The Aussie Pinball Arcade
Aussie Pinball Forums => General Discussion => General Pinball Discussion => Topic started by: pinballheaven on May 26, 2018, 01:27:41 PM
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Is it just me or do others find extremely concerning that Homepin are putting up posts weekly on their FB page about all the work they are only now doing for Thunderbirds? I laugh everytime a new post comes up with a couple of pics of a machine or 2 and all the electronic parts, boards etc that they are only making or getting now?
As I recall the game was to be released in 2015. I know there have been a few excuses and reasons why there is a delay but what has been happening over all these years? Please don't mention the hankin uprights etc as we all know they were a failure and money grab.
I just laugh everytime a new post comes up $$(
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What is you question?
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You obviously don't find it concerning so you answered my question! *%*
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what is your point?
I am a fully prepaid TAG buyer, I am not happy it has taken almost 5 years to get this far
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I am not a prepaid buyer. First game out of the gate is always tough. When you plan to build every part yourself you make it three times as hard. I really hope Mike is successful. It will be great for pinball to get quality cheap pinballs out of China. And another part supplier.
My guess is Mike’s main focus is the parts business. My worry is the lack of priority to art and design. He hasn’t hired anyone world class in those departments. That is why I am waiting to see finished product before I make my final call.
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yes it would take along time to reverse engineer parts especially nearly all the parts but I never understood why he at least didn't get a working proto-type running 4-5 years with off the shelf parts and make what ever custom parts he needed to finish 1-10 games and de-bug the game, finish and fine tune the programming and art 3-4 years ago instead of doing that now
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interesting tid bit - Homepin launched this game as a thread on AP back in 7:58am of 8-7-13.
so when you add:
5 years,4 months,3 weeks,2 days,1 hour,it gives you 8.58am 1st Dec 2018, wonder if he will make that ......
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what is your point?
I am a fully prepaid TAG buyer, I am not happy it has taken almost 5 years to get this far
I think Pinballheaven's point is that the game is said to be in full production, but recent Homepin FaceBook posts show some parts just coming into the factory.
...Now that the game is coming into production, it's growing on me as I'm taking a closer look at it. I wish it had a colour display (regardless of resolution).
Any chance Pop Bumper Pete that you will have this on location? Ballarat could do with pinball on location. There are many options in the city centre and would also work well at the pub in Clunes. (I'm from Melbourne, but pass through Ballarat a few times a year).
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do i need the extra hassle of being an operator? no
would i put one in my shop? no, pinball and bakeries are not a good mix
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Is it just me or do others find extremely concerning that Homepin are putting up posts weekly on their FB page about all the work they are only now doing for Thunderbirds? I laugh everytime a new post comes up with a couple of pics of a machine or 2 and all the electronic parts, boards etc that they are only making or getting now?
As I recall the game was to be released in 2015. I know there have been a few excuses and reasons why there is a delay but what has been happening over all these years? Please don't mention the hankin uprights etc as we all know they were a failure and money grab.
I just laugh everytime a new post comes up $$(
Thanks for reminding me. Out of the 16 sold, only ONE has been suitable for sale. Every machine has had to be unboxed, and issues rectified before passing on to the buyer. I have no horse in this race, but APR was, for a very short time, the so called "Victorian Distributor", and thus invested in the arcade machines. By a long way, the worst decision in my professional career. THANKFULLY, I could see through the fog and deception and cut ties immediately.
I can appreciate the MASSIVE amount of dedication and hard work to build a factory from scratch. Then building not one pinball, but a number of games. But I think building the arcade games while waiting for License approvals was a huge mistake. That time should have been spent building mechanisms, assemblies, winding coils etc etc..
To answer the OP's question - Facebook business accounts are self moderated. Business can control content.
I hope that everyone who has ordered their game, receives their game and that Hompin is successful in their endeavours.
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do i need the extra hassle of being an operator? no
would i put one in my shop? no, pinball and bakeries are not a good mix
Whenever I'm 'out and about' for work, including Ballarat, I always make a point of having lunch at 'the local bakery'. If your bakery is near the train station, I will steal a pinball machine from your home and install it in your bakery!
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had to share as HOMEPIN is now famous as he gets a mention in Hitler videos, watch till the end
https://www.captiongenerator.com/1006612/Hitler-discusses-empty-spot-in-his-pinball-line-up
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This Homepin guy is a joke! Hope everyone cancels their pre-order, gets money back and he crawls back under his rock!!
IDIOT, and worst of all an Australian giving Australian's a bad name!
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it is a shame some people are just realising now but at least people are seeing his ways and people getting a voice
the sad thing for the pre-order guys is that he is refusing to refund them even though he is way over is delivery date by almost 3 years
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it is a shame some people are just realising now but at least people are seeing his ways and people getting a voice
the sad thing for the pre-order guys is that he is refusing to refund them even though he is way over is delivery date by almost 3 years
Once you are in Business for yourself, brand protection is the most important asset your business can have. Once it is tainted through bad business practices, you are forever judged. I learnt my lesson well. I hope all pre orders are fulfilled, and the new owners are happy with their machines. Sometimes the anger at waiting for the game can be drowned in the enjoyment it gives once it is home !
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Seem Mike will have to find someone new to distribute in victoria
Wayne dumped him
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Seem Mike will have to find someone new to distribute in victoria
Wayne dumped him
Wayne and Dynamic Billiards are (were) retailers. The Victorian Distributor is WA based. At one stage, APR was a retailer until we were asked to replace the WA distributor. Things rapidly went south, and as a result, we dropped Homepin. The "distribution" model Homepin uses is a complete mess and one of the reasons we moved on.
