This is the third Stern Solid State pinball Machine and the best remembered of the three due to it’s huge sales numbers.
Their first solid state game, “Pinball” by Stern, was incredibly expensive to make, program, and design. The second, “Stingray”, used the exact same game rom and switch count to cut costs, although they moved everything around on a new playfield design.
Sales numbers were satisfactory, but not great, for numerous obvious reasons.
The third game in development was Stars, and further cost reduction was paramount.
Two spinners, a pair of three bank drop targets, five stand up targets, and only one pop bumper!
Gone were rollovers, dual saucers, triple pop bumpers and so on from Pinball and Stingray.
How could that possibly be fun?
Well, they hired Steve Kirk!
The goal is to please the customer and remove or reduce the frustrations, and expenses, found on other pinball machines of the time.
Gameplay was increased by reducing ball outlane drains and adding the kirkpost between the flippers, and there’s an easy unblocked shot on both sides of the playfield that go straight back up to the top, making for very fast and easy gameplay.
Everyone likes fast and easy!
Yeah. I went there. Make your own joke. It was the 1970s after all.
Cheap and cheerful fun for the customer equals success and profits. Low maintenance means loyal happy vendors. All of this adds up to an amazing 5,127 units sold. Compare that to Pinball (1,654) and Stingray (3,006), which means Stars outsold them both combined, by 467 units.
That also means math is easy with a calculator.
Most of my reviews focus on value for money and gameplay quality. At the price Stars currently sells for and it’s total lack of rarity, combined with the rare need for maintenance and cheap upkeep costs, then throw in the simple, easy, and fun gameplay factor, and you have probably the best first pinball I could possibly recommend.
That was a run on sentence!
The best part is it doesn’t get old, because it already is quite old.
Stale. That’s a better word, even though it’s not edible.
Many people say that if they get near a Stars, they will play for hours. I totally agree!
Admittedly, If I had the space and money, I would have all three of the first solid state Stern machines, but I have neither.
Time to irritate people with my alliteration!
In Summary, Stars is a successful seventies solid state Stern that succeeded the second game, Stingray, in the series. Some say it sold so strongly that it saved Sam Stern several years of strife and struggle when it suddenly started sharply shifting units and surpassing sales expectations.
Now go buy one. It’s a fun game, you aren’t going to lose money on it, and if you love pinball, you certainly won’t regret it!
Stern Electronics
Stars Pinside Rating
This game received 77 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.687 /10
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