Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive Acquires World’s First Licensed Star Wars Pinball Machine

The National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) of Australia has contiguous announced it has acquired 5 rare, Australian-designed pinball machines, 1 of which is the archetypal licensed Star Wars pinball instrumentality successful the world.

The machines were produced by Newcastle, New South Wales-based amusement institution A. Hankin & Company betwixt 1978 and 1980, and are reportedly the lone Australian-designed machines from the aureate property of pinball.

While the bulk of the machines are inspired by distinctly Australian topics (ranging from the FJ Holden, cricketing icon Dennis Lillee, and surfing done a shiver of large achromatic sharks), Hankin’s The Empire Strikes Back is notable for its presumption arsenic the world’s archetypal licensed Star Wars machine.

“The conception of making a pinball instrumentality similar The Empire Strikes Back was not communal astatine that stage,” explained A. Hankin & Company manager David Hankin successful the NFSA’s mini-documentary outlining the communicative down the summation of these pinball machines to its collection.

The institution approached George Lucas, asking if helium would beryllium funny successful allowing the institution to physique a Star Wars-themed machine.

“And the answer, surprisingly, was yes,” continued Hankin.

Use the flippers, Luke.

“We were flabbergasted. Here we are – this pint-sized pinball shaper successful Australia – competing with manufacturers that were making truthful galore much pinball machines than we were, but helium was blessed to bash it.”

And George Lucas’ outgo for the rights to physique a Star Wars-themed machine? Simply a idiosyncratic instrumentality for himself.

The NFSA plans to person the machines disposable for aboriginal nationalist show successful Canberra.

The NFSA besides has a rapidly increasing postulation of video games that it is preserving, noting the precocious percent classical video games that are hazard of being mislaid forever.

Image: Hankin pinball instrumentality decorator David Hankin with the 5 Australian-designed pinball machines. Photo by Robb Shaw-Velzen.

Luke is simply a Senior Editor connected the IGN reviews team. You tin way him down connected Bluesky @mrlukereilly to inquire him things astir stuff.