pinball brothers

Silverball Central: Our Adelaide Adventure at the Inaugural Australian Pinball Expo

08/07/2026 By ausretrogamer

200+ machines, three days, one very tilted grin – APE 2026 delivered in a big way

Last week, team ausretrogamer packed the bags, grabbed the flipper fingers, and headed to Adelaide for the inaugural Australian Pinball Expo (APE), held at Morphetville Racecourse from July 3-5. Three days. 10am to 10pm. Wall-to-wall pinball. If that sentence alone doesn’t get your silverball senses tingling, we don’t know what will.

Chicago may have the original Pinball Expo, but down under we’ve now got APE – and on this showing, it’s giving Chicago a genuine run for its money.

video source: ausretrogamer via Facebook

Getting There Was Half the Fun (Actually, No – The Venue Was)

First things first: Morphetville nailed the fundamentals. Easy public transport access, and critically for an event with this many machines and this many punters – plenty of room to breathe. Even at peak capacity with the venue absolutely packed with like-minded pinheads, we never once felt cramped shuffling between banks of machines. Big tick for the organisers on venue choice alone.

The Sheer Scale of It All

We’re talking well over 200 pinball machines, plus a handful of classic arcade cabinets thrown in for good measure. The lineup spanned the full history of the hobby – vintage Electro-Mechanical (EM) machines with their glorious push-up ball troughs and knockers, right through to the bleeding edge of 2026 pinball manufacturing. Stern, Jersey Jack, Chicago Gaming Company, Barrels of Fun, P3 Multimorphic, Pinball Brothers, and Dutch Pinball Exclusive all had a serious presence on the floor. Whatever era or flavour of pinball gets your multiball going, APE had it.

The Home-brew Hero: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

One of the most delightful surprises of the whole expo wasn’t a factory machine at all – it was a home-brew build of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. And when we say home-brew, we mean it: this is a from-scratch build with its own custom electronics, not a repurposed or hacked Pinball 2000 machine as we originally (and incorrectly) reported. It runs a 100cm LCD screen in portrait orientation, the lower cabinet started life as a Data East Jurassic Park, and the builder crafted the head himself – which makes this even more mind-blowingly awesome!

Seeing Marvin, the Babel fish, and assorted Douglas Adams weirdness rendered on a genuinely scratch-built machine was a real highlight – and an even bigger reminder of just how creative and skilled the DIY side of this hobby can be. Don’t Panic indeed.

The Machines That Kept Pulling Us Back

With 200+ tables to choose from, you inevitably gravitate toward a shortlist, and ours ended up being a genuinely eclectic mix:

Dutch Pinball Exclusive’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – a genuine surprise packet that we didn’t expect to love as much as we did
Barrels of Fun’s Winchester Mystery House – moody, atmospheric, and dripping with theme. This was also BEST IN SHOW!
P3 Multimorphic’s Portal – bringing Aperture Science’s twisted logic to the playfield in style
Stern Pinball’s Foo Fighters LE, Stranger Things, Rush, and Dungeons & Dragons – Stern showing why they remain the workhorse of modern pinball manufacturing
Hankin’s Empire Strikes Back – a stunning original-run classic, Vader glowering down at every ball in play
Jersey Jack Pinball’s Elton John and Harry Potter – JJP’s signature big-screen spectacle and toy-packed playfields on full display
Bally’s Theatre of Magic – simply stunning, and every bit as blingy in person as its reputation suggests

Honourable mention to the sheer variety of theming on the floor, from Jurassic Park raptors lurking beside the machines, to Alien, John Wick, Austin Powers, Medieval Madness and Cactus Canyon standing shoulder to shoulder. There really was something for every taste.

A First-Timer That Felt Like a Veteran

For a debut event, APE 2026 punched well above its weight. The organisation, the venue, the sheer breadth of machines on the floor, and the obvious passion of everyone involved made this feel like an expo that’s been running for years, not one finding its feet for the first time. Big respect to the organisers and every contributor who made it happen.

