A co-worker of mine who is close to retirement really wants to get a pinball from his youth. The only thing he could remember about it is that it has 9 targets. When I pressed him on details I think they MIGHT be rollovers.
I immediately guessed strikes and spares, he said not bowling based.
When I asked what the theme was he could not remember. PINSIDE GO!
How old is the guy, and when did he play the game? That would help at least narrow down the era. I assume if he's close to retirement it was an EM?
Ok, he played it in 1974.
I am not convinced the buttons aren't actually just inserts. He said there was a uniform grid of them in the middle of the playfield, maybe 3x3 or 4x4. I showed him space shuttle and he said it looked close, but was not it, and it doesn't match the time frame anyways.
-ben
OXO
http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=OXO&sortby=name&search=Search+Database&searchtype=quick#1733
*Edit* Oh, if he said Space Shuttle looked even remotely similar it ain't that..
I'm good but not that good. Simply not enough to go on here to make any kind of even mildly educated ballpark guess.
It might not even be a pinball machine!
Being 1974, most likely 3" Flippers, but maybe not. If shown, does he
remember if it had small flippers..
Add in the human frailty of a poor memory or even worse, false memories, and it make this even harder.
Here's a couple of questions to ask. Others can add if they think of anything.
1. Small or standard size flippers
2. Any backglass animations. (Not flashing lights, .....animations)
3. Names like Gottlieb, Bally or Williams.
Grab some pictures off the internet for example such as the small flipper or Buckroo animation.
zz0535c247f9b5be25ea83eac7e21be20b (resized).jpg
zzzBackglass_Animation (resized).jpg
Chicago Coin's Sun Valley?
http://ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2417&picno=7536
Ok, more clues. Sorry for the feed here but I have to translate his description to pinball speak. Anyways, he seemed very sure that there is an outlane and an inlane on each side, and somewhat sure there were 2 flippers in the middle area of the playfield.
So all together:
Orange "buttons" in a uniform grid pattern on middle or lower part of playfield (I'm not sure these are not inserts, but they might be buttons)
2 inlanes, 2 outlanes.
Played in 1974.
-ben
Quoted from AlexF:1974 Lucky Ace? Dealers Choice (the multi-player) was guess previously. Has 9 orange rollover buttons in a grid pattern.
You are thinking much faster than I am today. Maybe you can help me remember a game I played as a child.
All I remember is it was about 1968, it was in a donut shop, and it cost a nickel to play.
Quoted from AlexF:it wasn't El Toro.
No it wasn't!. And i'm sure it wasn't Hot Line either because that was the one in the market across the street from that same donut shop.
I remember it being an older machine at the time and maybe I played it once or twice, but it was kind of neat as it only took a nickel instead of a dime.
Quoted from o-din:All I remember is it was about 1968, it was in a donut shop, and it cost a nickel to play.
zzz8f893afa63229967cf43caed0e2af6ca--little-pony-little-girls (resized).jpg
Quoted from o-din:No it wasn't!. And i'm sure it wasn't Hot Line either because that was the one in the market across the street from that same donut shop.
I remember it being an older machine at the time and maybe I played it once or twice, but it was kind of neat as it only took a nickel instead of a dime.
The 1960 Williams games I've owned were a dime a play. So it was earlier or a different manufacturer. Narrowing it down. 
Nope. That was out front of the local supermarket.
I guess when you were 6 years old in the late 60s, it never crossed your mind how important it would be to remember each pinball machine that you played as you were nearing senility later on in life.
Quoted from AlexF:different manufacturer. Narrowing it down.
No wonder I can't remember it. 
I have an idea! 
After that donut shop went away it became a BBQ restaurant in the same building, and now it is a cell phone store. A place that I never felt the need to venture into. It's only a few blocks from here. Maybe if I go in there and stand in the very spot where that machine was it might all come back to me.
But then again, I never thought much about it when I was in there chowing down on ribs, but at that time that's where the kitchen was.
Quoted from o-din:You are thinking much faster than I am today. Maybe you can help me remember a game I played as a child.
All I remember is it was about 1968, it was in a donut shop, and it cost a nickel to play.
Silver Crest Donuts. San Francisco.
Quoted from DennisDodel:Silver Crest Donuts. San Francisco.
Quoted from AlexF:1974 Lucky Ace? Dealers Choice (the multi-player) was guessed previously. Has 9 orange rollover buttons in a grid pattern.
Is there another williams game like this with the orange buttons lower on the pf and inlanes on both sides?
-ben
Ok, maybe it's time to put your friend to work on this.
Below is a link to the Pinball database. Assuming you have correctly narrowed it down to a Williams, electromechanical machine, I have used the advance search feature and that link will take you to a list of Williams EM games made between 1967 and 1977.
http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?gtype=EM&mfgid=351&sortby=date&searchtype=advanced
If he doesnt spot his game there and you come up with new search criteria, let me know and I'd be glad do another search base on the new info.
Quoted from grantopia:Is he sure it's 74? Mystic is jumping out at me as an option...
Mystic has a grid, but it's not roll overs, just lights. But "grid and nine targets" had me thinking Mystic at first too.
Quoted from epthegeek:Mystic has a grid, but it's not roll overs, just lights. But "grid and nine targets" had me thinking Mystic at first too.
Yeah I was thinking that too but it sounded like it was maybe rollovers and maybe not? Admittedly I read the thread pretty quick
Quoted from grantopia:Is he sure it's 74? Mystic is jumping out at me as an option...
I believe he said he "played" it in 1974. It could have been a routed game of that year or any number of the years preceding.
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