Back Lightning Ball

Sources

OPDB and IPDB and Flipcommons Catalog contributed to this record.

Conflicts resolved (3 fields)

month
OPDB 10 IPDB 12 Flipcommons Catalog 10 used
gameplay_feature
IPDB Gobble Holes ×2 used IPDB Rollover Buttons ×3 used IPDB Slingshots ×2 used IPDB Pop Bumpers ×4 used IPDB Flippers ×2 used
credit
IPDB Roy Parker — Art IPDB Wayne Neyens — Design Flipcommons Catalog Wayne Neyens — Design used Flipcommons Catalog Roy Parker — Art used

Sources agree (8 fields)

display_type
backglass-lights OPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
technology_generation
electromechanical OPDB, IPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
player_count
1 OPDB, IPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
year
1959 OPDB, IPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
opdb_id
GR66d-M5Rw0 OPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
name
Lightning Ball OPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
production_quantity
950 IPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
ipdb_id
1442 IPDB, Flipcommons Catalog

Single source (12 fields)

opdb.images
OPDB [{"type":"backglass","urls":{"large":"https://img.opdb.org/4c5e31d8-81e1-4e53-b44c-922053367045-large.jpg","small":"https://img.opdb.org/4c5e31d8-81e1-4e53-b44c-922053367045-small.jpg","medium":"https://img.opdb.org/4c5e31d8-81e1-4e53-b44c-922053367045-medium.jpg"},"sizes":{"large":{"width":565,"height":600},"small":{"width":236,"height":250},"medium":{"width":565,"height":600}},"title":"Backglass","primary":true}] used
reward_type
IPDB Replay used
ipdb.manufacturer_trade_name
IPDB Gottlieb used
ipdb.corporate_entity_name
IPDB D. Gottlieb & Company used
ipdb.image_urls
IPDB ["https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/Backglass2.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/Playfield.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/1442f1.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-1.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-2.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-3.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-4.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-5.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-6.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-7.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-8.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-9.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-10.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-11.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-12.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-13.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-14.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-15.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-16.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-17.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-18.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-19.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-20.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-21.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-22.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-23.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-24.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-26.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-27.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-28.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-47.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-25.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-29.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-31.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-30.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-37.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-36.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-38.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-35.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-32.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-33.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-34.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-39.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-40.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-41.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-42.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-43.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-44.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-45.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1442/image-46.jpg"] used
ipdb.model_number
IPDB 162 used
ipdb.notes
IPDB The backglass carries Gottlieb's famous phrase: Amusement Pinballs, as American as Baseball and Hot Dogs! Designer Wayne Neyens told us that he originally drew a red line (maybe 3/4 inch or 7/8 inch wide) on his playfield design to represent the diamond-shaped trajectory a flipped ball would travel to score all three bumpers. During the design phase, this line helped him become very proficient at this skillful shot. He felt that this path for the player should be very pronounced, even if the line ended up being unpainted wood in production. Wayne told us he had "quite an argument" with the artist and the front office staff who did not want this line to be there. The artist won out, placing lightning bolts on the playfield instead. We had read a report that his original name for this game was 'Hularama'. Wayne told us (in April 2017) that he does not recall that name at all and that 'Lightning Ball' was his original name for this game. We previously showed a date for this game of October 27, 1959. An article in Billboard, Dec-14-1959 page 160 stated this game was shipped to distributors the previous week. An article in Cash Box, Dec-19-1959 page 53 announced "in the past week" that this game was currently being shipped to distributors throughout the world. The Cash Box announcement on page 53 also stated this game had "the new coin box with locking cover and twin chutes for 10 cents, and 3 for 25� play." All examples of this game in this listing were provided with only a single left-side coin chute along with metal dummy plates blocking the holes where a second coin chute and its coin return would be. used
ipdb.notable_features
IPDB Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (4), Slingshots (2), Rollover buttons (3), Gobble holes (2). Mechanical backbox animation (Roto-disk spells name to award replays). Completing the three colored contacts (blue, yellow, and green) by hitting rollover buttons and/or rebound rubbers, advances one letter of name on backbox roto-disk. Up to four letters can be spotted to the player at start of game (operator option). The three rebound contacts are positioned to allow a skillful flip of the ball to travel in a diamond-shaped trajectory to score all three colors. Scoring rollovers 1 to 6 awards a replay and lights gobble holes for additional replays. Maximum displayed point score is 7,990,000 points. Replay wheel maximum: 26 Sound: 3 bells, knocker. used
ipdb_rating
IPDB 8.5 used
corporate_entity
Flipcommons Catalog d-gottlieb-company used
title
Flipcommons Catalog lightning-ball used
slug
Flipcommons Catalog lightning-ball used