big sad ploy to try and show that he is still working and did not take everyone's money.

If I was his lawyer that would have been my advise. He should be shamed (or worse) out of the event.

#19288 7 years ago
Quoted from Concretehardt:

If (giant if) JPOP could ever finish a game how would he ever convince people to send the balance owed on their machines?? If my RAZA was completed and ready to ship he would have to send it to me COD, because no one in their right mind is gunna send him more $$ on a promise that he will ship a machine.

dont believe the hype. Seriously, no way he has any ability to actually produce a game. This has to be a giant ploy for legal reasons only at this point.

#19555 7 years ago
Quoted from lpeters82:

As long as I get the three machines I preordered I'll be happy.

Not funny to those that are out money for games.

#19561 7 years ago
Quoted from MinusWorlds:

MG is the immediate concern. They are still working on plans for RAZA and AIW. MG was far enough along that they wanted to put it over the finish line.

Anyone and i mean anyone that gives them even a penny before every single mg, raza, and aiw customer is made whole is a dbag and a disgrace to the hooby you love.

Don't be a dbag!

Aside from the reality it just won't happen. You really are pretty dumb to support this company in any way, even by giving them your attention. I really think the best course of action if they show up to expo is to not let them talk and just continually ask them Where the money is? They don't even deserve any more patience or time for the claim of any development.

Plain and simple, return all the money that was stolen, pay all the parts people, pay your coder and artists...

Then and only then should they be getting yout attention.

#19585 7 years ago
Quoted from goatdan:

Let's give them a chance, and then if things aren't answered good enough, then go back and ask more questions. If those still aren't answered, I'll shout with you.

sorry, but the only question that need to be answered are exactly what, how, and when they are making previous people whole.

Plain and simple, they need to refund everyone and then we can listen about whatever the hell BS they want to spew. Any company associated with Jpop does not deserve the communities time and attention (or stage at expo) until they have taken care of every last penny from the past.

Keep in mind that they are using IP that was paid for by the hard earned dollars of fellow pinheads to try and work towards potential future profits (and apparently have been working for a while already) and still no communication or solid plan.

At this stage it is BS for them to even promise delivery of any games without offering full refund for all that have $$$ in.

John will be LUCKY if all he gets is shamed, asked some tough questions, and chased out of expo. I know one particular person that got taken by him and is rightfully pissed enough that the biggest surprise/event at expo may be the outcome of his interaction with John/ American Pinball. I haveno idea how he will react, but he is not someone I would ever screw with, does not use social media, and it will be a surprise when he shows up and sees john.

#19600 7 years ago
Quoted from Mike_J:

Accept the diluted version of MG or get nothing. I doubt there will be another option.

I don't think you understand how the law or the real world works in these situations.

#19601 7 years ago
Quoted from DerGoetz:

Do I miss something?
They have an employee that owes people money, correct?
I have a customer myself who owes me money for a year now, doubt that his employer will reimburse me. Or should I call their number and open conversation?
You guys are a trip....

you have not missed anything, but your analogy is completely flawed.

The correct annology would be that some one owes you money for stolen goods, which they have resold to their employer so the new employer could try and start a business. Guess what... The employer is now also sucked in to the bad decision making of the person that stole from you.

I am mostly amazed that anyone with money would be willing to potentially leagally marry themselves to Jpop and all that he owes.

#19604 7 years ago
Quoted from 27dnast:

"We American-Pinball empathize with the Zidware customers and therefore we are excited to share the following news with all of you.
By the end of 2016, Magic Girl machines will be delivered to their rightful owners."

problem being that MG customers are probably less than 10% of the people they need to make whole. They are not even scratching the surface with that statement and they also know that. All just more time buying as they likely try to leagally bleed dry what $$$ is left.

My guess is that this is a low risk investment for American Pinball at this stage. There were still Jpop $$$ in the bank. John is scared shitless with the reality of the hole he has dug. American pinball came in and worked on John and some how finally convinced him to give up control (too little and too late BTW). American Pinball is also dumb and thinks that 13 (or is it 25 now) delivered to MG owners will be enough good will to get them over the hump (it won't).

I predict they plan to just take houdini and reskin it back to MG to try and appease the original buyers. That is not going to make people that spent 16k on a limited run game, which is a reskin of a stripped back and standardized game that is the same as what they will be mass producing and trying to sell for 7k.

#19605 7 years ago
Quoted from Mike_J:

Are you going to sue the new company and its principals?

I am not but there are others that have a good case for doing so.

#1 on the list would be the previous unpaid contractors for Jpop which have had their hard work taken and now being used by American Pinball.

Zombie Yeti should be at the top of the list and guessing his current employer has a good legal department that woudl be willing to help out. (I really hope you ask them for help ZY!)

10
#19746 7 years ago

Biggest BS crap story on that schill mag yet..."If they actually can make the Magic Girl fiasco right, they will be super – no, super-duper – heroes to the pinball community."

Talk about putting the cart in front of the horse. MG is ONLY a small portion of the issue Jpop has conjured up. They need to fix MG, RAZA, and AiW fiasco before ANYONE gives them a single penny on any game. Sickening to me that this company is coming around and using all the IP and $ from those 3 failed games to develop Houdini. This is completely unacceptable.

I implore you that they do not deserve the stage at expo to talk about Houdini. If they want to talk about Houdini then all the questions need to be answered about MG, RAZA, AND AiW.
Those people all paid for LIMITED run, high quality machines that are years beyond due dates.

JPOP has had 2nd, 3rd, and now is on his 4th chance. He no longer deserves this chance.

Those that are owed money actually have been given a gift and that gift is all about the timing. If you ever want to be made whole, NOW is the time to force Jpop into bankruptcy! This company is nearly potted in. Force John into Bankruptcy while he actually has a job and you can fight to show how he used your money to develop things now being used on Houdini. Just pushing him into bankruptcy is actually pretty easy (look at SkitB for reference) and doing so will give you the weight you need to toss around in order to influence either an ammicable outcome with his new contractor (someone also now guilty of stealing your paid for IP as far as I am concerned).

NOW IS THE TIME TO STRIKE!!!!

JPOP DOES NOT DESERVE ANOTHER CHANCE!!!

