PACIFIC PINBALL
EXPOSITION 2010


Date: October 1st - 3rd, 2010
Location: Marin Civic Centre, San Rafael, CA, USA.

Welcome to the start of our coverage of the 2010 Pacific Pinball Exposition.

Once again we are back at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall in San Rafael, California for what has to be the world's largest pinball show.

The Marin Center
The Marin Center

The weather couldn't have been better - temperatures in the upper 20°Cs (lower 80°Fs) with clear blue skies - which allowed the unloading and setting up to take place in the dry.

The show officially opened to the public on Friday morning.

The doors are opened Friday at 10am
The doors are opened Friday at 10am

Pinball News got in before the crowds to get these early pictures of the display visitors would get to enjoy.

Inside the main hall
Inside the main hall, looking towards the front left

For a first time visitor, the number of machines and their setting is quite spectacular, while even seasoned attendees will marvel at the range on offer this year.

Looking towards the rear left of the hall
Looking towards the rear left of the hall

The Marin Center is a large hall and it is packed with pinball machines from all eras.

Two rows of EM machines stretch towards the main desk
Two rows of EM machines stretch towards the main desk

Special attention has been given to increasing the number of solid state machines from the '70s and '80s - games which have started to become more appreciated of late.

Solid state machines alongside EMs
Solid state machines alongside EMs

Our count of machines over the three days gives us 410 pinballs set up as part of the show. Here's the full list:

24
4 Queens
4 Square
4 Square
4-Belles
ABC
Abra Ca Dabra
Ace High
Action
Airborne
Ali
Ali-Baba
All Star Basketball*
All-Star Basketball
Apollo
Apollo 13*
Aquarius*
Arabian Knights
Army vs Navy
Arrowhead
Astro
Astro
Attack from Mars
Avatar
Back to the Future
Baffle Ball
Ballyhoo
Band Wagon
Bang
Bank-A-Ball
Barnacle Bill
Basketball
Beat the Clock
Beat Time
Beauty
Big Ben
Big Ben*
Big Casino
Big Game
Big Guns
Big Hit
Big Indian
Big Valley
Black Knight
Black Knight*
Black Pyramid
Black Pyramid
Black Rose
Blackout
Blue Chip
Bobby Orr Powerplay
Bow and Arrow*
Bowling Queen
Bowl-O
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Breakshot*
Bronco
Buck Rogers
Buckaroo
Buckaroo*
Butterfly
Campus Queen
Capt.  Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Capt. Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Capt. Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Cargo
Catacomb
Centigrade 37
Central Park
Central Park
Centrigrade 37
Challenger*
Champ
Cheetah
Chicago Express
Chinatown
Cinema
Circus
Cleopatra
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
College Daze*
Combat*
Congo
Coronation
Corral
Cosmic Princess
Countdown
Cow Poke
Crescendo
Criss Cross
Criss Cross A-Lite
Crossword
CSI
Cybernaut
Cyclone
Dealers Choice
Demolition Man
Diamond Jack
Diamond Lill*
Disco Fever
Disco*
Dodge City
Dolly Parton
Doodle Bug
Doozie
Doozie
Double Feature
Double Shuffle
Dr Dude
Dracula
Dragon
Dragonfist
Drop-A-Card
Duotron
Earthshaker
Egg Head
El Dorado
El Dorado
El Toro
Elvira and the Party Monsters
Elvis
Embryon
Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel
Exposition
Faces*
Family Guy
Fan-Tas-Tic
Farfalla
Fireball
Fireball
Fireball 2
Fireball Classic
Firepower
Firepower 2*
Fish Tales
Flash
Flash Gordon
Flight 2000
Flip a Card
Flip a Card
Flipper
Flipper Football
Flipper Pool
Flying Carpet
Flying Turns
Four Million BC
Freedom
Freefall
Frontiersman
Full House
Funhouse
Funhouse
Future Spa
Galahad
Galaxy
Gamatron
Genie
Globetrotter
Gold Rush
Gold Strike
Goldeneye
Gorgar
Gulf Stream
Guys & Dolls
Gypsy Queen
Happy Clown
Happy Days
Happy Go Lucky
Harbor Lites*
Harlem Globetrotters
Hawaiian Beauty
Heavy Hitter
Hee Haw*
Hercules
Hi-Diver
High Hand
High Speed
High Speed 2 - The Getaway
Hokus Pokus
Hot Hand
Hot Line
Hot Shot
Hula Hula
Hurdy Gurdy
Icarus
Ice Revue
Ice Show
Iron Maiden
Ironman
Jack in the Box*
Jacks Open
Jet Spin
Jigsaw
Joker
Jungle
KC Jones
Kewpie Doll
King Kool
King of Diamonds
King Tut
Kingpin
Kings & Queens
Kings of Steel
Klondike
Knock Out
Knockout
Lady Luck
Laser Ball
Laser Cue
Lectronamo
Liberty Bell
Lightning
Lightning Ball
Lord of the Rings
Lovely Lucy
Lovely Lucy
Lucky Inning
Lucky Seven
Lulu*
Madison Square Gardens
Magic
Magic Circle
Mata Hari
Maverick
Medieval Madness
Medieval Madness
Medusa
Medusa
Memory Lane
Mermaid
Meteor
Micropin
Mini Pool
Mini Zag
Minstrel Man
Miss-O
Monaco
Monopoly
Monster Bash
Monster Bash
Moon Flight
Moon Shot
Moon Shot
Motordome
Moulin Rouge
Mystery Castle
Mystic Marvel
Nautilus*
NBA Fastbreak
New York
Niagra
Night Rider
Nine Ball*
Nip It
No Fear
No Fear
No Good Gofers
North Star
Nugent
Odds & Evens
Old Chicago
Old Faithful
Orbitor 1
Out of Sight
Outer Space
Oxo
Paddock
Panthera
Paragon
Party Zone
Pat Hand
Pharaoh
Pin Wheel
Pinball
Pinball
Pinball Magic
Pinball Pool
Pinbot
Pirates of the Caribbean
Play Ball (Chicago Coin)
Play Mates
Playboy (Bly)
Playtime
Pro-Football
Punch
Punchy the Clown
Quartette
Queen of Hearts
Quicksilver
Quintette
Rainbow
Rawhide
Regatta
Ripley's Believe it or Not!
Road Kings
Road Race
Road Show
Robocop
Rock N Roll*
Rock Star
Rocket
Rocket III
Roller Coaster
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Royal Flush
Royal Guard
Safe Cracker
Score-Board
Sea Witch
Sea Wolf
Select-a-Card
Sensation of 1937
Shangri-La
Shindig
Shoot the Moon
Shrek
Sing Along
Sittin' Pretty
Skipper
Sky Jump
Sky Jump
Sky Kings
Sky Line
Skylab
Sky-Rocket
Skyway
Slick Chick
Slick Chick*
Sluggin' Champ
Solar Ride*
South Park
Southern Belle
Space Mission
Space Mission
Space Odyssey
Space Ship
Spanish Eyes
Spectrum
Spin-A-Card
Split Second
Spot Bowler
Springtime
Spy Hunter
Square Head*
Stage Coach
Stampede
Star Gazer
Star Pool
Star Trek - The Next Generation
Star Trek - The Next Generation
Star Wars Episode 1
Stardust
Stargate
Stars
Stingray
Straight Shooter
Strange World
Striker
Subway
Super Star
Super Straight
Sure Shot
Surf Champ
Surf N Safari
Swinger
Target Alpha
Target Alpha
Teacher's Pet
The 4 Horsemen
The Addams Family
The Entertainer
The Flintstones
The Shadow
Theatre of Magic
Thing
Tigers
Time Machine
Time Zone
Tom Tom
Top Card
Top Score
Top Speed
Touch-Off
Trident
Triplets
Tri-Zone
Tropic Isle
Twilight Zone
Twin-Bill
Universe
Universe*
Viper
Visible Pinball (Surf Champ)
Volley
Wagon Train
Watch My Line
Whirlwind
Whirlwind
Wiffle
Wild Fyre
Wild Wild West
Wishing Well
Wizard
World Beauties
World Fair
World's Fair
World's Series (Rock-ola)
Zip-A-Doo

One of the highlights of this year's show is a special display of classic Stern machines. It is hoped to get one of every model set up in the hall in chronological order. By Thursday evening the organisers were well on their way to achieving that goal, with more machines arriving every minute.

