1980 · Hankin
The Empire Strikes Back
Known for Rebel targets, Starship lanes, Left Darth Vader drop bank and Planet Dagobah. Flat black backdrop, layered painted flames, workshop interior seen in glass reflection, ceiling light strings reflected and other pinball machines reflected.
- Year
- 1980
- Maker
- Hankin
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Target
Rebel targets
- Lane
Starship lanes
- Drop target
Left Darth Vader drop bank
- saucer
Planet Dagobah
- saucer
Planet Bespin
On the playfield
- black
- orange
- deep blue
- gold
- 2 flippers
- 4 pop bumpers
- 1 target bank
- 2 slingshots
Holes 2
- Planet Dagobah saucer
- Planet Bespin saucer
Drop targets 2
- Left Darth Vader drop bank
- Right drop target
Target 1
- Rebel targets
Lanes 2
- Starship lanes
- Return lanes
Flipper 1
- Mini-flippers extra flipper
On the backglass
Who and what
- skeleton A single chrome metallic skull mask centred inside the triangular emblem: smooth domed forehead, deep black eye sockets with two glowing red oval eyes, narrow nasal opening with vertical bars, squared grinning teeth, and dark rivet studs along the lower jaw. a floating head only, with no body or clothing.
Setting
- Flat black backdrop
- Layered painted flames
- Workshop interior seen in glass reflection
- Ceiling light strings reflected
- Other pinball machines reflected
Text on it
- STAR
- THE
- EMPIRE
- STRIKES BACK
- WARS
How it plays
-
Awards 1
- Collect Bonus
Made by
- Design
- David Hankin
The cast
- Dagobah
- Bespin
Reference
Linked terms
- Rebel targets also called Center standup targets
- Starship lanes also called Top lanes
- Left Darth Vader drop bank also called left drop bank
- Planet Dagobah also called Left saucer
- Planet Bespin also called Upper right saucer
- Return lanes also called in lanes
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- black
- orange
- deep blue
- gold
Fingerprint: Four sunburst pop-bumper caps clustered diamond upper-centre, grey-blue Death Star and ribbed battle-station art dead centre straddled by orange explosion starbursts, five large white round insert lamps centre-left, yellow 2X round insert, dark navy-to-black starfield, orange-gold pinstriped border
The most memorable element is the four sunburst pop-bumper caps clustered as a diamond in the upper centre, each capped with an orange-and-gold radial star and a small printed emblem, with coloured lamps lighting them bright. Close behind that, the huge grey-blue Death Star and ribbed battle-station art printed dead centre of the playfield, straddled by a mass of orange explosion starbursts. A row of five large white round insert lamps runs horizontally across the centre-left under the pop bumpers, and a bright yellow round insert reading 2X sits below the right sling. A white rules card printed with a manufacturer's licence block, total production figure and 1983 date is stuck to the lower-left apron.
