We had been invited to attend the Romanian Pinball Open several times by the organisers Ovi and Gabby. Eventually, and despite the dates clashing with another more local tournament, we yielded, booked the flights and accommodation, and packed our bags for Bucharest.
The venue for the tournament was in the north of the capital in a building called Beraria H. It is built on the edge of a reservoir and is close to one of Bucharest’s many iconic buildings – in this case the House of Free Press.
The House of Free Press building in BucharestLacul Herăstrău
The Beraria H building is one of many from the Ceaușescu era which produced a lot of impressive but not necessarily very attractive structures. Beraria H began as an exhibition centre to promote the best of Romania’s products, then briefly became a shopping centre before folding and being turned into an entertainment centre.
Berăria H
It promotes itself as the biggest beer hall in Eastern Europe, but it’s far more than just a drinking den.
Inside Berăria H
Craft and collectable stalls occupy the entrance on the upper level and the far end of the hall on the lower floor. In between are masses of tables arranged around a central stage. Plenty of beers are available as a pretty reasonable menu offers an interesting selection of meaty products at reasonable prices.
Beraria is also a concert venue and live music is performed here throughout the weekends and during the evenings on weekdays. Although it looks empty in these pictures, it becomes absolutely packed with upwards of 2,000 patrons in the evening.
The market inside Berăria H
So competitors in the Romanian Pinball Open (RPO) don’t have to go far for food and drinks, which is just as well as there aren’t many other establishments around. The Hard Rock Cafe is in the same complex, but that’s about it.
The pinball tournaments were held on the upper level at the far end of Beraria H, overlooking the craft stalls. This kept them away from most casual visitors and helped to reduce (slightly) the impact of the noise from bands playing on the stage.
The location of the tournament machinesThe RPO information banner at the entrance to the area
The machines were arranged either side of a section of a long corridor which ran almost the entire length of the building. Modern machines used for the RPO and Pingolf Tournaments were on one side overlooking the hall, the remaining modern machines were joined on the opposite side by the ’80s Tournament machines.
Modern machines on the right, ’80s and modern on the leftRPO machinesMore RPO machines’80s Tournament machines
Romanian Pinball Open 2016 machines
Indiana Jones, The Pinball Adventue
Scared Stiff
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Corvette
Dracula, Bram Stoker’s*
Independence Day
Shrek
Fish Tales
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Wars (DE)
Bride of Pinbot, The Machine
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Maverick*
Demolition Man
Dirty Harry
Getaway: High Speed 2, The
Lethal Weapon 3
’80s Tournament Machines
Road Kings
Dr. Dude
Tiger Rag
Clown
Elvira & the Party Monsters
The tournament desk was at the far end, and next to that were a few extra pinball and video games. The pinballs didn’t seem to be fully working and the video games were on pay-to-play, so we didn’t check those out.
The tournament deskPractice machines
Qualifying for the RPO began on Friday evening. Twenty-four players were put into two groups of twelve and set to play one game against each of the other eleven players in their group. The order of competitors and machines played were pre-selected, with play order in each match decided by the toss of a coin.
Winning a game was the important thing, and each win was recorded against the player’s name on the score chart.
Friday’s qualification rounds
Once all eleven rounds had been played, the six players with the most wins moved on to the next round which would be played later on Saturday once that day’s qualifying rounds were over.
We opted to save our energy for the following day, and instead headed for Old Town to see what culinary delights the city had to offer. After an enjoyable meal we wound up at a bar called Beer O’clock which presented us with the opportunity to try a true rarity – what was, when it was launched in 2011, the world’s strongest beer.
Sink the Bismarck! – a 41% beer
Brewed in Scotland by Brewdog, it cost £55 ($68/€65) for a 330ml bottle, and was Brewdog’s effort to recapture the title of the world’s strongest beer after a German brewery claimed victory with their 40% beer. It’s almost impossible to find now. Who thought we’d find it here in Bucharest?
Events after that are rather hazy, so let’s move swiftly on…
Saturday’s pinball action began at 10am with another twenty-four players competing just like their Friday night counterparts.
Saturday’s qualifying roundsPlay in the Romanian Pinball Open qualifyingAnother win is recordedMore qualifying matchesThe day’s youngest player
When the all the qualifying rounds were over, the twenty four qualifiers were again split into two groups of twelve and played the same format again.
As before, the six players with the most wins moved on to the next round, except this time the top two in each group (circled below) received a bye through to the quarter-finals.
A completed group
That left eight players competing in the third round of play-offs. They played the same format as before, only this time in a single group playing seven single-game matches.
RPO play-offs
The four with the most wins then continued to meet the four players with byes in the quarter-final round.
The third round of play-offs
The original plan was for all the games to be completed by 9pm, because that was the time the band would start playing on the main stage which would be so loud it would be impossible to concentrate on the games..
However, the matches continued long past that time, with the music blasting away regardless. There was even an unsubstantiated suggestion that reverberations from the bass caused a game to tilt, but the players just continued anyway.
The band starts playing in the Berăria H
The last eight were paired up to play best-of-three head-to-head matches on a single machine, with the winner progressing and the loser dropping out. Berndt Ion Teodorescu played Olivier Francq, Rich Mallett played Martin Ayub, Bogdan Constantin Ghiga played Daniel Nowak, and János Sándor played Roberto Pedroni.
The RPO quarter-finals
From those matches, Olivier, Martin, Bogdan and Roberto went into the semi-finals which were played in the same way.
Martin and Roberto emerged victorious from those to contest the final which was another best-of-three played on Scared Stiff. Just to add to the interest, the venue decided to switch off the lights, so Ovi found a portable spot lamp which he held to illuminate the game. The sound was also cranked up to try to overcome the band’s performance.
The first game was a very cagey affair with neither player gaining control of the machine. It finished with Martin narrowly ahead with 1.8M to 1.6M.
The second game was a little better with both players starting crate multiball, but Martin also got Coffin multiball going and that proved to be the game and match decider. With a 2-0 score, Martin had won the final. Roberto was second, and in a separate play-off Olivier beat Bogdan to take third.
The presentation of prizes and trophies then took place. Each of the top four won an Android tablet while the top three received a custom coffin-shaped pinball trophy.
Fourth place, Bogdan GhigaThird place, Ollivier FrancqSecond place, Roberto PedroniWinner of the Romanian Pinball Open 2016, Martin AyubThe top three in the RPO 2016
Here are the full results:
Romanian Pinball Open Results
1
Martin Ayub
2
Roberto Pedroni
3
Ollivier Francq
4
Bogdan Constantin Ghiga
5
Rich Mallett
6
Daniel Nowak
7
János Sándor
8
Berndt Ion Teodorescu
9
Balázs Pálfi
10
Cezary Glowala
11
Greg Mott
12
Wolfgang Haid
13
Matteo Filippin
14
Daniele Baldan
15
Antonella Iannotta
16
Flavio Baddaria
17
Gabi Molotov Gavrilita
18
Tamas Odler
19
Ovidiu Cacina
20
Kyoo Barbaix
21
Florin Tismas
22
Liv Decay
23
Marcin Krysinski
24
Milan Caranovic
25
David Mainwaring
26
Jakub Cieplinski
27
Aleksander Zurkowski
28
Gábor Vanderer
29
Claudio Melone
30
Andra Raicu
31
Gabriella Medgyesi
32
Miron Vasilescu
33
Devis Pierantozzi
34
Pierangelo Villa
35
Péter Szamosi
36
Vlad Terzi
37
Karin Eisenstecken
38
Gabi Claudiu
39
adrian aghenitei
40
Andrew Luke
41
Alex Butnaru
42
ieronim pogorilovschi
43
Vlad Filimon Nastase
44
Rafal Bytomski
45
Zsolt Somogyvari
While qualifying for the main RPO tournament was taking place, players could also compete in the ’80s Tournament which was held on five machines at the opposite end to the tournament desk.
Entry to the ’80s Tournament got you two concurrent games on each of Road Kings, Dr. Dude, Tiger Rag, Clown and Elvira & the Party Monsters. The higher of the two scores was recorded and ranked against all the other scores on the machines.
It was originally planned that the top eight players would qualify for the play-offs, but that was expanded to the top sixteen. They were split into four groups of four who played a single game per group, with the top two players continuing to the semi-finals.
The play-offs in the ’80s Tournament
The semi-finals were made up of four head-to-head sudden-death games. The winners went into the finals while the losers were out.
The ’80s Tournament semi-finals
The four finalists were Bogdan Constantin Ghiga, Devis Pierantozzi, Rich Mallett and Roberto Pedroni, and the game chosen for the final was Tiger Rag which had been set to five ball play.
After the first two balls, Roberto had a good lead with his 196K more than double the second place 74K from Devis. Rich was close behind on 63K while Bogdan hadn’t had much luck with his 11K.
The third ball didn’t change either the order or the gaps between the scores, but there was a moment of interest when a stuck ball resulted in Devis having to tilt the game to free it, since opening the coin door would have depowered the game.
A stuck ball presents a challenge in the final
Devis would be allowed to play another ball at the end of the final, with the points earned added to his total from this game.
While ball three didn’t alter much, the fourth ball was game changer, as Rich shot from third with 73K into first place with 286K, ahead of Roberto’s 240K which had seemed pretty safe.
Rich in the final of the ’89s Tournament
Devis could only manage a fifth ball total of 177K which gave him third place at the moment with his additional ball still to play, while Bogdan’s 63K was a guaranteed fourth. Rich, meanwhile, had another good ball and ended his game with 344K, more than 100K ahead of Roberto. Could Roberto stage a last ball comeback?
Roberto plays the last ball of the ’80s Tournament final
It wasn’t a lucky fifth ball for Roberto, as he ended his final with 274K, some 70K behind Rich. Devis would need to double his score to take the win.
Devis plays his additional ball
As it turned out, he managed 50K on his additional ball – not enough to move him up from third place – meaning Rich had won with Roberto in second.
Third place, Devis PierantozziSecond place, Roberto PedroniWinner of the ’80s Tournament, Rich MallettThe top three in the ’80s Tournament
The full results of the ’80s Tournament are:
’80s Tournament Results
1
Rich Mallett
2
Roberto Pedroni
3
Devis Pierantozzi
4
Bogdan Constantin Ghiga
5
Flavio Baddaria
6
Martin Ayub
7
Cezary Glowala
8
David Mainwaring
9
Jakub Cieplinski
10
Ollivier Francq
11
Daniel Nowak
12
Aleksander Zurkowski
13
Wolfgang Haid
14
Berndt Ion Teodorescu
15
Rafal Bytomski
16
Daniele Baldan
17
Pierangelo Villa
18
Florin Tismas
19
Greg Mott
20
Claudio Melone
21
Gábor Vanderer
22
Matteo Filippin
23
Ovidiu Cacina
24
János Sándor
25
Tamas Odler
26
Balázs Pálfi
27
Liv Decay
28
Marcin Krysinski
29
Gabi Claudiu
30
Miron Vasilescu
31
Gabi Molotov Gavrilita
32
Milan Caranovic
33
Zsolt Somogyvari
34
Antonella Iannotta
35
Karin Eisenstecken
36
Kyoo Barbaix
37
Gabriella Medgyesi
With the competitive events finished for the day, it was time for a group photograph of everyone still remaining at the RPO before we headed back to bed in preparation for Sunday’s Pingolf Tournament.
The Saturday night crowd
After the late finish the previous night, the Pingolf by the Lake tournament understandably got off to a slow start. But by mid-morning the machines were in full swing.
Pingolf by the Lake qualifying
As is now common, each machine (or ‘hole’) had a target score posted which players had to reach in as few balls as possible. If they reached the target then the number of balls used became their score for that hole. If they didn’t reach the target with the three balls allowed, they received a higher score depending on how close they were.
Pingolf scoring
So a three-ball score of 35M would result in a six-stroke score for that hole. Scores were recorded on paper and entered into a spreadsheet later.