Roll on APE 2027 – we’ll most definitely be there.

Correction (14/07/2026): An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy machine as a repurposed or hacked Pinball 2000 cabinet. It is in fact a from-scratch build with its own custom electronics. We apologise to the builder for the error and thank them for setting the record straight.

Scroll slowly and soak it all in – Enjoy!

Words and photos by ausretrogamer. Follow along for more retro computing, pinball, and hobby electronics adventures.

“If It Bleeds, We Can Play It!” – Predator Pinball Is Coming

02/06/2025 By ausretrogamer

“If it bleeds, we can play it!” – Predator Pinball Incoming! 🛸💥

June 12 is no ordinary day, folks – it marks 38 years since Arnie first tangled with the galaxy’s deadliest hunter in Predator! And what better way to celebrate than with the possible reveal (on this day) of a brand new Predator pinball machine from our extraterrestrial-obsessed pals at Pinball Brothers?

🎯 We’re calling it now – June 12 could be the day this beast lands! So clear your calendars, polish those flippers, and prep your coins!

According to Pinball Brothers, this isn’t your average pin –

“A brutal wide-body game forged in the heart of a cinematic legend. Built to hunt, The Predator Pinball will throw you into a world of hurt.“

👾 Brutal? Wide-body? World of hurt? YES PLEASE.

If this turns out to be true (which it will be!), we’re looking at a must-play machine that’ll bring 80s action, sci-fi mayhem, and brutal pinball chaos together in one gorgeous cabinet.

Stay frosty, retro gamers – this hunt might begin sooner than you think! 🕹️🔥

source: Pinball Brothers

source: supplied

We Had A Blast At The Inaugural Melbourne Pinball Expo

02/12/2024 By ausretrogamer

A Silverball Sensation: The Melbourne Pinball Expo 2024 Rocks the Flippers!

The pinball buzz has finally landed in Melbourne, and it hit with a bang! The inaugural Melbourne Pinball Expo (MPE) lit up the Matthew Flinders Hotel in Chadstone this past weekend, delivering a bumper-packed event that left attendees flipping out—literally.

Back in June, we gave you the heads-up about this one-of-a-kind gathering, and oh boy, did it live up to the hype! MPE brought together an eclectic mix of new and classic pinball machines, offering something for everyone, from seasoned flipper wizards to first-timers discovering the magic of the silverball.

A Playground for All Ages

Whether you came to chase high scores, bask in the nostalgia of retro classics, or marvel at the cutting-edge innovations of modern pinball, MPE had you covered. The best part? Seeing the pinball community in full force—old friends reconnecting over their shared passion and new faces lighting up with excitement. It was a celebration for all ages, proving that pinball truly is timeless.

Star Attractions Steal the Spotlight

Choosing a favourite machine was nearly impossible with so many crowd-pleasers on the floor. Stern Pinball dazzled attendees with their blockbusters like Jaws, John Wick, Foo Fighters, and Venom—machines that had players lining up for another go. Meanwhile, Jersey Jack Pinball wowed with Avatar, The Godfather, Toy Story 4, and Guns N’ Roses, drawing in pinheads eager to experience their stellar craftsmanship.

But the surprises didn’t stop there! American Pinball (AP) and Pinball Brothers (PB) made waves with standout offerings. AP’s lineup of Legends of Valhalla, Barry O’s BBQ Challenge, Galactic Tank Force, and the adrenaline-pumping Hot Wheels were absolute crowd favourites. PB turned heads with their music-inspired pins, ABBA and Queen, with ABBA’s interactive helicopter ball lock being a delightful highlight that never got old.

The view from the Jersey Jack Pinball stage

A Special Shoutout

Of course, we couldn’t forget CGC’s Cactus Canyon Remake and the ultra-cool Pulp Fiction SE—machines so popular, we had to elbow our way in just to get a turn. If you managed to snag some time on these, consider yourself lucky!

