so I bought a pinball machine

Thursday, September 17, 2026

Shorpy pics

Shorpy is a wonderful site if you like browsing wonderful old photos at good resolutions. Here are some photos that tweakbod shared on the Gaming Alexandria server.

1899 Toledo, Ohio. Produce Exchange
Mutoscope!

1905 - Rockaway, New York, circa 1905. The Bowery looking east - 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co
shooting galleries on either side of the street

1906 - Salem, Massachusetts, Town House Square at Washington and Essex Streets
penny scale

1910 Utica, New York - United Commercial Travelers of America building
2nd floor shooting gallery

1913 Arcade building, Washington
for the "when did the contemporary game center meaning of arcade first emerge?" research

1922 Washington, D.C. Coin-operated radio in barbershop

1940-02 Truck driver in diner. Clinton, Indiana
1-ball horse race gambling pin

1941 Penny Arcade Kids - Rolling Green Park, located between Selinsgrove and Sunbury, PA

1943-03 Sam Bens and Noah Booher, drivers for Associated Transport Company, having dinner with a textile mill truck driver at a highway stop along U.S. Route 11 near Wytheville, Virginia
another 1-ball gambling machine

1944-06-07 Maser Music showroom, Mission and Washburn streets, San Francisco
Note the gambling pinball machines from Mills at the back: One-Two-Three and Spinning Reels, and a Ray's Tracks or similar derby horserace game.

1950s (late 50s) arcade in Upper Dauphin County, PA

1954 Phenix City, Alabama -- Russell County building and pinball machines
zoom in.

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This blog stands in protest against the USA's horrific attempts to eliminate trans people from society. Trans people have always existed, in every society, but the administration has embraced a moral panic, declared a war against reality, and says that trans people can no longer be allowed to exist. This includes making their healthcare illegal, censoring books and school curriculum from university level down to elementary school, banning trans people from bathrooms, and declaring trans existence to be child abuse.

This blog stands in solidarity with all of the youth who are being terrorized by a fascist president that has declared them to be threats that must be eliminated.

The USA is disappearing random brown people off the streets via unidentified masked gestapo and shipping them off to concentration camps and notorious foreign prisons, all with no due process. The world witnessed ICE execute a mother and a nurse and then lie about what we saw. Solidarity for all who are in the gaze of this American Nazism terror campaign against its own people.

Please read: Elon Musk’s PAC makes transgender people its multi-million-dollar midterm target by Jacob Ogles

Please read: ICE Treatment of Transgender Women Reversing Years-Long Practices by Beth Schwartzapfel

Thursday, September 10, 2026

Videos part 23

Prior video posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and entry 5 onward has a link to one of these ZIP files of movie clips. Most files edited by tweakbod.

some screenshots...

In this batch we have...

1930 - Born Reckless scale scene
1933 - Gambling Ship slot machine scene
1937 - Take A Chance pinball scene
1939 - Arcade Varieties [ckqqGu-Z98M] arcade short
1946 - Black Angel pinball scene
1946 - Till The End Of Time coin-op scene
1947 - Easy to Get [VD in the Army] pinball scene
1948 - So You Want to Be a Gambler pinball and slot machine scenes
1950 - Woman On The Run amusement park scene
1957 - 5 Steps to Danger coin-op scene
1959 - Brenner S1E12 Thin Ice pinball episode
1961 - The Hustler arcade scenes
1965 - Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen arcade scene
1965 - Le gendarme à New York (aka The Troops in New York aka The Gendarme In New York) arcade scenes
1965 - Pierrot Le Fou pinball scene
1968 - A Dandy in Aspic photo booth scene
1971 - La Grande Java arcade scenes
1971 - Labatt's Blue Commercial [HM4iQkAI9rw] arcade scene
1973 - Godspell pinball scene
1974 - Montreal Main arcade scenes
1975 - Bronk S01E07 Short Fuse pinball scene
1975 - Supervixens pinball scene
1975 - トラック野郎 (Torakku yarô Goiken muyô aka Truck Guys) pinball scenes
1975 - トラック野郎爆走一番星 (Torakku yarô Bakusô Ichibanboshi aka Trucker Yaro II The Wild Trucker) pinball scenes
1976 - Bronk S01E24 The Vigilante coin-op scenes
1976 - Kottan Ermittelt s01e01 Hartlgasse 16a coin-op scenes
1976 - トラック野郎天下御免 (Torakku yarô tenka gomen aka Trucker Yaro IV Fully Licensed) arcade scenes
1976 - トラック野郎望郷一番星 (Torakku yarô Bôkyô Ichibanboshi aka Trucker Yaro III Nostalgia for the First Star) coin-op scenes
1977 - Punk Rock pinball scenes [NSFW]
1977 - トラック野郎度胸一番星 (Torakku yarô Dokyô ichiban hoshi aka Trucker Yaro V The courageous star) arcade scenes
1977 - トラック野郎男一匹桃次郎 (Torakku yarô Otoko ippiki momojirô aka Trucker Yaro VI I am a Man of Honour) coin-op scenes
1978 - NBC Fun Machine Saturday Morning Bumper [VKRb6jxbQ7w] arcade short.mkv
1978 - トラック野郎一番星北へ帰る (Torakku yarô Ichiban hoshi kita e kaeru aka Trucker Yaro VIII The Truck Rascals go to the North) coin-op scenes
1978 - トラック野郎突撃一番星 (Torakku yarô Totsugeki ichiban hoshi aka Trucker Yaro VII Another Odyssey of Momojiro) vending machine scene
1979 - First Strike pinball scene
1979 - Kottan Ermittelt s02e03 Drohbriefe coin-op scenes
1979 - トラック野郎熱風5000キロ (Torakku yarô Neppû 5000 kiro aka Trucker Yaro IX A 5000 Km Run) arcade scene
1980 - The Apple pinball scenes
1981 - Spaceport Employee Training Video pt 1 [QKBtQ6t9hbw] arcade footage
1981 - Spaceport Employee Training Video pt 2 [E-kjm87mQ3E] arcade footage
1983 - Kottan Ermittelt s05e03 Genie und Zufall coin-op scenes
1983 - Kottan Ermittelt s06e01 Mein Hobby Mord coin-op scenes
1983 - Kottan Ermittelt s06e03 Mabuse kehrt zurück coin-op scenes
1985 - Calamari Union arcade and pajatso scenes
1985 - Istanbul arcade scene
1985 - Malibu Express slot machine scenes
1987 - Spaceballs pinball scenes
1987 - Stakeout pinball scene
1997 - Mr. Show with Bob and David S03E04 Flat-Top Tony and the Purple Canoes photo booth scene
1998 - Another Day In Paradise pinball scene
2001 - Behind Enemy Lines arcade scene
2007 - 国道20号線 (Kokudo 20gosen aka Off Highway 20) pachislo scenes
2018 - 孤狼の血 (Korô no chi aka The Blood of Wolves) pachislo scene

