The 10 best pinball machines of the 80s are: The best pinball machines of the 80s turned arcades into goldmines. The artwork, sound systems, and video graphics turned pinball machines into excitingly loud, innovative games. This makes them not only unique pinball machines but practically historical artifacts as well.The 1980s brought a huge shift in pinball architecture and design where electronics became prevalent in most machines. These rare machines, some of which are prototypes or ultra-rare alterations, may have only one unit in circulation. The rarest pinball machines represent gaming history in a traditional form that, while video games have replaced them as the go-to arcade creations, are still popular among players and collectors today. So the owner not only has a piece of rare pinball history but also cinema history. Willy, a character in the film known as the “Pinball Machine Maniac,” plays on this modified machine. This Showboat pinball machine was modified for the film, The Time of Your Life (1948), and turned into the unique machine, 1776. This machine was discovered in an antique store in Burbank, California and purchased in 2004. When players reached a high score, the backglass rolled away to reveal a lit 2 nd layer with American flags and a patriotic tune. This American History-themed machine has 15 passive bumpers and a mechanized winning sequence. This machine is relatively common, with over 1,200 units known to exist.īy contrast, 1776 was never actually produced. The single unit that exists is a modified version of the pinball machine, Showboat, which was made by the Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company in 1941. Manufacturer: Chicago Coin Manufacturing Company It is now a one-of-a-kind collector’s item. The only known example of Star Ship was sold from a gas station in Illinois in 2008, which was run by a retired Bally executive. With a new designer and the Star Trek license, Bally moved on from this prototype to their next machine. It was reworked into Supersonic because Bally realized how much more profitable licensed machines could be. Did you know?ĭesigner Greg Kmiec confirms that only 1 engineering sample of the Star Ship cabinet was ever built. The backglass design also shows the Enterprise, ripped from classic Star Trek. The playfield was reused in the Bally machine, Supersonic (1979). As one of the older machines on this list, this one is a little more low-tech. Star Ship is a sci-fi-themed machine with 2 flippers, 3 pop bumpers, 2 slingshots, and 5 bank drop targets. Manufacturer: Bally Manufacturing Corporationīally has been making pinball machines since 1931, including this crazy-rare machine, which only had 1 unit produced in total. A button on the side of the cabinet allows players to switch the sides of the ball entry depending on the players. The game is 2-player with a timed multi-ball that allows up to six balls to be put in play at once. Thunderball has 2 flippers, 2 pop bumpers, 10 standup targets, and more. As a result of the machine’s experimentation, Thunderball is something of a legend among pinball machine collectors. Hawes, Williams made these machines as engineering samples, including four on-location test games. Only 10 units are confirmed to exist, but the weird thing is that Thunderball never actually went into production.Īccording to Williams’ technical support technician at the time, James T. Thunderball, which is not named in reference to the James Bond film, is a fantasy-themed machine. Williams Electronics, the arcade game manufacturers behind Joust and Defender, made this pinball machine in 1982. Tony Kraemer’s design and Seamus McLaughlin’s art really shines through in this magic fantasy-inspired machine. Behind the mirror that shows the player the illusion of the playfield, flash lamps behind screens of plastic activate to simulate lightning bolts. Varkon’s playfield is plexiglass overlaid on wood. Both fields are positioned away from the player’s gaze, visible through a mirror as a cool illusion, making the ball look like it’s mounted on a playfield that sits vertically like an arcade game. Notably, the balls don’t pass between playfields. The game has two levels and up to 5-ball play. The flippers are huge, 3-inch pieces on two playfields, including one kick-back lane and one pop bumper. The pinball flippers are controlled by joysticks. In that tradition, the Varkon pinball machine has an interface that mimics arcade cabinets. Williams was known for its arcade video games, including Robotron, Sinistar, and Defender.
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