Already Looking Forward to 2025

Missed the fun? Don’t fret! The MPE team hinted that they’re already gearing up for an even bigger 2025 event. Make sure you follow our channels to stay updated, and in the meantime, feast your eyes on the gallery of moments we captured from this unforgettable weekend.

The MPE venue was perfect for pinball

Woohoo, a selfie with Slash!

Yep, I did TILT – and that was Game Over!

Some Mr Pinball Australia and ZAX Amusements goodies from MPE

New Pinball Games To Be Revealed at Pinball Expo

17/10/2023 By ausretrogamer

With Pinball Expo ’23 only a few days away, pinball manufacturers are clamouring to outdo each other in the new release stakes.

We already had Barrels of Fun announce their Labyrinth pinball game over the weekend (which will be playable at the expo), and now it’s Pinball Brothers’ turn with an Ellen Ripley edition of their Alien pinball machine. As Alien(s) fans, this definitely piques our interest!

This Ellen Ripley version of Alien pinball will come with new cabinet art, a loader battle translite, an updated software package (v4.0) and a bunch of extra movie scenes we have never seen in Alien Pinball before! Announcing their collaboration with modder Lior Rajwan from The Art of Pinball, this new machine will include hand-sculpted mini-screen, a hand-painted Xeno-head and a beautifully designed apron. Pinball Brothers are also planning an interactive topper which we hope they bring to the expo!

Alien Pinball – The Ellen Ripley Version

The Ellen Ripley Edition’s In-game Extras

Not to be outdone, Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) will also announce Steve Ritchie’s next pinball machine on October 19 (US time), which is rumoured to be an Elton John music themed pin. We aren’t the biggest Elton John fans, but with Steve designing this one with a higher BoM (bill of materials), you can bet it will be an amazingly flowy (and possibly brutal) game, packed with cool mechs and toys – well, that’s the hope.

The Master of Flow – Steve Ritchie. JJP will showcase his latest game at Pinball Expo

Will it be Elton John? We’ll see on October 19 (US time)!

Oh how we wish we could be at Chicago this week to experience and play these new machines – if someone could fly us out to Chi-town, we’d be forever in their debt 😉

Pinball Brothers Will Rock You With The New Queen Pinball Machine

22/07/2022 By ausretrogamer

QUEEN & PINBALL BROTHERS ANNOUNCES NEW PINBALL MACHINE:

QUEEN – LIVE IN CONCERT!

With over 300 million albums sold worldwide, the iconic British rock band Queen are one of the biggest bands ever. Formed in London in 1971, Queen have released 15 studio albums, toured extensively, and produced innovative film, video and theatre shows for over 5 decades and they continue to pull in the crowds around the world.

The time has now come to honour this legendary band with a pinball machine based on their truly spell-binding songs – all played LIVE!

The game will be available in two different editions: Champions Edition and Rhapsody Edition. The Rhapsody Edition is limited to a run of 1,000 numbered games and comes with a certificate of authenticity. The limited Rhapsody Edition will come with a number of unique add-ons and the two editions will be different in appearance – see pics below!

Pinball Brothers have worked closely with the band to ensure their approval, which features the following live songs:

A Kind Of Magic,
Another One Bites The Dust,
Bohemian Rhapsody,
Hammer To Fall,
I Want To Break Free,
Killer Queen,
One Vision,
Play The Game,
Radio Ga Ga,
Seven Seas Of Rhye,
Somebody To Love,
We Will Rock You,
We Are The Champions; and
Who Wants To Live Forever

Game Features

The game features 14 live songs accompanied by call outs by the band, exclusively recorded for the game. Featured also is Brian May’s legendary Red Special guitar, in the shape of an upper playfield where you can lock balls to start the Red Special multiball. Or you can visit the epic Wembley Stadium to lock balls to start yet another of the game’s many multiballs.

