Long before the folks at Stern released their machine, we envisioned one of our own, based on the graphic novels of The Walking Dead.

We started the long process of making a custom pinball machine by finding an old Baracorra game with a heavily worn playfield. Then our graphic designer friends made all our custom artwork.

It took months to plan, prepare, and produce this machine.

We were proud of all the little touches we put into it, from the bloody cabinet legs to the Cointaker LEDs installed throughout.

A few color-changing strips behind the backglass give it a great effect too.

The game turned out amazingly, if we do say so ourselves. We finished it in time for ZapCon last year, then had it at StarFighters Arcade for a while. It was back at ZapCon for another run this year, too.

There was a lot of excitement about the machine. Someone even posted a video of game play on YouTube. It was fun to make something that people liked.

But all good things must come to an end, and our shop really isn’t that big.

So we sent the machine on its way Thursday morning, to an enthusiastic guy in California, who really impressed us with how much he wanted the machine.

We can hardly blame him for being excited. This game was so fun to play, and so pretty too.

And we’ll miss having it around.

Enjoy the game, Pete, and take good care of her!