About Buckwerx
PRELIMINARY. EXPECTED RELEASE: 8 APRIL, 2011
Buckwerx Supplies Rockola Pinball Parts
Parts are once again available for World's Series, World's Fair Jigsaw, Army-Navy and other pinball machines made by Rockola in the 1930s.
BOULDER, Colo.-April 8, 2011-Buckwerx LLC announced today that it has restarted the production of Rockola parts formerly supplied by Hal O'Rourke. Mr. O'Rourke, a long term supplier of parts and information for Rockola pinball games, passed away early in 2010.
The Thompson family of Boulder, Colorado (Nate, Dana, Buck, Summerlyn and Wyeth Thompson) purchased the assets of Hal O'Rourke's Rockola pinball parts business in November 2010, and has since qualified new subcontractors for labels, marquees, castings, legs, locks, leg plates, springs, carriage bolts, balls, wire forms, and wood parts for Rockola pinball machines. These parts are now available on www.buckwerx.com. Many of the parts have been redesigned and improved-such as the under-glass instructions, which are now printed on an authentic silver stock paper. Certain other parts such as coin boxes, which have not been available for some time, are still being acquired.
According to noted pinball historian Terry Cumming, "Rockola's mechanical ingenuity was showcased with the 1932 Juggle Ball game. But the best was yet to come with announcements of not one but two games in the fall of 1933 that would, in hindsight, be considered among the best pin games to ever be produced in this era.
The games would be (World's Fair) Jigsaw and World's Series. These two games are among the most actively traded 1930s games today, a reflection on the large number produced originally. The sales volumes for these games (in excess of 50,000 pieces each) can only be looked at in wonder today, where even the bestselling titles only reach a fraction of those totals.
There are more World's Series games sold and traded currently than any other 1930s game. The Jigsaw game is also sold or traded regularly despite the high price it usually fetches. These days it is typically only outsold by its sibling World's Series and Gottlieb's Five Star Final".
The Thompson's became collectors of Rockola pinball machines after acquiring their Rockola World's Series baseball game which was listed on Hal O'Rourke's web site. "Although Hal had recently restored the game, he supplied invaluable assistance in supplying parts and expertise in bringing it to full operation", said Nate Thompson, co-founder of Buckwerx.
"We have three goals in starting Buckwerx", said Nate Thompson, "They are:
• First, continue to make parts available to allow restoration and continued usage for another 70 years for these wonderful games. Pinball is our family's hobby, we were fortunate in being able to obtain parts for our five Rockola games-and want to make them available for others;
• Second, this is a great opportunity for our children Buck (15), Summerlyn (13) and Wyeth (10) to learn a little about running a business. Buckwerx is a tiny business, but has all the elements of a larger business including customers, inventory, suppliers, design, shipping, marketing and sales-giving our kids a lot of opportunity for expressing their entrepreneurial genetics.
• And third, we want to honor Hal O'Rourke. Hal made a large impact on the hobby, and has a lot of friends and enthusiasts who appreciate his contributions. His untimely death left the Rockola fans with a gaping hole. By continuing his passion we serve to honor his memory".
"I'm really pleased to see Hal's efforts to support Rockola pinball machines continued", said Susan O'Rourke, widow of Hal O'Rourke. "The Thompson's have jumped in with enthusiasm".
Tim Gravatt a vintage Rock-Ola pinball enthusiast from England says "I was really delighted to find that I could now find the parts that I needed to complete the ongoing restoration of a pair of Rockola Jigsaw machines in my possession. Parts have been very difficult to obtain over in England and to be able to complete and return two examples to full working order is brilliant!"
Finance/Analytics Leader Jonathan Friedman says, "with parts from Buckwerx including the star wheel, marquee, springs, gates, balls, and decals my World's Series looks and plays so much like a new machine you'd think FDR was still President. Now the next generation can continue to enjoy these mechanical marvels the way they were meant to be played. Thanks".
"It's been quite educational learning how to make wire gates and filling several early orders for these amazing antique games", said Buck Thompson son of Nate & Dana Thompson and name source for "Buckwerx". "I'm hoping to use this experience to sharpen my design skills to get into a good engineering college in a few years".
While not exactly an e-commerce site; parts, prices, availability and service tips can be found on www.buckwerx.com. "I wish to thank my new friend and fellow pinball enthusiast Rob Goebel for creating our web site, it was the final piece we needed to roll out and go public with Buckwerx", said Nate Thompson.
Media Contact: Nathan Thompson. nathant@spectralogic.com Mobile: 303-641-8304