Score recording in the Pingolf Tournament
The eight players with the lowest course totals then moved on to the quarter-finals where they were paired-up for head-to-head pingolf play. The eight were Roberto Pedroni, Gábor Vanderer, János Sándor, Tamas Odler, Devis Pierantozzi, David Mainwaring, Daniel Nowak and Daniele Baldan.
Pingolf play-offsPingolf play-offs
The winners from the quarter-finals were Roberto, Tamas, David and Daniel. They were serenaded in the semi-finals by a traditional Romanian band who were playing to a small audience enjoying their lunch.
Sunday’s concert begins in the main auditorium
Roberto and David made it through the semi-finals to play against each other in the Pingolf by the Lake final which was played on Shrek.
Roberto and David made it through to the finalThe final of the Pingolf Tournament
If either player could reach the target using fewer balls than the other then they would win. If not, the finalists moved on to a different machine.
The final of the Pingolf Tournament
David got tantalisingly close to winning on Shrek, really needing just one shot up the ramp to score 800K and reach the target. As it turned out, that shot rebounded down the right outlane, resulting in a tie.
So the pair moved on to Star Wars.
Game two of the final is on Star Wars
Roberto’s strategy of looping the ramp shot – this game was on original ROMs, not the newer code – allowed him to build up a healthy score and quickly reach the target. David tried to follow suit but, although he got close, he couldn’t replicate Roberto’s accuracy on the ramp shot, meaning Roberto won the game and the final.
David congratulates Roberto
The third place play-off between Daniel and Tamas resulted in Daniel taking third and Tamas fourth.
The play-off for third place
Then it was time for the presentation of medals for the top three Pingolfers.
Third place, Daniel NowakSecond place, David MainwaringWinner of the Pingolf by the Lake Tournament, Roberto PedroniThe top three in the Pingolf by the Lake tournament
The full results for the Pingolf tournament are:
Pingolf by the Lake Results
1
Roberto Pedroni
2
David Mainwaring
3
Daniel Nowak
4
Tamas Odler
5
Daniele Baldan
6
Devis Pierantozzi
7
János Sándor
8
Gábor Vanderer
9
Rich Mallett
10
Martin Ayub
11
Greg Mott
12
Rafal Bytomski
13
Flavio Baddaria
14
Matteo Filippin
15
Jakub Cieplinski
16
Marcin Krysinski
17
Balázs Pálfi
18
Claudio Melone
19
Cezary Glowala
20
Pierangelo Villa
21
Gabi Molotov Gavrilita
22
Wolfgang Haid
23
Péter Szamosi
24
Antonella Iannotta
25
Gabriella Medgyesi
26
Karin Eisenstecken
27
Zsolt Somogyvari
With the Pingolf completed, the machines were opened up for free play and the Romanian Pinball Open officially came to an end for 2016.
Anyone want to be Dracula? Gabby says he’ll bite!
The RPO was a good-natured and enjoyable tournament weekend.
The venue is certainly impressive and unlike any other tournament setting we have experienced. The volume of the live music both during warm-up and the actual performances took some getting used to at times, but having decent food and drink so readily available was much appreciated.
The condition of the machines used was less attractive. Some had obvious faults which either took them out of the tournament or needed player cooperation to work around, and there were few opportunities to fix them once the tournaments began.
But bringing together more than two dozen pinballs and holding an international tournament weekend is not a small achievement in Romania, so everyone appreciated Ovi’s hard work and seemed happy to play the games as they found them – ‘street pinball’.
We thoroughly enjoyed both the pinball and the city of Bucharest, and look forward to returning next year to experience much more of both.
After a four year hiatus, during which time efforts were focused on operations and expansion, the Pacific Pinball Museum resumed its highly successful series of PPM Expositions on November 11th, 12th and 13th, preceded by a special VIP early bird preview sale and party on the 10th.
This way to fun!
Exposition 2016, the museum’s seventh, adopted the theme Shoot the Moon, borrowing the name and the George Molentin graphics from Williams’ 1951 pinball machine of the same name, which greeted visitors at the entrance to the show.
Michael Schiess, PPM Founder, Larry Zartarian, PPM Board President and Gordo admire the show’s signature game
Shoot the Moon proved to be an all-together fitting title for the 2016 show reflecting the PPM’s cosmic accomplishments since their last Exposition. In the four year interim since the last show the museum space has increased significantly, the collection has continued to grow at a rapid pace and important progress has been made toward the funding required to relocate the PPM to the former Carnegie Library across from Alameda’s City Hall.
Most recently, the on-going issue of adequate storage was successfully addressed. Until July the PPM was faced with severe overcrowding in their former storage and restoration facility.
Even the narrow paths that separated aisles of games from one another had become impassable, requiring dozens, even hundreds of games, to be moved in order to unearth any given machine.
Click to explore a 360-degree video of the former PPM warehouse by and courtesy of Steve Tsubota
Having determined that more space was not just desirable but necessary, the PPM Board of Directors decided to move the museum’s entire inventory of games, except for those in the museum proper, into a huge new commercial space. PPM Exposition 7 was staged to celebrate the importance of that move, showcase the museum’s greatly expanded collection and share with the public what the PPM has recently accomplished and what lies ahead.
The PPM Board of Directors (PPM Archives)
The gala event was held in the new Pacific Pinball Museum Annex at 1680 Viking Street in Alameda, California. The new Annex is just minutes away from the PPM Museum’s 1510 Webster Street location, which is open to the public 6 days a week, featuring a rotating line-up of 100-110 games set up on free play.
Click to explore a 360-degree video of the current 45,000 square foot PPM Annex by and courtesy of Steve Tsubota
The new, 45,000 square foot PPM Annex provided the perfect venue to introduce visitors to nearly 500 pinball machines from the museum’s more than 1,300 game collection.
Plenty of storage for the PPM’s rapidly growing collection
Games were arranged in back-to-back “islands” with extra-wide aisles between them allowing visitors plenty of room to play and the unique opportunity to walk, chronologically, year-by-year, through the development of pinball from 1947 through the present.
Players travel comfortably back in time along wide-open corridors
The time and effort required to successfully stage and manage such a pinball extravaganza could not have been achieved without the tireless efforts of an exceptional group of dedicated volunteers, some who began work as early as June to meet the November 10th deadline.
Volunteer couple John and Stephanie Kimball check out the silent auction goodies
The thousands of hours required to prepare and mount the show were managed and coordinated by key members of the PPM team.
David Volansky, PPM’s newest Board member, was instrumental in the layout and engineering of the show and served as Floor Manager.
David Volansky (PPM Archives)
As Volunteer Coordinator, Brad Grant did an excellent job managing and scheduling the tasks of more than sixty hard-working volunteers.
Brad Grant with PPM donors Pat & Gordon Hasse
PPM Assistant Director d’Arci Bruno served as Facilities Manager capably assisted by Lynn Gustafson.
d’Arci Bruno and Lynn Gustafson
PPM Curator Melissa Harmon’s artistic and managerial skills were constantly called upon as she multi-tasked throughout the four-day show.
Melissa Harmon conducts one of her teaching seminars at the PPM (PPM Archives)
All-important security and parking facilities were managed by Jim Strehlow and Jem Gruber.
Board member Jim Strehlow (PPM Archives)Board Member Jem Gruber takes a keen interest in his neighbor’s pinball technique (PPM Archives)
Ron Chan was responsible for developing the full color Shoot the Moon program guide with generous funding provided by exhibitor Marco Specialties.
PPM Board members Dan Fontes and Ron Chan (PPM Archives)
Of the games on display, 440 were available for free play throughout the weekend, maintained by a cadre of pinball tech volunteers who kept the games in good working order with a bare minimum of down time.
Pinball Medic applies a cure
Among the show’s highlights were the presence of 132 working woodrail pins from Gottlieb’s 1947 Flying Trapeze (their last pre-flipper game) to Flipper (their first add-a-ball) and a choice selection of Gottlieb wedgeheads.
A sampling of the rare and highly desirable woodrail and wedgehead games from pinball’s ‘Golden Age’ on the show floor included:
WOODRAILS
Gottlieb 1949 College Daze – Wayne Neyen’s 1st design
Gottlieb 1950 Knock Out
Gottlieb 1951 Mermaid, Minstrel Man and Niagara
Williams 1951 Shoot the Moon
Chicago Coin 1951 Thing
Williams 1952 Paratrooper as well as their Majorettes and Olympics, both with Roy Parker art!
Genco 1952 Springtime featuring both a vertical and a horizontal playfield!
Gottlieb 1953 Grand Slam, the quintessential non-pitch & bat baseball-themed pinball game
Gottlieb 1954 double-coin Daisy May, Diamond Lill, Dragonette, Hawaiian Beauty and Mystic Marvel
Williams 1953 Screamo (based on Chicago’s Riverview Park) as well as the futuristic Skyway designed by Harry Williams
Gottlieb Sluggin’ Champ and Twin Bill from 1955
Genco 1957 Show Boat
Gottlieb 1958 Sittin’ Pretty and Rocket Ship
Bally 1960 ‘one balls’ Beach Queens and Beauty Contest
Five players enjoy themselves in the extensive woodrail section
WEDGEHEADS
Gottlieb 1962 Flipper Cowboy
Gottlieb 1963 Slick Chick and Sweethearts
Gottlieb 1964 Majorettes and North Star
Gottlieb 1965 Cow Poke, Ice Revue and Kings & Queens
Gottlieb 1966 Cross Town
Gottlieb 1971 2001 and 4 Square
Gottlieb 1972 Pop-A-Card
Gottlieb 1975 El Dorado
Mike bangs on one of Larry Zartarian’s primo wedgeheads
While all but a handful of games at the show were gifted to the museum by a host of generous donors, special mention should be made of the 240 working woodrails and wedgeheads on the show floor contributed by Larry Zartarian, President and Treasurer of the PPM Board of Directors.
Larry Zartarian conducting one of his popular floor tours
In addition to the woodrails available for play, there were 119 games from the 1960s, 129 from the 1970s, 28 from the 1980s, 31 from the 1990s, 3 from the 2000s and 5 from the 2010s.
It seems safe to say that there have never before been as many woodrails or wedgeheads available for play in a single venue, even in the most heavily populated arcades of the 1950s and 1960s!
It’s not just for guys anymore!
MECHANICAL MARVELS
In addition, a special treat was in store for attendees thanks to Dan Miller who made his pristine collection of the three finest pinball machines from the mechanical age available for both viewing and play.
The trio, all made by David Rockola, included his 1933 World’s Fair Jigsaw as well as Army & Navy and World’s Series both from 1934.
Dan Miller fine-tunes his World’s Fair Jigsaw
It was amazing to observe the number of attendees who played these games repeatedly, captivated by the ingenuity and exceptional play value of these more than 80-year-old, entirely mechanical marvels!
