FULL THROTTLE:
GAME PREMIERE,
NEW TEAM MEMBERS
& FACTORY DEAL


Date: 19th April, 2013

Last weekend at the German Pinball Open in Berlin, a prototype of Heighway Pinball's Full Throttle game made its first public appearance, and naturally Pinball News was there to cover it. Plus, we have big news of two new team members as preparations begin at the company's new factory.

The Full Throttle game the team brought to Germany was a flipable sample designed to show the look and feel of the eventual machine, while demonstrating the kind of lighting effects the RGB LEDs can achieve and the flow of the playfield design.

Missing from this prototype were the game's two main mechanisms - the pop-up spinning bumpers and the chain drive ball accelerator. However it did include the production plastics which replaced the placeholder design seen previously.

The crossover ramp with one lighting configuration
The crossover ramp with one lighting configuration

The same area now lit green
The same area now lit green

The RGB LEDs proved to be very efficient at completely changing the colour of the game while providing good levels of general illumination.

Head of the company, Andrew Heighway was there to point out the game's features and invited visitors to play it for themselves.

Illuminated standup targets
Illuminated standup targets

We also got our first look at the LCD panel's dashboard design which will convey the essential information to the player, such as their score, the ball number, credits count and their progress through the various features.

The dashboard display
The dashboard display

We then asked Andrew to demonstrate the game by playing it, while we shot a video. Here's the result.

Select the highest quality for full HD resolution and watch in full-screen here ↑

The team also had a couple of flyers which announced the game pricing, a special introductory offer, and a Limited Edition version of the game.

The European flyer front
The European flyer front
(click to enlarge in a new window)

To celebrate this first public showing of Full Throttle at the German Pinball Open, a special factory-direct price was offered for pre-orders made at the show in Berlin.

The back of the flyer expands on the company's modular system - offering separate pricing for the generic cabinet/backbox and the game-specific playfield/code/artwork.

The back of the European flyer
The back of the European flyer
(click to enlarge in a new window)

It also details all the features of each part and what's included with each separate package.

The final flyer announces a Limited Edition version of Full Throttle. It is planned to make 250 Limited Edition models which will include a number of enhancements to the playfield and the trim, and adds a shaker motor and a goodie bag of Full Throttle branded items for around a €1,200 ($1,564) premium.

The flyer for the Limited Edition
The flyer for the Limited Edition
(click to enlarge in a new window)

In our coverage of the German Pinball Open you may have seen this picture of Full Throttle being set up.

Full Throttle's backbox is fitted at the German Pinball Open
Full Throttle's backbox is fitted at the German Pinball Open

The backbox was being attached by two of the newest members of the Heighway Pinball team, Janos Kiss and Romain Fontaine, and we can exclusively bring you details of their background and respective roles at the company.

Janos has been working with Andrew over the past couple of months at their base in South Wales.

Janos Kiss
Janos Kiss

Heighway Pinball officially announced Janos's arrival with the following statement:

Heighway Pinball is pleased to announce that Hungarian web designer, Janos Kiss, has joined the team. Janos fell in love with pinball at only 8 years old when he discovered Bally's The Addams Family and has been in love with the game ever since, visiting arcades with his parents and learning more about the pinball industry through Hungarian pinball player, Zoltán Mosi.

Janos says, "In 2012 I noticed a new pinball company with fresh ideas - Heighway Pinball - and I contacted the owner, Andrew Heighway, with a view to joining his team. I am really excited to be joining the team and being an important part of the creative process."

Andrew said, "Janos has a real passion for pinball and I am very pleased to welcome him to our team. Janos is very much goal-oriented and has a lot of good ideas that can only benefit my company and our products."

The second new team member is Romain Fontaine.

Romain Fontaine
Romain Fontaine

Here's how Heighway Pinball announced Romain joining the company.

Heighway Pinball is delighted to announce that Romain Fontaine, a French electronics and robotics expert, has joined the Heighway Pinball team. After completing his Electronics Engineering Degree in 2010, Romain worked in the CNRS French Research Agency for 2 years. Romain has been a pinball addict for 15 years and is a regular contributor to the pinball community. The highlight of his association with pinball was his successful PIN² project - consisting of creating a PC to Pinball interface.

Romain says, "I have long held a dream of creating pinball machines. I am very happy to be joining Heighway Pinball and being involved in the many technical innovations that they are bringing to pinball - both now, and in the future."

Heighway Pinball's Andrew Heighway said, "Romain is a key addition to our team. Not only is he a hugely talented electronics engineer, but he is a true innovator and matches perfectly with our desire to build the most technically sound and innovative pinball machines that we can."

In our update at the end of last year, we revealed details of a potential base for the company at a factory unit in Cyfarthfa, Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. The deal for the factory was signed earlier this year and the company has begun preparations to move in and get ready to start manufacturing games.

Heighway Pinball's base in Cyfarthfa, South Wales
Heighway Pinball's base in Cyfarthfa, South Wales

The factory unit
The factory unit

The new sign with the company's contact details
The new sign with the company's contact details

We'll be back very soon with much more from Heighway Pinball about their Full Throttle game and their progress towards starting production in their new factory.


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