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there is a private group set up at Aussie Arcade for any TAG buyers
you need to contact toads at AA to join, you also need to supply proof of purchace
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Why is there a need for a Secret Squirrel section ? I though updates were posted on FB ?
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Why is there a need for a Secret Squirrel section ? I though updates were posted on FB ?
Divided community on Homepin and it always causes a lot of crap and heated posts.
Best this way, believe me.
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It all started with such promise and its ended up a complete mess. So much so that the preorder guys have to make a secret group to discuss their issues.
I thought the UK guys on Pinside were going to give an honest opinion on the game but they went quiet all of a sudden.. but hey, no matter as its still only a prototype yes?
What a f**king sham
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The more public noise, the more pressure to get the games out.
Shame it's now a taboo subject on AA, I enjoyed hearing about what's going on and everyone's thoughts on Mike, the game and the situation.
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I thought it was good that some people actual found a voice to speak up about the truth and their frustrations so the general public would learn and be pre-warned - a shame it went secret squirrel.
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Yep that was my intent. Warn unsuspecting newbie foremost. Looks like dog eat dog philosophy is paramount on this subject
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If you go back 5 years there wasn't one person in the Australian pinball community that wasn't behind this venture 100%.
Fast forward to today and its a very different story.
In fact worldwide, more customers have been lost than gained.
Only one reason for that im afraid
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Shame it's now a taboo subject on AA, I enjoyed hearing about what's going on and everyone's thoughts on Mike, the game and the situation.
I know i am a loud agitator on the subject, but too many people who had no skin in the game would drive the thread off the rails
Homepin has been banned (I think) from AA, so we were never going to get answers from him
(and probably AP, and has closed his Pinside account)
Only one reason for that im afraid
Which is a pity because it looks like he is now (or very soon) building production games
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Well that is good news for you Pete and all the others who put over $5000 of faith in the venture.. glad to hear you will get closure soon.
From my understanding, Mike is banned from AA... removed himself from AP but is not welcome back and removed himself from Pinside.
We did tell him NOT to do his own PR right at the start, but yeh well.. you know the rest
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I found friendly advise is fround upon by some and they then become nasty. That's why some people with no money in the project went to town on the guy. You come into a fight with a gun, then expect to get hurt yourself. And no, his attitude is not acceptable just because that's the way he is. No excuse.
The agitators, most of the time, demanded answers to serious questions and got jack, and threads were shut down.
My take on the forum fiasco is those with preorders were scared to make noise and their fears voiced, because they are afraid that no new sales will be forthcoming and the venture will fail and they will lose their money. Its a bit like living next to a pedo but not telling your neighbours with kids because you're worried house prices in your area will be effected. Just not me unfortunately.
Anyway will be interesting to see how TAG pans out over the next couple of years
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The agitators, most of the time, demanded answers to serious questions and got jack, and threads were shut down.
in hindsight, the answers were obvious
'no, we are still not ready to build games'
but it has always been somebody elses fault
not once has Mike apologized to us for the delays
not once has he owned (the reason for delay) the problem and promised to fix it
and that is why you should never hold yourself up to be Mr Perfect
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The agitators, most of the time, demanded answers to serious questions and got jack, and threads were shut down.
in hindsight, the answers were obvious
'no, we are still not ready to build games'
but it has always been somebody elses fault
not once has Mike apologized to us for the delays
not once has he owned (the reason for delay) the problem and promised to fix it
and that is why you should never hold yourself up to be Mr Perfect
That's because what was actually happening and what was declared as happening were two different things and all along there was no need for it.. it was the lies and deception that kept biting that arse.
But hey! This is pinball.. its the only industry I know of where people will put their hands deep into their pockets when someone only has an idea and all is forgiven at the release of one good title
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The agitators, most of the time, demanded answers to serious questions and got jack, and threads were shut down.
in hindsight, the answers were obvious
'no, we are still not ready to build games'
but it has always been somebody elses fault
not once has Mike apologized to us for the delays
not once has he owned (the reason for delay) the problem and promised to fix it
and that is why you should never hold yourself up to be Mr Perfect
That's because what was actually happening and what was declared as happening were two different things and all along there was no need for it.. it was the lies and deception that kept biting that arse.
But hey! This is pinball.. its the only industry I know of where people will put their hands deep into their pockets when someone only has an idea and all is forgiven at the release of one good title
Right on the money there Gav. The deceptive conduct will be how this venture is judged. Early days, this venture was the buzzword of the industry.
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There was a time where this pinball and its manufacturer being discussed on this forum would have sent ripples through AA and they would have banded together to protect their precious fair dinkum dinky dye member... he is one of us remember? LOL.
So far though.. this discussion has been the only open, honest and non volatile thread on any forum.
^^^
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Right on the money there Gav. The deceptive conduct will be how this venture is judged. Early days, this venture was the buzzword of the industry.
http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=10942.0
just been reading back through the first thread
everyone was behind this
seems it took 3 years for the shine to come off the idea
(a poor showing at 2016 pinfest)
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That's because the lies and deceit were getting too much. January 2016 I received a phone call from China asking what type of plastic to make pop bumper bodies out of and yet all along the official spin was that a finished machine was just around the corner.. in fact right at concept when pre order money was being received, the official line was that "if" anything were to be shown it would include pop bumpers, flippers etc just like any other pinball.
Its not a good story..
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Its not a good story..
I have a great story
normally I don't like to post the contents of PMs or e-mails (but I am going to anyway)
I did receive a series of PMs from Mike suggesting I move my bakery to China
I would not know where to start sourcing ingredients, nor would I trust those sources, and ignoring the small fact that the Chinese dont like to try new food
I would not like to live in a country where I dont speak the language
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Its not a good story..
