Vic_Camp's ratings

I have heard a rumor that this game was supposed to have back glass animation of the soldiers legs swing back and forth as if they were marching. Again another great playing wedge head that doesn't get enough credit for playability, but in my opinion is a fun and challenging game to play.
This for sure is great playing Gottlieb wedge head with loud sounding bells which seem to never stop vibrating that sweet ringing. The moving colored "swing targets" in the center of the playfield are easy to hit with the flippers or sling shots kickers and sometimes two get knocked out at one time with the ball if shot perfectly between any of the two colored targets in either the right or left swing position. Knocking out out any colored swing target when in left side position lights corresponding top matching colored stand up targets for a hundred points. Knocking out any colored right side targets lights corresponding colored matching pop bumpers for 10 points when lit. Knocking out all right and left position swing targets lights large fan targets for special which i find are easy to hit with flippers or side sling shots kicks. Completing the top arch rollovers A B C D E will light the C or center rollover for special and will also light the bottom rollovers on the playfield for 500 points with each letter made. For example the making the C rollover light will light the 500 point rollover between the flippers, if you make the A rollover it will light the very far left side out for 500 points or if you make the top rollover letter E it will light the far right side out rollover for 500 points.

If shopped correctly with all new moving mechanical parts flippers, pop bumpers, kicks and more this game really is a great player with lots of action. It is easier to beat by special then it is to beat by score. This is a extremely hard game to turn the score reels over on this game for sure. Many skilled flipper shots throughout entire playfield for a 1960's Gottlieb EM Wedge head and a real challenge to beat by score. This game will make you want to play it until you beat it good and it won't happen that often !

This game is a non stop scoring madness with plenty of fast moving ball action because of its 27 stand up targets and playfield design layout. It is very fun to play without a doubt, especially chasing the yellow moving arrows for 300 points on the sides and front bullseye targets located right smack in front of the player on the playfield. For sure is one of the most player friendly games Gottlieb made in the late 1960's with it's larger longer stretched out ball return flipper lanes always giving a player a easy chance at winning multiple free replays by score or special, but never letting a player get bored. You got to love the location of the specials on this game too. Two of the four specials are in the larger longer ball return flipper lanes which brings the ball directly back to the flippers again for a super action or skilled ball shot back up into the playfield. The best feature on this game is having side kickers on the top section of the playfield and also the lower section. The top playfield sling shot kickers provide a wild type of ball action knocking out many of the numbered pool ball targets and allowing a players ball back up into the top arch by(kicker action) where the number 6,7 and 8 ball can be made. The game 2001 by Gottlieb also has the sling shot kickers on the top and bottom of the playfield, but there are not many more games with this type of playfield lay out design.
The artwork is colorful and very nice to look at with a kind of 3D image of the pool table, ping pong table and swimming pool at this resort type/swim club atmosphere theme on the back glass. Of course the 15 pool balls in the rack is the main attraction when lit up and adds a nice touch to the back glass. I remember always playing Target Pool on the boardwalk at the New Jersey shore as a first pick out of a choice of many pinball machines there because I could almost always win some free games allowing me to stretch my pinball pocket money which wasn't much back then in the late 1960's. I have a excellent original condition Target Pool(my 4th one i owned)in my collection today and still it is one of my favorite games to play ! I am a avid pool player since 1965(still play today)and always favor the pool themed pinball games because of this reason, but you don't have to be a pool player to love this great!

I remember this game being on location at the candy store I played pinball at for the longest period of time out of many pinball machines they had there through the years. Operators and vendors have said to have made the most money ever from a pinball machine on location with this game. The reason being is because it is a very difficult game to beat by score or special and is challenging the player the entire game. It is also deceiving when a player looks at the playfield lay out has seen this game for the first time and might make a player feel like it would be a easy game to beat. A player would think it looks quite simple and easy to knock down the 13 drop targets which lights the two side rollover specials on the top section of the playfield and it's not. The lower side rollover out lanes have this unique unknown reasons of wanting to drain the ball down like no other game i ever played. The ball just seems to get sucked towards and pulled down the side out lanes very easily once it gets close to the side out lane, almost as if there were a magnetic field of some sort causing this to occur and there is not. I like the challenge this game brings to the player and is just a totally different playing wedge head then most wedge head games from that era. This is one of the most fascinating games to play especially when flippers, sling shot side kicks and pop bumpers are totally rebuilt like factory new. I have a very nice original in my collection today and is another favorite game of mine to play.

This is a game i never played on route in 1974 when it was produced. I got my driver license in 1973 and pinball took a back seat after that year. At a recent York PA show a long time collector of Gottlieb wedge heads from NY had a Top Card set up for free play and that's where i got hooked on wanting to add this title to my already 26 wedge head game collection.
This Top Card was in excellent working order with plenty of snap to it. After playing about 10 games i knew this Gottlieb wedge head was a exciting and sensational player in the wedge head series.

The three pop bumper arrangement is spaced perfectly for this wide open playfield design and allows a player to score on points, knocking out numbered stand up targets and cashing in on the star and stand up target Special for replays once the game sequence has been completed.

The lower playfield with the different side return out lanes which score special when lit and double sling shot kickers stacked above one another makes this EM silver ball speed quicker then most other wedge heads i have played or have in my collection.

The artwork is really cool with plenty of detail and attractive coloring and the cabinet artwork is a throwback to the 1960's wedge heads and looks like the King Of Diamonds cabinet in the colors red/white and blue.

I just picked up a very low played Top Card this weekend(9-28-13)from a local guy here in NJ that had the game since 1977.The playfield top arch is a dead give away without hardly having any wear at all proves this is a low played game for sure. I already have this game cleaned and shopped and will continue to fine tune and make it play like factory new soon like the rest of my wedge heads in my collection and will be posting pictures here on IPBD.

