Around November of 1980 my Dad took the family to a business that sold arcade games. I was ten at the time and was in heaven, there was two full rows of about 25 pinballs all lined up in earh row on free play. I just about played them all. There was also a small room that had a few video games and was the first time I ever saw the new Missle Command. My Dad told me and my sister to play a Williams Hot Tip and a Williams Lucky Seven. Both were the Solid State Models. I liked the fanfare chime sound on the Hot Tip but did not like playing the game because it had this weird vibration to it that the Lucky Seven did not have. I did like the Slot Machine Reel on the Lucky Seven. Both me and my sister chose the Lucky Seven. I actual chose the Brand New Firepower they had but my Dad said this is not one you can chose. For months I wanted the Atari 2600 Indy 500 Cartridge but my parents said they did not want to buy it becuase it was $36.00 for that game. It was the most expensive game at the time since it came with two steering controllers. The average price of a game at the time was $12.00. They said well maybe you can put it on your Christmas List. On Christmas of 1980 I did get my Indy 500. I wanted to play the game but the Atari Console was in another room which my parents did not want anybody to go in. So I had to wait awhile and when all of the gifts were open they allowed me to play Indy 500. I went into the Family Room turned to my right to grap the Atari. Next turned to my left to set the Atari down on the couch and there in the left rear corner of the room was that Lucky Seven Pinball Machine. Needless to say I cared less about playing Atari. I ran over to the pinball and played that game all day. I had no idea that this game was going to be in my life. It is such a fun game and it's a game you can not just bang away on. You have to learn the combinations on the Slot Machine Reels and use very good flipper skills to control your shots. I was already playing pinball before this game but once I owned this game I got to be very good player. When I was Eleven in 1981 I started to ride my bike to the local Bowling Alley, Malibu Grand Prix, and Family Fun Center that was right by my house. I was now able to take my Lucky Seven skills to the test. Like everyone at the time I was a Bally fan because of the cool License themes they had to draw players in. That changed once I got my Lucky Seven. I started to like the feel and artwork on the Williams games more. I leanred that Williams was making a better game and not using any License on any of their games to draw players. I really liked that becuase Williams was putting me into another world with their own themes and artwork. I was playing the Williams games like Firepower, Phoenix, Flash, Alien Poker, Gorgar, Black Knight, Pharoah and Jungle Lord. I got very good at Firepower, Phoenix, and Flash and sometimes had people watch me play. I remember having this very good game playing Phoenix and this adult yelling out to everyone "look at this little kid play he's very good he's got all of the inserts lit". It was sad that a year later in 1982 pinball was now going away and video games were in. I had started to play more video games since there was only a couple of pinball machines in the arcade prior to the many they had before. Some good came out of this but that will be another story I will post later. I had so much fun with the Lucky Seven over the years and still have it and enjoy it today. I am so glad that I chose this game over Hot Tip. I owned a Hot Tip , 20 years later and it's a game that just dosent have a deep rule set or skill set over the Lucky Seven. I also learned that the vibration I talk about was casued by an actual EM scoring reel that was mounted in the bottom cabinet that was triggered each time you score a point. My Lucky Seven did not have this. Williams was afarid that players would not like the sounds and feels of a Solid State so they added this EM score reel in the Hot Tip to give to a sort of EM sound and feel. Both Hot Tip and Lucky Seven came in EM versions as well. Lucky Seven was the last Williams EM. It was also the last Solid State to have Chimes. My Lucky Seven has a factory volume control that will adjust coil power to the chimes. My Lucky Seven is the Seevend Export Model. It has red Pop Bumper Caps vs yellow. The Slot Reel is different. Mine has Cherry, Bell, Orange and 7 vs the U.S. Model Horseshoe, Four Leaf Clover, Diamond, and 7. The rare times I get to play another Lucky Seven it's hard for me to play becuase its always the U.S. Model and I am not used to the different Slot Machine Reels. Everything is still original on my game and the overall condition of the game is still great. This one I will never let go. The photo included shows my first game played on Christimas and you can see this actual game today in action at my you tube link.
Story photos
SirrPinalot
Pinside member
3y 37,300 48 6 7
Great story man glad I read it brought back memories