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Dan’s Led Zeppelin: It’s All Hard Rock and Pinball

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There are fans, and then there are mega fans. Each young generation has their one band while growing up that then transcends time and the love of their music.

For audiophile and pinball collector, Dan O’Connor, he has finally been able to fuse his love of the iconic hard rock band with his love of pinball with Stern’s new Led Zeppelin (LZ) pinball machine. Being a huge fan, there was only ever one choice of which model to procure, so Dan hunted down and bought himself the top of the range Led Zeppelin Limited Edition (LE) pinball machine for his fix.

With only 500 of these LE machines worldwide, it’s safe to say that he is in an exclusive club. But the exclusiveness of having one of 500 machines wasn’t enough for Dan. To show his love of the band (and pinball), Dan has meticulously tricked out his machine, which truly makes it unique and a great tribute for his love of both, music and the silverball game.

We sat down virtually with Dan and asked him about his love for Led Zeppelin, his love of pinball, what it means to finally have a Led Zeppelin pinball machine, and of course, to tell us all about every little detail of his gorgeous LZ LE pinball machine.

AUSRETROGAMER: Hey Dan, thank you for joining us! Let’s dive straight into it – when and how did you get into Led Zeppelin?
Dan O’Connor [Dan]: It’s a great pleasure, Alex, thanks for the opportunity! My older brothers were the first Led Zeppelin fans I knew. I discovered the band at a very early age by noticing the artwork on their album covers, beginning with the third album. The cover images and cutouts stood out to me as exceptionally artful, intricate, and mysterious compared to most of the other LP sleeves my brothers had laying around, and that really grabbed my little-kid curiosity before I ever understood I was listening to their music.

Later, Led Zep’s music stood out to me among the standard FM radio tunes the driver played on the school bus, and I made the happy connection between the songs I was liking and those mysteriously alluring album covers. I noticed that some of the older kids I looked up to seemed to be fans, wearing Led Zeppelin shirts and doodling the band’s logo all over their notebooks and whatnot. One year a graduating high school student drew the image from the inside of the fourth Led Zeppelin album and they printed it in the school yearbook. This all seemed like very important stuff!

I began to hear cryptic stories handed down from older kids about incredible Led Zeppelin concerts involving stuff like weird noise-making gizmos and laser beams. I had been too young to attend these concerts myself and wondered about what must have really happened to inspire all these third-hand tales of magic and astonishment. Soon I was playing my brothers’ LPs more often and became a bigger fan as I got older. I wrote about Led Zep in my high school newspaper and played their songs on my university radio station.

During a university break in a “hey, why not?” moment I answered a want ad on a music store bulletin board for a singer and joined a band that played a lot of Led Zeppelin songs. Around the same time, I discovered that many recordings of Led Zeppelin concerts and studio outtakes exist, and they’re packed with moments as electrifying and more so as those in the album tracks we’ve heard countless times on the radio, at sporting events, etc.

I’d concluded those old concert tales of awe had mostly been just a bunch of kids talking and exaggerating, but in fact they had understated what my ears were telling me had really happened on stage. I couldn’t see the lasers or gizmos, but the music I could hear, mostly recorded by amateurs in the audience on primitive portable recording gear, was very different than what I expected. I started responding to ads in the back of record collector magazines and haunting record shows collecting these live recordings.

As later live album releases have demonstrated since the days when the Song Remains the Same film soundtrack was the only available live Led Zeppelin recording, the songs were familiar but were improvised into different 5-dimensional pretzels with each performance, particularly earlier in their career. Even the band members themselves didn’t seem to really know what might happen before they finished playing a song. Their equipment failed them sometimes, and they’re humans, so mistakes were made onstage (and off)–but when it all clicked, it was absolutely stunning.

As legendary as the band had seemed when I was a kid, I hadn’t imagined a fraction of the musical reality these flawed old recordings revealed. By comparison, the album tracks seemed like experiencing the band for a few minutes by looking through a keyhole in the back of a concert while wearing earmuffs. I was like someone who enjoyed the Star Wars Holiday Special and then found out there were some related movies I should probably check out.

I knew there were many Led Zep fans like me who would be as excited as I was about this “secret” I’d discovered, and I really wanted to share it with them. My band played Led Zep songs using arrangements based on those many live recordings. Some of my favourite on-stage memories are of the moments of obvious surprise and delight our audiences experienced when hearing all those arrangement changes and so forth for the first time.

Dan’s gorgeously lighted Stern Led Zeppelin LE

ARG: We also know that you are a pinball fan, what drew you to the silverball game?
Dan: During the 1970s I wore very unfortunate-looking clothing and did a lot of travelling. I played a lot of late electromechanical and early solid-state games in travel locations like airport lounges and hotels, etc. I was first drawn to pinball for the same reasons many pinheads might name—a real ball in a world under glass loosely observing the laws of physics, the lights and sounds, and certainly the art.