Can't wait to play a few games on my newly aquired wedghead after all this positive talk about this awesome player.

Played this in the candy store just 50ft from my house growing up in Newark NJ back in late 1960's. This game stayed on location for a while there because it was hard to win free replays on and a real money maker. Nice theme and great back glass artwork including the animated monkey ringing the bell. The tilt bob must be set up lower for home use so that the player can be allowed to shake the ball free from going out. I like having the side sling shot kickers a little higher up towards the middle of the playfield which makes for some wild ball bounces and also can be kicked back up to the top of the playfield to knock out numbered stand up targets 1 thru 10. Here's a nice feature maybe you players out there don't know about...After a player gets either 1 thru 5 or 6 thru 10 targets out to light SPECIAL a player is awarded a free replay every time after they again knock out the numbered stand up targets 1 thru 5 or 6 thru 10. One of the harder games to beat on high score consistency, especially if the game tilts to easy because the tilt bob adjustment is set to high. Again you won't be getting both SPECIALS lit that often but when you do it's quite easy to hit the Stand up target for a multiple replays. Players must know the correct shot for making top rollovers 2 and 4 or 5 and 7 to help advance to light SPECIALS. Lots of good skilled flipper shots throughout playfield and a friendly set up between flippers with those diamond shine look metal posts blocking the ball from going out. The cabinet paint design is done in the American red, white and blue which was one of David Gottlieb's favorite color combinations as seen on many of the 1960's wedge heads. This games makes you want to play it over again because it's challenging, hard to beat and super fun, especially when you can beat it good. Another must have wedge head in your collection. I've got one! Do you?

Once again I played this game on location in the early 1970’s and can still feel the excitement this game brought to us addicted pinball players back then. Play field design lay out is superb with a good balance of bull eye stand up targets and rollovers. The main attraction on great card game by Gottlieb is the spin feature in which a player has a chance to make 10 of the 13 suited club cards. Three different ways to score SPECIAL makes this wedge head a EM players dream game. Skilled flipper shots are everywhere and the side kickers if working to perfection will kick the ball into or “up and down” the right side Ace of club rollover for 500 or when going “up and down” a 1000 points or when SPECIAL is lit two replays (pop, pop). Right side return flipper lane is so nice when lit for SPECIAL and what a cool treat it is for a player to shoot or side kick the ball in the spin hole with hopes it will stop on the Ace of clubs for a replay by SPECIAL. This is a player friendly game with just the perfect pop bumper arrangement too. I like everything about the game including the purple colored back glass artwork which brings me back in time when I was 14 yrs old when glancing at it reminds me when everyday life wasn’t so complicated. Simply a challenging, fun, great player with plenty of nostalgia and charm.

Here's another game i never played on route, but wish i did since it is quite an enjoyable and friendly player and would have been an easier game to win replays on when on route back in the late 1970's.
Since owning and playing this game for about 5 months now to my surprise i found out what a pleasant player this Gottlieb wedge head really is. These days(closing in on my 60th birthday) i love the EM single player games more than ever because of the 3 to 5 minute game completion time period. I do not want to play a 5 ball pinball machine for longer that that time, especially since i have 40+ other pins in my collection that i want to play and need to be played.

A player must master the top arch (out the ball plunger) skill shot of rollover numbers 2 and 3 to working his way to completing the number sequence 1 thru 10 and obtaining the "Special When Lit" feature to win replays or free plays. Once the player gets the 10 number sequence completed the fun starts and the player can win on any numbered rollover when yellow(golden)arrow is lit or numbered stand up targets is lit. During play a player can then move the lit yellow arrow from one number to another by getting the ball to move over the star rollover in the center of the playfield or by sending the ball through the upper left or upper right top spin targets. If a player that can move the ball through the spinners with just the correct amount of speed or force at the right time they might be able to control the movement of numbers moving through the playfield allowing them to score replays and points at will.

This game does have some nice skill shots on the stand up targets number 1, 4, 7 and 8 that a player must make when needed to score on the "yellow arrow" when lit. There are also two green bullseye stand up targets that will score 10,000 points when lit and will sound the big gong bell when hit. These two green targets are easy to score on because they need to be timed just right. The game has both chimes and a large gong bell for an attractive sound quality that is not present in many other wedge heads.

The flipper return lanes come in handy for the player and can be scored by a soft semi kind of back flip or bounce off the flipper, which can cause the ball to go up and down the rollover number 6 or 9 for double scoring points or replays (this type of scoring happens on my Top Card flipper return lanes and other Gottlieb wedge heads too.

I like the way the pop bumper arrangement is and a player will gets a thrill making rollovers and targets at the top of the playfield through the pop bumper action. The pop bumpers also come into play when a player needs to move a number only a few notches forward in the sequence to score yellow arrow when lit specials or yellow arrow when lit points.

I like this game set with the back legs up higher than normal to speed the game up some and challenge the player more and making the game a little harder to beat for replays. After all this talk about the Golden Arrow it's time for me to go play a game or two!

The artwork on the the back glass and playfield stand out and are attractive and very colorful. The larger size cabinet with it's painted design kind of blends in with the theme and colors too are bright and stand out in a line up with other EM machines. This game like all other games needs to be restored and shopped out to perfection to appreciate the true play of the game. I am lucky to own a Golden Arrow with just 17,000 plays on it and was restored by a passionate collectors which makes this game an exceptional condition playing machine to evaluate.

This game was the first game i ever owned. My father and i purchased our Sweet Hearts from a vendor in Newark NJ called R&Y Amusements back in 1969 when i was 14 yrs old for the price of 125.00.

