Dutch Pinball

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

After the Australian 2015 Timezone Supanova Pinball Championship Victorian State Final and Cramer’s Pinball Tournament, we have gone a bit pinball mad! Although we love the traditional tables, we are in awe of these amazing custom machines.

They call this table ‘The Goonies’

Mike Johnson from Orlando, FL has built a beautiful custom The Goonies pinball table for the film’s 30th anniversary (yes, 30th anniversary!). It’s really hard to believe no one has made one before.

Video source: Cinereelists on YouTube
Source: Kotaku UK

Order that pinball table a red cap and a speedo

Wes Anderson has designed a new cafe in Milan, called Bar Luce and it’s gorgeous (no surprise!). Most beautiful of all are the custom pinball machines based on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and short film Castello Cavalcanti.

Image source: sissirossi on Instagram

The pinball machine that really ties the room together, or ‘f**k it, let’s play pinball’

The Big Lebowski custom pinball table is not only fantastic (it will feature original movie clips and movie quotes in the game), but is soon to be available to buy from manufacturer Dutch Pinball!

Backbox Translite artwork
Image source: The Big Lebowski Pinball

Video source: Dutch Pinball on YouTube

Wow, so pinball, such flippers

See our previous post about how an old Baby Doll table was saved from the scrap heap and converted into Internet Meme Ball.

Image source: Liberty Games

Bite my shiny metal balls

This one-off Futurama: Space 3000 table was made in a mere 6 months by Evan K. from Seattle using the shell of an old Superman machine and a Futurama Space Pilot movie poster – wow! Check out how he did it.

Image source: Special When Lit

Don’t cross the flippers!

Brian Stahl, or ‘Betelgeuse’ as he’s known on forums, built this amazing custom Ghostbusters table in 14 months from a worn out Flash Gordon machine. The soundboard contains over 40 quotes and music from the movie. Why has this not been made before?!

Video source: superiorcrown on YouTube
Source: Gameroom Junkies Poscast

Everything about this pinball table is awesome!

An awesome life-size LEGO pinball machine with a fully automatic reloading system made by ElectryDragonite.

Video source: ElectryDragonite

By now you should be thoroughly inspired, our dream table would be Pulp Fiction (just imagine the quotes and music alone!) – what would yours be? Let us know on Twitter using #dreampinball.

Image source: Miramax

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.