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The Classic Pinball Podcast
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#129 - Nip It / Space Time

PodcastAnalysis updated 3d ago1 hr 45 min listenBy George
From the creator

This is a list of all games discussed in this episode: Blackout, Nip It, Space Time, Paragon, Groot, Aerosmith, World Cup Soccer, Stargazer, Star Trek, T2.

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Highlights

  • A new all-in-one MPU board competitor to Andrew's board exists that is smaller (Pascal board sized), uses USB configuration, and is cheaper but may be less repairable due to SMD components.
  • The Ballygator feature on Nip-It was unreliable and kept breaking because the plastic construction couldn't withstand multiball gameplay impacts.
  • Early 1970s Bally games (1971-1973) used a glass assembly design based on a 1947 Buick hood that requires complete disassembly to replace glass.
  • On Space Time, a slam switch stuck in the closed position due to coin door work prevented the game from starting, resolved by calling Dave Golden for troubleshooting advice.
  • The collector who owns Nip-It and Space Time worked for Pixar and Lucasfilm for 40 years in computer animation and contributed animation techniques to Star Wars films.
  • Nip-It and Space Time were both featured in the Happy Days television show and the collector created a themed room section around these games.
  • It has rained continuously from Houston to Presque Isle, Maine for weeks during the past month, limiting outdoor pinball activity.
  • A customer offered $100 to help move a pinball machine but the service technician refused because it wasn't worth the effort for a moving company rate.

Notable quotes

“I found the latest all-in-one board that gives, unfortunately it's giving Andrew a little bit of competition as well... it's smaller than Andrew's board. It's tiny in there comparison... It's cheaper, but it's more like one and done.”
Dave
“Check your front door. Check your slam switch. See if that's closed. Go. When you know it when I took apart the coin door I wrenched that slam switch closed all the time.”
Dave (quoting Dave Golden)
“He worked with George Lucas for Lucasfilm. That's why he knows all... he said the biggest thing that he brought... was computer animation into the regular hand-drawn animation because the original Star Wars film, George Lucas was kind of not happy with how when he had to draw in more cells of different TIE fighters coming in, a whole bunch of them, it would make the whole picture get kind of blurry.”
Dave
“These early 70s Balleys... the hood from a 1947 Buick. You gotta lift up and you don't just slide the glass in there... if you wanna replace this glass, you gotta take apart this glass chrome frame apart.”
Dave
“The Ballygator... It's an ugly piece of 1970s plastic alligator on top... they could have made it out of metal or a metal cage so that anytime you hit it the ball would bounce off some way of making that thing a little bit more indestructible.”
Dave
“No, $100 bill ain't gonna do it... I'm American Pinball Pinball restoration... I don't really do... Good try though.”
Dave
“It's like a 455 blinker bulb that was used back in the day inside all the relays in the bottom of the cabinet as a delay... the circuit would turn on, turn the bulb on, bulb would feel free and join public power functions.”
Dave
“I think if you sunk the ball in the Kickback and you had another ball on the flipper and Ballygator comes out you could hit it with the other ball and smash the plastic and end Ballygator.”
George

Entities

  • Bally· company
  • Harry Williams· company
  • Lucasfilm· company
  • Pixar· company
  • Blackout· game
  • Nip-It· game
  • Space Time· game
  • Star Trek· game
  • Cape Cod· location
  • Classic Pinball Podcast· media
  • Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show· media
  • Happy Days· media_property
  • Star Wars· media_property
  • Andrew· person
  • Dave· person
  • Dave Golden· person
  • Gary Stern· person
  • George· person
  • Keith Elwin· person

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