In spring of 2021, I was asked if I could fix the artwork being used for the Seawitch playfield production. Just as the art was completed, I was informed the person doing the production was unable to continue.

Rather than let the project die, I opted to purchase all the materials and pay out all the creditors from the production. These “creditors” include a small number of people who paid for but did not receive a playfield.

The production has moved forward slowly due to COVID restrictions. Each step is filled with significant risk with a steep learning curve. I did not want to announce anything until I was sure I would be able to deliver playfields to those people who had already paid. My time has been focussed on the production rather than public discussion of the topic.

I am pleased to announce that the printing of the new playfields was a success. The playfields are using whitewoods previously cut and assembled, and artwork that has been digitally remastered as a vector image and adjusted for correct detail and colour match. The art and colours have gone through quality control through consultation with Mr. Robert Timm, the artist who created the image for the original playfield. The result is a playfield that I am very proud of.

My next steps are to get the final product out to those who have been waiting. I will be checking in-service performance to ensure the playfield performs as good as it looks. It is a slow process, but the lessons learned are worth the investment.

I know many of you are eager to sign up on list or send money. I am not taking names or money at this time. The production playfields will be made available only once the outstanding accounts are settled. Then, and only then, I will be able to determine the total cost of the production and the price I need to recoup that cost. In the meantime, I am pleased to share the photos of the new playfields.

Greg Walker
Fantastic Pinball Inc.

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Testing options on the Seawitch clearcoat is still ongoing. One of the test playfields was done with the “normal” paint accelerator. This product uses aluminum oxide powder which can be seen as metal flake in the final clear. This looks very nice and is desirable on a car, but opinions and tastes vary in the pinball world. This may be the only playfield done with the metal flake finish. I will have to see which, if any, of the seven remaining clients wants to claim this prize.

I took some photos, but I see now that my lens must have been dirty because the photo look blurry. I will have better photos on the weekend when I box this batch up and print the next batch.

Greg Walker
Fantastic Pinball Inc.

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Seawitch Playfields ready to ship. Do you like metallic or regular?

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Someone asked for some outdoor photos of the Seawitch playfield. This is the metallic version.

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I totally agree. You can’t see banding unless you get your nose right into it, but the banding is going to happen with a digital print. The metallic is just stunning. Not a fan of the metallic over the inserts, but in that blue it is amazing and, yes, hides the banding.

Fantastic!

I saw the banding in the old repros and I took steps to reduce it. There is a balance between quality and cost, and I pushed everything towards higher quality whenever there was a reasonable option. I've looked at my playfield vs the old version and this version has less banding than the old one. I recommend you wait until the new playfields are with the new owners and let them describe the product quality. If you opt to buy one of the old versions instead, I'm sure someone will offer up one for sale, or would trade theirs for your new one in a heartbeat.

Fantastic!

I have printed and cleared the playfields for the 8 outstanding clients and I am now prepping the next batch of 5. I will be doing four batches of 5 (20 total) from the materials that I have available and will then switch to Stargazer. There will be a lag after the 20 Seawitch because I'll have to produce more whitewoods and the cost of everything, including premium and custom plywood, has gone crazy.

OK... Prices in Cnd$.

For the 20 Seawitch playfields:
Whitewood procurement and prep $250. This is cost of wood, inserts, CNC file prep, CNC cutting, assembly, and pre-printing prep.
Artwork printing $250. This is 100 hours into the artwork prep, color adjustments, alignment, Printer setup, 3 passes on the printer per playfield (20 minutes each)
Clearcoat $283. Three coats automotive clear with 600 grit between coats, block sand flat then repeat an additional 3 coats to level the playfield, then top with ceramic clear.
Package and ship $100. This is the box, wrapping, and shipping via UPS.

Profit $117. This covers the risk if any playfield is rejected or damaged in production, carrying cost of production expenses, gas and incidentals during production.

So, that is why I am setting the price at $1000Cnd each.
Skip the clearcoat (-$300), $700 each
Supply your own whitewood (-$250), $750 each (assuming no prep required and you assume all risks)

No, you can't pay me for a playfield I have not made yet. No, there are no lists. I will post when I have playfields ready to go. I expect the next 5 to be printed on Friday and clear to be done within a week. The run of 20 Seawitch should be done before the end of the year. Stargazer is already test printed and being adjusted. Other titles are pending consumer response to this endeavor.

Hardtops and other options are being considered, but my focus has been on playfields the way they came from the factory.

Fantastic!

Had a very successful day today. More Stern Seawitch Playfields heading through the system and should be available sooner than expected. Really happy with all aspects of the product and process. The capabilities are expanding and with luck I should be able to offer reprint restoration service on the full catalog of titles that I have artwork for. This means I will be looking to build that artwork inventory. But first, I will get through this stack of playfields. My thanks for all that have offered support in this and future ventures.

Fantastic!

Just received 5 new Stern Seawitch playfields.
These are now for sale.

Price options:
Base Playfield (no clear) $700
Basic clearcoat (3 coats) $200
Double clearcoat (6 coats) with or without metallic additive $250
Double clearcoat plus ceramic topcoat $300 (recommended)

These playfield were made using premium top quality custom wood, printed using vector based graphics with perfect alignment. Extra precaution to ensure no ghosting on white letters from overprint. Colours and artwork completed and verified correct through collaboration with the original artist, Bob Timm.

The task of art and colour correction was taken on pro bono to help my good friend John. I can’t imagine anyone sitting on corrected art and colours for years while John struggled and ended up broke and while people received playfields with inaccurate art and colours. Unfortunately with John unable to continue, it was up to me to ensure his customers and supporting vendors were made whole. Having achieved my goal for helping others, I am pleased to be able this product that I am so very proud of. It is exactly as Bob Timm envisioned.

I hope you will support me in making this playfield a sellout success. I intend on releasing the colour matched plastics and backglass in short order and will carry on from there with new products based on the support from you, the community, and your interest in having vendor options and competitive pricing. I think these options are great and encourage an open market where all manufactures can make all products. So for all titles, let’s pile on!

Fantastic!

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I don’t know what to tell you guys about that other than to say my NDA with John was done for this exact reason. John told everyone that these playfields were in production and when they were being released. I would have preferred less information out there and I had plans to sell these through someone else and stay in the shadows.

When I did Fathom it was groundbreaking. Nobody did reproduction playfields. I was deep into Centaur and EBD playfields as my second and third projects when other people decided to do the exact same titles using the exact same suppliers. I had shown them exactly how to do everything, thinking they were my friends. They took all my inserts, and my films for Fathom. They even went so far as to call people on the phone and pretend to be me, changing the address of supply accounts. This was discovered when I was on the phone with Wayne Gillard and suddenly Wayne got another call from “me” on the other line. I pushed back at first, but then my house got broken into and the only thing stolen was the computer and all the files with the pinball artwork. I left pinball for 15 years after that. Who would want that sort of crap in their lives.

I’m back, and I’m doing these playfields and will be doing more. Yes, others will do the same titles every time. I will produce as good a product, or better, and I will undercut the prices and do it at cost. I am doing it for fun as I am am a retired veteran with capability and capacity and no overhead. If you want to help, buy my playfields and promote ethical business practices by insisting ethical behaviour from your vendors. That would be…

Fantastic!

Someone asked for these two photos. The colour looks different based on the room lighting, but the detail is shown. Please note that each original playfield would have variations introduced in production.

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It kinda sounds like you are volunteering to do some quality control checks on artwork before I do final printing. That is great news! PM me and I will put you to work right away.

Fantastic!