ZXSpectrum16k

Craig Cole's Video Gaming & Pinball Blog

Tag: Twilight Zone

  • A Couple of New Twilight Zone Mods

    A Couple of New Twilight Zone Mods

    I’ve installed a couple of new mods on Twilight Zone: the Masudaya “Robby the Robot” and the Camera Mod.

    I’ve been after the Masudaya Robby for quite some time. I’d even considered creating the mod myself, but I could never source the right model. In the end, I finally went for it and bought both mods fully completed from Mezel Mods.

    They’re two brilliant additions which have connections to the original TV series.

    The camera is, of course, inspired by the episode A Most Unusual Camera, in which a seemingly ordinary camera takes photographs showing events a few minutes into the future. It’s also represented in the game by the Camera shot, which reveals your award before you collect it.

    Robby the Robot—originally made famous by the film Forbidden Planet—appeared in several episodes of The Twilight Zone, most notably Uncle Simon and The Brain Center at Whipple’s. He can already be spotted in the machine’s playfield artwork and animations, so adding the model brings that reference to life.

    Both mods are illuminated and look fantastic on the playfield. Two really iconic additions that feel completely at home on one of the most brilliantly themed pinball machines ever made.

  • Installed TX Door Flasher, Revives my Bally Twilight Zone’s Original Design

    Installed TX Door Flasher, Revives my Bally Twilight Zone’s Original Design

    Just installed the TX Door Flasher board on my Bally Twilight Zone—and wow, it looks fantastic! Huge thanks to Davi on Pinside for making it mega easy to install (proper plug-and-play, no soldering, no stress).

    What makes this mod so cool? It actually brings back a feature that Bally’s designers originally planned but had to ditch at the last minute—four flashers hidden under the central door that fire in sync with in-game action. The production game only ever used two (GUM and BALL), but now the LOCK 1 and LOCK 2 inserts finally get to join the party.

    The little PCB with four built-in LED flashers drops right in under the door panel and blends perfectly—it feels like it should’ve been there all along.

    Best part? It restores the machine exactly how the designer wanted it to be: more glow, more feedback, and a proper light show every time the action kicks off. Clean, reversible, and totally factory-feel. Absolute win!

  • The Twilight Zone Pinball: A Timeless Classic

    The Twilight Zone Pinball: A Timeless Classic

    Choosing between Twilight Zone and The Addams Family wasn’t easy. In the end, I went with Twilight Zone—I figured it had better long-term appeal, even though Addams Family has some of the best callouts in pinball. So when a Twilight Zone popped up on the forum, I didn’t hesitate—it had to be mine.

    And now, Twilight Zone has officially entered the building! Massive grin on my face. Big thanks to Martin for the delivery. There was a minor hiccup during setup, but reseating a few connectors in the backbox sorted it.

    Luke’s away at uni at the moment—he’s buzzing that we’ve got it, but he’ll have to wait until he’s back home to dive in.

    Condition-wise, it’s in great shape and plays beautifully. It’s already rocking a color DMD (bonus!), and there are a few mods—some I like, some not so much. I’ve already ordered a fresh set of white rubbers to bring back that classic look. Next up: stripping out the mods I’m not a fan of, adding a few choice upgrades, installing Col’s plastic protectors, and swapping in some new LEDs to make it pop.

    Absolutely buzzing to have this one. A true classic in the lineup.

    Twilight Zone is a wide-body Pinball Machine manufactured by Bally released in April, 1993. They produced 15,235

    Design team
    Game Design: Pat Lawlor Software: Larry DeMar Ted Estes Artwork: John Youssi Animation: Eugene Geer Scott Slomiany Sound: Chris Granner Rich Karstens Music: Chris Granner Callouts: Tim Kitzrow

    It is themed after the television series that was created by Rod Serling and which aired on American television from 1959-1964 originally. The game is often noted to be the game with the most patents (however Pinball Magic by Capcom has more), the most toys and the most over-cost budget in the history of pinball.

    Main features include four flippers, a life-size gumball machine that locks balls inside, a mechanical clock with rotating arms, a mini playfield with invisible (magnet) flippers and a ceramic ball that is not affected by the game’s two stock magnets.

    Twilight Zone is one of the most popular machines amongst home owners and many modifications (mods) are sold for it, including a robot toy, a real mini television screen, a flashing camera and more!