Design: George Gomez, Keith P. Johnson, Chris Granner · Art: Jerry Vanderstelt, Kevin O'Connor, Margaret Hudson
Stern announced The Lord of the Rings in October 2003, weeks before The Return of the King hit cinemas, and it's still one of the deepest games of its decade. George Gomez led the design, and Elijah Wood and John Rhys-Davies recorded new speech for it. The table is busy in the best way. There's a moving Balrog guarding a jump ramp, a One Ring that grabs the ball with a magnet, a collapsing tower and an upper Paths of the Dead playfield. It was the first game on Stern's revised Whitestar board with 16-bit sound. The run came to about 5,100, built in a first batch of 4,017 and smaller reruns. In 2009 Stern made 500 Limited Editions with a real glass backglass and gold trim, its first LE.
Standard 2003 game (first run about 4,017, then smaller later runs)Limited Edition (2009, 500 made, glass backglass, gold trim, optional shaker, signed by Gary Stern and George Gomez)
Jerry Vanderstelt (cabinet, backbox, backglass); Kevin O'Connor and Margaret Hudson (playfield, plastics)
System
Stern Whitestar (modified), the first game on the interim board with 16-bit sound
Display
128 x 32 plasma dot matrix
Production
about 5,100, plus 500 Limited Editions in 2009
Cabinet
advertised 55 in long, 27 in wide, 75.5 in high; IPDB measured one at 248 lb with legs
Also listed as
LOTR, LOTR pinball, Stern Lord of the Rings
Bench check
Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home
Boards and batteries
Whitestar keeps its memory on three AA batteries mounted on top of the CPU board, and leaking alkalines are the number one killer of pinball boards. Ask for a photo of the CPU board. You want it clean, with the batteries moved to a remote holder, or a lithium cell or memory capacitor fitted. Green crust under the holder can be past economical repair.
Display
It's a high-voltage plasma dot matrix. Ask for a video of the attract mode and look for dead rows or dim patches. Stern's own LED display panels don't render correctly in Whitestar games, so if the display has been changed, ask what's fitted.
Playfield
The game has a main playfield and a raised Paths of the Dead mini-playfield up top. Ask for raking-light photos of the flipper, inlane and ramp entrance areas. Worn-through art at the flippers is the thing to price in.
Toys and mechs
The Balrog is a moving bash toy with its own flashlamp, and its wires can break inside where you can't see them, so check that it still registers hits. The jump ramp feeds the One Ring, which holds the ball on an electromagnet, and a tower collapses on some scoring features. The Shire and Gimli VUK switches get hammered and will need replacing sooner or later.
Cabinet and art
Jerry Vanderstelt drew the cabinet, backbox and backglass art, and the standard game uses a translite. The 2009 Limited Edition has a real glass backglass and gold trim. Check the cabinet sides in the photos for fade and chipped corners.
Moving it
Stern advertised it at 260 lb, and one measured 248 lb with legs, in a cabinet 27 in wide. Take the balls out, pull the legs and cover the glass before it moves. Two people can handle it with the legs off.
Parts and code
Stern offered a Balrog LED update, and later machines had it from the factory, so ask whether it's fitted. IPDB hosts the full manual and ROM files. Sound boards on Whitestar usually fail at the TDA2030A amplifier.
Should come with it
Backbox and coin door keys
Manual
Balrog LED update (later builds)
Hard to find if missing
Original Balrog toy parts
Limited Edition gold trim and glass backglass
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
Leaked AA batteries on the Whitestar CPU board are the big risk. On the playfield, the Balrog's wiring and the Shire and Gimli VUK switches are the parts that wear out.
01Batteries: Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the battery holder. It should be clean, with the batteries moved off the board.
02Display: Ask for a video of the attract mode. Every row of the dot matrix should light evenly.
03Balrog: Ask the seller to show the Balrog moving and taking hits in test. It should move cleanly and count every hit.
04Ring magnet: Ask for a video of a ball going up the jump ramp to the Ring. The magnet should catch and release it.
05Playfield: Look at the flipper and inlane areas in raking-light photos. Art should be intact, with no bare wood.
06Version: Check the backbox for a glass backglass and gold trim. That's the 2009 Limited Edition.
07Switch test: On arrival, run switch test and roll a ball through each VUK. The Shire and Gimli switches should register every time.
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.