Stern Transformers Pinball First Impressions - Is There More Than Meets Eye?

Cooltoy·video·16m 54s·analyzed·May 22, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.027

TL;DR

Stern's Transformers pinball impresses with G1 fandom and mechanics but disappoints on Optimus Prime transformation and Pro value.

Summary

Cooltoy provides detailed first impressions of Stern's Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye pinball after attending a media day at Stern headquarters. The game is a G1 cartoon-themed cornerstone release with extensive theme integration, impressive code by Elizabeth, and well-designed shots, but faces criticism for Optimus Prime not transforming and a 50-50 split powder coat on the LE. The Pro model is significantly gutted of mechs compared to Premium/LE, making Premium the recommended tier for home collectors.

Key Claims

Optimus Prime does not transform in this game, contrary to theme expectations
high confidence · Cooltoy, direct observation at media day: 'The fact that Optimus Prime doesn't transform in this game. Oh my goodness, it's called Transformers, but it doesn't transform.'
The game is set to release on October 1, 2019
high confidence · Cooltoy states: 'The game is set to be released on October 1, 2019.'
Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti) did the heavy lifting on artwork, demonstrating deep Transformers fandom
high confidence · Cooltoy cites direct observation and credits: 'Artwork on this game was a team effort, but it was a lot of the heavy lifting done by Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti)'
Elizabeth (Elizabeth Schafer, code designer) created a split flipper PvP mode with shared action button
high confidence · Cooltoy describes new gameplay feature: 'She's got a player versus player split flipper coded into the game where it's truly a one versus one head to head game'
The game includes voice lines from Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) and Frank Welker (Megatron) from the original 1980s cartoon
high confidence · Cooltoy confirms: 'We got specific callouts from Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, the legendary voices behind the original Optimus Prime and Megatron.'
The LE features a 50-50 split powder coat (red Autobots on left, purple Decepticons on right)
high confidence · Cooltoy describes: 'You got purple for Decepticons on the right side You got left side Autobots It red and it split down the middle'
Pro model lacks Megatron animation, Soundwave physical lock, and Grimlock sculpt present on Premium/LE
high confidence · Cooltoy detailed comparison: 'On the Pro, he's just a static plastic toy, he doesn't shoot the ball out' and 'On the pro, again, just a flat plastic' regarding Soundwave and Grimlock
Pro version will ship first, estimated early June 2026 (for location operators)
high confidence · Cooltoy states: 'They did say the pros would be the first on the line. Should be shipping early out in June.'

Notable Quotes

“The fact that Optimus Prime doesn't transform in this game. Oh my goodness, it's called Transformers, but it doesn't transform.”
Cooltoy@ 0:46 — Establishes the central controversy and sets up the main tension of the review
“This is definitely a love letter to those G1 fans... It really means that this was a labor of love and not just another job.”
Cooltoy@ 3:34 — Highlights the core strength of the game design and team passion
“I just, I hate, I'm sorry, I just hate the split... I just want my powder coating to look one solid color.”
Cooltoy@ 4:29 — Personal aesthetic criticism of the LE cabinet design
“Premium is the way to go, no matter what... Pro, yeah, play it on location, but if you're going to be a homeowner, Premium is the way to go.”
Cooltoy@ 12:35 — Strong endorsement against Pro tier for home collectors, reversal of usual pro-tier stance
“You definitely got to earn anything. There's no gimme multiballs... This one you definitely got to earn anything.”
Cooltoy@ 13:30 — Describes steep learning curve compared to Pokemon, audience segmentation implication
“It is not a hero pose and it's definitely not the pose that Stern would have wanted had they originally just planned that to be a sculpted toy that, you know, sat there and did nothing.”
Cooltoy@ 13:58 — Provides evidence that Optimus was intended to have a moving mechanism that was cut

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyCooltoyperson Jeremy PackerpersonElizabeth SchaferpersonElliott EismanpersonPeter CullenpersonFrank WelkerpersonTransformers: More Than Meets the EyegameTransformers (1986 animated film)product

