Guys, calm down! Save your combative energy for when Ice Coach Sugar Daddy returns!

Just got home from the bar, & only had a pitcher of beer today. Jon Norris has a very good excel spread sheet showing all the parts needed down to individual screws.

Quite a bit?

Patiently waiting for the return of ICE..........

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So did I. Today I had a Amaretto & Dr.Pepper. It was shockingly good! 2 Beers and 2 Shots. I read the owners manual for my lawnmower, all the way down to the bagger attchment.

Not commenting on the 3 different spats you’re imagining yourself to be in, but it’s pure gold when someone uses Walter to back up their point - he was wrong about everything, just absolutely everything, in that movie lmaoooo!

Edit: I’m drinking a Cuba Libre, to get back on topic.

Rarehero needs to get a life...

Get over it dude. You're just totes jelly

Ummm, you seem to be conversing with yourself?

Cheers,

Agreed. Please, chill out and be less aggressive. Hugs, not drugs.

I just went all electric and will never go back. The self propelled feature goes through the battery quickly when I use it, but otherwise the mower/hedge trimmer/weed whacker set has been great for my two acres.

Anyhow. One less day for drinking and building.

Waiting for the official "State of the Pinball Build" from the coach himself iceman44

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At the workshop. Like I said the build does not start until September 1. 6 month build window. Got to stick with the plan. 10 pinball machines in the workshop to work on over the next 10 days to free up some space for the build. Extremely low overhead & space for my area of the workshop.
I will go through Jon Norris excel spread sheet early this week for parts from Pinball Life & Pinball Resource. To start on the whitewood for testing. Doug is likely enjoying some time away from this build.

Is Doug/Coach/Iceman44 still purchasing a machine???

Yes so far he is the sole mini whale. He already has $1k USD into this so far, & the build does not start until September 1. Doug will have enough to say over the build. Most people are going to see how this unfolds over that time. 1 or 2 games for sure will be built for Texas, or up to 10. Like I said you join the list with no money down to maybe secure your spot or not. If you still think this is some troll or con game you would be most likely wrong. Along with the majority that think I cannot get this done. Jon Norris design mostly for playfield & BOM list, Pinball Artist from the industry? (Doug will be looking at that as a add on), got my contractors, & team picked out for the game production.
There are mini whales in my area ready to set sail & claim spots reserved for Doug & myself. Depending on the finished games. Anyone else not on the possibly interest list will not be able to join the pod after the end of the month. Kind of a hard fraud with no money down, & no commitment to purchase over the winter for those that want to gamble & see the end result.

Only “most likely” wrong that this is a con or troll?? I might have chosen different words there…

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Why that is what the haters are thinking. Just waiting in the wings to blast me again. The coach is still relaxing.
I might go & have a few beers to relax on another nice summer day.

Question John: If there were 9 other idiots willing to buy into this stupid theme, at what point would you take their money? Assuming the games are delivered at TPF.

Are you going to have 10 games built in February, show the video of such, then collect money for TPF delivery?

Where do you get the capital to build multiple games with no money down?

Ben the first game will be done for Doug, maybe he buys into another 1. Keep saying the build could be 1 to 10. People will be paying in build stages. Just like Doug is in for parts stages, $1k USD shows he is a serious player, & the project will move forward. He is a good guy & willing to see things get done for a build. Ed from TPF was told the build will be going to the show, a Jon Norris design with minor requests towards what I need.

No. I do have the plywood standing by for the first test whitewood. When the parts arrive start testing the shots, & what I need added on. The sleuths here still have not figured out the local programmer.

Why? Because that’s what you wrote in your own post. Just saying, next time say “if you think this is a con or troll you are wrong”. “Most likely” means that you are saying there’s a chance that this is a con or troll which is not what you meant, I’m sure.

So let me get this straight:

1. You have one and only one mini whale.

2. You are only advertising in this disaster area of a thread while trying to create a FOMO

3. Much like DR we have all of 10 days to sign up on an interested list or forever hold our peace

4. If we are interested and speak up now we owe you nothing, and after we have seen what you built and like it you will make more

5. If we only become interested after you’ve built the first two, but we didn’t indicate we might be interested back in August, then you won’t build more even with money in hand.

6. If someone discovers this thread between now and March and wants one after March then you won’t build them one because they had to have been interested in August 2022 (even though they didn’t know about it before).

Does this actually make any sense to you ? Sorry, I can answer that one…. of course it makes sense.

John another friendly few pieces of advice:

1. People telling you they are interested in some possible future product while you are sitting drinking with them at a bar, but where they put nothing on the line has a conversion rate to an actual completed sale of almost zero.

2. Trying to become a manufacturer while focusing on personal early validation as your litmus test of success is not a good way to run a business.

3. Build the damn machine, make it better than anything out there, and then take orders from people who seeing this masterpiece want one. That’s how Stern does it and so should you.

