Safe Cracker
Bally, 1996
Varkon
Williams, 1982When I first saw Safe Cracker in person I was amused by the cuteness of its size. While I didn't really warm up to the game itself when playing it, I was amazed by the amount of stuff they managed to cram into the little fella. 
Why do you think small pins like these didn't go mainstream? Regular size pinballs eat a lot of real estate so I believe any business / bar with limited space could profit from a machine that doesn't require much room.
Correct me if I am wrong, but can only think of 4 undersized pins.
Gotlieb's Super Mario Mushroom World which was a redemption game. Alvin G's Punchy the Clown, also a redemption game. Sega's Mini Viper which only saw 1 prototype. Then there is of course safe cracker.
Viper was made to 1950's cabinet dimensions because operators wanted something smaller. Then did poorly when shown so was never made. This was 90's sega and the software was copied from twister which is not a great game to begin with.
Alvin G only made 103 punchy's, but then they were never ever able to sell much of anything so wouldn't use that as a barometer.
That leaves Gottlieb and B/W. Safecracker sold 1100 in 96. This is just as Arcade's really start to die off and operators stopped buying. Mushroom world however only sold 519 during 92. This is the height of Mario and Arcade's were booming, still only 500 units. The game is better than you would think too.
They all suck which is why they didn't go mainstream. Gottlieb was putting out "small" street line pins in the early 90s and nobody wanted them because why buy some half-ass pin when you can get a Whirlwind, T2, or Funhouse from Williams? Why put money in a safecracker or Punchy the Clown when you can play a real game?
Quoted from dung:Correct me if I am wrong, but can only think of 4 undersized pins.
Gotlieb's Super Mario Mushroom World which was a redemption game. Alvin G's Punchy the Clown, also a redemption game. Sega's Mini Viper which only saw 1 prototype. Then there is of course safe cracker.
Viper was made to 1950's cabinet dimensions because operators wanted something smaller. Then did poorly when shown so was never made. This was 90's sega and the software was copied from twister which is not a great game to begin with.
Alvin G only made 103 punchy's, but then they were never ever able to sell much of anything so wouldn't use that as a barometer.
That leaves Gottlieb and B/W. Safecracker sold 1100 in 96.
Thanks for the insight, I wasn't aware of any other smaller scale pins.
Punchy looks scary, but then again, I don't like clowns to begin with. 
Mini Viper appears that something is missing. Looks so empty compared to Safe Cracker.
Has SC's production run been cut short or didn't it sell very well?
Quoted from CrazyLevi:They all suck which is why they didn't go mainstream. Gottlieb was putting out "small" street line pins in the early 90s and nobody wanted them because why buy some half-ass pin when you can get a Whirlwind, T2, or Funhouse from Williams? Why put money in a safecracker or Punchy the Clown when you can play a real game?
I see your point, but are smaller games generally regarded to be "lesser" games by the public? SC may be smaller in size, but not in features IMHO.
Quoted from Pahuffman:Cactus Jack's is a smaller game I believe.
Just watched TNT's video, it appears the head is a couple of inches less wide but the rest of pretty standard size.
Quoted from KenLayton:Small form factor? I'd say any Zizzle machine should qualify.
They look pretty flimsy and made for kids' bedrooms. I was referring to commercial grade machines.
I've never thought of SC as any less enjoyable than a full size pin. On the contrary, plays just as well as full size, and is arguably more fun than most. As pointed out, it's also packed, having just as many features as its bigger brothers. I'm surprised how heavy the playfield is every time I lift it and always admire the density of features on the underside.
My question is, are any of those other small pins as good as SC? I've heard Mushroom World is a winner. Any SC fans that have played MW care to chime in?
Quoted from KenLayton:Baby Pacman has a small playfield.
What about the cocktail pinball machines from Game Plan and Allied Leisure? Those have small playfields.
Just did a search on those. Wow, so much stuff I haven't seen in person! Appears that operators in Germany mostly purchased regular machines.
Quoted from KenLayton:Baby Pacman has a small playfield.
What about the cocktail pinball machines from Game Plan and Allied Leisure? Those have small playfields.
I have a Star Shooter that I love! I think cocktail pins are totally overrated. May be picking up a
Foxy Lady soon too. Parts can be a bother. Going to probably wait several month for a new MPU for the Foxy.
Quoted from KenLayton:Baby Pacman has a small playfield.
Granny and the Gators
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