Enter the animated apocalypse — Stern’s 2020 Heavy Metal is a modern machine based on the cult 1981 adult animated film and its heavy-metal legacy, designed by the great George Gomez, the man behind so many of Stern’s finest layouts. With a DMD-style presentation, a Taarna figurine toy honoring the film’s iconic heroine, and striking playfield art blades, it’s a stylish, hard-rocking machine that brings a beloved counterculture classic to the flippers.
The layout has some genuinely distinctive engineering: two flippers, three pop bumpers, a pair of slingshots, four standups, three ramps (one of them a wireform), a three-bank of drop targets, a spinning target, a bar target, and a horseshoe lane. There are clever mechanical quirks worth noting, too — the top two pop bumpers operate simultaneously, and both slingshots fire together, giving the machine a unique kinetic signature. Those three ramps, including the wireform, offer flowing shots for a player to work, while the drop bank, spinner, and horseshoe round out a busy, aggressive playfield built for fast, heavy-metal action.
Heavy Metal is a fun, atmospheric Gomez design that pairs the wild, fantastical spirit of its source material with the kind of fast, shootable geometry Gomez is renowned for. The Taarna figurine and the bold art blades give it real visual punch, capturing the film’s mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and headbanging attitude. For the collector who loves modern Stern machines and a genuinely distinctive licensed theme, it’s a worthy pick. Work those three ramps, ride the horseshoe, and crank the volume. It’s animated-apocalypse pinball with a heavy-metal heart, and it plays as loud and wild as its inspiration. Turn it up and let it rip.