![]() ![]() This includes pinball games, pitch and bats (baseballs),īowlers, gun games, etc. This document is a repair guide for Electro-Mechanical (EM) coin operated (Especially TOP1 which covers EM pinball game repair.)Īll text and pictures copyright by (Clay Harrell),Ĭopyright 1998-2022, all rights reserved. Only 125 Gottlieb TKO machines were made.PINBALL Repair EM Electro Mechanical Arcade Games (pinball, pitch and bat, bowlers), part three Support this Pinball Repair Website! (It costs money to provide this information.)ĭonations are being accepted, please see /donate for details,Īnd/or please purchase the /top repair instructional videos. The end of the Wedgehead era came in 1979 when the advance of solid-state pinball machines and competition from video games spelled the end of these score reel-based single-player pinball machines. This was an “Add-a-ball” machine made for markets such as Texas and Wisconsin that didn’t allow the player to win free games. 1960 – notice the “balls in play” at the bottom. The first wedgehead – Flipper – release in Oct. Other “advances” of this era that saved the company money and kept the price of the machines down included metal coin doors and three-color cabinets instead of four colors. Cigarette burns in wood rails were difficult to repair. This period also signified the end of the “woodrail” as stainless steel cabinet edges provided a cheaper alternative and this “space age” looking material was impervious to the cigarette butts players were apt to try to extinguish on the machines. Flyer for a popular wedgehead – Jacks Open. As a result, the line of Gottlieb Wedgeheads stretched into the 70s. Gottlieb relied on its venerable staff and their knowledge of the industry rather than an outside design firm that might not quite understand the needs of player and operators. As the market leader, Gottlieb was in the position to introduce more subtle changes to pinball design than Willams who took a bold step to try to disrupt the industry with its space-age design. The simpler, tweak of the square cabinet to the Wedgehead design was much more long-lasting and successful than Williams radical cabinet redesign. Gottlieb’s first Wedgehead – 1960s “Flipper” Notice the backboard is now wider than the body of this pinball machine. Williams Bo Bo “Styling of the 60’s Cabinet Design Exclusive with Williams” Williams Hollywood from 1961. The first Williams game to feature the new futuristic cabinet design. This new cabinet design only lasted for two years and a few games. On location that shelf would not doubt collect various rubbish like empty soda cups and popcorn cartons. Notice that not much changed in the backbox. The design emphasized coffee table style utility in its drink and cigarette holder shelf and furniture style space-age legs that proved not to hold up to the rigors of enthusiastic nudging. William’s bold new look was more like furniture than a commercial amusement device. Williams used this cabinet design on several games during 1960-1961. The plywood bottom was increased from 1/4-inch to 3/4 inch in thickness. A shelf with a cigarette holder allowed for the placement of drinks and increased the length by six inches. Williams Futuristic Pinball Machine for Austin Powers Go-Go ’60s Darts is a pinball machine from June 1960, manufactured by Williams Electronic Games, Inc This game featured “Styling of the 60’s” by introducing a new cabinet design having anodized aluminum trim and tapered tubular chromium steel legs. They felt the need to come up with something new – this was the start of a new decade after all – the 1960s. Rumors at the time were that competitor Williams was hiring the famous design firm of Raymond Loewy (Coke Bottle, Streamlined locomotives, Studebaker logo) to redesign their cabinets and this got Gottlieb spooked. Woodrail pinball machines that came before Wedgeheads.Ĭhief draftsman Doc Garback is credited with the design. It also gave the game a unique look while maintaining the same glass dimensions. On the front it had a frame cut from a thin piece of plywood rather than a four-piece picture frame. A row of vintage Gottlieb wedgeheads.Īccording to Gottlieb designer Wayne Nevens, Gottlieb designer of over 180 games, the wedgehead cabinet was cheaper to make. The new flare design made operators space the machines apart more which was more comfortable for players in a row of machines. Before the wedgehead design, backboxes were square and the same width as the machine body. The size of the backglass was the same as previous single-player pinball machines but the top flared out. “Wedgeheads” are a line of single-player pinball machines from the manufacturer Gottlieb with a distinctive wedge design for the backglass. ![]()
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