I have a great story
normally I don't like to post the contents of PMs or e-mails (but I am going to anyway)
I did receive a series of PMs from Mike suggesting I move my bakery to China
I would not know where to start sourcing ingredients, nor would I trust those sources, and ignoring the small fact that the Chinese dont like to try new food
I would not like to live in a country where I dont speak the language
Not like Mike to be telling someone how to do their thing I would have thought....
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[/quote]
http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=10942.0
just been reading back through the first thread
everyone was behind this
seems it took 3 years for the shine to come off the idea
(a poor showing at 2016 pinfest)
[/quote]
Some of us it took a lot sooner and were subsequently slammed for saying so.
I still hope it turns out OK for the pre order people and game play is at least reasonable.
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I realised alot earlier due a few dealings in 2013/2014 which made me wary, and from then he brought me into threads on AA to get people to turn against me and interesting now those people have seen the real side of him.
He flogged the micro phone as being the best thing and then his Rapide3d printer as the next best thing and look what happened to those projects...
Then in his TBAG thread he said he was building in China as was cheap, but at one stage was going to get Chinese workers to hand make cabinets and not CNC cut which was a major concern for me - how can you take him seriously in manufacturing - though he soon after adopted technology. But some things still allude him with a plastic lockdown bar as he has struggled to reproduce metal pressed ones.
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Yes.. for a long time it was the pin no one was allowed to talk about as the Homepin fanboise would quickly trample all over you.. even constructive criticism was not allowed.. only blind subservience.
Forum censorship and free thought strangulation allowed Mike to get away with far too much.. even the lapdogs turned in the end
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interesting name in the credits
(https://i.imgur.com/drjJCUP.jpg)
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interesting - Mike saying thanks to JPop and Ben Heck, and ( Stern & JJP )
wonder what Ben thinks....
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Yes.. for a long time it was the pin no one was allowed to talk about as the Homepin fanboise would quickly trample all over you.. even constructive criticism was not allowed.. only blind subservience.
Forum censorship and free thought strangulation allowed Mike to get away with far too much.. even the lapdogs turned in the end
my exact thoughts and what I tried to allude to at aa. Comments seemed to have to be approved by homepin. Many fanboys would say mike has approved me saying such and such and I'd take ofrence to people who put money down feeling they had to be censored. Unfortunately those non paying guys tried to stand up for these guys but were trampled and called trolls. Now, I for one, don't care if people lose their dough now because I felt somewhat thrown under the bus.
I still am interested to see how this venture pans out, and what this game will be like. I hope there will be honest reviews of it but I fear owners will post positives regardless because I think most will want to move it on quickly and bad talk will make selling it difficult
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I think you are wrong,
you will see a lot of these come up for sale, still in the box
Mikes attitude and the 5 year wait has left a sour taste in pre-order buyers mouths
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Yes.. for a long time it was the pin no one was allowed to talk about as the Homepin fanboise would quickly trample all over you.. even constructive criticism was not allowed.. only blind subservience.
Forum censorship and free thought strangulation allowed Mike to get away with far too much.. even the lapdogs turned in the end
my exact thoughts and what I tried to allude to at aa. Comments seemed to have to be approved by homepin. Many fanboys would say mike has approved me saying such and such and I'd take ofrence to people who put money down feeling they had to be censored. Unfortunately those non paying guys tried to stand up for these guys but were trampled and called trolls. Now, I for one, don't care if people lose their dough now because I felt somewhat thrown under the bus.
I still am interested to see how this venture pans out, and what this game will be like. I hope there will be honest reviews of it but I fear owners will post positives regardless because I think most will want to move it on quickly and bad talk will make selling it difficult
Explains the veil of secrecy on AA. Makes sense to me. But pre order owners should be kept in the loop "somehow". I'm glad that when APR was "briefly" the "distributor", I took pre order $ and kept it in the bank. Once my suspicions were confirmed, I was in a position to refund the deposits with "Stern" advice thereafter. I learnt my lessons with the chrome ball returns which were frustrating, to say the least. Nothing worse than supporting a product or company and then being left out of pocket. Either as a "distributor" or a "customer".
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Ah yes, the great ball debacle.
So many memories, be most bad.
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I forgot about the balls. For once me being slack paid off. By the time I was ready to buy they were sold out or something and then never became available again.
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I forgot about the balls. For once me being slack paid off. By the time I was ready to buy they were sold out or something and then never became available again.
then look at the service or lack of, imagine a whole machine - no thanks
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a proto was shown at a US show over the weekend, with ball search issues, balls caught up in odd places and a few few posted thoughts - basically average and then down the scale.
interesting a kiwi hand a proto in his possession for a few months and when asked his thoughts on the game, he responds - guessing he not wanting to damage relationships with Mike but he is not a fan of the game
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artist announced himself as Mike liked to keep things hush hush, a known pinsider for doing the art who is from Portugal, though very early days the art was going to be done by Mike's son
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/thunderbirds-pinball-art (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/thunderbirds-pinball-art)
also as more info comes out Thunderbirds is not so Australian designed
- art done by a pinsider in Portugal- parts copied and made by Chinese in China- possible playfield design by Jpop (USA), of at least one version- copied Ben Hecks (USA) boardsets design structure and software- final programming who knows?- final game design who knows?- sounds and music who knows?
- made in China by 90-95% Chinese
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well, they are Interntional Rescue
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Looks like you might get your machine soon Pete. I was just looking at the latest video on the Facebook page, there seems to be a bunch of machines almost ready to go.
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Looks like you might get your machine soon Pete. I was just looking at the latest video on the Facebook page, there seems to be a bunch of machines almost ready to go.
m sure my 3yo grandson will love it
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Looks like you might get your machine soon Pete. I was just looking at the latest video on the Facebook page, there seems to be a bunch of machines almost ready to go.
m sure my 3yo grandson will love it
Yes he will.. it will be awesome for him..
