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comic pinball

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im curious to find out if anyone remembers any pinball machines from the 80s and 90s relating to comic book characters. i remember playing a spiderman version years ago at a local bowling alley when i was a kid. i remember hearing about x-men and batman machines but never saw them. if anyone has one or knows of a few pics of one, please post them. thx cool.gif

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I'm a huge pinball fan, and can think of a few for sure...

 

The first one I can recall was an oversized (literally about the size of a double bed) pinball machine made by Atari in about 1980, with a Superman theme. It was something of a novelty, and may have been billed as the largest pinball machine ever made for production/commercial purposes. The ball was the size of a billiard ball, but of course lighter/different material.

 

Depending on how you define "comic book characters," you might also include a Bally machine from around 1977 - a pretty early electronic machine - that had a Harlem Globetrotters theme. It was actually based on the Sat. morning cartoon featuring the 'Trotters, but they also had a comic book or two.

 

More recently, there have been plenty, including the ones mentioned above, as well as The Simpsons, The Flintstones, etc.

 

Sadly, the age of pinball machines is ending. I believe the only pinball manufacturer still producing new machines is Stern, which used to be a poor cousin to Bally, Williams, Gottlieb and Chicago Coin. And I think Stern is about to give up the ghost as well...

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I have a list of all pinball machines ever produced. Currently it is in Hong Kong and I don't get there till Sunday. I will post then.

 

Off the top of my head....there was definitely a:

 

Spiderman (most valuable of all superhero machines)

Superman

Batman

Batman returns etc etc

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I'm a huge pinball fan, and can think of a few for sure...

 

The first one I can recall was an oversized (literally about the size of a double bed) pinball machine made by Atari in about 1980, with a Superman theme. It was something of a novelty, and may have been billed as the largest pinball machine ever made for production/commercial purposes. The ball was the size of a billiard ball, but of course lighter/different material.

 

Wasn't that "Hercules"? with a cue ball for the ball?

 

I think there's was a Hulk, Conan too?...

 

and Kiss (if that counts)

 

and Jack of Hearts, but if course not based on the comic.

 

 

 

 

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Track down a pinball machine vendor/renter. Old machines are warehoused in the suburbs. There is one in the Vancouver area with over 80 oldtime machines that they would be glad to sell since they are collecting dust. Usually anything collectible like KISS, gossip.gifCharlie's Angels or ASM is long gone.

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A few years ago I played one of those electronic type games in a PIZZA HUT. It was X-MEN battling a bunch of thier villians.

 

A think a long time ago I played a PLASTIC MAN pinball machine that was in a bar. That was the first time I seen a pin ball machine with those wire rail bridges for the ball to go across. But then I may be all wrong. I was a bar afterall. 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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