Back Mechanical Backbox Animations

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  1. By Flipcommons Catalog
    gameplay_feature_alias
    Alias value
    Mechanical Backbox Animation
  2. By Flipcommons AI Descriptions (GameplayFeature)
    description
    Mechanical backbox animations are [[gameplay-feature:backbox-animations]] performed by real machinery — figures, wheels and discs mounted inside the head, driven by motors and score relays, and watched through the glass. ## Williams' sports games [[manufacturer:williams]] built a run of animated sports games in the years after the flipper arrived: baserunners circle the bases in the heads of *[[title:all-stars-4]]* (1947) and *[[title:star-series]]* (1949),[1][2] horses race across *[[model:hayburners]]* (1951)[3] and cars race to the finish line on its companion piece *[[model:jalopy]]* (1951).[4] ## Gottlieb's animation units [[manufacturer:gottlieb]] fitted animation units to a long line of games: a spinner changes the card selections on *[[title:world-beauties]]* (1959),[5] silhouettes dance on *[[title:dancing-dolls]]* (1960)[6] and a horse kicks a cowboy on *[[model:buckaroo]]* (1965).[7] ## Bingo machinery The same machinery carried a different trade: on [[manufacturer:bally]]'s [[game-format:bingo-pinball]] machines the moving numbers of [[gameplay-feature:magic-lines]] and [[gameplay-feature:magic-squares]] and the moving [[gameplay-feature:magic-screen]] are backbox mechanisms in the same family, rearranging the card the player is betting on.[8] ## Late mechanical animation The device survived into the solid-state era: a large disc spins in the head of *[[title:hurricane]]* (1991),[9] and on *[[title:scared-stiff]]* (1996) a spider wheel spins when the ball falls into a trap, stopping on a press of the flipper button to award the feature it points to.[10] The 2000s remake *[[model:bank-a-ball-6]]* (2008, [[manufacturer:retro-pinball]]) brought a unit back once more.
    1.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #2870
    Mechanical backbox animation (men run bases).
    2.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #3497
    Mechanical backbox animation (men run bases).
    3.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #1142
    Mechanical backbox animation (horses race).
    4.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #1284
    Mechanical backbox animation (cars race to finish line).
    5.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #2807
    Mechanical backbox animation (spinner changes card selections).
    6.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #634
    Mechanical backbox animation (silhouettes dance).
    7.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #393
    Mechanical backbox animation (horse kicks cowboy).
    8.
    Kineticist — https://www.kineticist.com/news/a-beginners-guide-to-bingo-pinball
    I began seeking out unique examples of mechanical backbox animation – Magic Lines, Magic Squares, Magic Screen.
    9.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #1257
    Mechanical backbox animation (large disc spins).
    10.
    Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #3915
    Mechanical backbox animation (spider spins around when ball falls into playfield trap. Pressing a flipper button stops the spider and awards the indicated feature).
  3. By Flipcommons Catalog
    gameplay_feature_parent
    Parent
    Backbox Animations
    name
    Mechanical Backbox Animations
    slug
    mechanical-backbox-animations
    status
    active