This Lego pinball machine actually works, and it's a love letter to all things '70s arcades

Display models or playsets that just sit there looking cool are so last year, because a Lego pinball machine that actually works is on the way.

Due to launch on July 4, the space-themed Arcade Pinball Machine is a fully-functioning toy as well as something cool to put on your shelf. Rather than simply looking the part, it has a "spring-powered launcher, dual flippers, spinning bumpers and an up-and-over ramp bridge" that allows you to really play. Plus, there's a moving 'progress bar' which is an astronaut minifig slowly being reunited with an astronaut baby (?!). Is that a bit weird? Yes. But at the same time, I don't see any of the other best Lego sets including a working game.

While it certainly looks the part (and our resident retro expert Phil Hayton pointed out that the space theme could be a nod to the Microsoft 3D Pinball Space Cadet game), the simple fact that this is a playable pinball machine is the selling point here. Unlike so many other nostalgic kits like the NES or Lego Pac-Man Arcade, it isn't just a facsimile; rather than merely aping the gameplay it's inspired by, this one is a game in its own right.

Fans seem to agree. On a Reddit thread discussing the set simply titled "i am in love," responses have been near-universally positive… and there are more than a few folks hoping to recreate that old Space Pinball game. Indeed, the most upvoted comment comes from LightMyFirebird with "I’d be so tempted to make it look like 3D Pinball: Space Cadet layout."

Regardless, this working Lego pinball machine certainly fits the trend of the Big 26 so far. What with Smart Play promising to change everything and the new Smart Play Pokemon range delighting our inner 10 year-olds, it feels like "interactive" is Lego's word of 2026.

For more cool retro collectibles, why not see the best retro consoles or the best retro handhelds?