Some spelling errors but at least they built them!
Pinball info
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New Chinese pinball machine
- Thread starter M4carp
- Start date
Looks very 60’s-70’s era, but at least they’ve built something and as we all know; the Chinese don’t hang about. They’ll be knocking JJP-level machines out by December.
Could use some help on the spelling! Why is "SPECCIAL WHEN LIT" in quotes? Not to mention the various spellings of special! Speccial? Sprsial? Seem to have got it right on the top right rollover though.
But yes looks quite old school, no ramps or any fancy toys!
But yes looks quite old school, no ramps or any fancy toys!
D
Deleted member 2463
what a load of old ****.
I would not estimate Chinese companies.
A decade ago China made some pretty rubbish things. Two decades ago - absolute crap of the largest degree....
But lately? Different story if they have people checking what they build on the production line.
Your phone, tablet etc - made in china.
Decent guitars - made in china.
Most electronic components - made in china.
Stern node boards - I bet these are made in china.
It will not be too long until a big USA pinball company starts getting machines made over in china. Do not get kidding yourself on 'USA quality'. It will start with assembled playfields being assembled (ie put into the cabs in the US). Perhaps even a Chinese investor will buy these companies.
A decade ago China made some pretty rubbish things. Two decades ago - absolute crap of the largest degree....
But lately? Different story if they have people checking what they build on the production line.
Your phone, tablet etc - made in china.
Decent guitars - made in china.
Most electronic components - made in china.
Stern node boards - I bet these are made in china.
It will not be too long until a big USA pinball company starts getting machines made over in china. Do not get kidding yourself on 'USA quality'. It will start with assembled playfields being assembled (ie put into the cabs in the US). Perhaps even a Chinese investor will buy these companies.
OP
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^^^And this is why China are getting extremely powerful, mugs the lot of us! We all want things cheap but there will be a price to pay one day.
that looks ok for a first attempt. for me it means there is a factory already making flipper mechs and pop bumpers at the cheapest price.
who fancies a fact finding business trip to china with a stopover in bangkok?
who fancies a fact finding business trip to china with a stopover in bangkok?
Well everyone wants stuff for cheaper.
A few years ago I visited the Wharfedale factory in china. They are no longer the high end audio company they used to be, they make budget equipment now. Very good value for money. They had dorms for the workers as they lived on site. Three lots of 8 hours shifts ran every day. When one 8 hour shift worked, the other shifts would be either in bed or doing recreations. This way kept a person sleeping in the same bed 24 hours a day (3 x 8 hours). They got paid well in this factory. Half a shift would equal what they earned in the rice fields in a week. They used to send the money home to look after a whole family.
People in the UK would not stand for this - Is it right? Would you pay 4 times the price label for a UK made laptop?
Wonder if my Diamond 9.1s were made there, cracking speakers for the money
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MG as well?
This is the problem, cant go back now and we have been brainwashed to buy buy buy. Most people throw away and buy new as it’s just as cheap.
We all do it, what happens if China one day just shuts down? Rely on them too much so they have us by the short and curly’s.
I remember as a kid the stuff out of China broke in no time and we would take the **** out of it, how things change.
No one is going abroad with you Alan!
This is probably the only reason left that i regard the USA as a primary nation in the world... the mentality of "buying USA means we support our workers". I wish we could have that mentality in the UK.... But no, they moan about having Welsh dragons on potatoes grown in wales, and Union jacks for those grown in the UK.... etc etc - what chance is there....
We should be PROUD of what we make, and PROUD of what we do... not just saying "i'll get it from elsewhere cheaper".
Their JJP copies will be so good they will have chipping playfields.
if you say the special the way they have it you are in danger of sounding like Benny Hill - a right "Sirri Idiot"
Only double vaccers need apply.No one is going abroad with you Alan!
Lickashot
Registered
This is very true but if China did block us we would be screwed
Personal I hate Chinese crap and would rather pay more and get a quality product made in the uk
If people would pay a little more for product s from the uk then all the revenue would stay in the uk create more jobs and more tax for the uk
Remember the oil crisis in the 70s when the west used to dictate the price of oil till won day the Middle East woke up and said hang on these people are dependent on this stuff it’s time we dictated the prices
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I’m with you on that 100%
Proud indeed;
Morris Marina and Austin Allegro.
