It has been three-and-a-half years since we first reported on the launch title from pinball start-up Pinball Adventures, but today Punny Factory 2520 finally goes on sale to the public.
Punny Factory is available with two styles of cabinet.
A traditional printed cabinet features cartoon artwork depicting some of the in-game puns and the title on a signpost. This model costs US$6,500.
A black engraved cabinet is also available at a US$500 premium. A maximum of ten of these engraved cabinets will be produced, while the overall production run of Punny Factory games is capped at 120 units.
Pinball Adventures head, Andrew MacBain told Pinball News he had sold 30 Punny Factorys even before they went on public sale, leaving 90 now available.
Both cabinet styles feature metallic powder-coated metalwork which includes hinges and legs, the lock bar, and laser-cut 2520 side rails complete with extended protection around the flipper buttons.
Punny Factory‘s hardware includes several unique features.
The backglass is reverse-printed on an acrylic sheet with two protruding ‘pipes’ which are used as handles to aid removal.
The game’s artwork isn’t limited to the exterior of the cabinet either, as the inner walls and bottom of the cabinet are also artworked, even though most of the designs will rarely be visible.
Inside the backbox is the game’s control system. It uses a Raspberry Pi 3 model B+ run run the game code which, like all RPi single-board computers, is currently difficult to source with any existing stock commanding a premium price.
The RPi connects to an ‘Rboard’ input/output board from Team Pinball who also wrote the game’s software. This board interfaces with all the cabinet and playfield switch inputs while also driving the RGB LEDs and the high power solenoids. Power comes from a single switching power supply also mounted in the backbox.
The playfield is made from Canadian Baltic Birch in the traditional 9-ply process.
As well as direct printing of the artwork on the top side, the bottom side is also printed to show the position and connections of the LED boards and location of switches which aids both construction and fault-finding.
Punny Factory features a single-level playfield design by Dave Sanders, with a storyline where the player gets to produce visual puns using the ‘Punny Press’.
Making a pun by shooting into the Punny Press produces a animation on the LCD panel in the backbox and increases your pun counter. The target is to create 50 puns within a single game, with your progress being shown on playfield inserts above the game’s two flippers.
The ball is kicked up from the press, through a clear tube and into a lock area on the right of the playfield.
The Punny Press is one of several playfield toys which has been hand-painted to give an aged appearance of having being subjected to extreme wear and tear.
The game also features three custom-designed pop bumpers, three G-A-G rollover lanes, a six-position vari-target and seventeen standup targets.
A flyer has been produced for the Punny Factory game. Here it is. As with all these pictures, you can click on the flyer to get a larger version.
The Punny Factory is available to order now from the Pinball Adventures website.
The price of US$6,500 (printed cabinet) or US$7,000 (engraved cabinet) includes shipping within Canada and the United States. For international orders it includes shipping to your choice of carrier for onward transportation. Local taxes, customs or import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.
Purchasing a Punny Factory requires a refundable US$250. Should you change your mind, this deposit is repaid once your game is sold to another buyer.
That concludes our look at this first title from Pinball Adventures. We’ll bring you more news about Punny Factory as well as all the company’s future titles Elements, Voltz Electric, Forsaken Ninja, Sushi Madness and First Class right here at Pinball News.
