Best Guardians of the Galaxy Pinball Mods

Guardians of the Galaxy is one of those pinball machines that just feels good to play.

John Borg kept the layout relatively simple, but that simplicity works in the game's favour. The shots are fast, the ball keeps moving and there is very little wasted space in the experience. Add the colourful artwork, the music and the chaotic Guardians theme, and you get a machine with plenty of personality.

It is also a great machine to customise. The original artwork gives you a lot to work with, and a few carefully chosen mods can make the whole cabinet feel much more complete.

Here are some of our favourite ways to customise it.

Bring the Playfield Into the Cabinet

The inside of the cabinet is one of the first things you notice when playing a pinball machine, but it is also one of the areas most likely to be left completely plain.

That's exactly where Guardians of the Galaxy WizBlades can make such a difference.

By extending the artwork from the playfield into the cabinet, WizBlades make the machine feel deeper and more immersive. Instead of looking down at the playfield surrounded by plain cabinet walls, you get artwork continuing around the ball.

For the LE, we particularly like the result. The colourful Guardians artwork works extremely well with the added visual depth, making the machine feel even more energetic during gameplay.

If you're interested in why this relatively simple modification has become so popular, our Why WizBlades Are One of the Best Pinball Mods article goes into more detail.

Fill Those Dark Speaker Panel Spaces

The speaker panel is another area where the original machine leaves plenty of room for additional artwork.

For the LE models, Guardians of the Galaxy LE WizPanels are a particularly strong choice. Pro and Premium models are also available.

The magnetic panels allow the artwork to continue across the speaker area, filling what would otherwise be a large dark section above the playfield.

This is one of those modifications that works especially well when combined with WizBlades. Instead of having one customised area and several untouched ones, the artwork starts flowing naturally from the playfield into the cabinet and up towards the backbox.

It makes the entire machine feel more visually connected.

Give the Front of the Cabinet Some Personality

The coin door is easy to forget when you're planning a pinball makeover.

But once you've added artwork to the cabinet and speaker panel, that standard black door can suddenly become one of the most noticeable untouched areas.

A Guardians of the Galaxy Pro WizDoors adds another piece of themed artwork to the front of the machine without changing its original character.

It is also one of those mods that works particularly well as part of a larger combination. With the side artwork, speaker panels and door all following the same visual language, the cabinet starts to look like one complete design rather than a collection of separate upgrades.

For the Guardians machine, we'd pick the version that matches your particular model.

Make the Apron Part of the Artwork

The apron sits directly in your line of sight during almost every game, so it deserves more attention than it usually gets.

A Guardians of the Galaxy Premium WizAprons can transform that otherwise relatively plain area into another part of the machine's artwork.

We particularly like this kind of mod because it doesn't compete with the playfield. Instead, it fills an area that is already visible and gives the lower part of the machine much more personality.

Choose the version that matches your machine, and it becomes another small piece of the overall Guardians visual theme.

And when you combine it with WizBlades and WizPanels, the result is much more cohesive than simply adding one isolated decoration.

Don't Forget the Hinges

The backbox hinges aren't exactly the first thing most people think about when they start customising a pinball machine.

But that's also why they can be such a satisfying finishing touch.

For the Premium, the Guardians of the Galaxy Premium WizWings look particularly good. They add artwork around an otherwise functional part of the cabinet and help carry the design around the backbox.

It is a small detail, but once the larger areas have been customised, these are the kinds of details that make the difference between a machine that has a few mods and one that feels properly finished.

Add a Little More Character Around the Shooter

The shooter area is another small space that can easily disappear into the original cabinet design.

For the LE, Guardians of the Galaxy LE WizShooters are a great way to bring some extra artwork right into the player's immediate field of view.

It is not a huge modification, and that's part of the appeal. You don't need to completely redesign the machine to make it feel more personal.

Sometimes a few smaller details are all it takes to finish the look.

Putting It All Together

The best pinball customisations don't necessarily come from installing the largest possible number of mods.

They come from choosing upgrades that work together.

On Guardians of the Galaxy, we'd start with the cabinet artwork using WizBlades, then continue that visual language across the speaker panel with WizPanels. From there, a matching WizDoor and WizApron can bring the front and lower sections into the same design, while WizWings and WizShooters add those smaller finishing touches.

The result still looks like a Guardians of the Galaxy machine — just a much more immersive and personalised version of one.

And because John Borg's original design is already so visually strong, the best mods are the ones that complement it rather than compete with it.

If you're interested in the designer behind the machine, check out our John Borg: The Designer Behind Some of Pinball's Biggest Modern Hits article. His approach to fast, flowing layouts has had a major influence on modern Stern pinball.

And when you're ready to explore everything available for the machine, take a look at the complete Guardians of the Galaxy Pinball Mods collection.