Fine examples of British engineering excellence
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I won’t have a bad thing said about the Marina, my dad hit a roundabout in the fog near Northampton drunk in the eighties with my mum next to him, me and my bro were latch key kids so was at home luckily. Anyway the car rolled and the roof was lowered quite a few inch‘s and they came out ok. He only had the car a weekProud indeed;
Morris Marina and Austin Allegro.
Fine examples of British engineering excellence
Proud indeed;
Morris Marina and Austin Allegro.
Fine examples of British engineering excellence
Hundreds of thousands were sold.... For their time they were excellent motors... What were they up against? Escort and Cortinas... oh and also the Vauxhall Viva
Outsold the Escort in 71!! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Marina)
to be fair, they were all rust buckets back then!
But if you were prepared to pay for British excellence as @CHRIS B PINBALLS was referring to then you need to quote Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Morgan, TVR, etc...! 
No point in saying 'you will buy British' when you can. Loads say it but do not always do it.
Pretty well like saying 'I would rather shop local' and then go on amazon as its 25% cheaper.
How much of your tech us UK made? A few companies are assembling in the UK using chinese boards.
The only people I know who manufacturer everything in the UK is Sound Leisure. But some of the 'bare' electronic components are made in china or japan (obviously as you can not get things like this made in the UK).... All the PCBs are made in the UK as well. Most people who see my jukebox (that retails for about £9.5K) just say things like 'god, thats an lot' or 'my bluetooth speaker was only £40'..... Even a couple of pinball friends are shocked that a hand made juke costs more than a Stern pro....
But would I spend £4K on a UK made iphone.... would I hell as like?!?!
In the past I have driven a car I love (Chrysler PT cruiser) - I bought two of them - USA cars - and utter JUNK when it comes to build quality. After 7 years they start to fall apart. I do love them but they are more like a car that would have a 'made in India' sticker on it.
I am going to compare this made in with my experiences in the guitar world.
In the 70s - USA guitars considered the best. Japan made cheap copies that are terrible.
In the 80s - USA guitars - still considered the best. Japan making amazing copies. In 2020 they are highly sort after. Korea starts making awful stuff.
In the 90s - USA guitars are overpriced and quality falls. Japan making amazing guitars still but as the country is stronger - the wages go up and the prices go up. Korea starts getting better. China starts making the rubbish.
In the 00s - USA guitars priced thru the roof. No longer can Japan make guitars to compete, so they make them for themselves only to export a few. Korea and China improve things so they make the good guitars - and other countries like India start making the low end.
The more the country does - and gets good at - the more they have to end up paying people to work. The cost of living rises and the conditions get better. Labour is always the biggest cost.
Pretty well like saying 'I would rather shop local' and then go on amazon as its 25% cheaper.
How much of your tech us UK made? A few companies are assembling in the UK using chinese boards.
The only people I know who manufacturer everything in the UK is Sound Leisure. But some of the 'bare' electronic components are made in china or japan (obviously as you can not get things like this made in the UK).... All the PCBs are made in the UK as well. Most people who see my jukebox (that retails for about £9.5K) just say things like 'god, thats an lot' or 'my bluetooth speaker was only £40'..... Even a couple of pinball friends are shocked that a hand made juke costs more than a Stern pro....
But would I spend £4K on a UK made iphone.... would I hell as like?!?!
In the past I have driven a car I love (Chrysler PT cruiser) - I bought two of them - USA cars - and utter JUNK when it comes to build quality. After 7 years they start to fall apart. I do love them but they are more like a car that would have a 'made in India' sticker on it.
I am going to compare this made in with my experiences in the guitar world.
In the 70s - USA guitars considered the best. Japan made cheap copies that are terrible.
In the 80s - USA guitars - still considered the best. Japan making amazing copies. In 2020 they are highly sort after. Korea starts making awful stuff.
In the 90s - USA guitars are overpriced and quality falls. Japan making amazing guitars still but as the country is stronger - the wages go up and the prices go up. Korea starts getting better. China starts making the rubbish.