#19751 7 years ago
Quoted from jgentry:

If there is the slightest chance of AP delivering games to the original owners this is likely the worst thing you can do. If you just want to shut down JPOP and make him suffer then go ahead. Bankruptcy will just mean no one is going to get anything.

not at all! John is merely a claimed employee of American Pinball. Once they are potted in to produce this game, then you have MORE leverage to ensure things are made right if you are pushing forward legally. American Pinball has now tied themselves to John and has surely used things developed with MG, RAZA, AiW dollars. Force their hand, DO NOT WAIT!

If you are seriously going to get Charlie Brown'd again then there is no hope for you.

#19762 7 years ago
Quoted from jgentry:

There comes a point were it no longer makes sense to spend more time or money on something that is not going to have a beneficial outcome. If AP can do anything for the original purchasers that is more then what they are likely going to get through any legal avenue.

you define beneficial much differently than I do I guess.

I consider it beneficial if Jpop is bankrupt, out of house, has no job, and has to feel the wrath of his own incompetance. Getting money back means very little compared to the satisfaction of knowing he gets what he deserves after stealing the money, lies and more lies, and then evaporating for the past year.

#19769 7 years ago

from the article and crap pictures I have to wonder if it is foamcore mock up stage still. That is what teh jpop KISS game was.

#19773 7 years ago
Quoted from Mitch:

You mean you chose to wonder as a pessimist that's been burned before. You don't "have" to do anything.

no, I am actually an optimist but also a scientist which means I actually use hard data. Last data point from JPop is a foamcore mock up. Looked great from 10 feet away. Was foam printout and from 3 feet you just shook your head.

#20000 7 years ago

Reserved

#20005 7 years ago
Quoted from Swainer80:

Lol. Perfect nonclimactic post for 20k

What else would you expect in a Jpop thread...

1 week later
#20063 7 years ago
Quoted from DanQverymuch:

but imagine the possibilities!

um......

Disapointed in you Dan. This has already been around for quite some time and already have one contract game out the door...

Spooky is a contract manufacturer. They already have Dominos completed and shipping soon. Pretty sure they have a 2nd contract game in the works also.

I am under the understanding that if you have enough money and the means to sign off and make it happen, they are happy to be hired to build pinball.

Given a choice between Spooky and AP for something like this (actually anything) I would be talking to Spooky.

#20114 7 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Yeah, its true. Not so hard to believe. And trashing other people at the same time like Heighway.

Is this for real?

Is someone from the MG group attempting to sell their spot and schilling up the crap that is AP to try and find a person to buy? Who?

1 month later
#20374 7 years ago
Quoted from PinballSTAR:

I bow down to you Mr. Heck...

careful... you may get a surprise if you bow down to Heckendorn...

2 months later
#20722 7 years ago
Quoted from wcbrandes:

Look at the expensive collectible. King Kong has anyone actually played it? Just rare that's it. kP ok. BBB ok. All rare. Don't be a hero you know this will be a collectible. It's Pinball history. Glad all those involved get the machine. Let's hope he moves into Raza.

what ever happened with the story that you owned the MG license? Did I miss something? Did you sell it back? Are you getting your cut from these being made?

#20772 7 years ago
Quoted from sd_tom:

It's tainted no matter what.

fully agree. I sure hope people are not taking care of themselves without staying banded together to make sure the people that even made this possible get paid. If both artist and programmer were promised games in exchange for their work then I hope the others that paid in stick it to John and make sure everyone is made whole.

It will really take the group effort to hold jpop accountable. MG being made (wont believe it till I actually see it and flip it in person) for 19? people does not erase all the other obligations that need to be paid off, plus raza and aiw buyers. Hold strong and help force John's hand and American Pinball's hand.

#20787 7 years ago
Quoted from fattrain:

Hell, there is even a fairly recent sale to a well known "eccentric podcaster" who bought one second hand for $24k

Quoted from Russell:

I predict that the one-who-shall-not-be-named sells it within 6 months for a tidy profit.

not if he paid 24k, he wont. He will of course lie to everyone and say he did.

#20819 7 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Involuntary bankruptcy filing?

If I was in on RAZA or AiW I would be working QUICKLY to get that pushed through. Honestly amazed it has not happened already.

#20914 7 years ago
Quoted from cooked71:

In case someone missed the link earlier. Beautiful game, no question.

what is going on with that pop bumper?

Has a cut out for the DE style of full blue mech that drops out the pf hole, but yet I see space under that skirt like a normal B/W style mech?

Does it drop into the pf or something else?

#20915 7 years ago

skirt is not the right height to even work in that photo?

-1
#21000 7 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

As long as this thing is playable

People keep giving WAY TOO much leaway to this. Do you actually expect these to play worth 2 shits? Honestly, to be collectible in the pinball world we have seen a game needs to atleast play reasonably well right out of the gates and hold up over time.

In just the handful of photos we can see all sorts of indicators that these are just thrown together to stay off conviction and legal matters. Hell, just the fact that you have huge clear inserts with no jeweling and you can already see insert edges shows the poor quality and how quickly this box of lights will fall apart if you actually play it.

There are numerous other things I see that are suspect (still everyone glossing over that odd pop bumper) in design and playability.

Sure, some other rare games that play less than stellar are collectible, but those games have at least held up well over many years of play (BBB) and have another important aspect of collectibility... time and in cases decades of time since when they were built.

I am guessing these games will rarely be seen or played anywhere. The reason being that owners will not want them in public for people to see how poorly they are constructed and lack of playability. The only way to flip or resell will be to keep them hidden away to add to the mytic and wonder. Then the limited # will keep them desirable. It actually becomes a self preservation thing among owners that will continue to keep them hidden and hence try to keep the value high. Hell, we are already seeing some of the over inflating with some people saying Chris bought his for 24k just to try and make it see like that is a realistic value (if one moron paid that as an investment to flip then it must be a good price, lol). Then we hear from others that Chis paid 20k and others have said he actually paid less than original cost.

Lets be honest. There are quite a few original owners that will try to flip these as quick as possible for as much money as possible. The new owners will hide them away to be rarely seen and resell them at a later date.

If a BBB in pristine condition with tons of extras is not selling for 20k, then you have pretty much seen the ceiling on the high end collectible market for pinball machine. That game is actually considered fun by many and playable by most. It also has a positive story and much better history.

I just hope at elast one owner opts to bring the game out in the public eye for play. I am sure at least one will and then the rest better scramble to sell quickly, lol. Not a whole lot of meat on the 13k investment for the past 4 years.