Download the ZIP file (3.5 GB)

youtube:

Check out this incredible homebrew 1950s-style EM!

Genco Roly Poly:

1957 Circus by Bally follows the amazing Balls-A-Poppin'

Please read: HHS Issues False Report Linking Support For Gender Affirming Care With “Authoritarianism” And Violence by S. Baum

Please read: Elon Musk’s PAC makes transgender people its multi-million-dollar midterm target by Jacob Ogles

Please read: ‘Nakedly political’: US attempts to link trans support to authoritarianism in new health department report by Melody Schreiber

Please read: Two women get life in prison for brutally torturing transgender man to death by Jacob Ogles

Saturday, September 5, 2026

scans: 14 Japanese eremeka flyers, 1979-2013

Here is another batch of Japanese eremeka flyers I purchased. ty to Joey for scanning them. A big range of years here. The 1979 Caribbean Pirates is the obviously priziest of them all, but also of note is the super rare 電流イライラ棒バベル (Electric Frustrating Stick Babel) which is a machine that made it to the amusement expo but I do not think it entered full production. (the flyer has an illustration, but we have seen a photo from the 1997 show)

1979 Caribbean Pirates - カリブの海賊 by 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki — Kasco)

~1980 Rotary-King - ロータリーキング by ホーザン (Hozan)

1986 The Derby mark III C7 - ザ・ダービーマークスリー C7 by シグマ (Sigma)

1986 デジタルフィーバー (Digital Fever) by ユニバーサル (Universal) & 宝娯楽 (Takara Goraku)

1988 Roulette [C-12] by シグマ (Sigma)

1997 パックンUFO (pakkun UFO) by 眞砂工業 (Masago Kogyo — Kidz Factory)

1997 電流イライラ棒バベル (Electric Frustrating Stick Babel) by エス・エヌ・ケイ (SNK)

2003 お祈り大明神祭 (Inori Daimyojin Festival) by セガ (Sega)

2004 Dragon Treasure II - ドラゴントレジャー2 by セガ (Sega)

2004 Fantastic Fever 2 - ファンタジックフィーバー2 by コナミ工 (Konami)

2004 Wing Fantasia - ウィングファンタジア by コナミ工 (Konami)

2005 メダルの達人ドキッ！大当たりだらけのすごろく祭り (Medal Master Doki! Sugoroku Festival full of big hits) by ナムコ (Namco)

2007 Alien Danger - エイリアンデンジャー by カプコン (Capcom)

2013 Horuka x Toruka - ホルカ×トルカ by セガ (Sega)

excerpt from the 1839 Swedish book Hand-bibliothek för sällskapsnöjen

The following tidbits of pinball ancestry were shared with me by user PaulKersey on the Gaming Alexandria Discord.