Another great playing early 1960's Gottlieb card theme game for sure. Making top rollovers 10 thru ACE lights one special in (gobble hole). Making side rollovers 6 thru 9 lights another (gobble hole) special and making side rollovers 2 thru 5 will light the third and last (gobble hole) special which awards a triple replay for dropping the ball in the center gobble hole. Making all cards will light the purple (all rollovers score replay) special. This purple special when lit(between flippers) allows the player to score a replay for making any of the card rollovers. Plenty of popping/knocking with all those rollover specials if you are a good enough player to get all the cards outs in one 5 ball game. Lets not forget that sweet V-shaped 5 pop bumper arrangement for tons of silver ball action and constant points scoring. The player must know the skill shot of getting the ball back up top into the pop bumper area by squeezing it through the left and right side narrow opening near the gobble hole with out getting gobbled up by the hole. This game is as good as it gets when completing the complete card sequence, but is not a easy task to do.

My highest score game was 2856 points and 15 replays maxing credit wheel out. There is a pinball players trade secret to this game for making highest possible scores and highest replay totals. Here is the secret for those of you who don't know....when the ball goes through the left 6 card side out the player can hit the ball off the folded corner of the card tray just in front of the out hole bring the ball back up into the playfield. In doing so the player can continue the same ball in play allowing a player to increase their high score and replays wins. This kicking of the ball off the corner of the card tray takes timing and just the right bump to the machine without tilting the game. I have done this 2 or 3 times in a row in a single game. This game is a must for any wedge head collector because of its beautiful artwork and great game playability.

My uncle had this game in his home back in the early 1970's. I played it there and at my local candy store too. This game is simple to understand the rules and very player friendly. Having the two kick out holes toss the ball back into the pop bumper area is a nice treat and i like the fact that the ball does stay up in the pop bumper area longer than most wedge head games almost always hitting red /white stand up targets J,K 4 OR 5. The spin action on the back glass is so cool and is even better when you need just one card to light the SPECIAL and get the needed card through the spin kick out hole feature. Once the SPECIAL is lit either on the fan target or out hole the fun begins. Nice coloring throughout entire game including plastics and the back glass artwork is for sure late 1960's "Hippy Days" look. Only ten cards to light Special but isn't easy to do especially getting the red or white Ace which always seem to be the last card a player needs to light SPECIAL. Hard game to get a high score on with just the center rollover awarding a player 500 points and just 200 points for the spin kick out holes and stand up targets/rollovers valued at 100 points each. The game looks better between two wedge heads than on a corner position of a line of games. Sometimes i wish they just made the backbox shape like all the rest of the wedge heads. Challenging game to work on mechanically because of all the spin relays and spin units etc. I have this awesome game in my collection and I'm constantly wanting to play it because of the pop bumper arrangement, it's so sweet to hear that silver ball smacking smacking around those pop bumpers which seem to last longer than most EM games. Its brother game Hearts and Spades(add a ball)is also a fantastic player. Games like this one made Gottlieb the leaders in the pinball industry and still today could be the best EM's around. This is a wedge head for sure...even though it doesn't look like one.

Williams Lady Luck pinball machine plays just like the card game Black Jack is played remember this. The double digit score reels are the players Black Jack points in his hand just like if he was playing a Black Jack card game in a casino. The dealers hand card points comes up on backglass after each ball is played in the lower right corner,usally the dealer has 17,18 19 20,or the dealer can "bust" giving the player a free ball even if the player has also busted beyond the 21 point limit. If a player goes above 21 points in his double digit score reels during the ball being played the right side lane gate opens. If the ball goes through the right side open gate during that time it allows the player to shoot the ball over again. When the player does shoot the ball back up into the top arch there is a switch that resets the the double digit score reels back to zero giving a player a chance once again to get 21 or beat the dealers hand at the end of the ball played. If the player makes 21 on his double score reels during any of his 5 balls he must at that present time let the ball drain down without hitting or letting the 21 card value change. Once this is done the player is awarded a free game, plus a extra ball to be played over for letting the ball drain. If the player has a better Black Jack hand at the end of each ball the player is awarded a extra ball. Lets say the 1st player double digit score reel card points are 20 when the ball drains, at that moment the dealers card point value will appear in the lower right section of the backglass, if the dealers card points are 19 the player wins the hand with 20 and is awarded a extra ball.If you want to beat this game by high score which isn't easy to do,you must get the ball in both side kick out holes which in turn will light the center 100 point pop bumper. The 100 point pop bumper resets after every ball,so you must continously hit the 100 point pop bumper to increase your score value when you have the 100 point pop bumper lit. Again the game plays just like the card game....Black Jack does. This is one of my Favorite Williams 1960's EM games. There are many other great 1960's Williams games but just the idea of playing Black Jack on a pinball machine is really cool,plus it's a fun game to play with lots of action and you need to pay attention to whats happening to beat it.There are many ways to get to making 21. Top of the line player for talented players only because it won't be easy to beat this game consistantly. Keeps you wanting to play the game over again and again. Love that captive pop bumper !

Here is another great Gottlieb single player EM wedgehead i remember playing at my local candy store which was just 50 ft from my home on Summer Ave in Newark NJ back in the late 1960's. I can close my eyes and flash back and see myself trying to beat this beautiful looking and wonderful player for replays like it was yesterday. This was a game that there was always a waiting line to play.
The game is challenging and fun when competing to light Specials or beat it by score for replays and if ever lucky enough to get the All Rollovers Special lit makes this game one of the best around for sure to play back then and now. This game when you do beat it real good is a knocking sensation(pop,pop,pop,pop)if you are a top EM player and can reach the highest level of skill this game has to offer.The game must be shopped out by an EM expert tech and playing like factory new in order to appreciate the game play.