WORKING GAMES ON THE SHOW FLOOR
1933 World’s Fair Jigsaw, Rockola
1934 Army & Navy, Rockola
1934 World’s Series, Rockola
1947 Flying Trapeze, Gottlieb
1948 Ali-Baba, Gottlieb
1948 Barnacle Bill, Gottlieb
1948 Cinderella, Gottlieb
1949 De-Icer, Williams
1949 Basketball, Gottlieb
1949 Bowling Champ, Gottlieb
1949 College Daze, Gottlieb
1949 Double-Shuffle, Gottlieb
1949 K.C. Jones, Gottlieb
1949 King Arthur & His Round Table, Gottlieb
1949 Old Faithful, Gottlieb
1949 Telecard, Gottlieb
1949 Three Musketeers, Gottlieb
1950 Lucky Inning, Williams
1950 Bank-A-Ball, Gottlieb
1950 Buffalo Bill, Gottlieb
1950 Canasta, Genco
1950 Double-Feature, Gottlieb
1950 Just 21, Gottlieb
1950 Knock Out, Gottlieb
1950 Madison Square Gardens, Gottlieb
1950 Rockettes, Gottlieb
1950 Select-A-Card, Gottlieb
1950 Spot Bowler, Gottlieb
1950 The 4 Horsemen, Gottlieb
1950 Triplets, Gottlieb
1951 Arcade, Williams
1951 Control Tower, Williams
1951 Cyclone, Gottlieb
1951 Globe Trotter, Gottlieb
1951 Happy-Go-Lucky, Gottlieb
1951 Mermaid, Gottlieb
1951 Minstrel Man, Gottlieb
1951 Niagara, Gottlieb
1951 Rose-Bowl, Gottlieb
1951 Shoot The Moon, Williams
1951 Thing, Chicago Coin
1951 Watch My Line, Gottlieb
1951 Wild West, Gottlieb
1952 All-Star Basketball, Gottlieb
1952 Caravan, Williams
1952 Chinatown, Gottlieb
1952 Coronation, Gottlieb
1952 Crossroads, Gottlieb
1952 Four Corners, Williams
1952 Four Stars, Gottlieb
1952 Happy Days, Gottlieb
1952 Hit ‘N’ Run, Gottlieb
1952 Majorettes, Williams
1952 Olympics, Williams
1952 Paratrooper, Williams
1952 Quartette, Gottlieb
1952 Skill-Pool, Gottlieb
1952 Springtime, Genco
1953 Arabian Knights, Gottlieb
1953 Flying High, Gottlieb
1953 Grand Champion, Williams
1953 Grand Slam, Gottlieb
1953 Guys Dolls, Gottlieb
1953 Pin Wheel, Gottlieb
1953 Poker Face, Gottlieb
1953 Quintette, Gottlieb
1953 Shindig, Gottlieb
1953 Times Square, Williams
1954 4-Belles, Gottlieb
1954 Big Ben, Williams
1954 Daisy May, Gottlieb
1954 Diamond Lill, Gottlieb
1954 Dragonette, Gottlieb
1954 Green Pastures, Gottlieb
1954 Jockey Club, Gottlieb
1954 Lady Luck, Gottlieb
1954 Lovely Lucy, Gottlieb
1954 Mystic Marvel, Gottlieb
1954 Screamo, Williams
1954 Skyway, Williams
1954 Stage Coach, Gottlieb
1955 Duette, Gottlieb
1955 Duette Deluxe, Gottlieb
1955 Easy Aces, Gottlieb
1955 Frontiersman, Gottlieb
1955 Gypsy Queen, Gottlieb
1955 Sluggin’ Champ, Gottlieb
1955 Southern Belle, Gottlieb
1955 Sweet Add-A-Line, Gottlieb
1955 Tournament, Gottlieb
1955 Twin Bill, Gottlieb
1955 Wishing Well, Gottlieb
1955 Wonderland, Williams
1956 Auto Race, Gottlieb
1956 Classy Bowler, Gottlieb
1956 Derby Day, Gottlieb
1956 Fair Lady, Gottlieb
1956 Gladiator, Gottlieb
1956 Harbor Lites, Gottlieb
1956 Rainbow, Gottlieb
1956 Score-Board, Gottlieb
1957 Continental Café, Gottlieb
1957 Falstaff, Gottlieb
1957 Show Boat, Genco
1957 Silver, Gottlieb
1957 Whirl-Wind, Gottlieb
1957 World Champ, Gottlieb
1958 Contest, Gottlieb
1958 Criss Cross, Gottlieb
1958 Double Action, Gottlieb
1958 Gondolier, Gottlieb
1958 Rocket Ship, Gottlieb
1958 Roto Pool, Gottlieb
1958 Sittin’ Pretty, Gottlieb
1958 Sunshine, Gottlieb
1958 Turf Champ, Williams
1959 Hi-Diver, Gottlieb
1959 Lightning Ball, Gottlieb
1959 Miss Annabelle, Gottlieb
1959 Queen Of Diamonds, Gottlieb
1959 Straight Shooter, Gottlieb
1959 Sweet Sioux, Gottlieb
1959 Universe, Gottlieb
1959 World Beauties, Gottlieb
1960 Beach Queens, Bally
1960 Beauty Contest, Bally
1960 Captain Kidd, Gottlieb
1960 Dancing Dolls, Gottlieb
1960 Flipper, Gottlieb
1960 Jungle, Williams
1960 Melody Lane, Gottlieb
1960 Merry-Go-Round, Gottlieb
1960 Spot-A-Card, Gottlieb
1960 Wagon Train, Gottlieb
1961 Add-A-Ball, Williams
1961 Aloha, Gottlieb
1961 Big Casino, Gottlieb
1961 Bo Bo, Williams
1961 Corral, Gottlieb
1961 Double Barrel, Williams
1961 Egg Head, Gottlieb
1961 Flipper Fair, Gottlieb
1961 Flipper Parade, Gottlieb
1961 Flying Circus, Gottlieb
1961 Highways, Williams
1961 Lancers, Gottlieb
1961 Oklahoma, Gottlieb
1961 Show Boat, Gottlieb
1961 Space Ship, Williams
1961 Ten Spot, Williams
1962 4 Roses, Williams
1962 Arrowhead, Keeney
1962 Cover Girl, Gottlieb
1962 Fashion Show, Gottlieb
1962 Flipper Clown, Gottlieb
1962 Flipper Cowboy, Gottlieb
1962 Liberty Belle, Gottlieb
1962 Olympics, Gottlieb
1962 Preview, Gottlieb
1962 Rack-A-Ball, Gottlieb
1962 Sunset, Gottlieb
1962 Target Gallery, Midway
1962 Tropic Isle, Gottlieb
1963 Big Daddy, Williams
1963 Gaucho, Gottlieb
1963 Gigi, Gottlieb
1963 Jumpin’ Jacks, Williams
1963 Merry Widow, Williams
1963 Moon Shot, Bally
1963 Slick Chick, Gottlieb
1963 Square Head, Gottlieb
1963 Sweet Hearts, Gottlieb
1963 Swing-Along, Gottlieb
1963 Tom Tom, Williams
1964 Big Top, Gottlieb
1964 Bonanza, Gottlieb
1964 Bowling Queen, Gottlieb
1964 Happy Clown, Gottlieb
1964 Mad World, Bally
1964 Majorettes, Gottlieb
1964 Monte Carlo, Bally
1964 North Star, Gottlieb
1964 Ship-Mates, Gottlieb
1964 Stop ‘N’ Go, Williams
1964 World Fair, Gottlieb
1965 Band Wagon, Bally
1965 Bank-A-Ball, Gottlieb
1965 Cow Poke, Gottlieb
1965 Flipper Pool, Gottlieb
1965 Hi Dolly, Gottlieb
1965 Ice-Revue, Gottlieb
1965 Kings & Queens, Gottlieb
1965 Magic Circle, Bally
1965 Moulin Rouge, Williams
1965 Paradise, Gottlieb
1965 Pot ‘O’ Gold, Williams
1965 Sky-Line, Gottlieb
1965 Teacher’s Pet, Williams
1965 Thoro-Bred, Gottlieb
1965 Trio, Bally
1966 Campus Queen, Gottlieb
1966 Capersville, Bally
1966 Central Park, Gottlieb
1966 Cross Town, Gottlieb
1966 Full House, Williams
1966 Hot Line, Williams
1966 Hurdy Gurdy, Gottlieb
1966 Ice Show, Gottlieb
1966 Masquerade, Gottlieb
1966 Mayfair, Gottlieb
1966 Subway, Gottlieb
1967 Beat Time, Williams
1967 Diamond Jack, Gottlieb
1967 Dixieland, Bally
1967 Melody, Gottlieb
1967 Rocket III, Bally
1967 Shangri-La, Williams
1967 Super Score, Gottlieb
1967 West Club, Rally (France)
1968 Ding Dong, Williams
1968 Domino, Gottlieb
1968 Doozie, Williams
1968 Fun Land, Gottlieb
1968 Lady Luck, Williams
1968 Minizag, Bally
1968 Palace Guard, Gottlieb
1968 Paul Bunyan, Gottlieb
1968 Playmates, Gottlieb
1968 Playtime, Chicago Coin
1968 Royal Guard, Gottlieb
1968 Spin Wheel, Gottlieb
1969 Action, Chicago Coin
1969 Expo, Williams
1969 Hearts & Spades, Gottlieb
1969 Joust, Bally
1969 King Tut, Bally
1969 Mibs, Gottlieb
1969 Mini Pool, Gottlieb
1969 Miss-O, Williams
1969 Moon Shot, Chicago Coin
1969 On Beam, Bally
1969 Paddock, Williams
1969 Road Race, Gottlieb
1969 Skipper, Gottlieb
1969 Spin-A-Card, Gottlieb
1969 Target Pool, Gottlieb
1969 Wild Wild West, Gottlieb
1970 4 Queens, Bally
1970 Aquarius, Gottlieb
1970 Baseball, Gottlieb
1970 Batter Up, Gottlieb
1970 Big Valley, Bally
1970 Bowl-O, Bally
1970 Crescendo, Gottlieb
1970 Double-Up, Bally
1970 Flip-A-Card, Gottlieb
1970 Galahad, Bally
1970 Polo, Gottlieb
1970 Rock ‘N’ Roll, Williams
1970 Scuba, Gottlieb
1970 Zip-A-Doo, Bally
1971 2001, Gottlieb
1971 4 Square, Gottlieb
1971 Abra Ca Dabra, Gottlieb
1971 Astro, Gottlieb
1971 Bristol Hills!, Gottlieb
1971 Doodle Bug, Williams
1971 Drop-A-Card, Gottlieb
1971 Roller Coaster, Gottlieb
1971 Stardust, Williams
1972 El Toro, Bally
1972 Fan-Tas-Tic, Williams
1972 Fireball, Bally
1972 Flying Carpet, Gottlieb
1972 Jungle, Gottlieb
1972 King Kool, Gottlieb
1972 Outer Space, Gottlieb
1972 Pop-A-Card, Gottlieb
1972 Super Star, Williams
1972 Swinger, Williams
1973 Gulfstream, Williams
1973 Hot Shot, Gottlieb
1973 Jack In The Box, Gottlieb
1973 Jungle King, Gottlieb
1973 King Pin, Gottlieb
1973 Nip-It, Bally
1973 OXO, Williams
1973 Pro-Football, Gottlieb
1973 Time Zone, Bally
1973 Upper Deck, Williams
1974 Amigo, Bally
1974 Big Brave, Gottlieb
1974 Champ, Bally
1974 Dealer’s Choice, Williams
1974 Duotron, Gottlieb
1974 Gin, Chicago Coin
1974 Sky Jump, Gottlieb
1974 Sky Kings, Bally
1974 Skylab, Williams
1974 Star Pool, Williams
1974 Super-Flite, Williams
1974 Top Card, Gottlieb
1975 Big Ben, Williams
1975 Bow & Arrow, Bally
1975 El Dorado, Gottlieb
1975 Knockout, Bally
1975 Pat Hand, Williams
1975 Top Score, Gottlieb
1975 Top Speed, Recel (Spain)
1975 Wizard!, Bally
1976 Aladdin’s Castle, Bally
1976 Blue Chip, Williams
1976 Buccaneer, Gottlieb
1976 Card Whiz, Gottlieb
1976 Hang Glider, Bally
1976 Hokus Pokus, Bally
1976 Lady Luck, Recel (Spain)
1976 Moon Flight, Zaccaria (Italy)
1976 Old Chicago (2), Bally
1976 Royal Flush, Gottlieb
1976 Sound Stage, Chicago Coin
1976 Space Odyssey, Williams
1976 Sure Shot, Gottlieb
1976 Surf Champ, Gottlieb
1976 Target Alpha, Gottlieb
1976 Underwater, Recel (Spain)
1977 Bronco, Gottlieb
1977 Butterfly, Sonic (Spain)
1977 Captain Fantastic, Bally
1977 Cleopatra, Gottlieb
1977 Combat, Zaccaria (Italy)
1977 Dragon, Interflip (Spain)
1977 Eight Ball, Bally
1977 Evel Knievel, Bally
1977 Icarus, Recel (Spain)
1977 Jacks Open, Gottlieb
1977 Jet Spin, Gottlieb
1977 Jungle Princess, Gottlieb
1977 Liberty Bell, Williams
1977 Mars Trek, Sonic (Spain)
1977 Monaco, Segasa (Spain)
1977 Nautilus, Zaccaria (Italy)
1977 Night Rider, Bally
1977 Rawhide, Stern
1977 Stampede, Stern
1977 Stingray, Stern
1977 Super Straight, Sonic (Spain)
1977 Team One, Gottlieb
1977 Wild Card, Williams
1978 Chance, Playmatic (Spain)
1978 Charlie’s Angels, Gottlieb
1978 Close Encounters Of The 3rd Kind, Gottlieb
1978 Disco Fever, Williams
1978 Hit The Deck, Gottlieb
1978 Lucky Seven, Williams
1978 Mata Hari, Bally
1978 Playboy, Bally
1978 Power Play, Bally
1978 Stars, Stern
1979 Count-Down, Gottlieb
1979 Dracula, Stern
1979 Flash, Williams
1979 Genie, Gottlieb
1979 Harlem Globetrotters, Bally
1979 Laser Ball, Williams
1979 Magic, Stern
1979 Meteor, Stern
1979 Solar Ride, Gottlieb
1979 Superman, Atari
1979 Tri Zone, Williams
1980 Buck Rogers, Gottlieb
1980 Circus, Gottlieb
1980 Firepower, Williams
1980 Galaxy, Stern
1980 Nine Ball, Stern
1980 Star Race, Gottlieb
1980 Xenon, Bally
1981 Embryon, Bally
1981 Fathom, Bally
1981 Fireball II, Bally
1981 Flash Gordon, Bally
1981 Jungle Lord, Williams
1982 Rapid Fire, Bally
1982 Striker, Gottlieb
1983 Farfalla, Zaccaria (Italy)
1983 Super Orbit, Gottlieb
1984 Black Pyramid, Bally/Midway
1985 Beat The Clock, Bally/Midway
