October 2, 2016: Crowdfunding Focus: PinBox 3000

Dim lights. Bright marquees. The sound of flippers, bumpers, and metal spheres hitting targets. Pinball at an arcade is a magical experience, and I have a great nostalgic fondness for it. We're fortunate in Austin to have a couple of pinball arcades around, but part of me always wishes I had the space and money for a machine in my home.

That is the reason I'm so intrigued by PinBox 3000. This is a constructible tabletop pinball board that is fully customizable. The campaign also includes a ton more fabricated boards that you can put together to learn it yourself, or to just enjoy, because they look amazing. These boards include art from some amazingly talented individuals, with some elaborate board setups.

Obviously, this won't be as fully featured as your standard pinball machine, but that's really the charm. I can't fit Theater of Magic in my bedroom, but I can get a Pinbox 3000 board and put it on my desk or my kitchen table. Would I like to have the big table? Of course! But I also like getting something that I can put together, and not spending a lot of money. Seriously, the early bird is still happening this late in the campaign, and it's only $28 for the basic level. I personally will probably go for one of the custom boards, though, and splurge just a little bit.

Shoot for the lanes, and head over to their campaign today, as it's ending soon. And don't tilt the machines!

-- Hunter Shelburne