High Scores & Horsepower: Action at Hotrods Old Vail

There’s no room to coast when each round is a single shot at survival. At the Tucson Timed Match Play tournament, eight players squared off in a format that favored fast flips and focused minds. Hosted at Hotrods Old Vail, the action moved as quickly as the desert air was dry, with a lineup of machines that tested every era of pinball instincts—from early Bally widebodies to modern metal multiball mayhem.

Where Hotrods Meet Hot Flippers

Hotrods Old Vail isn’t just a clever name—it’s a full-throttle combo of car culture and arcade vibes. The moment you walk in, you’re surrounded by the hum of garage tools and the glow of backglass artwork. Reviewers rave about the hospitality and generous portions, but for pinheads, the real treat is knowing that while your burger’s sizzling in the kitchen, someone else is racking up a Grand Champion score two tables away. It’s the kind of immersive, character-rich venue that makes local tournaments feel like marquee events.

Sparky Gets Zapped in Round 4

Round 4 threw players into the electrifying chaos of Metallica (Pro)—a modern classic from Stern’s golden 2010s resurgence. Designed by John Borg and coded by the late, great Lyman Sheats, this 2013 release is a love letter to both the band and brutal pinball design. It’s packed with bash toys like the infamous Sparky electric chair (lock balls there to light up multiball), a ravenous snake scoop that’s always ready to eat your progress, and drop targets that spell out METALLICA for strategic powerups. The game is loud, fast, and delightfully unforgiving—tournament-grade pinball at its finest.

This round had the energy of a live arena show. Andy Nicholls led the charge, channeling the game’s blistering pace into clean combos and calculated multiball stacking. He locked balls into Sparky with surgical precision and used the Grave Marker and Snake Multiballs to rack up points while keeping the playfield under control—a must on this table where chaos is always one misstep away.

Heather Hocker was right on his heels, making smart use of the inlane shot multipliers and collecting a well-timed Crank It Up mode. Her decision to go for “Fade to Black” instead of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” may have cost her just enough scoring momentum to fall behind Andy, but it was a gutsy run with strong fundamentals.

Meanwhile, Eric Anderson and David Reece fought valiantly but got caught in the grinder—literally. Early drains, missed ramps, and Sparky fighting back led to a quieter showing, but even when Metallica beats you up, you still walk away humming the soundtrack and wondering how soon you can try again.

Machines That Turned Heads and Tilted Dreams

This wasn’t just a parade of Sterns—though they certainly showed up strong. The lineup crossed decades, manufacturers, and design philosophies. Let’s break down the highlights:

• Dolly Parton by Bally (1978): Released in the same year as Bally’s Paragon, this game traded dragons for rhinestones. Designed by Claude Fernandez, it’s got symmetrical layout and challenging target banks. Plus, it’s one of the few pins themed around a female music icon—a bold choice for its time and still a gem in collections.

• Sharp Shooter II by Game Plan (1983): A sequel that plays like a cousin. Sharp Shooter II features Western theming and drop targets galore. Game Plan was nearing the end of its life when this came out, so it’s a rare survivor from a company that never quite found Stern-level success but left behind some cult classics.

• Stars by Stern Electronics (1978): Let’s call this what it is: brutal perfection. Designed by Steve Kirk and built like a lesson in ball control, Stars has earned a second life as a tournament staple due to its deceptive simplicity. With zero ramps and just enough inlanes to tempt risky flips, this is the kind of table that separates the sharpshooters from the tilt monsters.

• Future Spa by Bally (1979): Ah yes, the weird and wonderful. This wide-body is pure late-70s disco futurism, with a mirrored playfield and generous bonus scoring. It’s as much an artifact of pinball’s psychedelic phase as it is a playable machine—and still pretty entertaining if you love ball control.

• Taxi by Williams (1988): Mark Ritchie’s masterpiece where you pick up passengers like Dracula, Santa, and Lola (once famously “Marilyn,” until licensing got in the way). It’s got a classic Lawlor-esque feel but with more humor, and the jackpot callouts are legendary in tournament lore.

• The Walking Dead (Pro) by Stern (2014): One of the darkest and most punishing modern Sterns, designed by Borg with rules by Lyman Sheats. Between the pop bumper walker bombs and brutal right outlane, this one plays fast and angry. If you’re not trapping and controlling, you’re lunch.

• Ice Fever by Gottlieb (1985): From the System 80B era, Ice Fever is one of the more fun and funky Gottlieb titles. It’s got a hockey theme complete with goal indicators, and while the rules are simple, the quirky layout makes it stand out.

This lineup delivered more drama than a Tilt warning during bonus count.

A Finale That Left Us Thunderstruck

The final round landed on AC/DC (Pro)—and let me tell you, there are few machines better at turning a tournament into a rock opera. Designed by Steve Ritchie (yes, that Steve Ritchie—voice of the Black Knight and the man behind countless flow-heavy classics), this 2012 Stern title doesn’t just pay tribute to the band, it throws you into their concert. Players can choose from a dozen songs, each affecting scoring strategy. Want safer progress? Pick “Highway to Hell.” Need chaos and combo juice? “T.N.T.” it is. The bell in the upper playfield isn’t just decorative either—it’s an active target, and timing a bell hit during multiball can light up jackpots like a pyrotechnics crew on opening night. Add in fast ramps, diverters, and the all-important “Album Multiball,” and this machine becomes a test of nerves and rhythm.

And on this stage of flashing lights and thundering sound, Ben Clement delivered the encore performance of the day.

Ben brought serious firepower to the tournament. With over 400 IFPA events under his belt and a rock-solid hold on Arizona’s top 60, he’s no stranger to pressure-packed match play. That kind of experience showed as he pounded the TNT targets and rolled through the album modes like he was running a world tour.

Just behind him, Andy Nicholls played like a man possessed—especially after his Round 4 fireworks on Metallica. While he sits just outside the top 150 in Arizona and ranks in the 2800s globally, Andy’s performance here screamed “watch out.” This finish could be the momentum swing that pushes him further up the ladder.

In third, Wayne Saeger juggled the double duty of organizing and competing. That alone is enough to earn a medal, but add to it a solid tournament run and you’ve got a local stalwart proving he can still hang with the best. Ranked just outside the top 100 in the state, Wayne’s got consistency, familiarity with the venue, and clearly, a competitive edge when it counts.

And let’s not forget BOB BODMAN, who slipped into the final and made his presence known. Sitting in the 350s for state rankings and far from the top IFPA tiers, Bob showed the kind of grit that makes Arizona’s pinball scene so compelling—anyone, on any day, can put together a run. It’s the kind of finish that turns heads and racks up respect.

Arizona’s IFPA Top 10 – April 2025 Edition

Wrapping Up From the Garage of Glory

From the chrome bumpers of Sharp Shooter II to the lightning-fast lanes of The Walking Dead, this tournament served up a feast of pinball history, clever design, and competitive grit. Huge shoutout to Wayne Saeger for pulling double duty as player and organizer, and hats off to Hotrods Old Vail for offering up a venue that’s one part museum, one part diner, and all heart. Congrats again to Ben Clement, your Tucson Match Play champ.

That’s all from me—for now. Stay tuned, because whether it’s a forgotten Bally widebody or the latest Stern title, I’ll be here bringing you every bounce, drain, and jackpot from the frontlines of competitive pinball.