Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

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cap
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Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

Homepin published a video on their facebook page claiming Thunderbirds is ready and going in production now.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/homepin.factory
The machine in the video is the last prototype, in particular the ramp will be better.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by Azatotht »

Can't wait to have 10 minutes to watch this, good news :-)
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by Dave W. »

Looks fun! Really hope that we see a few in the MTL/OTT area.

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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

One thing I noticed are the two rubber posts protecting the entrance to the ramp.
This breaks the Pat Lawlor law of "reward them even if they miss", or another way he puts it: "Oops, but hopefully who ever watches will think I really meant to do that".
Compare that to the mini-targets guarding the ramps in Star Trek Vengeance.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by HPR Pinball »

De que c'est que ca ..... :FP:
The video game i want to play is always the one i don't have :FP:
Les arcades, j'suis tombé d'dans quand j'tait pti !! :-)

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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by Murphelman »

Orange DMD though? It makes it look a little dated. Good on them for getting itbdone though. Hope it does well. The more games the better.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

Sparky wrote:Looks like a nice tight assembly. Interesting!! I hope it isn't 8000$. LOL
The price Mike mentioned is $6499AU which he says is basically the same as $6499CAD
https://youtu.be/5Z5iY3lVpOw?t=3566
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cait001 »

I really hope Homepin does well and is in a spot to really prove themselves over the next couple of years. Manufacturing in china and building all the parts in house is a bold move and I hope it's a success and pays off with many new games. And maybe... even a Chinese pinball boom eventually? Get thee a Jackie Chan themed machine and print that money.
$6500 Canadian is a decent price point for a newcomer, considering the other parts of the boutique market. Hopefully the shipping on top doesn't kill it.

But as for this game, it looks a bit of a turd. I have no idea why someone would bring back the waving targets that we all thought were leftover to the EM era.
The center ramp shot looks like Cyclone / Comet / Hurricane and I am not a fan of the shot on those games.
Great theme integration, sound, and art, and hopefully that will be enough to pull in enough sales.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by semicolin »

I know they're being assembled in China and things are done differently there, but that shot of the worker airbrushing a component with what is likely an isocyanate paint while wearing only a fiber mask kinda punched me right in the gut.

Pinball is already a luxury item. Getting it done in China so that he can charge less and not have to follow health and safety standards in the markets the game is being sold in just feels a little... I dunno, it feels rotten, even if I'm saving a couple of grand off the cost of a machine. Why not charge us pinheads just a little more and buy that worker a positive airflow mask?

I love pinball but it's a *game*- these workers are just doing a job, and if this worker keeps doing it the way the company has him set up, it's going to kill him.

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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

semicolin wrote:I know they're being assembled in China and things are done differently there, but that shot of the worker airbrushing a component with what is likely an isocyanate paint while wearing only a fiber mask kinda punched me right in the gut.
Mike mentioned the China government is dead serious about the environment now. They forced him to improve the first water fall paint recovery contraption he built. I agree it would suck big times if he went through all the trouble to satisfy the China government without making his workers' health a priority.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

Am I the only one that noticed he has a pinball factory but he has no assembly line?
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

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cait001 wrote:I have no idea why someone would bring back the waving targets that we all thought were leftover to the EM era.
ipdb says a swinging target was used as recently as 1991 in DE Star Trek.
I don't remember encountering this device. What's wrong with a swinging target?
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

Sparky wrote:In the very near future, we will look like a primitive third-world country compared to China...
That's an understatement if they get the thorium molten salt reactors to work.
We'll have to buy our reactors from them when we find out solar does not scale fast enough to save the planet.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by Homepin »

Hello Guys,

Thanks for the kind words of support. It has been a very challenging four years to make it to this point. I started this project from an empty factory space and now I'm pleased to be able to say we are starting to build our first pinball machines. I would like to add a few details about some comments made in this thread.

The staff member "painting" the DMD panel was in fact posing for the camera - he is spraying water only. Our workers ALWAYS don the correct protective gear for every part of the job they are doing. But, on the subject of paint, we ONLY use water based "green" paint for all painting of our products.

We have made licenced video game tables under the well known Australian brand, "Hankin" for the last three years and we most certainly do have a production line, it just wasn't shown in that promo video (see a pic below with game tables on the line). We will alternate between tables and pinballs as the demand dictates. We also have other machines in the pipeline and all of this compliments our extensive range of replacement pinball PCBs that we have made for nearly ten years now.

I'm pleased to announce that Nitro Pinball in Vancouver is the sole Homepin authorised agent for Canada and they will be stocking the full range of Homepin products from Thunderbirds pinball (RRP US$4995) to Hankin game tables and also the full range of our replacement pinball PCBs. Contact Tommy if you are interested in any of our products as the first shipment is selling fast and it hasn't left yet!

We are readying for our first small run of TAG and we have placed orders with outside vendors for the things that we don't make such as the custom made plywood and the clear 2mm ramps but we are being thwarted a little by Chinese New Year that is looming at the moment.

A note on workplace, heath and safety, the Chinese Government is cracking down very heavily in this area and also environmental protection areas. We are inspected at least once a week in the factory by some other Govt department from fire to insurance and on the list goes. Long gone are the days of workers being paid $10 a week and living in squalor. Two of my staff have recently bought new cars (and I drive a used Great Wall pickup LOL) and a third is taking driving lessons at the moment. China in 2018 is nothing like the China from even 10 years ago. Most cars on the street are new 7 series BMWs, Benz's and Audi's. It isn't a joke, I'm very serious.

Anyway, thanks again for your support and I look forward to visiting again later this year for "Flipout".


