# Recel S. A.

Recel S.A. is a Spanish pinball manufacturer established in the early 1970s as the export arm of Petaco S.A., founded by Juan Paredes Hernández, created to distribute Spanish-made electromechanical and solid-state pinball machines to international markets. The company gained global notice for inventive playfield designs, sturdy cabinet construction and a smooth transition from electromechanical to microprocessor-based solid-state systems, notably its proprietary Recel System III platform. Among Recel’s most notable releases were Poker Plus (1977), credited with pioneering a fold-down backbox to ease transport, and Fair Fight (1978), which featured a distinctive rotating target — both emblematic of the brand’s technical innovation and use of System III electronics. Recel’s diverse catalog spanned electromechanical and solid-state titles and included Criterium 75, Criterium 80, Criterium 2000, Poker Plus, Fair Fight, Mr. Doom, Black Magic, Space Race, Top Speed/Top Racer, The Flipper Game and many other classic pinball machines sought by collectors and restorers. Petaco’s financial troubles around the early 1980s led to bankruptcy and the formation of a successor, Juegos Populares, in 1984; following founder Juan Paredes’s death in 1987 the company’s lineage ended and Recel ceased operations, though its machines remain prized in the vintage pinball community.

## Snapshot
- Years active: 1974-1984
- Headquarters: Madrid, Spain
- Type: Not Primary

## Games
25 games on Kineticist
- [Black Magic](/games/pinball/black-magic) (1980)
- [The Flipper Game](/games/pinball/the-flipper-game) (1980)
- [Formula I](/games/pinball/formula-i) (1980)
- [Swashbuckler](/games/pinball/swashbuckler) (1979)
- [Mr. Doom](/games/pinball/mr-doom) (1979)
- [Don Quijote](/games/pinball/don-quijote) (1979)
- [Cavalier](/games/pinball/cavalier) (1979)
- [Crazy Race](/games/pinball/crazy-race) (1978)
- [Fair Fight](/games/pinball/fair-fight) (1978)
- [Sea Scare](/games/pinball/sea-scare) (1978)

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