This topic is closed.
Does anyone really want an "adult sexy" Trailer Trash pinball machine? That oozes cringe.
TPB is successful because -- in spite of the foibles of the characters -- they are endearing and funny.
(My Fremdschämen is kicking in again.)
Quoted from dr_nybble:Does anyone really want an "adult sexy" Trailer Trash pinball machine? That oozes cringe.
I am 100 percent excited about the potential of finding out what John and his team of drunk bargain basement wash ups and nobodies come up with that oozes "trailer park adult sex appeal."
How could you not feel the same way?!
Quoted from dr_nybble:Does anyone really want an "adult sexy" Trailer Trash pinball machine? That oozes cringe.
TPB is successful because -- in spite of the foibles of the characters -- they are endearing and funny.
(My Fremdschämen is kicking in again.)
In one word: unlikely
Quoted from CrazyLevi:I am 100 percent excited about the potential of finding out what John and his team of drunk bargain basement wash ups and nobodies come up with that oozes "trailer park adult sex appeal."
How could you not feel the same way?!
There you go insulting pinball people, my team, & contractors. I hope they remember your comments.
I have a plan with timelines. Not waiting on a Go Fund Me that likely would not reach its goal by September 1 or my guess December 31. But what do I know. Experts abound here, some good & bad advice that you need to filter out. So I was suppose to roll the dice on a go fund me to see this through & abandon what I said from the start looking for whales.
Quoted from greatwichjohn:There you go insulting industry pinball people. I hope they remember your comments.
Good point; I could be in real trouble if someone who hasn't worked in the pinball industry since the Clinton Administration holds a grudge against me.
Quoted from greatwichjohn:There you go insulting pinball people, my team, & contractors. I hope they remember your comments.
So Levi was right? They are washed up?
Good luck!
Quoted from vdojaq:I am sorry, but if he cannot take the time to figure that all out, then my time to me has more value than someone who does not want to give any fucking effort.
Are you surprised? He thought a license would be granted within 2 weeks and he could just trade them a 6 pack of tallboys and a stick of pepperoni for it.
Quoted from vdojaq:Really surprised that no one has caught the "easter egg" that was dropped here within the last 24 hours.
Are you serious?? I have been focusing all my efforts just trying to make sense of the "normal" stuff that is going on here.
Now I have to look for hidden shit? Nope 
John, go fund me has tiers of support and a goal amount to be raised. Your supporters would look like this:
Guppy: $100
Mini whale: $500
Whales: $1000
You set the funding target ($10,000) and the project either reaches the goal or IT DIES. The best part? The machine is yours to keep or sell at the end of 6 months. Also, nobody can tell you that you can’t use some of that money on pitchers of beer and oysters. You don’t owe anyone anything. I hope I’m speaking your language here.
Quoted from vdojaq:Let me tell you all why I was willing to help John. When I started my own business in 2015, every so called " industry expert" told me that I was living a fantasy, that there is no way anyone could accomplish what I are trying to do, in the time frame I have, all by yourself. I also started with an idea and nothing in writing.
I was fired from my job Oct 12, 2015 and said I would NEVER work in the industry again unless I was a business owner. I wanted to open a major player automotive repair center. Not some 3 bay, side of road shop, or a franchised chain shop. I had grandiose ideas with little to no cash. So what did I do? I found the perfect building on Oct 21. I went home and did my paperwork on my own and incorporated on Oct 30. I emptied what was left of my 401K and wrote a check for a building hold for 90 days. At the end of 90 days if I cannot come up with the funding, the building's owner keeps my money and I get nothing. If I do get my funding, 50% of that hold check pays for my security deposit on the lease. Nov 1 2015, we shook hands and made a written deal. SHIT WAS REAL. I spent the next 60 days researching, learning and getting tutorial from the SBA business center. My assigned "tutor" also said, you are crazy, why not start small and build bigger later? I told him because that is not my concept. He said OK, write me a business plan that make sense and change my mind.
