Just when you thought Pin-a-Go-Go....er, I mean...the Golden State Pinball Festival couldn't get better! I seriously cannot wait to see what this new venue has in store. Just the covered swap meet area alone has me all excited!

Aww you guys! Thanks for the shout out! Can't wait for the show!

I am so PUMPED. I’ll be cramming the cab of my truck full of stuff for the swap meet also. Does anyone know how the swap meet part works? Meaning, are there tables to use or should we bring our own folding tables and chairs and such?

Today was my last work day. Vacation starts NOW. I got TMNT 80% reassembled tonight and the next couple days are going to be spent putting a ton of plays on both TMNT and Robocop to make sure they’re both dialed in just right.

Can’t. Friggin. Wait.

I’ve logged about 25 games each on my two machines today and it looks like they’re both dialed in and ready for action. But I’ve got a buddy coming over tonight who’s gonna rack up a few more games for the true test. I’ll be hitting the road tomorrow morning. It’s showtime.

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I LOVE your truck man. Those first gen Tacomas kick ass. I’ve got two myself, a 2000 SR5 with 358k miles on the original engine and transmission, and a 2nd Gen 2007 TRD Sport DCLB, the latter of which will also be hauling pins tomorrow.

Sorry for the distraction. Back to Pinball.

Loaded up. Let’s do this.

I’ll actually be dropping the machines off and heading ALL the way back home to attend my brothers’ graduation ceremony tomorrow morning, then hitting the road once more afterwards. Basically, I’ll be driving back and forth to Lodi four times this weekend. I’m gonna need some more podcasts and a LOT of caffeine.

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My games survived the Friday crowd, but I expect today and Sunday to be the true test of our games. With a new venue and a larger turnout than ever before, I expect today to be nothing short of epic.

Hell, my games fared far better than I did. I threw my back out, got 6 mosquito bites, and woke up with a mild hangover.

Day 2, let’s do this!

My buddy and I went out to his truck later in the evening for a short bourbon session. He was parked in the field. We were out there for 20 minutes before we realized we were being eaten alive.

This weekend was an absolute blast, as I anticipated. I only had a couple minor annoyances/issues. The biggest one of which was the real poor restroom situation. Not saying the Dixon Fairgrounds was any better, but paper towels would’ve enticed more handwashing due to those not-so-great dryers. Lotsa people leaving there without washing their hands. Blech.

The other issue was with one of the pin medics. I had happened to be within viewing distance of my machines and I saw a pin medic taking my Robocop apart. Come to find out he had previously began soldering wires under the playfield of my Robocop without contacting me or notifying me first. As a result, the medic had incorrectly soldered a loose wire to the wrong location on the ball trough and caused a big switch error, which rendered the game unplayable for a little bit. I was able to show him how to correct it but it gave me a little anxiety knowing that my games were being fiddled with without a heads-up. No permanent damage occurred and I am still grateful that we have staff around to fix minor things. I would just suggest that if a repair is beyond a stuck ball or loose screw, there should be better communication between the techs and game owners before attempting repair. Accidents and oversights happen, and I would hate to see a minor mishap cause damage to someone else’s machine.

NOW, with all that being said, this event gets better and better every year and I plan on bringing even more machines next year. The staff was always friendly, helpful, and the loading/unloading of games was a piece of cake, especially compared to the nightmare that CAX is. I will opt to bring more games and take more time off work next year to volunteer and help with the setup. So many different people helped me this year, I feel that it’s only appropriate to pay it forward myself next year. Thanks to all the staff, volunteers, and fellow exhibitors and vendors that made this inaugural GSPF another one for the record books.

Im glad you enjoyed it! As a result, I have ultimately decided not to sell Robocop because I received so many compliments on it, it will become a mainstay for future shows. I love the fact that so many people loved it. I thought my TMNT was going to be the more popular of the two machines I brought, but Robocop took all the attention. I'll be making some tweaks and improvements as the months go on, such as dimming down the flashers in the middle (a lot brighter than I anticipated, it hurt!) among other things. So yes, expect to see it again next year!

I threw together a quick recap vlog last night. I also unloaded my machines and documented how well they held up during the festival. I am already counting down the days until GSPF 2019! The GSPF is without a doubt my favorite "expo" of the year. This show and Grinkfest in Idaho are the two events I look forward to the most every year.

Absolutely!

I, too, was actually a fan of the powder hand soap. Although my hands weren’t dry, they sure felt cleansed and rejuvenated.

Grey Wolf also helped me out a TON when I realized I forgot to put locks on the front of my games. I got them all set up on the floor on Thursday and realized I totally didn't lock them up. He graciously gave me a couple of his older locks and was seriously a lifesaver. I wanted to buy him a couple beers but I never ran into him again throughout the show. GW, if you're reading this, you're accruing beer-interest for next year's event!