The Rare Pinball Files: a Deep Dive on Hankin's Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Last year, we wrote a guide to the best Star Wars pinball machines. The goal at the time was to give people (particularly Star Wars fans who might be new to pinball) a handy guide when deciding which of the many Star Wars pinball games to buy - from physical full-size pins down to virtual options from the likes of Arcade1up and PinballFX.

We even threw in a reference to the rare Segasa-Sonic Star Wars pin from 1987. But we neglected one big entry - the 1980 Empire Strikes Back pinball machine by A. Hankin & Co., which happens to be the first licensed Star Wars pinball machine ever made.

The Empire Strikes Back (Hankin, 1980) Rare Pinball Deep Dive

For eagle-eyed pinball aficionados, you may notice the game looks just a tad familiar. Largely, the backbox and playfield look strikingly similar to the 1980 Bally game, Space Invaders. The upper playfield also has some similarities to another 1980 title, the Williams game Firepower.

A Quick Chat with Stephen Smith of Australia

Stephen: "Just a bit of background. I have been collecting pinballs since 1980 and usually keep about 20 in my collection at home, rotating them with different machines over the years. It has now spread over 3 rooms in the house and I have attached a couple of pics. I have the Star Wars, Playboy and Kiss collection amongst others.

Alternatively, we have different nights of playing different eras. First session is the older pinballs such as the original Kiss, Playboy, Empire, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Next session includes Playboy 35 Anniversary, Baywatch, Stars Data East Etc. Next session includes Mustang, Simpsons, Playboy, Episode 1, Terminator, original Avengers, etc. Then final session G&R Jersey Jack, new Avengers, Star wars, Kiss, ACDC, etc."‍

Kineticist: Have you ever come across or owned the Segasa-Sonic Star Wars game from 1987? Do you have any desire to add that to your collection at some point?

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‍Stephen: No I haven’t actually. The first I read about was in your blog and I would love to get my hands on one if I could. If you ever hear of one for sale can you let me know. I have a friend in Spain who is searching around for me.

(editors note - if you know of one available for sale, drop us a line at colin@kineticist.co)

Kineticist: Didn't see Stern's The Mandalorian in that lineup! Was it just not pictured or is it not part of your collection? If it's not part of your collection, why not?

Stephen: I am in the process of getting the Mandalorian Stern LE and it should be in the collection by the end of the week.

‍Kineticist: Have you ever played Bally's Space Invaders? If so, how does playing Empire Strikes Back compare? The playfield layouts aren't 100% the same, but they are pretty close.‍

Stephen: It is interesting when you compare the 2 machines. I was at a local tournament recently and had a play on the Bally and they both have an almost identical design and feel. There must have been an untold back story as:

As a side note David and Mike joined us at Newcastle Pinfest event last year where they signed autographs and were treated like royalty. [Editors note, another reader reached out to let us know that this particular event was the first time Mike Eggleston had ever made an appearance at pinball event. Nobody in the pinball community had ever met him. He was actually surprised at all the attention he was getting.]

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Kineticist: Is there a Star Wars property you'd like to see turned into a machine next?

Stephen: Any Star Wars pinballs are good pinballs. Hopefully not too quick though so I can save up for the next one, or I will have to decide which of my other machines to move on.

Kineticist: Generally speaking - what do you enjoy about playing and collecting pinball machines?

Stephen: In early 1980’s, I was in high school and after school we would go to the local pinball centre which had about 20 machines including Kiss, Playboy, Genie and Centaur. We enjoyed both playing the games and the general comradeship. I then went on to University and bought a pinball run with machines in milk bars and pizza shops to help pay for Uni. I had about 20 machines including the ones above and also the Fireball Classic, Simpsons and Black Knight and others.

Kineticist: Most of our readers are in the United States - can you tell us a little bit about the pinball scene and community in Australia?

Stephen: The pinball scene and community is Australia is quite large and growing each year. There are local and national tournaments being held all over Australia on a regular basis which attract thousands of players and spectators. There are also numerous Australian Associations and online dedicated sites.

Kineticist: For anyone visiting Australia - what three public pinball locations are essential visits in your book?

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Stephen: Australia is 6^th largest country in the world, and we have pinball activities all over the near 3,000,000 sq miles of it.

Townsville which is a city at the top of Australia and is well known for our Army Combat Engineering Division and well-known pinball player – Hilton Smith. Visit the ‘Empire Alternarcade’ for $20 unlimited pinball play nights as well as competitions and general family fun.

Then meander 1500 miles to Melbourne to the Australian Pinball Museum which showcases a wide selection of pinball machines and pinball artwork. The museum is run as a not-for-profit operation with aims to promote pinball and provide a place where rare and unusual pinball games can be played and enjoyed. A great halfway stopover when traveling between Melbourne and Adelaide on the way to Perth.

Then travel to the other side of Australia, a mere 2200 miles away to the West Coast Pinball Festival which is a fun community event held over 3-days in Perth, Western Australia focused on sharing the joy of playing pinball.

• Brisbane Pinball & Arcade Inc
• ACT Pinball in Canberra
• Pinball events in Sydney
• Melbourne pinball tournaments group
  

If you have a rare pinball game in your collection, and want to talk to us about it, send us an email at colin@kineticist.co!