I remain a huge fan of artists Gordon Morison and Christian Marche because their work is such a big part of so many of my earliest pinball memories. Later in that era Bally’s Mata Hari was a favourite game of mine, and I’m proud to own an original backglass production drawing that artist Dave Christensen and game designer Jim Patla signed.

Like many coin-droppers I gravitated to video games when they exploded and I found that my precious few quarters lasted longer on some of the new videos than on the increasingly more difficult pins of the time. One might partially blame Led Zeppelin pinball designer Steve Ritchie for that!

I came back to pinball in a big way after my son played a Gottlieb Tee’d Off pinball at a fair when he was not quite three years old and became a pinhead for life before his first ball drained. A couple of years later I joined a local pinhead buddy (and Santa Claus) on a 20-hour non-stop round trip to pick up our first game, a Star Trek The Next Generation, and since then our hobby fervour has only increased.

Eventually we began travelling to pinball locations, tournaments, Expos and other events while making a bunch of priceless father-son memories I’ll always treasure. We’ve been very fortunate to meet so many fantastic pinball people over the years, far too many to list. We love the games and the very rich history of course, but the people make pinball an extra-special hobby.
There’s nothing quite like being in a room full of people who share your knowledge and enthusiasm about something like pinball, and I hope all pinheads get to experience that joy for themselves someday.

ARG: There is no shortage of music themed pinball machines out there, but it has been a long time coming for Led Zeppelin to get one of their own – what did it mean to you when Stern Pinball announced that they would be making a range of Led Zeppelin pinball machines?
Dan: Like many pinheads I’d seen Led Zeppelin on theme wish lists and heard it discussed for many years. Being aware of how selective the Zeppelin license is, I was honestly sceptical of a licensing deal ever working out. All hats off to Jody Dankberg (Senior Director of Licensing and New Business Development at Stern Pinball) and the rest of the folks at Stern responsible for making that happen. The Stern folks have been modest when asked about it in public, but I imagine that deal must have been relatively challenging to accomplish.

When the Led Zeppelin Matchbox cars were announced in late 2019, I began to think if that happened, then maybe, possibly a Led Zep pinball machine could happen too. But no, really, why pinball? Would it ever really happen? What were the chances? Very slim, I thought, and as time went on, less and less likely. Then came the day when we all knew Led Zep was coming off of all those theme wish lists and into reality.

I went through several rounds of blinking and head-shaking and muttering “No way, really?!?”, realising almost no other pinball theme could micro-target me more precisely than this one. Imagine finding out that a highly unexpected combination of two of your favourite things — that you thought was impossible for lots of complex reasons — was going to happen anyway. Would you freak out? I was kinda freaking out!

Not only that, the designer was Steve Ritchie, who also designed our well-loved first game! Knowing Steve’s background, I expected Led Zeppelin would be a special theme for him to work on, and I also had a high-level idea of the kind of gameplay a Steve Ritchie Led Zeppelin pinball might have. Steve and Led Zeppelin, immediately felt like a good match.

ARG: With Stern’s three model cornerstone range, tell us your experience in hunting down and finally getting the LZ Limited Edition machine? Did you have a plan B. if you weren’t able to source the LE model?
Dan: I waited until after the game’s reveal stream to begin to seriously investigate buying. I had laughable delusions that chances were higher that I would pass on the game after it was revealed, but Jack Danger and his merry band showed us the work in progress, and I was officially over the proverbial barrel. After that not very surprising outcome, it was time to decide on one of the three models.

The Electric Magic mechanism and the Expression lights are the headline features of the game, so for me it was going to be one of the two models that included them: either the Premium, or the Limited Edition. Of course, all the Led Zep imagery is seared in my consciousness and I would have been very happy with the Premium version too, but I decided the exterior art package for the LE had a bit more visual variety and represented a broader visual concept than the first Led Zep album focus of the Premium version.

I’d picked the only model that was limited and began looking for a game really late, which was already looking like a fool’s errand. I knew how long some pinheads had had deposits with many distributors for a possible future Led Zep theme, and my ridiculously late start led me to little optimism that I’d succeed in finding a US distributor with a Limited Edition game available. I made quite a number of unsuccessful inquiries, but eventually contacted a distributor I knew to be a larger operation a few states away, hoping that would mean they’d be allocated more Limited Edition games. They had fewer than ten machines available and all were claimed of course, but they could put me on a short wait-list should anyone change their mind.

In the days after that while waiting to learn if I’d get a Limited Edition game, I kept calling around and learned that folks were not dropping out and buyer spots were not opening up after the reveal stream, so I’d better hope a couple of folks dropped off the one distributor wait-list I was on, because everything else was spoken for. As for a plan B, I knew there’d likely be games in the box available after production, so I wasn’t THAT concerned, but was certainly happy to eventually receive the news that I was off the distributor wait-list.

Type 13 backbox speaker light kit from Speaker Light Kits with a Bent Plastic piece from Pinball Life – The drool factor is off the charts!

