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.

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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)