Classic Stern machines
Classic Stern machines

When Friday rolled around, the line up was complete. All 34 production models were represented and were rapidly mobbed by a crowd eager to relive memories from the '70s and '80s.

Part of the Stern line-up being enjoyed by visitors
Part of the Stern line-up being enjoyed by visitors

The games in the Stern line-up were:

Dragonfist
Viper
Iron Maiden
Catacomb
Split Second
Lightning
Freefall
Nine Ball*
Flight 2000
Star Gazer
Quicksilver
Cheetah
Sea Witch
Ali
Galaxy
Big Game
Meteor
Magic
Cosmic Princess
Hot Hand
Trident
Dracula
Nugent
Wild Fyre
Lectronamo
Memory Lane
Stars
Stingray
Pinball
Pinball
Disco*
Rawhide
Stampede
Orbitor 1

There were also several different types of coin-op amusement machines set up at the show, ready to be played.

Atari Video Pinball
Hot Rods (Ball game)
Jet Gun (Gun game)
Long Beach (Bingo)
Par Golf (Pitch & Bat)
Pop Up (Balls game)
Rocket (Gun game)
Sea Raider (Gun game)
Slug Fest (Pitch & Bat)
World Series (Pitch & Bat)

Two of the machines in the full list were also raffle prizes. The Gorgar and the High Hand would be awarded to the luck winners from prize draws on Saturday and Sunday.

Two of the raffle prizes
Two of the raffle prizes

These were far from the only prizes. Two large tables were laden with additional donations to the raffle. Ticket buyers could choose which of the prizes they wanted to be in with a chance of winning by placing their tickets in the appropriate container.

More raffle prizes
More raffle prizes

Beneath the huge canvas murals of classic backglasses by Dan Fontes and Ed Cassel, a display of some of the earliest pinball machines shows how the game developed from its roots into the form with which we are most familiar.

Murals hang over the earliest pinballs
Murals hang over the earliest pinballs

The Visible Pinball machine is also here, giving visitors the chance to see the workings of an electro-mechanical Surf Champ.

The Visible Pinball
The Visible Pinball

Looking through the playfield
Looking through the playfield

The theme of this year's PPE is 'The Science of Pinball', so there were several hands-on exhibits set up to demonstrate different aspects of the way electricity and mechanics combine within the game.

Some of the scientific exhibits
Some of the scientific exhibits

More fun with electricity
More fun with electricity

There were plenty of vendors setting up on Thursday evening with Stern Amusements being one of the first to put their wares on display.

Parts on sale at the Stern Amusements stand
Parts on sale at the Stern Amusements stand

When the show opened to the public, many more had joined them. Fabrite/Pinball Fun had 2 machines set up as demonstrators (Attack from Mars and Road Show) plus 3 more new-in-box Stern games (Wheel of Fortunes, Ironman and Spider-Man).

Fabrite/Pinball Fun
Fabrite/Pinball Fun

Next door were Fabulous Fantasies who had the Retro Pinball King of Diamonds.

Fabulous Fantasies
Fabulous Fantasies

This King of Diamonds was a little different as it was fitted with a rather ungainly ticket dispenser on the right hand side of the cabinet to increase its appeal to redemption operators. The attached flyer announced the game would be available from December 15th at a price of $3695.

King of Diamonds
King of Diamonds

Marco Specialties had a large stand right next to the Pingame Journal booth. Marco were not only selling their usual parts and their range of PinScore displays and replacement boards, they were also the destination for anyone wishing to play the new Stern Avatar game.

Marco Specialties
Marco Specialties

The new Avatar machine
The new Avatar machine

Cointaker had a full range of LEDs on display and available to purchase, while next to them The Pinball Revival Co were selling pinball T-shirts and badges.

