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QUESTIONS AND GUIDES
Why are your playfields the most inexpensive reproductions
we see out there?
No expensive project overhead, period.
Whether it's Medieval Madness or Raven... we can make all playfields
for roughly the same cost.
Certain factors like additional tooling, or extinct inserts (no
factory molds) having to be remade, may raise costs on the more
complicated/DMD playfields, but we will always seek the best
pricing we can provide.
Heck, by the time you've bought a CPR playfield, with PLASTICS
set, *and* paid shipping, we're usually still less expensive than the
*playfield price alone* on any other repro playfield price tag out there,
with NO plastics, and NO shipping ! Wow.
Way back in the beginning when we started this hobby venture, we
KNEW that within a couple years down the road the ONLY way
affordable playfields were going to be possible was by
eliminating the "old way" people went about reproducing
playfields, and re-inventing the method. We knew it was
going to be a huge frontage of expenses, with a very long term
haul to cover our initial expenses, but with the patience of
many years we knew it would work out.
We cleared out our basements and filled them with expensive
commercial equipment just like the original playfield factories
used to have to produce playfields. Every tool, rig, jig,
and machine that they had - we bought similar (or painstakingly
built our own!). We wanted
everything required to make playfields, plastics, and backglasses
IN-HOUSE. *Literally* in house... we mean in our
houses!! Now we're a couple of regular pinball
hobbyists who have (in the long term) reduced our overhead costs
and eliminated the outrageous professional billing that cripples
the expenses of outsourced playfield projects shipped around to
woodshops, print shops, etc. It's just a different way
of doing things, and a different philosophy on longevity and
being within the reach of most pinball hobbyists affordability -
not just the rich ones with rich games :)
How are the playfields printed?
All our playfields are genuine spot-color silkscreened just like
the old days, on our big American M&M Viking press.
They are convection-baked after every color at 250 to 350
degrees to cure the enamel inks one-by-one.
Where does the artwork come from?
Artwork comes from a variety of sources... sometimes from
original factory films, sometimes from original factory design
computer files, or sometimes freshly redrawn in the present by
an artist.
Where do the inserts come from?
All the inserts we use come from the same original factory molds
used for the last 50-60 years in Chicago, and from the same
factory that made them for your original playfield !
We occasionally have to deal with lost molds, but have our own
made at the factory to produce the same part, from their
equipment.
What kind of wood are CPR's playfields made from?
Our wood is now genuine American Hardwoods Inc 17/32 Mapletop
(formerly Weber Inc.),
which is the actual wood used for playfield manufacturing in
Chicago for the last 50+ years. It is still being used
today for Stern pinball playfields, and comes from the same mill
(made in the USA) that has been making it for Churchill Cabinet
in Chicago since the beginning. It is the best gameboard
wood in the world, and special thanks goes to Mr. Roger Duba of
Churchill Cabinet for all his support in our negotiations for
CPR access to this exclusive stock of wood that is only run a
few times a year by ONE mill. Our new relationship with
Churchill and American Hardwoods is yet another step in
authenticity and quality that we have wanted to make for a long
time. Their special blend of veneers, cores, and
tolerances are exclusive to this wood and pretty much a secret
recipe that won't even be disclosed to us !
There is a [playfield/backglass/plastics set] I want you to make
for me and several of my buddies...can we hire you?
We WILL do a commissioned/private small run of playfields/backglasses/plastics
for a common group of pinball hobbyists (or a single financier)
that have banded together to fund the production of said
product. The only patience you will need is allowing time
to get it on our calendar amongst any other ongoing projects
active. Terms can be directly negotiated with us, but the common
terms you need to know are a) minimum run 15 pieces
b) all
pieces in the private run need to be paid for up front c)
artwork needs to be provided, we cannot make it for you d)
a sample of the factory original needs to be submitted (we will
return it to you).
If you & your group don't want to (or can't) fund the project up
front, we CAN undertake carrying the entire financing of your
dream playfield/backglass/plastics set, through to completion IF
a) the part being made is potentially publicly sellable &
successful b) you furnish the artwork and a sample
c) CPR is granted the permission to manufacture more than your
original minimum group requires, and we can publicly release the
item for sale in our CPR Store d) your
predetermined buyers group buys the
minimum agreed quantity after the project is finished.
- - - -
FLIGHT 2000 Plastics - Installation Help & Video
(this also helps with ANY riveted bell-post removal from old
plastics)
Click here for
Guide
Reproduction Playfield - Swap Prep and Care Help
(CENTAUR)
(this general reproduction playfield information can assist with
ANY playfield swap perparation)
Click here for
Guide
BASICS of VECTOR TRACING
TUTORIAL
SLIDE SHOW (PDF)
Click Here to Download
(6.1 MB)
AUDIO GUIDE (MP3)
Click Here to Download
(11.5 MB) |
