{"id":37961,"date":"2025-10-21T17:48:49","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T16:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pinballnews.com\/site\/?p=37961"},"modified":"2025-10-27T18:17:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:17:44","slug":"pinball-expo-2025-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pinballnews.com\/site\/2025\/10\/21\/pinball-expo-2025-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"PINBALL EXPO 2025 – PART TWO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to the continuation of our extensive coverage of this year’s 41st Pinball Expo show. In Part One<\/a> we covered all the set-up on Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to the opening of the show hall on Thursday, as well as all 18 of Thursday’s seminars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FRIDAY<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday is the day of the Stern Pinball factory tour. Show attendees purchasing the full $200 three-day package or the advance registration package had the Stern factory tour included. For everyone else it was available as a $35 add-on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those taking the tour could choose one of four time slots – 8:45am, 10:15am, 11:45am or 1:15pm – to board their bus for the 15-minute journey from Schaumburg to Stern’s home in Elk Grove Village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinball News remained behind to run and record Friday’s seminars, but Jonathan Joosten, Editor of Pinball Magazine and seminars assistant, took the tour and got us all these pictures. As usual, photography is not permitted on the factory floor, but there’s still plenty of interest to see.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Tour<\/a>
Tour guests boarded the bus at their pre-arrange time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Stern<\/a>
Stern Pinball’s Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, John Buscaglia, welcomes tour guests<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Stern<\/a>
Stern Pinball’s reception area in Halloween decor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Tour<\/a>
Tour guests are ushered into the reception lobby<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Waiting<\/a>
Waiting in reception for the tour to begin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"The<\/a>
The tour group enters the factory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"CEO,<\/a>
CEO, Seth Davis, and Chairman, Gary Stern, welcome the tour guests<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Stern's<\/a>
Stern’s pinball machines lined the room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Stern's<\/a>
Stern’s Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, George Gomez, tells the guests what they will see on their tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Some<\/a>
Some of the many open-plan office cubicles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Rather<\/a>
Rather than have one guide show groups around the whole factory, there were dedicated guides posted along the route to talk about what happens at their point in the factory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"All<\/a>
All three models of the current Star Wars: Fall of the Empire title were set up with members of the design team on hand to answer questions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"As<\/a>
As is traditional, the Stern merchandise shop was open at the end of the tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Take<\/a>
Take home a souvenir of the tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"The<\/a>
The recently-announced King Topper was on display too<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When the tour guests returned to the Schaumburg Convention Center, they could explore the main show hall or enjoy the full-day schedule of talks in the seminars room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a reminder, all the seminar presentations are also available to watch on the Pinball News YouTube channel in the Pinball Expo 2025 playlist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9:00am<\/td>Firewood to (Fun)ctional: Journey of a 1947 Flipperless Woodrail Pinball<\/strong>
Speaker: Jay Schneider<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n
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\"Jay<\/a>
Jay Schneider<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Jay Schneider talked about how he rescued a trashed Nevada flipperless game and restored it, describing the components and materials he used to make many of the parts it needed, and the techniques he employed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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