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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

Welcome to maaca. Most of our members are from Eastern Canada.
Nitro is very far from us which means we cannot visit their show room.
Maybe pincon or the Ottawa Pinball & Gameroom Show can get big enough for Nitro to bring a booth some day.

The video says you ship worldwide. Does that mean there will be a US distributor with stock soon?
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cait001 »

Homepin wrote:Thunderbirds pinball (RRP US$4995)
Holy shit, $5k USD MSRP??? That's the dream right there, isn't it? Stern Pro pins are $6200 USD MSRP. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic ... se-history
If you can produce fun and good looking games and serve them up for $1200 USD less than a Stern pro, that could potentially be a major game-changer.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by Guard »

I'll spend more for one made in North America.

But then I consider the Chinese Govt our enemy......
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

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Guard wrote:But then I consider the Chinese Govt our enemy......
I've got some bad news for you about the American government. :lol:
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by uberhare »

Nice to see another brand out there producing machines, even if it is in China. Too bad about picking 1 sole distributor in a country that is 5000km wide (and on the far west coast!!) I'd want to play one before ordering from that far away, might as well be Florida at that point.

China has become the world's factory. We're screwed.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by Homepin »

uberhare wrote:Nice to see another brand out there producing machines, even if it is in China. Too bad about picking 1 sole distributor in a country that is 5000km wide (and on the far west coast!!) I'd want to play one before ordering from that far away, might as well be Florida at that point.

China has become the world's factory. We're screwed.
I understand your frustration but there are several factors at play. We can't spread ourselves too thin as a new player because I want to make 100% certain that wherever our products are sold we support them to our best ability. That requires having solid partners that we can trust and rely on. Second, finding distributors who are prepared to take a chance ON US!!! - it just isn't that simple.

Tommy took a punt, hopped on a 'plane and came to China specifically to visit the Homepin factory and see for himself if we were for real or not. It takes serious commitment for anyone to do that.

I understand about the size of Canada - I'm Australian and it's also very large. I'm certain Tommy will find a way to sort out the situation and I will be working with him to establish things in all parts of Canada.

Yes, the Homepin factory is physically in China for pretty obvious reasons BUT all management are Australian and Taiwanese and we not only know and understand pinball but we are also well aware of the "Made in China = CRAP" argument. Don't worry, we often say and think that in Australia as well. It's easily overlooked that China does produce some of the worlds best electronics but ONLY with the help and guidance of western companies and personnel.

We are also working on a new release pinball that will be the first Hankin pinball machine for 30 years - it is being designed by one of David Hankins' sons who is also an avid pinball player and ranks highly in the world scene as a player.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by uberhare »

China can product whatever quality you demand! I work for an automotive parts importer and seen both ends of it. Lots of good quality parts coming out of China now. OEMs are all producing parts there too. Anyone who thinks they are buying a "domestic" car these days to avoid foreign goods is delusional.

I'll tell ya straight up having your dealer that far away, people will order from the USA before Vancouver. Not going to happen, so you might as well choose one near Toronto or Montreal too.

Congrats on bringing another machine to market at a competitive price!
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

uberhare wrote:I'll tell ya straight up having your dealer that far away, people will order from the USA before Vancouver. Not going to happen, so you might as well choose one near Toronto or Montreal too.
I've got bad news for you. Mike repeatedly said the USA is not his market. Hence my question about a US distributor above.
This business decision makes sense to me if he wants to follow the same scale model as Spooky, but it rubbed many Americans the wrong way.
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by tom_454 »

I loved that show as a kid.

A little off topic but can everyone remember the "Made in Japan Crap" from the seventies? Datsun anyone? Oh and then there was Hyundai (Korea) - everyone laughed. My how times changed quickly for those companies. Remember Chrysler from the 80's? - Made in North America Crap. There is a lot of made in China crap but there is also some good stuff being made there too now. The Chinese industrial machine is at work and we need to improve our North American Productivity to keep up. At the end of the day capitalism rules - give consumers what they want (be it cheap crappy stuff or good quality expensive stuff). Crap is crap - it doesn't matter where it is made. Businesses are pretty good at following the markets as determined by consumer behavior. Consumers often want cheap so business make cheap (who really needs a pricey over-engineered Dewalt Drill for there home? A small percentage of the overall market. Contractors and serious do-it-your-selfers - yes!)

Good luck to HomePin. Competition is good!
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by Silverball »

cap wrote:
uberhare wrote:I'll tell ya straight up having your dealer that far away, people will order from the USA before Vancouver. Not going to happen, so you might as well choose one near Toronto or Montreal too.
I've got bad news for you. Mike repeatedly said the USA is not his market. Hence my question about a US distributor above.
This business decision makes sense to me if he wants to follow the same scale model as Spooky, but it rubbed many Americans the wrong way.
Mike has already said they are seeking a US distributor and will obviously sell to the US.

Why would a company selling pinball machines, ignore the biggest pinball market in the world?
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Re: Thunderbirds Pinball Complete

Post by cap »

Silverball wrote:Mike has already said they are seeking a US distributor and will obviously sell to the US.
Why would a company selling pinball machines, ignore the biggest pinball market in the world?
Of course he will sell to the USA but not immediately.
It is clear Homepin wants to be Hankin part 2 and that means dominating Australia first.
Another hope is to find a way to crack the Chinese market with something they like.
I think that is very smart because this is a market that is not well served by Stern.

I already gave another reason when I mentioned Spooky.
Maybe Homepin's cost structure can only handle building X number of machines until they earn more money and improve their production facility.
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