I wrote a business plan that wowed many people. I was consistently asked how will you achieve this and how will you achieve that and I always had an answer that made sense. My tutor said just said wow. I shopped my business plan to 2 Banks and the second one fell in love with me and my plan. They got me a SBA loan and I was approved on Jan 30th 2016 and funded Feb 15th. I signed my lease and took possession of the building March 1 2016. I had my truck and my trailer and I traveled a 5 state area combing auctions, closure sales and retirement sales to equip my shop spending pennies on the dollar. I signed a lease to own to purchase 4 brand new lifts and a scan tool. Finally, I acted as my own contractor to make all the building and electrical modifications that were needed. I opened my doors, fully staffed and fully equipped shop April 18, 2016.
Fast forward to 2022, I owe $0 other than a mortgage on the building(After 4 years of leasing, I turned around and bought it) My business owns 4 Stern Pros in the waiting area on free play for the customers. I have the highest rated Google reviews of any shop in the area. I did it, and I did it all my way.
Here is John with a dream and an idea that all of us were piling on him for his ways and means. Much of it rightfully so because it was not obtainable in the real world. I stopped myself and said that maybe, just maybe if I opened a go fund me for him, he could still have a crack at his dream if everything else fails. This was a gift from ALL of us pinsiders that wanted a glimmer of hope of seeing a real pinball machine out of all of this. It would have come with some great guidance of business experience, not necessarily pinball, but purchasing, labor costs and outsourcing all work the same. We would have set up levels of achievement to distribute the funds as needed much like the SBA did with me. This was a gift of $10K that came with the expectation of every donator knowing the possibility of failure was high.
Guess what, here we are, back to ground ZERO with ZERO. John, I am sorry, but you are your own worst enemy. If a unicorn walked by and took a shit, you would focus on the pile of shit and not the fact that it was a unicorn that made the pile.
That’s a good story. Willing to help people and pay it forward is very honorable and people should be willing to share their successes with others.
I don’t think you need to take offense to John wanting to do it his way or not wanting to be viewed as a “charity case”.
You personally might be back to ground zero but that doesn’t mean he won’t be getting a lot of help from others to achieve his goals, his way.
He might simply just not want to work with some of the people that were pounding him? Right or wrong.
He might turn this into a massive success or it could be a failure. Time will tell.
Quoted from Beechwood:Are you serious?? I have been focusing all my efforts just trying to make sense of the "normal" stuff that is going on here.
Now I have to look for hidden shit? Nope
A second one was just dropped a few minutes ago
Quoted from iceman44:That’s a good story. Willing to help people and pay it forward is very honorable and people should be willing to share their successes with others.
I don’t think you need to take offense to John wanting to do it his way or not wanting to be viewed as a “charity case”.
You personally might be back to ground zero but that doesn’t mean he won’t be getting a lot of help from others to achieve his goals, his way.
He might simply just not want to work with some of the people that were pounding him? Right or wrong.
He might turn this into a massive success or it could be a failure. Time will tell.
I take offense that we PM and work out the terms and then he comes on here and just doesn't care. Can't have it both ways.
He has zero $ now and I am willing to bet NO ONE fully funds him $10K after his showing of true colors the last 24 hours.
Quoted from vdojaq:I take offense that we PM and work out the terms and then he comes on here and just doesn't care. Can't have it both ways.
He has zero $ now and I am willing to bet NO ONE fully funds him $10K after his showing of true colors the last 24 hours.
Anyone successful enough to have 10k to blow on this insane business plan should also be smart enough to know it won't work.
His whale is probably Iceman, just doing it to "own" people like Blueberry & I.
Quoted from vdojaq:I take offense that we PM and work out the terms and then he comes on here and just doesn't care. Can't have it both ways.
He has zero $ now and I am willing to bet NO ONE fully funds him $10K after his showing of true colors the last 24 hours.
What terms? Raise the $10k however you want to do it and then be part of building a pin. I think he said up to 10.
Or just do it yourself since you are so inclined to help.
Quoted from benheck:Anyone successful enough to have 10k to blow on this insane business plan should also be smart enough to know it won't work.
His whale is probably Iceman, just doing it to "own" people like Blueberry & I.
Doesn’t the same logic apply to the Gofundme?
You don’t just flip the switch and say the “insane” business plan goes to “worthwhile effort” for charity purpose because the “smart $$” is in now?
I have zero interest in trying to “own” you or Blueberry or whatever that even means.
All you guys take this shit way too seriously. We can yell and scream at each other, get pissed off etc, that doesn’t mean I hate anybody regardless of what is said or has been said in the past.
