The Ultimate Godzilla Pinball Machine - ALL THE MODS!

RetroRalph·video·9m 47s·analyzed·Nov 12, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.022

TL;DR

RetroRalph's extensively modded Godzilla Stern pinball showcases 15+ community mods from top vendors.

Summary

RetroRalph showcases a comprehensively modded Godzilla pinball machine featuring 15+ aftermarket upgrades across aesthetics, audio, interactive toys, and playfield enhancements. The video reviews mods from established vendors including Stumbler Mods, Lior Mods, MOJO Mods, High End Mods, and others, highlighting both technical and visual improvements. Key upgrades include custom side armor, speaker kits, interactive toy mods (UFO, Tesla coils, Atomic Godzilla), and the signature Tokyo Neon Sign. RetroRalph emphasizes the modding community's role in elevating stock Stern machines and hints at future installation-focused content.

Key Claims

Stern Pro and Premium Edition models come with 4-inch speakers; Limited Edition models come with 5.25-inch speakers
high confidence · RetroRalph explaining Burning City Speaker Light Kits mod specifications and upgrade path
The Tokyo Neon Sign mod by Stumbler Mods is fully integrated, animated 3D RGB, configurable via WiFi, and currently back-ordered with high demand
high confidence · Direct description of mod; RetroRalph notes difficulty to obtain and advises signing up for waiting list
The Atomic Godzilla mod by MOJO Mods is a significant upgrade over the stock Godzilla toy that comes with the game
high confidence · RetroRalph's personal endorsement: 'this mod feels right at home here on the back of the playfield' and describes it as 'very close second to the Tokyo sign'
Invisiglass non-glare playfield glass requires special glass cleaner (ammonia-free); cannot use ammonia-based cleaners
high confidence · RetroRalph explicitly states 'You can't use an ammonia-based cleaner on this invisible glass' and specifies Pinheads Products Anti-Reflective Glass Cleaner
Christopher Franchi designed the artwork for Godzilla pinball
high confidence · RetroRalph references 'all this awesome artwork done by Christopher Franchi all over this machine' when discussing Art Blades

Notable Quotes

“It's Godzilla. It's gotta look aggressive and the side armor does just that.”
RetroRalph@ 0:17 — Explains design philosophy behind the Barrels of Fun Godzilla Side Armor mod and its thematic appropriateness
“why do we mod? We mod to make things better.”
RetroRalph@ 1:08 — Core philosophy statement about the modding community's motivation and values
“It's difficult to get and it's currently back ordered as of the filming of this video. If you're interested, sign up on their list because these go fast.”
RetroRalph@ 3:13 — Signals strong demand and supply constraints for Tokyo Neon Sign; FOMO-driven collector interest
“I recently saw the Diddy's Pinball Mods Tesla Strike Towers and I fell in love with them... did they knock theirs out of the park?”
RetroRalph@ 5:09 — Indicates competitive dynamics within mod vendor ecosystem and shifting preferences based on new releases
“No knock on Stern, but this mod feels right at home here on the back of the playfield. It feels like this is the size it should have been.”
RetroRalph@ 5:52 — Suggests Atomic Godzilla mod addresses perceived design shortcoming in stock Stern machine
“when you mod something and put some time and effort into it on top of just playing it, it kind of makes it a little bit more special.”
RetroRalph@ 8:21 — Articulates emotional/personal value proposition of modding culture beyond functional improvements

Entities

RetroRalphpersonStumbler ModscompanyLior ModscompanyMOJO ModscompanyHigh End ModscompanyDiddy's Pinball ModscompanyBarrels of Fun SterncompanyBurning City Speaker Light KitscompanyTilt GraphicscompanyPinheads Products

Signals

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community_signal: Robust third-party mod ecosystem with 8+ specialized vendors creating high-quality interactive and aesthetic upgrades for Stern machines
high · Comprehensive review of mods from Stumbler Mods, Lior Mods, MOJO Mods, High End Mods, Diddy's Pinball Mods, Barrels of Fun, Burning City, and others; all described as quality products
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competitive_signal: Competitive dynamics within mod vendor ecosystem; newer vendors (Diddy's Pinball Mods) gaining recognition with innovative designs, causing established vendors to face preference shifts
medium · RetroRalph planning to replace Lior Mods Tesla coils with Diddy's Tesla Strike Towers; frames as enthusiast preference rather than quality criticism
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design_philosophy: Modding viewed as personalization and emotional investment beyond functionality; RetroRalph articulates modding as identity expression and relationship building with machines
high · RetroRalph: 'when you mod something and put some time and effort into it on top of just playing it, it kind of makes it a little bit more special'
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market_signal: Tokyo Neon Sign by Stumbler Mods has become signature must-have mod for Godzilla; back-ordered with high demand indicating FOMO-driven collector interest
high · RetroRalph describes it as 'one of my favorite mods', notes it's 'difficult to get and currently back ordered', recommends signing up for waiting list 'because these go fast'
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product_strategy: Stock Stern machines perceived as baseline canvases requiring community-driven enhancements; aftermarket mods essential to achieving desired aesthetic and functional outcomes

