Created
by GREG FRERES (artwork) and DENNIS NORDMAN
(design)
Produced by CLASSIC PLAYFIELD REPRODUCTIONS for
WHIZBANG PINBALL
The hobby seems to be ablaze
with chatter about several small to medium upstart machine
producers. With this distinct possibility of
fresh new original-themed pinball machines in our future, it's
no wonder that people are talking. Could the days of
original themes
come back, in some small or large way? Well, here is proof
that one of those upstart's great ambitions turned into reality.
With the final launch of the finished WNBJM at Pinball Expo
2011,
Whizbang Pinball claims its
spot in pinball history
as the first new manufacturer out of the gates with completed
'from-scratch' original product.
Whoa Nellie Big Juicy Melons may not be a huge factory
run, but a handful of lucky customers will be owners of this
historic low-run
"boutique" pinball machine. In the end, WNBJM will plant seeds
for the future of Whizbang Pinball. So keep an eye on
these guys!
The Backstory: CPR was approached in March 2011 to
discuss the possibility of manufacturing their last crucial
components.
Whizbang needed small runs of playfields and plastics, and
needed a supplier that could turn their designs and art into
physical reality.
We accepted the challenge, and were excited to produce something
ORIGINAL - not reproduction. Whizbang would provide the
designs,
the complete artwork separations, and specify the exact Pantone
colors by number. We would be creating product that IS the
paradigm !
The Results: Greg's playfield artwork was superbly
advanced in historical terms. Meaning, it was several
logical steps ahead of
where the pinball industry left off with their artwork quality
when the factories closed their doors. Whizbang shows you
EXACTLY what
spot-color playfields could/should be looking like in 2011, had
the industry progressed through all those years up until today.
[NOTE: Stern doesn't count because they diverted to
cost-saving CMYK "photographic-style" playfields. a.k.a.
4-color-process playfields]
The WNBJM playfield is a masterpiece of spot-color use. Greg
incorporated everything from heavy line art, to micro-fine
detail,
to shading/shadowing, to stippling, to crossfades, and took
advantage of extreme halftoning effects (the most ever used on a
playfield
in history) to trick the eye into seeing even more colors beyond the
11-spot-color palette. Some areas look nearly 3D to the
eye !
OK. Now onto the pictures:
Click to
Enlarge
Click to
Enlarge
WNBJM Plastics Set
PINBALL EXPO 2011 - Reveal / Launch of the Finished
Game(s)
