Didn't see a general discussion thread for TPF 2022, so here it is!
(Topic ID: 312450)
Did totally lousy in the Classics tourney. First time to play any of those machines, so I wasn’t expecting much.
Wandered through the main hall while folks were still setting up. Figured it would be my only opportunity to get near The Big Lebowski. Played for an hour or more. Missed the lunch at Bavarian Grill cause I was playing. Upper flipper quit working. Was glad to finally play it. But, it is no longer a must-have for me.
Wandered past Houdini. Played for a while. I’m in love. Would look great in my game room next to Mystic.
Played a beautiful Williams woodrail, Rocket. Lots of fun. Met some great folks from Germany & Spain.
No doodle bug . I was hoping for one.
West Dundee, IL
Looks like they're being archived, which is cool, because there's little chance I can watch the good stuff live.
Just watched that Mirco q and a. He didn't get a pass for the GNR playfield issues.
Quoted from luckycreature:Just watched that Mirco q and a. He didn't get a pass for the GNR playfield issues.
Hopefully Jack doesn’t either
Quoted from Purdue:My little dude got to meet his hero!!
[quoted image]
Good taste in heroes!
Good to be back. Here are some of my pics.
139AA2D9-52F4-4245-BAD1-E877697AA357 (resized).jpeg3F66B15A-BD5C-49BA-8C87-E92DA7E6A266 (resized).jpeg6048D924-D691-4141-8B67-EE58E6476F31 (resized).jpeg6A8CF013-AEC9-4B65-82D4-A41B479CDD84 (resized).jpeg81B12703-CA2F-4C31-B438-9975D6923EF9 (resized).jpegC1A7C516-3CD6-4A8B-B0C8-DB167EC5694D (resized).jpegD8499511-2D13-4450-91AD-F7ED19E50306 (resized).jpegA few pics from Multimorphic, who have 9 (I think) P3s at the show:
PXL_20220325_142435837 (resized).jpgPXL_20220325_145317319 (resized).jpgPXL_20220325_161901089 (resized).jpg038-texas-pinball-festival-2022 (resized).pngPXL_20220325_220638342 (resized).jpgPXL_20220326_050359272 (resized).jpgPXL_20220325_234758775.MP (resized).jpg
Lots of energy on Day 1. Fantastic to have the show back. One of my favorite personal collections is here - all of the Star Trek games with both versions of the backglasses on the Bally game:
5F302778-D1AE-4985-9503-1235D9AEB107 (resized).jpeg843CA63C-1C41-451D-8DC9-6DA466C0FFE2 (resized).jpeg
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I’m a big fan of the seminars which have been improving at TPF over the years.
Yesterday’s highlight for me was the Chicago Gaming presentation by Butch Peel on completing Cactus Canyon. It has to be one of the best presentations I’ve seen at a pinball show in 25 years. It is a must watch if you have any interest in Cactus Canyon or the general topic of pinball manufacturing.
Cactus Canyon seems to be very popular.
From my post yesterday in the Cactus Canyon Club thread:
Got an opportunity to play the game where I could actually hear it. Only played about 20 minutes but I’ll say I’m even more stoked to be in on Cactus Canyon Remake than I was yesterday.
Like most, I had not seen the remake in person before today. Perhaps because of the LEDs or lighting conditions this game simply does not photograph well. It looks just amazing in person. The new dots fit perfectly, sound is good, more quotes than I remember and surprisingly (at least to me) was that the game shoots better than I remember. This is Williams 90s pinball. Not deep; just plain fun to play. For those getting the topper it’s more integrated into the game than I initially thought even if mostly for lighting and movement effects. It’s certainly not an afterthought like most toppers and even has art on the sides to give it a more finished look.
Since I have an LE on order I focused on the LE differences. The Gun Metal Gray powder coat fits perfectly and has a nice matte finish. It “fits” the look better in person then in pictures. Anyone who wants the train tracks will be happy with the aftermarket ones though I liked the new mine sculpt and cart a lot and Bart is so much better than the original. I was very skeptical about the wood apron (probably because I really like the blue on the SE) but it is very subtle and looks terrific. The prototypes at TPF don’t have the same apron card styles but I presume the production LEs will.
I was also worried about the use of RGB lighting. Shouldn’t have been. Very nicely done and not over the top.
There were a couple playfield tweaks being made to the games that have made it into production that I’ll get in the FAQ under things to look for though they will only be applicable to a very small number of early games.
Looking forward to the presentation tonight and will have a full recap later. Talked with Butch for a bit. I’m so glad he landed with CGC!
Early on I said I thought this game would be a sleeper hit. I’m absolutely convinced of that now. This should sell a lot, especially to those new to the hobby.