I can not believe this game has not made it into my collection of 24 wedgeheads somehow, but luckly i have had the pleasure of restoring one in my workshop for a close friend and got a chance to played it so much while it was there for a few months. One day i was determined to get the All Rollover Special lit if it took me all night and it almost did, but when I did make the All Rollover Special it gave me a rewarding appreciation of what the Gottlieb EM's are all about and how Gottlieb design engineers knew what us true EM players wanted in a game.

The pop bumper arrangement on this wedgehead is one of the best from Gottlieb's long line of early 1960's pins.It's design of having the Star Special rollover button placed in the center the pop bumper arrangement was a easy way for a player to win some replays and what lured them into putting another dime or quarter into the coin slot.

The two side kick out holes located in the middle of the playfield are amazing the way they throw the ball out directly to the right and left flippers when set up perfectly by a passionate restoration tech with steady hands and a keen eye for tweeking EM games. This kind of ball action leaving the kickout hole gives the player a possible skilled flipper shot to flip back into the kickout hole again which is the key to getting a high score depending on the kickout hole score value,but is not so easy to do.

The left and right green/yellow lower rollover side lanes when also set up perfectly will allow the ball to land on each flipper therfore giving the player again a good solid skilled flip during play.Also having the top leftand right green/yellow side rollovers set up perfectly will give the game a full smooth fast flow for a player.

Enough can't be said on how important it is to set up and fine tune these EM games to perfection when shopping out and restoring them.The quality of the workmenship shows up in game play and makes for the best enjoyment to a player for sure and gives a feel of like factory new.

I guess after writing this rating about the North Star i feel as though my collection could be incomplete with out one, but then again I could say that about many other other wedgeheads i do not have in my collection. Just goes to show you how many fantastic wedgeheads there are out of the 100 plus that Gottlieb manufactured.It's just impossible with limited space to have them all and even harder to let any go from your collection.

UPDATE:I finally added a decent North Star with a beautiful conditon playfield to my collection in 2012 and it plays sensational after i have put my personal touch into the game and my collection of wedgeheads seem more well rounded now. The only bad part of adding this must have game was i had to sell my 4 Square to fit it in my line up.

I remember back in 1971(I was 15yrs old)our local vendor(Vito) UN-boxing this game on the back of his old Chevy pickup truck and hauling it into the candy store for all us foaming at the mouth pinball junkies to give it a try. For sure this wedge head was an instant success. Us players had never seen a pin so spectacular with 20 colorful drop targets that seemed to disappear after being knocked down into the play field. It was a truly magical treat for us addicted players to have at our fingertips such a dynamic, fun, player friendly pinball to play for a dime or 3 plays for a quarter. This futuristic game really gave me my first thoughts of the year 2001 which seemed like icons away back then in 1971. I would have to say this wedge head could be one of the best playing 2” flippers drop target games ever produced by Gottlieb and the Add a Ball Dimension is one of the most wanted drop target wedge head on everybody’s want list. When shopped correctly with rebuilt flippers, top & bottom side sling shot kicks, pop bumpers and other moving mechanical components done to perfection the game will play fantastic giving a player a fast, smooth flowing game with plenty of wild ball action not seen on some of the early and mid 1960's games . The 5 colorful kick out holes on the top arch of the play field are enjoyable and do not slow the game down at all adding pleasure to game play, especially since the kick out holes throw the ball into the 100 point pop bumper. One of the nicest features of this play field design is having side sling shot kickers located on the top center and on the lower section between the flippers. Not too many other wedge heads have this dual side kicker play field layout design. I think Target Pool also has this play field layout design where there are two sets of sling shot kickers. You can adjust the SPECIAL to light for either knocking down 3 or 4 colored drop target banks. The SPECIAL when lit light moves from one bulls eye target to the next in the center of the play field and is an easy hit for skilled players or novice players by a flipper shot or lower sling shot side kicker. Score to beat for replays isn’t too hard to reach either especially once the player gets down all the drop targets. Even though the drop targets do not reset after getting them all down the game the ball gets knocked around the play field with a sometimes uncontrollable a super fast wild pace and there is plenty to shoot for like high score, top center kick out hole for SPECIAL and of course SPECIAL on the stand up bull eye target that move from one to another.This game is a must for the player that loves the sound of the knocker hammering replay after replay (POP,POP,POP,POP). A player can really feel in his hands and body the vibration and pounding of the mechanical moving parts,bells,knockers score reels,etc flowing through themselves. It's electrifying ! Just a beautiful great playing pinball game and a must for any wedgehead collector who is a purist pinball player at heart. I have one in my collection and still to this day find the game a super player with a ton of sentimental memories to go along with it.

