I have it's Add-A-Ball cousin Lucky Hand. Agreed, great game. Of course, enjoy my Atlantis too!

I purchased this game below at the 2002 Allentown Show parking lot (see pic) and has been in my collection ever since. Its never given me any issues after I restored it and plays really good and has been working 100% for all these years, but its time for it to go to a new home after I go through the game again. I will be posting it for sale soon.

The game doesn't have any sling shots or plastic's and isn't like most other wedgeheads, but this unique design playfield layout is a sensational player (read my game play write up below in my next posting). I have fond memories of playing this great player thousands of plays at my grandmothers basement which was just a few doors down from our house back in 1965 to 1970.

I purchased a better condition Show Boat while I was in Florida vacationing from a great seller from PA and he brought it to this years Allentown Show for me after I wired the payment to him. Although I didn't attend this years show for the first in 20+ years, I managed to have a close friend get the game and bring it safely to my home, where I have been restoring it since May 8th. I will post some pictures of my newly acquired Show Boat soon when I complete the restoration.

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Wishing you luck on your pin sale and new restore pin project.
Never been a big fan of Showboat nor Big Casino (in that GTB early 60s era)
Do you have the flippers wired on Showboat
to flip in pairs or left and right handed?
I have to rewire my brain whenever I play that game.

Sent you an e-mail my friend.

Long time no see. Not a machine but working on a new interactive guide to beat my old one as a part of a much healthier and less controversial comeback of my true self. Coming back to help out around the EM tech forums and staying away from any general or controversial discussion.

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Awesome Vic!! Aught-two was my first Allentown show I brought games too...GTB Ice Show and GTB Polo. Never been the same since...lol

Sean

The Show Boat wiring on the flippers is factory original. When a player presses left flipper button, both left flippers between rollovers "A" and "B" swing forward at the same time. The right flipper button when pressed swings both right flippers between rollovers "B" and "C" forward at the same time too. I know of other collectors that have altered the original flipper design and prefer the factory design, which to me is easier for the player to get use to.

I found out through the years that most collectors/players find the game not desirable mostly because of the flipper arrangement. It takes some practice to get acclimated to the flippers arrangement and once you do this game becomes a sensation player. The six pop bumper arrangement which all six pops are close to one another makes for exciting ball action for the player and executes the sequence of rolling under the color gates. Normally in Gottlieb EM's you will only have one or two roll under gates on a game, but Show Boat has four.

The first time all four colored roll under gates are made it allows the center "B" rollover located between the flippers to increase from 100 point (which a player automatically gets at the start of the game) to 200 points. The second time a player rolls under all four gates it lights the first Special in the center "B" rollover. The third time a player rolls under all four gates it lights the second Special in the center "B" and the fourth time a player rolls under all four gates it lights the third and final Special for a total of three Specials awarded for making the center "B" rollover. Wait there's more....when a player rolls under all four gates for a fifth time they are rewarded a replay for doing this and if a player rolls under all four gates a sixth time or seventh time or eight time they will receive a replay every time.

Ok...this games sequence of operation even gets better. Normally when a player has a great game and is accomplishing rolling under all four gates multiple times as listed above and is receiving replays and sounding off the knocker each time by the amount of Specials lit, the player can not forget that they will be reaching the four high scores for replays too. Let me explain what this means..... not only by making the "B" rollover with the three Specials lit for three replays, but the player is also collecting 200 points in the "B" rollover which will add to the high score and give a player replays for high score.

Lets say the player has all three specials lit in the "B" rollover on his fourth ball in play and at the moment his score is 1300 points and he will receive replays at 1400 and 1500 points (according to the score card), so when and if the player drops the ball through the "B" rollover on their fourth ball in play they will get 5 replays at one time. Yes.....It will sound off the knocker 5 times (pop,pop,pop,pop,pop,) and if the his last 5th and final ball he drops through the "B" rollover he can extend his replays to four or five more.