-2
#21006 7 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

and this coming from the guy who backed kevin kulik? wow! hilton, you need to look in the mirror buddy

what are you tlaking about? This is not even remotely close conversation. We are talking about collectibility here and some are thinking that a 13k (wasnt it actually 13k to start?) box of lights will be worth 20k and the price on secondary will go up.

-3
#21009 7 years ago
Quoted from LoveNeverDiesGuy:

Just listened to a couple of eerie podcasts from this K person and what a waste. This person claims to be the reason why GnR put out Chinese Democracy, bought a Hell Cat, purchased a Magic Girl spot, speaks ill of pinball companies, tells other people what to do with their health and money regarding pinball, and wants others to get the mods to allow him back on pinside? This person has got to be going through menopause, midlife crisses, or both? Best to you if you are reading this, but I do not subscribe to your fake pinball news. The only saving grace is the guests that are interesting and have done something in the pinball industry.

I am amazed anyone still gives him any attention or that he is even doing a poocast anymore. His lack of actual knowledge about pinball, obvious attention whoring, and inability to properly pronounce words (is it an actual speech impediment? the whole "d" and "t" thing? or purposeful as his schtick?; I never could tell) made them pretty boring to listen to and cringeworthy at times. I guess people enjoy the trainwreck of listening.

I am glad he is not on here and in general find Pinside to be vastly improved since he was banned for the final time. Pretty sad what a short memory he has on why he was banned and why they wont let him back on here. Good riddance. If there is an actual push from some to get him back on here, I am glad to see the mods are standing their ground. His BS is better served with him listening to himself on repeat to increase is download ticker.

#21010 7 years ago
Quoted from vdojaq:

If Special K bought it for $20K as rumored, then that is where the benchmark is already. The issue here is until those 19 are delivered, we have ZERO clue, only speculation, as to whether or not it was a brilliant or stupid move.
We all know that I have ZERO love for Special K, but I will give credit where credit is due if MG actually turns out to be a player. If it does.....$20K might have been a bargain. I am a gambler by true nature, so by him taking that $20K gamble, I have respect for that.

lol. Great nickname! Sure, IF is is an amazingly built and playing machine, then I will agree that 20k was a great gamble for someone like him that flips games constantly. Reality is that is wont be a great player and I can see from the photos that it is going to have build issues right form the start. Reality is also that he did not pay anywhere near 20k but that is what people looking to resell want others to believe as the benchmark. Like I said, one moron does not set a bench mark.

Honestly, when BBB isnt selling for 20k are people really going to spend much more for a MG? Reality is that similar numbers of both will be on the market at any given time. BBB is the better theme and story from the start/

#21011 7 years ago
Quoted from Richthofen:

In a bankruptcy these would be clawed back as preferential distributions

I really hope the RAZA folks are getting together/ organized and forcing bankruptcy NOW/ASAP.

I am not sure of exact numbers but it only takes a handful of people in IL to make shit happen. To get a lawyer on for this job should be easy given the facts of what is currently going on and that there are some tangible assets for obvious recovery.

#21021 7 years ago
Quoted from vdojaq:

Does anyone with a little more political correctness want to take this one? My answer could get me banned/suspended.

yeah, my reply could get me banned.

In short, he broke and continues to break the pinside ToS. Multiple duplicate accounts, posting and reposting sladerous legally questionable material about a variety of manufacturers under fake accounts, etc...

#21026 7 years ago
Quoted from CrazyLevi:

Yes, we all hate special K, don't want to discuss him, and don't listen to his podcast, except of course for everybody on pinside who can't stop discussing him or listening to his podcast, or issue actual live running commentaries here on his podcasts like people did last night. That aside, he claims he spent well over $20K on Magic Girl.
I have to agree with those who say this will be hugely and instantly collectable. You can't possibly compare it to BBB, which everybody has played and of which 10 times as many exist. Magic Girl truly is bulletproof - as others have stated, it's much like Ed-209. Who CARES if it works or not? It looks really cool, it's big, and it's expensive, and only 20 people on EARTH will have the opportunity to have one. I think it holds its value and - just like BBB - many will trade over face, at least at first. You think Special K (why the fuck are we calling him that?!) gives a shit if the game plays well? I don't think the dude can do a post pass. And there's plenty...PLENTY of dudes in the hobby (on pinside and not on pinside) who are just like that. Peter from Sunshine would kill for one of these and I'm sure he'll pay whatever it takes to get one.
It well could collapse in value, but for that to happen, there will need to be a collapse across the board. Welcome to the world of $5000 Magic Girls and $2500 AFMs...hey it could happen, right?

only the future will know... however, lots of bad taste in the mouths of many people. High end colelctors liek to have a prize to show off I have found. If that prize is not much fun to play and nothing but a pretty box with stolen art and stolen work off good people then it starts to lose its luster real quick.

Most pinheads will love to play it and check it out. After everyone gets a chance, then if it is a dog that is poorly built, it wont be worth much in the grand scheme. It surely wont go up in value. Not likely to drop as high end colectors have enough money to just let them sit rather than take a loss, but wont blow up either.

#21032 7 years ago
Quoted from CrazyLevi:

one guy claims to have spent over $20,000

if true Ineed to high 5 Kim for getting one over on Special K.

#21044 7 years ago
Quoted from AtomicChuck:

Yes lets blame and HATE the RICH PEOPLE who could afford the game. Is this FACEBOOK?

I think you missed his entire point. He hates that the developers got stiffed... while others that already have pelnty of money did not.

i.e. the people that actually DID the work to make the machine got screwed the worse in the whole deal.

#21045 7 years ago
Quoted from applejuice:

$11177 and 1 game

so basically 12k and 1 MG would catch you up to where you should be?

Seems like the 19 owners could demand game #20 gets built and sent to you. Would also play out in your best interests since then you would have a game and I am guessing you may even opt to finish out the code how you intended?

#21058 7 years ago
Quoted from AtomicChuck:

Yup that does suck for the other designers. And any of the other suppliers.
I would have no problem offering APPLE JUICE or whatever his name is money for further support and possible code changes. 11K per game would be a little tough. My expectation are not to high for Magic Girl. I joke that Im getting a Jetson Pinball with a magic Girl playfeild.

pretty sure the suggestion is $650 per person/game for a total of 12k.

Plus the owners woudl need to demand those that were also due a game gets one (i.e. Zombie and Apple)

#21068 7 years ago
Quoted from Razorbak86:

or at least 3 unsecured creditors would have to file an involuntary petition to force the company into bankruptcy

ONLY 3. RAZA and AiW folks!!!!!! Get on this!@!!!! Seriously, like now!!! Today!!!!