Signals

?
product_concern: Optimus Prime does not transform despite being the title character and apparent design intent; mechanism was cut, likely due to reliability concerns
high · Cooltoy observes: 'It is not a hero pose and it's definitely not the pose that Stern would have wanted had they originally just planned that to be a sculpted toy that sat there and did nothing.' The boxy static pose indicates a placeholder after mechanism removal.
?
design_philosophy: Design team prioritized G1 cartoon authenticity and fan nostalgia through detailed theme integration (voice actors, assets, visual callbacks, toy packaging references)
high · Cooltoy describes: 'This is definitely a love letter to those G1 fans' and notes 'All the people we talked about that were involved in making this game are huge Transformers nerds and it absolutely shows.'
?
product_strategy: Pro model stripped of animated mechs (Megatron animation, Soundwave lock, Grimlock sculpt) to reduce cost; Premium/LE retain full mech integration for premium price tier differentiation
high · Cooltoy compares models: Pro has 'static plastic toy' Megatron vs Premium's 'fully animated Megatron that moves up and down and left and right'; similar gutting for Soundwave and Grimlock across all Pro features
?
gameplay_signal: Game designed with steep learning curve, difficult upper flipper shots, no gimme multiballs; positioned as skill-rewarding rather than casual-friendly (contrasts with Pokémon)
high · Cooltoy notes: 'The layout itself has some definitely tricky shots' and 'There's no gimme multiballs whereas Pokemon is very friendly to a casual person that can walk up, slap it around'
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Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.051

0:00

The Alright, just got back from a full day of pinball at Stern headquarters. Today was media day. We got the invite to come check out their latest cornerstone release, Transformers More Than Meets the Eye Pinball. And right on the tip of the cap, let's just go ahead and talk about the controversy, if you will, what's got the internet up in a tizzy. The fact that Optimus Prime doesn't transform in this game. Oh my goodness, it's called Transformers, but it doesn't transform. History lesson, need I remind you, this isn't the first release of a Transformers themed The game is significantly better even without a transforming Optimus Prime when it comes Toys and Theme Integration