ARG: We haven’t played the Led Zeppelin pinball machine as yet, however, since it was designed by The Master of Flow, Steve Ritchie, we would expect it to be ultra fast and flowy. Tell us, what are your favourite aspects of the game?
Dan: From a gameplay perspective I would say the speed and flow you might expect is immediately evident and very appealing. You’re made aware this is a Steve Ritchie game right from the launch. The ball isn’t held that much, but when it’s held it’s for cool reasons. There’s a nice mix of single and multi-ball play, and I like the way the rules are structured. Folks who like the Star Trek game Steve designed for Stern may enjoy this design too.

There’s plenty of rules depth, but it can also be explained quickly at a high level. I don’t think it’s as punitive and perplexing as Steve’s AC/DC. The rules reward combining shots and strategically building and using multipliers. The shots and awards changing based on the section of the song is innovative for a music pin. I love that the rules integrate real Led Zeppelin touring history I’m very familiar with from collecting the live recordings.

ARG: From looking at your pinball collection, we have always been in awe of how awesome they look, especially all of the cool mods that you implement in each of your machines to give them that unique personal touch. Your Led Zeppelin LE machine is no exception, with extensive mods and other personal touches to truly make it a unique pinball machine – could you detail the mods and other add-ons you have made to fully trick out your machine? 
Dan: That’s really nice of you to say! Most of what I’ve added to my Led Zeppelin LE are “off the shelf, plug and play” items available from many different mod makers in the pinball community, and I really appreciate all of them!

I suppose I can start from the ground, where sits a Polk PSW505 powered subwoofer I like to use on all my games, connected to the machine with a Pinnovators device. I swapped out the stock speakers for the Spike speaker and amplifier kit from Pinwoofer. I also added the Type 13 backbox speaker light kit from Speaker Light Kits, with a Bent Plastic piece from Pinball Life to block glass reflections. If you’ve read this far you won’t be surprised to hear I have a fairly strong bias for audio, and I’m pleased with this setup.

Next there’s a shooter handle and a drink holder from Modfather in colours to match the LE cabinet. Cabinet protectors from Pinball Life match the legs. From Rocket City Pinball, the coin return buttons have 3D-printed “Objects” on them, which is the enigmatic sculpture that appears on the cover of the Led Zeppelin album “Presence”. I have one of the 1000 promotional copies of that sculpture the band produced way back in the day, but it’s too tall to fit under the glass!

On the front of the cabinet there’s a tournament button that has a copy of the newspaper advertisement for Led Zeppelin’s appearance here in Raleigh at Dorton Arena in April 1970 that I retrieved from microfiche in the downtown library more than 20 years ago (ARG: Now, that’s dedication!). My Led Zeppelin tribute band played on the same Dorton Arena stage many years later during the state’s July Fourth celebration. Around the sides there are blue LED-illuminated flipper buttons from Pinball Life.

Under the glass there are black apron protectors from Apron Envy, plastic protectors from Mezel Mods, and carbon balls from Ball Baron. There are more blue light mods from Lermods in the ball trough, over the centre ramp, and under the Zeppelin shining onto the playfield. The rubber is all from Titan, keeping the black on the Electric Magic device and post sleeves but going with transparent in most other places. The bottom flipper rubbers are light blue and the upper right flipper rubber is orange.

To the right of the shooter lane is a Promuco John Bonham signature reissue drumstick from the UK. Below the Zeppelin lock lights on the left is a Led Zeppelin guitar pick suggested by collector Ron Shuster as a fix for an early mechanical problem with the Electric Magic spinner, since solved by quick code updates from Stern. I flipped the back decal on my Electric Magic spinner target so the decal image looks like flickering film after the target is struck.

From France, above the upper right flipper is a painted wooden replica of an Alembic bass guitar, which is the manufacturer of the custom bass guitar John Paul Jones used on the 1977 US tour. I used craft store reflective sparkly-patterned lightweight cardboard to hide the welds on the tops of the two metal ball returns.

Right now, in the back-right corner is a switch-covering mod from Space Coast Pinball in the shape of a Marshall amplifier and the double-necked Gibson guitar Led Zep’s Jimmy Page is famous for using to play ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and other songs onstage. That cover can be swapped with a cool model of Big Ben from Mezel Mods that wraps around that back corner of the playfield.

In the back centre, the fourth album’s hermit from Lermods stands holding his flickering lantern over the centre ramp. I sent that mod to a fellow collector to touch up with a bit of detail before installation. At the top of the Zeppelin ramp is the Modfather drum set with Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham’s symbol from the fourth album on the “bass drum”. The Stern topper sits on the backbox.

Promuco John Bonham signature reissue drumstick

Alembic bass guitar above upper right flipper

 Double-necked Gibson guitar used by Jimmy Page and Marshall amplifier

 Dan fetched this newspaper advertisement for Led Zeppelin’s appearance in Raleigh at Dorton Arena in April 1970 from microfiche for the tournament button!