1985 Fireball Classic, Ballymidway
1986 Motordome, Bally/Midway
1986 Road Kings, Williams
1987 F-14 Tomcat, Williams
1987 Space Station, Williams
1988 Blackwater 100, Bally/Midway
1989 Black Knight, Williams
1989 Earthshaker!, Williams
1989 Robocop, Data East
1990 Dr. Dude, Bally/Midway
1990 Funhouse, Williams
1990 The Simpsons, Data East
1990 Whirlwind, Williams
1991 Cactus Jack’s, Gottlieb
1991 Checkpoint, Data East
1991 Gilligan’s Island, Bally/Midway
1991 Hurricane, Williams
1991 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Data East
1991 Terminator 2, Williams
1992 Black Rose, Bally/Midway
1992 The Addams Family (3), Bally/Midway
1992 The Getaway High Speed 2 (2), Williams
1993 Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Williams
1993 Twilight Zone, Bally/Midway
1993 Whitewater (2), Williams
1994 Popeye Saves The Earth, Bally/Midway
1994 Red & Ted’s Road Show, Williams
1994 Rescue 911, Gottlieb
1994 World Cup Soccer, Bally/Midway
1995 Attack From Mars (2), Bally/Midway
1995 Theatre Of Magic, Bally/Midway
1996 Flipper Football, Capcom
1997 Medieval Madness, Williams
1998 Cactus Canyon, Bally/Midway
2003 Terminator 3, Stern
2008 The Hellacopters Air Raid Serenades, re-themed from a 1973 Gottlieb King Pin by Wade Krause & Donny Gillies (aka ‘Dirty Donny’)
2013 Metallica (Premium), Stern
2013 Star Trek (Starfleet Pro), Stern
2016 Ghostbusters (Pro), Stern
In summary there were working games from 21 different makers on the floor of PPM Expo 7.
Excluding the games used for the tournaments and the pre-flipper view-only historical games the counts were as follows:
Manufacturer
Number of Games
Percentage of Total
Atari
Bally
Bally/Midway
Capcom
Chicago Coin
Data East
Dirty Donny/Wade Krauss
Genco
Gottlieb
Interflip
Keeney
Midway
Playmatic
Rally
Recel
Rockola
Segasa
Sonic
Stern
Williams
Zaccaria
Despite the mind-boggling selection of games available for play at Shoot the Moon, a few attendees managed to find fault. In answer to grumbling from one of the younger attendees about the limited number of games from the current century I overheard a PPM board member patiently explain why:
PPM BOARD MEMBER: “Far fewer machines have come to market since Bally, Williams and Gottlieb’s successors closed their pinball operations at the end of the last century. And, since the PPM is a museum, not an arcade, our focus is on acquiring older, more historic games while they’re still available.
“Besides, many of the games made from 2000 on are in the hands of collectors. And since we rely most heavily upon donations, we don’t expect to receive many games from that era for quite a while.”
SHOOT THE MOON VISITOR: “So why not just buy some newer games?”
PPM BOARD MEMBER: “From time to time we do. But purchasing large numbers of new games for the PPM collection is cost prohibitive. And, if your main interest is in playing newer games, there are plenty of them available on location, at traditional pinball shows and in individual collections.”
PRE-FLIPPER RARITIES
Another Expo highlight was the display of 34 additional games from the pre-flipper era. Set up for viewing-only they ranged from proto-pinballs and the 1931 origin games Baffle Ball and Bingo, through wartime conversions like the politically incorrect Victory Games’ Smack the Japs to 1947’s Coed, one of Exhibit Supply’s (ESCO’s) last pre-flipper pinballs.
The complete list follows:
1871, Montague Redgrave, Parlor Bagatelle (proto-pinball)
1920, Mills Novelty Company, Target Shooter (proto-pinball)
1931, Bingo Novelty Manufacturing Company, Bingo
1931, Gottlieb, Baffle Ball
1932, Pace Manufacturing Company, Lucky Strike
1932, Mills Novelty Company, Official Pin Table
1932, Skilgames, Inc., Whirlpool
1934, Daval Manufacturing Company, American Beauty
1934, Pacific Amusement Manufacturing Company (PAMCO), Contact
1934, PAMCO, Major League
1934, Rockola, World’s Series
1937, Bally, Ballyhoo
1938, Mills, One-Two-Three
1938, Stoner Manufacturing Company, Ritz
1938, Bally, Rocket
1939, Exhibit Supply Company (ESCO), Sky-Rocket
1940, Bally, Beauty
1940, Bally, Glamour
1941, Gottlieb, Horoscope 1941, Genco, Jungle
1941, Genco, Metro
1942, Victory Games, Slap the Japs
(a conversion of Chicago Coin’s 1940 Strat-O-Liner)
1945, Gottlieb, Cover Girl
1947, Bally, Ballyhoo
1947, Exhibit, Coed
1947, Marvel, Lightning
1947, United, Singapore
1947, Exhibit, Treasure Chest
1948, Keeney, Band Leader
1948, Exhibit, Banjo
1948, Williams, Gizmo
1948, United, Serenade
1948, Chicago Coin, Shanghai
1948, Williams, Speedway
1949, Genco, Rip Snorter 1950, Exhibit, Be-Bop
Larry Zartarian peeks over the tops of three more oldies but goodies: Williams 1948 Speed Way, United 1947 Nevada and Genco 1949 Rip Snorter (Photo courtesy of Dan Fontes)
SHOW HIGHLIGHT TOURS
Each day during the three days of the show PPM docents Larry Zartarian and Dan Miller conducted guided tours of the games on the show floor.
The tours provided an opportunity for attendees to learn about pinball’s evolution, the special significance of landmark games and to ask questions of the PPM’s knowledgeable tour guides. Four floor “highlight” tours were scheduled each day and all were well attended.
Dan Miller gives his audience a preview of what’s in store with his tour
INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS
PPM’s ingenuity and commitment to teaching through pinball employing STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) was evident in the several interactive exhibits at Shoot the Moon. On display for viewing and play, the Visible Pinball Machine, developed by PPM Founder and Director Michael Schiess and master screen printer, craftsman, inventor and pinball artist Wade Krause, attracted many awed viewers and players!
Uniquely PPM: the ‘Visible Pinball’ (PPM Archives)Artists agree: Jem Gruber and Wade Krause (PPM Archives)
In addition to the Visible Pinball, which allows viewers to observe all the internal workings of a 1976 Gottlieb Surf Champ, the following exhibits were available to help attendees understand the design and functioning of many of the most important components of pinball games:
Fun with Pinball’s Mark Gibson and his wife drove all the way from Colorado to share eighteen of his unique ‘Small Board’ and 3 of his ‘Game’ displays demonstrating electromechanical pinball functions. The three ‘Small Boards’ shown below demonstrate the operation of electromagnets, roto-target units and the Gottlieb score motor in EM games.
Mark Gibson’s Electromagnet demonstration board (Photo courtesy of Mark Gibson)Mark Gibson’s Roto Target demonstration board (Photo courtesy of Mark Gibson)Mark Gibson’s Gottlieb Score Motor demonstration board (Photo courtesy of Mark Gibson)
Mark’s ‘Baseball Game’ showed the operation of the classic Williams horizontal man-running unit, while his ‘Horseracing Game’ revealed the workings of Williams’ very popular chain-driven mechanism used to advance miniature horses, seahorses, speedboats and jalopies across the length of a variety of backbox race courses.
Mark Gibson’s Baseball Game based on Williams’ man-running unit (Photo courtesy of Mark Gibson)Mark Gibson’s Horseracing Game based on Williams’ chain-driven, backbox animated race unit (Photo courtesy of Mark Gibson)
Australian Lucas Abela, an experimental musician, performance artist, inventor and founder of Dual Plover Records brought his spectacular sub-bass Bassballs musical instrument/pinball hybrid to Shoot the Moon for all to marvel at and to play!
Lucas Abela proudly displays his unique Bassballs
MAGNIFICENT MURALS
Adding to the tangible sense of excitement that permeated Shoot the Moon were the spectacular displays of pinball backglass murals by local artists that hung from the ceiling of the PPM Annex.
Six of the twelve hanging murals displayed at Shoot the Moon
Since the PPM’s inception the museum has sought to celebrate and promote pinball art as a uniquely American genre. This commitment has resulted in thirty beautifully rendered, oversized canvases by local artists that recreate iconic pinball backglass art. These magnificent tribute murals range in size from 6,794 square inches to a truly enormous 14,400 (120 x 120 inches) square inches. That’s ten feet by ten feet!
The following twelve oversized backglass murals were on display to engage attendee interest and promote their appreciation of pinball graphics:
Many of these murals are now in the hands of private collectors but some remain available for sale by the artists, who generously share the sale proceeds with the PPM. The complete list of Pacific Pinball Museum tribute murals, listed alphabetically by artist, appears below:
THE ARTISTS & THEIR WORK
d’Arci Bruno
1970, Bally, Sea Ray
1974, Gottlieb, Out of Sight
1975, Gottlieb, El Dorado
1976, Gottlieb, Card Whiz
1977, Gottlieb, Jungle Princess
1979, Gottlieb, Genie
Artist d’Arci Bruno displays her Bally Sea Ray mural (PPM Archives)
Artist Ed Cassel at work on his Williams Domino (PPM Archives)
Dan Fontes
1939, Exhibit, Golden
1939, Exhibit, Zip
1951, Gottlieb, Mermaid
1952, Gottlieb, Queen of Hearts
1954, Williams, Skyway
1958, United, Sky Raiders (rifle game)
1960, Gottlieb, Flipper
1961, Gottlieb, Corral
1963, Bally, Star Jet
1964, Gottlieb, Majorettes
Artist Dan Fontes puts the finishing touches on his Gottlieb Mermaid (PPM Archives)
Eric Kos
1974, Gottlieb, Out of Sight
1975, Gottlieb, El Dorado
1976, Gottlieb, Card Whiz
1977, Gottlieb, Jungle Princess
1979, Gottlieb, Genie
Artist Eric Kos as he develops his Gottlieb Out of Sight mural (PPM Archives)
Multi-Artist Cooperative Effort
The large mural that covers the wall in the Pacific Pinball Museum’s ‘Vintage Room’
PPM wall mural with artists Ed Cassel, Dan Fontes, Eric Kos and PPM Board members David Volansky & Larry Zartarian (PPM Archives)
LIL’ JU JU TRAVELING PINBALL MUSEUM
Another treat, especially for first-time PPM Exposition visitors, was the presence on the show floor of the converted Spartan Manor trailer, the PPM’s traveling exhibit known fondly as the Lil’ Ju Ju.
