Recel S. A.

Recel S.A. is a Spanish pinball manufacturer established in the early 1970s as the export arm of Petaco S.A., founded by Juan Paredes Hernández, created to distribute Spanish-made electromechanical and solid-state pinball machines to international markets. The company gained global notice for inventive playfield designs, sturdy cabinet construction and a smooth transition from electromechanical to microprocessor-based solid-state systems, notably its proprietary Recel System III platform. Among Recel’s most notable releases were Poker Plus (1977), credited with pioneering a fold-down backbox to ease transport, and Fair Fight (1978), which featured a distinctive rotating target — both emblematic of the brand’s technical innovation and use of System III electronics. Recel’s diverse catalog spanned electromechanical and solid-state titles and included Criterium 75, Criterium 80, Criterium 2000, Poker Plus, Fair Fight, Mr. Doom, Black Magic, Space Race, Top Speed/Top Racer, The Flipper Game and many other classic pinball machines sought by collectors and restorers. Petaco’s financial troubles around the early 1980s led to bankruptcy and the formation of a successor, Juegos Populares, in 1984; following founder Juan Paredes’s death in 1987 the company’s lineage ended and Recel ceased operations, though its machines remain prized in the vintage pinball community.