3D-printed “Objects” on coin return buttons of the enigmatic sculpture that appears on the cover of the Led Zeppelin album “Presence”

Shooter handle and drink holder (from Modfather)

Hermit from Lermods stands holding his flickering lantern over the centre ramp

Drum set with Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham’s symbol from the fourth album on the “bass drum”

Topper envy!

ARG: Are there any other mods or additions you would still like to make to your LZ LE? 
Dan: I think if I tried to jam anything else in there, someone would show up and write me a ticket or something. There are some more mods available that I haven’t done for various reasons, and I have a couple of things off to the side—a 2006 NECA Jimmy Page set still in the box and various potential decals for the side of the Zeppelin, but I think I’m good for now, truthfully. My philosophy with pinball mods is that they’re to enhance cosmetic theme integration without affecting gameplay and/or the player’s ability to see the ball when they need to, and that they be fully reversible.

ARG: Here is the toughest question of this interview, who is the current Grand Champion on your LZ LE? 
Dan: This is the easiest question to answer, but the toughest to admit: my son Andrew is the Grand Champion on our Led Zeppelin LE with a score over 14 billion points. It would probably be much higher, but he doesn’t get a chance to play very much these days. I must admit I’ve not quite hit a billion points yet, but that sort of score disparity is not unusual around here. As Steve Ritchie might say, I need to “Play Better!”

ARG: Finally, is there another dream theme you would like to see made into a pinball machine? 
Dan: Now this is a tough question. In a way I’m sad that Led Zeppelin sits in my game room now, because now that it’s happened it won’t happen again… Right? Can we ever say never? I imagine no one expected another KISS game before the Stern one came out a few years ago, but realistically it’s very, very unlikely–says the man who said a Led Zeppelin pinball was also really unlikely and watched it happen anyway.

My wife and son are very excited about a potential Harry Potter theme, so I hope that happens. I’m super interested to see what Pat Lawlor’s Toy Story is going to be. I think a Rush music pin with the right songs and interesting theme-integrated rules could be really cool. From animation, Scooby Doo, Speed Racer, SpongeBob or Masters of the Universe themes could be fun. How about a hockey pin in partnership with ICE, co-marketed when a new version of Chexx bubble hockey comes out?

All these themes are fine and all, but none of them would be quite as “dreamy” for me as Led Zeppelin has been. I hope sometime in the future everyone reading this gets to find out that their own dream pinball theme is going to be released, so they can also have an experience as cool as what I’ve enjoyed with the release of Stern’s Led Zeppelin.

It is always a pleasure interviewing people with so much passion, and Dan is no exception. Dan has been able to merge his love of Led Zeppelin and pinball by meticulously customising his Stern Led Zeppelin LE machine, and for that, we thank him for taking time out from his busy day to share his thoughts and insights with all of us.

Looking at all of the images, there is no denying that we are totally in awe of Dan’s commitment and dedication to his passions, and as the mighty band once said, “Many dreams come true, and some have silver linings”, in this case, they certainly have.

More drool-worthy images of Dan’s Led Zeppelin LE!

Dan’s LZ CD collection!

This is what it’s all about – playing & enjoying pinball!



Interview with The Mandalorian Pinball Designer – Brian Eddy

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To say we are fans of Brian Eddy designed pinball machines would be a gross understatement! There is a reason why Brian’s machines have withstood the test of time and are still ranked as the best pinball machines of all time – they are pure fun and are approachable for all players, regardless of skill level.

When Stern Pinball announced back in March 2018 that Brian would be making his return to pinball, the excitement among his many fans (us included) was palpable. There was speculation on what Brian would be working on over at Stern, with his maiden (Stern) title being Stranger Things, released in December 2019. Since then, Brian had been working on his sophomore Stern game, which we now know was The Mandalorian. Officially released on May 11, 2021, The Mandalorian has garnered a lot of interest and attention around the world, all for good reason – it’s a Brian Eddy designed pinball machine of one of the most popular Disney+ TV series based on the largest pop culture franchise in history.

As Star Wars fans and of course, Mando fans, we have also been caught up in the excitement of all things The Mandalorian pinball, so it was great to have a chat with Brian about his experience in designing this highly anticipated pinball machine.

AUSRETROGAMER: How difficult was it designing and creating The Mandalorian while season 2 was still in progress?
Brian Eddy [BE]: It was certainly a challenge. We wanted to use both seasons, so we focused on ways of making it happen right from the start. Disney wasn’t able to tell us much about season 2 during development. It was all kept very secret, just like the reveal of The Child in season 1. So like everyone else, we had to wait for each episode to air to see what happened and what content would work in the game. Disney was very supportive of using season 2 and helped us plan ahead on how we could make it happen. The art needed to be pretty much done before Season 2 even aired, so we did things like leaving space on the backglasses and playfield for certain characters or items. We didn’t know who or what they would be, but Disney said, “you should leave some space here for 3 characters”. Then when the episode aired and the item was revealed, the artist, Randy Martinez, would quickly fit in the item to get us to production on time. We did the same in software and left certain holes in modes for themes we expected we would want from season 2. It actually worked out really well and allowed us to pick and choose from the best characters and scenarios that fit the game but was rather tricky at times since it came so late in the development cycle.

