Pinball

We had a chance to play around with the machines that Stern Pinball brought during SDCC, along with the newest Transformers Pinball experience to have

At Comic Con this year, AggroGamer was afforded the opportunity to demo the new Stern Pinball machine based on the Transformers, as well as one for Pokémon. We tested the premium model, which is the 2^nd tier as far as price and extras in the usual Stern line of Pro, Premium, and Limited. The model has the standard two flippers at the base and a single 3^rd at the upper right. A feature not always common but an interesting and sometimes welcome addition is a pole at the center past the bottom flippers with a small rubber ring on it. This is a useful feature if your ball has a center “dead drop” with the ball falling in a way the flipper cannot touch it. It won’t always bounce straight back up, but it’s a fun way to potentially save your ball if you have the nerve to let it do so. Ball saves are generous, which is especially nice if you are new to it or trying for trickier shots. As always, the Stern QR code scanner is included.

Bells and whistles are pleasing. Most ramps are, for the most part, accessible. I had a time with the far left one under the transformed Grimlock, but that may be more of a skill issue on my part vs design. Characters were plentiful and appeared sturdy in case of a random ball jump popping one in the mouth (voice modulator?), so you don’t have to worry about murdering Optimus Prime. There is one steep ramp on the upper right, but it's worth the shot, as in the premium models and up, doing so loads Megatron’s arm cannon and fires your ball into another area. I 100% would try this every ball (it’s once per ball) and was never disappointed with the character rotation and launch. It should be noted the characters are not as intricate in the Pro model (flat panel vs 3D composite) as they are in the Premium and Limited.

The video and sound are a trip down memory lane. This model is based purely on the original animated series. No live action. The voice lines from the original series are included, so expect Optimus calling for the Autobots to roll out, Megatron’s gravely menace, or Starscream’s epic whine. The video screens are also all old school animated series, which was great to see again.

Overall, it’s a great machine. Not to the level that I feel the Venom or Dungeons & Dragons were, but that’s not a slight against this product, more a compliment to its predecessors. Definitely worth a run if you see it in the wild.

9.0/10