It feels like yesterday i was playing this game on location back in 1973. Here's a game that requires a EM wedgehead player to use all of his skill and experience to beat it good.Knocking down all four drop target banks isn't so hard to do. A player must know the shot from the ball shooter rod into both center top arch rollovers to get a good chance at knocking down the red Jack of diamonds or the black Ace of spades which are the harder drop targets to knock down,which in turn gives a player a chance at knocking down the other diamond/spade top arch drop targets with the pop bumper action.I like the playfield artwork with the four suits of cards in a circle directly in view of the player and looks real nice when they are all lit up.Attractive black and red colored drop targets with sparkling gold colored lettering really brings out the eye catching vibrant colors of the playfield too. The cabinet with the red/black spade,diamond,club and heart symbols stand out nicely on the white base coat with the webbing design flowing throughout.Making the kick out hole for SPECIAL or points can be made many different ways and not just with a flipper shot, but requires a skilled EM wedgehead player with many games under his belt to accomplish getting the ball in that kick out hole.There are those not so friendly side out Special rollover lanes that a player has to beware of, if not can cause some sour low scoring games without much ball play.The High Hand in my collection has been converted to play like a ADD A BALL game. The backbox credit wheel which has an added switch to the wiring and the ball count unit is rewired differently too will count free balls on the credit wheel instead of replays. Yes, that's right a player is awarded free balls(up to 15 free balls)through the credit wheel instead of a replay. I have had some thrilling, long lasting, great playing games having my High Hand play like an ADD A BALL reaching a high score of over 400,00 points and countless free balls which isn't easy to do and only occurs once in awhile for even the better EM players. I have been thinking of converting back to its original state as a replay game but doesn't look like i will be doing so anytime soon. This is a must wedgehead for any EM pinball collector that is very good player and likes a challenging game to beat by score or SPECIAL.

When shopped correctly and playing like factory new this Gottlieb Pool themed game is a very good player. You must make the 1 ball on the top arch rollover and also be able to flip into the 2 kick out holes at will to beat this tough to beat game by score or special. The wide open playfield is especially nice because you can get the ball moving rally fast without any restrictions and can make for some extra sharp skilled shots from just about anywhere on the playfield. Great artwork/coloring on playfield, cabinet and special nice early 1900's look on the backglass. If you like rollovers then this is the game for you. There are 3 bulls eye targets that play an important part in the kick out hole 1000 point scoring. The game is mid 1970's(no drop targets)but has the 1960's Gottlieb type of playfield layout which is nice and reminds me a little of ther Classic 1960's Gottlieb Bank a Ball. Also the "special" for replay moves from left kick out hole to right kick out hole to center number 1 rollover on top arch, you have to catch it right to score a special. Any target or rollover score moves special around.

Never played this colorful late 1970’s drop target game until i added it to my collection of wedgeheads. This game at the top arch reminds me a little like Jacks Open with the open side area where the ball can be brought back into the top rollovers.. The drop targets are arranged closely, nice and tight for super rebounding from one drop target bank to another when most of the drop targets are down. Knocking down the drop targets are easy to do which I always find fun and is especially good that they always reset after you get all three colored banks down. When a player does get all three colored banks down the SPECIAL lights and alternates on one of the colored top arch rollover lanes and isn’t that easy to score for SPECIAL. A player must stay out of the center 500/5000 point rollover lanes for sure if he wants to extend his playing time. Flipper return lanes are quite friendly and gives a player a good chance flipping the ball all the way back up to the top colored rollover lanes to light the drop targets for 5000 points or to get the SPECIAL when lit. Simple game rules to understand and just a blast to play because of the in your face drop target arrangement.My high score is 306,000 and 10 replays,but i only have the game about two months now and could change at any time. Don’t pass this sleeper of a wedgehead by, you’ll be missing out on this wacky and fun drop target extravaganza.

Another great playing wedgehead from Gottlieb. Simple playfield layout and easy to understand the rules.Light 1 thru 4 on playfield four times and SPECIAL is lit. Sounds easy to do but really isn't. Challenging game but once SPECIALS are lit it's a real fun player especially if you like the sound of the replay knocker getting whacked. Targets and rollovers everywhere with a nice pop bumper arrangement too.Backglass artwork is as 1960's as it gets with fantastic coloring throughout the entire game. Setting this game back legs a little higher than the normal will make it play fast and hard with plenty of action.The game must be shopped out or restored mechcanically correctly to evaluate or test the games playability.Played this game at my local candy store back in 1970 and have this game in my collection today,couldn't live without it.

The King of Diamonds is a easy game to beat and never boring. The playfield layout is player friendly especially with the small flippers being so close together and the large wide open roto spin targets exposing 5 different cards with every spin. Once you hit or rollover all cards for SPECIAL the real fun begins. One of the nicest features on the King of Diamonds is the SPECIAL when lit. The SPECIAL when lit will award you a free game at any of the (moving card lights) bulls eye targets 10,J,Q,K,A or at one of the alternating side flipper return (SPECIAL when lit) lanes or depending if the 10,J,Q,K,A appears on the roto target for a replay if the lit target is hit. Lets not forget that you can also be awarded free games at 4 different score levels for a replay or that great knocking sound all us truely addicted pinball players long for. This makes the King of Diamonds one of the few games out there that can turn that knocking sound into a temporary madness.The King of Diamonds could be the "KING" of all wedgeheads ever produced by Gottlieb. Play this game and you will have to get one!

Here’s a wedgehead that is extremely popular and is a must for any collectors who seeks Gotttlieb wedgeheads. Tough game to beat and not so player friendly. I remember playing this game on location back in the 1960’s and took a lot of quarters from me without giving back many replays. Good money maker for vendors because as a player the game would almost always get you close to beating it for replays which in turn made you want to play another game. An attractive backglass animation along with beautiful vibrant coloring throughout entire game. Another wedgehead that is a simple game to understand the rules. Making ABCD top arch rollovers lights center rollover for SPECIAL. Having the 5 point spin dead bumper at the center of the top arch makes it a little tricky to get the ball to go through the center rollover SPECIAL when lit,so a player must have good shaking skills which is a requirement with any EM game. The pop bumper arrangement isn't the greatest and doesn’t keep the ball in play in pop bumper area to long, especially having the left and right 10 point dead pop bumpers in the corners which seem to die the ball out a little . I still get a thrill though when I have the top arch center rollover lit for SPECIAL and get that center pop bumper to knock the ball up and down through the center top rollover SPECIAL (pop,pop). The games best feature is trying to make all seven numbers buy shooting at the roto spin targets and even the best EM players find this difficult to accomplish which makes this game challenging. I have this game in my collection and when i do play it, i know it will be for more than just one game unless i beat it bad on my first try. The ball spends most of its game time at the lower section of the playfield and the main objective is to try to hit as many roto spin numbered targets as you can. A player can win a replay for the (1,2,3,4) (2,3,4,5) (3,4,5,6) (4,5,6,7) or that almighty quadruple win for the sweet sounding pop,pop,pop,pop, when a player has the 1,2,3( )5,6,7 and makes the number 4 to complete the 1 thru 7 sequence. Every time i am finished playing this game the palms of my hands are red and sore from shaking the game so much trying to beat it by score or SPECIAL. This is one game that puts up a good fight against a player even when a player is trying very hard to compete against it.