With the exception of one or two people here I’d have a drink with and have fun with anybody.
I get that’s not true for “mini mob” towards me but that’s their problem. I don’t care.
And since you announced you are “ignoring” me you won’t even be reading this. Lol
The problem was, are guys serious about funding (Go Fund Me). My beer gut & brain said NO! Do not think it could happen this month, & like I say likely not with almost 5 months. My pinball industry designer is ready, & I have a timeline to follow. September 1 for 1 or more mini whales is what is needed, not a crap shot on yes there is lots of guys to support this project. Like I say the charity is the loser out of all this. Thought it was a great idea. But so be it, the show must go on.
Optimism always sounds like a sales pitch, while pessimism sounds like someone trying to help you.
John Stuart Mill wrote this 150 years ago, “I have observed that not the man who hopes when others despair, but the man who despairs when others hope, is admired by a large class of persons as sage”…….
Being an optimist doesn’t mean you think everything will be great. It means you think things will work out in the long run, even if the short run is a constant chain of setbacks, surprises, hassles and challenges.
People adapt over time. Good things you might now enjoy often came from a bad thing that someone wanted to fix.
Quoted from benheck:John doesn't care about GoFundMe. He's doing that typical boomer thing of "aggressive ignorance" - like the guy who brags about "not knowing nuthin' about computers - I can't even turn one on haha!" then wonders why he's broke.
Yea, its become quite clear why he has struggled financially his whole life.
Good luck!
Quoted from greatwichjohn:is what is needed, not a crap shot (shoot)
Quoted from greatwichjohn:. So I was suppose to roll the dice
The designer did a gambling pin? Norris or Balcer?
Quoted from greatwichjohn:The problem was, are guys serious about funding (Go Fund Me). My beer gut & brain said NO! Do not think it could happen this month, & like I say likely not with almost 5 months. My pinball industry designer is ready, & I have a timeline to follow. September 1 for 1 or more mini whales is what is needed, not a crap shot on yes there is lots of guys to support this project. Like I say the charity is the loser out of all this. Thought it was a great idea. But so be it, the show must go on.
If it didn't get funded in time, nobody is out anything. At least it gave you a shot. Now what do you have?
The timeline had to be maintained. Thought it was common knowledge that if I had 1 or more people by September 1 that is the objective. My mistake for not knowing the thought process was No you stop the search. We are going to do a Go Fund Me, the shit show stops, & yes take our word the goal should be achievable. Then Ben could bitch of how the build time failed, September 1 - March 1, 2023
So no big deal, I move along the same as usual. Joe Balcer would be my choice for Chris Turner or others starting up a real pinball manufacturing company.
Quoted from Beechwood:Ok, Jon Norris did Water World as well. That is my guess.
Gulp. Norris also did Vegas. A great game but, please Jon, no. Unless you are getting paid in advance.
Quoted from greatwichjohn:& yes take our word the goal should be achievable.... Joe Balcer would be my choice for Chris Turner or others starting up a real pinball manufacturing company.
Goal... Norris did World Challenge Soccer. Joe is out.
God D**n I gotta get a life...
Quoted from iceman44:What terms? Raise the $10k however you want to do it and then be part of building a pin. I think he said up to 10.
Or just do it yourself since you are so inclined to help.
You wouldn't know a good gesture if is came up and pissed in your boots and shat on your hand. SO you have to shit on everyone else for your own personal shortcomings. Run along now , I hear Vonnie D needs an investor.
Quoted from greatwichjohn:The problem was, are guys serious about funding (Go Fund Me). My beer gut & brain said NO!
WHAT THE FUCK? ! Did I not send you some beer money in earnest to prove to you I was real????
You cannot be that ignorant, can you?
Quoted from vdojaq:WHAT THE FUCK? ! Did I not send you some beer money in earnest to prove to you I was real????
You cannot be that ignorant, can you?
You are seriously gonna ask that question this far into it?? I mean let's be real, this is 47 pages of pure ignorant Bliss we got going on here.
Quoted from Roostking:You are seriously gonna ask that question this far into it?? I mean let's be real, this is 47 pages of pure ignorant Bliss we got going on here.
I hindsight, the answer is yes, yes he can.
Quoted from vdojaq:WHAT THE FUCK? ! Did I not send you some beer money in earnest to prove to you I was real????
