Coyote12's ratings

This is an excellent game from Bally's late 70's and early 80's pinball run on the rare side with only 2500 produced.

It has an incredibly artistic playfield with images of Vikings on ships, Hawks overlook the lanes and lightning from death save gates.

The playfield features an inline drop target shot that cranks up the score, a progressive center spinner. A deep saucer at the top center of the playfield and a right side path shot to a left side saucer and best of all the death save gates.

The gameplay progression along with the bounce back from death will have you battling again and again at this game. Every shot is satisfying and fun to hit and a solid game for it's era that should nt be passed up if given te chance to play.

The sound on this is outstanding and has a sweet synth dynamic that plays though out the game. Cash in your bonus mid game and a sythn progression will rise and rise as you earn.

The only drawback is the 6 digit scoring when good players will flip easily.

This is with out a doubt one of best themed and executed games in the premium and limited format. First off it hits you like a concert in a box. Pick the song you wish to start with, fire the ball and rock on. The sound and the lights make you feel like it a rock concert and not a pinball machine. I can imagine customizing this further with a fog machine underneath just for a cool effect as it would add to the concert in a box feel to this machine.
For me it has what I like in pinball machines. Long orbits, a long launch shot, rails and ball scoops. The upper midfield flipper allows for a wicked orbit redirect into the up down scoop if you time it right. The Icarus bash toy is simple and nice. A satisfying pop up when hit correctly.
The left orbit spinner is one of my favorite spinners ever. You can power shot into it and when you nail it, it spins and spins releasing one of the best sound effects found in a game. The satisfaction of the sound makes it remarkable feature and gameplay element.
With the premium the left spinner is not the only one on the playfield, set up your shots right and unlock the real fun of this machine. The Electric Magic bash toy spinner. This is why you should only play this on a premium as the gameplay of this is feature is incredibly fun and satisfying and without it this game drops its replay value tremendously. I can't imagine playing this game without this feature. it brings so much to the game and a thrill as it rises up from the lower depths of the playfield. An absolute must have feature.
I like this game and hope one day to add it to the collection. I think there is longevity in its gameplay and features to make this machine an instant classic.

I think the technology of the mini projector and the silver screen panels and spinner pieces with animation projected on them is one of the best innovations I have seen in a pinball machine in recent years. The look of animated panels and drop targets with what looks like Muybridge motion studies is a feature that pushes the premium and limited editions of this machine into the must have pinball machines of recent years.
And beyond the technology of the projector is a fun game with long lanes and orbit shots. The other feature I like with this edition is the magnetic backwall. The first time it happens it hooks you. Somehow your shot went right off the playfield and right into the backwall where a picture of Eleven telekinetically catches the ball and holds it up there until release in the multi ball.
The main ramp and Demigorgon bash toy makes a fun target to bash and beat up. It is a nice feeling to get a shot right in the hole and makes this one of the better bash toys yet. My one fear is the longevity of the bash toy. Being rubber it has only so many years and it would need replacing from dry rot and probably one too many hits and flexes. Hopefully there will be replacement parts one day and this is too central of a feature to look beaten and destroyed.
The one thing I am not a fan of is half shot ball launches. I like a nice long orbit shot out of the release and unfortunately this is a half shot that dumps your ball into the midfield. Never a fan of this style in pinball machines so this is my one gameplay element I don't care for myself.
With the technology in the limited and premium this is one machine I will have to keep an eye out for one day,

My first time with Whirlwind was at a laundry mat in Jersey City New Jersey. I had to stay for a month a buddy's place as I looked for an apartment since the one I was suppose to move to fell through. At one point I had to do some laundry and around the corner I went. As I am killing time with my washing I have to try out the pinball machine.
I pop my quarter in and start to play. I remember playing my normal trap and try out shots playing conservative and trying to make the game last long. Then it happened. I don't know what I did but I hit something and the next thing I see is the center of the table spinning in a circle and my ball just warping and re directing off into weird angles and shots. I had never seen anything like this before in a pinball machine. Before I know it the game is over and I have to play again. I probably dropped another $2 in quarters playing games while my laundry sat there. It was fun and a game that definitely made a lasting impression and one of my all time favorites.