The coloring and artwork etc are very nice on this late 1977 wedgehead and are pleasing to the eye. This game is player friendly and extremly fun to play. The ball doesn't go out to often and having both 3" flippers at the top of the playfield and at the lower playfield make for some wild and powerful smacks with those big 3" flippers,especially at the top of the playfield.
I do not recall too many other Gottlieb wedgeheads or Gottlieb EM'S games that have the 3" flippers located at the top of the playfield except for Jumping Jacks and Jack in the Box. If a player has great eye and hand reflexes they could have an easy but fun time smacking down those nicely colored labeled drop targets at the very top of the playfield which is a wider playfield because of the cool right flipper kicking out hole action of the ball being shot into the playfield (instead of the manual spring loaded ball shooter). I really like the vari-targets and even though they aren't directly in line with the flippers to be hit. It makes the game more challenging where the vari-targets are located. If set correctly the vari-targets do not need much power to push back and pin the metal lever for a home run. There are other ways to make a home run on Big Hit but none better with a power flip pinning that vari-target all the way to the top of the vari-target. Also i like the pop bumper arrangement and find it to be quite differnt then the normal. When this game is pitched slightly higher on its back legs tilting the playfield forward the game plays very fast and quick making it more challenging and fun to play with some not so often seen flipper action. If you are into player friendly games and want a nice Gottlieb wedgehead drop target game then Big Hit should be on your want list. How can you go wrong with shooting for specials at the very top arch corner rollovers of the playfield which can be made with the bottom or top set of flippers. What a skill shot!

Here is a game I never played growing up because in 1977 when it was manufactured I was 21 yrs old and by this time extremely addicted to playing 6 card bingo pinball machine only which I played daily. Man did I miss out on this game back then. I have been blessed though to have found a Jacks Open that has never been on location and is a real nice looker. I think Gottlieb again did an awesome job with this game figuring out how to incorporate playing sets of poker hands on a EM pin game.I like the idea of shooting for a pair of jacks, 3 queens, full house and of course the best hand in poker a royal straight flush. Card games ruled the pinball industry for decades and Gottlieb magically again came up with a terrific, challenging and fun player. The best way to score your highest score possible is to only make any 3 top arch rollovers at onetime. Making all 4 top arch rollovers reset the top arch rollovers and the target value drops form 4000 points per target to 1000 point per target. The dead sling shots just above the flippers and double side out lanes adds a nice touch to making the game not so easy to beat especially the 5000 point side out lane can really piss a player off if they get trapped into loosing the ball next to the return lane. Rich deep vibrant coloring throughout entire machine makes an attractive eye catching lure to the average person. Backglass artwork looks like the people are floating through the sky on a piece of broken land. I also like the cabinet design with the King of Diamonds head and club, spade, heart and diamond symbols. What more can I say about this late 1970’s drop target Gottlieb wedgehead except that is astronomical ! My highest score ever is 298,560 in 2003 with 15 replays which max the credit wheel still stands in my high score book. You can’t go wrong having this wedgehead in your collection, that’s for sure.

Nice artwork on backglass and cool playfield layout with good pop bumper action. Rollover buttons are the most i've seen with a total of 17 buttons. The buttons light up in letter form starting with the "O" in Hot Line at the start of the game.You must either make the letter lit up on the buttons in the center of the playfield to advance to the next letter or you can also advance to the next letter by going through the gate on right top of playfield (gate open when lit by making "A" and "B" targets or "A and B" rollover) at top section of playfield or on side outs when lit will advance next letter. Anyway you play it the main object of the game is to advance the letters and spell Hot Line for special.If you advance to the letter "N" it will light sideout lanes for special. After making the lit letter "N" the final and last letter "E" scores a free game by special when for making next letter. When you see this game for the first time you may think it looks like it might not be a good player at all but is actually a decent game playablity wise. It isn't hard to make all the letters or beat it by score for a replay too which makes it fun to play.
The down sides to this game is there isn't any one point bell for scoring one point and there are plenty of one point switches on the playfield like all the 17 buttons,pop bumpers when not lit ,side kickers and more,so that kind of sucks just hearing the one point relay clicking without striking a bell and the 10 point and 100 point are on the same bell. Williams for sure should have put 3 different bells for scoring points to make it a great sounding mid 1960's game. Also players are limited to just one special for a free game for making next letter when lit. Yes, i think unless my game had a problem it would not allow a player another free game for special when lit for making next letter and only lights up once during spelling the word Hot Line.

It still is a good player though even with the small down sides to this game metioned above. Players still have a good chance of winning at least 3 free games by score and 2 free games by special and 1 free game for a match for a total of 6 free games to be awarded by a player each time the player plays a game. Oh, by the way it has a cool sounding knocker!