Pinball Revival Co
The Pinball Revival Co

The main entry desk was also selling t-shirts and assorted show-related goodies.

The front desk
The front desk

Opposite them, Don's Custom Service had a variety of bar-style signs, mirrors and neons for your game room.

Don's Custom Service
Don's Custom Service

The left side of the hall also played host to numerous vendors.

R+T Amusements had a real assortment of pinball parts as well as illuminated translite frames.

R+T Amusements
R+T Amusements

Great Lakes Modular were also in attendance with their replacement circuit boards and a pinball 2000 LCD monitor bracket.

Great Lakes Modular
Great Lakes Modular

Further down the hall, the Pinball Collectors Resource booth was selling all kinds of parts, flyers and glasses for older games.

The Pinball Collectors Resource stand
The Pinball Collectors Resource stand

Next to them, Steve Ritchie was side-by-side with Doug Watson, selling unique pinball parts and imagery.

Steve's stand with Doug's next door
Steve's stand with Doug's next door

Extra space has been allocated to vendors this year. Illinois Pinball and Bay Area Amusements had taken over last year's seminars room - situated just off the passage into the main hall - to sell their wide range of parts.

Bay Area Amusements and Illinois Pinball's room
Bay Area Amusements and Illinois Pinball's room

More parts for sale in the room
More parts for sale in the room

The use of the room resulted in the seminars moving into the adjacent Embassy Suites hotel, which is where the majority of visitors to the Exposition were staying. A short foot bridge connects the hotel and the Marin Center.

The bridge from the hotel to the Marin Center
The bridge from the hotel to the Marin Center

There was a packed schedule of 16 seminars across all 3 days of the show, starting on Friday at midday and we have audio recordings of most of them available right here.

Melissa Harmon & Dan Fontes:
The Art of Pinball, Pinball as Art
Melissa Harmon Dan Fontes

Melissa spoke about the different fashions and trends captured in pinball artwork over the past eight decades while Dan explored the work of a number of contemporary and historic artists and the possible exchange of pinball ideas they represent.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Al Alcorn, Ron Milner & Steven Mayer:
Atari's Technology Touch and How it Changed Entertainment
Al Alcorn, Ron Milner & Steven Mayer

Al, Ron and Steven described how Atari began in the games business, who and what the influences were in dictating the direction the company took, and how Atari pinball came to be set up and ultimately closed down again.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Michael Shalhoub and Dan Robar:
Pinball Down Under
Michael Shalhoub Dan Robar

Michael described the passion and drive which made him write his earlier volumes and has led him to start working on his upcoming book 'The Pinball Machine'. Dan spoke about the pinball scene in Australia and the ways the Aussie Arcade forum has helped bring together the nation's collectors and enthusiasts

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Paul Mandeltort:
LEDs for Pinball Machines - A Crash Course
Paul Mandeltort Understanding how LEDs work and their benefits and disadvantages are critical in choosing whether to use LEDs and which ones are most suitable. Paul described the different types of device and the development which has taken place in recent years.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Greg Freres:
Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons
Greg Freres Greg talked about the progress of his current project with Dennis Norman - the custom EM cabinets and artwork embodied in their 'Woah Nellie! Big Juicy Melons' game.

Audio

Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
You can also click on the play button below to play it within this page.
(Note: due to a technical issue, there is a drop in audio quality part way through this recording)

 

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Jon Olkowski & Mads Kristensen:
How the Pros Play Pinball
Jon Olkowski & Mads Kristensen

Knowing how to control the ball is key to attaining high scores and winning tournaments. Jon and Mads demonstrated how to perform many of the basic ball control techniques and the theory behind them.

Because Mads and Jon's seminar was a hands-on, practical demonstration of pinball skills, we do not have an audio recording available.

