Best KISS Pinball Mods

KISS is one of those pinball machines where the theme and the game are almost inseparable.

Released by Stern in Pro, Premium and Limited Edition versions, the machine was designed by John Borg and built around the energy of a live KISS concert. With the Demon, Starchild and the rest of the band represented throughout the game, it has one of the strongest visual identities of any Stern music-themed pinball machine.

And because KISS already has such a distinctive style, it is also a fantastic machine to customise.

The trick isn't necessarily to add as many mods as possible. It's about finding the areas where a little extra artwork can make the entire machine feel more complete.

WizBlades: The Biggest Visual Upgrade

If there is one KISS pinball mod we'd start with, it would be KISS WizBlades.

The inside of the cabinet is a surprisingly large visual area, and once the game is switched on, that space becomes part of the frame around the playfield.

The KISS WizBlades extend the artwork into that space, creating a much more immersive look around the game. Instead of looking into a black cabinet every time you play, the playfield becomes surrounded by artwork that belongs to the same KISS universe.

It's a relatively simple modification, but visually it can make a surprisingly large difference.

WizAprons for Pro, Premium and LE

The apron is another area that can easily get overlooked.

KISS was produced in several versions, and Wizard Mod has dedicated KISS Premium/ LE WizAprons for the Premium and LE models. We also have a Pro model available.

That model-specific approach is important because the different machines have their own hardware and visual details. The right apron artwork therefore feels like part of the machine rather than a generic accessory added afterwards.

It also creates a nice transition between the playfield and the lower cabinet.

On a machine with this much character, those smaller areas matter.

WizBats: A Small Detail That Works

Not every mod needs to transform half the machine.

WizBats are a good example.

The flipper bats are one of the first things you interact with during a game, and custom artwork there is a subtle way of bringing more of the band's identity onto the playfield.

It's the kind of modification you might not notice immediately when looking at a photograph of the machine.

But when you're actually playing, those details become part of the experience.

The KISS design works particularly well for this because the band's visual language is already so recognisable. The bats don't need to dominate the playfield; they just need to feel like they belong there.

WizDoors Complete the Front

The coin door is another area where KISS lends itself extremely well to custom artwork.

The front of the machine is one of the first things you see when walking up to it, so leaving the coin-door area relatively plain can interrupt the visual flow of the cabinet.

Our KISS LE WizDoors extend the artwork into that space and give the front of the machine a much stronger finished appearance.

There are different coin-door configurations depending on the KISS model, so it's important to check which version your machine uses before choosing the artwork.

When the coin door, cabinet and playfield all share the same visual language, the whole machine feels much more cohesive.

WizWings and the Smaller Details

Finally, there are the details that don't necessarily dominate the machine but help finish it.

Premium WizWings add artwork around the backbox hinges, turning an otherwise functional piece of hardware into another small part of the overall design.

This is something we've seen repeatedly with the best custom pinball setups: you don't necessarily need one enormous modification.

Sometimes several smaller visual decisions working together make the machine feel much more complete.

And KISS is particularly well suited to that approach because there is so much visual material to work with.

John Borg's KISS

There is also a good reason to look at KISS when talking about John Borg's design work.

Borg has designed a remarkably varied catalogue of Stern machines, but there is often a common thread: strong flow, distinctive shots and games with a very clear personality.

KISS is a particularly good example because the layout, music and theme are all pushing in the same direction.

If you're interested in the designer behind KISS, our John Borg Pinball Machines Ranked article takes a broader look at his catalogue and where KISS fits into the evolution of his designs.

Putting It All Together

KISS is already a visually loud machine. That's part of its charm.

So the best approach to customisation isn't necessarily to add as much as possible. It's to choose mods that extend the original visual identity.

For us, WizBlades are the obvious starting point, followed by the model-specific WizApron. WizBats, WizDoors and WizWings can then add the smaller details that bring everything together.

The result is still unmistakably Stern's KISS.

It just feels more complete.

And for a machine based on one of the most theatrical rock bands in history, that's exactly what you want.