Looks like JPOP found someone to make his latest design.

It’s not so much “they can’t” build it as “we won’t” buy it. If they made exact copies of TZ, MM, TAF etc for $500, I wouldn’t buy them.

I *hate* China and the trillions of dollars of IC that they have stolen from the US and other countries. They commit every atrocity known to man and the rest of the world turns a blind eye. It’s disgusting.

*note - I hold no ill will towards the *people* of China. My sentiment is towards the Chinese government.

There is a distinction between items legitimately manufactured in China and those that are blatantly copied without license. I think it reflects poorly on manufacturers (such as Apple) that utilize China to make their products, but that's very different than an unlicensed forgery of an existing pinball title.

Seriously? Fact. Ask any large US manufacturer and they will give you plenty of examples where their product designs have been stolen and reproduced without permission.

I have first hand knowledge of many fatalities resulting from the use of knock-off wire rope and rigging products that were blatant forgeries. Chinese companies make an inferior product that looks identical - same color, same company name on the product, etc. When the product fails under 1/8 of the rated load of the genuine product, bad things happen. It’s sad to see - but only a microcosm of a much larger problem.

Here’s a lighter take on the situation if you care to watch:

I don’t know if I could agree that Chinese made pinballs would “dominate the market”. It’s been attempted once and it currently holds the spot as the WORST modern pinball ever made:

53C968AE-1754-4162-886B-CF2554FEA905 (resized).png

Which says a lot because Hercules is REALLY bad.

Wow - stereotype much? Please share what you know about me or anyone else in this thread. Hating the communist government of China and how they oppress their people, lie, cheat and steal isn’t a “dated view of the world”.

No - not a “lot”. My understanding is cabinets, playfields, metal work, ramps are all made in the US. Microchips, LCD panels, LEDs, speakers, playfield inserts and some rubber is imported - but not entirely from China.