Tucked inside were the following five Gottlieb pinball machines available for play: Aquarius, Big Brave, Jacks Open, Jungle Princess and 2001. Not to mention the well-stocked, 1969 Seeburg Golden Jet jukebox to set the proper nostalgic mood!
The PPM’s ‘traveling museum’ the Lil’ Ju Ju (PPM Archives)
The Lil’ Ju Ju enables the PPM’s growing outreach to individuals, schools and other institutions and communities unable to visit the PPM proper. Like the time-honored book mobiles, the PPM’s traveling museum makes its periodic rounds to neighborhoods and events where it can spread the PPM’s message of pinball art, history, science and unrivalled entertainment.
SEMINARS
PPM Director and Speaker Program Coordinator Ron Chan does a last-minute sound check (Pinball News archives)
In a continuing effort to inform and educate about as many aspects of pinball as possible Shoot the Moon also featured a diverse agenda of seminars and video presentations.
Chris Kuntz shares tips on keeping EM’s running right (Pinball News archives)
Master pinball mechanic Chris Kuntz, owner of pinball repair and sales company Pinball Pirate, delivered his ‘how-to’ seminar My EM Doesn’t Work! What Now? once each day during the Expo, sharing tips and shortcuts drawn from years of experience as a pinball troubleshooter and repair expert.
‘Bear’ Kamoroff provides valuable insights into pinball ownership
During Saturday’s show, author and publisher Bernard “Bear” Kamoroff provided pinball owners and wannabees with invaluable advice on How to Buy and Maintain a Pinball Machine. The 3rd Edition of his best-selling book Pinball Machine Care and Maintenance, published by the Pacific Pinball Museum, sold briskly at the PPM table.
Michael Schiess and Larry Zartarian greet Alameda Mayor Trish Spencer Herrera prior to delivering one of their PPM update presentations
PPM Founder and Director Michael Schiess and PPM Treasurer and Board President Larry Zartarian gave a daily presentation Everything You Wanted to Know About the Pacific Pinball Museum covering the history, growth and ambitious future plans for the PPM.
In addition to restating their resolve to become the “Smithsonian of pinball”, they shared the progress made toward occupying Alameda’s 1902 Carnegie Library building as the PPM’s permanent home, as well as plans to launch two major pinball events each year in their expansive PPM Annex.
Mike and Larry revealed that, for the first time, the PPM was able to set up, on a permanent basis, a significant portion of their entire collection in the new PPM Annex. In addition to being able to display more than 500 working and restored games at any point in time, the 45,000 square foot Annex provides ample room for a workshop and restoration area as well as organized storage for the remainder of the museum’s rapidly expanding collection.
Awaiting restoration and a place in the PMM’s all-star line-up
In addition to their plan to host two major pinball shows each year, the PPM envisions renting the Annex to individuals celebrating special occasions and to companies seeking a unique and engaging venue for parties, team-building, mixers, receptions and other corporate events.
Pinball writer, collector and historian Gordon Hasse offers a sneak preview of his upcoming book
Appealing to those with an interest in the ‘Golden Age’ of pinball as well as the merely curious, each day of the Expo Gordo presented the graphic seminar The Crest of Pinball’s Golden Age: 1954 and the Games of D. Gottlieb. The presentation explored the impact of popular culture on pinball theme development and a detailed discussion of Roy Parker’s artwork on four exceptional D. Gottlieb games released that year.
A group of ladies grace the gallery
The presentation was a preview of Gordo’s about-to-be published book on all thirteen Gottlieb games from that memorable year. If you’re interested in knowing when it will be available drop him an e-mail at hasse.gordon@gmail.com.
Larry Zartarian removes the original shipping block from one of Wayne Neyen’s wedgeheads (PPM Archives)1949 Gottlieb College Daze – the first game from master designer Wayne Neyens (Gordon Hasse Collection)Producer Will White, the man behind the Neyens video (PPM Archives)
A video tribute, An Interview with Pinball Designer Wayne Neyens, was screened for attendees each evening. The interview format hosted by PPM Board President Larry Zartarian proved to be an ideal approach revealing fascinating details of pinball’s most prolific and successful designer’s experiences during his more than 50 year career.
Almost solely responsible for 177 Gottlieb pinball designs from 1949 through 1976, during the decade of the 1950s Neyens produced an unending string of popular and profitable games at the astonishing rate of roughly one game per month! This classic video, a Will White production, is part of the PPM’s ongoing, archival Pioneers of Pinball series.
VENDORS
A number of vendors set up at the show offering a wide array of products and merchandise.
Jonathan Joosten’s Pinball Magazine
Marco Specialties – Everything Pinball™
Pacific Pinball Museum
Rob Anthony’s Lock When Lit
Rob Hawkins & Don Mueting’s Pinball Collectors Resource
In addition there were approximately a dozen pinball machines for sale at the show by various individuals.
AUCTIONS
PPM patrons and local area merchants generously contributed many unique items to be auctioned off during the course of the show.
A 1975 Bally Wizard! crossed the block at $3,000. A Panic City neon sign donated by Rhino Records founder Richard Foos: a large, revolving Lone Star Beer ‘Monkey Display’ and many ‘baskets of cheer’ found new homes at the end of a separate silent auction.
Donors and local merchants generously provided an interesting array of items for the silent auctionMaster of Ceremonies, Auctioneer and community booster Chuck DiGuida appears with Alameda Mayor Trish Spencer Herrera
RAFFLE
PPM Board Member Jim Strehlow donated a brand new Stern Ghostbusters to be raffled off during the show!
PPM Director Jim Strehlow with the brand new Ghostbusters
Jim’s generous gift resulted in the sale of more than $10,000 worth of tickets and the lucky winner was John Mayo, shown here with his new GHOSTBUSTERS.
$25 a pop and the winner is…Lucky raffle winner John Mayo with PPM Founder Michael Schiess
PINBALL A LA CARTE
Show attendees enjoyed catered specialties from Chef Rutilio ‘Rudy’ Fanetti-Durance’s C’Era Una Volta – Ristorante Italiano. In addition, a broad selection of local wines and craft beers gave visitors the opportunity to enjoy some of the best of the Bay Area’s local fare.
PMM Directors Brand Grant and Michael Schiess enjoy dinner-on-the-run
TOURNAMENTS
Three different tournaments took place during the show. The tournament games shown below, reflected the design challenges of three distinct eras. All tournament entries were free with admission to the show!
Tournament Machines
1947, Williams, Torchy
1954, Gottlieb, 4-Belles
1961, Gottlieb, Egg Head
1976, Gottlieb, Royal Flush
1980, Stern, Galaxy
1991, Williams, Terminator 2
2001, Stern, High Roller Casino
2016, Stern, Ghostbusters Pro
A different tournament was held each day directed by Echa Schneider, under the auspices of the International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA).
The woodrail tournament took place on Friday, November 11 and the winners were:
Woodrail Tournament
1
2
3=
3=
3=
Dan Dempsey, Walnut Creek, CA
Eric Finke
Andrei Massenkoff, San Francisco, CA
Masha Dare
Jared Garvey, Berkeley, CA
The 1960s and later electro-mechanical tournament took place on Saturday, November 12th and the winners were:
1960s Tournament
1
2
3
Karl Lind, Portland, Oregon
Jack Slovacek
Alex Lambert, Roseville, CA
The Solid State & DMD tournament took place on Sunday, November 13th and the winners were:
1960s Tournament
1
2
3
Damien Charléty, Chambéry, France
Per Schwarzenberger, San Francisco, CA
Robin Lassonde, Berkeley, CA
(currently ranked #1 qualifier for the IFPA California State Championship)
Solid State & DMD Tournament Winners Per Schwartzenberger, Damien Charléty and Robin Lassonde
VISITOR RESPONSES
Follow-up surveys with Shoot the Moon attendees found that 99% of those polled who visited the show would come to the next PPM Exposition event.
Of those who took the guided show tours, 85% reported that they exceeded their expectations and, among seminar attendees, 65% reported that the sessions they attended exceeded their expectations.
Given the limited advance notice of the show the overwhelming majority of the more than 1,000 attendees came from the local San Francisco Bay Area.
An encouraging 52 attendees offered to serve as volunteers at the next PPM Expo.
Perhaps most interesting of all, 57% of those polled did NOT own a pinball machine! This surprising statistic served to validate that interest in the multiple objectives of the PPM and its variety of activities reaches well beyond the ‘pinhead’ community!
From the perspective of the PPM’s Board of Directors, this was a most satisfying and successful show, providing the impetus for even more exciting events in the future.
WHAT LIES AHEAD?
Given the success of Shoot the Moon, the PPM Board of Directors has tentatively planned for two PPM Expos each year from this point on.
The new Annex provides them with requisite space for individuals and companies to stage parties, celebrations, corporate and team-building events – any function seeking lots of fun and lots of space!
Revenues from these and other PPM-sponsored events will go toward the carrying and operating costs of the Annex and the continuing Carnegie Library fund-raising effort.
The new Annex provides ample space for an accelerated restoration program allowing more rare and desirable games to be made ready for play on a timely basis. Former problems of space for games, parts, and restoration tools and equipment have now been eliminated!
The Annex also permits the PPM to expand their STEM-based educational programs using pinball as a vehicle to teach art, history and science.
Those interested in becoming involved with the Pacific Pinball Museum as a donor, volunteer, or local point-of-contact in your area can email founder & Director Michael Schiess at mschiess@pacificpinball.org
For more information regarding the Pacific Pinball Museum and its many initiatives visit: www.pacificpinball.org
Last year we reported from the Hungarian Pinball Open which was held at the Hungarian Pinball Museum in Budapest. That event was such a success that the number of players increased and the HPO outgrew the Museum’s confines.
So for 2016 the organisers moved to the larger Dürer Conference Centre in the north-west of the city, a short walk from Heroes’ Square.
The entrance to the Dürer Conference Centre
With the move to a larger space, the opportunity was taken to expand the event beyond just the pinball tournaments, to make it appeal to gamers of different types. Thus the Arcadia show was created, combining pinballs, video games and assorted coin-op amusements, as well as retro console gaming.
The Arcadia show bannerNot forgetting the Hungarian Pinball Open
The Dürer Conference Centre is a single-storey complex comprised of several rooms of various sizes. We arrived on Friday evening when it was dark outside and the building was nicely illuminated.
The Dürer Conference Centre at nightThe Dürer Conference Centre
Once through the entry doors and past the registration/payment desk, we come to the lobby where all the cool kids hang out and the warm coats hang up.
Chilling in the lobbyCoat storage cost 200HUF ($0.70/?0.64/£0.55) a day
Gaming furniture company Altar had a nice display in the lobby featuring two themed coffee table pinballs – Data East’s Star Wars and Phantom of the Opera games – alongside several less-playable but equally stylish pieces of gaming furniture.
The Altar areaAltar’s two coffee-table pinballsThe Star Wars tableThe Phantom of the Opera table
Also in the lobby was a stand selling Hungarian Pinball Museum T-shirts and other merchandise. We picked up a couple in orange and purple to give away as prizes.
Hungarian Pinball Museum merchandise
The largest of the three rooms in the Dürer was the free-play area which contained a nice mix of pinballs, video games, skill games and retro computers. It also contained the larger of the two bars.
