A few of my designer specific and era, Ted Zale "zipper flipper" games in my collection for those interested Bally EM enthusiasts.
Only a few titles left to go. It has been a very long run (two+ decades) to find most of them in superb or fully restorable factory specification condition.

Keep flipping,

- TBK

Operation Zipper Flipper.jpg

3X Four Million BCs, "ducks in a row".
Rarity outside of the factory in well over 45+ years.
All operationally functional.
Taken before final restoration of my game in the center WITHOUT LEDs.

16601908_414228128919723_6990342749120366047_o.jpg
16587375_414228252253044_1296432079634456945_o.jpg
16601908_414228128919723_6990342749120366047_o.jpg
16463581_414228015586401_7003136802043633546_o.jpg

There are several reasons why collectors own duplicate titles (at least temporarily) instead for the purpose of pure "hoarding". This is a legitimate question.

The only time I personally own duplicate games are for restorations, or game trades for other titles, especially rare games. I have done this with Ted Zale games. I know several collectors that have owned up for example 7x Fireballs or 10x Nip-Its and were not pinball brokers which was rediculously excessive. I have to "pry" games out of their hands.

However, It is easier to do duplicate restorations while they are side by side, not just sitting on storage for decades. Bulk deals do happen for identical titles. I just did one for 2x Gators and 1x Alligator, among other games. In some rare cases I buy for "Frankenstein" builds as not all games can always be saved the due to severe damage or missing parts.

The final reason is to protect games from being parted out unecessarily, "scrappers", or simply turned over for profit as a projects or baling wire repairs from "flippers", which is more common than people realize.

I dislike "hoarding" or "pinball scrapping".
I do not throw away good used parts!

This game came out of the Pacific Pinball Museum auction in June 2018, another Rocket III (Bally, 1968)

They held the game for me to purchase, as I needed a replacement for the same title I own as a Ted Zale "zipper flipper" collector.
Cabinet is a repaint using the sample production (blue) versus standard production (black) colors.
Other than a few creative mods, very solid game / fully functional for $800.
Superb playfield and backglass.

Thanks go out to Michael Schiess and Kyle Spiteri.
Without their help the game would have been long gone, before I could have reached it.

35829021_652351785107355_568214578303860736_o.jpg35972494_652352045107329_723423645430448128_o.jpg36223186_652351958440671_9167195921912430592_o.jpg

Custom pop bumper decals that will be removed. Not factory. Similiar to the Rocket III emblems on the siderails in enamel, not easily removed, so they will stay as they match the cabinet paint.

Rocket III (Bally, 1967), all disassembled/cleaned up in restored condition.
Game was manufactured 2 years before the USA moon landing (unless you are a conspiracy theorist).
I am not going to do any touch ups on this game, as the playfield had only minor wear around pop bumper lines.
Very hard to come by in non-worn condition, especially near the slingshots and inserts.
Motor assembly for the rotary "fipper", or rotating spinning "bumper" in good shape as well, backglass and cabinet are superb.
This game was well cared for over the past 50+ years.

Another Ted Zale "zipper flipper" officially off the list, permanently, no more projects for this title.

Working on the history-features-gameplay video now.
NOTE: This is an example of a production model with replay (non add-a-ball), and there is quite a few prototype differences that will be discussed during the video, along with the history of the game, as most are not familiar today with the previous Bally Rocket games both from 1933 and 1947. This game also was non-factory modded cleanly to use a chime AND bell in the backbox (previous owner, not operator), and retains proper settings to carry over of planets.
Rocket III PF Final.jpg

In the history of Bally games from this period (1960-68), I have not yet seen a cabinet that does not have serious flaking, unless it is was repainted, or a home use only example. The quality of top paint was very, very poor. Bazaar is no exception, especially in the bronze metal tone used for the lamps. However, the playfields held up extremely well with factory lacquer.

Some of the more common Rocket III differences off of my memory presently:

1) Primary playfield/backglass colors were changed from the light blue to the bright green as seen above Florida (plastics were identical)
2) Special is absent on prototypes, as is the notification in the playfield area with the letter "E"
3) Kickback did not exist
4) Bottom arch is completely different artwork design
5) Playfield glass was a "slide in" versus the "canopy" metal frame design
6) Playfield buttons were metal as used in imbedded Bally games from 1966
7) AAB backglass design had added number graphics (I don't remember if this was carried over exactly the same to production)
8) Cabinet had blue versus black stripe pattern
9) Initial prototypes reset the planets with no carry over feature with each game (this was implemented late in the design)
10) Various wiring differences due to above features

I have only seen one prototype in my lifetime, and in this case, the production model is more desirable due to features, AAB included, although I liked the light blue in the playfield and backglass

If these 2" flippers were changed, I don't know where the previous owner found an extra set? (difficult), I just cleaned them up as I found the game. I liked them so well and they were in REALLY good shape (matched playfield), I decided to keep them on the game.

I agree completely that Rocket III shipped with WHITE 2" flippers based on research.

Dixieland used NOS orange AND white (I have a documented factory purchased game in orange), and a few others orange (Dogies, Surfers, Gator comes to mind), but I have to go back to my Ted Zale list to reference all games properly. The hardest ones to find now are the periwinkle blue used by games such as Op-Pop-Pop.

It is ENTIRELY possible that some games whether domestic/export or parts availability could have been swapped at the factory at the time of construction, but the only way to tell is IF a game came out of Bally with a certain color and is is sales documented such is the case with my Dixieland. By the time the later games were made such as Fireball, Nip-It, and 4MBC, the flipper colors were standardized to 2" white only, but had either black or blue "flipper" lettering.