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​Thank you for your interest in Pinball Backglass LLC.

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We're a small, family-run business based in Eugene, Oregon, and we're here for a pretty simple reason:

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We love pinball, and having fun. 

More specifically, we love the machines, artwork and history that made classic pinball what it is today.

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We got into this business because we wanted to restore the beauty of the face of the classic pinball machine—one backglass at a time—and preserve a little piece of an era that represented Rock 'n' Roll, freedom, exploration, self-expression, and, of course, cruising the gut looking for the next pinball machine to play.

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We're not a giant corporation. We're a small family business with a slightly unhealthy obsession with backglasses, and a true talent for having fun. 

And somehow, that's how all of this started.

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Meet the Crew

 

Karen Thornberg, "OZ"

President | Artist 

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Oz is the artist and the talent behind the actual backglass recreations. Oz has been creating backglasses for nearly a decade.

Over the years, she and her partner traveled around the country meeting pinball collectors and enthusiasts and photographing their machines. Those collectors were generous enough to open their homes, share their machines and help build the foundation of what has become a collection of more than 1,200 reference photographs.

Every one of those photographs started with someone in the pinball community saying, essentially:

“Sure, come take a look at my machine.”

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That generosity has been a huge part of this journey.

Over the past ten years, Oz has worked with people throughout the pinball community, experimented with different techniques and spent countless hours solving one of the biggest problems in reproduction:

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How do you recreate something made decades ago using today's technology—and still make it look right?

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​A first-time backglass recreation can take 20–40 hours of artwork and preparation alone. Oz doesn't simply take an old image and hit “print.” She rebuilds the artwork, recreates the layers, develops the colors and carefully constructs the elements that allow the finished product to interact with light the way the originals did.

The result?

You have to see it with the lights on.

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Our goal is for the finished backglass to look as close to “stock” as possible—not just when the machine is sitting there turned off, but when the lights come on and the artwork comes alive.

Measurements matter.

Color matters.

Layering matters.

Art detail matters.

Light matters.

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Nikki Cronin, "Chickbot"

President | Business Operations | Pinball Tournament non-qualifier

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Nikki really does not have any of the artistic talent or skills required to make a backglass. She was also just a little kid in the 70's and just recently joined forces with Oz in this industry. 

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What unique skills does she bring to the industry? Her ability to go ahead jump into the fire pit of backglass companies controversy and unknowingly set off a bomb within the community was not the plan, however, it did force an education really quick.

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Nikki is the focused on an innovative solution to the gap between what the pinball community needs and what is available right now, and where we could take this in the future.

 

With more knowledge of the industry and its drivers, she has learned that while Pinball Backglass puts out a quality product, there is room to grow and expand to meet the consumer demand. 

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Whether they are working on a new backglass or wrapping customer packages with a special touch, they love working in the Pinball industry because people that play pinball are the coolest people in the world.

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Our Mission

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We have a great understanding of what these pins mean to their owners and the tremendous amount of time and money that goes into restoring a classic machine. The face is the backglass.

 

To able to keep the original backglass in the machine is of course the first choice and taking it out can feel like removing the engine out of classic Ford Mustang and putting in a different motor.

 

We want to provide a backglass that looks and functions like the original, same manufacturer brand, same vibrant pop of colors and detailed art that interacts with the light. 

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