Bally

Capt. Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy

Pinside Rating

This game received 79 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.592 _/10

7.592

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #177 in the Pinside EM Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.257

Artwork: 8.479

Sounds/Music: 2.863

Other Aspects: 7.56

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 1 of us has rated this game.

7.805

Your Rating?

You need to be logged in before you can rate pinball machines. No account yet? Registering only takes a sec!

Found 44 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 44 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 2.

List options

Ratings sort order

Type of ratings to show in list

Owner status of review

Exclude flagged ratings

Keyword or username search

7.622/10

15 days ago

VEE

Veemonroe

Pinside member

London

2y 55,550 205 7 176

Played at the Dutch Pinball Museum.

I really enjoyed playing Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy. It’s an EM with a solid layout for the period and some fun features, including a side flipper with a line of drops, and a double flipper arrangement that can ‘double-flipper bitch’ the player. The artwork is beautiful, as is the backglass, and - with a JJP Elton John PE on order - I’m a sucker for the theme.

The one I played was fast and fun. If I ever look for an EM, I’d could be open to owning one of these.

6.392/10

23 days ago

GER

Herbie21

Pinside member

Ermatingen

5y 24,050 16 4 8

beautiful game Dave Christensen design, i own it for that, game play is poor and i hate this double fillpers

9.662/10

3 months ago

WB

Mila

Pinside apprentice

<1y 11,900 8 7

Very fun game. Recently had mine shopped and been giving it some play. The one I have is the version without the "stars" that later versions had on the back glass.

7.552/10

1 year ago

DOC

TractorDoc

DPS

Ashland, OH

7y 245K 2,923 33 106

Elton is what this game is all about. Otherwise it could be any other EM from the era. Artwork on the playfield, back glass, and cabinet reflect this well.

The game is fun to play. I've found out that playfield pitch can make a big difference in the experience. Slow and lazy turns into fast and flippy with a couple degrees of difference.

The bank of drop targets will keep you shooting and there are plenty of flippers to keep track off. The double set at the bottom left will test your skills!

7.554/10

1 year ago

FIN

FinnThelonious

Pinside member

Gambrills, MD

2y 48,300 43 16 102

Theme over Substance but still great fun, cool art too

FinnThelonious has this game on the wishlist.

8.361/10

1 year ago

TAP

tap455

Pinside member

Sunapee, NH

3y 28,650 16 8 10

This machine is in my collection, and I have played it a number of times in other locations. If the pin is playing correctly it is a fun game with a decent array of features for an EM. And, as an owner, there are a lot of adjustments one can make to vary the game play, like extra ball control and what gets awarded for certain goals. That said, when the machine is a bit worn out, it plays poorly. MOST of the machines I have played in arcades or museum collections are in the 'tired' category. Keep playing them until you find a good one and one that is set to 'hard' for all the awards. Then the drop targets give better and better awards for subsequent knock downs, and the varying special/free ball lanes as well. Other skill shots vary as 10 point bumpers are hit so shooting for a lit target often yields nothing as a 10 pointer gets hit on the way to the goal.

This pin is all about the subject matter. Elton John and the whole Disco Debauchery excesses are well represented in both the artwork and text. You cannot beat this table for the theme for the 70's era.

tap455 has owned this game in the past.

6.582/10

2 years ago

WJB

beckerwj

Pinside+ Frequent

Leesburg, VA

3y 27,500 4 8 13 4

Classic old school game. Not a lot to shoot for and the double flipper is not best.

7.865/10

3 years ago

OLE

Bandit78

Pinside+ Frequent

Ocean Springs, MS

3y 55,550 189 4 9

Pinball with old school sensibilities. Not hectic, just enjoyable. Top 10 Artwork of all time.

Bandit78 currently owns this game.

7.989/10

3 years ago

STK

funkycoucou

Pinside member

Panex

9y 20,650 10 5 6

this pinball machine is for me the best EM ... cult by its design

7.969/10

3 years ago

PO

pat4race

Inactive member

Unknown

3y 19,000 1 73

Classic EM game, nice playfield, great theme and artwork

pat4race edited previous rating on April 16, 2021.

