Send me PM's if you want to get on the target list. Doesn't mean you have to buy anything, just that I will get in touch with you before I post them for sale.

PM with:

Game Name
Manufacturer
# of targets in the machine
An email address if you want to be on the email list.

We are for sure going to make targets for the following machines (assuming there isn't some issue that would prevent me from doing so)
Black Knight 2000
Metallica
AC/DC
WOZ

I have orders for other titles, and I'll add those to the list once we make the first set for that game and they are installed in a machine and we know there aren't any issues.

Back to work. I hope to have something to show you by tomorrow night if everything goes well. It won't be a final version, but it will (hopefully) give everyone an idea of what the finish and colors will look like.

Thanks!

I ended up having some equipment issues and had to get some parts for my air compressor so I didn't get to applying any finishes yet, hopefully tonight, if not, my next free night is Wednesday. Sorry again for the delay in getting you all some pics, should be soon, I'm planning for later tonight.

That's really awesome, can I use it for my avatar pic?

Edit: We need to hide some panites in there somewhere.

Ok, Here's a little something to tide everyone over.

Please Be Aware,

This is my first test and is in no way representative of the final product, there will be more pics to come, but I wanted to show you all some progress. The oven I'm using is old and the thermostat has a huge "dead zone" so the temperature was fluctuating quite a bit ~40 degrees. I'm buying a new oven today and plan to do some more testing towards the end of the week/weekend.

The target in the pics is an old version and is not the current design. This is only a test

If this works out well, there is alot of colors and effects we can do, pearls, chameleon, metal flake, textures etc. I'm also thinking I should be able to tint the clear, but I'll need to do more tests to be sure. Color matching will not really be possible but there should be plenty of colors/options to find something that looks good.

As always, your suggestions/feedback is encouraged just remember that this is not what the final will look like.

photo 4.JPGphoto 2.JPGphoto 1.JPG

That's what all this testing is for

It should hold up better than the naked aluminum and that held up pretty well, but not great. This is basically encasing the target in high impact plastic.

I need to get the process down before I coat my current prototypes but once they are done I'll be able to test. This one will be going into the machine as a secondary test along with the next few that I do in the 2nd bank of targets. I really need to get my hands on another target bank so I can build a test rig that will beat the target 24/7.

Up next is clear, then green, then candy black The Stern compatible target is the next prototype, can't wait...

Hi!

Just got new oven today. Going to do some more testing over the weekend, I want to try the clear next but after that what color would you like to see?

Translucent Black
*new* translucent shimmer green, I think it's the other green with metal flake.
Translucent Red
Translucent Blue
Translucent Green
Translucent Orange
Translucent Purple
Translucent Clear

The coating is plastic, similar to a stock target. It will actually help this style of target and eliminate metal on metal contact. Note that this is the first prototype and I'm using it for testing the coating process. The final targets may only be coated on the top half as the bottom half has been redesigned.

I do have a Data East sample, thank you for offering it up though.

I should have some free time over the holiday to make some progress. I can't wait to try some of these colors.

Clear Test. image-610.jpgSide by side with naked Aluminum image-397.jpg

So, what do you think about the clear? How does it look to you guys? I think we may do the engraving on the clear targets first, and the others will be engraved through the coating.

Thanks Cheddar. I'm going to try some color samples this weekend, I'll try to do the black so we can see what it looks like.

Good news,

I just got word that the rollover prototype is ready for pickup, I'll post some pics once I get it. Things are still moving forward, just a little slower due to the holiday's.

Merry Xmas!

Sorry for the lack of updates. We have already made a few changes to this design but this should give you an idea of what the rollover will look like. This one has the machine finish and hasn't been polished yet.

rollover2.jpg

Rollover1.jpg

I've been out of town for work, once I get back I need to get my BK2K back together (2/3rds of the way through a flipper upgrade, more power=faster testing). Should make some more progress in the next couple weeks. As usual I'll post as I go.

Update!

Still workin on em'
Got a new position at work that has me traveling and a bit more busy.

These targets are redesigned from the previous version, some changes were made for durability. I will be putting them into the machine soon for testing. When I pull the old ones out, I'll show you guys some of the problems we have run into along the way, for those that are curious.

I tried the translucent black this time. It's pretty cool, the pictures don't reflect what it looks like in person. They look like smoked chrome, they should look really cool in the machine. I had some blemishes in a couple of the faces, but that won't matter for the durability testing.

This last set might be the make or break test. If the changes we made don't solve the problem, it may not be possible to make them out of aluminum. We'll see I guess.

That one picture is a reflection of a tree out my window.

IMG_4867.JPG

IMG_4864.JPG

IMG_4859.JPG

I've had some nice Pinsider's send me some of the older Bally/Stern/DE targets as well as the older Williams targets. They are on the list to make once these and the modern Stern's (both blade and rollover type) are ready. The form factor for those older targets are so different than the modern ones that we will basically be starting from scratch with them. It will all depend on how the durability testing goes.

As for your targets that brick, make sure you aren't using a big fat rubber behind them. sometimes going with a slightly smaller size and stretching it may help. Also, make sure your springs aren't stretched out, old or worn. Sometimes taking a turn or two off will get them to pull down a bit faster so they can't bounce back and catch the edge.

LOL, didn't notice that. It's been 3 years since I had a cig. That's Provari is from their first run and I've never had a problem with it, they are a rock solid product.

Thank you.

Keep up the good work!

I have the older Williams targets and a bank thanks to a generous pinsider but we haven't started on them until the testing pans out. The modern Williams type will be first, followed by modern stern/JJP as they are very similar then it will likely be the older Williams as they are the next closest in form factor, then the older Stern/DE/lollipop style as they are a total redesign but as I said, it all depends on how well these new ones hold up.

Not really. Just started testing the new version. I'm kind of a one man team with the help of a very good machine shop. I don't want to sell anyone something that won't last. I'll have to charge a premium for these due to the low production and I want to be confident that these targets will be durable and last a long time.

My goal is to be taking orders by Allentown in May. If this last change works out, I think we can do that. We may not have drops available to sell at Allentown but we should have some samples that people can put their hands on and start taking orders. Everyone who's emailed or PM'd me are still first on the list and will be contacted before any other orders are filled.

I know it's slow going, this is a pet project and I can't always devote the time I want to on it.

I'll try to post some new pics this week and show you the problems we are trying to solve so you all have a better understanding of why it's taking so long.

I think we figured out they were the same as System 7 and WPC era is the same as System 11. They are in the plan though, likely after Stern targets. The good news is that once all this testing is done, the results should apply to those targets also.

Got the new targets installed the other night. We had our first league night scheduled at my house and I didn't want to take a chance of screwing up the machine so I had to wait until after the league night. I played about an hour last night just shooting at them. Some pics to come soon.

I'm hoping everyone hasn't given up on me yet. Both my machinist friend and I have been pretty busy over the past few months with our own things going on. I have some changes I want to make and test but we haven't been able to get together on it.

I will say that the last test set was very positive, much less wear, almost none but there is still a little room for improvement. Both of us will be pretty busy until the end of August.

I didn't end up going to Allentown because I didn't have anything to show. I had just started testing the current revision and while I have a few targets that I could let people see, they weren't in a machine and they weren't a recent revision.

I'm not giving up on this. I'm still testing targets for durability and finish. I got one more tweek I want to try and test before filling orders.

Hang in there.. won't be long now.