A few years back I had the pleasure of being a proud owner of a nice original condition Sky Line which stood noticeable in my line up of 24 American made wedge heads. This attractive game has outstanding coloring and artwork throughout the entire game and is enjoyable to view and fun to play. The comical light box animation on this classic 1960’s wedge head has two separate moving mechcanical devices in one game with the elevator doors opening/closing and the arrow pointer indicator stepping up/down for each floor as player is rewarded. When looking at the playfield with its perfectly polished metal jewel posts for the first time gives the player the impression that the five pop bumper arrangement would have lots of quick ball rebounding action ,but I think because there is a dead pop bumper and wire rollover pinwheel type unit between the five pops that it tends to die the ball out which isn’t appealing to me. Also the left/right side out lanes are a little wide, plus feel out of place in their location which seems to attracts the ball to drain out more often then other wedge heads, especially when a player uses the the side kicker sling shots while shaking to his/hers advantage. I must say though that the gap between the flippers is short compared to other wedge heads from the same era (like Cross Town etc) and gives a player many more flipper saves then the normal and is without a doubt player friendly in that aspect. For sure this game has to be set on the preferred setting according to its owners playing skills (liberal, conservative, etc). I had mixed emotions about this game as a player while it was in my collection because it seems the player hasn’t much control of the ball even with better than average shaking skills. If i had unlimited space then this game would be a must in my wedge head collection even with its minor flaws. I will mention that i traded my Skyline for what I think could be one of the best 2” flipper drop target games ever produced by those amazing people at Gottlieb called 2001. Still today feel I made the right choice for my playability needs.To me the most important thing about pinball is playing the games and competing against the game to the best of my ability. This mentality is what keeps me as player interested in wanting to constantly play the games in my collection today and is mainly the reason i was so addicted to playing them so much as a kid growing up since 1963

I remember playing this Classic wedgehead at the Casino Arcade on the boardwalk in Seaside Hts N.J. back in 1966. This game plays just the real pool game of 8 ball does. If a player makes 1 thru 7(solids/low balls) or 9 thru 15 (stripes/high balls) the center 8 ball target will light for SPECIAL. Once the 8 ball is made after a player has made either 1-7 or 9-15 the left & right center rollovers light for SPECIAL. Exciting playing game too play once a player has dropped all 15 pool balls down in the backglass. Nice tight pop bumper arrangement for plenty of good ball action which is key to making or knocking out numbered pool balls on stand up bull eye targets or top arch rollovers lanes. Beautiful artwork on playfield and backglass with a different light green colored cabinet instead of the basic white colored cabinet Gottlieb used on alot of their wedgeheads in the 1960's.The game belongs on the top of the list with the other great classic animated Gottlieb wedgeheads for sure. A true EM player can really feel the electricity,bells banging and knocker popping flowing through his blood when he becomes one with this sensational player ! Got to go now and play mine after all this talk.....

There are many great playing EM games that Gottlieb made in the single player wedgehead model that could be a good choice for the best drop target game ever.The asymmetric playfield layout on Atlantis is wonderful with many skilled shots on drop targets,stand up targets,shots for the top arch section numbers 1 thru 9 and more. If you hit a blue and white drop target at the same time it will award a player 5000 points which is a nice feature in a drop target game.A player must know the top arch rollover shot to advance the numbers 1 thru 9 out of the ball shooter lane. Making SPECIAL isn't easy on Atlantis but once a player does get the SPECIAL lit a player can beat the game for replays at three different places. SPECIAL lights on the drop target bank,left side out and moves from all 3 stand up targets which a player has to time just right to hit for a replay.In my opinion Atlantis could be the best drop target game Gottlieb ever produced during the drop target era,but be careful because there are many other great drop target games from Gottlieb that could give Atlantis some competition.Challenging fun player for sure.Will keep you coming back for more.

Not much to dislike about this beautiful looking and playing Gottlieb wedgehead. Nice artwork throughout for a 1970's western theme pin and fantastic playfield layout.The game is hard to beat by score and even the top EM players have trouble getting over a 150,000 points consitantly or ever breaking 200,000 points,but lighting SPECIAL is easier to make for sure. Great fun too timing the correct moving drop target that lights for SPECIAL when a player gets all the drop targets down. I really enjoy the competition of trying to beat this game by score and this is what makes me want to play it over and over again. The four flipper arrangement is awesome and gives a player a whack at the ball from a different angle especially the top playfield flippers which are just close enough to the top arch drop targets to get a quick skill flipper shot every once in a while if the ball is played correctly by the player. A player must be observant constantly looking around the playfield to find the correct flipper shot etc...because of the yellow and white moving 5000 point when lit drop targets and rollovers and much more too. Found my nice example El Dorado in a basement here in N.J. The game had a vending sticker on the card tray that said R & Y Amusements(located in Newark NJ). My father and i bought my first game ever back in 1968 called Sweet Hearts from R & Y which made the El Dorado find all the more sweeter 30 years later...

Here is another fantastic late 1970's wedgehead that is a players dream come true game.This game could be one of the best playing wedgeheads in this late 1970's series of player friendly 3" flipper Gottlieb games. So much to shoot for with many skilled flipper shots throughout entire playfield and lots of strong ball action. I will try to explain how this game is played. Here we go! Making ABCD advances the thermomter 5 steps and lites the 500 points drop targets (one per letter)to advance thermometer one or two steps depending on if a player has the double advance feature lit and also lites the green 1000 point value in top right kick out hole for a total of 5000 points(nice feature).
Knocking down the 4 bank set of drop targets lites stand up targets to give a player a chance at resetting the drop target bank or lighting the double advance feature at the stand up targets. A player should try to hit the stand up target to lite the double advance before hitting the stand up target to reset drop target bank(most important shot).

