Professional Pinball: Challenger V

The Professional Pinball Challenger V, produced by Canadian manufacturer Professional Pinball of Toronto in 1981, is a solid-state electronic (SS) conversion kit built on Bally's 1979 'Star Trek.' It was one of five Challenger conversion kits Professional Pinball produced that year, each based on a different existing Bally title.

As a conversion kit, the Challenger V included a new backglass, playfield overlay, and playfield light shields, giving the underlying Star Trek hardware a new identity and appearance rather than simply relabeling the original game. This reflects a broader early-1980s trend of independent companies repackaging existing pinball machines with new branding and artwork.

Specific design and artistic credits for the conversion are not documented, leaving enthusiasts to appreciate the machine's historical significance as a case study in early-1980s pinball repackaging rather than its aesthetic pedigree. It remains an intriguing curiosity for collectors and historians exploring the fringes of the solid-state pinball market.