dyopp21's ratings

Becuase there are so few of these out there, I doubt it will ever get enough ratings to be included in the top 100, which is really too bad. This machine deserves better. I manage to pick up a nice example of this machine and that center drop target card with the selector change using both flippers to fill it up to send your bonus multiplier sky high keeps me coming back for more. The elevated tramway is a cool Harry Williams design (this is one of only two machines he designed for Stern), but because of its location it doesn't come into play except through the luck of the bounce. Although when you're lucky enough to get the tram loaded up to start the "FREEFALL" sequence to send the balls into multiball, it's a pretty impressive show considering the era. If you see one in the wild give a few games and it'll grow on ya. Pretty rare machine to find in the wild because of low production numbers.

One of my favorite EM machines. A real Kordek classic. If you love ripping spinners as much as I do and a simple playfield layout that makes for fast game play (especially for an old EM), don't pass this one by!

Some of the best artwork from the era, and a simple to understand ruleset. This thing can be a fast player for sure! For added challenge, slap some lightning flippers on it and remove that center post. This makes those huge scores far less likely.

It's simply the best of the early 80's SS machines. First out of the gate with lane change and a mission based multi-ball. A Ritchie classic.

I love this machine. The Firecracker spinner inside the cabinet is a super cool feature for its day. For added pop, wire the firecracker spinner up to the credit knocker. POP, POP-POP, POP, POP!

I procured this machine through a friend of a friend for no cost, and to be honest I was not thrilled with the theme or even the name of this machine. "Butterfly?" I asked. Never heard of it. It wasn't working when I got it, and I considered simply trashing it. One afternoon I was out in the garage tinkering with it and discovered a few blown fuses. After replacing them, the machine groggily came to life. Many of the bulbs didn't shine and things were still pretty sticky. One by one I made adjustments to things and before I knew it I had fallen in love with this old bird.

Even though the playfield is pretty simple and game play straightforward, there are some hidden gems to be had in this machine.
1. The artwork. This is 70's trippy at it's trippiest. I can see the Spanish artist now hitting the bong, paint brush in hand, and going at it. "I shall paint butterfly women with huge almost exposed boobies. Yes! MORE! YES!" The longer I've owned this machine the more I've come to appreciate not only the look of the artwork, but the DURABILITY of it. The Spaniards know how to make backglasses and playfields that last. The only place they skimped was in the construction of the cabinet itself. While the artwork is still mostly there, they used pressed particle board which is too heavy and very susceptible to water damage.

2. EM construction- Under the hood you'll find quality William's parts from the era. The switches are solid and the score reels are fast and accurate. In fact this thing has the most solid score reels of any EM I've ever dealt with. That clickity-clack, yo! They lock in solid and sound gorgeous.

3. Game play- While at first glance it seems maybe a bit over-simple, it's got a little game in it. The 3 bank of drop targets are spread apart so double drops become far more of a challenge. Since dropping the targets is crucial to high scores you will tend to shoot at them from both flippers. From the right flipper WATCH OUT, she'll drain whore the left outlane on you as punishment. There's another nice risk/reward setup in the left "roundabout" lane. After dropping all three targets twice, this will light the double bonus and extra ball lanes in succession. Now to score both with one shot, from a right flipper cradle put it up the left lane just perfect (awarding the extra ball) and it will continue northward with considerable speed, spitting out the top of the lane and making a very satisfying half-court shot just over the pops and up to the right lane which feeds it back to the right inlane rollover (which awards the double bonus). Slam the right flipper up to live cradle the ball and you'll be ready to build your bonus by hitting the top saucer. The risk in both of these shots is the leading bumper protecting the left ramp and the pop protecting the upper saucer, as both can send the ball screaming directly back at you for a center drain.

One last thing about this table. If you manage to get one with solid flipper coils, don' be afraid to put some extra slope on this old girl. From what I read the Spaniards preferred more slope on their machines and I think this one was designed with speed in mind. It is without a doubt my fastest playing EM. Crank up those back legs and let'er rip!

Yes, all in all, this is a GREAT (and who knows exactly how rare?) machine to have in your EM collection. And on the plus side, the ladies LOVE the Butterfly theme. It gets plenty of play by the ladies.