THE UNCANNY X-MEN REVEALED

Stern Pinball today revealed their third cornerstone title of 2024 with the Jack Danger-designed, The Uncanny X-Men.

While Marvel’s X-Men brand may be familiar, the name The Uncanny X-Men is maybe less well known. In fact, The Uncanny X-Men was the original name for the group of superheroes with supernatural power, although the comic book featuring them was first published in 1963 under the The X-Men name.

The The Uncanny X-Men name has resurfaced several times, including when the franchise split into two different groupings. More recently, Marvel relaunched The Uncanny X-Men comic, with the first issue featuring Wolverine, Gambit, Jubilee, Rogue and Nightcrawler published on 7th August, 2024.

Stern Pinball’s latest release is timed to tie-in with this Marvel franchise relaunch, with issue #2 of The Uncanny X-Men (2024) being published in two days’ time. Stern’s game uses comic book assets for the artwork and display graphics rather than anything related to the trilogy of X-Men movies or their four prequels.

As usual with Stern Pinball’s cornerstone games, there are three variants of The Uncanny X-Men – Pro, Premium and Limited Edition. For this title, the Limited Edition is restricted to 811 units produced, matching Earth-811 which is year in which The Uncanny X-Men storyline is set.

Here are the cabinet artwork packages for the three variants. All cabinet, playfield and plastics art is by Jeremy Packer (a.k.a. Zombie Yeti).

Pro

Premium

Limited Edition

And here are all three models side-by-side, from Pro (left) to Limited Edition (right):

The Limited Edition features purple metallic powercoat on all metalwork with laser-cut side rails. Both the Limited Edition and Premium incorporate flipper button protection into the side rails. The Limited Edition also includes metallic foil in the cabinet side art and a mirrored backglass.

So, now we come to the playfield designs, and as usual the Premium and Limited Edition share the same feature set when it comes to playfield artwork and mechanical toys, with the Limited Edition adding interior cabinet artwork.

The Pro cuts-out some of the more interesting and expensive mechanical features but appears to retain the same playfield cutouts, inserts and artwork, meaning Stern can use the same playfield base for all three models.

Pro

Premium

Limited Edition

Here’s a comparison between the Pro’s and the Limited Edition’s playfield designs:

Playfield Features

To see what’s in the game, we will start with the Limited Edition model and then see which elements have been taken out or redesigned for the Pro model.

The most eye catching feature is the large Sentinel. In the Limited Edition and Premium models it has two positions – lowered and raised. In the lowered position it is a simple bash toy, but when it raises it reveals an articulating jaw which can be either closed or opened to reveal a kicker target in the mouth to fire the ball back at the player.

The Sentinel isn’t just a head though, as it has two hands on either side of the playfield. One hand can block the ball and hold it temporarily, or flip it back the way it came, while the other can press down on one of the ramp return wireforms and deflect it, disrupting the ball’s progress.

The Sentinel in the Pro model retains the opening/closing jaw and kicker target behind, but the head is static and the hands are just flat plastics which don’t interact with the ball.

Another high-profile mechanism is Beast’s Lab.

In the Premium and Limited Edition models this consists of a ball lock area combined with a captive ball. As the playfield has to be the same across all three models and this lock area is missing in the Pro model, Beast’s Lab is raised above the playfield.

The captive ball part is also raised, with the ball being activated by a playfield-level target which links to the captive ball by a link arm.

The Pro model replaces the Beast’s Lab lock area with a leaper standup target where a hit on the flask standup target raises a vapour panel, with the speed of the panel’s movement determined by how hard the standup target is hit.

Perhaps the most unusual playfield feature is the Danger Room. This section of the playfield sits in the area usually reserved for the left slingshot, inlane and outlane.

There is no left slingshot in The Uncanny X-Men. Instead, there is a pop bumper, to the left of which is the Danger Room area. The ball can enter this either from above the pop bumper or on a wireform from the right.

There is a mini-flipper at the bottom of the area, a ‘Rogue’ standup target above it, another ‘Abort’ standup target to the right, a loopable mini-orbit with a Danger Room spinner and an exit ramp which feeds to the main left flipper. The pop bumper is also a very active part of the action in the Danger Room.

When the ball exits the Danger Room via the ramp, it can be held at the end of the wireform by a rotating arm which prevents the ball dropping back onto the playfield.

The size of the Danger Room is such that the main flippers are moved over to the right. This results in the right outlane also being the ball shooter lane, with a one-way gate above the shooter rod to make sure the ball doesn’t end up back at the shooter rod instead of draining.

There is a corresponding ball hold in the right inlane, although this uses a more conventional up-post.

Naturally, any game featuring a character named Magneto has to include a magnet. This time though, there are some inserts around the magnet to show when it is active.

Music for the game comes from Charlie Benante from the bands Anthrax and Pantera, with the sound package co-ordinated by Jerry Thompson. Waison Cheng is the lead on the software for this game.