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A mate read a classic on pinside yesterday that made me laugh. The yank wrote he thought tbag was a terrible game. An aussie wiredoug that usually defends mike wrote back 'terrible compared to what, ie. Gilligans island is terrible compared to medieval madness'. The yank replied tbag is terrible compared to gilligans island &^& .
Bet he wasn't expecting that
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A mate read a classic on pinside yesterday that made me laugh. The yank wrote he thought tbag was a terrible game. An aussie wiredoug that usually defends mike wrote back 'terrible compared to what, ie. Gilligans island is terrible compared to medieval madness'. The yank replied tbag is terrible compared to gilligans island &^& .
Bet he wasn't expecting that
A vested interest will always lead the minions.
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Wait, What
Gilligan,s island is
" the best game EVER" !^!
How dare MM or TBAG be spoken in the same sentence &&
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Wait, What
Gilligan,s island is
" the best game EVER" !^!
How dare MM or TBAG be spoken in the same sentence &&
I concur. Love Gilligans. Usually people who don't like it, have never played one. I had never even seen a Popeye until 3 weeks ago. I have one now and I LOVE it.
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The game wont be that bad, it cant be. There are very few games that really stink.
The pool opening up for multiball is a cool feature but whether the play flows or not is often down to the player and apparently it has no depth but neither does Judge Dredd and plenty of people love that pin.
Final opinion will come when I play it but I can think of a few Stern games that I consider a complete waste of energy.. Transformers is one that springs to mind.. Batman dark Knight I walked away from after I found I just couldn't lose the bloody ball and got bored.
Its a pinball machine and to many that's enough to warrant desirablility... so many new people to the hobby these days, you see them posting on the FB pages with issues that really they should be able to sort through by themselves.
Damn.. there are even people who collect Playmatic and Recel games!
I recently had an online discussion with someone who thought Mustang ( Quick Draw) was a belter of a game even with its serious design flaw of having a single drop centre playfield that almost guarantees SDTM.. speaking of which.. you can add GTB's 300 ( Top Score) to that list which is the only game ive ever owned where repeatedly I could flip 5 balls and not get to touch one of them with a flipper due to the damn centre PF spinner!
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I like Gilligans Island!!
Yet to play Tbag (but every time I see it I cannot think of a more apt acronym for a game.....)
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I like Gilligans Island!!
Yet to play Tbag (but every time I see it I cannot think of a more apt acronym for a game.....)
You are not allowed to call it TBAG remember? ITV are watching ALL posts and they will take a strong view on anyone calling it TBAG...LOL!!!!!... Another of Mikes complete and utter bullshit posts!
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The game is getting bad reviews on pinside.
It is a real pity that he didn’t use a better design.
He copied a lot of mechs, pcbs, etc. But he didn’t copy a good playfield layout! Maybe he should have...
Might be time to scrap this title and move on. Next.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Yet to play Tbag (but every time I see it I cannot think of a more apt acronym for a game.....)
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DetailedRawAurochs-small.gif)
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seems the first dozen games have left the Homepin factory
no idea where they are heading (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane)
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Australia is where they SHOULD be going. Fingers crossed for you blokes.
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seems the first dozen games have left the Homepin factory
no idea where they are heading (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane)
No delivery date for your game ?
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seems the first dozen games have left the Homepin factory
no idea where they are heading (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane)
No delivery date for your game ?
not a peep from Mike since May
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Isn't Highway Entertainment looking after this now Pete?
I am sure they said they have contacted people on progress/ delivery.
Might be worth a quick email if you haven't.
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hard to know what is going on
but you are right, maybe a e-mail is called for
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taken from Face Book
Pop Bumper Pete So where is the first container going? QLD NSW or VIC?
HomePin Now that we are in production you can imagine that EVERYONE wants their machine first. The truth is we can only build so many a day and can't materialise 100 machines overnight. We are doing our best to get all orders filled as fast as we possibly can. The factory has been working overtime now for six days a week and we have employed five additional casuals, I am unsure how long I can ask the staff to continue at this pace? We simply cannot do any better than that currently. In order to assist with all pre-order deliveries we have asked Highway Games to come on board as they have a lot more containers heading to many different destinations and so are more likely to be able to get the finished machines into buyers hands much faster than we can at this point.
HomePinsix days a week for two months!!!!! The staff need a break as well!
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So the answer is???? Man why can't this guy be straight with people? If it's heading to the US then say it Is, not go on a long winded explanation of why the world is tough. Next stop for Mike is politics
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continued....
Pop Bumper PeteWhoa, steady down. I did not demand anything. just glad production has started
HomePinPeter Pop Bumper Just clarifying things for EVERYONE - it wasn't meant as a direct reply to your comment.
Pop Bumper Peteso, you meant to say, the first container is going to NSW and Highway is taking care of all Australian distribution, so you can focus on production
HomePinPartly correct. I am focusing on getting production running as smoothly as possible. Highway are assessing all destinations and they will make the final decision on how best to distribute machines to get them into buyers hands as soon as possible. There are many factors that affect this and they are better at handling this aspect than we are from China. We also have many buyers from all over including prebuyers from places other than Australia. That's all I will say on the matter as it's now up to Highway.
[/quote]
Pop Bumper Peteyou could have said that earlier, clarifying the issue
HomePinThese arrangements take time and the entire deal is not yet 100% finalised. When we finally have a firm arrangement all details will be made public. You were asking a question a little early.
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Fuxxed By Experts F.B.E.
Has Highway responded at all as obviously ol' mate has completely wiped his hands off it now.
Can not believe how this has all eventuated.
Love to know how his "talks" go int the upcoming show.
