{"id":14345,"date":"2018-11-18T20:26:01","date_gmt":"2018-11-18T20:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pinballnews.com\/site\/?p=14345"},"modified":"2018-11-18T20:43:33","modified_gmt":"2018-11-18T20:43:33","slug":"dpo-expo-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pinballnews.com\/site\/2018\/11\/18\/dpo-expo-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"DPO EXPO 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

After last year’s 25th anniversary extravaganza at Evoluon in Eindhoven, this year the Dutch Pinball Association’s (NFV)<\/a> DPO Expo returned to a more familiar scale and an equally familiar location.<\/p>\n

We were back at the De Voorste Venne<\/a>, a former car museum in the town of Drunen which was the home of the Dutch Pinball Open and the subsequent DPO Expo since 2013.\u00a0 The venue is owned by the town’s council and was closed after the 2015 DPO Expo for refurbishment work to be carried out.\u00a0 That work was recently completed and the DPO Expo was able to return.<\/p>\n

There have been significant changes both inside and out.\u00a0 There is a new entrance on the opposite side of the building to the old one, while a new cafe has been added along with multiple new rooms and corridors linking the different wings.<\/p>\n

We arrive on Friday evening after a forty-minute drive from Eindhoven Airport to check out the progress setting up the show.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The new entrance to the building faces the main car park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we arrived, everyone was taking a break and having a buffet meal in the new cafe.<\/p>\n

\"Dinner<\/a>
Dinner time!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the corridor outside the main hall, the registration and merchandise desk was being set up.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This will be the entrance to the show tomorrow morning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Inside the main hall there were plenty of games, but a lot still needed setting up before the show opened on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The main hall was almost deserted during the dinner break<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Many<\/a>
Many games were set up, but many more were still on their backs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"More<\/a>
More pinballs for the show<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"There<\/a>
There was a large crowd of workers though<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Twilight<\/a>
Twilight Zone is always a favourite at shows<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sadly, the open balcony which previously afforded interesting views of the show floor below has been truncated and boxed-in to create some office and meeting spaces.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The former balcony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Below<\/a>
Below the new offices, the bar had received a refresh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thankfully the seminars hall hadn’t changed, so there was still the large stage and plush banked seating for the audience.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The hall used for the seminars<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While a couple of tournaments would be held in the main hall, the Dutch Pinball Open along with the Ladies, Kids and Interland Tournaments all took place in a dedicated tournaments room on the opposite side of the complex.<\/p>\n

\"Setting<\/a>
Setting up the tournament machines and systems<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The layout for the tournaments room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having explored the new complex and checked on the show’s progress we retired to our hotel for refreshments, returning just before the show opened at 10am on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\"Saturday,<\/a>
Saturday, just before the opening of the DPO Expo 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Entry to the DPO Expo cost \u20ac15 per day for adults and kids eleven and older, while younger kids got in free.\u00a0 There were also pre-registration package deals available which included show entry, a T-shirt and a poster for \u20ac50.\u00a0 Entry to any of the tournaments cost extra with the exception of the Kids Tournament which was free to enter.\u00a0 Wristbands were given out with different colours each day for the guests and for the staff.<\/p>\n

\"Buying<\/a>
Buying show entry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"T-shirts<\/a>
T-shirts were also available to purchase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Flyer<\/a>
Flyer posters could also be bought for many popular titles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Collecting<\/a>
Collecting a pre-registration pack<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Checking<\/a>
Checking wristbands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once inside the hall, the first vendor table was selling more posters, along with manuals and schematics.<\/p>\n

\"Posters,<\/a>
Posters, parts and paperwork<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Opposite this stand was the first bank of free play machines.\u00a0 All the machines in the hall which were not used in tournaments or brought for demonstration only were set on free play and available to play.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The first of the many free play pinballs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Continuing<\/a>
Continuing along the front wall we have more free play pinballs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next bank of games was used for the Classic Tournament which had qualifying throughout Friday and up until 12:30pm on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The bank of eight Classics Tournament machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The eight machines used for the Classic Tournament were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Centaur<\/td>\nMata Hari<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Centaur II<\/td>\nParagon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eight Ball<\/td>\nViking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fathom<\/td>\nXenon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Beyond those eight were lots more free play pinballs, two of which also featured Pin Stadium<\/a> enhanced lighting systems which really helped in that dark end of the hall.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A long row of free play games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PinSound<\/a> had their replacement sound board installed into many machines.\u00a0 These were designated by the PinSound topper on the backbox and, often, by sets of headphones to allow players to fully experience the new, enhanced soundtracks.<\/p>\n