You cannot be that ignorant, can you?
I guess so, did not think the hunt was ending. Yes Ben people can be stupid or ignorant, I still use one finger to type. Still have my flip phone. All my life never won a decent prize on a lottery.
You are real, but the Go Fund Me would of likely failed! Did not even get started, & it is all my fault. The offer is still there, I will not seek to do one myself or administer it. That is what I was trying to say here all the time. People can get confused with all the shit going on here. I certainly did. Thought the pod was still in play, & if the Go Fund Me achieved its goal the project goes public. I wanted nothing extra, & the pin would go to expo to be auctioned for charity.
Quoted from vdojaq:You wouldn't know a good gesture if is came up and pissed in your boots and shat on your hand. SO you have to shit on everyone else for your own personal shortcomings. Run along now , I hear Vonnie D needs an investor.
You are on tilt Kojak.
You aren’t gonna gaslight this shitshow pal.
You and the mini mob have shit all over this. Now you have your panties in a wad because you didn’t get your way.
So you go ahead and run along now. Adios. You are OUT! Lol
But let’s have a beer and some laughs!!! 
Quoted from iceman44:Doesn’t the same logic apply to the Gofundme?
No, a couple hundy by many is quite a bit different than $10k from one person saying here you go.
Quoted from iceman44:You don’t just flip the switch and say the “insane” business plan goes to “worthwhile effort” for charity purpose because the “smart $$” is in now?
It's absolutely an insane business plan, especially the way he was going about begging for whales, pods, and morons. However, to build one unit, with regulated funds, turns an insane plan into a plausible one.
Quoted from iceman44:All you guys take this shit way too seriously. We can yell and scream at each other, get pissed off etc, that doesn’t mean I hate anybody regardless of what is said or has been said in the past.
Agreed, you and I would probably knock a few down and laugh our asses off. There are a couple here on pinside that I wouldn't offer toilet paper to.
Quoted from iceman44:And since you announced you are “ignoring” me you won’t even be reading this. Lol
You have to announce here on pinside, that way the other party feels shame.
Quoted from iceman44:You and the mini mob have shit all over this.
You are SO FAR off base that you must be gaslighting yourself. I have offered up every opportunity for him to make this real. I think you need the wipe because that stench is coming from Texas my friend!
Quoted from vdojaq:You are SO FAR off base that you must be gaslighting yourself. I have offered up every opportunity for him to make this real. I think you need the wipe because that stench is coming from Texas my friend!
Weren’t you part of the original dump on John group? And I’m the one shitting on him somehow?
You are really trying to say that John hasn’t taken a beating? Now that is some pretzel logic gaslighting!
Pretty sure I’ve tried to be the “cheerleader” and supportive?
I think Ben is right. Ice ponied up the 10K to have a front row seat to the shit show and convinced John to shut down the go-fund-me since he now had his one mini-whale. 10K is a pretty small price to pay if you are a mini-whale to be able to ruin the fun of a lot of Pinsiders. And by fun, I mean getting to see the journey of what looks to be an all but impossible task, not whatever has transpired it this thread so far.
Quoted from pinballkim:I think Ben is right. Ice ponied up the 10K to have a front row seat to the shit show and convinced John to shut down the go-fund-me since he now had his one mini-whale. 10K is a pretty small price to pay if you are a mini-whale to be able to ruin the fun of a lot of Pinsiders. And by fun, I mean getting to see the journey of what looks to be an all but impossible task, not whatever has transpired it this thread so far.
Wrong. I don’t think John shut down anything. Kojak did.
His choice. Could still do it today.
If I were John I’d damn sure be skeptical that the crew would come up with $11k on the insane project though. Lol
GWJ, just be aware that the go fund me was just to help you realize this dream you seemingly desperately want. It's no different than people donating time, efforts, or parts to the build.
And it's not charity or a hand out. Some of us thought it would be a tool for you to use in your plan.
Many years ago, in the RGP days, Pinball expo was coming up soon, and that year was in the midst of the great recession. A staple in the pinball world was financially unable to go because of the rough times. He would not accept any help because he didn't want to take any "charity". Well, this person had done more for the community for free and I felt he deserved to be at expo. I sent PM's to a slew of people and we ended up raising enough to send him to expo. I had to lie and say I had excess flying miles I was never going to use in order for him to take it. But you know what? He deserved to go and it made many people happy to see him at expo. My point is, there is not always a catch, not always conditions. Sometimes people just want to see you enjoy that which was provided as a gift.
