# Stern Pinball Reveals Holographic Mandalorian Topper, Featuring Exclusive Modes

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-10-19  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/stern-pinball-reveals-holographic-mandalorian-topper-featuring-exclusive-modes

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball revealed a holographic topper for The Mandalorian pinball machine featuring exclusive gameplay modes (Mandalorian Madness mini wizard mode and Beskar Bonanza progressive mode) and Insider Connected integration. The topper costs $2,000 MSRP, and the reviewer criticizes the practice of gating exclusive modes behind a premium accessory purchase when players have already spent $7,000+ on the base machine.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The Mandalorian topper features holographic display technology showing images from the show — _Stern official press release cited in article; described as '3D holographic display in vivid color'_
- [HIGH] Topper-exclusive modes include Mandalorian Madness (mini wizard mode) and Beskar Bonanza (progressive awards in the Foundry) — _Direct quote from Stern's official press release_
- [HIGH] The Mandalorian topper MSRP is $2,000 — _Stated directly by Knapp Arcade reviewer_
- [HIGH] Topper integrates with Stern Insider Connected platform to display player stats and achievements — _Stern's official press release description_
- [HIGH] Locking exclusive gameplay modes behind topper purchase is unfair to players who paid $7,000+ for the base machine — _Opinion stated by Knapp Arcade reviewer; reflects community concern about paywall practices_

### Notable Quotes

> "One would think that paying $7,000+ for a pinball machine would be enough to get access to all of the available modes in the game."
> — **Knapp Arcade reviewer**, N/A
> _Articulates core criticism of Stern's monetization strategy via accessory-gated content_

> "The topper looks amazing, it kind of reminds me of the Bounty Pucks from the show. This is one of Stern's coolest toppers ever, but its MSRP is an astonishing $2,000."
> — **Knapp Arcade reviewer**, N/A
> _Balances aesthetic praise with sticker-shock criticism; illustrates pricing barrier to adoption_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; revealed Mandalorian topper with exclusive modes; sets MSRP at $2,000 |
| The Mandalorian | game | Stern Pinball machine based on Star Wars franchise; receiver of new holographic topper accessory |
| Mandalorian Madness | product | Exclusive mini wizard mode accessible only to topper owners |
| Beskar Bonanza | product | Exclusive progressive mode accessible only to topper owners; awards all upgrades in the Foundry |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern's digital platform; integrates with topper to display player stats, achievements, and leaderboards |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Content creator reviewing Stern's Mandalorian topper announcement |
| Razor Crest | game | Star Wars: The Mandalorian spacecraft; topper cockpit theme |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Accessory pricing and affordability, Exclusive/gated gameplay content behind premium purchases, Stern Pinball's monetization strategy
- **Secondary:** Holographic/display technology in pinball accessories, Insider Connected integration and digital features
- **Mentioned:** Star Wars/Mandalorian IP licensing in pinball

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (-0.35) — Reviewer praises topper aesthetics and holographic technology as 'awesome' and 'one of Stern's coolest toppers ever,' but expresses strong disapproval of the $2,000 price point and especially the practice of gating exclusive gameplay modes behind a paywall. The criticism of monetization practices outweighs aesthetic appreciation.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Practice of gating exclusive modes behind accessory purchases perceived as unfair to base machine owners; signals potential backlash against Stern's monetization model (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade reviewer explicitly criticizes model: 'One would think that paying $7,000+ for a pinball machine would be enough to get access to all of the available modes'
- **[market_signal]** Mandalorian topper accessory priced at $2,000 MSRP creates affordability barrier; combined with base machine cost of $7,000+, total investment exceeds $9,000 for full gameplay experience (confidence: high) — Knapp Arcade reviewer explicitly states surprise at '$2,000 MSRP' and contemplates not purchasing due to cost
- **[product_strategy]** Stern is using topper accessories as differential product tier, locking exclusive game modes (Mandalorian Madness, Beskar Bonanza) behind premium accessory purchases (confidence: high) — Press release states topper introduces 'exclusive new gameplay features' including mini wizard mode and progressive awards unavailable without purchase
- **[product_strategy]** Mandalorian topper integrates Insider Connected leaderboards, achievement tracking, and player statistics display directly into accessory hardware (confidence: high) — Press release details topper displaying 'player's username and icon,' 'lifetime Encounter upper mini playfield accuracy percentage,' and 'exclusive Insider Connected Achievements'
- **[technology_signal]** Stern deploying holographic display technology in pinball accessories; represents innovation in topper visual presentation (confidence: high) — Topper features '3D holographic display in vivid color' showing images from Star Wars show; described as cool/innovative aesthetic element

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## Transcript

This morning, Stern Pinball finally revealed the eagerly awaited topper for its Mandalorian pinball machine. The topper has a really cool, holographic effect that shows various images from the show and provides info on the game. It looks awesome, but it also has something that I absolutely hate, exclusive modes for topper owners including a topper-only multiball and topper-only progressive awards. One would think that paying $7,000+ for a pinball machine would be enough to get access to all of the available modes in the game.

Here's the description of the topper from Stern's official press release:

The Mandalorian-inspired Topper accessory introduces exclusive new gameplay features while transporting the player inside the cockpit of the Razor CrestTM, using a 3D holographic display in vivid color. New gameplay features include Mandalorian MadnessTM, a mini wizard mode, and BeskarTM Bonanza, a progressive mode that awards all upgrades in the FoundryTM.

The Mandalorian-inspired Topper leverages the Stern Insider ConnectedTM platform to enhance the gameplay experience. In addition to a player’s username and icon, the topper displays a player’s lifetime Encounter upper mini playfield accuracy percentage, plus lifetime BeskarTM collected for all games played while logged in to their Insider Connected player account. Players can also earn exclusive Insider Connected Achievements. The Topper comes equipped with Competition Mode functionality, displaying all player scores with the current high score being highlighted.

https://sternpinball.com/2022/10/19/stern-pinball-launches-new-the-mandaloriantm-topper-pinball-machine-accessory/

The topper looks amazing, it kind of reminds me of the Bounty Pucks from the show. This is one of Stern's coolest toppers ever, but its MSRP is an astonishing $2,000. I was seriously considering buying one for my Mando, but I think that for that price I'll just keep telling myself that the drop ceiling in my basement arcade is too low to accommodate a topper without actually measuring lol.

Below is Stern's trailer for the Mando topper:

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 50dde740-60c2-4163-a39b-d385dc1c0a38*