 

Bear Kamoroff:
How to Buy and Maintain Your Own Pinball Machine
Bear Kamoroff Bear is the author of 'Pinball Care & Maintenance' and in this seminar he passed on many hints and tips on how to buy your first machine and the likely maintenance you will be performing on it.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Michael Schiess and  Larry Zartarian:
The Pacific Pinball Museum Vision
Michael Schiess & Larry Zartarian

Michael and Larry talked about the way the Pacific Pinball Museum began, how it has evolved in the years since, the current state of the museum and the aims and hopes for its future.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Doug Watson:
The Concept Art of Doug Watson
Doug Watson Renowned artist Doug spoke about the inspiration and creation of his many pinball artworks. He also showed a number of ideas which were either never picked up or became the concepts which were later developed into different designs.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Christopher Kuntz:
Pinball Repair Tips and Tricks
Christopher Kuntz Chris explained many of the common problems which game owners may encounter and provided practical advice on ways to fix them and perform preventative maintenance to avoid future issues.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Jim Dietrick and Tylor Hirsch:
Pinball Restoration
Jim Dietrick Taylor Hirsch

Jim and Tylor explained how they restore pinball machine artwork, using a recent example to show the various tools they used and giving suggestions for the products we can buy if we wanted to follow their example.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Warren Haack:
Slot Machines and Trade Stimulators – The Other Obsession
Jon Olkowski & Mads Kristensen Pinball has long been associated with gambling, so Warren brought along some of his classic slot machines to illustrate his talk about how they operate, the different types available and how the collector market has developed.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Todd MacCulloch:
My Journey - NBA Basketball Playoffs to Pinball
Todd MacCulloch All collectors start somewhere, but the story of Todd's unique transition from NBA to pinball was related in his own words, in this amusing and entertaining seminar.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Jim Schelberg:
Pinball in the Media
Jim Schelberg Once again, Jim brought along a varied and diverse range of video clips showing pinball's appearances and influences on television, in commercials and on film.

Although Jim's seminar mainly consists of video clips, we have included the audio of his introduction.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Steve Ritchie:
Pinball Geometry
Steve Ritchie Steve gave the audience a behind-the-scenes look at how a pinball machine is designed, using AutoCad drawings of some of his designs to show the many considerations and decisions involved in the process.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
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Wade Krause & Tanio Klyce:
The Making of Beatniks Koolsville – Kustom Pinball
Paul Mandeltort Tanio Klyce

Beatniks Koolsville is a custom game created for James Hetfield of Metallica. Wade showed how all the unique artwork was created from scratch for the cabinet, backglass, playfield and decals, while Tanio described the technical issued involved in producing this one-of-a-kind creation.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
You can also click on the play button below to play it within this page.
 

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Tanio Klyce, Jeri Elsworth, Cliff Rinear and Greg Ong:
Inventors Roundtable
Greg Freres

This final seminar saw Tanio, Jeri, Cliff and Greg describe how they became involved in pinball, the unique contributions each of them has made to the hobby and share their ideas about future developments and creations which could help advance the game.

Audio Click here to play the MP3 file, or right click to download it.
You can also click on the play button below to play it within this page.
 

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In addition to the seminars listed above, there were also two movie screenings held in the seminars room.  The first featured Randy & Keith Elwin's Pinball 101 instructional video, while the second was Tom Wyrsch's documentary Remember Playland about the famous Playland at the Beach in San Francisco which closed in 1972.

Any large pinball show cannot be complete without a number of challenging and enjoyable tournaments. PPE is no exception and World Champion Keith Elwin was in charge of them - from the adult Expert, EM, Novice and Split-Flipper divisions, to the Kids tournament and Pin Tac Toe.

Cayle George was triumphant in the Classics with Josh Warren second and Jeffrey Newmann in third.  In the main Expert division, it was a win for Neil Shatz after an exciting 3 machine play-off ending on The Flintstones.

Neil receives his plaque and prize money from organiser Keith Elwin
Neil receives his plaque and prize money from organiser Keith Elwin

The four finalists:
The four finalists:
Bob Matthews (3rd), Neil Shatz (1st), Tim Hansen (2nd), Andrei Massenkoff (4th)

Finally, you can tour the Pacific Pinball Exposition 2010 for yourself with our exclusive Four Minute Tour video. Just click on the picture below to play the video.

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