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Highway has started a thread on AA with information on distribution within Australia. not much information in the thread ATM but at least it's a start
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Heighway may be the most recent distributor, and that's fine, but the pinheads like Pete have been there since Day 1. These early orders should be treated a fair bit better than deflective and cryptic responses. The pre orders have to be delivered first. That's the whole idea of a pre order.
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Just got a reply from highway
they seem to want to take care of things, but Mike has given them a mess to clean up
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Well, dont I look the fool
first container is going to Canada (Nitro Pinball)
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Well, dont I look the fool
first container is going to Canada (Nitro Pinball)
No f**king way!!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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https://www.facebook.com/NITROPINBALL/
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You are f@#$ing joking?
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@@* Well done Mike or fellow Aussie and mate. But that's just Mike isn't it so that'll be OK to shaft people coz he's a straight shooter yeah??? Obviously those who think of him like that have got no f**king idea what a straight shooter is. Other names come to mind but straight shooter, friend, fellow Aussie mate don't
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Hang on, earlier today there was dribble about how hard things are going over there, and a container heads off to Canada ? !*!
Now we know where all the Aussie Pre Order dollars went to.. Canada.. Hopefully there is a container heading to Australia as well. If not, that is VERY "UN-Australian".
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Well, dont I look the fool
first container is going to Canada (Nitro Pinball)
Right there is your reward for " having faith in my ( Homepin) ability to deliver".
Stump up the funds from day 1 so the guy has some collateral to build a "factory from scratch" and get immediately f**ked over.
What a low life piece of shit the man is.
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Hang on, earlier today there was dribble about how hard things are going over there, and a container heads off to Canada ? !*!
Now we know where all the Aussie Pre Order dollars went to.. Canada.. Hopefully there is a container heading to Australia as well. If not, that is VERY "UN-Australian".
sorry mate but you're incorrect there. The preorder dollars went to good ol China. The product paid with potential Canadian dollars went to Canada. how best to maximum profits by selling a product twice I say. Yes it will be interesting to hear his speil at upcoming pinball fest. What excuse will he use for this unfortunate situation.... I know homepins shipping manager died recently and his replacement doesn't know where Australia is. That happens in business of which us ignorant, non business savvy pinball shmucks don't understand
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I have been a bit quiet of late and having a break from Facebook and Pinside but this makes me so angry and takes the shine off pinball though not a surprise as been aware of some of his scams in the past - Mike you are a crook and this isn't the first time is it........
first the Microphone- https://pando.com/2013/06/30/thieves-and-scams-the-problem-with-crowdfunding/- (https://pando.com/2013/06/30/thieves-and-scams-the-problem-with-crowdfunding/-) https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/micro-phone-our-amazing-device-is-now-available-with-bluetooth-4-0-ble-tracking--17#/comments (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/micro-phone-our-amazing-device-is-now-available-with-bluetooth-4-0-ble-tracking--17#/comments)
next the Rapide 3D printer 1, 2 and 3 taking lots of peoples indiegogo dollars,
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rapide-one-affordable-professional-desktop-3d-printer-by-rapide-3d#/comments (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rapide-one-affordable-professional-desktop-3d-printer-by-rapide-3d#/comments)
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rapide-lite-affordable-high-resolution-3d-printer#/comments (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rapide-lite-affordable-high-resolution-3d-printer#/comments)
yes he claims he left Ethan Hunt at the Microphone days but they still worked together right through the printer days, but it is all bullshit.http://www.supplierblacklist.com/2016/05/18/rapide-3d-ionnoi-digital-ltd/ (http://www.supplierblacklist.com/2016/05/18/rapide-3d-ionnoi-digital-ltd/)look at the fake signage on the building....
Hang on, earlier today there was dribble about how hard things are going over there, and a container heads off to Canada ? !*!
Now we know where all the Aussie Pre Order dollars went to.. Canada.. Hopefully there is a container heading to Australia as well. If not, that is VERY "UN-Australian".
sorry mate but you're incorrect there. The preorder dollars went to good ol China. The product paid with potential Canadian dollars went to Canada. how best to maximum profits by selling a product twice I say. Yes it will be interesting to hear his speil at upcoming pinball fest. What excuse will he use for this unfortunate situation.... I know homepins shipping manager died recently and his replacement doesn't know where Australia is. That happens in business of which us ignorant, non business savvy pinball shmucks don't understand
I hadn't heard this one before:- knew wife died of cancer which is sad I know but he started the business knowing that and chased his dream while she was sick alot in Aus with him not around to support ???- then the programmer dies setting back the project and cancels the colour dmd from the game - now the shipping manager dies setting back shipping - it is hard to believe this guy anymore and don't wish him luck anymore
Maybe the new shipping manager sent them to the wrong country - sorry - bad joke
As for you Pete go to the Industrial Relations and get your money back....
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Hang on, earlier today there was dribble about how hard things are going over there, and a container heads off to Canada ? !*!
Now we know where all the Aussie Pre Order dollars went to.. Canada.. Hopefully there is a container heading to Australia as well. If not, that is VERY "UN-Australian".
sorry mate but you're incorrect there. The preorder dollars went to good ol China. The product paid with potential Canadian dollars went to Canada. how best to maximum profits by selling a product twice I say. Yes it will be interesting to hear his speil at upcoming pinball fest. What excuse will he use for this unfortunate situation.... I know homepins shipping manager died recently and his replacement doesn't know where Australia is. That happens in business of which us ignorant, non business savvy pinball shmucks don't understand
Technically speaking, all $ went to China. The Hankin clones and Lowboys paid for the rent / fitout of the factory etc.
From Day One, the emphasis was to produce TBAG for the Aussie / UK market, as the show itself was not a show shown in the USA. Pete's money, was for his machine, not for the Canadian, USA or rest of the world market. He should get his first. If I was a pre order customer, I would be doing everything in my power for a refund. BUT we don't know what is going on in the background. From experience, it looks "typical"..
