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Modding Our Arcade1Up Pinball With IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Panel

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There were a couple of things we were looking forward to this year, Stern Pinball’s Insider Connected Kit for our Star Wars pinball machine, and IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Panel for our Arcade1Up (virtual) pinball machine.

Well, it was almost 2 for 2 in 2022, however, our Stern Pinball Insider Connected kit was delivered incomplete – which means we will have to wait for the next boat to arrive down under.

On the flip side, the IntecGaming panel for our A1Up pinball machine arrived and we can’t wait to get it installed! Just in case you have no idea what this thing is or does, check out our previous post here.

We will write about our exploits of getting this mod installed, so stay tuned (and wish us luck)!



Lego Ideas: The Pinball Frame

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With the cost of living going through the roof, owning a pinball machine doesn’t have to cost you an arm, a leg and one of your kidneys.

To ensure you can keep your arm, leg and kidney, make sure you vote for this cool and fun Lego Ideas Pinball Frame submitted by Pandis Pandus.

The Pinball Frame is a creation consisting of a frame and an interchangeable playfield. The frame itself features a lot of components to make the pinball experience as fun and customizable as possible: Adjustable legs, foldable flippers, a ball box, and a spinning plunger. This pinball contains a total of 554 pieces, of which 134 are unique and 2 are printed.

Go on, let’s make this happen, vote here now!

image source: Lego Ideas



Nintendo Switch Arcade and Pinball DIY Kit for your Arcade1Up Pinball Machine

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Take your Arcade1Up Pinball Machine to another level!

Almost a year ago we were gushing over IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Arcade Control Panel for the Arcade1Up pinball machines. It was promised to be released in 2022, and it now looks like IntecGaming has kept that promise!

If you have an Arcade1Up Pinball machine (even if you have modded with the additional Zen Pinball games), this new DIY Kit will take your A1Up Pinball machine to another level! We don’t have firm specs yet, but from the few bits and pieces we have found in our research, this kit will let you play your Switch games on the vertical screen, complete with an arcade joystick and buttons control panel for that authentic arcade feel. Of course you will still be able to use the flipper buttons on the side of the cabinet for your pinball gaming fix! For the Switch games that aren’t vertical (TATE), they can still be played, albeit in a letterboxed view on the vertical screen. The DIY kit will require tinkering to get setup, but we reckon it will be totally worth it.

We are just excited to play all of our vertical games using this kit, especially our library of shoot’em ups and pinball games (hello The Pinball Arcade, Pinball FX 3 and Stern Pinball Arcade!). This will breath a new life into our Arcade1Up Pinball machine.

The pre-order period begins on Halloween (Oct 31st U.S. time), with a special price of US$119.99! Who is in? We most certainly are.

PS: If you want to see this kit in action, check out ToyKade’s review video now!

image source: IntecGaming



The Sonic Pinball Machine That Never Was!

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With all the deep fakes these days, it is hard to tell what is real and what isn’t.

We will never ever know why Sega didn’t capitalise on it’s Sonic franchise back in the 90s by releasing a pinball machine. If Nintendo’s Mario got two pinball machines made, then surely Sonic deserved at least one! But all is not lost, thanks to talented folks like Ryan McQuaid, with his homebrew Sonic Spinball creation being the closest we will ever get to a physical Sonic based pinball machine – albeit a one of a kind.

Then there are folks like Greg Miller, who got us all excited when we stumbled upon his Sonic Pinball Panic machine! Before we dug deeper, the trade magazine-like ad for Sonic Pinball Panic looked like the real deal, even down to the 90s aesthetic and slogans that were bandied around those days. We did get excited for a moment, but then realised we had never ever hear of this machine, even the prototype – could this be fake? Of course it was fake, and Greg Miller didn’t hide this fact – he even explains how he did it!

The renders look so real!

All isn’t lost though, as Greg did create Sonic Pinball Panic in digital form. So, for all those Sonic fans wanting their pinball fix with their favourite speedy blue hedgehog, head on over to Greg’s site and grab the game for your Windows PC or Mac right now!

story and image source: Sonic Pinball Panic



Pinball Expo 2022 – The Homebrew Pinball Machines

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If you are into pinball and were in Chicago this past weekend, you would’ve no doubt attended Pinball Expo!

Being one of the larger pinball events in the world, among the many things to see, do and play is the homebrew section. The homebrew machines are so good these days that it could lead to a pinball designer gig at one of the many pinball manufacturers in North America – just ask Ryan McQuaid (Sonic Spinball) and Mark Seiden (Metroid Pinball), both are now pinball designers at American Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball respectively!