Inside the free-play hallInside the free-play hallInside the free-play hallInside the free-play hallInside the free-play hallInside the free-play hallInside the free-play hallInside the free-play hallHercules – big as everHead-to-head pinballCollaborative pinball on Granny & the GatorsThe retro computing sectionThe retro computing sectionThe retro computing sectionRetro consoles and handheldsKids these days wouldn’t understandVideo games and video/pinball combos in the free-play hallVideo games in the free-play hallVideo games in the free-play hallVideo games and other skill games in the free-play hallThe hockey games were popularSome older mechanical gamesA four-player racing game
Here’s a list of all the free-play pinballs:
Lord of the Rings, The
Bride of Pinbot, The Machine
Fish Tales
Whitewater
Judge Dredd
Dr. Dude*
Twilight Zone
Roadshow, Red & Ted’s
Elvira & the Party Monsters
Demolition Man
Godzilla
Addams Family, The
Cirqus Voltaire
Roadshow, Red & Ted’s
Indianapolis 500
Teed Off
Super Mario Bros
Safecracker
Dracula, Bram Stoker’s
Congo
Champion Pub, The
Scared Stiff
No Fear
Shadow, The*
Corvette
World Cup Soccer
Streetfighter II
Freddy – A Nightmare on Elm Street
Mario Andretti
Jolly Park
Flipper Football
Pinball Magic
Breakshot
Striker Xtreme
Shrek
Lord of the Rings, The
South Park
Apollo 13
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s*
Guns N’ Roses
Last Action Hero
Batman (DE)
Baby Pac-Man
Granny & the Gators
Star Wars (DE)
Star Wars Episode 1
Happy Clown
World Fair
Mayfair
Power Play, Bobby Orr
Space Shuttle (Zac)
Locomotion
Caveman
Haunted House
Genesis
Road Kings
F-14 Tomcat
Heavy Metal Meltdown
Robocop
Orbito 1
Attila the Hun
Banzai Run
Funhouse
Bride of Pinbot, The Machine
Whirlwind
Taxi
Diner
Earthshaker!
Indiana Jones
Terminator 2
Alien
Full Throttle
Terminator 2
Hercules
A G Soccer Ball
Hearts & Spades
* denotes game was not working at the time of the survey
Inside the free-play hall there were several vendors with demonstrator games for visitors to play or gaming-related goods to buy.
RS Pinball were representing both Heighway Pinball and PinSoundThis PinSound-fitted Indiana Jones could easily be heard over the other gamesAlien Pinball was here together with Full ThrottleAlien’s playfieldFull ThrottleThe Krakow Pinball Museum had a standA bullet-proofed T2Konzolok Szervize were selling gamer toys and clothingPlayseat were showing their gaming seats alongside some sit-down arcade gamesThe bar in the free-play hall
We generally found the prices of food and drink to be a little higher than we would have expected. Although some of the low-end beers were 300HUF a can, the nicest dark beer was 700HUF ($2.40/€2.24/£1.90) for a can, while cans of Pepsi were 400HUF ($1.36/€1.28/£1) in a country where prices are generally found to be reasonably cheap.
If visitors wanted something a little more substantial to eat, there were two food vendors set up just outside the main entrance to the building.
Outside the main entrance
One was selling freshly-made savoury folded flatbreads, while the other sold hot toasted and flavoured nuts and… well, we’re not quite sure what the dishes were exactly, although they did look colourful.
The flatbreads had cheese and meat fillings availableThe hot nut standAlthough attractive-looking, we didn’t sample them
So that’s the setting for the competitions, and there were three main pinball tournaments held at Arcadia – the Hungarian Pinball Open (HPO), the Classics Tournament and Pingolf.
Qualification for the HPO began in a dedicated room on the opposite side of the lobby on Friday with a scheduled start time of 7pm, although there was a delay before the scoring system and the machines were ready and the games could begin. This was to prove to be a precursor to more delays across the whole weekend.
Players wait for the start of qualifyingOrganisers working furiously to be ready to start the qualifying
More on that later, but the format of the HPO divided players into nine groups (A-I)of twenty-eight, with each player playing in nine rounds of four-player games. In each round their opponents were different, so that by the end they had played against all twenty-seven (nine rounds of three opponents) other members of their group.
Belgian players check out a Roadshow prior to qualifying
Each group was allocated an area in one of the two tournament rooms with nine machines in area. These were mostly dot-matrix machines with a mix of Williams/Bally, Stern and Data East titles, plus a smattering of alpha-numeric titles from Williams and Bally.
Here are the machines in the five areas
GROUPS A & F
Star Trek (Stern)
Flintstones, The
World Cup Soccer
Sopranos, The
Hurricane
Scared Stiff
Terminator 2
Transformers
Whitewater
GROUPS B & G
Shrek
Walking Dead, The
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Party Zone
Indiana Jones (Williams)
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Sopranos, The
Getaway: High Speed 2, The
GROUPS C & H
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Twilight Zone
Cirqus Voltaire
Family Guy
Corvette
Demolition Man
Dirty Harry
Ghostbusters
Shadow, The
GROUPS D & I
Mustang
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Kiss
Dracula, Bram Stoker’s
Earthshaker!
Fish Tales
Monster Bash
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Tales of the Arabian Nights
GROUP E
Attack from Mars
Diner
Simpsons Pinball Party, The
Terminator 2
Addams Family, The
Game of Thrones
Getaway: High Speed 2, The
Family Guy
Dracula, Bram Stoker’s
The first round of qualifying begins
After each match, points were awarded for position in the game. 7 points went to the winner, 5 points to second place, 3 to third and 1 point to last place.
The first four groups (A-D) played on Friday evening and the remaining five on Saturday morning/afternoon.
Friday’s qualifying for the HPO
When all 9 rounds had been completed, the top 9 players in each group (a total of 81 players) moved on to the next round. The top four women players from the HPO also qualified for a separate Women’s Tournament final held on Saturday evening regardless of whether they qualified for the main tournament or not.
For those not currently competing in the HPO, the lure of the Classics Tournament awaited in a smaller room next to the free-play hall.
Qualifying for the Classics Tournament
There were twenty classics machines available, from which competitors could choose six to play. Having chosen a machine, players would put their magnetic name badge next to the machine name on one of two boards. If nobody else was playing the machine they could start straight away, otherwise they had to wait for their badge to reach the top of the waiting list.
Qualifying for the Classics TournamentThe Classics Tournament machine boardsThe Classics Tournament machine boards
Once a competitor got to their chosen machine, tournament officials started a 3-player game using a key fob to prevent players starting or restarting games themselves. The entrant played all three player’s games simultaneously, and when they were over the scores were recorded, added together and then ranked alongside all other competitors’ total scores. This system helped temper the impact of any unduly low or any runaway scores.
Qualifying for the Classics TournamentQualifying for the Classics TournamentQualifying for the Classics Tournament
The machines used in the Classic Tournament were:
1 – Kiss
2 – Space Invaders
3 – Circus
4 – Spider-Man, The Amazing
5 – Firepower
6 – Gorgar
7 – Fathom
8 – Medusa
9 – Sexy Girl
10 – Iron Maiden
11 – Rocky
12 – Fireball
13 – Pink Panther
14 – Capt. Fantastic
15 – Centaur
16 – Airborne Avenger
17 – Criterium 75
18 – Wizard!
19 – Space Time
20 – Rolling Stones, The
Score recording here was a little odd. Rather than enter the scores directly into the tournament system with a tablet, phone or laptop, they were hand-written on carbon copy paper, with the top sheet being given to the player as their record. It was a little quaint seeing carbon copy paper being used again. This added an extra stage into the score entry process and hence another opportunity for a mistake to be made, but it seemed to work, more-or-less.
The bigger problem was how it introduced a significant delay between the scores being recorded and them appearing in the computer system. That made it difficult for players to know where they stood at any given time and resulted in the timetable for the latter stages slipping.
Not that the schedule was adhered to any more accurately in the main HPO. The timings looked reasonable on paper but once again delays crept in, with the main HPO qualification round on Saturday not starting until after 10am – an hour late.
The planned timetablePlayers wait to start their qualifying round on Saturday
The time taken to complete each of the nine rounds closely matched the anticipated thirty minutes, giving a total of four-and-a-half hours for the whole session. But it took some time to produce the full list of 81 qualifiers and to gather them together to begin the first of the play-off rounds.
In addition, with the clock ticking for the qualification round in the Classics Tournament which was running alongside the HPO, some qualifiers were trying to squeeze in their final few classics games as well.
The first play-off round of the HPO divided the qualifiers into nine groups of nine, and set them to play one game against every other member of their group – eight games in total.
The play-offs in the HPO beginThe play-offs in the HPO begin
When all the games had been played, the four players from each group with the most wins progressed to the second round. In the case of ties, the results of the games between the tied players were taken into consideration with the player(s) who beat the other tied players the most progressing. If that still didn’t resolve the tie, a tie-breaker game was played.
The remaining thirty-six then played the same format for the second round of play-offs, only this time there were just four groups of nine taking part.
Those sixteen played in four groups of four, playing three machines and using the same 7-5-3-1 points system to determine which two from each group moved into the final eight.
The Classics Tournament’s play-offs then followed, with the scores on the qualifying machines ranked and the top 32 progressing to the first round of play-offs.
The Classics Tournament play-offs begin
The format here was a little simpler, with the thirty-two split into pairs and playing best-of-three matches to decide who moved on and who was out.
The same method was used to reduce the remaining sixteen down to eight and then to a final four. They were: Lieven Engelbeen, Sághy Kálmán, Santiago Elices and Taco Wouters.
The final was held in the free-play hall in an area at the end of the room where the single machine to be used was set up alongside the trophies for this and the HPO. As well as playing in the final, Sághy Kálmán was running the tournament final and introduced the four finalists.
The Fathom machine used in the Classics Tournament finalThe trophies for the classic and HPO tournaments
Despite the time now being 2am, there was a good-sized and good-natured audience for the final.
The audience for the classic tournament final
Taco began the final, with Lieven playing second, Santiago third and Sághy fourth.
Taco begins the final
After the first ball it was Santiago who had a slender lead with his score of 275K ahead of Taco on 226K, Sághy in third on 152K and Lieven, who had bad luck on his first ball, in fourth on 23K.
On the second ball it was Taco’s turn for bad luck, as he added almost nothing to his score. Lieven’s bad luck hadn’t left him yet either, and he only added 5K, while Santiago didn’t fare much better.
But Sághy had a great ball, raising his score up to 1.018M, putting him a long way in the lead with just one ball left to play.
Sághy puts up a big score on his second ball
Taco had a better third ball but could only reach a total on 481K. Lieven finally got to play a ball but his total of 145K was still fourth.
Lieven gets to play a little, at last
Only Santiago could now stop Sághy, but his third ball ended with only 301K on the scoreboard, putting him in third place.
Sághy is congratulated on his Classics Tournament win
The trophies and prizes were then presented.
