Why Magnetic Pinball WizPanels Changed Modern Pinball Customization
- Wizard Mod
- Jun 21
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Some products are added to a collection over time.
Others become the foundation of an entire brand.
For Wizard Mod, that product was the Magnetic WizPanels.
What started as a simple idea quickly became one of the most popular and recognizable pinball artwork upgrades available today. The goal was straightforward: enhance one of the largest visual areas on a pinball machine that often remained unused, while keeping installation simple, safe, and completely reversible.
Today, WizPanels are available for dozens of machines across multiple manufacturers and have become one of the most effective ways to transform the appearance of a pinball machine in just seconds.
The Problem with Modern Speaker Panels
Many modern pinball machines feature incredible artwork on the cabinet, playfield, and translite.
Yet between the playfield and translite sits a large speaker panel area that often contains very little artwork.
On Stern Spike 2 and Spike 3 machines in particular, this area creates a large visual gap between the lower and upper sections of the machine. The playfield tells one part of the story. The translite tells another. The speaker panel sits in the middle.
Our well-designed WizPanels helps visually connect these areas, creating a more complete and immersive artwork package.
Rather than replacing the original artwork, it extends it.
That philosophy has always been at the heart of Wizard Mod: add artwork where artwork does not already exist.
From Aerosmith and Batman '66 to Modern Spike 3 Machines
The first Magnetic WizPanels were developed for Stern Spike 2 machines, including early titles such as Aerosmith and Batman '66.
Since then, the collection has expanded to cover virtually the entire Stern Spike platform, including many of the most popular modern machines ever released.
Some of the most popular WizPanels today include:
Godzilla
Jurassic Park
Jaws
James Bond 007
Deadpool
Iron Maiden
John Wick
King Kong
Pokémon
Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye
The newest generation of Spike 3 machines has continued this evolution, with machines such as Star Wars: The Fall of the Empire introducing the latest cabinet platform and opening new opportunities for custom artwork.
What Makes Magnetic WizPanels Different?
The original idea was simple.
Installation should take seconds.
Magnetic WizPanels attach directly to compatible machines without permanent modifications, tools, adhesives, or complicated installation procedures.
Simply position the panel and it snaps into place.
Collectors can install them in moments, remove them whenever they want, and change artwork without affecting the machine itself.
This simplicity is one of the reasons why WizPanels became such a popular upgrade among pinball collectors.
Over the years, the hobby has used different names for this type of upgrade.
Some collectors know them as DMD Skins, Art Panels or Speaker Panel Overlays.
While the names vary, the goal remains the same: adding artwork to one of the most visible areas of the machine.
The difference is that modern WizPanels are designed as premium artwork upgrades created specifically for each machine theme, character lineup, and visual style.
The result feels integrated into the machine rather than simply added on top.
Beyond Stern: Jersey Jack, Spooky Pinball and Barrels of Fun
Although Stern remains the largest part of the collection, WizPanels are available for multiple manufacturers.
Jersey Jack Pinball
Most Jersey Jack Pinball machines use decal-based WizPanels rather than magnetic versions.
These premium laminated decals are repositionable during installation and designed to fit perfectly in the speaker panel area.
Popular Jersey Jack titles include:
The Wizard of Oz
The Hobbit
Dialed In!
Pirates of the Caribbean
Guns N' Roses
Toy Story 4
Avatar: The Battle for Pandora
The Godfather
Spooky Pinball
Many Spooky Pinball machines also benefit from custom speaker panel artwork.
WizPanels are available for numerous Spooky releases, helping collectors add artwork to an area often left visually understated from the factory.
Popular Spooky titles include:
Halloween
Ultraman
Scooby-Doo
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Rick and Morty
Barrels of Fun
Barrels of Fun has quickly become one of the most exciting modern manufacturers in pinball.
Magnetic WizPanels are available for all current Barrels of Fun releases:
Labyrinth
Dune
Winchester Mystery House
Why WizPanels Remain One of the Most Popular Pinball Mods
Many upgrades focus on a specific area of the machine.
WizPanels affect the entire visual presentation.
Because they sit directly between the playfield and translite, they naturally draw attention and help unify the artwork of the machine.
For many collectors, they become one of the first upgrades installed because the visual impact is immediate.
From classic DMD-era machines like the Lord of the Rings or Tron Pinball to the latest Stern Spike 3 releases, WizPanels continue to be one of the simplest and most effective ways to personalize a pinball machine.
And for Wizard Mod, they remain the product that started everything.
Discover More Wizard Mod Collections
Custom pinball mods work best when they complement each other.
Explore our other Wizard Mod collections and discover even more ways to personalise your machine:
Together, these collections transform every visible part of your machine while preserving the original artwork that makes each pinball machine unique.
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