ARG: Did you have to re-design or retro-fit any design aspects (mechs/shots etc) as season 2 unfolded? If so, what where they?
BE: We did not change any mechs/shots for season two. We knew with the development timeline, that would not be possible. But that was fine as we picked the core concepts of the series and items from season 1, we knew it would be in season 2 to make sure they would still be relevant and stayed away from ones we thought would not be a big part. Though I will say, we were shocked when the Razor Crest was blown up toward the end of season two as it was a core of the series, but it’s still a really important element and a tight tie-in with Mando.

ARG: Which model do you begin designing for first and why?
BE: I start with the premium. I like to look at the whole picture of the design and how all the elements work together and fit on the playfield. How does each element enhance that model but not change it completely. Then for the Pro, look at what elements can be removed while still making sure the core playfield is there. It’s a tough balance as I want all the models to be fun and a little unique in their own way. I think we found that balance well on Mandalorian, each model plays similar, but a little different, and both are fun!

The Mandalorian Lead Designer, Brian Eddy (Left) with Lead Software Engineer, Dwight Sullivan

ARG: This machine oozes Brian Eddy with clever and unique mechs, intelligent design that draws players of any skill levels and flowy shots that ramp up the difficulty (in a good way!) – do you have a favourite mech, shot or design aspect in The Mandalorian pinball machine(s)?
BE: I always like to have flow in a pinball machine which is a core element I love in Steve Ritchie games. You will have these moments when playing where you just hit shot after shot, each shot leads to another, and it just feels great when you pull it off. Shot-wise, the right up/down scoop is fun because it changes the flow and allows you to loop continuously on one shot for a set period of time. A fun “how many times can you do it” break from flipper to flipper flow. But I think my favorite is the Encounter rotating playfield. It’s deceptively simple but challenging to play well. We start it out flat with simple rules of hitting lit targets, and most people can play this for a bit. Then as you get comfortable and get deeper into the game, it will start rotating steeper and steeper, and your reactions need to be quicker and tuned to the new gravity. At times it’s moving when you are playing, so there are lots of variations. It’s also obvious what you need to do to hit the flashing targets, but it’s hard to master. That adds up to a lot of fun long-term. Rule design-wise, I like most things to be pretty straightforward and easy to follow for anyone who jumps in. The programmer, Dwight Sullivan, is doing a fantastic job achieving that feel while adding in some long-term strategic elements for the more skilled players, like saving Beskar to trade at the Foundry for features.

ARG: We also absolutely love the look of the rotating Encounter upper mini playfield (on the Prem/LE models), how did you come up with that and were there many iterations from concept to final design?
BE: Yes, lots of iterations. I went through several different layouts. I had more targets at first and different playfield shapes, but some were too hard to hit and not as fun. I tried larger and smaller playfields, and each had its pluses and minuses. I wanted to be able to go near vertical, so that drove some of the size and balance also. I tried mini flippers but went with full size as you just didn’t have enough time to make targeted flips or enough power for it to work as well when vertical with the mini flippers. Spacing was a big issue between the flippers also. Too much, and it was way too hard when vertical, too little, and the ball wouldn’t drain. Then fitting it all onto the playfield was a tight space challenge. The mechanical engineer, Tom Kopera, did an amazing job fitting it in and delivering a ball no matter what angle it’s at. I didn’t want it to be an element of the playfield where you went, and play was stopped for a long time while you were playing it and then back to the main playfield. I wanted it to feel like a shot on the main playfield, integrated into the flow, where you could go anytime for a quick unique challenge, even in a multiball. On the Pro, I find it a similar but different experience. Since you only have one flipper, there can be some bumping element to playing it well that is fun in its own way. We also increase and decrease the flipper strength to help ramp up the difficulty. So both are fun to play in their own ways.

ARG: When this machine came up, did you have to fend off other designers to get the gig?
BE: I was already a big fan when it came up and would have fended off others, but I didn’t need to do that. I was ready to start my next game, and George Gomez came to me and said it was available and if I was interested. I jumped on instantly even though the schedule was a bit tight, but it was worth it for such a great title. So it came down to the right time, right place, right theme, the right team.

ARG: Are you a fan of the TV series? If so, what did you think of season two’s conclusion?
BE: Huge fan. I think it’s the best put-together Star Wars show to date. It’s a fresh take on the universe with the “space western” feel and all the nostalgic hooks and tie-ins to the existing Star Wars world. I loved the ending with Luke coming back. It was pretty emotional for a lot of people in my house. I think we all knew it was a possibility, but until it happened, we just didn’t know. Even Disney wouldn’t tell us a thing right up to when it aired. It was certainly satisfying to watch. I am sad that it seems like Grogu may not be as big an element in the next season, but he couldn’t have ended up with a better person to train him, so I’m sure we will see more of him in the series. I’m looking forward to where Disney will take the series and all the new series starting up like The Book of Boba Fett! It’s a great time for Star Wars fans!