0A560F3C-B089-41FA-99B2-A14EE7080777 (resized).jpegFFCD0C73-9598-41D7-80DD-11F214A45473 (resized).jpeg3366F7D0-21D7-49A9-A950-C51BECEFC7CE (resized).jpeg4A454890-D12F-4E5E-BD69-A697EA49A432 (resized).jpegDFC8E591-C83F-4F76-BF65-A5E68250F48D (resized).jpeg511ED105-A63D-41D5-8061-3073386ABF62 (resized).jpeg1FE4BB00-B09A-4510-B090-E74CC2692D32 (resized).jpeg
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Other pics:
27D437C2-4A4F-4B29-ACA7-DD3EE9B536CA (resized).jpeg45C09E13-DC9F-4814-815F-BA2D4D47786E (resized).jpegED3957A1-5AEA-4380-B054-2045B383A4A2 (resized).jpeg330022FB-2A95-4FDA-9072-14232A974384 (resized).jpeg13040BD4-CA8B-4C4E-8507-78A2D58EE292 (resized).jpegQuoted from jfh:I was also worried about the use of RGB lighting. Shouldn’t have been. Very nicely done and not over the top
Good to know and thanks for all your feedback. Glad you are there in person and getting to experience everything.
Cactus looks like a work of art-they did a great job on it.
Also-if you see a cool set of side blades for Adams-pick them up for me 
Quoted from MikeO:Here’s a shot of the new tournament area upstairs. [quoted image]
My little Whirlwind is in there! First time having a game in the tourney. Hope it holds up ok!
Thoughts from Day 1:
- Loved Oktoberfest, the one handed mode while holding a beer was hilarious. Likely candidate for machine #2
- Didn't love Houdini. Felt like mushy flipper shank fest just getting rejected every shot.
- Not a fan of Godzilla.
- The Mando we played was seriously out of level so the plunge orbit went basically STDM.
- Someone is asking $15k for a TOM next to the American section. LMAO.
Looking forward to heading back to Frisco this morning! Any suggestions on supplies etc to purchase to avoid shipping stuff in the next year? Was thinking one or two sets of new balls. Potentially those cool beer holder leg attachments. Probably gonna chat with the Pinsound guy.
St. Albert, AB
Having a great time! A lot of vendors with cool products. I got to meet Todd from TNT so that was fun.
The selection of recent Sterns is pretty lacking and by the end of the.night about 20% of the games were already broken and powered down! I don't know why you would go thru the effort of bringing a game that won't even launch the ball (I'm looking at you tmnt)
Looking forward to hitting it hard again today!
IMG_20220326_001522 (resized).jpgFirst ever pinball show, having an absolute blast. Talked with Randy Martinez for a bit, who signed my translite and is just a fantastic guy (photos below). So easy to talk to, gracious, and supremely talented. My weekend has already been made.
It's awesome to meet so many people/companies I've read about on Pinside since this addiction started a year and a half ago. Looking forward to a great show today/tomorrow, and many more in the future!
IMG_20220325_213117 (resized).jpgPXL_20220326_022145892 (resized).jpgHad a great time last night and will be back tonight.
Show/Venue - The venue is amazing as always. I like the move of the tournament area from the main floor as there is a bit more space to navigate. Food & beverage service is also outside the main floor now but very close. Only one food truck and one ice cream truck last night.
Played a bunch of pins for the first time (thoughts below). Couldn't get anywhere near Weird Al - the lines were huge. Good for Multimorphic.
Godzilla Premium - the hype is justified. We had a great time on this pin. Felt like it had a ton of shots and the mechanical features made me smile. Great artwork and looks amazing in person.
Halloween - Love Spooky's quirky design and how different it is from other offerings. Beautiful artwork and loved what I could hear from the sound. UI is just not nearly on par with Stern/JJP but its not horrible. Shot much better than I expected and was faster than expected.
Mando/Rush - these were ok to flip but nothing really stood out. I could see adding a Rush one day but Mando just not my thing. I too played the Mando that launched SDTM (soft plunge instead) so maybe will give it another shot today.
Guns n Roses - Wow! This is one freaking amazing looking pin with a lot of very interesting shots. It truly looks like an $11K pin and clearly has a ton packed into it. The light show is shocking. BUT - the wife and I played just one game on this and both got terribly bored with the Song Multiball feature. It was cool to collect band members and start the multiball feature but this game had a ball saver that wouldn't quit. I mean it just went on and on and on. Does this game always play like this or had it been nerfed for the show? I love a healthy ball saver but holy cow.
Excited to go back tonight.
Sidcup
Quoted from Pinhead1982:Is TITAN Pinball rubbers there.. can they make up sets for a game to pick ip at the show?
Yes they are here. They have bulk packs or can make custom kits.
Thank you for everyone taking pictures and videos for those who could not make it to the show. We are living the experience through this thread, so please keep it coming!
Credit goes to 
pinballplusMN for this pic
Quoted from Selig:Any live streams today?
Schedule - https://texaspinball.com/tpf/events/
Streams - https://www.twitch.tv/texas_pinball_seminar American Pinball on right now.