Topics

Aftermarket pinball mods and customization ecosystemprimaryInteractive toy mods and lighting upgradesprimaryAudio system upgrades and speaker modificationsprimaryAesthetic customization (side armor, powder coating, artwork)primaryGodzilla pinball machine design and themeprimaryMod vendor ecosystem and competitive dynamicssecondaryPinball community values and culture around moddingsecondaryInstallation difficulty and accessibility for novice modderssecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.92)— RetroRalph is enthusiastic about nearly all mods reviewed, uses highly positive language ('epic', 'sexy', 'awesome', 'must in my opinion'), and demonstrates clear passion for the modding hobby. Only minor criticism is preference shift toward Diddy's Tesla Strike Towers over Lior Mods' Tesla coils, framed diplomatically. Strong endorsement of modding culture and community vendors throughout.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.029

You heard me. All. The. Mods. Well, almost all of them. Most of them. You'll see. Number 1. The Godzilla Side Armor by Stern. This mod really stands out when you first glance at the machine. It's Godzilla. It's gotta look aggressive and the side armor does just that. To make it even more awesome, it's got really cool custom paint that's slightly textured to appear like Godzilla's skin. Oh, and it also protects the pinball machine from minor bumps and bruises, but let's be honest, it's just here to look sexy. Number two, the rest of the machine is also custom powder coated in this awesome green texture. Everything from the pinball legs, to the side rails, to the lock bar, the coin door, and even the backbox. Number three, this mod is by Speaker Light Kits. I love this mod and I've done it to all four of the Stern machines I've owned. If you don't know, Pro and Premium models come with 4-inch stock speakers. They're pretty basic, they sound decent, but why do we mod? We mod to make things better. So this mod changes the speaker size from 4 inches found on the Pro and Premium to 5 and a quarter inches that are found on the limited edition Stern machines. So you get a sound upgrade with the Kenwood speakers and some awesome lighting effects to really make your machine pop. Note, you can put any 5.25-inch speaker in here as long as it fits. I'm using the Kenwood speakers that are the same ones that Stern uses in the limited edition machines. Oh, and I almost forgot. You can get this cool placard that's acrylic to match your speakers too. Just something cool to make your badges stand out. And keep in mind the speakers are not included in this kit, so you'll have to get those separately. Number four, the Godzilla shooter knob from Stern. I was torn about this one because I already had the original one powder coated, but I couldn't resist. Also, I have a custom shooter knob on my Stranger Things, so I kinda had to do it, right? Number 5. The Oxygen Destroyer Mod by High End Mods. This thing is quality in and out. It's handcrafted and made with real solid chrome plated metal. It interactive and lights green when the right outlane oxygen destroyer insert is lit as well as various other times throughout the game This mod is awesome and a must in my opinion Number six the Lala UFO mod by Stumblr Pinball. This thing is super cool. This mod interacts with the game. When you hit the pop bumper the UFO lights up. It's easy to install, the quality is great, and it's a nice upgrade over the stock UFO. Number seven another Another one from Stumblr Pinball, this is the Tokyo Neon Sign. This sign is fully integrated and animated 3D Tokyo style RGB neon sign. It replaces the existing scoop sign that's on this machine. The thing looks beautiful and it's one of my favorite mods. It's fully configurable via wifi, it's got several light patterns, and it's just sexy, and it adds a killer element to the game as it truly looks like a neon sign. It's difficult to get and it's currently back ordered as of the filming of this video. If you're interested, sign up on their list because these go fast and you never know how long they're going to make them. Number 8. The Mechagodzilla Interactive Shield Mod. This mod interacts with the game and replaces the stock plastics on the left and right side of the Mechagodzilla spinner. This mod is relatively easy to install and I think it's a nice compliment to Mechagodzilla, as the mod more closely matches the texture and look of Mechagodzilla. And the RGB light is a nice touch because everything looks better lit up, right? Number 9, the Nagali Oil Building. This mod by DiddyModsPinball adds some flair to the left side of the game by adding a cool building that the ball travels through after going over the bridge. The mod does illuminate utilizing the general illumination of the game. It also has a really cool style to it that completely fits the theme of the game and it's believable that it's a building straight out of Tokyo. The building also stays lit with a cool red glow that's controlled by the red GI. Number 10. I'm lumping all these mods together. They're all from Mezelmods and they're a huge upgrade from the stock