\"Some<\/a>
Some of the PinSound-equipped pinballs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nicolas<\/a>
Nicolas and Paola at the PinSound booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Continuing back up the aisle we have a lot more free play games.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The free play machines got pretty busy during both days<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"There<\/a>
There was a mix of pinball glasses, common parts and complete mechanisms on sale at Carl Jacob’s stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The start of the next aisle featured the two most recent Jersey Jack Pinball Games – Pirates of the Caribbean<\/em> and Dialed In!<\/em>\u00a0 Naturally there were queues to play both.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The two newest JJP titles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Further down the same row were Team Pinball’s The Mafia<\/em> and Spooky Pinball’s Total Nuclear Annihilation<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Pinball<\/a>
Pinball – the game for all ages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At the end of the row and next to PinSound was a big booth from iPinball.nl who brought a few video games as well as a good selection of pinball, and had most of them available to buy.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The iPinball stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Kids<\/a>
Kids doing what kids do<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Guitar<\/a>
Guitar Hero and Mortal Kombat II video games alongside a new Deadpool Pro pinball<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"More<\/a>
More pinballs on the iPinball.nl stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"More<\/a>
More pinballs on the iPinball stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just along from the iPinball stand were Pinball Universe<\/a> who were still setting up as the show opened.\u00a0 However rather than pinball, this time they were promoting the latest product for which they are distributors, the new Atari Pong<\/em> physical tables.\u00a0 They had two here for guests to play and they were in use throughout the show.<\/p>\n

\"Atari<\/a>
Atari Pong at the Pinball Universe stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After Pinball Universe there was another long row of pinballs.<\/p>\n

\"More<\/a>
More free play pinballs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Backing onto these was a row featuring a mix of DMD and older titles.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The start of a long row of free play pinballs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Older<\/a>
Older free play pinballs further down the row<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Some<\/a>
Some of the older titles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The older games were popular with the younger generation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the far end of this row was the first custom game at the show.\u00a0 This was a back-to-back pinball called Good vs Evil<\/em> from Mission Pinball in which players battled against each other and could shoot balls onto the other’s playfield.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Good vs Evil game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The two playfields had identical layouts but the lighting effects reflected which side was which<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"There<\/a>
There are multiple ramps, with a path from one side to the other<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The game runs on the Mission Pinball Framework software<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Opposite the Good vs Evil<\/em> game were two in-development titles from Pinball Amigos – Despicable Me Pinball Madness<\/em> and The Crazy Mansion<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Pinball Amigos stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Despicable<\/a>
Despicable Me Pinball Madness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Crazy Mansion with two Red & Ted heads in the backbox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"When<\/a>
When you cannibalise games for custom designs you often have a lot of parts left over<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Heading back towards the bar area, the next stand was from Pinballshop.nl<\/a> who were selling assorted parts, cleaning materials and miniature pinball models.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Pinballshop.nl stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Miniature<\/a>
Miniature pinballs from TinyPin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Pinballshop.nl<\/a>
Pinballshop.nl also had this beautiful acrylic-case mini video pinball for \u20ac5,000<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Inside<\/a>
Inside the acrylic mini video pinball<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next vendor stand was from LED4PIN<\/a> who were selling many different styles, colours and shapes of LED for use in pinballs.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The LED4PIN stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A sample of their LEDs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"LED4Pin<\/a>
LED4PIN also had some manuals for sale at their stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next vendor was Mirco Playfields.\u00a0 The stand featured numerous new playfields for game refurbishment and for wall-hanging decorations, as well as a good selection of pinball spares such as posts, lane guides and pop bumper parts.<\/p>\n

\"Parts<\/a>
Parts for sale at the Mirco Playfields stand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Some<\/a>
Some of the many playfields on sale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition, Mirco Playfields also had their new Red Cals, ultra-thick and glossy cabinet decals.<\/p>\n

\"Rad<\/a>
Rad Cals for sale at \u20ac400 a set<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next to Mirco Playfields were more free play games which were also used on Sunday for the Swiss Tournament.<\/p>\n