LTG : )
One of the big treats for me was a beautifully restored Target Zero. This is a 1970 Bally arcade game where little blacklight foam cities scroll past on a wide belt of countryside and you shoot the targets. Video game before video. Sorry, I didn’t think to take a picture.
Quoted from tilt-master:The Addams family re-skin looked pretty sweet. Plenty of games and they are all playing well. Great show so far.
[quoted image]
What did the side art look like?
Quoted from mbrave77:Jaws? Please share what you have heard
That was a joke. Just fan art from Randy M.
Quoted from jfh:Lots of energy on Day 1. Fantastic to have the show back. One of my favorite personal collections is here - all of the Star Trek games with both versions of the backglasses on the Bally game:
[quoted image][quoted image]
[quoted image][quoted image]
I’m a big fan of the seminars which have been improving at TPF over the years.
Yesterday’s highlight for me was the Chicago Gaming presentation by Butch Peel on completing Cactus Canyon. It has to be one of the best presentations I’ve seen at a pinball show in 25 years. It is a must watch if you have any interest in Cactus Canyon or the general topic of pinball manufacturing.
Cactus Canyon seems to be very popular.
From my post yesterday in the Cactus Canyon Club thread:
Got an opportunity to play the game where I could actually hear it. Only played about 20 minutes but I’ll say I’m even more stoked to be in on Cactus Canyon Remake than I was yesterday.
Like most, I had not seen the remake in person before today. Perhaps because of the LEDs or lighting conditions this game simply does not photograph well. It looks just amazing in person. The new dots fit perfectly, sound is good, more quotes than I remember and surprisingly (at least to me) was that the game shoots better than I remember. This is Williams 90s pinball. Not deep; just plain fun to play. For those getting the topper it’s more integrated into the game than I initially thought even if mostly for lighting and movement effects. It’s certainly not an afterthought like most toppers and even has art on the sides to give it a more finished look.
Since I have an LE on order I focused on the LE differences. The Gun Metal Gray powder coat fits perfectly and has a nice matte finish. It “fits” the look better in person then in pictures. Anyone who wants the train tracks will be happy with the aftermarket ones though I liked the new mine sculpt and cart a lot and Bart is so much better than the original. I was very skeptical about the wood apron (probably because I really like the blue on the SE) but it is very subtle and looks terrific. The prototypes at TPF don’t have the same apron card styles but I presume the production LEs will.
I was also worried about the use of RGB lighting. Shouldn’t have been. Very nicely done and not over the top.
There were a couple playfield tweaks being made to the games that have made it into production that I’ll get in the FAQ under things to look for though they will only be applicable to a very small number of early games.
Looking forward to the presentation tonight and will have a full recap later. Talked with Butch for a bit. I’m so glad he landed with CGC!
Early on I said I thought this game would be a sleeper hit. I’m absolutely convinced of that now. This should sell a lot, especially to those new to the hobby.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
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Other pics:[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Did you not notice that the other Bally Star Trek was a super custom one off bizzaro world reversed playfield version that won best of show a while back. If I'm not mistaken, the plunger is on the left side of the game, and the whole playfield is mirror version with the left side on the right, and the right side on the left. One of the coolest custom jobs I've ever seen. You better go back and play it. I would...
I have been on Pinside for quite a few years, but not really active. I recently retired and have some more time and want to be more involved. I also verified my account just so I could post in this thread. I am in the DFW area and attend the TPF every year (every year it is held, anyway). Having a great time as usual this year, but couple of thoughts:
Spooky is in an awkward location and it was hard to get in line to play their games. I don't know the politics, pricing, etc., of space allocation, but if vendors are going through the trouble of bringing in machines, the spacing might be more of a consideration.
The food trucks have been a really good idea but the ones that have been brought in (in my opinion) haven't been great. It seems like the ones this year were lacking. (Trying to be kind because I love the event and just offering my take.) Surely, the volume could support some better options.
I was also a little surprised at the lack of more recent A list games (Met, AC/DC, Deadpool, MM remake, etc.), but I guess people aren't bringing their HUO machines out. I didn't so I can't fault anyone for that.
Overall, this is a great event and I am really happy it is in my backyard and the organizers do a fantastic job. It was great see lots of the newest games from most manufacturers and some of the largest distributers.
009009AB-F1CF-44BA-9C22-BEDD91DD0401 (resized).jpeg2FE07357-968E-4792-9E72-ABBB3EC3554F (resized).jpeg402F1A8C-F0A5-497C-807F-CD7B7EF833F8 (resized).jpeg5B6E7F03-341F-47C0-B714-0D91C17192BA (resized).jpegDBBE24CA-0C7D-4C76-A81D-2CB269D367EC (resized).jpegEB08EDCA-DB8A-4C13-A8F8-D68264FAB723 (resized).jpegF2E748FB-F62E-47E0-B809-D9BF0152908F (resized).jpegWow, that restored and modded Flash is pretty - and it's not particularly easy to make a Flash look nice!
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