Once a player has reached the top of the thermometer and lights Special in the kick out hole the kick out hole becomes the key shot and the drop target banks isn't worth shooting anymore because all a player gets from the drop targets bank is 500 points at that time in the game. The kick out hole is always an important shot to make during the game and a player must be able to make this skilled shot at will to beat this game real bad for replays etc. The kick out hole will usally drop the ball into the 5000 point right side rollover lanes for points and free games or advancing the thermometer if needed(another important shot).

Shopped out correctly and all moving mechcanical parts restored to perfection with the back legs raised up a little higher then the normal will make this game play super fast and powerful with tons of top quality action.

A lot of the late 1970's drop target wedgehead games were more player friendly and really fun games to play because i think Gottlieb at this time period wanted the players to continue playing pinball machines insead of the new video games that were just starting to take over the coin op industry in the late 1970's. This game in my opinion is one of Gottlieb's best late 1970's wegdehead and is right the top of the list of the other great ones which are only separated sometimes by a fine line. If you really want a all around great player,skilled shooting, more complexed,good ball action,backglass animation,drop target wedgehead from this era look no futher and find one of these gems. This game stands proud next to my Atlantis,Volley,Big Hit and other late 1970's wedgeheads in my collection.This beautiful looking masterpiece of a game will excite you for sure if your a true pure EM player at heart!

Top of the line for playability and beauty is what this Gottlieb wedgehead is all about.Somehow and i can't explain why this awesome looking pin has escaped being in my collection of wedgeheads even though i remembering playing as a young boy back in the late 1960's.These days i want it badly for sentimental reasons and playability more than ever.Recalling all the fantastic aspects of this interesting and sensational player it seems to have still slipped pass my capture of over 150 pinball machines i have rounded up during days of hunting for games.Maybe it's because i am out of space these days and a friend who lives two miles from my home that collects wedgehead has one in his collection for me to play anytime i want. The playfield layout design seems to be a mixture of Kings and Queens and Cross Town if you look carefully at it and i don't think a Gottlieb EM wedgehead collector would complain about that combination.How nice are those colored playfield lens numbers one thru four when lit and how sweet it is the way the game counts each lit number for each kick out hole.The way the ball is passed from one kick out hole to the next is simply magical and i especially like that the last kick out holes throws tha ball towards the flippers for a quick skilled flip.
The artwork on this game is at the top of the list with the best of them and the color of the cabinet it noticeably attractive compared to other wedgeheads from that era.I enjoy the flipper arrangement with the slim tiny post between the the flippers because it really gives a player many chances of saving the ball from going out through the number four red and four green rollovers.Even if the ball does go out betweenthe flippers a player will need one or both number four red and green rollovers to lite special when lit in a kick out hole and won't be a complete lost.

If you blind folded my eyes and asked me if i could by listening to the sounds of the scoring what game it was Sing Along would be the easiest one to identify. The kick out hole scoring would be the dead give away to identify the game especially when a player has two or more colored numbers lit in each of the kick out holes.When the game does counts the scoring in the kick out holes when jumping across to each of the four kick out holes the game produces a musical song like melody like no other wedgehead.If this game had some sort of back glass animation it would be at the top of the list of best wedgehead ever produced by Gottlieb.

Posting this game here on IPDB has made me realize i am missing out on a great player and looker that isn't in my 32 game collection.I guess at some point if i do not move soon,i will have to break a hole in the cylinder block wall and start digging outwards under the deck in the backyard to give me more added space in my basement game room to accommodate some other great wedgeheads that i need to ease my addiction to these wonderful and entertaining machines.This game will challenge the most talented EM player and will not allow a player to complete the entire number sequence without playing many many consecutive games.Are you looking for a game that isn't boring and will get you angry because you can't beat it so easy but will get you close enough that you'll want to play another game?Then look no futher. Play this game and you will want one!

After posting this rating i couldn't stop thinking about having a Sing Along added to my collection..so on June 24th 2009 just a week after this posting i found and bought a excellent condtion Sing Along(see pictures at IPDB)that now stands proudly with my other 24 wedgeheads.

I just picked up a really nice original Cross Town in April 2015. This is the second one I owned. The first one I had in my collection about 10 years ago and only sold because I was getting rid of all the games I had with painted cabinets and clear coated restored playfields and wanted to build a collection of all original machines with low plays on them.

I am just about finished with the restoration and have been testing and playing the game to fine tune it to perfection. This game plays super fast and powerful and a player isn't going to beat it too much because of the wider space between the flippers. A player will have to be at their best to score any replays by score or by special. This is a challenging game that will make you want to play another game after it kicks your ass on some games and gets you so close to beat it on other games.

Making 1 thru 4 will light specials alternating on the top rollover lanes and sometimes a player can flip or use the sling shot kickers to send the ball up and down the double rollover lanes for replays when the special is lit. Getting the fan target red and yellow color lens to line up takes a watchful eye and skilled nudging to score big points or a replay by special.

The pop bumper arrangement is sweet and gives a player plenty of action if they can keep the ball in play at the top of the playfield. Sometimes the two lower pop bumpers can actually hit the fan target and score the valve present at the time and also the sling shot kickers with the right nudging allows a player to hit the fan target too. A player is going to get many ok games and some bad games verses any real great games which only comes once every 10+ games. This is the real draw for me and makes me want to play another game to see if this will be the game I beat it bad.

Trying to control the pop bumper hits to line up the red and yellow color lens on the fan target scoring is a feature I can't recall seeing on any other wedge head from this era. This is a game that is meant for a serious EM player that takes pride in competing against the machine which is what pinball is all about for me.