Best Transformers (2011) Pinball Mods

Before Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye brought the G1 universe to pinball, Stern's original Transformers brought the live-action movies to the playfield.

Released in 2011 and designed by George Gomez, it has one of the most distinctive visual identities in modern Stern pinball. The entire machine is split between the Autobots and Decepticons, making it especially interesting to customise.

And fortunately, there are some very good ways to push that idea even further.

Turn the Two Sides Into a Real Battle

The cabinet artwork is already divided between the two Transformers factions, so WizBlades are a particularly natural upgrade.

The artwork follows the same concept: Autobots on the right, Decepticons on the left.

That makes the inside of the cabinet feel much more connected to the playfield and gives the machine an even stronger sense of visual symmetry.

It's one of those modifications where the concept fits the machine so perfectly that it feels almost like it was designed together with the original cabinet.

Four Editions, Four Different Looks

The speaker panel is where the Transformers collection gets especially interesting.

We created dedicated WizPanels for all four versions of the machine:

Transformers Pro WizPanels

Transformers LE Autobots WizPanels

Transformers LE Decepticons WizPanels

Transformers LE Combo WizPanels

The LE Combo is particularly fun because the machine itself already mixes Autobots and Decepticons, so the artwork can do the same.

The dedicated LE versions also make it possible to keep the artwork matched to the exact edition rather than simply using a generic Transformers design.

Bring More Colour to the Flippers

WizBats are a smaller modification, but Transformers is exactly the kind of machine where they make sense.

The playfield is already full of strong red, blue, yellow and purple accents, so carrying some of those colours onto the flippers adds another small layer of detail while you're actually playing.

Give the Front of the Machine More Attitude

The coin door is one of the largest plain areas on the front of the cabinet.

A set of Pro WizDoors adds another piece of Transformers artwork there and helps connect the lower cabinet with the rest of the machine.

For a Pro, we particularly like the look of the themed design that continues the machine's strong faction-based identity.

Finish the Backbox

The hinges are easy to ignore until the rest of the machine has been customised.

That's where LE Combo WizWings can make a surprisingly nice finishing touch.

For the LE Combo, carrying the mixed Autobots/Decepticons artwork around the backbox keeps the whole visual concept consistent right to the edges of the machine.

A Great Example of George Gomez's Style

Transformers is an interesting machine to revisit because it sits in George Gomez's broader catalogue of games built around flow, strong shot geometry and memorable themes.

Our George Gomez: The Designer Behind Some of Pinball's Greatest Hits article looks at the designer behind Transformers, along with machines such as The Lord of the Rings, The Sopranos, Batman '66 and James Bond 007.

And although Stern has now returned to the Transformers universe with a completely different machine, the original still has its own identity. Our Best Transformers Pinball Mods guide also looks at the wider Transformers mod collection and the newer machine.

For owners of the 2011 game, however, the most satisfying part is still that simple idea:

Autobots on one side. Decepticons on the other.

And now you can carry that battle across even more of the machine. And if you want to see everything available for the machine, explore the complete Transformers Pinball Mods collection.