It absolutely is a great time for Star Wars fans, and an even better time if you are into pinball! Brian’s love of the franchise has definitely translated well into The Mandalorian pinball machine, which on first impressions, looks great and plays well with signature Brian Eddy design elements injected all over the playfield. We can’t wait to play it!

image source: Stern Pinball



Super Awesome Pinball Birthday Cake

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Once we saw this pinball shaped birthday cake, we knew we had to track down its creator to ask her some hard hitting questions about pinball, and of course, the flippin’ amazing pinball birthday cake!

So sit back, relax, grab some cake as we speak to Belles & Chimes Melbourne pinball tournament player, Katrina Pingnam (aka: Kat), about her love of pinball and also making awesome and very yummy pinball shaped birthday cakes amongst other sweet creations!

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: How did you get into pinball?
Kat: I always liked it as a kid, but stumbled across the pinball community after researching some unique venues for my 40th birthday party. FlipOut Melbourne 2019 popped up in my Facebook feed, which turned out to be my first pinball event I attended and am now hooked on pinball!

ARG: What do you enjoy about competitive pinball?
Kat: Although I’m not playing to win (as there’s so many skilled players), it does give you motivation and purpose to play. I enjoy two player games as well for that reason, having a reason to gain points also makes you aware of what to aim for in the games.

Most people who aren’t in the pinball community (like myself at first) wouldn’t even be aware that there are certain goals to achieve in the game. It’s so much more than just aimlessly flipping those flippers! The competition side of it is also fun as everyone shares their advice on the games.

ARG: Favourite pinball machines (& why they are your fave)?
Kat: I have so many favourites! Funny enough, it’s not ones that I thought would be my favourites (ie: based on themes). For example, I’ve never watched Guardians of the Galaxy, yet that is one of the most fun to play as it’s so easy to activate multi ball! Whereas Super Mario Bros which I’ve been a fan since the very first one, isn’t as fun as I’d hoped!

My other favourites I’ve played at the Australian Pinball Museum are Total Nuclear Annihilation (designed by Spooky Pinball), it’s a very fast playing game designed to have an 80s theme with modern technology, it even has a bass amp!

I also discovered Revenge from Mars at the museum which is a fun game and a nice smooth playfield. It looks (shape) like an old school stand-up arcade machine. It has a projection which changes for each scene you play. It also has my two favourite colours, red and green!

I’m hoping to play Stern’s Stranger Things in the near future! Other favourite pinball machines to play include:

  • Ghostbusters
  • Pirates of the Caribbean (LE)
  • Medieval Madness
  • The Simpson’s Pinball Party
  • The Walking Dead
  • Johnny Mnemonic
  • Judge Dredd (Super multi ball mode)
  • Bonsai Run
  • America’s Most Haunted (nice smooth playfield)
  • Jackbot
  • The Munsters (purely for the cute mini pinball game under the main playfield)

Favourite machines based on appearance, are JJP’s:

  • Willy Wonka; and
  • Wizard of Oz (love those ruby ‘flippers’!!)

Katrina’s brilliant creation! That playfield looks so flowy (and darn yummy)!

ARG: Tell us more about your awesome pinball birthday cake – what it’s got inside it and how long it took to make?
Kat: The cake itself is basically a Mars Bar slice, with a layer of chocolate, then fondant icing (pre-rolled from the supermarket) and the edible icing sheet with the playfield printed onto it.

The cake is complete with edible silver coated Maltesers ‘pinball’ and fairy lights for effect. The actual making of the cake and assembly/decorating only took a few hours. However, designing the playfield took about 10hrs all up, not including the backbox, which I designed separately and my husband, Luke, helped add lights to make it come alive.

As I mentioned initially, instead of traditional cake, I made a super thick Mars Bar slice (about 18 mars bars in it!) as I wanted it to be very sturdy, plus we had the petite cupcakes so then guests could have both cake and slice.

The slice itself didn’t take long to prepare, it was more designing the playfield to be printed onto an edible icing sheet. Since I’m no graphic designer and only have very basic skills in paint editing software, it took about 2 days at around 5hrs/day to design.

I found a website where you could design your own virtual pinball playfields. There were some uploaded that could be downloaded, so I took a screenshot so I had the general playfield already designed and edited the image by removing/adding images, customising to include little details about myself/things I love and changing up the colours. It took a long time as I only had Paint3D on my computer, and was basically self educating using the program as I went along. Plus, some images needed pixel by pixel filling/erasing, which took a long time.

The cupcakes were made by a cake shop, they were red velvet and I just added the edible ‘pinballs’ on top. ARG: Wow, just wow. Wish we could have a slice – Mars Bar cake is our fave!

ARG: We absolutely love your cake, I mean it looks like a playable pinball machine, and it is made out of Mars Bars! Have you made other cool cakes?
Kat: I haven’t really, as I’ve only learnt a bit of cake decorating from high school for one semester where we made and decorated a Christmas cake. For that one, I decorated mine with cartoon characters.