Now your thinking this game couldn't possibly offer more to the player...but here comes the finale or icing on the cake with the great playing wedgehead. If a player makes all three rollovers "A" "B" "C" they are awarded an extra 100 points to their total score and lights two match numbers at the end of the game. Yeah it has a double match feature.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention about the long stretched out triple rollover lanes on each side of the playfield that score 10 or 100 points depending on when the 10 point pop bumpers are lit. The pop bumpers will light for ten points and alternate when a player rolls under any colored gate. The long stretched out triple rollover lanes score 10 or 100 points.

The credit wheel on Show Boat goes well over the standard 15 digit wheel (maybe as high as 28 credits) on most all other wedgeheads and Gottlieb needed to do this because Show Boat is a game I plan on beating for more than 15 replays in one five ball game.

If anyone really gives themselves a chance to get use to the flipper arrangement on this game, they might think different about what kind of player this wedgehead truly is.

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If anyone really gives themselves a chance to get use to the flipper arrangement on this game, they might think different about what kind of player this wedgehead truly is.

Vic, wow what a write up.

I bought one about a year ago, it has a beautiful playfield but the backglass has some paint loss along the bottom.
Mine needs some monor fixes, so I'll have to get it going after reading I'll have to give it a go again.

I spent a lot of time reading through a medium sized portion of his pinball owners page, good stuff: http://www.pinballowners.com/campgames

Tried to do the same for my own pinball owners page but even as a man with a lot of words I got tired out and never finished.

As for Show Boat, I would probably mod the flipper arrangement to make the two left flippers and two right flippers on the same circuit. I thought of this while at his place playing the game, but I guess it's the common mod he is talking about as well. Great minds think alike! Although I would probably try giving the original layout a chance. Practice makes perfect with that, I suppose.

Don't short change yourself on this sleeper of a wedgehead. Make sure you devote enough time to get use to the flipper arrangement. The game does have to be shopped to perfection in order to get the best play out of it. Its especially important to fine tuned every switch on top of and under the playfield and the game over and tilt relay on the large trip bank in the lower cabinet too. If the game isn't shopped and fine tuned you might not be able achieve the play to conquer the games featured sequence of operation for all of its replays and Specials when lit.

Nice pins guys! This is my first pin purchase. A 1966 Chicago Coin kicker. She was in rough shape but shes cleaning up well. Starting to work on all the bugs to get it to properly play.

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Welcome back. I like your colored animated switch stack pictorial.

I do remember that, Sean. I think I referred to your girlfriend at the time as "your wife". I think I asked you if the "Ice Show" was for sale, and you said no. You still have that game, right?

Otaku,

Want to thank you again for your help today with my Hokus Pokus post, it really helped and appreciate your knowledge and willingness to help a still relative newbie sort through learning the trouble shooting and repair side of this hobby, or as my wife says, addiction.

Latest additions to my (ongoing) addiction

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Post Time has great artwork - Gulfstream too. Had a Gulfstream (Williams edition ) - one I wouldn't mind getting again sometime !

I like the Pointy people.

I must agree!

I love pointy people.

E

I was drudging around my storage the other day and realized I never took a close look at this backglass. Thing is mint! I will have to check if it is a repro or just a really nice original.

Picked this up a few months ago down in Maryland for $50, missing the bottom board. Going to either rewire by hand because I'm a lunatic or put an Arduino computer in it and turn the ruleset into code by hand. The nice thing about rewiring by hand is it is almost crazy how little wiring these early 70's wedgeheads have on the bottom board. This game, High Hand, and Pop-A-Card are the games that I have seen that have the funniest looking bottom boards because the game rules are made up of just a handful of relays.

That wood paneling stuff peels off real nice with a heat gun so that is not a concern. Most times they act as really nice protectors too especially when they were put on when the art was less than 10 years old so I might be able to pull it off and find some really nice original artwork underneath.

King Pin is such a fantastic game. One of our absolute favorites.

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Here's an older picture from 2003 of my basement game room and the line up back then. Six games in this picture are long gone.