Your problems however are as follows:

1. You have massively undercapitalized your business.

2. The product you are building mostly has cachet in the sense that Doug wants to flaunt that he has something others don’t and after Aug 31st can’t. That’s a limited market. Not a lot of Doug’s out there.

3. You are making a throwback 80s style game. Unless it approaches TNA quality interest will be low for a salable product.

4. Your cost for said throwback at $10K is not really price competitive to other manufacturers except as a trophy piece.

I would look at your efforts as a way to have some fun and gain some experience on going from idea to complete game on someone else’s dime. But as a profitable business …. given what is stacked against you seems unlikely

I will be on the hunt for some Deeproot pinball parts to use in the build. Nice touch for the pinball history in Texas. Stand up targets, & any other stuff that might be useful. So if you got some stuff that Terry did not buy let me know.

John the thing I find most confusing is your continued insistence that you'll build "up to 10“ paid for units by TPF.

Why? You've said this isn't about earning profit. Do you owe money to the Tim Horton mafia? What is the motivation for increasing your liability 10x?

Ego? Pride? Regaining a lost sense of accomplishment?

Granted it's a self-correcting problem as Ice will remain your only customer until you have a game to show. My concern is that it shows a lack of experience and business acumen that threatens the project, even if it's just one unit (which even then will be barely doable)

I'm not trying to be a hater, just trying to open your eyes to reality.

Kind of a long read. I will not build more that what Doug or his friends want, my area mini whales, or those on the list before the deadline. Doug might still have the one & only pin for Texas. Time will tell! 1 - 10 games in 6 months. The bar is waiting for my beer orders, Happy Hour all day.

Ben: The plan is the same. From the start 1 - 10 pinball machines will be built in 6 months for Texas. That plan has stayed, & the show must go on.

You haven't answered my question. What is your reason for building up to 10 games?

I can assure you, I will not be securing as spot. You are not a troll or a con man, but some of your methods have been VERY questionable.

The majority of us KNOW you cannot build build 10 games in 6 months. However, most of us are rooting for you to get your 1 or 2 done.

Just stop the nonsense , there are no more mini whales, pods or sugar daddies.

When is the ejection period over?
This thread is bizarre to say the least. I thought it was a troll/joke at first but now looks like it will be interesting to follow, Especially with alcohol overindulgence fueling ego’s and tempers!

You may want to check with Keroppi on this.

So if 8 more people want to buy the game with "no money down, & no commitment to purchase" you'll build 8 more games?

And how is a 'hard fraud' different from a 'soft fraud'?

You need the exercise! We all do!

One thing is for sure, Iceman is NOT happy being called a mini whale.

Better get that situated quick!

I don't think that at all and never did. Those that do believe are in the minority and many of us don't care for some of their comments either.

What most of us are, are sceptics and its on you to prove us wrong. And what I think you're missing is, we sceptics will cheer for you if you proves us wrong.
And your biggest sceptic, Ben Heck, has also been posting helpful suggestions. The man has a ton of knowledge and experience and he's not just been leaving you "breadcrumbs"

The overall plan has changed a lot snice the beginning, as has already been discussed, and many of us have been confused along the way. I'm still not exactly clear what's going on.

And just now we find out you're seeking Deeproot parts for the build? I don't understand why and that only adds to my confusion.

Hi John, these two statements seem to contradict each other considering the build starts Sept 1.
How long do people who make the mini whale list have until they have to put money into the project?

We've put more thought into this project than John has.

Still waiting for John to answer my question of "why 10 games"

Haha touche.

Still. I believe all my concerns are valid, the hate (frustrated disdain) comes out when John refuses to listen to anybody.

This thread is a cross between the soap opera “All my Children” and an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Sitting back watching and reading while on my little hiatus was something else!

The entertainment value is top notch.

Since some of you thin skinned Pinside Babies whined to the Mods to have me thrown off I’d be perfectly fine with that.

But judging from the all the comments it seems you guys crave the drama. Lol

So I’ll be here to do my part and add to the entertainment value

Or you can vote me off the island. Don’t care

Either way, John, Jon and I are gonna have fun with this project.

There will be a charity component to it as well

One song that will be in the play list.

“Up against the wall redneck mother”.

Jerry Jeff Walker. Legendary

One thing I want to make sure of is an awesome art package that incorporates some great Redneck Cowboy stuff.

The build cost, as it goes up, will be because of upgrades like that

Welcome back and one thing is for sure this is provided some top level entertainment and it definitely wasn't me that whined to the mods, I'm usually banned half the time anyway.

Looks like we have a solid start date of Sept 1! Confidence level is high.

I’m heading to my favorite beach dive bar called the “Gaff” in Port Aransas, Texas.

It’s the home of the world famous “Belt Sander Races”. Redneck Heaven.

The location will be in the art package.

Take some pics when I get there.

Will be drinking today, doing a fantasy football draft with my dad and brother later online. Drinking because I’m chilling and off work the next two days.

To get to the Gaff I’ll be hopping into my Redneck “House Divided” Uber taxi. Can drive home safely.

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