Stick ’em up — Bang! Bang! is an electromechanical two-player from the Spanish manufacturer Recel, wrapped in a cops-and-robbers theme, one of the European makers whose machines form a fascinating chapter of pinball’s global story. With reel scoring, it’s an intriguing continental machine with a distinctive, vari-target-driven playfield and a distinctly European flavor.
The layout has a genuinely interesting mix of features: two flippers, two pop bumpers, a pair of slingshots, three standup targets, two spinning targets, and two vari-targets. That combination of twin spinning targets and twin vari-targets is unusual and rewarding — the spinners offer satisfying, high-value shots for a scoring-minded player, while the two vari-targets reward full, committed shots, giving the game a shot-making texture that many contemporaries lacked. The three standups provide additional objectives to work through, and the two pop bumpers keep the ball lively up top. It’s a varied, engaging design that rewards accurate shooting, all in service of the shootout-themed cops-and-robbers action.
Bang! Bang! is a fine example of the broader, international sweep of pinball history beyond the familiar American names. Recel built machines with real character, and this cops-and-robbers title carries the European flipper tradition with its own distinctive flavor, right down to that pairing of spinners and vari-targets. For the collector who appreciates the global corners of the hobby and the makers who worked outside the usual pantheon, it’s a worthy find. Rip those twin spinners, hit the vari-targets solidly, and win the shootout. The far corners of pinball history hold plenty of well-built surprises, and this Spanish crime machine is one of them. Draw fast and drop a coin.