Third place, Santiago ElicesSecond place, Taco WoutersWinner of the Classics Tournament, Sághy KálmánWinner of the Classics Tournament, Sághy Kálmán, with his prize
Here are the full results:
Classics Tournament Results
1
Sághy Kálmán
2
Taco Wouters
3
Santiago Elices
4
Lieven Engelbeen
5
Markus Stix
6
Sandor Varga
7
Ollivier Francq
8
Peter Blakemore
9
Julio Vicario Soriano
10
Rich Mallett
11
Mathias Leurs
12
Levente Tregova
13
Gábor Fekécs
14
Tamas Odler
15
Rafael Masedo Rodríguez
16
Kim G. Hansen
17
Daniele Celestino Acciari
18
György Kovács
19
Piller Zsolt
20
Greg Mott
21
Jim Lindsay
22
Rafal Bytomski
23
Andrej Rižner
24
Andrzej Cieslik
25
Jürgen Gärtner
26
Ernö Rotter
27
Andras Horvath
28
Fabio Squadrani
29
Olivier Renders
30
Lene Andersen
31
Joël Wozniak
32
Juan Antonio Martín Amaya
33
Boldizsár Botka
34
Dominique Decock
34
Vargha Ákos
36
Peter Andersen
37
Gergely Csonka
37
Andrej Demsar
39
Stefan Karlhuber
39
András Kató
41
Philippe Bocquet
42
Péter András Simon
43
Zoltán Polgár
43
Ales Rebec
45
Cesare Datri
46
Aaron Gale
48
Berndt Ion Teodorescu
48
Roland Schwarz
48
Zoltán Dósa
50
Zsolt Szabo
51
Berecz Istvan
52
Bart Vyvey
54
Pierangelo Villa
54
Csapó dr Imre
54
Robby Henkelmann
56
Laszlo Horn
57
Markus Ramsner
58
Jasmin Ibric
58
Andreas Frank Meyer
60
Pawel Nowak
62
Kyoo Barbaix
62
Kornél Kosdi
62
Marcin Moszczynski
64
Maciej Olesiak
65
Vincent Chardome
67
Dirk Meckes
67
Miklós Szebenyi
67
Kovács Gábor
69
Arno Nöbl
70
Peter Varga
71
András Lugosi
72
Florian Horvath
72
Matteo Filippin
75
Fred Van Den Bosch
75
Cinthya Messiaen
75
Vid Kuklec
77
Mario Vercauteren
78
Ojvind Strömsholm
78
Cezary Glowala
80
Armin Kress
81
Daniele Baldan
81
Tamas Benke
83
Jochen Schuhmacher
83
Stefan Riedler
85
Didier Dujardin
85
László Kadala
87
Wolfgang Wetl
88
Béla Gyenes
89
Konrad Maslowski
90
Peter Van den Bergh
90
János Dakos
93
Gabi Molotov Gavrilita
93
Evelyne Desot
93
Gemma Tejedor Jiménez
93
Szabó Tibor
96
Martin Ayub
96
ieronim pogorilovschi
98
Péter Szamosi
99
Daniel Nowak
100
Michael Heiler
101
Artur Natorski
102
Jürgen Wünschmann
103
Péter Busa
103
Bartosz Radomyski
105
Evert Brochez
106
Olivier Leurs
107
Markus Schrodt
108
Bernhard Binder
109
Laszlo Hornyik
109
Zoltán Harangozó
111
Dávid Laár
112
Paul Jongma
112
Devis Pierantozzi
114
Jaroslaw Rupiewicz
115
János Sándor
115
Glenn Verhoosele
118
John van der Wulp
118
Gabriel Ortiz
118
Zsolt Csiszka
120
Martin Janczyk
120
Zoltán Szemes
122
Rob Breyne
123
Ernestine Lachnit
123
Zoltán Kiss
125
Zsolt Mészáros
126
Radoslaw Slotwilski
127
David Schrittwieser
128
Sebastian Gwizdala
130
Giuseppe Violante
130
Reiner Pfeiffer
130
Michael Kerylidis
132
Peter Boncza
133
Frank Goeltl
134
David Mainwaring
135
Timm Dollinger
135
Fekete Tibor
137
Attila Abonyi
138
Željko Vasic
139
Tom Geneyn
139
Flavio Baddaria
141
Marko Ritosa
142
Angel Martínez Navajas
143
Anthony Struelens
144
Jakub Cieplinski
145
Ari Sovijärvi
146
Karin Ruhmannseder
146
Laszlo Tari
148
Wolfgang Haid
149
Benjamin Ruso
150
Dennis Verleyen
151
Joonas Haverinen
152
Zöllei S. Márk
153
Bencsik László
153
Somogyi Nándor
155
Dina Fukson
156
Antti Peltonen
156
Thomas Kunstfeld
159
Valter Odler
159
Andrej Bukovšek
159
Shachar Liberman
161
Mirko Bogic
162
Begoña Motilla Mulas
164
Harald Czernoch
164
Thomas Binder
164
Lukasz Dziewulski
166
Pascal Leroy
167
Erno Lahdenperä
167
Ovidiu Cacina
169
Peter Molnar
170
Daniel Kaczmarek
171
Steven Demets
171
Laszlo Tempfli
173
Mihaly Makray
174
Albert Pavlovsky
175
Milan Caranovic
176
Robert Glashuettner
177
Zsolt Somogyvari
178
Felix Radinger
179
Mario Kaufmann
180
Tamás Kerék
180
Peter Kurti
182
Maarten Lemey
183
Antti Pitkamaki
184
Attila Tóth-Szeles
184
Ferencz Jozsef Norbert
187
Daniel Gorecki
187
Rafal Jodelko
187
Daniela Ickler
189
Bogdan Constantin Ghiga
189
Uwe Ramsner
192
Dimitri Verhoosele
192
Szabo Istvan
192
Andra Raicu
195
Balint Olah
196
Julia Scriba
197
Sara Martínez Bueno
198
Sabine Ramsner
199
Gabriella Medgyesi
200
Marta Scibisz
201
Alejandro Yepes Piedra
202
Flora Karap
204
Gergely Gergelyfi
While the Classics Tournament was progressing, machines from the HPO room were removed so the remaining machines could be set up for Sunday’s Pingolf which would use the same room.
Machines are removed in preparation for Sunday’s Pingolf Tournament
With the classics decided it was back to the HPO, and the same four-player group format used for the last sixteen was used in the semi-finals to find the four players who would contest the final.
The last eight players in the two semi-finals were:
Semi-Final 1
Semi-Final 2
Sandor Varga
Julio Vicario Soriano
Andrej Demsar
Flavio Baddaria
It was clear this was going to be running very late indeed. The semi-finals began at 2:30am.
Semi-final 1 was played on World Cup Soccer, Kiss and Dracula, while semi-final 2 used Mustang, Ghostbusters and also used World Cup Soccer.
The semi-finals of the main HPO tournamentThe semi-finals of the main HPO tournament
It took until 03:30 before the final four were decided. They were: Daniele Celestino Acciari, Flavio Baddaria, Gabor Solymosi and Julio Vicario Soriano.
As with the Classics Tournament, the final was held on a single machine in the free-play hall. In this case it was a Stern Star Trek. On the other side of the room was the Road Kings machine which was the grand prize for the winner.
The finals machine – Star Trek – along with the trophiesThe Star Trek had various cameras fitted so video of the final could be projected on the screen behindThe grand prize – a fully refurbished Road Kings
A smaller crowd remained for the HPO final, but despite the late hour Sághy Kálmán entertained them with an Elvis impersonation before the last game began.
Sághy does his Elvis impersonation
Gabor began the final with the player one position, but he didn’t have a great start.
Gabor starts the final
His 2.586M first ball score looked low, but none of the other players got much on their first balls either. Daniele did the best with 8.308M ahead of Julio on 5.567M and Flavio who just scored least with his 2.282M.
Daniele did best on ball one
None of the players took a grip on the game on their second ball either. Gabor only managed a total of 3.941M, Daniele added little to stand on 9.103M, Julio did similar with his 6.855M score, but Flavio did rather better to edge into the lead with his 10.499M.
Flavio leads after the second ball
However, the third ball changed everything.
Gabor had a nice ball, getting his main multiballs going and ending with a much better score of 49.520M.
Daniele did likewise but not quite as well, finishing his game on 37.192M.
Then it was Julio’s turn. Could he match the nice third balls of Gabor and Daniele?
Julio plays his third and final ball
He didn’t just match the other two, he easily surpassed them, getting to Kobayashi Maru mode and racking up an impressive total of 86.710M
Could Flavio catch him with the last ball of the final?
The audience watches as the final reaches a conclusion
Sadly not everyone had a nice third ball, as Flavio only nudged his score up to 11.938M, dropping from first to last.
The scores in the final of the HPO 2016
So Julio was the winner, with Gabor second, Daniele third and Flavio fourth.
Fourth place, Flavio BaddariaThird place, Daniele Celestino AcciariSecond place, Gabor SolymosiWinner of the Hungarian Pinball Open 2016, Julio Vicario SorianoThe top four
Here are the full results:
Hungarian Pinball Open Results
1
Julio Vicario Soriano
2
Gabor Solymosi
3
Daniele Celestino Acciari
4
Flavio Baddaria
5
Ernö Rotter
6
Andrej Demsar
7
Krisztián Szalai
7
Sandor Varga
10
János Sándor
10
David Mainwaring
10
Cesare Datri
12
Paul Jongma
13
Piller Zsolt
14
Didier Dujardin
14
Jakub Cieplinski
16
Benjamin Gräbeldinger
18
Santiago Elices
18
Konrad Maslowski
18
Ollivier Francq
18
Roberto Pedroni
21
Peter Varga
24
Roland Schwarz
24
Philippe Bocquet
24
Jürgen Wünschmann
24
Valter Odler
24
Joël Wozniak
24
György Kovács
29
Joonas Haverinen
29
Péter Grafl
29
Andrej Bukovšek
31
Laszlo Horn
32
Daniele Baldan
33
Berecz Istvan
33
Florian Horvath
35
Olivier Leurs
36
Reiner Pfeiffer
39
Levente Tregova
39
Giuseppe Violante
39
Frank Goeltl
39
Tamas Odler
39
Wolfgang Haid
44
Gabriel Ortiz
44
John van der Wulp
44
Evert Brochez
44
Gábor Fekécs
44
Peter Andersen
47
Cezary Glowala
47
Erno Lahdenperä
52
Markus Stix
52
Mark van der Gugten
52
Taco Wouters
52
Jaroslaw Rupiewicz
52
Peter Van den Bergh
52
Greg Mott
52
Artur Natorski
52
Kim G. Hansen
57
Daniel Kaczmarek
59
Andreas Frank Meyer
59
Angel Martínez Navajas
59
Pascal Leroy
59
Sághy Kálmán
63
Thomas Kunstfeld
63
Szabo Istvan
63
Rich Mallett
63
Török Antal
70
Rob Breyne
70
Kay Kuster
70
Vincent Chardome
70
Peter Blakemore
70
Michael Kerylidis
70
Cinthya Messiaen
70
Tamás Marjai
70
Andrej Rižner
70
Zoltán Kiss
77
Ovidiu Cacina
77
Tom Geneyn
77
Maciej Olesiak
77
Rafal Jodelko
77
Armin Kress
80
Antti Peltonen
81
Robert Pomazi
82
Odler Axel
86
Gabi Molotov Gavrilita
86
Pawel Nowak
86
Dirk Meckes
86
Zoltán Dósa
86
Attila Abonyi
86
Gemma Tejedor Jiménez
86
Andras Horvath
91
Jochen Schuhmacher
91
Maarten Lemey
91
Thomas Binder
91
Jürgen Gärtner
95
Berndt Ion Teodorescu
95
Laszlo Imre
95
Péter András Simon
98
Timm Dollinger
98
Daniel Nowak POL
98
Dominique Decock
98
Jim Lindsay
101
Stefan Holzäpfel
106
Lieven Engelbeen
106
Mario Kaufmann
106
Milan Caranovic
106
Mathias Leurs
106
Jasmin Ibric
106
Csapó dr Imre
106
Anthony Struelens
106
Zöllei S. Márk
106
Wolfgang Wetl
113
Andrzej Cieslik
113
Ari Sovijärvi
113
Bernhard Binder
113
Peter Boncza
113
Peter Molnar
117
Ojvind Strömsholm
117
Bart Vyvey
117
Kornél Kosdi
122
Bogdan Constantin Ghiga
122
Markus Schrodt
122
Juan Antonio Martín Amaya
122
Michael Heiler
122
Lene Andersen
122
Zoltán Polgár
122
Zsolt Csiszka
126
Laszlo Tempfli
127
Vargha Ákos
129
Martin Ayub
129
Matteo Filippin
129
Marcin Moszczynski
132
Stefan Karlhuber
132
Boldizsár Botka
132
Kovács Gábor
132
Akos Tottos
135
Tamas Benke
140
Robby Henkelmann
140
Gergely Csonka
140
David Schrittwieser
140
Rafael Masedo Rodríguez
140
Zsolt Mészáros
140
Zoltán Harangozó
140
Sara Martínez Bueno
140
Radoslaw Slotwilski
140
Marta Scibisz
140
Fekete Tibor
146
Miklos Csaba
150
Alexander Muer
150
Fabio Squadrani
150
Olivier Renders
150
János Dakos
150
Verebi András
150
Szabó Tibor
150
Mihaly Makray
154
Arno Nöbl
154
Ferencz Jozsef Norbert
159
Rafal Bytomski
159
Miklós Szebenyi
159
Evelyne Desot
159
Csaba Fodor
159
Béla Gyenes
159
Rudi Haferl
159
Željko Vasic
163
Harald Czernoch
163
Zsolt Szabo
167
Dennis Verleyen
167
Alex Butnaru
167
Benjamin Ruso
167
Tamás Kerék
167
Antti Pitkamaki
171
Dimitri Verhoosele
171
Ales Rebec
171
Steven Demets
176
Julia Scriba
176
András Lugosi
176
Zoltan Farle
176
Liv Decay
176
Somogyi Nándor
176
Mirko Bogic
176
Gergo Csetneki
180
András Kató
180
Fred Van Den Bosch
182
Kyoo Barbaix
184
Jenna Muer
184
Bencsik László
184
Balazs Novak
189
Glenn Verhoosele
189
Devis Pierantozzi
189
Mario Vercauteren
189
Dina Fukson
189
ieronim pogorilovschi
189
Felix Radinger
189
Evelien Crevits
189
Shachar Liberman
194
Albert Pavlovsky
196
Pierangelo Villa
196
Katona Tamás
196
Gergely Gergelyfi
200
Daniel Gorecki
200
Zsolt Somogyvari
200
Agnes Budai
200
Markus Ramsner
200
Aaron Gale
203
Reinhard Hager
203
Flora Karap
205
Balint Olah
205
Grau Beatrix
208
Péter Busa
208
Zoltán Szemes
208
Peter Kurti
210
Alejandro Yepes Piedra
211
Dávid Laár
213
Martin Janczyk
213
Lukasz Dziewulski
213
Karin Ruhmannseder
213
Vid Kuklec
217
Stefan Riedler
217
Mercedesz Gyimothy
217
Attila Tóth-Szeles
219
Guttmann Zsolt
221
Bartosz Radomyski
221
Sebastian Gwizdala
221
Uwe Ramsner
221
Miron Vasilescu
225
Andra Raicu
225
Ernestine Lachnit
225
Marjaine Brasso Adrien
227
Robert Glashuettner
227
László Kadala
229
Péter Szamosi
230
Eszter Hoppán
230
Daniela Ickler
232
Mihaly Vandor
233
Benedek Novak
234
Begoña Motilla Mulas
234
Sabine Ramsner
236
Marko Ritosa
By the time the final was over it was getting close to 5am, and we didn’t get back to our hotel until 5:15am. The streets of Budapest are surprisingly busy at that time of the morning.