The other thing I’ve made isn’t a cake as such, but Choc truffle bouquets, where I customise the colour of the choc coating then match it with similar coloured edible glitter and decorations and make it into an edible bouquet.

The yummy choc truffle bouquet that was the inspiration for the pinballs!

The only other recent cake I’ve made was a ‘joke’ cake I made for my friend’s kitchen tea, which was a take on the Masterchef’s (a reality TV cooking show) lolly-bag cake complete with detailed ‘pressure test’ instructions! Except, mine had about 12 layers of all different flavoured lolly themes, such as Musk frosting, banana lolly syrup and popping candy choc spread. It was hideous and tasted horrible but it was hilarious!

Katrina’s joke cake! We actually wouldn’t mind trying this one.

Well there you have it peeps. Katrina’s natural talents and passion for pinball have culminated into one amazing birthday cake that not only looks great, but is also darn yummy (we are still drooling and waiting for our piece!).

Well done and thank you for chatting to us Kat. We wish you all the best on your special occasion and of course, in your pinball playing journey.

The pinball cake whitewood!

Playfield done!

The finished product! We can stare at it all day.
image source: used with permission from Katrina Pingnam

 

Made In Australia: Haggis Pinball

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It takes a special kind of talent and a lot of guts to take on the challenge of creating a pinball machine and a fully-fledged pinball manufacturing company. With good old Aussie ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, Damian Hartin has done just that!

Like all of us, Damian got bitten by the pinball bug a few years ago, but unlike most of us, he decided to change careers and create a pinball company, Haggis Pinball. We recently played Haggis Pinball’s debut title, CELTS, which was a pre-production model. We were so intrigued by how this feat was achieved in a relatively short amount of time, that we had to grab Damian and ask him all of our burning questions about his journey to becoming a pinball mover and shaker, and what the future holds for Haggis Pinball. Kick back, relax and read Damian’s journey in pinball….

Damian Hartin – Founder & CEO, Haggis Pinball

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: Tells a bit about your career background, as we understand you were in IT before all of this pinball stuff? What exactly did you specialise in IT?
Damian Hartin [DH]: Computers and computer-related jobs were becoming a “thing” when I was in year 11 at high school. Being a subject I could get relatively good marks at without a lot of effort (something that was very appealing to 16-year-old me), seemed like a good career choice. As life would have it, my first job was in admin at a small manufacturing company in the town where I grew up, that was followed by a course in computer programming and then work as a croupier at the newly opened Crown Casino here in Melbourne. While working at the Casino, a position came up in the MIS/IT department, and I thought I should see if the computer course and my interest in IT were well-founded. I proceeded to spend the next twenty or so years working in just about every aspect of IT from Help Desk and Support through to network and system administration, software development, management, and consulting. About six years ago, I started up a professional services/IT consulting company and dabbled in Home Automation and Security. After deciding to shut down the Automation business a little over twelve months ago, I found myself in the fortunate situation of having spare time and income that was still being derived from the professional services business. Looking for my next challenge and something that I could be more passionate about, pinball, in effect, found me when I saw a Pin*Bot come up for sale at a local auction house, and the rest is history.

ARG: What was the spark that made you decide to make a career change and make pinball your new vocation? 
DH: After buying my Pin*Bot and looking into pinball in much more detail than my teenager memory afforded me, I began to realise and appreciate the depth of the machinery and hobby. Seeing just how many disciplines and how much creativity goes into making a pinball machine enthralled me. When I realised that it was a real possibility for me to make one, that was all the spark I needed.

ARG: We are intrigued to find out, how does a mere mortal go from being in IT to then becoming a pinball designer, mechanical engineer, software and sound engineer, manufacturer and distributor in such a short amount of time? From the outside looking in, it just seems impossible!
DH: I love a challenge, and I love to create. I have always been a ‘generalist,’ a buzz IT term I heard once that probably describes me a little nicer than ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’. The thing I love about software development is being presented with a business requirement from a company that there is no existing solution. That process of evaluating the needs, imagining a solution, and then working through everything that is required to bring that to life is addictive. It can be a complete pain and unbelievably frustrating, but completing the challenge is hugely satisfying.
When you look at pinball and all the aspects that make it up, it couldn’t be more of a perfect fit. For me, I focus on compartmentalising each of the tasks so they can be addressed in isolation. As I needed to learn everything from scratch, this meant that I could tick off items one by one and build up a more holistic skill set in the process without being overwhelmed by an unassailable mountain. When you then add in a degree of stubbornness and perfectionism, with a tight deadline, excellent support group, and very little sleep, then the war of attrition swings in my favour 🙂

ARG: We are aware that this is a difficult industry to be in, so what sets Haggis Pinball apart from others that have come and gone?
DH: While my intent from the very start was to build a manufacturing company, it was both essential and gratifying for me to learn every aspect of what it takes to make a pinball machine, and then set about doing just that. One of the benefits of starting small and with no prior knowledge was that I needed to understand every process intimately, and that let me simplify/enhance wherever possible. Being in Australia also meant that I didn’t have easy access to other pinball manufacturing suppliers, so I needed to become self-sufficient as much as possible. With a reduced reliance on external suppliers, I can make decisions and affect manufacturing outcomes very quickly to implement efficiencies in both time and money. We are also proud of our ability to offer customisation to our pinball machines; this will allow customers to effectively build a limited edition one of one pinball machine for themselves. ARG: We like the sound of that differentiation!

