OK, first, don't get defensive, this is NOT going to be a project for everybody.

Second, this is just thinking out loud, bouncing ideas around.

Third, I may point people back to this first post, often.

As I'm board out of my skull in this hotel room, working on the MM and Sexy Girl builds, I have an idea.

We collectively build a generic music theme pinball machine.

There is always somebody asking for a Metallica, Tom Petty (really, I've seen it!), Lamb of God, KISS, Danzig, Rush, Elvis and the Graceland Graverobbers, or Pixies machine. Yet, other than Kiss, it is pretty unlikely that there are enough buyers to be worth the licensing costs.

But, a generic "white box" game would let you build anything you want.

How would this work, exactly?

We have a generic playfield made. There are some icons that work with just about any band. Big towering amps and speakers, hot chicks (well, maybe not on the Michael Jackson pin), lightning bolts, skulls, hungry muscle cars, tombstones, whatever.

We leave some broad sections of the playfield in just plain white. This way, laser printed water slide decals can be placed by the end user to put logos, faces, album covers....whatever fits your theme.

Place your decals, spray a coat of clear, and you got yourself a Misfits pin.

Because the playfield has no clear coat on it, and no royalties to pay, it can easily be made for less than $300.

How do we do the programming for all those different pins?

We program one basic set of rules for all the games.

We pick a set of rules based on some other game we all love. Then each builder adds in the graphics and sounds for their game. Just like when you used to skin your own character in Quake, you will skin your own game using the programmed template.

We can use Proc as our system. It is easy to program and modify, works with the usual Williams hardware (so it doesn't feel like you are batting balls around in a cardboard box - ;,).

How do we do the backglass?

There are now 2 guys doing direct, one off, translights. You supply the artwork, they print it on clear film that looks great when backlit.

Pick a bunch of photos from the web and make your rock n roll picture mash up. It couldn't look any worse than the "art" you see cobbled together on most pins nowadays.

How do we design the playfield layout?

We use our favorite game layout and slightly modify it. Every time a new game comes out, everybody says "that is the same layout as ___".

Would a totally empty layout like AFM be good? Or would a fast and brutal TRON or AC/DC layout be the shit?

What about all the stainless steel ball guides and wire guides?

Those will all be cut in bulk at any laser cutting joint. Wire is bent on a CNC wire bender in bulk also.

What about the cab?

The cab is CNC cut and shipped flat, like Ikea furniture.

There are already a few companies doing this, so this is the easiest thing of all.

What about the plastics?

Again, someone like CPR could do the generic plastic set.

Think amps, crowds, barbed wire, fireballs....stuff you see on every rock n roll anything.

What about the playfield hardware?

We use all generic Williams stuff. Flippers, pops, slingshots targets...

I'm sure you could sell a single pin without problems. Just don't make a bunch of them.

Cab $200
Proc + DMD + power supply $700
Intel Atom $125
Wiring Harness $50
Translight $40
Playfield $200
Clear coat $250
Glass $25
Plastics $75
Ball guides $70
Flippers, Bumpers, coils, $600

===================

Total $2500 ~

Add some toys, maybe a coin door (or maybe not), speakers, sub, LEDs and I'm sure you could get it up to a nice sum.

Some people would already have a donor cab, some could do their own clear coat, some would have an old computer and could skip the Atom, ordering 100 Proc would save 20%, .......

You download a free copy of Cool Edit Pro (or whatever the kids are using nowadays) and you just make your own call outs from Youtube, VH1, DVDs or whatever source you have.

Think of a real WHO pin with the YEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH scream from Won't Get Fooled Again when you hit the jackpot...

Think of the church bell ringing for each bonus multiplier sampled from Black Sabbath NIB...

Think of your ball draining with the laughter from Iron Maiden's The Prisoner....

Or Vincent Price screaming RISE during your Black Widow multiball in the Alice Cooper pin....

Get creative people.

Thank you for the kind words.

I've got a good paying job nowadays, and the pinball biz has this checkered history of constantly being on the verge of going under. I used to be an operator, so I have this rather tainted view of the industry.

But, I enjoy the idea of empowering others.

So, if a bunch of people want to build a MM from parts, sounds cool to me.

If someone wants to build a semi custom music pin on a single platform, I'd love to see what they come up with.

And of course if someone just needs help rebuilding their flippers, I'm there to help with that too.

It is a trade off (of course).

You could make it cheaper with a LCD than DMD, but there would be more work involved.

If you have ever made a moving .gif , you can make a DMD animation.

You can also encode the video from a music video or DVD.

I knew I saw it somewhere

http://virtuapin.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2&zenid=fd4a23efd97a1468e03b563271f6631b

We would be buying in bulk, of course.

This is what I'm currently doing for the Sexy Girl remake:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sexy-girl-reissue-for-sale-now

I like your jukebox idea because a small group of people who like Floyd could work on that jukebox selection, another might work on The Meatmen, and yet another Mindless Self Indulgence.

It would never have to be "finished". New bands would only be limited by hard drive space.

You could even group by Metal, Classic Rock, Punk, 50s, whatever fit the theme of the day.

I just re-read this thread today.

Funny all the references to ScatB like they were going to be a manufacturing powerhouse.....