One thing collectors love about Star Wars items originating in Japan is the promotional effort behind major product releases -- colorful and clever signs, displays, premiums and more will often accompany a promotion, such as that for Sankyo's latest Star Wars pachinko machines.
While many fans in the US may have a vague familiarity with pachinko machines, they represent a huge industry in Japan -- entire casinos, or "pachinko parlors", are devoted to the games, which are essentially upright pinball-slot machines triggered by balls entering a center gate after falling through an array of pins. When it comes to Sankyo's Star Wars pachinko machines, however, the gameplay to a foreigner can almost seem secondary to the wild, over-the-top designs, crammed with sounds, lights, and decorations that should get any fan's Force senses tingling.
Sankyo's latest Star Wars models, which are being installed in Japanese parlors now, have all the Star Wars bells and whistles -- illuminating life-size lightsaber, rotating-dome astromechs, blaring Star Wars score and sound effects, TIE fighter canopy motifs, and at least one with a red-eyed Darth Vader mask dropping into view during play.
In addition to making fans dizzy with the dark side, these recent Sankyo Star Wars pachinko releases bring a wealth of cool promotional materials along with them, items especially coveted by Western collectors who enjoy the whimsical spin given their favorite Star Wars characters and themes. "Fever Star Wars", a term used to suggest a pachinko jackpot "streak", can be found on most of the brand's promotional materials, which include flags, posters, face towels, tissue, cell phone charms, chair-backers, magnets, and even a limited edition pin set showcasing the stylized cartoonish Star Wars characters found in the game's design. The "cherry-blossom" C-3PO is still something of a mystery, but we have to admit the protocol droid looks rather pretty in pink.
Check out the slideshow below for images of the many promotional items accompanying Sankyo's recent Star Wars pachinko releases.
