Pinball Machine Maker: Gumball Rally

The sweetest pinball machine ever! Build a pinball machine that uses edible gumballs as the pinballs. First, follow the step-by-step instructions to assemble the machine. Then lay out the targets and obstacles on the playfield. Finally, test and refine your design while you practice your pinball skills! Hit the targets with the gumballs to score points. The gumballs whiz around the machine, bouncing off bumpers, spinning spinners, ringing the bell, and sliding down tracks. Can you shoot the gumball up the ramp and into the goal to ultimately claim your sweet reward?

The pinball machine has a spring-powered launcher that shoots gumballs into the sloped playfield, where they roll down toward the trough, interacting with obstacles along the way. The flippers above the trough are operated by buttons on either side of the machine, flicking the gumballs back up into the playfield. Various targets around the machine represent different point values when triggered. A central ramp can be rotated to shoot gumballs into three elevated playing areas, and ultimately down the winning ramp, where the gumball can be claimed as a sweet prize. When gumballs do fall out of play and into the trough, a cool mechanism called an Archimedes screw stores them and moves them back toward the launcher again for a new game.

By building and playing with this pinball machine, you can explore lessons in physics and mechanical engineering as you build and play with the pinball machine. Learn about force, motion, collisions, simple machines and more. Includes approximately 45 delicious gumballs (99 grams).
Ages: 6-12+