1:56

The game is set to be released on October 1, 2019. Pitchforks and Torches people out there that have been hammering Stern about their code releases and their updates, you'll be happy that this one is much farther along than previous releases. Artwork on this game was a team effort, but it was a lot of the heavy lifting done by Jeremy Packer aka Zombie Yeti. You can definitely tell he's a fan of the franchise. There's a lot of little things hidden within the artwork on both the plastics and the playfield and the back glasses. There's little things that I noticed like there's call outs to the original Transformers toy packaging like the little grid lines, the fonts, the colorways, the yellow and the black when it calls out the specific characters names. Little things like on the sling returns where it says Transformers will return, you know, a call back to the Saturday morning cartoon era. Just so many little things that huge Transformers fans are going to absolutely nerd out and be in love with. This is definitely a love letter to those G1 fans. This is a team effort from top to bottom whether it be code, engineering, design, everything. All the people we talked about that were involved in making this game are huge Transformers nerds and it absolutely shows. And I love that, being a Transformers nerd myself, because it really means that this was a labor of love and not just another job. When it comes to the pro, premium, LE artwork, I was pretty happy with all of them. I didn't really have any major gripes. The only issue and this is kind of a personal preference is the LE itself and it really not artwork related It the powder coating It split 50 You got purple for Decepticons on the right side You got left side Autobots It red and it split down the middle and so you got two different colors on there and I just absolutely hate that aesthetic It something they did on the previous Transformers release back in the Michael Bay and George Gomez era But that also had two other simultaneous LE kind of choices where you can get like an all red Autobots or you could get an all purple Decepticons That's not the case with this modern day LE. You get this 50-50 split or you get nothing at all when it comes to the LE. I just, I hate, I'm sorry, I just hate the split. I understand it thematically, it makes sense. I'm not sure if that makes sense. The playfield itself is split to where you got Decepticons on the right side, you got Autobots on the left side. It goes right down the middle. It's 50-50. I get it, but aesthetically I hate it. I just want my powder coating to look one solid color, whether it be purple, red, indigo, violet, sparkly. I don't care, but I don't want the 50-50s. That being said, the LE is bringing back foil artwork this time around. Something that's been missing the last couple of releases from Stern and their LEs. It is back. It looks great. It's even foiled on the inner art blades that come exclusive to the LE. I think it looks really good. The expression lighting on this is absolutely phenomenal. It is amazingly well-coded. And speaking of code, talking again about Elizabeth's work here. She did some phenomenal things here with the code. The I'm getting ready to lose. Another cool thing I noticed early on in gameplay, there was kind of like a ball save mode very similar to Oxygen Destroyer with Godzilla in which you had about 15 seconds to hit a specific shot, mainly the right-handed ramp. If you did it, hit it in the amount of time you got to save your ball, the ball would keep staying in play, little things like that. She also coded in some cool new modes. Unfortunately we didn't get to test them out because they weren't in the test games yet, but she's got a player versus player split flipper coded into the game where it's truly a one versus one head to head game where you're controlling one side of the game, the other person is controlling the other, and you both kind of fight over the action button in the middle. You can truly do a head to head gameplay experience. She's also included some really cool challenge modes a la Jaws. The movie is related to the 1986 movie Transformers. So you get those assets and movie clips integrated into the game for that challenge mode as well as the iconic The Touch theme song from that movie is included as well. So you get the best of both worlds. Theme integration, I mean they absolutely did an amazing job with this. We got specific callouts from Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, the legendary voices behind the original Optimus Prime and Megatron. We got seasons one through two clips and assets for the TV show, which is like over 50 episodes. They said they have a more things license that are just not in the game yet. Shots and layout, Elliott did a great job on this one. It's definitely got a lot of ball pass, a lot of different things going on. And it's easier if I just kind of give you a top down walkthrough of what the play field looks like because again, there's a lot going on. Left side is Autobots, right side Decepticons. In the left side, obviously, we've got our two slings. We also had a third sling up here on the Autobot side. There's a nice little kind of sneak in underneath Grimlock shot, goes around, comes down this lower wire form and hits this little bump stop and feeds the upper third flipper. Then we have the Autobot ramp that kind of 180s up here, comes down this little wiggly wire form, feeds down to the left end lane. Right next to it, we have a captive ball. We have a dead end shot here with an up post that you can hit accessibly from the third flipper. This rewards your mystery awards, your extra ball. It's a very tough shot, but hit that target up there. Up post will come up there, hold the ball there. Then the toughest shot in the game in my opinion from this upper flipper Going to shoot it in between here It It gonna go all the way here in the back and if you got enough inertia it gonna hit a 180 ramp and it gonna come back down the wire form and feed down the wiggly back down to your left flipper. We've got Optimus. Doesn't transform. Many reasons, I've already been talking about that, but he's a static bash toy. Smack his legs there. We have a Vuck for your lock shot right there. Shoot it a couple of times. Your ball lock lights are there. Let you know one, two, three, and you're ready to go. Goes up the wire form, comes back down,

The game is significantly more advanced in code development compared to previous Stern releases

high confidence · Cooltoy notes: 'you'll be happy that this one is much farther along than previous releases' in reference to complaints about Stern code quality

Stern will continue Pokemon production extensively throughout 2026, affecting Transformers production schedule

medium confidence · Cooltoy speculates: 'They're going to be making Pokemon until their eyes bleed. So it'll be interesting what the production schedule looks like for the rest of 2026.'

“Watching his chest open up and shoot the balls out of the cassette door is such a cool thing, especially again if you're an already existing Transformers nerd.”