7.684/10

3 years ago

JJB

jbovenzi

Pinside+ Addict

Sparks, NV

9y 112K 1,385 34

I like the game! Owned one and getting another back in the house.

Mad Dog outdid himself on this game! Yes I very much like the artwork as that is the best part of the game. Hidden nasty gems on the backglass make that a story in itself. Playfield art is much simpler, but still done well. Gotta get a "no stars" backglass for the complete story! :)

Cabinet is iconic and easily recognizable in a lineup.

Three flippers? Eh. Scissor shots and slipping through, but has been done on other games. Subtract a point for that.

Gameplay? I happen to like it, but slow for others.

Theme is from my youth, so I give it better marks than others.

8.383/10

3 years ago

DGH

out_of_order

Pinside member

Chicago, IL

11y 62,800 435 8 6

Definitely one of best art packages on a em. Game play is ok, and its fun to play for specials on the drop targets.

7.557/10

3 years ago

TIM

Timdog78

Pinside+ Frequent

Bismarck, ND

3y 38,250 7 17 11

This pin is more about Elton John or The Who or Tommy. Love the back glass and theme, but not much to the game.

Timdog78 currently owns this game.

6.903/10

4 years ago

JSH

John-H

Pinside member

Norman, OK

4y 38,150 19 10 37

Based on the best scene in the movie Tommy...that scene was electric, with the frenzied crowd, the mad interchange of long shots and closeups of Tommy and the Pinball Wizard, and now we have this 1976 EM game and...ok.

Do I wish I liked this game more, for the sake of pinball history or something? No, not really. It might be my mom's favorite game, but I don't mean that in some critical way.

It's fun, but not necessary, to hit the drop targets with the side flipper. Double flippers are always pretty fun. This game is just awfully easy though (and I'm definitely not Tommy). It's not a bad game either, sort of fun, good enough where it would probably be remembered even with a generic theme.

I see this game for sale very frequently and I think that has to do with more than the high production number. I'll pass, but respectfully so.

*Wife approval* "What game is that?" I'm putting words in her mouth here, but she's played this game at a convention and then much later at an arcade, and didn't remember it. Outside of knowing its significance in pinball history, there you go.

7.522/10

4 years ago

D B

Pin-Pilot

Pinside+ Frequent

Cave Creek, AZ

5y 86,650 1,145 7 13

A classic popular EM. Elton John theme makes the game rather popular. over 16,000 made is high for Em pin. The BG artwork is on of the best out there. Fun to achieve the over the top buzzer!

Pin-Pilot has owned this game in the past.

8.951/10

4 years ago

LUC

Lucas66568

Pinside member

Bologna

6y 21,000 27

One of my favourite EMs I used to play at Bologna Pinball Museum, hoping it will find a new place soon!

8.282/10

4 years ago

RJC

pinflip_

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 43,400 64 14 9

Overall it is a fantastic game. The player has to work for their points. One feature of the game that people tend to forget is the double flipper. Many balls have gone between the flippers resulting in a lost ball. One of the most satisfying things is hearing the over the top buzzer go off. It is a great machine if you are a Who fan, as it depicts the scene where Tommy plays against Elton John on stage.

pinflip_ currently owns this game.

8.342/10

5 years ago

PRI

Chapmant

Inactive member

Roanoke, VA

5y 25,150 8 15

Elton's sassy years really shine in this machine.

Extra flippers can get you in a jam, but it's no easy feat to beat Captain Fantastic! You must change the way you know pinball to have a chance in this fantasy pinball tournament. You can't just shoot at one ramp over and over, scoring points as you go, before you reach multi-ball. It has another way to keep you on your toes.

If you want points? Come and get em! The machine doesn't care about how your hand is cramping. You'll have to activate those star rollovers yourself or lose.

Dang, it's satisfying once your ball rolls down a line of blue. Just knowing your pushing Captain Fantastic father from the lead; those fancy clothes don't make him a pinball master, your skill does!

Recommend, at risk of honor, for those who wish to face the Wizard.

