Normally I start each blog entry with an image of the flyer for the game I'm going to be working on. Unfortunately, Leisure & Allied Industries (LAI) produced very few flyers for their games, particularly the simpler redemption games. However, there are few games that were as ubiquitous in Australian arcades as the classic skill tester claw machine by LAI. This particular example was one of the cabinets from our container-of-games pickup several years ago, and it was basically in working condition when I got it. However, it had never had a proper clean, and a few small issues were starting to appear, so it was time to give this machine a good going-over.

Boy, we sure are suckers for punishment. Exactly a week after Pinfest, Fiona and I are on the road again to Oz Comic Con 2024, one of the biggest pop culture shows in Australia. This year it is being held at Sydney Showground, and we're bringing three pinball machines (and a couple of retro gaming consoles!) to the Retro Gaming area for con patrons to enjoy. I haven't participated in such a large show before, and it's certainly a huge effort to keep carting games around so soon after Pinfest 2024. So, why do we do this? It's my hope that by bringing pinball machines to large events such as this, more and more people will discover, or rediscover, the joy of the silver ball and become involved in pinball as a hobby. My role as a "pinball evangelist" is to keep the pinball dream alive, and giving the general public more opportunities to play pinball is the best way to do this.