James Bond 007

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I stumbled upon a tweet from Stern Pinball where it was showing designers applying decals to a James Bond 007 pinball machine. The cool decals were various James Bond movie posters from the 1960s, the Sean Connery era.

Nothing else at theatres looked like the early Bond posters, like the films. If I were to randomly see those posters on the side of a pinball machine, I’m playing it. The images make anything exciting and intriguing; a movie, a pinball machine… the perfect assortment of colors make you want to be a part of it.

Stern Pinball’s James Bond 007 (Pro)

The “Dr. No” poster looks so quant compared to the other Bond posters, but no movie poster looked quite like it pre-1962. The bright yellow with the title in red lettering made moviegoers take notice, and ask, “What is this ‘Dr. No’?” Connery with the smoking Walther PPK, alongside four of his female costars, is visually stunning to the eye. The palm trees in the lower, righthand corner of the poster gives it a Jamaican feel. It’s not easy to see, but it’s a great touch, right below the title of the first James Bond film. It shows off the Bond universe so well. It is a work of art; I’m sure ad men on Madison Avenue were enamored by the “Dr. No” poster.

I know I probably couldn’t afford a Stern James Bond pinball machine, but I want one so bad. I play a lot of pinball games on my Nintendo Switch; that would drastically change if I had my very own James Bond pinball machine.

Separately, James Bond and pinball machines have given me hours of entertainment and enjoyment. Stern Pinball can’t go wrong putting the two things together.

image source: Stern Pinball Inc.

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 60^th 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 60^th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machines will immerse players in the history of 007. Limited to 500 machines globally, the highly collectible 60^th 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 26^th 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 30^th-October 2^nd.

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
60^th 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!