The Great British Pinball Podcast EP 35
Send us Fan Mail Scott and Neil talk about the latest in pinball including transformers, Pokemon and Sonic!
Kineticist’s take
UK podcast hosts debate Pinfest drama, used game pricing collapse, and mixed views on recent Spooky/Stern releases.
Synopsis
Scott Rundell and Neil McRae discuss UK pinball events and game releases, focusing on Pinfest logistics controversies (room booking leaks, distributor competition bringing 70 machines, some collectors asked not to bring games), secondary market pricing trends (World Cup Soccer, Evil Dead, Harry Potter, Metallica), Spooky Pinball reliability concerns (Evil Dead driver board issues), and recent releases including Sonic (negative first impressions of playflow), Beetlejuice (hype decline, game undershooting Evil Dead), Kong (positive reception), and Pokemon (Neil's unit arrived after 3-week wait).
Highlights
- The UK has the most expensive electricity in Europe if not the world, thanks to energy policy
- Two major UK pinball distributors are each bringing 35 machines to Pinfest, causing some collector contributors to be asked not to bring games
- Phil (Pinfest organizer) has become a full-time Stern dealer and deals directly with Stern
- ElectroCoin is backing David (a retro arcade specialist) as competition to Phil's distributor business
- Spooky Pinball's Evil Dead has reliability issues after one year, particularly with the driver board and coil protection
- World Cup Soccer (Bally 90s) sold at Pinball Heaven for approximately £2,200-£2,500, representing a new low for that title
- Stern's Sonic (Steve Ritchie design) receives negative feedback on playflow, described as boring and bricky by players at Custard Pinball Club
- Beetlejuice hype has peaked and the game is falling down Pinball Info rankings
- Pokemon machines are now arriving in the UK market; Neil's unit sat in his shed for three weeks due to space constraints
- Boutique manufacturers Prudetti and Barrels of Fun use FAST hardware instead of custom electronics, citing reliability advantages
Entities
- Barrels of Fun· company
- ElectroCoin· company
- Spooky Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Pinfest· event
- Beetlejuice· game
- Evil Dead· game
- JAWS· game
- Kong· game
- Pokemon· game
- Sonic· game
- Winchester Mystery House· game
- World Cup Soccer· game
- The Great British Pinball Podcast· organization
- David· person
- George Gomez· person
- James· person
- Neil McRae· person
- Phil· person
- Scott Rundell· person
- Steve Ritchie· person
- FAST hardware· product
- Pinball Info· product
- Custard Pinball Club· venue