TAG - Thunderbirds Pinball - parts update thread

[Wiked]

I think the majority are just excited about the project - I know I am - and that makes it difficult to wait.

If I wasn't a fully paid buyer I wouldn't care one way or another when the pinball get's made etc.
Having paid for the game in full changes things somewhat though.

[Caveoftreasures]

Well done Mike.
I know the struggle of working 16 plus hr days 7 days a week and always having massive amounts to do with not enough time in the day.

Quality products take time and schedules are guidelines only.
Any pinhead who truly supports you will happily wait for a great product.
Hope things are better for you personally if such a thing can happen in such a short time and I am sure I speak for the majority when I say we are dam proud of you mate and what you have achieved so far.

Regards, Brett 

[pinsanity]

Time to get the blue pencil out.

[Homepin]

Time to get the blue pencil out.

Comments like that are not helpful and are uncalled for. If ANY pre-purchaser has an issue with ANYTHING they can take it up with me directly, not on a forum and NOT stirred up by third parties.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

Time to get the blue pencil out.

Because baiting Mike is ssoooo productive

[pinsanity]

Time to get the blue pencil out.

Because baiting Mike is ssoooo productive

You do know there is an ignore button, right?

For what it is worth, it wasn't baiting or stirring Homepin despite your knee jerk reaction.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

Time to get the blue pencil out.

Because baiting Mike is ssoooo productive

You do know there is an ignore button, right?

For what it is worth, it wasn't baiting or stirring Homepin despite your knee jerk reaction.

that I had to look up the term 'blue pencil' (and I still don't get it) suggests othewise

[pinsanity]

Time to get the blue pencil out.

Because baiting Mike is ssoooo productive

You do know there is an ignore button, right?

For what it is worth, it wasn't baiting or stirring Homepin despite your knee jerk reaction.

that I had to look up the term 'blue pencil' (and I still don't get it) suggests othewise

Suggest all you want. It doesn't make it so.

[Homepin]

OK - here are some pics from Facebook and a few extras as well.

Some preliminary Cabinet pics:

Stainless steel side rails:








This very early drawing doesn't show the "splay" of the legs.
That was an effort all on its own getting the correct splay in both directions.
Many Many hours of testing and work were required on this simple point alone!





EVERY single part must be drawn up, checked, DOUBLE checked then made either in-house or sent out to a suitable place. Here is a simple example of the hinge retaining bolt for the backbox hinge bolt:




...and the finished bolts in stock





Same thing with the glass slide rail plastics (in this case we had the die made and then some samples run before confirming the final production run of parts):





These have now been made and are in stock along with many many many other parts.


Multiply this effort by EVERY SINGLE PART in the machine and you start to get an idea of why we have been on this project solidly for two years now.

[swinks]

hats off to you Mike - lookin good and like the idea of the side rails wrapping around the front and SS 

[Homepin]

Anyone for target plastics?

A new part all starts with a drawing by our engineering department, usually after they are given some "chook scratchings":



Then the Homepin mechanical engineers mill up a mould - we use aluminium rather than steel as we are only going to be making tens of thousands of parts not millions which would require a steel mould:






Before even drawing up any parts I like to have things in stock such as the rivets we will be using - there is nothing worse that making new dies and parts only to find the rivet size you planned on using is not available or difficult to find:





Time to get some plastic. For these parts we are using POM. It is tough and durable and won't shrink or crack over time. It's almost like nylon but actually more durable than nylon. Hang the expense, I have chosen a high quality Taiwanese brand over some of the local "unknown" ones:



Time to melt some plastic!



.....looky here, some finished parts. Now off to the plastic shop to buy some colour and we can make the final parts in the colours we want ready to rivet onto the metal switch arm.



All of this process is done right here, in the Homepin factory, by Homepin staff using all our own machinery!

[robm]

Awesome insight Mike. Keep the info coming.

[Strangeways]

Loving the updates, Mike. Hopefully these will silence the doubters..

Lime green really suits you well. I got my hot pink ensemble Sid gave me 

[ddstoys]

Mate you really are making everything arn't you keep up the great work

[Homepin]

We pulled out an injection die we made a while back to put the finishing touches on it before we do a major run of the part.

Any guesses as to what the part is?

First correct guess wins..............well, nothing actually apart from the kudos of being the first correct guess...