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What a shitshow.
Firstly I hope everyone who has paid up for A tbag get the game they ordered.
After that is done I really hope he goes broke and out of business.
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What a shitshow.
Firstly I hope everyone who has paid up for A tbag get the game they ordered.
After that is done I really hope he goes broke and out of business.
he does not have what it takes to make it in the pinball business, innovation
TAG is where pinball was back in the late 80's
look at the games Stern is making, JJP, Spooky. they are all making games that are exciting
All Mike can do is blame others
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What a shitshow.
Firstly I hope everyone who has paid up for A tbag get the game they ordered.
After that is done I really hope he goes broke and out of business.
he does not have what it takes to make it in the pinball business, innovation
TAG is where pinball was back in the late 80's
look at the games Stern is making, JJP, Spooky. they are all making games that are exciting
All Mike can do is blame others
The game does look incredibly lame, makes a zizzle look good.
Such a waste of a great theme.
I will never buy ANYTHING from this fraudster, he is a stain on the pinball community.
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My bad when typing on phones. No deaths reported but I was being sarcastic in what other lame excuse will come out of this mob like something stupid as a ficticious death. There is always an excuse with this company and always out of their control and the customer should wear it
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rumor has it that Mike will be showing game #2 at Newcastle
wonder if he will be expecting deposits
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rumor has it that Mike will be showing game #2 at Newcastle
wonder if he will be expecting deposits
Secret room?
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it's taken him 5 years to do this one and it still has a heap of bugs, issues, design flaws - and even Pinballstar admits it's not it the same league as a Stern, he is selling some purely because of the price.
Mike stated something a while back the next game was purely for the Chinese market - so possibly just new art on the same layout I would bet.
As for the shipment going to Canada I bet half those go to Pinballstar in the USA as he is friends with Tommy and they were going to do a share freight deal as stated in a recent Kaneda podcast interview. So here is Mike who was never targeting the US now sending most of his games and the first ones to boot to the US - he must be desperately trying to find sales.
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rumor has it that Mike will be showing game #2 at Newcastle
wonder if he will be expecting deposits
Secret room?
PM with another disgruntled preorder buyer
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As for the shipment going to Canada I bet half those go to Pinballstar in the USA as he is friends with Tommy and they were going to do a share freight deal as stated in a recent Kaneda podcast interview. So here is Mike who was never targeting the US now sending most of his games and the first ones to boot to the US - he must be desperately trying to find sales.
Mike has said in the past he can only make 10-15 games per week
now that he is chasing new money, id guess onky half will go to preorder buyers
i doubt i will get my game before xmas
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it is such a low act, feel for you mate
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sadly looks like 5 (years), 4 (months), 3 (weeks), 2 (days), 1 (hour) = 1st Dec 2018 might be an accurate prediction for delivery to Australia
who would ever contemplate even thinking about buying his next game, even the proto TBAG games out there still have the proto in house ramp and people are not liking and toppers have not been done as well apparently
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Take my money I'm in *.*
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sorry, i dont know how to copy/paste a url on my mobile
check out the Homepin thread on Pinside
supposedly my and othes games are finished and await shipping
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I love how ol' mate paints himself as a being a Saint and passes the buck to appear better than he is.
I am sure the majority of pinball freaks see through the utter garbage that dribbles from hiss sess pit.
It is like watching a train wreck in very slow motion!
The drama continues and so I keep watching till the next episode.
Aussie Gaming Expo that is on now may have a different view of the game to the young crew.
Would love to play the game and try and forget the trash behind it!
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he likes to play on words, interesting that the first large batch goes to Canada and US when they only come on the scene as in interested parties in the last year or less.
here you go Pete for the record, and reckon that is Wiredoug and not Mike - Mike would of been less caring in his response.
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for the clickless;
homepin
Yes - "free freight" WITH CONDITIONS......as I have said, we currently have no containers shipping to Australia and this was clearly stated in the message to all pre-order buyers including yourself.
If you are happy to WAIT for a container with space in order to have "free freight" then you will need to calm down and WAIT for one. Currently there are NONE that we have booked for Australia. When will there be one? I have zero idea.
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guys this game with promoted as being the best value for money, quality build that no one has seen, and doing business how it should be, by delivering on time not like JJP.
Well its a fail on delivery, and quality, well you need a finalized game to be able to make that judgement....don't you??
But what I want to really tackle is the value for money aspect. Homepin hammered home how other suppliers are profiteering and ripping the pinball public. Well lets start with $5432.10 five years ago. What was a Judge Dred etc worth then and what's it worth now? Obviously your pinball dollar has taken a hammering and still no box in your lounge room.
Then the price doesn't include shipping to OZ, WTF you're asking for trouble and you're getting it now fellas. What shipping a game worth and lets add this to the price.
GST I hear you say, lets add that.
Product support/backup is gotta be worth something and is there really any being offered from Homepin that's not riddled with more conditions.
Chances this manufacturer will be around in the next 5 years let alone 12 months and what spares will be floating around the planet? That's worth something, yes?
And finally, the game itself, is it worth even the $5K price tag in innovation, creativity, coding and gameplay?
Can someone in the know tally this equation and let's see what a TBAG is really going to cost compared to a Stern Pro for instance.
Oh and I wonder what Mike would have said had this been a JJP or Stern project...my guess not very nice words indeed
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Wayne (Ballypinball) has offered on pinside to import some games
this wont happen if only one or two of us take up the offer
if you are a TAG preorder buyer, and you want your game befor hell frezes over, contact BallyPinball on pinside
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Wayne (Ballypinball) has offered on pinside to import some games
this wont happen if only one or two of us take up the offer
if you are a TAG preorder buyer, and you want your game befor hell frezes over, contact BallyPinball on pinside
wouldn't this request be better on the private thread on aa or have you done this?