Stop what you are doing and get ahold of a lawyer, explain the issue, the possible/likely preferrential transfer of assets, and get shit filed. If I were in on Raza or AiW I know my first call would be to KeithinMI to ask for a reccomendation for someone in IL.

#21138 7 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

It's people like you that make me want to force his ass into bankruptcy so you don't get shit.
How about that life lesson?

props to you ICE for looking out for others and doing what is right.

pretty sad that some people on MG want and are actively trying to dissuade others form doing what is right and forcing Jpop into bankruptcy.

Of course, NOW is the time to do it. Up until recently many thought there were zero assets to recover. Itis now obvious that there are 20 MG which some of these same people seem to think are worth 40k each on secondary market (LOL).

That makes it obvious that the right and fair (plus SMART) thing to do is force bankruptcy, auction these 20 games for top dollar and if they really bring in the 800,000 that people think then you have more money to divide among ALL the people owned money.

Lets talk reality if you dont force bankruptcy. Jpop is apparently broke and this is his one bail out. The MG games only got built with the obvious help of American pinball so they could save themselves where they were potted into Jpop and it was too late to get out. Seems obvious there is no feasible path to RAZA and surely not AiW either. American Pinball has apparently cut ties and keep john issolated already form houdini.

ICE, get 2 other people and get the legal papers filed ASAP! It is the right thing to do to take care of the whole group, even if some greedy few want everyone to just chill for 90 days after they get their MGs.

-3
#21146 7 years ago
Quoted from ChrisVW:

We get it.
I'm really starting to wonder if you have an agenda.

Nothing wrong with a little encourangement and a dissenting voice when there are a few people on here crying foul if someone forces jpop into bankruptcy. Getting a lawyer can feel like a daunting task, but in reality it is not very hard and what is the real downside for any raza owner. Something is better than nothing. also, the clock is ticking so sounds like you need to get on it or have the option removed. Would really suck to not take action and put in more blond faith only to find there will never be raza and 20 people walked out the door with the majority of the recoverable assets.

From the language used and lack of reference to raza and aiw since american pinball got involved, the writing is on the wall.

I agree with others that I am amazed people have waited this long, but now there are reasons tomtake action.

#21148 7 years ago
Quoted from Manimal:

Sadly, all of this is likely a moot point if folks are already removing their games. Once they take possession, they are gone.

Nope, but them removing the assets starts the clock ticking.

The longer you wait, the less the chance of recovery. 90 days by the sound of it.

#21152 7 years ago
Quoted from DBLM:

whysnow you are actually giving unqualified advice and encouraging behavior from an uninformed perspective. Unsecured investors should consult their legal council on the best way to proceed. As you have not stake in the matter, you should probably stay on the sidelines and let people proceed under their own best actions.

Actually I am giving very solid advice and the thumbs up on your post is like a whos who of MG owners... Telling don't you think...
Keep in mind i have been very involved in a similar situation and have learned quite a bit more than your average joe.

I have advised people to get their shit in gear and find a lawyer to force bankruptcy. Note... Find a lawyer is step no 1.

#21153 7 years ago

I got word that at least 1 person is looking into things and I would also suggest others get involved. The sooner you get on the lest to secure your debt, the better.

I am still amazed how many people just walked away from the skitB ordeal and did not get their debt secured. Don't be one of those people.

-3
#21155 7 years ago
Quoted from Manimal:

Maybe legally, but you know as well as I do, there is no judge that is going to order these games picked up from folks who had legitimate claims to them. Now had someone come along after the fact and paid a nominal fee to take one home, they would stand a chance of losing them.

You don't understand how the bankruptcy law works. I don't know all the details but i do know 100% that they can claw back preferrential disbursement of assets. That includes MG games that are apparently leavg as of today.

My second piece of advice if for anyone getting shit in gear is to start keeping a daily log. It will be easier than the many hours needed to reCONstruct and document later. Start grabbing the info on what games are there, what has left, whom you will need to subpoena for information, etc...

#21157 7 years ago
Quoted from DBLM:

I think you are qualified to give advice on 1) used Subarus, 2) the best way to split up $6.75 of earnings six ways to Sunday taken from a Pop-A-Card, and 3) the best way to scrape gum off the underside of a routed game.
In this matter, you are out of your lane and have an obvious agenda. Go back and shill for Kulek and Heighway.

You seem to have a creepy amount of stalker in you. I don't think you know what a schill is

What is your agenda? That is the better question. I am suggesting people get a lawyer and get proper advice before it is too late. You are suggesting people just ignore it and walk away, waiting till it could be too late.

Seems obvious that one of those options has no possible downside and the other does.

I can also say that behaviorally, as soon as somone starts getting stalkery and making things personal, then you have struck a nerve and they are showing their true colors and underlying desire to hide or divert.

Good lick to,those fighting the good fight.

DO IT ICEMAN! It is fun!

-7
#21170 7 years ago
Quoted from DBLM:

If I wanted to, would buy a MG with the wad of cash that I have in my pocket right now and not think twice of how it shoots. Or set it on fire and roast marshmallows on it.

everybody watch out!!!!!

Quoted from DBLM:

I will send it to HEP to get it blinged out just to make people's heads explode.

holy smokes, you almost took out joe with that thing.

Thanks for letting us know you are super rich and super smart before you left.

adios (resized).jpgadios (resized).jpg

#21171 7 years ago
Quoted from DanQverymuch:

Hilton isn't giving legal advice, he is encouraging those who were screwed to get it and describing why it is a good idea. If (when) enough victims force a bankruptcy, anyone else not joining in will not get their share of the recovery.
And a bankruptcy judge certainly can recover assets that were preferentially distributed, as well as fine or imprison anyone not going along with what he orders.
Anyone whose game winds up being seized and sold off will still get their fair share of what is recovered, but they'll have to cooperate, and join the suit themselves.
The chickens may be hatching, but they can still be used to make chicken salad.

many of them know this Dan. They just have other motives which clearly need other people to take no action. I appreciate you pointing out and rephrasing what I am saying, as I am sure it is useful for some that are lurking and thinking about their new action.

I have started to research IL lawyers that are experts in the matter and may be a good fit if anyone wants more info to get things moving.