Maybe it’s time for bed
With the Pingolf Tournament due to begin in just under five hours’ time, we grabbed a quick nap, had a speedy breakfast, checked out of the hotel and headed back to the Arcadia show to report on Sunday’s action.
Instructions for the Pingolf Tournament
Sunday’s Pingolf Tournament began at 10am and competitors could choose one of two ‘courses’. One was in the area used for the Classics Tournament where them machines moved the previous night were set up alongside some remaining classics machines. The second was in the main HPO room where the HPO play-offs had taken place a few hours earlier and which now featured several machines from the Classics Tournament. Both areas contained around twenty machines from which competitors chose eighteen to play.
The Pingolf Tournament is underwayThe Pingolf Tournament is underway
Rather than use game feature objectives, each game has a score threshold which needed to be reached in as few balls as possible. If it was achieved within the normal three balls then the number of balls used set the number of ‘strokes’ for that ‘hole’. If the target wasn’t reached with the three balls, the number of strokes recorded increased depending on how close the final score was.
Scoring in the Pingolf TournamentPingolf in the former HPO room
The carbon copy paper was brought out again to record scores, and this appeared to lead to some confusion later on when scores were entered into the computer system. We were told that some scorers had written down the player number, machine number and number of strokes, but not necessarily indicated which number was which.
The tournament team entering the scores
Inevitably this led to delays and not a little confusion. One player knew he hadn’t played at all well and went off for dinner. He was surprised to receive a text message telling him he had been given a score which qualified him for the play-offs (which he thus missed).
Pingolf players wait to discover who had made the play-offs
The Pingolf Tournament was due to finish by 7pm. Unfortunately we had to leave the venue for our flight home at 7:15pm, by which time the first round of play-offs had only just started.
The format for the play-offs
The top twelve players from each area qualified for the play-offs for a total of twenty-four. The top eight received a bye through the first round, leaving the remaining sixteen qualifiers to be split into four groups of four and set to play on their first of the three games in this round.
The pingolf play-offs
The top two from each group progressed and joined those with the byes to play the same best-of-three four-player group format. This continued all the way through until an eventual winner was found.
That winner was Paul Jongma, with Daniele Celestino Acciari in second place, Taco Wouters in third and Mario Kaufmann fourth.
Pingolf Tournament Results
1
Paul Jongma
2
Daniele Celestino Acciari
3
Taco Wouters
4
Mario Kaufmann
5
Julio Vicario Soriano
6
Roberto Pedroni
7
Tamas Odler
7
Robby Henkelmann
9
Cesare Datri
9
Joonas Haverinen
11
Lieven Engelbeen
12
Dominique Decock
13
Zsolt Mészáros
14
Rafal Bytomski
15
Tom Geneyn
16
John van der Wulp
17
Markus Stix
18
Daniel Nowak POL
19
Jasmin Ibric
19
Evert Brochez
21
György Kovács
21
Rob Breyne
23
Zoltán Dósa
24
Rich Mallett
25
Stefan Karlhuber
26
Bogdan Constantin Ghiga
27
Kim G. Hansen
27
Levente Tregova
30
Gabriel Ortiz
30
Philippe Bocquet
30
Dina Fukson
33
Roland Schwarz
33
Maciej Olesiak
33
Jürgen Wünschmann
35
Santiago Elices
35
Mario Vercauteren
37
Ovidiu Cacina
40
Ferencz Jozsef Norbert
40
Mathias Leurs
40
Anthony Struelens
40
Didier Dujardin
40
Zsolt Szabo
43
Rafael Masedo Rodríguez
43
Peter Blakemore
45
Vincent Chardome
45
Jakub Cieplinski
47
János Sándor
47
Željko Vasic
50
Devis Pierantozzi
50
Piller Zsolt
50
Andrej Demsar
52
Ales Rebec
52
András Lugosi
56
Andrzej Cieslik
56
Fabio Squadrani
56
Antti Peltonen
56
Ollivier Francq
56
Thomas Kunstfeld
56
Peter Boncza
61
Michael Kerylidis
61
Olivier Renders
61
Sághy Kálmán
63
Vid Kuklec
63
Kyoo Barbaix
66
Mirko Bogic
66
Arno Nöbl
66
Frank Goeltl
69
Giuseppe Violante
69
Mark van der Gugten
69
Zoltán Polgár
69
Dirk Meckes
72
David Mainwaring
72
Peter Andersen
75
Antti Pitkamaki
75
Jürgen Gärtner
75
Andrej Rižner
75
Peter Molnar
79
Markus Ramsner
79
Daniele Baldan
79
Olivier Leurs
79
Martin Janczyk
83
Gergely Csonka
83
Daniel Gorecki
83
Jim Lindsay UK
86
Peter Van den Bergh
86
Ernö Rotter
86
Jochen Schuhmacher
86
Boldizsár Botka
89
János Dakos
89
Vargha Ákos
91
Laszlo Imre
91
Sandor Varga
94
Steven Demets
94
Andreas Frank Meyer
94
Zoltán Szemes
97
Matteo Filippin
97
Martin Ayub
97
Ojvind Strömsholm
100
Stefan Holzäpfel
100
Stefan Riedler
100
ieronim pogorilovschi
102
Felix Radinger
102
Evelyne Desot
104
Glenn Verhoosele
104
Péter András Simon
106
Fred Van Den Bosch
107
Berecz Istvan
108
Laszlo Tari
108
Joël Wozniak
111
Erno Lahdenperä
111
Wolfgang Haid
111
Marko Ritosa
113
Timm Dollinger
114
Michael Heiler
114
Pierangelo Villa
117
Armin Kress
117
Reiner Pfeiffer
117
Dennis Verleyen
120
Greg Mott
120
Thomas Binder
120
Cinthya Messiaen
122
Karin Ruhmannseder
123
Artur Natorski
123
Pawel Nowak
125
Markus Schrodt
126
Agnes Budai
126
Marjaine Brasso Adrien
128
Daniel Kaczmarek
131
Daniela Ickler
131
Balint Olah
131
Gabi Molotov Gavrilita
131
Rafal Jodelko
131
Benjamin Gräbeldinger
134
Uwe Ramsner
135
Ernestine Lachnit
136
Dávid Laár
137
Attila Abonyi
137
Béla Gyenes
139
Sabine Ramsner
140
Tamás Marjai
141
Gabriella Medgyesi
141
Maarten Lemey
143
Bart Vyvey
145
Reinhard Hager
145
Pascal Leroy
145
Rudi Haferl
147
Harald Czernoch
148
Miklos Csaba
149
Wolfgang Wetl
150
Angel Martínez Navajas
151
Gábor Varga
The conclusion of the Pingolf Tournament ended the competitive events and brought the Arcadia show to a close.
Last year’s Hungarian Pinball Open at the Hungarian Pinball Museum was a big success, with a lot of goodwill generated along with plenty of positive recommendations for the Museum. Everyone went home from last year’s HPO with a warm feeling which wasn’t simply from the free Goulash.
However, the space at the Museum was clearly limited and so in order to expand the HPO an alternative or additional location was needed. The Dürer Conference Centre provided that extra space and allowed expansion of the scope of the event to encompass video games and retro gaming.
That expansion brought in an audience beyond the HPO players and, perhaps most importantly, became attractive to families and youngsters. It’s hard to recall an event where so many young kids and teenagers were enjoying the games, which was an encouraging sign for the future.
It did, though, take away much of the intimacy and homely feel of the event, which was something unique to the Museum setting. When we were playing in the darkened caves and exhibit rooms of the Museum’s basement home it felt as though we were supporting the Museum and helping to promote the good work they are doing. In the Dürer Conference Centre, not so much.
The schedule last year also allowed for a tour of the city and a visit to a late night rooftop club which helped make the whole trip special. This year there was no time for such excursions which was a pity.
Running an event such as a major pinball tournament requires far more than just machines. People with multiple skillsets are needed, with a large amount of planning to ensure everything goes smoothly.
While there were lots of scorers and organisers who did a sterling job and worked incredibly hard throughout the three days, some of the processes didn’t work so well; in particular the results systems and machine preparation/maintenance.
As anyone who has ever moved a pinball machine from one location to another knows, things break for no apparent reason. Several of the games in the free-play hall were faulty from the start and while some were fixed, not all were. That may in part have been because there was no readily-identifiable way to report a machine fault other than switching the game off and hoping someone notices.
Some of the tournament machines were also sub-optimal in their set-up, with inconsistent flipper alignment and tilt sensitivity being common complaints we heard.
Using carbon copy paper to record scores in the classics and Pingolf Tournaments was also far from ideal. Most events now use tablets to enter results directly into the tournament system, and while that isn’t entirely without its problems it does eliminate a lot of paper score entry, produces instant updates and speeds up progress through the tournament.
On that final point, we won’t dwell on the delays and late-running of the tournaments. Suffice to say nobody really wanted to be playing (or watching) the final of a major international tournament at 4:30am, and we are sure the organisers will be looking to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
While we have been critical of certain aspects, as a whole the Arcadia show was certainly a success.
Budapest is an amazing city to visit with incredibly friendly people, and the location of the Dürer Conference Centre, while not as attractive as the Museum, was pretty convenient. We stayed at a quality hotel fifteen minutes away on foot opposite Heroes’ Square, with a nice walk through the park opposite the venue always an option.
We would certainly come back again, and try for a longer stay next time to enjoy more that the city has to offer.
Finally, you can take a look at the whole Arcadia show for yourself, including all the tournaments, free-play machines, vendors and food sellers in our exclusive Twenty Minute Tour video walkaround.