\"Another<\/a>
Another block of free play pinballs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In front of this last block of free play games was a small counter selling snack food such as burgers and French fries, and a seating area where guests could eat their purchases.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The seating area<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next to the seating area was the main bar.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The main bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jack Danger was a special guest at the show and was stream live from various locations around DPO Expo 2018 on his Dead_Flip Twitch TV channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/a>
Jack Danger broadcasting from DPO Expo 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A view of the central area<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here’s the full list of the 136 free play titles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
AC\/DC Pro<\/td>\nMafia, The*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Addams Family, The<\/td>\nMario Andretti<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Addams Family, The<\/td>\nMaverick<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Attack from Mars<\/td>\nMedusa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Avatar<\/td>\nMetallica Pro<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Back to the Future<\/td>\nMetallica Pro<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Batman (DE)<\/td>\nMillionaire<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Batman (Stern)<\/td>\nMustang Pro<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Big Hurt, Frank Thomas’s<\/td>\nNitro Ground Shaker<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Black Knight<\/td>\nNo Fear<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Black Knight<\/td>\nNo Fear<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Black Knight 2000<\/td>\nParty Zone, The<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bride of Pinbot, The Machine<\/td>\nPinball<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Capt. Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy<\/td>\nPirates of the Caribbean (JJP)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Capt. Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy*<\/td>\nPirates of the Caribbean (Stern)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Casanova<\/td>\nPirates of the Caribbean (Stern)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Casbah<\/td>\nPistol Poker*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Charlie’s Angels<\/td>\nPlayboy (Stern)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Checkpoint<\/td>\nPolice Force<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cirqus Voltaire<\/td>\nPopeye Saves the Earth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Creature from the Black Lagoon<\/td>\nPower Play, Bobby Orr<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cue Ball Wizard<\/td>\nRescue 911*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Deadpool (Pro)<\/td>\nRevenge from Mars<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Deadpool LE<\/td>\nRoboCop<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Deadpool Pro<\/td>\nRollergames<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Demolition Man<\/td>\nSeawitch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dialed In!<\/td>\nSecret Service<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dirty Harry<\/td>\nShrek<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dolly Parton<\/td>\nSilver Slugger<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dr. Dude<\/td>\nSopranos, The<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dracula, Bram Stoker’s<\/td>\nSopranos, The<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dracula, Bram Stoker’s<\/td>\nSpider-Man<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dragonfist<\/td>\nStar Trek – The Next Generation*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Earthshaker!<\/td>\nStar Trek (Bally)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eight Ball<\/td>\nStar Wars (DE)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eight Ball Deluxe<\/td>\nStar Wars (Stern)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elvira & the Party Monsters<\/td>\nStargate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elvis<\/td>\nStop Go<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fireball<\/td>\nSurf ‘N Safari<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fish Tales<\/td>\nSurf ‘N Safari*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Flash Gordon*<\/td>\nTales of the Arabian Nights<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Flintstones, The<\/td>\nTales of the Arabian Nights*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Freddy – A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/td>\nTaxi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Freefall<\/td>\nTerminator 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Getaway, The – High Speed 2<\/td>\nTerminator 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ghostbusters Pro<\/td>\nTerminator 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Goldeneye<\/td>\nTheatre of Magic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good vs Evil<\/td>\nTheatre of Magic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grand Lizard<\/td>\nTime Machine (DE)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Guardians of the Galaxy Premium<\/td>\nTime Machine (DE)*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Harlem Globetrotters<\/td>\nTitle Fight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Harley Davidson (Stern)<\/td>\nTommy, The Who’s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High Speed<\/td>\nTommy, The Who’s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hot Shots<\/td>\nTommy, The Who’s*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Independence Day<\/td>\nTotal Nuclear Annihilation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indiana Jones (Williams)<\/td>\nTrident<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indiana Jones (Williams)<\/td>\nTwilight Zone<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indiana Jones (Williams)<\/td>\nTwister<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Iron Man<\/td>\nWalking Dead, The<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Iron Man<\/td>\nWaterworld<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Judge Dredd<\/td>\nWheel of Fortune<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Junk Yard<\/td>\nWheel of Fortune<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jurassic Park<\/td>\nWhitewater<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La Retata<\/td>\nWhitewater<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lethal Weapon 3<\/td>\nWho Dunnit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lord of the Rings, The<\/td>\nWorld Cup Soccer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lord of the Rings, The*<\/td>\nWWF Royal Rumble<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lord of the Rings, The*<\/td>\nX-Files, The<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

*indicates machine was not working or depowered when we made our list on Saturday afternoon<\/p>\n

You can look around DPO Expo 2018 for yourself in our exclusive Sixteen Minute Tour video as we show you all the games and vendors in the main hall, along with a look at the seminar room and the tournaments area.<\/p>\n