#21179 7 years ago
Quoted from DBLM:

Jealous?
whysnow, I see that you are still stirring pots on things that do not impact you at all. You seem to have wide, far-ranging, and ever changing opinions on a lot of things. I normally don't punch down on numbskulls on the internet but I did enjoy the back and forth with you last night. Because I am bored right now, I propose the following: We open up another dedicated or off topic thread where you and I (or anybody, for that matter) can have an honest to goodness debate on different topics about the hobby. I harbor no animus to you at all. However, you and others exhibit certain behaviors at times on Pinside that detract from the overall experience here. I have no "friends" here on Pinside and don't go to shows, tournaments, etc. I enjoy pinball and have at various points been more or less active in different parts of the coin op business going back to '92 when my family ran a 5000 sq foot pool hall/arcade. However, this hobby is only a teeny-tiny part of my life, although I am spending a fair amount of energy on it right now as I reenter it.
If you (or anybody else) is interested in having a debate thread here is what I propose the ground rules be: It be a thoughtful debate that is focused on topics, not personalities. As part of a good debate, you will find in some cases people agree more than they disagree, and that is fine too. It be a respectful debate, where people engage in candid but respectful dialogue. Jabs to each other are fine and make this fun, but I do not want it to degrade to the lowest common denominator. And that it be an honest debate, where people bring real topics and positions as opposed to shit-stirring and doing things for the lols.
What do you say?

pretty sure that is what we are already doing and do much of the time here ???

am I missing something???

#21181 7 years ago
Quoted from DBLM:

Yeah. Mine, yours, and other's participation here is primarily shit stirring as we have no claim in these matter.
I am talking a separate thread where you and I (or whomever) can have a debate on things that are directly relevant to us.
If not interested, no worries at all and no harm, no foul.

go start a thread. I am sure if it is an interesting topic then people will join in.

#21187 7 years ago
Quoted from vdojaq:

100% incorrect, games are already out the door.
They got a product they paid for.

Or they got preferrential treatment in delivery of assets... That is for the court to decide.

Your logic is like saying Tim Fife will get to keep the predator he purchased. Looks like he won't BTW. just a matter of time.

-3
#21199 7 years ago
Quoted from vdojaq:

What preferential treatment? I am not understanding this. These people paid for MG's, they are getting MG's. These were bought and paid for BEFORE AIW and RAZA became available. FIFO, first in, first out. Even if you paid for RAZA or AIW, you have zero claim towards MG. Unless one can prove in a court of law that those monies were used to produce MG. Please tell me how anyone can prove that beyond a reasonable doubt? We all know.....but prove it.
The Kevin and Tim Fife example is way out of this ballpark, bad comparison. That was an under the table deal.

Go research bankruptcy laws and then come back. There is a good reason i am suggesting people retain a lawyer asap and then let the courts sort it out. Reality is that once the books have to be priovided, it will become crytal clear if raza and aiw money was used for any part of the creation of mg. if it was, then may god have mercy on all souls.

-6
#21216 7 years ago
Quoted from Pinballs:

Awesome. My friend, you can play MG as much & as often as you like. In fact, given the rarity I might have to be a bit more pinball party-ish going forward! I also have the only Nemo in the UK
Martin is reviewing Nemo for Pinball News next week (he lives not too far away from me), and just to add that I think it would be awesome if he could review MG too for the record, with one of his famous forensic dissections. This could also be helpful for a later 'compare and contrast' with AP's Houdini, given they manufactured MG.
I'm on the side of RAZA folks in being frustrated, as I paid for that too, but whysnow's approach of rogering MG folks (who fully paid 4 years ago) seems misguided & legally questionable (I don't think we'd lose our MGs, and see you in court, mate; oh, and I may not be in US jurisdiction, heh). MG customers are not the enemy whysnow is attempting to paint us as. As Jpop is once again not replying to my emails about getting MG shipped, I may not get the machine anyway, but just my $0.02.
Another thought- I believe all 19 MG customers should pay something to the vendors. Added together this might compensate them a little towards their losses, and it's the right thing to do.
We have all been adversely affected by Jpop, and not (note this whysnow) by each other.
Finally, as I'm one of the plaintiffs vs Jpop in the legal action, if I don't get my MG I'll help to bankrupt him In fact, I'm surprised Zane Smith the attorney didn't do this already. Jpop, please ship me my bloody machine.

Never once have i made any sort of statement that MG customers are wrong or some sort of enemy. DO NOT PUT WORDS On me i did not say. MG guys got screwed in this whole thing! Just like RAZA and AiW people. They are ALL the same and john is the only dbag in this whole thing!

Don't misinterpret my thought that all people owned money should be treated equal as something against MG owners. MANY MG owners are people I consider friends and a few of them even good friends. SOme of them are likely not happy with my statements, but those guys also know that any MG games were produced and only made it to this stage due to other peoples funds. Without those other people they don't get anything.

Ihave been clear on my statements and won't repeat them due to broken record status, but you owe my an appology for claiming such complete BS. They only enemy is John, but anyone that takes that MG home with clear conscious and big FU to all the others that paid in money or made the game and never got paid, is a DBAG! For those of you that do, I hope others owed money are smart enough for force JOhns hand and let the courts settle it out. Disgusting to see some in that group look at this like they are deserving of being the ones to walk away at the expense of others. Like it or not, ypu are ALL one group.

#21240 7 years ago
Quoted from Radius118:

Ah ok.. Got it.. I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

same people that sold their IM for top dollar with insider info weeks before the IMVE was announced?

#21378 7 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

Cointaker would have been in a better position if they tried to sell the game in the box, unopened. But since they opened it, showed photos of it open, but then seem to be holding back showing it in an unflattering light, it becomes suspect.

big time!

#21383 7 years ago
Quoted from luvthatapex2:

Why is everyone ass-uming the game doesn't work? Do you really think JPOP/AP would put 19 games in boxes and ship/allow pickup of the games if they didn't work? Aside from the software needing completion, the game should work right our of the box.

based on reports from some that have picked it up and the one for sale with lots of distant or super close up photos, it does not shoot worth junk.

Why would Jpop put 21 games in boxes? To try and show they are finally delivering and postpone legal actions that are ongoing is the most obvious answer. He had to deliver games to get off the hook legally. No obligations to deliver a working game beyond the basics and the courts would likely feel the same?

