HIGH ROLLER


Date: 21st June 2010

Pictures courtesy of Brian Smith

What's the world's largest production pinball machine?  It's a Hercules, right?

Well, Hercules is literally overshadowed by this 28 feet tall Space Race, made by Sungate Concessions of Williston, Florida.

Space Race by Sungate Concessions
Space Race by Sungate Concessions

Promoted as the 'World's Tallest Pinball', seven of the $65,000 Space Race machines have been made so far and one turned up at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs on June 19th where Brian Smith took these pictures and the video below.

Space Race from the back
Space Race from the back

The amusement machine harks back to pinball's roots, being a flipperless design with a multitude of pins to deflect the ball as it rolls from the top of the playfield down to the bottom while avoiding gobble holes along the way.

Space Race's playfield
Space Race's playfield

With the pitch set rather steeper than a regular game (it's nearer 45° than 6.5°), the ball is 'launched' by pressing a button to drop it onto a conveyer belt, which then takes it up to a clear plastic ramp and onto the playfield's surface.

If the ball falls into one of the six gobble holes in the upper half of the playfield, the player gets to choose a prize from the left side of the machine.  If it drops into one of the lower six gobble holes then a prize from the right side of the machine is awarded.

Avoid the gobble holes to win the biggest choice of prizes
Avoid the gobble holes to win the biggest choice of prizes

The sides of the playfield are lined with 60w electric lamps and there are five mars lights mounted down the centre.

The aim is to get the ball down to the bottom of the playfield and into the USA ball-catching area.

The target
The target

If the ball avoids the twelve gobble holes and makes it to the USA area, the player gets the choice of prizes from either side of the machine and earns themselves a light show.

Each game costs $4 and as the side of the base proclaims, 'Everyone leaves with something nice', although that 'something nice' could be a slipped disc if they attempt to nudge the gigantic device.

Have a look at the video of the World's Tallest Pinball in action.

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