In the 00s - USA guitars priced thru the roof. No longer can Japan make guitars to compete, so they make them for themselves only to export a few. Korea and China improve things so they make the good guitars - and other countries like India start making the low end.
The more the country does - and gets good at - the more they have to end up paying people to work. The cost of living rises and the conditions get better. Labour is always the biggest cost.
@ChrisH - yes - Diamond 9.1s are made in that factory. Would you pay 5 times the cost for a UK equivalent?Wonder if my Diamond 9.1s were made there, cracking speakers for the money
if only we could buy a British made pinball machine? (sarcasm)
Let's not mention TVR please lol. The UK does have quite a thriving industry of smaller specialist sportscar makers who do make genuinely brilliant cars e.g. McLaren, Lotus, Caterham, Westfield, MK, Ariel, Bowler, Ginetta, Noble, Eagle, Gardner Douglas, Hawk, Radical etcBut if you were prepared to pay for British excellence as @CHRIS B PINBALLS was referring to then you need to quote Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Morgan, TVR, etc...!
Not a chance - no one would.
They cost me £350 for the set of 4 + the centre back in 2009ish, they've had various amps and AVRs come and go but they're still as good now as they were then.
Can't argue with 12 years of fault free service and decent sound, amazing value.
That said I'm pretty sure they came from Richer Sounds (or it may have been the small chain who had a shop up by Camden Palace actually, can't remember their name but they had a green sign)
I do buy local for things where it makes a difference to the product, I haven't bought meat, fish, eggs or bread from a supermarket in years - we're lucky round here that we have a fantastic Saturday market and very good independent butchers etc and the produce is in a different league from what you get in Tesco, it's more expensive for sure but it's 100% worth it.
What I really can't stand is people that go to a shop and get advice, then take the advice and buy the product off Amazon, Yes the camera is £50 more expensive than Amazon, but you've just had half an hour of someone's time who's shown you different kit and helped you decide - which is what happened a lot at Jessops as I recall
I definitely use Amazon, but if I see a book in a bookshop that looks good I'm not going to say 'looks good that, I'll order it from Amazon' either.
Hello again @ChrisH - in the music industry I remember good old Martin Lewis's advice:Not a chance - no one would.
They cost me £350 for the set of 4 + the centre back in 2009ish, they've had various amps and AVRs come and go but they're still as good now as they were then.
Can't argue with 12 years of fault free service and decent sound, amazing value.
That said I'm pretty sure they came from Richer Sounds (or it may have been the small chain who had a shop up by Camden Palace actually, can't remember their name but they had a green sign)
I do buy local for things where it makes a difference to the product, I haven't bought meat, fish, eggs or bread from a supermarket in years - we're lucky round here that we have a fantastic Saturday market and very good independent butchers etc and the produce is in a different league from what you get in Tesco, it's more expensive for sure but it's 100% worth it.
What I really can't stand is people that go to a shop and get advice, then take the advice and buy the product off Amazon, Yes the camera is £50 more expensive than Amazon, but you've just had half an hour of someone's time who's shown you different kit and helped you decide - which is what happened a lot at Jessops as I recall
I definitely use Amazon, but if I see a book in a bookshop that looks good I'm not going to say 'looks good that, I'll order it from Amazon' either.
"Go and try them out instore - then go home and order online cheaper" - this way someone with knowledge gives you advice and help, then you basically get it from the cheapest place. This way - you indeed save £50 on your item (camera as you said) - but what happens long term you have no experts to ask except for on forums or amazon reviews, which you do have to question.
I agree this is a slippery slope to a world without experts or impartiality, if i go into a shop and receive good advice from an expert i expect to pay for that and consequently purchase from that store. That being said if i go to a store and they are crap i buy on line
Personally seen it so many times - I find that MOST people who watch Martin Lewis and look at money saving sites do not give a stuff about how much it costs to open a store everyday, how much it costs to staff it......
I have done what you said and walked out of stores, especially when I ask someone about features for a TV and they read me the printed card..... then you ask what the refresh rate is and they look blank! In my mind - stores that do not employee experts should not be open. I do find people in music stores/hifi shops/apple store really have great knowledge.