Cooltoy@ 15:12 — Highlight of Soundwave toy integration and theme-gameplay synergy

Godzilla (Oxygen Destroyer mode)game

Dungeons & Dragons Pinballgame

code_update: Game code significantly more mature at media day than typical Stern releases; includes split flipper PvP mode, ball save mechanics (Oxygen Destroyer style), challenge modes with movie assets

high · Cooltoy states: 'you'll be happy that this one is much farther along than previous releases' and describes multiple advanced code features including 'player versus player split flipper coded into the game'

design_innovation: Megatron toy features both movement (rotates, moves left/right) and ball interaction (fires ball into wire form or upper flipper); Soundwave dual-ball cassette lock; interactive toy responses ('taunts', directs player actions)

high · Cooltoy describes: 'he moves around, he taunts you, he'll even tell you to shoot here at some points of the game' and Megatron 'can hold two balls and then shoot them out of his chest cassette area'

collector_signal: LE cabinet 50-50 split powder coat (red/purple) criticized as unattractive; previous generation Transformers LE offered solid color alternatives; foil artwork return noted positively

high · Cooltoy: 'I just absolutely hate that aesthetic... I just want my powder coating to look one solid color... I don't want the 50-50s' and 'The LE is bringing back foil artwork this time around... It looks great.'

market_signal: Pro models ship first (June 2026) targeting location operators; Premium/LE follow; Pokémon production will dominate Stern capacity throughout 2026

high · Cooltoy: 'They did say the pros would be the first on the line. Should be shipping early out in June' and 'They're going to be making Pokemon until their eyes bleed. So it'll be interesting what the production schedule looks like for the rest of 2026.'

licensing_signal: Game integrates G1 cartoon (50+ episodes S1-S2), 1986 animated film assets and theme song ('The Touch'), and original voice cast; demonstrates negotiated licensing across multiple Transformers media eras

high · Cooltoy states: 'Seasons one through two clips and assets for the TV show, which is like over 50 episodes... the iconic The Touch theme song from that movie is included as well' and they have 'more things license that are just not in the game yet'

community_signal: Internet controversy over missing Optimus Prime transformation mechanism; Cooltoy acknowledges and defends design choice (reliability over broken functionality) while noting thematic oddness of Optimus as bash toy

high · Cooltoy opens with 'let's just go ahead and talk about the controversy, if you will, what's got the internet up in a tizzy' and later argues: 'when it comes to having a functional mechanism that is not necessarily reliable or having nothing at all, I'll take nothing at all'

event_signal: Stern held official media day at headquarters for Transformers launch; multiple journalists/content creators invited for hands-on first impressions; coordinated review embargoes or timing likely

high · Cooltoy: 'just got back from a full day of pinball at Stern headquarters. Today was media day. We got the invite to come check out their latest cornerstone release'

9:02

goes back over to your right side wire form, comes back around here, and then back to the right flipper. You got your middle spinner shot a la Dungeons & Dragons. You got your three bank drop target that blocks the Megatron shock. Shoot that in the hole. Megatron also does have an active switch in his chest there. Then we have a Decepticon right ramp. Allah kind of reminds me of Foo Fighters goes back around and depending on what's going on, it'll either feed to the Megatron cannon or it can feed back here on this little kick out of the wire form behind Optimus. But most of the time it does feed to Megatron and the Megatron will rotate over Shoot the ball in this little catch. You can actually combo that. So if you shoot this ramp right out of the gate at the beginning of the game, loads the cannon, comes down here, goes down the left flipper. If you hit him a second time, Megatron will rotate down and point the gun towards the upper right-hand flipper here and it'll fire it there. And you're supposed to fire it off into Optimus for a super combo shot and you get lots of points that way. And then on the far right here, we just have a kind of outer orbit. Thanks for watching. In a nutshell. When it comes to pro versus premium, I'm usually the guy that's waving the pro banner and saying, yes, get the pro, it's the better value. Not today. I'm not that guy. I'm sorry, but the pro just feels way too cleaned out as far as mechs and toys and everything. While it still shoots great and the core shots and layout are there, just the integration of how certain things interact with the game plus the theme integration of having some Some of the mechanisms that are prevalent on the Premium LE and not having those on the Pro just wipes that experience out for me. So on the Premium you get a fully animated Megatron that moves up and down and left and right and turns and will fire a ball into a wire form and you can also fire the ball down to the upper third flipper. Does a lot of cool things, looks really cool. Not on the Pro, he's just a static plastic toy, he doesn't shoot the ball out. Since the ball doesn't get shot out to a ramp, they've kind of changed the wire forming on the ramp over there. Soundwave, also a cool feature on the Premium. He is a physical ball lock. He can hold two balls and then shoot them out of his chest cassette area. It's an awesome toy. It's a huge bulking sculpt. They really did a great job with it. It looks phenomenal. On the Pro, it's just a flat plastic. There's no physical ball lock there. So, it's a huge loss. On the premium and LE, there's a molded, sculpted Grimlock toy that's on the left side of the play field that looks really, really good. On the pro, again, just a flat plastic. So you got a lot of the main mechs in this game have all been gutted out. Optimus Prime doesn't transform on any of them, so we don't have a single basically huge mechanism that works at all on the pro. Thanks for watching.