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there is not that many members of the private forum
as i posted, we need at least 18 people to take up the offer
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there is not that many members of the private forum
as i posted, we need at least 18 people to take up the offer
Are there that many pre orders? Mike reckons the pre order money only equated to approx. $50K.. that's 9 or 10 sales... half of what you need
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Wayne (Ballypinball) has offered on pinside to import some games
this wont happen if only one or two of us take up the offer
if you are a TAG preorder buyer, and you want your game befor hell frezes over, contact BallyPinball on pinside
wouldn't this request be better on the private thread on aa or have you done this?
PM's have been sent out to all known pre orderers.
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there is not that many members of the private forum
as i posted, we need at least 18 people to take up the offer
Are there that many pre orders? Mike reckons the pre order money only equated to approx. $50K.. that's 9 or 10 sales... half of what you need
Mike was quoting of the top of his head at the time. He's point was it's not a lot money/people.
I'd guess around 100k.
Also remember some pre orderers only paid a deposit at the time.
There are 15 people that I'm aware of. I'm sure there are others.
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there is not that many members of the private forum
as i posted, we need at least 18 people to take up the offer
Are there that many pre orders? Mike reckons the pre order money only equated to approx. $50K.. that's 9 or 10 sales... half of what you need
Mike was quoting of the top of his head at the time. He's point was it's not a lot money/people.
I'd guess around 100k.
Also remember some pre orderers only paid a deposit at the time.
There are 15 people that I'm aware of. I'm sure there are others.
and that makes you guys insignificant, and at the time of handing over the money I bet you were made to feel very significant. Annoys me how you guys have been treated
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It says alot about Homepin business and Thunderbirds popularity if there are no shipments coming to Aus in the near future apart from pre-orders. Also with the ball debacle and the apparent issues with the arcade tables I would not trust his product support if he is still around. Good to see people saying their bit over on Pinside. Mike and mini-Mike (wiredoug) are not saying too much of late.
Must say not a fan of Highway Entertainment either as they are being a bit shady about their digital pin and not clearly stating what is going on with Pinball Arcade etc.... just has a element of unknown with it
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totally agree pinball god and why I think he is a snake conning people and then shafting them
now once you see the machine and all the mechs I truely don't think he is creative at all, he copied Bally / WMS boards and reproduced, he copied the micro-(mobile)phone and that was a scam, he copied 3d printers and didn't deliver, he copied the hankin cocktail and sold a bunch (not sure on quality), he copied all the pinball mechs - yes a couple of minor improvements here and there but nothing wow!!!!!. He doesn't have the creativity to blow people away with a pinball product and never will with his orange dmd's etc.
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It says alot about Homepin business and Thunderbirds popularity if there are no shipments coming to Aus in the near future apart from pre-orders. Also with the ball debacle and the apparent issues with the arcade tables I would not trust his product support if he is still around. Good to see people saying their bit over on Pinside. Mike and mini-Mike (wiredoug) are saying too much of late.
Must say not a fan of Highway Entertainment either as they are being a bit shady about their digital pin and not clearly stating what is going on with Pinball Arcade etc....
The tables are brilliant. Only Gamemasters are better. The Lowboys were a disaster. I bought a container, and I had problems with the first 3-4 so from that point on, I've had to QA every single machine. Every single Lowboy has issues that the customer would have picked up. Once I have gone over the machines, they are reliable. Communicating this back to Homepin was met with "Mike is too busy building TBAGs to talk to you about YOUR problems.."
This was the start of the end. THANKFULLY, I had the 6 TBAG pre order deposits held in trust, and when the next part of Homepin's conduct eventuated, I contacted each pre order buyers and returned their deposits in full.
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I wonder if Highway entertainment know who all the Australian pre order customers are?
If they do , surely they would work with Wayne to get the pins shipped.
Mike is very good at shitting in his own nest. What a way to run a business. F@k me.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Discussion on TAG have apparently been banned on Aussie Arcade. (I don't know why, I heard that from a podcast this week).
...Has anyone played the game that is in production? Are the negative reviews more based on some of Mike's statements and behaviours, or are they truely reflective of the game?
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Reflective of game! Mike is a twat, but the reviews are spot on IMO.
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...and in further news, Highway is no longer dealing with the preorder guys
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...and in further news, Highway is no longer dealing with the preorder guys
is that fact or are you stirring
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fact,
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well that is poor form, these guys know how to ruin there businesses
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Or is it Highway have done all they can and Homepin isn’t supplying the pre order machines?
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dont know, dont care
aparently my getting my money refunded was meant to mean that i no longer have an opinion
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Discussion on TAG have apparently been banned on Aussie Arcade. (I don't know why, I heard that from a podcast this week).
...Has anyone played the game that is in production? Are the negative reviews more based on some of Mike's statements and behaviours, or are they truely reflective of the game?
Apparently there is a display machine somewhere in Tullamarine. So anyone interested can play test the game for themselves.
...and in further news, Highway is no longer dealing with the preorder guys
The distribution model back when we were the "distributor" was flawed and highly unprofessional. Not surprised at all. Homepin NEVER EVER took onboard constructive distribution suggestions etc. Once they had our money, there was zero interest in support. Rather, the chase was on for the next container load out.
Or is it Highway have done all they can and Homepin isn’t supplying the pre order machines?
I don't know for a fact, but is sounds like normal "modus operandi". No surprise to me.
dont know, dont care
aparently my getting my money refunded was meant to mean that i no longer have an opinion
So you have lost your right to document your experiences ? I think a few pinheads have valued your opinion, and those of others affected, so that they were informed and didn't make the same mistakes.