buildings featured on the back of the machine. The first one is the subway building with upgraded sign. The second is the theater building. And the third is the noodle building. I can't stress enough how cool these look. It adds a more polished look to the back of the machine in my opinion. They all plug into the stock wiring so you don't lose any functionality of the building lights or LED indicators Number 11 Interactive Tesla coils from Mezelmods These coils are connected to the middle spinner flasher and activate whenever the spinner is hit or the flasher is lit. This is probably my least favorite of the mods I installed in this machine, and it's not because of the quality of the mods or anything like that, but I recently saw the Diddy's Tesla Strike Towers and I fell in love with them. So like the sucker that I am, I'm replacing these with those ASAP. Nothing against Mezzle Mods, but did he knock theirs out of the park? Sorry guys, you can't win them all. Number 12. I really, really love this mod. It's a very close second to the Tokyo sign, but the Atomic Godzilla by Mojo's Mods is freaking epic. When the ball hits the Magna Grab, Godzilla gives you a really cool light show on his spine. It also does a few small interactions with the game, but it just fills the space so much better than the stock Godzilla that comes with the game. It feels like this is the size it should have been. No knock on Stern, but this mod feels right at home here in the back of the playfield. Number 13. This is the Boom Boom 3000. Yeah, that's really the name of it. The Boom Boom 3000 subwoofer. This is an awesome upgrade over the stock Stern subwoofer. It's plug and play with a wire harness already soldered onto it so it can easily plug right into the stock wiring harness. Please note that in order for this to operate properly, you will need to enter the service menu and adjust a few items. But overall, this is a simple mod that makes a big difference, especially if you like to play the machine as loud as I do. Number 14. We're almost done. This one might not seem like it would be a big difference, but trust me, it is. This is the Invisiglass non-glare playfield glass. All I can say is the glass greatly reduces the glare from the DMD, the backbox, or any overhead lighting that you might have in the room. The glass almost looks like it disappears once you install it. I will say this, I didn't install all of the mods to have all this awesome lighting to not be able to see them the best I could. So this one, to me, is a no-brainer. Number 15, you probably already noticed this, but I also installed the Stern Godzilla Art Blades. With all this awesome artwork done by Zombie Yeti all over this machine why not complete the art package with these awesome art blades They actually very easy to install and if you use the wet method it is especially easy I learned this after the fact and use the wet method on my stranger things So I would highly recommend that. And it makes it so much easier to do. Anyhow, these look awesome and they just complete the overall look of the machine once they're installed. Before we wrap this video up, I have a couple of honorable mentions. I also installed some ramp and shooter lane artwork from Tilt Graphics. It just adds a cool look to the machine and it's pretty low cost mod so why not. I also installed a simple ramp illumination light on the right ramp. Super easy to install and it adds a little light accent that I think looks pretty cool. All right guys that about wraps up this video. Something I forgot to mention with the Invisiglass you're gonna need to use a special glass cleaner. I'll have a link in the description. I have it around here somewhere. Hold on. Pinheads Products Anti-Reflective Glass Cleaner. You can't use an an ammonia-based cleaner on this invisible glass. I hope you enjoyed taking a look at some of the mods I did to this pinball machine. At least for me, I don't know, I feel like when you mod something and put some time and effort into it on top of just playing it, it kind of makes it a little bit more special. Hopefully you enjoyed it. I didn't do every mod. Actually, you know what? There's one mod I didn't do, and it came in the mail the other day. It's the Paul Mazur Cannon mod, and I'll actually go grab it real quick so you can see it. Check this thing out. So this is the Paul Mazur Cannon. This thing looks pretty awesome. So I'll be putting this on next. But anyways guys, that's it. It's the end of the video. I will probably do other mod videos, but maybe I'll do them differently where I'll actually show you how to install these. They're mostly simple, but it's really daunting at first because when you open up a pinball machine, you're like, holy crap, there's a lot of stuff under here and wires and things like that. But once you get past the, I don't know, the scary part of it looking like it's a lot more difficult than it is, they're really not that bad to install. Anyway, if you enjoyed the video, give me a thumbs up. Consider subscribing to the channel. Put your comments below. I want to hear from you. And that's it for now. We will see you on the next one.