If there is a market for the product, James will eventually get to it. What ramp you are looking for?

Steve (in Escalon, CA)

I'm waiting for bad cats seafood bonus ramp that was going to be started on 4 years ago.

I'm waiting too.

Last I heard, they were supposed to be done by the end of 2013.

I haven't heard anything in the last few months.

Perhaps you could start a thread here for a particular ramp, collect a list of names of who would buy, and send to James. Don't know if it would help, but at minimum it would show marketability.

not sure why NBA fastbreak would be higher on the list than WD?, bad cats, EATPM and other much more popular games.
I would guess 20-30% of fastbreaks have been parted out over the years. That's a lot of ramps on the used market.
I've shopped many FB's and the only real problem is the basket scoop plastic at the end of the ramp. None of the ones I did had even a crack in that center ramp.
oh well. He does make a nice product and has a nice selection already, but some of the ramps he makes before others makes me scratch my head.

James is the best repro parts maker in the pinball hobby. The quality of his ramps are simply stunning. Much better than originals, and they come with everything needed, and ready to bolt on. His prices are also very reasonable. He is continually coming out with new pieces. They take time, and you do have to be patient, but we are very lucky to have him doing these. Anybody that has been in the hobby for a long time remembers when you had to find NOS ramps if you could. Mike.

New ramp reproduction has been slowed due to other projects. I can assure you that Bad Cats ramps are in the pipeline. Some ramps require new tooling to be made (cost for that can go as high as $10K). If he has the tooling, they will obviously be higher on the list. Having worked through two runs of AFM and the Doctor Who ramps with James, the tooling is only the beginning. There's C&C programming and subsequent adjustments to accommodate the increased thickness of the ramps. Plus any flaps or brackets that have to be fashioned. It's a long process. You will see some new ramps this year, there are other, more important issues that have to be resolved first.

That's cool I don't need ramps till bad cats pf are shipping from CPR.

My understanding is that if you have some cash to spend, James is willing to make a deal where you can pay for the tooling and entire run of a less desiarble game ramps. This of course means you are taking the risk and wait for the potential profits to roll in.

He spends large amounts of $ on each ramp set up and obviously needs to make a sizable run of each ramp due to these costs. This of course means there is a risk that not enough ramps will even be sold to make it worth his time and investment for a less popular game.

You could always use your old ramps to create a less durable mold and then vaccumm form your own reproduction. The problem with cheaper molds is that you do not get as many pressings. Pretty sure the nice ones are milled to perfection out of stainless??? becuase you can get thousands of pressings.

Side note > I am still wishing for clear roadshow ramps! Clear looks better on TAF and would look great on RS.

I work at a foundry and can vouch for how long it takes to make a pattern. And the modifications you have to make to them to make for everything to fit perfectly.

From what I can tell, Pinball Inc only reproduces Williams ramps.

Is there any chance of Data East ramps being reproduced? In particular, Jurassic Park?

It's impossible to say what holds up any particular ramp from being reproduced.

All you have to do is look at the recent saga with Cyclone ramps. Travis @ Twisted Pins was going to do them which kept James from making more:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/announce-cyclone-ramps-coming-very-soon#post-1092278

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/announce-cyclone-ramps-coming-very-soon#post-1110942

After waiting for months, James finally stopped waiting for Travis and made more:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-inc-cyclone-comet-ramp-finally-back-in-stock#post-1382825

I'm sure other factors come into play such as how many machines were produced, how likely the ramps are to break, availability of tooling, in addition to whether or not someone else is going to make the product.

Unquestionably, when he gets to it, James will produce the best replacement product you can buy.

viperrwk

I'm a happy camper with two new ramps on my Cyclone. James is A-OK in my book!

They have made a ton of ramps. Give the guy a break. I have bought new ramps for WH2O, MM, SS, TAF, TZ, WW

My wishlist: BSD, WCS.

WCS seems like a no-brainer. They made a shitload of them, and most of the games out there have cracked ramps near the inlanes.

James did say recently that BSD was on the 2014 list, with decals coming from one of the major outlets. Hope so, but I do realize there's much more on the plate too. I'm sure I'll be happy with them when he's ready to ship them.

Sign me up for some of that

I thought I read somewhere WCS was in the works as well.

Be thankful and patient. Look at the amount of ramps James has already reproduced(not to mention the quality).
Imagine if they were under the licensing of someone like IPB . Still waiting on the TAF playfields

OH, wait, I just heard from IPB" there at the printers"

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First thing I would have done is just shoot James an email and ask him.

True.

In this thread, http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cyclone-subway-and-cyclone-ramps-are-now-available-1
James states they are working on Bad Cats, WCS and 5 other projects.

He does a lot for the hobby. Thanks James.

I think RS is in the list also!

Again, remember, if he has a tool (mold) for the ramp, it's a no-brainer. If not, it's a HUGE brainer. And very expensive up-front costs.

James is the best there is.

To the OP, isn't there a saying about a gift horse, and peeing in his mouth, or something like that?

--
Rob Anthony
Pinball Classics
http://LockWhenLit.com
Quality Board Work - In Home Service
borygard at gmail dot com

He's the first interview on our Pins and Vids Episode IV DVD. (http://www.pinsandvids.com) It includes video of the vacuum forming process and CNCing. He shows off some of the tooling, etc.

Paul

Then I think you need to read his response near middle/end of thread in regards to EATPM. I think you will be happy.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-inc-cyclone-comet-ramp-finally-back-in-stock#post-1432393

I think you started with this thinking all the ramps are available.. and he's just picking and choosing what to do. This isn't him just calling down to the factory and saying 'we need 50 more of item X'

The history is he started out making his own molds and ramps...
Then later he managed to acquire a lot of the original molds and tooling and worked on licensing arrangements which opened up a new wave of repo parts that were officially blessed

Along the way James had set out to not just make repo parts, but make his parts better than original.

Net result of all of this is.. for any ramp set to be made, it still takes a ton of investment (both time and money) to tool up so ramp production is possible. And then, there is the issue that a run of parts must be of sufficient size to make the per part costs reasonable. He has to buy the plastic in certain quantities, etc.

So each ramp represents a significant investment in initial work up of tooling.. actual time to manufacturer the stuff.. and represents a significant risk of all this money up front spent, without a guarantee of the parts selling in a reasonable amount of time... during which he is OUT money.. not making money.

So from all of that.. before any ramp is made, they need to ensure there is a sizable demand ready to buy. Pinball Inc has grown to the point where they do have a sizable amount of inventory and not just 'buy in on next months run' like many low volume parts are. But when they don't have stuff... you are at the mercy of the economics of making parts. Big money up front, no guarantee of sales, and minimize sized runs.

Are "repo parts" things for pinball machines that were taken back due to non-payment?

Repo = repossess. RepRo = Reproduction.

Watch out! The abbreviation police are here.

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And don't you forget it!

That along with the moronic statement "inbox me" (inbox is a noun and not a verb so that statement isn't even possible) are a couple pet peeves that bother me. In the above case the guy's good story was ruined by making be all about repossession.

Oh thank god you are here! Without you stepping in... I'm sure no one could have followed the conversation at all! Thanks so much!

After seeing the ramps for my WW I am happy with him continuing at his own pace putting out this kind of quality. Plus if I remember right there was some unsettled business between Pinballinc and someone else in the community. That may be taking some of his time.

Part of the delay lately has been a back order of plastic, and likely other projects as awarner mentioned. Supply line issues sometimes creep into these things as well as any other projects Pinball Inc. might have.