- gameplay_feature
- Trap Holes ×31
- gameplay_feature
- Passive Bumpers ×4
- ipdb.corporate_entity_name
- General Vending Sales Corporation
- ipdb_id
- 1706
- ipdb.image_urls
- ["https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-1.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-2.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-4.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-3.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-6.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-5.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-18.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-A3.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-A2.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-9.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-A1.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-A4.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-7.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-16.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-12.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-11.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-10.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-17.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-13.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-15.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-14.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/1706/image-8.jpg"]
- ipdb.notable_features
- 1-ball for 5 cents. Passive bumpers (4), Trap holes (31).
- ipdb.notes
- General Vending Sales Corporation, a distributor, converted Universal Industries' 1950 'Winner' into 'Old Hilltop'. The backglass does not carry the Universal name.
A Billboard article from December 1951 states Old Hilltop "is not a conversion, and has all new factory parts, new cabinet, and new wiring color coded to match existing circuits." Another article from that month states the game "is not a refurbished unit. It is factory made with all new parts and new cabinet."
In contrast with the above industry comments, an actual paid advertisement from General Vending in that same month (shown here) does not say the cabinet is new, while referencing a connection to Universal's 'Winner'. Based on the sole example of Old Hilltop for which we have pictures, the cabinet has the same artwork as Universal's game, identifying the race track it depicts as "Universal Park". The playfield is the same for both games with no change in artwork. In fact, underneath the playfield is affixed an inspection tag indicating "Universal Industries Inc." The backglass design does match the glass of 'Winner' and surely reuses its backbox insert with its identical bulb arrangement.
The National Production Authority had placed a quota on steel, copper, and aluminum to be used by manufacturers for 1951, in response to the start of the Korean War. A Billboard article shown here comments on a stricter quota of metals for 1952 (an additional 25% reduction) and suggests that refurbishing games, as was done during WWII, might be an idea to try once again in order to maintain output. Refurbished games, like converted games, typically reused internal mechanisms. In this context, we expect that General Vending's ad intended to impart that they indeed used new internal components and therefore considered their game as neither reburbished nor converted. We wonder how much wiring really needed to be replaced in a source game less than two years old, and in times of materials quota. Even so, placing a new backglass and new name onto a reused cabinet and playfield still makes Old Hilltop a converted game.
A distributor ad in Cash Box Jul-19-1952 page 31 identifies this game as, "Old Hilltops (a terrific conversion from Winner, like new $275."
- month
- 12
- player_count
- 1
- technology_generation
- electromechanical
- theme
- Sports
- theme
- Horse Racing
- year
- 1951