Quoted from iceman44:Wrong. I don’t think John shut down anything. Kojak did.
My reading comprehension isn't always the greatest but the way I think I saw it play out was John pulled the plug, Vdojaq replied with some concern as plans seem to have changed, John doubled down on how stupid the go-fund-me was, Vdojaq decided to wash his hands of it due to John not honoring their "verbal contract". But hey I like beer even more than John so I could be wrong.
Quoted from iceman44:Weren’t you part of the original dump on John group?
No, not part of the original group, I caught on later.
Quoted from iceman44:You are really trying to say that John hasn’t taken a beating? Now that is some pretzel logic gaslighting!
Never said that either. I absolutely came down hard on him about whales and how he was trying to raise money. I also one of the very few that offered realistic alternative options AND willing to help him do it.
So listen brother, I am not part of the so called mob, I have been brutally honest about everything, including my intentions.
You are way off base with me.
Quoted from pinballkim:My reading comprehension isn't always the greatest but the way I think I saw it play out was John pulled the plug, Vdojaq replied with some concern as plans seem to have changed, John doubled down on how stupid the go-fund-me was, Vdojaq decided to wash his hands of it due to John not honoring their "verbal contract". But hey I like beer even more than John so I could be wrong.
B I N G O! You just won Pinside for the day.
Quoted from pinballkim:My reading comprehension isn't always the greatest but the way I think I saw it play out was John pulled the plug, Vdojaq replied with some concern as plans seem to have changed, John doubled down on how stupid the go-fund-me was, Vdojaq decided to wash his hands of it due to John not honoring their "verbal contract". But hey I like beer even more than John so I could be wrong.
No idea what the “verbal contract” was but seems to be a little misunderstanding and I’m in agreement with you, beer is good!
Quoted from vdojaq:No, a couple hundy by many is quite a bit different than $10k from one person saying here you go.
It's absolutely an insane business plan, especially the way he was going about begging for whales, pods, and morons. However, to build one unit, with regulated funds, turns an insane plan into a plausible one.
Agreed, you and I would probably knock a few down and laugh our asses off. There are a couple here on pinside that I wouldn't offer toilet paper to.
You have to announce here on pinside, that way the other party feels shame.
Keep in mind, Ice likes to see others lose money, along with him on the crazy hair brained schemes. This aint his first rodeo pumping up a failed business.
Quoted from iceman44:No idea what the “verbal contract” was but seems to be a little misunderstanding and I’m in agreement with you, beer is good!
Why would you? You were never part of it.
It's ok to admit you were wrong. It part of a healthy life.
Lots of head shaking reading these last few pages, but this post jumped out at me.....
Quoted from greatwichjohn:The build time is 6 months, start to finish.
Yep there sure is a ton of work to do in a short amount of time, so why not get started today?
Quoted from greatwichjohn:September 1 is the start for me.
When he's struggling to make that insane TPF deadline, can someone please bring up those 3 weeks in August that he just tossed away like a crushed beer can?
Quoted from greatwichjohn:I have enough stuff going on for the month.
Oh what could that be? Whale watching? Beer pounding? Good lord get to work!
Quoted from iceman44:Wrong. I don’t think John shut down anything. Kojak did.
His choice. Could still do it today.
If I were John I’d damn sure be skeptical that the crew would come up with $11k on the insane project though. Lol
I like the way you start this statement with "Wrong.", and then never touch on the one thing I stated that you would have 100% knowledge of. I think I recall you being a lawyer of some type, story checks out.
If you read through a bunch of pages. I always stated I was on the hunt for a pod of whales. Some how this turned into a go fund me with a bunch of stuff that was not my plan. Hard to keep track of it all here.
Keep in mind the pinball designer is getting paid, & it depends on 1-10. So that should also be looked at. Now the designer still has not given the go ahead to go public. Could be someone mentioned or not, I was not trying to give out any hints. Pinball is a gamble, you can crap out at anytime. Maybe I will see a unicorn shit in front of me, not likely but who knows.
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