Keep an eye on the Radio – it might help you time your flips! Collect autographs, instruments, band members, tour passes and posters on your way to eventually reaching the final wizard mode »I Want it All!«

The game is presented with an awesome full RGB light show and a Hi-Fidelity sound system, including an 8” bass speaker. It is hard to imagine a better way of experiencing Queen live, whether it be at the club or in your own living room. It is truly immersive! This machine will truly rock you!!!

Pricing and Availability

Champions Edition (Orange artwork)* 9,295 USD
Rhapsody Limited Edition (Golden artwork)^ 10,995 USD

* The Champions Edition will become available in Q1 2023.
^The Rhapsody Edition is limited to 1000 units and will be available through Pinball Brothers’ global distributors.

The new Queen pinball machines can be pre-ordered via your local distributor right now! For Australian folks keen on these machines, please contact Mr. Pinball Australia.

Follow all things Queen Pinball on the dedicated Queen.Pinball Instagram page!

Alien Pinball by Pinball Brothers: The Beast Is Back

19/01/2021 By ausretrogamer

It was all quiet on the Pinball Brothers front since the demise of the Heighway Pinball venture a few years ago.

Just like the rise of the phoenix (Ed: or should that be Xenomorph?), so have the Pinball Brothers ! Towards the end of 2020, we noticed that Pinball Brothers (PB) had quietly setup their online presence with a website and social media channels, which immediately piqued our interest and set off our motion tracker.

With nothing much to glean in the way of pinball news or information from their site initially, we kept a close eye on their cryptic social media posts, which were intriguing to say the least. With every tweet, Facebook and Instagram post, we were glued to our social timeline, trying to piece together their cryptic clues. Surely all of this was pointing to the resurrection of the Alien pinball machine.

Well, on December 18, 2020, all was answered of course when the Pinball Brothers team appeared on The Super Awesome Pinball Show (TSAPS podcast) – announcing that the coveted Alien pinball machine was going to be relaunched! For those that do not know the history of Alien pinball or Pinball Brothers’ involvement in the failed Heighway Pinball saga, we’ll spare you the sordid details here, as there are plenty of posts on forums and other pinball news sites that have documented their past quite well (Ed: Google is your friend!).

We first played the Heighway Pinball ALIEN machine at FlipOut 2018 – the theme integration was off the charts!

From their interview on TSAPS, the good news was that they were working on bringing back an Alien Standard Version (SV) first, followed by a Limited Version (LV) towards the middle of 2021. Even better news was that they were not going to take pre-order money this time, meaning that if you want one of their new Alien pinball machines, you would have to go via one of PB’s approved distributors (for those in Australia, the local distributor is Mr. Pinball Australia). As you could imagine, distributors were immediately inundated with pinballers clamouring to get on the list for an Alien Standard Version – the Limited Version order banks have not yet opened. Interestingly, PB did not disclose any more details about the features on the Limited Version of the machine, which has left folks speculating of what will (or won’t) appear on the high-end machine.

This Alien pinball remake has had a number of tweaks that distinguish it from the original Heighway Pinball version, including a standard backbox, wide-body Bally Williams style cabinet, removal of the LCD on the playfield above the flippers and a physical ball lock to name just a few. PB mentioned that they had also spent these last two years working under the hood to ensure that this new Alien pinball experience would be durable and reliable, something that the original was not (without a lot of tinkering and TLC).

Heighway Pinball’s ALIEN (left) and PB’s ALIEN remake (right)

With their almost indestructible playfields being produced in Germany by Buthamburg, the build and manufacturing of the machines will be in Italy, by Pedretti Gaming, who produce pinball replacement parts and sell used pinball machines. 2021 just got interesting, and rest assured, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this Xenomorphic pinball venture!

For now, it’s not GAME OVER for Alien pinball!

For more information on Alien, please visit the Pinball Brothers website.

PS: We will update this post once there is video footage of this machine being played!

image source: Pinball Brothers