John Borg's Iron Man came out in spring 2010, just ahead of Iron Man 2, on Stern's S.A.M. board. It mixes speech and music from both films, and early players noticed its layout borrows from Stern's Austin Powers. The Iron Monger rises out of the playfield to be hit, War Machine fires a hard kickback, and Whiplash sits over a magnet that can grab the ball. There's a nice license quirk too. The drop targets spell IRON and MAN with no letters printed, because the license says the two words can never be shown apart. Stern also made a coinless home version, the Iron Man Classic. In 2014 Stern opened its Vault with Iron Man, rebuilding it with LED lighting, a new backbox and one-piece figures.
Iron Man (2010, later called the Pro)Iron Man Classic (stripped-down, coinless home version)Iron Man Pro Vault Edition (2014, all-LED playfield, new backbox, decaled cabinet, stronger figures)
advertised 55 in long, 27 in wide, 75.5 in high, 250 lb
Also listed as
Iron Man Pro, Iron Man Vault Edition, IMVE, Stern Iron Man
Bench check
Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home
Boards and batteries
S.A.M. keeps its memory on a single CR2430 lithium coin cell, which isn't prone to leaking, so the old battery worry mostly goes away. Ask whether the game holds its settings and high scores. If the game resets or acts dead, the first suspects are low 5 V from a poorly grounded regulator heat sink and the main fuse.
Display
All US Stern games before AC/DC used a 128 x 32 plasma dot matrix, so an original Iron Man has one. Ask for a video of the attract mode. Every row should light evenly, with no dead lines.
Playfield
The IRON and MAN drop targets carry no letters, because the license never lets the two words appear apart. Ask for raking-light photos of the flipper and inlane areas. Worn-through art and chipped drop targets are what to look for.
Toys and mechs
The Iron Monger is a motorized figure that rises out of the playfield, War Machine guards a strong kickback and Whiplash sits over a magnet. Ask for a video of the Iron Monger rising and dropping. Stern's 2014 Vault Edition made all three figures as one-piece moldings for strength, so check an original's figures for cracks.
Cabinet and art
The 2010 game has cabinet art and a translite. The Vault Edition is the one with a decaled cabinet and speaker panel and red T-molding on the backbox. Check the photos to see which you're looking at.
Moving it
Stern advertised it at 250 lb in a 27 in wide cabinet. Take the balls out, pull the legs and cover the glass before it moves.
Parts and code
S.A.M. code updates load from a USB stick, so ask what version it runs. Flipper wear on S.A.M. is at the coil stop, link and plunger. The home-market Iron Man Classic was stripped down, so ask the seller which version it is.
Should come with it
Backbox and coin door keys
Manual
Hard to find if missing
Original Iron Monger, War Machine and Whiplash figures
Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.
What to check
S.A.M. boards don't have the old leaking-battery problem. The things to check are the Iron Monger mech, the figures and the plasma display on a 2010 game.
01Version: Check the backbox in the photos for red T-molding and a decaled speaker panel. That's the 2014 Vault Edition.
02Iron Monger: Ask for a video of the Iron Monger rising and dropping in test. It should move smoothly, without grinding.
03Figures: Look closely at War Machine and Whiplash in the photos. They should be whole, without cracks or glue.
04Display: Ask for a video of the attract mode. Every row of the dot matrix should light evenly.
05Settings: Ask whether it keeps its settings and high scores after power-off. It should, on a good coin cell.
06Playfield: Look at the flipper, inlane and drop target areas in raking-light photos. Art should be intact.
07Flippers: On arrival, hold each flipper up and let go. It should snap and hold without buzzing.
08Moving it: Plan for 250 lb and a 27 in wide cabinet. With the legs off, two people can carry it.
We haven’t been through this game’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for a video of a full game, a photo of the CPU board and photos of the playfield in good light, and ask what’s been replaced. Pass on any seller who won’t answer.