My first experience with Space Invaders pinball had to be in the early 80's at Belmar Playland in New Jersey. We (the family)spent parts of the summer up at the shore as thats where my mom was from and my Grandparents lived. There was always one night we would head out to Belmar and do the miniature golf and then hit the arcade below to play skeeball, pinball and the latest arcade games.
I always liked to balance what I played around the arcade and remember hitting up the pinball machine corner to make my games last longer and there it was. A pinball machine based on an arcade game that I just played. The infinite mirror back glass with the just different enough alien than the recent Alien movie had me drawn in. I had to play. I always knew with pinball vs the arcade games I could make my game last by trapping the ball and just making shots and then trying to trap the ball again. I don't think it was my first pinball game I ever played but it definitely was the first pinball game I remember playing. I loved the dark look of the game and then the playfield with the Alien inspired HR Gieger parts.
It was a blast to play and one of my personal favorites. The widebody playfield just gives you that much more pinball to have fun with and show off the beautiful art work.
It's hard to judge an older machine to a newer machine with all its features but for it's time and still to this day the Space Invaders pinball holds up as a challenging game and beautiful theme and art that looks good and stand out still today,

An absolutely incredible fun and deep machine that will stand the test of time.
The play field is fast with long left and right loops, a center ramp, up and down ball scoops, wicked fast post rebounds and that’s before it feels like the table explodes with multiballs from one of three multiball modes.
There are nice skill shot ramps left and right. The right has a power wrap around that then drops the up and down ball scoop where you send the ball into a verticals half pipe up into the wire rails. The left leads to the mini play field which is a speed bag of hits and rebounds where the better you play the more the game counts you down and tilts the field vertically so gravity drops you out as you fight to play on.
I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the gameplay, the feel, the sound. It’s all so much to take in and take apart. I may have to add on to this review as my time with the game grows but for now it is a stellar machine and one people will be battling on for years to come.

The machine itself is solid, nothing feels cheap or pointless. Everything works and shows what a modern pinball can really do.

My one disappointment is the exclusion of one of the main supporting characters because Disney wanted an actress off the show.
Someone will make a nice side business making custom Cara Dunne parts.

This was the first pinball machine I have purchased and restored back from a rusty locked up machine back to perfect working order so I will always have some love and bias for this game. Beyond that its a great game from it's era. One of the Wide Body style machines it features a beautifully illustrated playfield that makes you think classic John Romita Spiderman era with great sketches of Kraven, Kingpin and the Scorpion along with a profile of Aunt May, J Jonah and Mary Jane. The backglass features another stunning Spider-Man illustration with heroes and villains in the background as he swings though the city.
It's hard to compare a pinball from years ago to one now as the technology has changed so much so what was fun before may seem lame now. For me this game is fun. It has a really nice long plunger shot which I love in games. It arcs across the top and has several pathways. Three ball drop and pops, a star roll and two switch lanes. It has centered pair of pop bumpers and Left Spinner lane a right back lane along 5 drop targets, a centered three drop target wall and a couple of ball hits. It has 4 flippers two staggered on the left side and on the right a double flipper lane.
The game play is simple but fun. Hitting the 5 drop targets to unlock the extra ball and then having to hit the triple drop targets to claim it seems simple enough but with the wide open playfield anything can happen.
I'm additionally biased being a comic book fan so for me this is one I fell in love with when I first saw it and knew one day I had to own one. When an auction for a lightly beat up commercial machine but locked shut for the past the past 30 years due to a rusted lock bar came up I had to go for it. This rusted lockbar may have saved and preserved the playfield from 30 years worth of play keeping it in great shape with minor wear and a smartly applied mylar layer over the art.