-2
#21387 7 years ago
Quoted from Mr68:

Someone please feel free to correct me as I'm in the dark along with everyone else.
From what I've read on Pinside, it seems that AP has distanced themselves from Jpop. AP did not make these 19 Magic Girls, Zidware Jpop did. AP only manufactured the parts and materials in a barter situation with Jpop. Its my sense that Pintasia through their legal rights told AP to cease and desist. Someone posted the AP staff are not allowed to help Jpop in any way. They're not even allowed to step foot inside his area of the warehouse.
It is also my sense that Jpop may have conned another victim, that being AP. I'm speculating the Jpop did not disclose the Pintasia agreement and AP only realized WTF was going on until after lawyers became involved. AP realized their hands were legally tied and told Jpop, this is a far as we can go.
Therefore I don't believe AP will be compensating anyone at anytime for anything on Jpop's behalf. Nor should they if my speculation is correct.
Please someone help me here as I'm speculating based on Pinside speculation. Yikes. - I welcome correction and/or additional information.

sounds correct from what I have heard also.

Kim > did you sell your game to special K? That is what we all really want to know.

#21411 7 years ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

I think people are far more worried about the game's layout and mechanics than they are the code when you see these comments. I think you would also admit your code was not complete and fully playtested the last you worked on it, no?

agreed.

People are saying a box of blinky lights since essentially it sounds like the layout and geometry is soo clunky that it plays like junk. I dont think anyone is making reference to the actual code. It sounds like code does not matter much given the lack of play?

-10
#21415 7 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

We all?
I think you are speaking for everyone when you probably shouldn't be, because many of us either don't give a shit or realize that it's none of our business.

lighten up tough guy. It was a joke. It was all public a while back that Kim was shopping it around at Expo time.

I just want to know if he deserves a high five or not, next time I see him

-6
#21420 7 years ago
Quoted from Mr68:

Total and complete bullshit.

eidted for the geniuses that are in capable for actually reading along...

I mixed up a post that Iceman made about Kim flipping his MG spot in Oct and mis-remembered it as KIM making the post. I have since apologized as Kim seems very sensitive about me thinking he made that post.

Other MG owners have said you sold to Special K for 20k or 24k depending on who is making the claim. I personally was hoping you kept the game, but do think it is funny if you were able to flip it to special K for more than you had in. The risks were clear at that time and anyone stupid enough to buy it for more than original cost deserves the risk/reward of the speculation.

#21423 7 years ago

good looking pooch. Looks like special K may have one redeeming quality

Anyone that has a cool dog is a better person for it.

-4
#21427 7 years ago
Quoted from Mr68:

Total and complete bullshit.

so... do you have your MG then?

If so, hook us up with some gameplay video!

#21429 7 years ago
Quoted from vdojaq:

Yep, I will give him due credit for the Dog..........but the guy is a BRONY!!!

I assume that is because of the MLP mural?

#21436 7 years ago
Quoted from vdojaq:

Yes, what kind of a grown man, with no kids, has My Little Pony on his walls?

the kind that overpays for a MG when the designer is in the midst of legal troubles for the fun of the ability to brag about it or flip it possibly.

#21458 7 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

I was one getting on Kim for supposedly taking advantage of somebody in selling that MG via the private owners group
A big and regrettable overreaction on my part
Time to move on and at least some MGs are being opened and played now

good to know. Sorry Kim. I thought I remembered that as public knowledge.

Well, did you end up selling your MG, or will I get to play it the next time I am in CO?

-13
#21491 7 years ago
Quoted from Mr68:

That's some F'd up memory you're apologizing for, Hilton.
Be advised, you're not welcome in my home under any circumstances.

I apologize Kim. I think you are blowing it all out of proportion. I remembered Iceman saying you were shopping around to sell your game as you saying it. The posts were deleted so it was in passing and then you evaporated right after that. You are both loud polarizing dudes and have gone back and forth publicly on MG for many years. Sorry I mis-remembered who said what.

I am not quite understanding why it is a big deal to you if I remembered it one way or the other. The point was that you sold your MG. Good for you. You found someone to take the risk when it appeared things were imploding. If you made some $$$ off him then even better. You cashed in on the risk and someone else took it on. I am not sure why you are pissed if that is public? or I remembered it as you saying it?

-9
#21493 7 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

I was one getting on Kim for supposedly taking advantage of somebody in selling that MG via the private owners group

Quoted from Whysnow:

I remembered Iceman

Quoted from Whysnow:

The posts were deleted

It is clear I was not implying you deleted anything. Sorry I thought you had posted about selling your MG spot when it was Doug.

I am still not sure why you are in such a huff about it? Did you not want anyone to know you sold your MG? If so, selling it to Chris was probably not the right idea? I am not sure why it matters that you sold it. To me it appears you are the one and only person to get out from all the MG drama and do so without losing money/making money on it.

Shitty way to have to spend 6 years and trust me, if someone was crazy enough to buy my predator spot, I would sell it happily at any point

I dont think anyone thinks any differently because you did. Hell, Chris knew exactly what he was getting into at that time. 2 consenting adults making educated decisions and coming to an agreement. Sounds all good to me.

Congrats on the sale.

#21503 7 years ago
Quoted from DBLM:

From only a page ago. It seems like you were implying a few things here....

follow along... I apologized for that. I was very clean that I mixed up Ice and mr68 comments.

Do I need to go back an edit for people that are only capable of skimming?

#21505 7 years ago
Quoted from DBLM:

Not at all. I stand by my assertion the other night that you like to weigh in on people's affairs that do not concern you. Maybe you like stirring things up, maybe you think that you are helping people by weighing in. You always seem to have an agenda (not that that is necessarily a bad thing) but stories do seem to shift around with you some. Whatever the case, you always seem to be in the thick of things and are prolific in your posting. To each their own.

yup, me and many others. We are all just blowing time on a pinball message board afterall.

With almost 200 posts on the topic, Kim has been a large vocal foundation of the Jpop saga for years now (i.e. for more than double the time you have been around)
This is an online community where we sit around, make friends, have fun, and give each other shit quite often.

I know kim in real life an thought we were friends. I am surprised he is taking issue with me making a mistake and remembering he posted something when it was iceman that posted. It seems like Kim is more concerned with it being public knowledge that he sold his MG spot. I have not idea why he is so sensitive about the issue, but when he is the guy behind much of the MG saga and set up the owners FB private forum and then ended up selling his game to Chris of all people at the strike of midnight, and after being the lead on the behind the scenes fight to make Jpop be honest and do something, OF COURSE it is of interest to the online community where he hung out for years and is a pivitol role in MG likely even getting made.