12:35

I'm sorry, but yeah, Premium LE, that's the only way to go on this one. Pro, yeah, play it on location, but if you're going to be a homeowner, Premium is the way to go, no matter what. Overall my very first impressions of this game were very positive. It checked all my nostalgic boxes of a Generation 1 Transformers fan. It's fun to play. It is a long player which is a good and a bad thing. The shots and the layout itself is not necessarily the most friendly to a newcomer. You definitely got to earn everything. There's no gimme multiballs whereas Pokemon is very friendly to a casual person that can walk up, slap it around, and maybe start a multiball pretty accidentally and feel good about it. This one you definitely got to earn anything. There's no gimme multiballs. The layout itself has some definitely tricky shots. All the upper flipper shots are very satisfying once you hit them, but again, they are very difficult to hit in some cases, specifically the one that goes all the way in the left corner and hits the 180 ramp, comes back down. Once you hit it, it feels great, but you'll spend a lot of time bricking that shot. Fun game to play. You definitely feel like there's a lot jam-packed into it. Do you notice the omission of Optimus Prime Transforming? Uh, yeah, it's pretty obvious that there was something meant to be there that is no longer there, mainly just because he has a static, very boxy, it is not a hero pose and it's definitely not the pose that Stern would have wanted had they originally just planned that to be a sculpted toy that, you know, sat there and did nothing. Obviously they had to change things, but when it comes to having a functional mechanism that is not necessarily reliable or having nothing at all, I'll take nothing at all because I don't want to buy this expensive machine and have something that's constantly breaking down or not working or ball hangups or anything like that because it just takes away all the love and enjoyment of the game. That being said, thematically it is a little weird that Optimus Prime is a bash toy because he's the hero. Why are we smacking a pinball into the hero? Why aren't we smacking the ball more into Megatron? But again, it's all because things had to change at the last minute and concessions had to be made. It still feels like a pretty well-packed game in the Premium LE with the mechs we do get, with the firing mechanism of Megatron, the ability to move around, not just fire the ball, but he moves around, he taunts you, he'll even tell you to shoot here at some points of the game, which is really cool. The sound wave, like I said, the sculpt is massive. Watching his chest open up and shoot the balls out of the cassette door is such a cool thing, especially again if you're an already existing Transformers nerd. The Grimlock toy, you know, it's static. I'm sure somebody could throw in a G1 toy and it looked about the same scale almost, so you can replace all that. Overall, I think they did a great job. I think this will probably sell well for them, which is kind of a head scratcher because They're going to be making Pokemon until their eyes bleed. So it'll be interesting what the production schedule looks like for the rest of 2026. They did say the pros would be the first on the line. Should be shipping early out in June. So if you're a location person, you'll definitely have those in your doorstep sooner than later. But guys, let me know your thoughts and opinions, your first impressions of the Transformers More Than Meets the Eye pinball from Stern Pinball. Are you guys a fan of it? What would you have seen them do differently? What would you have liked to see added when it comes to the theme integration? I think they did an excellent job. I don't really notice anything missing when it comes to the cartoon assets and the film assets that talked about being included in here. But guys, let me know your thoughts and opinions. And also, who's your favorite Transformers character? Autobot? Decepticon? Let me know in the comments below. If you enjoyed the content, make sure you hit the like button. Share this video with your friends if you found the information helpful. And as always, thanks for watching guys. It really means a lot.

16:33

Thanks for watching!