In space, no one can hear you… PLAY PINBALL!
Every pinball collector knows that some machines don’t just turn up—you have to hunt them down, stalk them like prey, and pounce the moment the opportunity arises. For me, that white whale came in the form of the Pinball Brothers Alien Ellen Ripley Edition.
This wasn’t just any Alien. This was the beautifully reimagined version celebrating Sigourney Weaver’s legendary role, wrapped in an ominously gorgeous cabinet that looks ready to burst open and unleash a xenomorph. The moment I saw it announced, I knew: I have to have it.
The hunt was on.
After years (yes, years!) of scrolling through listings, firing off hopeful messages, and hearing the usual collector heartbreak phrases—“already sold” or “sorry, mate, they’re not making them anymore”—I finally spotted a lead: Mr Pinball Australia. They didn’t just have one… they had the one.
Of course Mr. Pinball Australia had one on the showroom floor for us to check out!
Here’s where the story took a turn from “transaction” to “pinball pilgrimage.” Mr Pinball himself didn’t just ship it. Oh no. He personally loaded it, drove it out, delivered it to my door, and set it up in my games room like some sort of silverball Santa Claus. We’re talking bolts tightened, tilt levelled, software updated—by the time he left, the machine was purring (well… growling) and ready for battle against the xenomorph threat.
The first plunge was everything I’d hoped for—dark, atmospheric lighting; that eerie, tension-building soundtrack; the thunk of the ball ejecting into a playfield full of cinematic callouts and teeth-baring toys. It’s the kind of machine that’s as much an experience as it is a game. And for a lifelong Alien fan, it’s perfection.
Preparing its final resting place
Hunting it down was half the fun. Playing it? That’s the payoff.
Have you chased down a grail machine? Did it take months of detective work and collector whisper networks? Let’s hear your pinball trophy stories.
Hello MU-TH-UR!
Get away from her, you b1tch!
Mr. Pinball Australia threw in the original machine’s backglass!
The RGB lighting on the Alien Ripley Edition is something else
Argh, my eyes!!!!