-5
#21533 7 years ago
Quoted from jrivelli:

Hilton is a piece of work. I had to file a local police report couple summers ago when the MG was at the NW show because of him and his threats. He was spreading that somehow we(pinballbulbs) "Stole" the prototype from the show and were keeping it I guess. Then he started to spread my personal home address and antagonizing people to come roam around to my house and check it out. I just had a newborn at the time and my wife and her were home alone all the time, so it was super upsetting and inappropriate.
Not surprised by his behavior above at all. He devalues this website heavily.
Ps - I don't know Kim ,but he can come play pinball anytime at my house

this is 100% bullshit and you know it. It is so preposterous it is laughable. I dont even know you or where you live.

Quoted from RobT:

Unbelievable.....yet.....so very believable.

it is complete fabrication. He either has a major malfunction or has me confused with someone else. I have PM'd him to give him the opportunity to apologize and realize his mistake. I am just curious if it is all in his head or if someone actually did this and he thinks it was me.

#21539 7 years ago
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

I'm sure he just mis-remembered things.

it is possible, but guessing he has me confused for someone else.

#21573 7 years ago
Quoted from jrivelli:

Wow, so I do owe Hilton an apology. It had been so long I got him and Iceman confused. Hilton is still a piece of work for this above posts with Kim, but not in the way I said. I searched and searched and found the start of it I quoted above. That business account has PMs from Iceman too about giving out the address.
I apologize to Hilton. Looks like Iceman.
Hank's post is interesting at this point now. CT seems to have gotten an MG they are selling on their FB account, but still won't release deposits to folks. I understand they are out money personally as well, but still good of them to make right deposits they took as a distributor. It's all one hell of a mess.

thanks for the appology. What you said was way out of line.

Please go back to edit your previous post so others (many only skim) know I am not some sort of stalker or harrassment dude sending people to your house.

#21574 7 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

Unbelievable.....yet.....so very believable.

Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

I'm sure he just mis-remembered things.

well...

#21576 7 years ago
Quoted from jrivelli:

Edited. I still don't like you in the slightest. You are partly to blame for some the current issues in a lot of this mess with your pitchfork mentality.

I am to blame for the failures of Jpop? ok...

#21580 7 years ago
Quoted from jrivelli:

Not entirely, of course not! That guy did all that himself. You made a great effort to not help the situation any further, let's keep it at that

???

Actually I think me being vocal that MG owners should get organized/legal was a good thing. It seems that the handful of people getting organized and leading the charge on the legal front is a large part of the reason that 25 MGs are even going out the door at this stage.

I am proud of all you people that put in the leg work and got the ball rolling on legal actions! All MG owners shoudl be thanking those of you that made shit happen!

good job!!!!

#21862 7 years ago

I assume all 25 games will shoot very differently. It is obvious they were put together haphazardly and again just to stave off legal stuff.

I have to think that each one will have its own seperate issues.

The biggest win here is that applejuice seems very willing to assist and passionate about seeing things through to the end. That will be a huge win for any owners of the game.

I am amazed at the selfless gesture. If I was applejuice I would ask for a set fee from each owner for code polish and make a security feature which is required to unlock so people cant share the code without paying so he can recoup costs (or just make a flat fee on the whole lot of games; 20k for cost to polish). The real problem being that he still should be getting a game and that is what will really be needed in order for him to fully polish.

#21895 7 years ago
Quoted from pezpunk:

you and i and everyone else know your insult has zero to do with the cereal

FWIW I had thought the Special K comment was directly/ originally coined based on either the breakfast food or the slang name for ketamine.

I never once thought it as an insult or regarding mental faculties.

Just sayin', the world is open to broad interpretation and intent is often hard to read.

I personally think it is a funny ass nickname and guessing he will embrace it.

On the side note, I am happy we all get a glimpse at what this game offers and if it took him spending 20k to get the game and garner the attention then so be it. Self serving but also one of the cooler things he has done.

Keep in mind he also took it on as an investment. That is what he seems to do and after the attention wears off I am sure it will be sold.

#21939 7 years ago
Quoted from mkecasey:

So, how about that Magic Girl?

by and large.

Art looks great, execution looks aweful. Appears very Jpop-esce with floaty windy ramps. Looks like it never made it through a full design phase and too many limitations post crash to be able to modify and make it actually play well. Appears poorly conctructed, shoddy print quality, cheap plastics, and things that are better in thought that reality.

Looks like it will be a collectible for the 1% of pinball collectors and guessing the other 99% would enjoy playing one for the experience, but it wont actually be much fun.

Bigger picture and question is what does this mean for those still owed $$$$$ and games from Jpop? How does thi impact legal matters (ongoing and potential/likely future)? What are the next steps and will people take them before it is too late?

#22123 7 years ago
Quoted from MarkInc:

Is that a switch? Looks like a one-way gate to me.

Agreed. The right orbit switch seemed to be triggering that flasher and a sound. Guessing you either need to do something else before qualifying power, it is not actually in the code, or the game is not in arcade mode?

#22224 7 years ago
Quoted from Mr68:

Here is the basic criteria of what I was calling complete bullshit. About five months ago, I was falsely accused of being a shill for American Pinball. I was falsely accused of using my position as the owners group liaison to sell my Magic Girl spot.
Now, 4 days ago the person who said all of this came forward and admitted none of it was true, he has publicly apologized and I have been vindicated.

I never claimed you were a shill nor used your owners group liaison spot to sell your game.

I merely (incorrectly) thought you had posted that you were selling your spot. It was infact iceman that posted Mr68 was selling his spot. Icemans posts were later deleted. I have attempted to apologize for this mistake.

I hope you can accept my apology.

-1
#22364 7 years ago
Quoted from Mr68:

Benchmark price on a sold Magic Girl is currently $23,000.00

Lets just say... I am from MO.

#22371 7 years ago
Quoted from Borygard:

I know of three sales personally. This is by far the low end.
--
Rob Anthony
Pinball Classics
http://LockWhenLit.com
Quality Board Work - In Home Service
borygard at gmail dot com

interesting to know. Thanks for confirmation Rob! Glad to see you got yours and hope it has enough there that you can make it shine.

#22390 7 years ago
Quoted from fattrain:

I know of one personally that sold in the last few days for far north of 30k...
I wouldn't be surprised to see this eBay auction go much much higher.

fattrain, you also claimed the original sold to Chris for 24k...