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Unless of course you have something good to say about your experience or the machine. In which case, comments are more than welcome..LOL.
Its how Homepin ran the thread on AA.. in fact, its how AA ran the thread on AA and its how Homepin etc want the thread on Pinside to run.
Problem lies in the fact that no one has a good experience dealing with Homepin... im pretty sure even Hiighway are are finding life difficult given what ive read.
Now, if upon its final release it had been a great game, things wouldn't be too bad, but unfortunately, its obvious Mike cobbled together some parts on a PF and called it "design".
But.. on the plus side, the USA was never their intended market and that gives Mike the right to act derogatorily which he has also done to the Aus market and UK market.
So... pachinko machines for China it is then..,.LOL
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Took a looooooooong time but most people have seen the light.
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Oh dear
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Disappointing to hear first hand that NEW Aussie Customers are receiving their games within weeks, yet pre order guys are still waiting. Even more disgraceful is that the local distributor is advising these new buyers NOT to respond or make any contact with pre order customers. In other words - keep it all hush that they have their games already in their gamesroom.
!*! !*!
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Massive cash grab, mike must be hurting to behave like this
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Disappointing to hear first hand that NEW Aussie Customers are receiving their games within weeks, yet pre order guys are still waiting. Even more disgraceful is that the local distributor is advising these new buyers NOT to respond or make any contact with pre order customers. In other words - keep it all hush that they have their games already in their gamesroom.
!*! !*!
Who is the local distributor thst you speak of?
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So if all above shocks you, check out
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Thunderbirds-Pinball-Machine-12-MONTHS-WARRANTY-FREE-FREIGHT/132958649101?hash=item1ef4f3fb0d:g:buoAAOSwbaxca4s-
so item must be IN STOCK and available.
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Disappointing to hear first hand that NEW Aussie Customers are receiving their games within weeks, yet pre order guys are still waiting. Even more disgraceful is that the local distributor is advising these new buyers NOT to respond or make any contact with pre order customers. In other words - keep it all hush that they have their games already in their gamesroom.
!*! !*!
Who is the local distributor thst you speak of?
Homepin distributor. Whoever that is, I have not kept track of who the sucker would be these days.
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apparently Doug / Wiredoug is the Service agent for Vic but that aside I wouldn't trust Homepin or Highway - save you money for another pinball / company.
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apparently Doug / Wiredoug is the Service agent for Vic but that aside I wouldn't trust Homepin or Highway - save you money for another pinball / company.
I thought the "new" distributor was Owen in Tullamarine ? There a TBAG on Display and in stock apparently.
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Disappointing to hear first hand that NEW Aussie Customers are receiving their games within weeks, yet pre order guys are still waiting. Even more disgraceful is that the local distributor is advising these new buyers NOT to respond or make any contact with pre order customers. In other words - keep it all hush that they have their games already in their gamesroom.
!*! !*!
You mean there are new customers out there that are buying this pin?
I've hard they can't sell the ones in stock.
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[/quote]
I thought the "new" distributor was Owen in Tullamarine ? There a TBAG on Display and in stock apparently.
[/quote]
You can't say TBAG, but, I call it Blunderturds!
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Disappointing to hear first hand that NEW Aussie Customers are receiving their games within weeks, yet pre order guys are still waiting. Even more disgraceful is that the local distributor is advising these new buyers NOT to respond or make any contact with pre order customers. In other words - keep it all hush that they have their games already in their gamesroom.
!*! !*!
You mean there are new customers out there that are buying this pin?
I've hard they can't sell the ones in stock.
Had a customer in here 2 weeks ago after taking a delivery of TBAG. Needed parts to "improve" his machine. Not a pre order customer.
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I thought the "new" distributor was Owen in Tullamarine ? There a TBAG on Display and in stock apparently.
[/quote]
You can't say TBAG, but, I call it Blunderturds!
[/quote]
Chunderbirds.
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You can't say TBAG, but, I call it Blunderturds!
I'd call it overpriced
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$7,300! Gee what is the price of a Stern these days? Not far off, and assembled in the USA.
Clearly priced to pay for the set up of the company. A made in China machine should eventually be a lot less than that price.
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So if all above shocks you, check out
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Thunderbirds-Pinball-Machine-12-MONTHS-WARRANTY-FREE-FREIGHT/132958649101?hash=item1ef4f3fb0d:g:buoAAOSwbaxca4s-
so item must be IN STOCK and available.
I clicked on the link
Now I'm getting emails from eBay asking if I still want to buy a thunderbirds.
Thanks for that.
Just what i needed:)
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I continue to be amazed at what a shit storm Mike as allowed BlunderTurds to become. If only common sense would outweigh arrogance, the pre-order guys would have gotten their games, and Mike would have a somewhat intact reputation. I just don't get it.
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What happened to the 'innovation' and were on earth did they get the Artwork(?) from?
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Bro do a review
if it doesn't start in the right spot, so go to the 1hr / 3min / 30sec mark
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Well they pull no punches!! Pretty funny.
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Metal lockdown bar, conventional flipper buttons, more effort and money in DMD graphics, strengthen up flippers from factory and work with an experienced designer - the next one should be much better. The effort to build it in the first place is remarkable. 80% there.
Problem is the name has been muddied.
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Brutal Review. But the honesty is refreshing. Take the good with the bad, and learn from it !
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Metal lockdown bar, conventional flipper buttons, more effort and money in DMD graphics, strengthen up flippers from factory and work with an experienced designer - the next one should be much better. The effort to build it in the first place is remarkable. 80% there.
Problem is the name has been muddied.
next one has been released..... Ha an ice cold beer copy no pinball in sight