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Wedgehead heaven!

A little bit of magic eraser and fun with drop target replacing and it is almost ready to play.

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Ain't nothing like wedgeheads in a row Vic! My collection has moved and isn't set up right now but the best part is when I set it back up I have 4 or 5 more to add to the row. I had a hard time fitting them all is one picture which is also something I am looking forward to changing as I expand my horizons.

Guess who encouraged me to set them up in chronological order. LOL!

Had it even down to the month on games with matching years.

1968 Gottlieb Fun Park
1968 Gottlieb Domino
1969 Gottlieb Spin-A-Card
1969 Gottlieb Mibs
1970 Gottlieb Aquarius
1973 Gottlieb Pro Football
1973 Gottlieb High Hand
1974 Gottlieb Sky Jump

Still to come in the new collection:
1970 Gottlieb Stock Car
1971 Gottlieb 4 Square
1973 Gottlieb King Pin
1977 Gottlieb Team One
Maybe more? I forget if I have any others.

Nabbing 4 Square and King Pin was hard. I don't think it has hit me yet I get to have all those in one spot because I have been seeking 4 Square for years
and never even played it before, still haven't. I am running out of games to want!

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gotta love the wedgeheads

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I played 4 Square in 1973 and was challenging for a 11 year old. Some here don't like it but I did and hope you do too.

I would never sleep, if that was my basement.

We here in my household like the idea of the ruleset. Definitely looking forward to trying it soon. The creepy art is cool too. Funny how weird the backglass is and how simple and almost art-less the playfield is.

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I can't see what game that is under all of those LED's.

that is a gorgeous Old Chicago, the art-deco playfield is really appealing. Backglass not so much, but I understand there must always be cleavage.

That Old Chicago looks good.

I'd love to play an Old Chicago as well as Jumping Jack and Abra Ca Dabra. Love the lower two pops.

Just added a new wedgehead to my lineup. Been looking for a Sky Jump for awhile but when this one showed up for $150 I “jumped” on it! I think it’s the coolest backglass! Good to see you’re back with a new positive vibe, good for you and good luck with your arcade venture.

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Man, you scored!

I did. But had to drive over 3 hours. Totally worth it. Needs work but the cabinet, glass and playfield are all 7+ so I’m happy with that.

You can't be serious.... it looks like ass with those LED's in there.
There, it has been said.

I like the purple LED look. Goes well with tbe theme. To each their own.

Thank you! Nice score!

Old Chicago....Ruined. Sending this one off to the No Rainbow Puke Club!

What a find! The backglass looks better than a 7+ in the picture. Post some more pictures of the complete game when you get a chance. I would love to view them. Nice addition to your collection for sure.

Great addition and an underrated game in my opinion! I picked mine up for $450. Post some pics when it’s set up

Here are some pictures of my Sky Jump

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I've always thought that "Old Chicago" is one EM that could really look great with the proper application of LEDs.
Based only on these photos, I'll reserve judgment on this one, but if the owner likes the look, that's what's important.
Nice game.

Next time I'm up on the Falcon I'll have to swing by to see your collection, too, sir!

Please anything but that. I'll change. Does it help that all the inserts are 44s and 455s lighting up the old Chicago on the back glass.

you're more than welcome anytime.

Only change if that is what you really want. You do not need to be mandated by the tastes of others.

A red playfield glass guides version.

In general I usually don't like LED's in an EM either - but it seems to work with how he did Old Chicago.
Different strokes for different folks. If he likes it that's all that matters. I think the theme lends itself to be a little garish. Looks good I think if that's what you are shooting for.

Yeah, didn't mean to be harsh. If that's what the owner wants, we'll, it's his
machine. I have Old Chicago, and what I like about it was (is) the warm glow of incandescents, the soft purples and yellow pastels. It looks OLD (which it is). It just glows warm. Some things pop without LED's. Check out the red and turquoise clothing in the backglass. That's what I'm talkin' about.

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