You are being quite transparent here I will say.

Not your typical style.

#22424 7 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

You are of course right. You're a model Pinsider.
I'm going to give Hilton the benefit of the doubt and assume he means most people with uber high end collections like you are not transparent and you are one of the exceptions, and that he just worded this belief in an awkward way? I dunno...comment seemed out of place otherwise if it was a personal target on you.

correct. Fattrain normally stays silent and does not quote prices even though he is one of the high end and rare collectors on the site. Not his normal style to be listing prices so transparently.

#22466 7 years ago
Quoted from DanQverymuch:

At the same time we have those who wound up with the Predator prototypes being treated as pariahs. Last I heard they were going to have to cough them up, or pay for them again plus a penalty if they want to keep them.
Just an interesting contrast, not saying anything disparaging about either group!

you do realize there are fundamentally different things going on here.

In the case of Predator people paid After the fact in order to get games. In the case of parts, it appears they were sold to a single individual whom then resold them to the people than now have them. These 'pariahs' (I would use a different P word) have in all cases helped to give funds to Kevin after he already scammed the community for a minimum of 400k. They did it for their own greed or ego it appears. In some cases these 'pariahs' seem to have even aided Kevin in hiding the facts of where money, parts, and assets are.

In the case of MG, these appear to all be 100% paying customers that paid in full 5-6 years ago and are finally getting games.

The similarity in both case is that their are pending legal actions and the potential for all people to have the courts come take back assets in the future. With both issues there is still the potential for things to get messier before they get cleaner.

Quoted from DanQverymuch:

Last I heard they were going to have to cough them up, or pay for them again plus a penalty if they want to keep them.

Where did you hear this? Interesting take on it. I assume this is in reference to the pending legal actions against Fife? If so, I dont think he has the option to keep given the sale of licensed material without the rights to do so. That is one big ace in the sleeve of Predator cases that sadly the Jpop people dont have.

#22470 7 years ago
Quoted from spfxted:

Version. WHY this is a surprise or shock to anyone is beyond me.....

agreed. Every collectible hobby has these uber rich collectors. Reality is that a few of them are around these parts but the majority are just regular working stiffs.

Levi said it correctly that MGs and the current state of that aspect of pinball has little/ nothing to do with the rest of the hobby for all us regular folks. I actually hope Stern and other manufacturers contine to rake in the big bucks off the SLE crowd. Maybe that will help offset on the PRO models cost down the line (I know, wishful thinking and not going to happen).

I actually think it would be smart if SPooky started offering 25 SLE for the new games they put out. I see no reason they cant do something special or cool and sell 25 of game #3 at 12k. That extra 6k becomes 150k extra profit to pay for the super cool mech in the other 475 standard models. Just customize that mech for the SLE folks and add special powder/trim. Seems liek the smart thing to do to cater to the uber rich in the hobby.

#22473 7 years ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

But pinball isn't that big.. so how many of these uber rich collectors who will leap to spend 30k on a title are there? Stern's recent experiment would suggest less than 100...
I guess the magic number is how many times the games will sell before that market is satisified..
And I again point at other truly rare or unique titles.. that don't pull this kind of coin. This is people still being swooned by the JPOP spell.
If I were him, I'd be finding another partner ASAP and get his next titles out there. He can tell people he sold his game for 3x the going price of other titles, and even once it was complete, it immediately doubled in value in the second hand market... and since then the 'collector' games are even hotter.
This is manufactured collectibility... and the same kind of runaway train that sinks many hobbies. When people value and pay.. for artificial collectibility.

completely agree and think this is yet another cut on the hobby as a whole.

Luckily I continue to find, restore, collect, and enjoy largely oddball decks that are a fraction of the price and drama as these 10k plus machines.

#22488 7 years ago
Quoted from fattrain:

They / He definitely won't be making any more and part of the reason they will fetch the money that they do is because of the rarity. If there was 200 of them, nobody would care.

Ice isn't calling for 200 more. He is calling for 30 more (55 in total then).

Doubling even from 25 of them to 50 of them is going to have little impact on secondary market. When Stern can sell 80 BM66SLE in no time flat then it seems there are plenty of collectors/ uber collectors willing to take up the extra stock of 25 more of these.

With some owners stating secondary flips of 30k plus, I am pretty sure Jpop has no legal obligation to hold fast at 25 built (heck he already increased that number 2x in the past). This honestly seems like the simplest way for him to put this all behind him and extricate himself form the mess he got in.

I would guess there is zero legal reason for him not to make 25 more and slowly leak them out over time. He could even do so and not disclise it to anyone.

#22491 7 years ago
Quoted from Shapeshifter:

But who on earth would pay for another 30 to be built? There isn't any money apparently.

1 at a time. I am guessing Jpop would/ is. Make one and it costs him 5k. Sell it out the back door for 20k. Build 3 more with that money and out the back door again.

#22497 7 years ago
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

John make a game himself? That's some funny shit right there.

? Whom made these current MGs?

I thought peopel said AP guys were not helping?

#22519 7 years ago
Quoted from MikeS:

Owning a full size mostly unworking game is overrated but if they were to make say 250 Magic Girl translites and 250 playfields all signed/numbered by Zombie Yeti I would be interested in adding one of those to my gameroom. Plus, they could use the profits to help make Zombie Yeti and Applejuice whole again. The game is basically an art piece anyway with a bunch of useless plastic and blinky lights, so just cut out the unnecessary stuff and just make the art available for people to enjoy!

curious, would anything be stopping Zombie from doing just this? Seems like he owns the actual art and guessing his current contacts could easily print him up 250 pfs and translites.

I too woudl be up for buying one of these so long as I knew Zombie and AppleJuice were getting the profits to make them whole.

#22681 7 years ago
Quoted from rotordave:

Pinside is always at its best when the Iceman is hitting the booze.
rd

pinside is at its best, when iceman has ice in his veins, passion in his heart, and is fighting the good fight to make sure Jpop gets what he has coming!

do it ICE!

#22723 7 years ago
Quoted from Pinballs:

Once Jpop makes a few RAZAs that magically add $10k in value, his problems will melt away...

I was told that more MGs are in his plan. Makes sense as that appears to be the quickest way to added revenue for him and he know people are paying more than face for them already. He was smart to not put a plaque or any numbers on them so he can slip them out the door and nobody will ever know how many were ever actual built.

With then being squirreled away and in boxes, he can probably build around 40 before people would start to catch on.

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