Here I am representin' Pinballz (the shirt) and Austin (the hat) with our generous, awesome tour guide Mike of Stern Pinball
Here’s a quick virtual side trek around the half-way point of my recent Chicago trip, the Stern factory. It was a major goal since the other one (seeing Brian and his kids) fell through by the time I landed.
As you may know, after my 43rd birthday, I got (re)hooked on playing pinball again. I currently hit Pinballz in Austin about twice a week to scratch the itch. I have numerous memories of Dad taken Brian and me to the little arcade section at Ayr-Way/Zayres in order to kill time. When we moved to Springfield the Aladdin’s Castle at White Oaks Mall was a mandatory stop at every opportunity.
With the rise of video games in the Eighties, pinball lost all the good real estate in such hangouts as Aladdin’s, Tilt, Gold Mine, Le Fun, etc. (I’m curious to know the name of your favorite). Despite all the technological improvements thanks to video games and computers, the few companies that manufactured the games gradually closed up during the Nineties: Gottleib, Bally, Williams, Data East and Sega. Only Stern remains because it acquired Data East, changed the name.
I think pinball is making a comeback now. It will never be as huge as it was in the Seventies or Pinball Summer but there’s a place for pinball as specialized entertainment. Besides, arcades are rare due to home consoles closing the technology/graphics gap and computers offering a more immersive experience. Emulators of pinball on my iPad or PS3 suck. It isn’t the same anyway.
I also support pinball for its slightly patriotic aspect. How? Stern builds all their machines in America, the Chicago suburbs to be exact. When I remembered this factoid (it was the home of Williams, Bally and Data East), I discussed taking a tour of Stern’s facility with Nelson before I flew up. We agreed and then I sought the advice of Pinballz’s owner Darren on how to go about it. With a couple e-mails, a phone call and persistence, Nelson, Nicolas, Ariana, Lucas and I got our own personal tour with a very nice man named Mike.
Stern owns the only three spotting machines on Earth. This device drills all the holes for screws, light bulbs, etc. under a playing field. A huge time saver for manufacturing. Currently it's set up for Rolling Stones.
There aren’t many photos though. It is a factory and we didn’t want to accidentally take a picture of something Stern considered a trade secret. However, it was pretty damned cool plus I learned an awful lot about what is entailed in the process.
- Half of the pinball machines Stern makes are exported abroad, I would’ve guessed a quarter. Seems pinball is quite alive around the planet! We saw boxes stating these destinations: Saudi Arabia, Austria and Kazakhstan.
- It takes only 33 hours to build but nine months to two years to develop.
- Licensed properties are the way to go now and the current CEO Gary Stern is a lawyer so he knows how to navigate through the legalese Avatar and the Rollings Stones required.
- When the the game is completed, it weighs 250 pounds, 280 in the shipping box.
- Each pinball machine has half a mile of wiring and over 3000 parts: screws, washers, light bulbs, flippers, balls, etc. Stern plans to move to more solid-state materials in the near future.
- Stern has spare parts to repair over 200 other models made in the last several decades, including ones they didn’t build. They also refurbish electronic parts, usually printed-circuit boards, for obsolete games.
- Many pieces in their machines are specifically designed by them so I figure Stern has numerous patents for resistors, bumpers, etc.
- Some parts are actually toys the designer incorporated into the construction. Mike told us one game uses Hot Wheels cars; the Daredevil Bart and Comic Book Guy in Simpsons Pinball Party are Playmates action figures; and another time they had to send someone all over Chicago to acquire a specific kids-meal toy from Burger King.
Currently, they were manufacturing mostly Transformers games while we were there, including the special limited editions for collectors. There were a couple others going through the production line: Rolling Stones, Tron: Legacy. I did see a Simpsons Pinball Party cabinet, how I wish I could own one of those, it’s a hilarious game.
Mike showed us several new design innovations Stern was shifting (or had shifted) to: applying giant decals to the cabinets instead of having them individually screened (for consistency); USB ports on the computer so owners/vendors can update the rules quickly; QR Codes in the rules cards; and a demo of one game giving a detailed report on its activities…how many times the left flipper was pressed, average scores, percentage of games resulting in matches (for a free game), everything. I finally got to see what the tilt mechanism looked like. I figured it was something derived from a level. Nope, it’s a pin in a ring. When the pin touches the ring, the machine shuts down and shows “tilt!” in some form. This makes most players even more pissed. I think they should feel shame, I rarely bump/jostle them out of respect; they are someone else’s property and I’m a guest.
The kids had a cool time and if they didn’t, they hid their boredom pretty well. Nicolas raised a few questions for Mike too; good job buddy! He didn’t let Uncle Steve monopolize the conversation with his technical jargon! At the end of the tour, Mike led us to Stern’s private arcade/testing room for some free “demonstrations” of Batman, Transformers, Tron: Legacy and Avatar.
Uncle Steve watching future pinball wizards develop their skills
The next time in I’m Chicago, I hope to be there when it isn’t the holiday week. I would love to take Somara on this tour and meet Stern’s legendary Quality Assurance (QA) person. Mike said she has been interviewed by major publications (New York Times) for her prowess. I can understand why. A pinball machine is a sizable investment and it isn’t cheap to repair according to the crew at Pinballz.
I think Stern’s ears were burning this week and decided to crack the whip on me to finish writing about them because their new AC/DC machine just started shipping. When it arrives at Pinballz, I am so going to use my gold-card membership to get a chance to be an early player. The band rather lost me after the mid Eighties yet Stern has created the most incredible marriage of music, imagery and technology I have ever seen. Usually rock band-licensed games are unimpressive (see Kiss, Guns n’ Roses and Ted Nugent) but I have to seriously compliment the team at Stern on choosing AC/DC. The Aussie band is one of the world’s loudest, somewhat humorous and at times, cartoonish acts on the planet. Should Pinballz buy one, AC/DC themselves should come by to autograph it due to Austin, TX being the first American city they played.
Pop Quiz if you toughed it out: If I hadn’t blathered on about this to you in person, I have a little challenge for you readers with a prize. One for around Austin and one for outside Austin. Tell me which nation (other than the US) is the leading importer of Stern Pinball Machines. Post your guess in the Comments. Austin winner gets $10 for Pinballz, non-Austin probably iTunes.