One machine. Every week. The whole story.
I’m Ryan, and this is The Skill Shot. Every week I pull one pinball machine into the spotlight — where it came from, who designed it, what it’s actually like to play, Then I score it out of 100 with the FlipScore. Just one collector being honest about the machines I love, and the occasional one I can’t stand.
Latest episodes
Ep. 9 — The Mandalorian (Stern, 2021)
Brian Eddy came out of retirement for this one — Carl Weathers’ original voice work, an Emmy-winning score, and a Grogu sculpture that makes the whole room smile.
Ep. 10 — Total Nuclear Annihilation (Spooky, 2017)
One synthwave musician built this entire machine himself — playfield, code, and soundtrack — before Spooky Pinball picked it up for production. Destroy all nine reactors and you win the game by ending the world.
Meet the host
I’m Ryan — quite possibly the world’s most mediocre pinball player. What I lack in skill I make up for in love of the hobby, and I’m here to share it with you: where these machines came from, what makes each one tick, and why they’re worth caring about. And if you catch the bug like I did, I’ll help you take the leap — into collecting your own machine, or finding a pinball tournament near you.
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One email a week: the machine of the week, what’s moving in the market, and the occasional rant. Free.