I've always wanted one. My uncle had one. They grabbed my attention more than the arcade machines in the pizzerias. Galaga and Zaxxon stood idle while I put my quarters into something a lot more fun. It's been my dream to own one. I found a cheap one on eBay in completely working order (minus a few small items) and had to get it while they were still available. Their era has passed but the fun never stops!

The Machine

SEGA built a few pinball machines in the 90's but they never had a good reputation of building solid pinball games. It wasn't that their manufacturing was mediocre, but the gameplay was lacking according to many readers online. Either the play was boring and very linear, or just uninspiring.

But of the many games I'd played at Playland while it was open, Starship Troopers was one of my favorites. It wasn't just because I had enjoyed the movie. The table was extremely fast and insane. There were many types of multiball to complete, numerous tasks on the playfield, and it was generous to the new player by giving free multiballs if your score ended up being lower than normal. It didn't just take your quarter and laugh. It rewarded you with something fun even if your first two lives were drained quickly. No other game did this.

Your objective is to slay the bugs. As if you were fighting the bugs on Zegema Beach, the game is extremely fast. The flipper action is really tight and the ball speed approaches hard-to-follow more than often. The playfield has four red LCD readouts showing you how many bugs are left on the current planet you're annihilating. By hitting the colored targets on the sides of the playfield and around the bumpers, you eliminate the respective bug type. When the planet is clear of bugs, there may or may not be a Brain Bug to defeat. Then, you nuke the planet or move on to the next and return later to nuke it.

This is the premise of the playfield, the overall story behind the movie and game. The table offers many other paths along the way. You can complete an Orbit Multiball by orbiting the planets enough times. You can hit the Hopper on the left side to open up the Live Fire Assault Range Multiball, where hitting the ramps earn you jackpots. There is a guess-the-card Psychic Table mini-game which can earn you multi-millions and free games. The Ground Attack multiball awards you with points per target hit on a 2-ball multiball. As mentioned above, nuking the planet is an option with a 4-ball multiball as well. SuperPops multiply the bumpers' values too. The fact that there are multiple options on the table at once keeps the game different every time. Your task of wiping clear the planets on your way to Klendathu, the Bug home planet is obviously the point, though.

No ten year old game is going to be perfect though. A pinball machine is mostly switches, coils, and lights. The knocking around during shipping can cause damage as well.

The Coin Key

During shipping, the keys were left in the coin slot. Unfortunately, it broke off inside the lock. This isn't a big deal seeing that there is an extra key on the set. It's a minor nuisance that I can't close the door though. When it opens, the flippers stop working. It's taped shut at the moment until I can get the key half out of the tumblers. It should be as easy as some super glue.

The Shifted Play Table

The game wasn't shipped flat on its bottom as it should have been. The backboard folds down over the glass and the legs come off. This was all wrapped in bubble wrap and cardboard and lots of tape. It was pretty well done. However, it was stored on its back in the truck. The playfield sits on rails inside the case. Gravity caused the playfield to dislodge from the rails and fell back too far. When I attempted to first play the game, the plunger wouldn't strike the ball! It took a while to figure out how it all works.

These are the two clamps which hold the play table to the case near the front of the machine. The clamps should be in the shape of an L, a ninety degree bend. These were bent as shown above, the playtable falling a few inches to the back of the case as a result. I had to bend these back to square before I could do anything.

The Plunger

The plunger is encroaching on the resting ball's case. It's hard to describe without seeing it. The ball rests on two vertical pillars, which also act as the auto-launcher during multiball. The pluger travels between these two pillars but behind them far enough that it does not touch the ball. Since the spring on my plunger is a little worn and scrunched in its resting position, the plunger is sitting too far forward, resting just slightly between the pillars enough to touch the ball at rest. This leads to problems when the auto-launcher is used, often kicking the pinballs at an angle instead of straight up the gameboard. The result is pinballs travelling not up the gameboard, but down into the death pit without ever making it to the table. A new spring is the start to fix this.

The Pop Bumper

One of the three bumpers was not functioning properly either. Inside the diagnostics menu, the trigger for the bumper was functional. It would fall down and retract itself. However, when struck by the ball, it would not operate properly. I was hoping it was a simple mechanical issue and I was right.

The bottom of the bumper is a disc the ball hits, pushing down on three posts onto a mechanical switch which triggers the bumper to plunge downward and kick the ball away. These were invented way back in 1937 and defined pinball. No pinball games are without them. They need to work, though. From underneath, the mechanism is quite simple.

Here, although it's not easy to see, the white plastic fin behind the two copper switch plates is connected to the three posts protruding through the gamefield onto the disc ring the ball contacts. The posts and the plastic fin aren't connected though. If they were, the bumper could never be removed from the table. The posts contact the fin on a little white tray. When the ball strikes the disc, it pushes down on the pillars, pushing the tray down against the switch, activating the bumper. The tray and pills were not in alignment and as a result, the trigger by the ball wasn't working, but electronically, through the diagnostics menu, they would work just fine. I'm glad this was a simple fix.

The Brain Bug

The Brain Bug wouldn't raise through the playfield when he was supposed to. Even triggering him through the diagnostic menu eminated a buzz only, and no motion. Turns out he was tied to the table with twisty ties and also shifted out of position during shipping. I cut the ties and moved him by hand until he was in line again. He now pops up really quick and loud and laughs when he escapes...all as he should.

Playing the Game

After two days of assembly and tweaking, the game is very very playable. I've returned the glass to the playfield, resulting is a far quieter experience. It's deafening with the glass removed. I haven't had to do too many fixes yet, and hopefully, I never will. Though, after reassembling a Porsche from Rubbermaid to engine bay, a pinball machine is just another machine. It's the sum of a bunch of switches, relays, coils, and electromagnets. I didn't do so hot ten years ago in Phys201, electromagnetism, but I'm willing to give it another try.

In the few days I've been playing it, I finally hit the high score list and put up two of my best games for all to see.