ARG: Is it difficult switching hats between being all business (as the CEO) to then being a pinball designer/creator? How do you manage this and where do you find the time?
DH: Yes, and I have no idea! Setting such tight deadlines as we did for TPF (Texas Pinball Festival) and Pinball Expo (Chicago)/ Flipout 2019 (Melbourne), meant that you don’t have the luxury of procrastination. Often, making decisions is the easy part, convincing yourself or a large team that it is the right decision can often take time. So, by backing my intuition and the opinions of a very small group of people, I forged ahead and just refused to be waylaid. I have been working full-time on Haggis/Celts since January this year, and my background in corporate IT has helped with identifying, prioritising, and managing the workload.

ARG: What has been the most difficult aspect in your journey so far in creating Haggis Pinball? Also, what has been your biggest sacrifice?
DH: Everything! Seriously. I love a challenge, and I love creating. Still, I have a very firm understanding that any undertaking such as this will be the hardest thing I have ever done, and will always demand more than I initially anticipated. Every single step has started with a question, “How do I do that?” which I then set about figuring out. Some tasks took longer than others, such as getting the geometry right, but each one presented a unique and difficult challenge. Easily the most significant sacrifice has been time. My wife and four year old have been incredibly supportive, spending a lot of “family” time with me working on pinball while it has wholly monopolised my life over these last twelve months.

ARG: Wow, we have gone six questions and haven’t asked about your first game, CELTS! Tells us how this game came about and the timeframe it went from an idea to being played at Pinball Expo in the US and Flipout 2019 in Melbourne last month? 
DH: I started the company in September of 2018, and Celts, as a theme, came about just eight weeks prior to the whitewood being shown in Texas in March of 2019. Off the back of a successful showing and some great feedback from the community, we set about establishing our supply chain, setting up a premise ready for manufacturing, and working through all the nuances of the playfield and cabinet design. In the following five months, we finalised the development of the whitewood into the prototype that was unveiled at Pinball Expo and Flipout 2019. So, in thirteen months, I came from not knowing how to open the backbox on my newly purchased Pin*Bot to starting manufacturing of our first Pinball machine; Celts.

ARG: We played the CELTS prototype at Flipout 2019, and without blowing smoke up your you-know-what, it really surprised us (in a good way) in how brilliant and solid the total package felt. What has been the reaction to the pinball machine?
DH: The reaction and feedback have been extremely positive. People have enjoyed the gameplay and playfield layout, and have been somewhat surprised about how deep the ruleset is for this game. The art and sound package are excellent, and the quality of the finish, we feel, is as good as any other current manufacturer in the market right now. We’ve also innovated on our cabinet design and construction methods, and people have been impressed with the complete package on offer.

ARG: By the time this interview is published, Haggis Pinball would have opened up pre-orders for CELTS – what is your goal with this machine?
DH: There were and still are several goals for Celts. One was to announce to the world that we are a manufacturing company that deserves serious consideration from the community when considering their next pinball purchase. Celts, in effect, is our business card, mission statement, capability statement, value proposition, and portfolio all in one. I would love to sell two hundred and fifty units of Celts worldwide and establish relationships with distributors here and overseas. The next few months will help direct the future of Haggis, and as the case has been over the past twelve months, we will address each task and each challenge in turn as we push forward into 2020 and beyond.

ARG: What is next for Haggis Pinball? Do you have other machine ideas on the drawing board? Will Wraith ever see the light of day?
DH: Right now, our immediate focus is on promoting and producing Celts, along with generating as many orders and interest in the company as possible. We have several themes that are candidates for the next machine, both licensed and non-licensed, including Wraith. We’ll start looking at that in more detail early next year once we’ve had a chance to fulfil our initial orders and plan for the remainder of 2020.

ARG: Tells us where people can find you and interact with Haggis Pinball, and how they can order your CELTS pinball machine?
DH: They can find us on all the usual social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) as well as on our website www.haggispinball.com. They can also send an email to me at [email protected] with any questions. Orders can be placed via our website store.

A huge thank you to Damian for taking time out of his very busy schedule for this interview, we really appreciate it. It’s been quite full on for Damian as he has travelled extensively over the last month showcasing CELTS in the US and Australia, and also setting up the pre-ordering system, which had its launch on November 1. We wish Damian and Haggis Pinball all the success!

 

Image source: Haggis Pinball