For Pinball Expo 2022 there were quite a few eye popping and amazing homebrew pinball machines designed and built by enthusiasts that we just had to share with you all. Licensing notwithstanding, do you see any you would like being mass produced? We love the look of Elf, Pokemon and League of Legends!

image source: Pinball Expo via Facebook



Flippin the Script on Autism – Fundraiser Auction!

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This is something close to our heart, so we thought we’d share the below press release with you all 🙂

PinShades is a proud sponsor of Flippin the Script on Autism

We are excited to announce LoserKids and TPN teaming up to help children with Autism! Flippin the Script will be a 12 hour charity stream. So mark your calendars for October 20th (Thursday – US time) at Pinball Expo in Chicago. The stream is directly going towards Learning Solutions. An Utah based organization that helps with early intervention Autism therapy for kids that are as young as 2 all the way to late teenage years. The organization helps kids with Autism by giving them a one on one teachers to help develop skills like: Speech, social, and positive reinforcement to name a few.

Stern, JJP, American, Multimorphic, CGC, Haggis, Lit Frames, Flip N Out, The Pinball Company, PinShades, and others are donating products that will be auctioned off during the stream. LoserKids, TPN, Poormen, and others with be hosting the stream and interviewing some of your favourite people from the pinball industry including Keith Elwin and Eric Meunier to name a few.

We hope you join or stream us on October 20th at Pinball Expo!



Dead Flip: How To Stream Pinball

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Pinball streamer, ambassador and now Stern Pinball Designer, Jack Danger, host of Dead Flip has put pen to paper (or should that be fingers to keyboard?), and published an updated feature on “How To Stream Pinball“.

Jack has been a pioneer in the field of live pinball streaming since 2014. When Jack opens his box of pinball streaming tools, rigs and general setup, we take note. Jack has been a great (virtual) friend since we first conversed on Twitter almost 8 years ago. We don’t get much time to watch live streams on Twitch, but we always try and make an exception when we get the notification that Dead Flip is streaming live!

Jack’s video tutorials are a great reference for those wanting to stream pinball!

Dead Flip’s streams are always run like clockwork and are lots of fun to watch – with Jack’s engaging personality shining through our screens. Of course the rig setup also helps in showing off the pinball machine. For those live streams when the time zones don’t work, there is always Dead Flip’s YouTube channel to catch the action via video on demand (VOD).

With the plethora of current pinball streamers hitting Twitch (and other live streaming services), each of them owe a debt of gratitude to Dead Flip for paving the way. If you are interested in streaming pinball, then read Dead Flip’s How to Stream Pinball post right away!

From all of us, thank you Jack!

Dead Flip (aka: Herman Munster) and Gary Stern (aka: Grandpa) streaming The Munsters pinball machine

images source: Dead Flip



Stern Pinball’s James Bond Pinball Machines Are Shaken, Not Stirred

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SternPinball Announces New
James Bond 007 Pinball Machines
Featuring the Award-Winning InsiderConnected™

The world’s most famous British Secret Service agent gets the Stern Pinball treatment, all shaken, but not stirred! The world’s largest pinball manufacturer has unveiled their latest pinball machine: James Bond 007, celebrating the iconic James Bond films.

This new cornerstone series features the original 007 actor, Sean Connery, available in Pro Edition, Premium Edition, and Limited Edition (LE).  Stern Pinball will also release a special James Bond 007 60th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machine featuring all six James Bond actors!


source: Stern Pinball

In Dr. No (1962) Sean Connery propelled 007 into the cultural zeitgeist, bringing the legendary literary figure to life through adrenalised action sequences, ground-breaking gadgets and effects, memorable characters, and timeless villains.

Stern’s James Bond 007 cornerstone pinball machine highlights film footage and iconic music from the films that built the 007 legend: Dr. No, From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971).  Players are immersed into the world of espionage in this action-packed pinball experience, tackling assignments, teaming up with key allies, and stopping SPECTRE’s villainous schemes.

Gather gadgets from Q Branch as pinballs get ejected through the roof of a custom sculpted Aston Martin DB5.  Break through the Osato Chemicals drop targets to battle SPECTRE at the Bird 1 rocket base.  And hold your breath on the gravity defying, magnetic jetpack as it transports pinballs across the playfield.

All James Bond 007 pinball machines will include Stern’s award-winning Insider Connected™ system, which enables players to interact with the game and a global network of players in a variety of ways.  Through Insider Connected, players can track progress, earn new game-specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests.  Insider Connected also provides an operator-focused toolset to drive location play through Location Leaderboards, build player loyalty, analyze performance, make adjustments remotely, and maintain the machines.  Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com/.