8.169/10

5 years ago

WRA

Skippy2904

Pinside member

Cooks Beach

8y 37,800 183 7 16

Loved the album, love the machine. Back glass is full of little surprises when you study it. Double flipper on the left can catch you out.
Like the ball save gate feature. Tuned nicely, this game plays really well.
A keeper in my collection.

Skippy2904 edited previous rating on August 18, 2021.

9.641/10

5 years ago

CLD

Cdemuro

Pinside member

Houston, TX

6y 41,900 120 1 8

Trying for the over the top buzzer is extremely addictive. Getting the extra ball from the drop targets then getting the special is awesome.

Cdemuro has owned this game in the past.

8.506/10

5 years ago

JON

classicgamefan

Pinside member

11y 63,150 206 49

First, let's talk about the elephant in the room. That backglass is pure 70s cheese and as flamboyant as Sir Elton himself. That being said, there's a reason there were over 16,000 of these machines produced. That's a huge number for any game, but especially an EM. I usually prefer my Ems with a spinner, but I honestly don't miss it at all on this game.

classicgamefan edited previous rating on May 27, 2023.

6.815/10

6 years ago

WXW

Lawlor_and_Order

Pinball 518

7y 81,400 38 112

God knows I pumped enough quarters into this back in the day, and it's still true the machine has a lot of basic appeal. The asymmetrical bank of flippers wasn't quite unique but it was still very unusual, but the main design flaw in the game is there aren't shots you have to use the upper left and side right flippers for -- every shot in the game can be made from the bottom two flippers. So it's a management problem to use the left side flippers (no trapping, you can't post pass obviously) and a controlled, managed game ends up being largely shot from the lower right flipper.

So this ends up being the odd game that I'll criticize and see the flaws in, but will still play pretty much every chance I get.

6.594/10

6 years ago

SAP

seshpilot

Pinside member

11y 112K 2,530 169 3

This game gets SO much love from pinheads, but I'm not buying it. That's even with me (guilty pleasure confession coming) being a pretty hardcore vintage Elton John fan! I understand the importance it holds in pinball history and the piece of artwork it truly is, but the gameplay is just WAY behind where pinball was at the time. I'd take my Fireball EM from several years prior over this game ANY DAY.

The Good:
-The art package. Breathtaking backglass and the playfield is gorgeous. WOW.
-A few decent shots, but quite limited for how many flippers there are!
-some decent rules if you truly wanna rack up the points
-the drops on the left are crucial for big points, and they're fun to snipe at. Unforunately...

The Bad:
-there are so few shots...
-wasted pf space IMO.
-lackluster gameplay. Perhaps I need to play a better example (the one I played was quite beat-up), but man I was expecting SO much more from this highly coveted (and priced) game!
-where's the spinner?????

7.088/10

7 years ago

JAM

jroakland

Pinside member

Oakland, CA

13y 60,050 106 7 111

One of the most beautiful games of the 70's, I still remember seeing it for the first time, I was about 10, it had 3 flippers down low and a upper and I was in awwwww everytime I seen one on location, great art, great game play back then, classic 70's look and play, not much fun today, it would be a museum piece if I owned one, tried a few times to buy one just couldn't find one nice enough and I dnt have room for a game that is not that fun, I have a king pin em and have more fun with it than captin fantastic, I can't think of a better looking pin from the 70's, good old days! If I find a nice one bye,bye king pin,sweet memories of the nicest looking 70's pin ever!!! 70's eight ball and captin, e.k, 80's black knight, fire power, taxi, and the 90's fun house and addams family and afm defined the decades!

jroakland edited previous rating on May 20, 2018.

6.044/10

7 years ago

DDH

ImGoing4Broke

Pinside member

Montevideo, MN

8y 37,400 5 15 26

First pin I ever owned at the ripe old age of 22 (drug addicted ex-friend stole/sold it). Captain Fantastic will always hold a place in my heart but I cant justify buying one today and adding it to my solid state collection. Love the game for the memories.....but the game play is just so so.

Next 1 2

There are 44 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 2.

You too can add your own comment by rating this game! Click here to rate this game!

Over the years

Visualizing this game's rating and rank over the years

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!