FAQ

It’s no secret that 3D printing generates a lot of scrap plastic (misprints, support material, etc.).  The vast majority of hobbyists simply discard it in the trash – and this upsets me deeply.  Terracyle is dedicated to eliminating excess waste by processing materials not generally accepted by municipal recyclers, and is one of the few companies I’ve found that accepts 3D printer scraps (ABS, PETG, TPU, etc., or PLA).  99% of the waste plastic generated by Rocket City Pinball is routed to Terracycle for recycling.  It’s not cheap (~$250 per tall box), but it’s worth it to keep excess plastic out of landfills.  So remember, when you purchase Rocket City Pinball products, a small portion of your purchase helps cover the cost of proper, professional recycling of the plastic scraps generated in the process.

Ask my stupid cat, who raids my recycle bin on a nightly basis, occasionally dragging away some stringy pieces to wrestle with and/or stash away for safekeeping somewhere.

I model the general parts and design the layouts, and also model most of the details/accents to the extent of my 3D modeling capability.  Some of the coin reject or start button accents are derivative from existing free models, while others I have purchased or commissioned from other more talented 3D modelers (almost all of which then require additional modification to integrate into my designs).  The slicing and printing is also an art form itself, and I am very particular about the print process (line orientation & pattern, seam placement, color changes, etc.) – often running dozens of prototype iterations before being satisfied with a perfected final product.  

The majority of my parts are 3D-printed in PLA.  The Chum Line Airball Suppressor for Jaws is printed in TPU.  I also have mods that incorporate laser-cut acrylic, or pre-manufactured resin, die-cast metal, or plastic models.  My cleanup kits include metal hardware (e.g., screws, nuts, washers, etc.).

Not all 3D printers are created equal – and this applies to both the hardware and the people who use them.  Other products out there on the market may be printed using low quality settings or on inferior or outdated printers.  3D printed parts sometimes carry a negative stigma due to the lower quality items produced in the hobby’s infancy.  Here at Rocket City Pinball, I am very particular about the appearance of my products, so I generally use extremely thin layers and other strategic slicing/printing settings & speeds on high quality printers, to maximize smoothness and minimize layer lines on visible parts.  That said, sure, if you look at the parts extremely closely, you may see some layer lines – but you should consider your actual viewing distance before letting this bother you.  The product you’re examining enlarged on the screen may appear 5x bigger than it is in real life!  Or, this part might be installed in a spot where your eyes will never be closer than 2 or 3 feet away.  The layer lines will not be as visible or prominent at this distance. 

Absolutely.  I print posts with 50% infill for superior strength.  Also, the pinball contacts the rubber rings – not the posts themselves – which provide some cushion from impact.  Finally, remember that the posts are held in compression by the screw attaching them to the playfield, so even if there were a layer-separation failure, the post would still be held together by the screw.  Don’t worry – thousands of my posts are installed in customers’ games and I’ve never had a report of one breaking during use.

Yes!  All Rocket City Pinball parts come with a full lifetime warranty and will be replaced at no cost if any break.  The only exception to this rule are pre-fabricated car models (e.g., Red Barchetta) integrated into RCP mods – any model placed in/on the playfield of a pinball machine is susceptible to airball damage; the user accepts this risk.

Yes!  I ship almost exclusively using United States Postal Service for domestic and international shipping.  (Note USPS partners with GlobalPost for international shipments.)  Other carriers (e.g., FedEx, UPS) can be utilized at the customer’s request, but they are generally not as economical – and their track records with my shipments haven’t been stellar. 

No, I will not – this practice is illegal.  Rocket City Pinball is a small business operated by a single family, and I will not put our business at risk of financial penalty by falsifying customs forms.  Any import fees/taxes are the responsibility of the customer.

Actually, no.  While Alabama’s Huntsville earned its “Rocket City” nickname due to its role in development & testing of the Saturn V and other mighty rockets over the years, the home of Rocket City Pinball is actually Titusville, Florida.  Here on Florida’s central east coast, we’re privileged to see rockets launch into space on a weekly basis – there were 72 launches here in 2023 alone!  Witnessing glorious fire in the sky as these rockets roar aloft is simply a way of life down here, and the area is home to thousands of dedicated people – myself included – who help make that happen.  So while Titusville isn’t formally ‘The’ Rocket City, it most certainly is ‘a’ rocket city!

Yes!  I have been a vendor at Pinball Expo in Chicago, Texas Pinball Festival, Southern Fried Gaming Expo, Pinfest in Allentown, and Free Play Florida.  I may eventually expand to other shows based on availability.  I encourage you to find me at a show – I’ve been told my products look much better in person than they do online.

No – I’m an aerospace engineer with over 20 years in the industry.  As such, please be patient if some orders take a little longer to process than you expect – I might be busy helping launch something into space!

Maybe.  Unless it can be used in a mod for wider sales, (e.g., “please make a start button for Game XYZ”), I usually do not accept requests for one-off mods.  My time is very, very limited (e.g., family activities, the day job, pinball tournaments, travel, this RCP side job including keeping up with existing orders and designing new mods for other games, etc. etc. etc.) and so I usually just don’t have time for custom commissions.  It can’t hurt to ask – maybe it’s simple enough or excites me enough to crank it out – just please don’t take it personally if I decline your request.

One thing I love about pinball is the cool people you meet. Mike at FlipMods was a customer of mine, with whom I became very good friends.  He and I have collaborated on a few mods – where we’ve shared ideas, designed / modeled together, shared printing tips, etc.  We’ve agreed to sell these mods on both our sites, and share the proceeds equally.  We identify these mods under the ‘RocketFlip’ banner – a combination of Rocket City Pinball and FlipMods.

Of course!  I grew up playing a 1963 Slick Chick (my father’s favorite game) in my home, and I sharpened my skills at our favorite campground (T2), and on the local bowling alley’s game rotation (T2, TAF, JP DE, AFM).  I played occasionally over the next few decades whenever I’d encounter a machine in the wild.  Then in 2016, I started collecting & repairing machines of my own – finding, learning, fixing, trading/selling my way up into better & better games along the way – and as of mid-2024 had seen a total of 72 games come & go through my possession.  In late 2022, I started playing in IFPA sanctioned tournaments.  I rose quickly in the rankings (becoming one of the IFPA’s Biggest Movers), soon won a tournament for the first time, and then finished 2023 ranked #14 in the state of Florida, qualifying for the state championships in my first full year of tournament play!  I’m still chasing that ‘big’ tournament win, and have knocked at the door several times (e.g., 2nd of 35, 3rd of 50, 3rd of 57, 3rd of 44, 3rd of 43).