Limited to 1,000 machines globally, the highly collectible cornerstone Limited Edition includes an exclusive full-color mirrored backglass inspired by Thunderball, masterfully adapted cabinet artwork, custom high gloss and powder-coated pinball armor, a custom designer-autographed bottom arch, exclusive inside art blades, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball playfield glass, shaker motor, a sequentially numbered plaque, and a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Stern Chairman Gary Stern and President Seth Davis.

Stern’s James Bond 007 60th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machines will immerse players in the history of 007.  Limited to 500 machines globally, the highly collectible 60th Anniversary Limited Edition offers players a retro-inspired playfield packed with exciting mechanical action.  Control the chaos from Oddjob’s kinetic spinning disc hat, survive tactical precision shots against 10 drop targets, escape SPECTRE’s evil henchmen navigating pinballs through 4 fast-flowing optical spinners, learn assignments through an in-playfield LCD screen, and rack up high scores on classic-style score reels.

Fittingly, the new James Bond 007 pinball machines will be on show for the first time to media and public in London.  On September 26th the games will be on display and available to play as part of the Bond-themed Christie’s Late, a public event celebrating the forthcoming Christie’s Sixty Years of James Bond Charity Auction.  Shortly after, they will be a part of the James Bond at 60 weekend at the British Film Institute on the South Bank, September 30th-October 2nd.

Pricing and Availability:

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (“MSRP”)*^:

*MSRP for sales to USA end-users, before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes.
^Australian pricing has not been announced at this stage

  • Pro Edition: $US 6,999
  • Premium Edition: $US 9,699
  • Limited Edition: $US 12,999
  • 60th Anniversary Limited Edition: Price Yet to be announced

James Bond 007 pinball machines and accessories are available now through authorised Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world. Pro and Premium Editions will also be available at the 007Store.com

PS: We love the retro inspired artwork, as it is in keeping with the time-based theme. George Gomez (Lead Designer) always makes extremely playable pinball machines, and this one looks to be in keeping with his design philosophy of making it unique and fun!

Limited Edition

Premium Edition

Pro Edition

image source: Stern Pinball Inc.



Pokémon Pinball Machine – It’s For Real

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A dad of a Pokemon fan created an incredible real life Pokemon pinball machine!

Imagine being skilled enough to reskin an old pinball machine into an amazing Pokemon pinball machine?! Luckily for Redditor bosgetti, their father had the requisite skill set to create such a unique, customised and incredible pinball machine.

In case you were wondering, the donor EM pinball machine was a Chicago Coin Hi-Score Pool.

PS: Check out this amazing machine on imgur now!

story source: Reddit



Pinball Expo ’22 is Celebrating its 38th Year!

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Oh how we wish we could go to this year’s Pinball Expo! We’ll be watching from afar. But, if you are one of those lucky folks that will be attending, Pinball Expo’s Rob Berk reckons this will be the biggest and best yet…..

Playing Magic Girl (the broken one!) at Flipout 2018! Beautiful to look at, but that’s about it!

MAGIC GIRL IS BACK!

After seven years in the making, the elusive Magic Girl pinball game is finally complete! The storied history of this machine can be traced back to 2015 when its first designs were being formulated. Through a troubled development cycle only 19 machines were ever built… but none of them were truly complete and had many missing components. But, through the hard work of American Pinball and an intrepid team of builders in the Netherlands, Magic Girl has finally been restored and the first ever fully-functional Magic Girl pinball machine will be unveiled on U.S. soil at Pinball Expo 2022!

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

Pinball Expo 2022 will also be hosting the first ever Pinball Expo World Cup Tournament! Players from around the world are signing up to compete, with tournament attendees on board from the U.S., Spain, and the Netherlands – and we’re looking for more! With guest speakers also hailing from Australia, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, Pinball Expo’s global influence has never been greater!

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

ENTERRIUM is opening its doors to Pinball Expo 2022 attendees to enjoy pinball, games, food, and fun! Come on down and catch up with old friends and meet new ones too at this upscale restaurant, bar, and arcade in Schaumburg, Illinois! The entire facility will be open with all pinball machines, arcade machines, bowlers, and more available to play at no charge!

And finally, the Vendor Hall this year will have longer show hours and will be packed with great manufacturers including Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, Chicago Gaming, Pinball Adventures, American Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and – all the way from Sweden – Pinball Brothers who will be there to show off their latest games : Alien and Queen! And we’re working with even more manufacturers to have their latest creations on display!

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S EVEN MORE!

For the first time ever Jersey Jack Pinball will be hosting a tour of its pinball facility! Check the website for more details!

Pinball Expo is truly an “Everything for Everybody” show and you’re guaranteed to have a pinball experience to remember in 2022!

Visit www.PinballExpo.com for more information about the event and to book your rooms today!

Thank you,

Rob Berk
Pinball Expo Chairman

image source: Better.net

story source: IFPA