Date: 11th April, 2013
Just a couple of days after the release of their promotional video about the game, Stern Pinball have released cabinet and playfield pictures of all three variants, along with details of the differences between them.
The three Metallica models:
Pro, Premium and Master of Puppets Limited Edition
Let's begin with the bottom-of-the-range Pro version.
Metallica Pro
The cabinet and translite artwork is probably the most colourful of the three and, as in some previous models, some people will prefer the translite from this game to the printed backglasses of the more expensive versions.
Down on the playfield, there are a few key features missing from the pictures we saw earlier.
The Pro playfield
The snake mouth on the Pro model is not animated like it is on the higher models, and the hammer with the disappearing ball is also missing. In addition, the motorised cross grave marker has been removed and the F-U-E-L targets on the left side of the playfield are standups rather than the drop targets in the Premium and LE.
Speaking of the Premium, it has a near identical playfield feature set to the Master of Puppets Limited Edition, with the main differences being in the trim and artwork.
Metallica Premium
Unlike the other two, the Premium model features real images of the band in the backbox. The cabinet and backbox sides go for a flight case style of artwork, while the metal trim is the same as the Pro. So in essence, you get Pro level trim, Premium artwork and a Pro playfield.
The Premium playfield
Fitted with LEDs throughout and featuring the full set of playfield toys with rules to support them, the Premium appears to be the model of choice unless you either hate the artwork or have to have one of these Limited Edition models.
Metallica Master of Puppets Limited Edition
The caricature-style of artwork returns with gravestone crosses being the main motif of the cabinet art. The trim is described as 'Arctic Silver' which suggests a chromed look but maybe not a mirror-finish. The dot matrix display on all three is the regular red.
The Limited Edition playfield
The only difference between the LE and the Premium playfields is the presence of game designer John Borg's signature under the clearcoat on the LE. Elsewhere, the LE comes with a numbered plaque and certificate, but those are the only differences apart from the LE having a fixed number made, although the actual number has not yet been announced. Those differences add another $600 to the list price of the Premium.
Here's a full list of the differences between the models:
The feature matrix
Here's Stern's press release about Metallica which is light on game details but provides plenty of background about the band.
Stern Pinball Launches Metallica Game
World’s Leading Maker of Arcade Quality Pinball Announces Newest Addition to Rock and Roll Collection
MELROSE PARK, IL –April 11, 2013 – Stern Pinball, Inc., the world’s leading maker of real pinball games, proudly announced today the availability of the Metallica pinball game. The newest addition to the iconic Stern collection of rock and roll machines honors one of the world’s foremost rock bands. Metallica’s notoriously fast tempos and aggressive musicianship sets the tone for an exciting player experience.
Players will be able to bang their heads and their flippers to 12 classic Metallica hits including “Master of Puppets,” “One” and “Fade to Black.” Other action-packed game features include an electric chair, snake, grave marker and unparalleled magnetic action.
“We are proud to release our newest music-themed game designed to capture the raw, rebellious nature of Metallica,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc.”
The Metallica game continues both the Stern Pinball and the Stern family tradition of producing quality pinball machines for young and old. The company traces its lineage to Philadelphia in the 1930s when Sam Stern entered the business of operating pinball games. Sam Stern subsequently became part owner and president of Williams Manufacturing, a pioneer in the pinball industry, and passed his lifelong enthusiasm for the game and the business of pinball to his son Gary Stern who founded Stern Pinball. Today pinball remains one of America’s favorite pastimes.
Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, Metallica have become one of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands in history, having sold 110 million albums worldwide and playing to millions of fans the world over. They have scored several multi-platinum albums, including 1991’s Metallica (commonly referred to as “The Black Album”), which is the best selling album in history of Soundscan scanning 16 million albums in the United States alone. Their latest album, Death Magnetic, was certified platinum just six weeks after it debuted atop the Billboard Top 200 Album chart in October 2008. Death Magnetic charted at #1 in 32 countries. Metallica have also garnered numerous awards and accolades, including nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, and multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009. The band recently celebrated its 30th-Anniversary with a week’s worth of fan club concerts at the Fillmore Theater in San Francisco, CA. In 2012, they announced the launch of Orion Music + More, an annual two-day festival curated and headlined by the band. This past summer, Metallica unveiled a brand new stage in Mexico City that featured iconic elements that spanned its 30-year career. They played eight shows to nearly 180,000 fans at the Sports Arena in Mexico City. Later that month the band performed four shows on the same stage in Canada, two in Edmonton and two in Vancouver, during which they shot their upcoming Nimród Antal directed 3D Feature Film, Through The Never, which will be released in 2013.
Pricing and Availability:
The Metallica pinball machine is available through authorized Stern distributors and dealers.
Pro Version: $4,995
Premium Version (road case): $6,995
Limited Edition Version: (Master of Puppets) $7,595
To learn more about The Metallica pinball game and Stern Pinball, visit www.sternpinball.com.
About Stern Pinball, Inc.
Stern Pinball, Inc., headquartered just outside Chicago, Illinois, is the leading producer of pinball games in the world. Stern’s highly talented creative and technical teams design, engineer and manufacture popular arcade-quality pinball games. Recent popular Stern titles include Avengers, X-Men, ACDC, Tron, Transformers, Avatar, Iron Man, Batman, Spiderman and many more. All of Stern’s pinball games are crafted by hand and assembled by Stern’s expert team. Both pinball enthusiasts and casual players around the globe enjoy Stern’s games. For more information visit www.sternpinball.com.
All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies. |
To go with the official launch, Stern have released a number of detailed shots of the Metallica playfield on the three models, starting with Sparkey in the electric chair.
The electric chair toy
Unlike the initial drawing we showed you previously, Sparkey isn't wearing a T-shirt with the slogan 'Tallica Sux'. You can also see how the hammer model turned out.
Another view of the electric chair
The Pro doesn't have a motorised jaw on the snake scoop, but the Premium and LE do, as you can see by comparing these two pictures.
The snake scoop on the Pro
The LE/Premium snake scoop
You can also see the disappearing magnet under the hammer in the picture above. This whole feature is removed in the Pro model.
No hammer or ball-grabbing disappearing magnet on the Pro
All three models do have three in-line drop targets on the left side, with the cross gravestone motorised on the top two variants.
The in-line drop targets are down
Above the flippers on all versions is the progress grid showing the player's achievements through the game on ttheir journey towards the End Of The Line wizard mode.
The progress grid
With that we conclude this huge update on Stern's upcoming Metallica game. We'll be back with much more soon, so keep reading Pinball News for all the latest - First and Free.
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