Here’s how Stern Pinball announced The Uncanny X-Men as their latest release:

CHICAGO, IL – September 4, 2024 – Today, Stern Pinball, Inc. announced its all-new line of pinball games, The Uncanny X-Men. The game features iconic Marvel characters including Wolverine, Professor X, and many more. Created in collaboration with Marvel Comics, players will step into the lives of their favorite X-Men. To save the world from a future ruled by Sentinels, they must first change the past! The Uncanny X-Men pinball games are available today in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition (LE) models. The X-Men is one of the highest-grossing superhero franchises of all time, with hundreds of millions of comics sold, over $6B in Box Office earnings from films to date, and the critically acclaimed X-Men ’97 series which extended the original X-Men animated series from the 1990s.  Multiple X-Men characters were featured in the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie which has grossed over $1BN making it the highest earning R-rated film of all time. Stern’s new The Uncanny X-Men pinball games feature Wolverine, Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Beast, Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, Bishop, Kitty Pryde, and Magneto, along with a supporting cast of allies and foes. The adventure takes players to familiar X-Men locations including the Danger Room, Beast’s Lab, the X-Mansion, and Genosha. Along the way players will interact with fabled X-Men devices like Cerebro and the X-Jet. The Uncanny X-Men playfield is a unique pinball layout that features an array of new crossing shots and ramp designs with surprising ball trajectories to deliver kinetic satisfaction. The all-new Danger Room design, located to the left of the main flippers, offers a high-risk, high-reward experience that includes a mini-flipper and a novel outlane spinner. Premium and Limited Edition models also include an all-new elevated captive ball vari-target themed as Beast’s Lab. The Uncanny X-Men pinball game features a mechanically articulated Sentinel for the player to battle. The Sentinel’s large robotic head changes its state based on the player’s actions. In the Premium and Limited Edition models, the Sentinel rises from underneath the playfield and fights back by destroying the player’s ramps or attacking the ball with its extended hands. “X-Men is a time-honored franchise that Marvel and Stern fans love.  It’s the superhero franchise that I grew up with. We’re excited for fans to experience the fun of The Uncanny X-Men pinball,” said Seth Davis, President & CEO of Stern Pinball. The Uncanny X-Men’s game experience is masterfully illustrated in comic book style art by renowned artist Jeremy Packer, aka Zombie Yeti. Each game also features a custom X-Men soundtrack with diverse musical styles designed to immerse the player into the game’s various time periods.  The soundtrack was composed by Charlie Benante of Anthrax and Pantera fame. The game’s video presentation makes the classic Days of Future Past story come to life in animated motion graphics style. The Days of Future Past story takes place in Marvel’s Earth-811 timeline and as an homage, our numbered Limited Edition games will be limited to 811 games globally for The Uncanny X-Men.  The highly collectible Limited Edition model includes the new Speaker Expression Lighting System with X-Men-themed game effects, a “Danger Room” inspired mirrored backglass, reflective foil “Future vs. Past” high-definition cabinet decals with artwork by Zombie Yeti, exclusive “Sentinel Armor” powder-coated pinball armor, a custom designer-autographed bottom arch, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball playfield glass, shaker motor, a sequentially numbered plaque, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, and a digital Insider Connected LE owner’s badge on registration. The Uncanny X-Men pinball games include Stern’s ever-expanding Insider Connected™ platform, which enables players to interact with the game and a global network of players in multiple ways. Through Insider Connected, players can track progress, earn game-specific Achievements, and discover new mutants with Cerebro. Every player who logs in with Insider Connected will discover their own mutant power to aid them with online Quests. Original buyers of The Uncanny X-Men pinball will also receive new Uncanny X-Men themed Pro, Premium, and LE owner’s badges after initial registration of their game. Ongoing code updates from Stern Pinball will enhance and extend the player experience. Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com/ or in the Insider Connected App. Download it today on iOS and Android. Pricing and Availability:  Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (“MSRP”)*: *MSRP for sales to USA end-users before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes.                                          Pro Edition:                                                            $US 6,999 Premium Edition:                                                   $US 9,699 Limited Edition:                                                    $US 12,999 The Uncanny X-Men pinball games are now available through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers worldwide, which can be found here or via request for availability on the game information page here. Accessories will be available at a future date. About Insider Connected Insider Connected™ is Stern Pinball’s community network that allows players and owners to engage with pinball games in rapidly expanding ways. The platform unites pinball players worldwide and enhances fun through connected features such as achievements, leaderboards, and quests. Every new Stern Pinball product includes Insider Connected, and it is also available as an add-on for existing games. Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com or in the intuitive Insider Connected™ mobile app on iOS and Android. By tapping a device on any enabled machine, players can track and resume game progress wherever they play, earn new game-specific achievements, engage with the pinball community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests. In addition to offering benefits to players, Insider Connected allows Stern to serve its game owners worldwide by upgrading games, offering new features and quests, and extending machines’ longevity for years to come. About Stern Pinball, Inc.  Stern Pinball, Inc. creates compelling entertainment that inspires a lifetime love of games, sparks passion, forges friendships, and connects people everywhere through fun, innovative, technologically advanced pinball games, and experiences.  Headquartered minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in the heart of North America, the company creates, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and distributes a full line of technologically advanced terrestrial and digital pinball games, parts, accessories, and merchandise.  Stern Pinball serves digital, consumer, commercial, and corporate markets around the globe. Recent Stern Pinball titles include John Wick, JAWS, Venom, Foo Fighters, James Bond, Rush, Godzilla, The Mandalorian, Led Zeppelin, Avengers: Infinity Quest, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stranger Things, Elvira’s House of Horrors, Jurassic Park, Black Knight: Sword of Rage, The Munsters, The Beatles, Deadpool, Iron Maiden, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Aerosmith, Ghostbusters, KISS, Metallica, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, AC/DC, Batman, and Spider-Man.  A broad range of players enjoy Stern Pinball’s games, from professional pinball players competing in high-stakes global competitions to novice players discovering the allure of the silver ball for the first time.  To join the fun and learn more, please visit www.sternpinball.com.

And, here’s the feature matrix showing the differences between the Pro, Premium and Limited Edition models:

As is customary, Stern Pinball have produced some promotional videos to accompany the new title’s launch. Here are the latest:

Finally, each model has a two-sided promotional flyer. Here are both sides of all three flyers.

Pro

Premium

Limited Edition