Setting
- Black outer-space starfield
- Large grey-blue death star and ribbed battle-station hull
- Orange-and-yellow explosion starbursts
- Painted clouds and nebula streaks
Symbols
- Starbursts
- Target reticles
- Stencilled numerals on the saucer caps
- Directional arrow inserts
- Circular medallion
Notable shapes
- Four diamond-clustered sunburst pop-bumper saucers
- Huge ribbed spherical station graphic at centre-right
- Wide orange pinstriped apron border
- Curved chrome guide rails
Art motifs
- Exploding starbursts
- Ribbed mechanical surfaces
- Red and yellow lamp-lit plastics
- Stencil military lettering
Themes
- Science fiction
- Space
- Film licence
- Space station
- Starfighters
Title on it
- The empire strikes back
Text on it
- A. Hankin & Company
- Newcastle, Australia
- Game: The Empire Strikes Back
- Licensing Authority: David Awrey
- Manufacturer 1983
- Total Production: 280
- Hankin
- HankinPinball.com
- THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK PLAYER INSTRUCTIONS
- 5000
- 2X
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Small round medallion on the lower apron bearing a helmeted masked figure in black on a copper disc |
| Other | A white stormtrooper-helmet print near the left inlane area, and further small helmeted trooper illustrations scattered in the painted lower playfield crowd |
| Vehicle | Printed tie-fighter and shuttle shapes worked into the dark background of the mid playfield |
Full-length playfield of a solid-state electro-mechanical sci-fi film-licensed game, photographed under glass with the wooden cabinet side rails, chrome lockdown bar and coin door visible below. The painted wood is a dark navy-to-black starfield crossed by a large printed Death Star in grey and blue near centre-right, a long orange-gold ribbed surface arcing across the lower half, and clouds of orange-and-yellow starburst explosions on black. Four round pop-bumper caps with radial red-and-yellow sunburst graphics sit in a diamond in the upper middle, flanked by clear plastic ramp and tunnel hardware; a red wire ramp and a curved silver ball guide sweep the right. Two slingshots in the mid-lower field and two flippers with black rubber below. The lower apron is a broad black panel with an orange-and-gold pinstriped border, carrying a white licence/rules card, a small round medallion, a gold-bordered web address strip and a separate gold player-instruction plaque on the right. Dominant colours: black, orange, deep blue, gold.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- black
- cyan
- red
- orange
Fingerprint: star the empire strikes back wars: chrome skull with red glowing eyes inside triangular black-orange emblem, wrapped in red-crimson-pink flames with orange rims, cyan block-letter title below on black field, highly reflective glass showing workshop ceiling lights and blue numerals, metallic and chrome effects
The centrepiece is a gleaming chrome skull with two glowing red eyes set inside a solid black-and-orange triangular emblem, wrapped in red flames - an instantly recognisable wide wedge shape on an otherwise black field. Flames spill out from behind the triangle on both sides, painted in layered red, crimson and pink with orange rims, giving it a burning look. The nameplate below is slanted and rendered in bright cyan block capitals with white and black outline, reading STAR THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK with WARS in smaller type at the lower right. Heavy mirror-like reflections of the workshop and ceiling light strings wash across the whole glass, including reflected blue score numerals near the top corners.
Setting
- Flat black backdrop
- Layered painted flames
- Workshop interior seen in glass reflection
- Ceiling light strings reflected
- Other pinball machines reflected
Symbols
- Large triangular emblem
- Chrome skull head
- Red and orange flames
- Rivets
- Rounded black nameplate cartouche
- Brass specification plate
Lettering
- Bright cyan heavy sans-serif capitals, black inline with white edging, on a slanted parallelogram nameplate, with a smaller script signature at top centre and small printed capitals on the bottom plate
Themes
- Film logo artwork
- Space
- Science fiction
- Fire
- Skull
- Chrome
Title on it
- Star the empire strikes back wars
Text on it
- STAR
- THE
- EMPIRE
- STRIKES BACK
- WARS
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Skeleton | A single chrome metallic skull mask centred inside the triangular emblem: smooth domed forehead, deep black eye sockets with two glowing red oval eyes, narrow nasal opening with vertical bars, squared grinning teeth, and dark rivet studs along the lower jaw. a floating head only, with no body or clothing. |
A rectangular backglass behind reflective glass, its surface dominated by a glossy black, chrome and hot-orange triangular emblem shaped like a wide capital A. Inside the triangle sits a menacing chrome metallic skull mask with a smooth domed forehead, deep black eye sockets holding two glowing red oval eyes, a nasal opening with vertical tooth-like bars, a squared grinning mouth, and dark rivet studs along the jaw edge. Red, crimson and pink flames with orange-edged tongues erupt from behind and around the triangle, licking upwards on both sides and behind the skull. Below the emblem, a slanted cyan-on-black rectangular nameplate carries the title in heavy block capitals. At the top centre a small black rounded cartouche holds a small bright cyan script signature. Dominant colours are black, cyan, crimson red and chrome silver-orange. The glass is highly reflective, showing strings of warm ceiling lights, distant machines, blue seven-segment numerals and a workshop interior. A small brass-coloured plate along the bottom edge carries printed text and script signatures.