Booklet series name : Hand-bibliothek för sällskapsnöjen : eller systematiskt ordnande spel, lekar och konster
Edited by G. J. Billberg
Publisher : Stockholm : L. J. Hjerta, 1838-1839

1839 Hand-bibliothek för sällskapsnöjen pages 86+87

1839 Hand-bibliothek för sällskapsnöjen p88

Transcription via Paul:

FORTUNA.
För detta spel erfordras ett vertikalt jemnt stående bord (a), som är rundadt i öfra ändan, i hvilken rundel är utmärkt plats för 9 käglor, deraf de 3 medlersta stå midt emellan båda sidorna (b). Omkring de 3 sidorna och hälften af nedra ändan löper en ränna för klotets lopp. Denna är betäckt från halfva långsidan till höger (c); äfvensom nedra ändan (dd) är betäckt, deraf likväl locket (dcee) är gångbart, till förvarande af käglor och klot. Början af rännan från (e) till (d) är långslut, och vid (d) har klotet sin vanliga plats, hvarifrån det utstötes med en kort mas (f), sådan som i Billard, men af rännans bredd.

Spelsättet.
Spelarne kunna vara så många som hälst, och beräkningen sker såsom i vanligt kägelspel. Klotet stötes från (g); men om det ej hinner (c), omstötes. I öfrigt räknas bom, såsom i vanligt kägelspel.

Machine translation:

FORTUNA.
For this game a vertical, even table (a) is required, which is rounded at the upper end, in which round is a place for 9 skittles, of which the 3 middle ones stand midway between both sides (b). Around the 3 sides and half of the lower end runs a chute for the ball to run. This is covered from half the long side to the right (c); although the lower end (dd) is covered, the lid (dcee) is still operable, for the storage of skittles and balls. The beginning of the chute from (e) to (d) is the long end, and at (d) the ball has its usual place, from which it is ejected with a short mass (f), such as in Billiards, but of the width of the chute.

Method of play.
The players can be as many as desired, and the calculation is made as in ordinary skittles. The ball is ejected from (g); but if it does not have time (c), it is overturned. Otherwise, a miss is counted, as in ordinary skittles.

This game of fortuna is similar to 'naco' bowling tables. For me this highlights how the game names really shifted between countries and decades, so I am grateful for the diagram and description.

Another tidbit, this from a 1795 Swedish newspaper:

I was told Fortuna-spelet med des tillbehör = “The Fortuna game with its equipment.” so we do not know for sure what time of table this was, but it shows that Fortuna was a name used for tables like this going back to the 18th century.

scans: Sega fruit machine Japanese flyer scans

I purchased a bunch of Japanese arcade flyers and Joey/Detchibe has scanned them for me. This batch is UK fruit machines made by JPM that Sega imported into Japan in 1997 and 1998.

1997 Around the World in 80 Days - アラウンドザワールドイン 80デイズ [import, 1997] by JPM & セガ (Sega)

1997 Planet Tours - プラネットツアーズ [import, 1997] by JPM & セガ (Sega)

1998 Big Trader - ビックトレーダー [import, 1998] by JPM & セガ (Sega)
1998 A to D Analog to Digital - アナログ・トゥ・デジタル [import, 1998] by JPM & セガ (Sega)

1998 Penguin's Fishing - ペンギンフィッシング [import, 1998] by JPM & セガ (Sega)

1998 Soccer Crazy - サッカークレイジー [import, 1998] by JPM & セガ (Sega)

Please read: Parents of transgender kids say California is ‘unprepared’ as feds cut off their healthcare by Kristen Hwang

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

scans: Bally Japan slot machine & pinball flyers

3 rare scans from Mike Minchew. Click on the titles under each image to get all pages at The Internet Archive. The Star Trek flyer was purchased from Japan but does not have any Japanese writing on it.

Mike Minchew is a prolific collector of Pinball and Arcade/Video Flyers with over 12,000 spare flyers available for sale/trade. He is always looking to buy flyers for his collection - from a single flyer to entire collections. Mike can be reached at mike.minchew@verizon.net

flyer: Bally Manufacturing Corporation 1973 8 Slot Machines [Japanese Text]

flyer: Bally Quarterback [Japanese 1976 EM]

flyer: Bally Star Trek

Please read: Texas Secretly Started Torturing Trans Prisoners By Forcibly Detransitioning Them ‘a Few Weeks Ago’ by Aleksandra Vaca

Please read: New HHS Report on Gender-Affirming Care Rife With False Information by Walker Bragman and Billie Jean Sweeney

Please read: Trump and Linda McMahon lie about trans kids — in front of schoolchildren by Christopher Wiggins

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

scans: eremeka flyers from Taito

Some rare Taito flyers courtesy Mike Minchew. I love the 1960s machines! Those 2 basketball flyers are probably not from 1967, but that is when those games first appeared. They were built and exported for a number of years, especially the 902 model. The Taito Stagecoach flyer is interesting, as it is a Kasco product. Taito was probably handling the exporting.

Mike Minchew is a prolific collector of Pinball and Arcade/Video Flyers with over 12,000 spare flyers available for sale/trade. He is always looking to buy flyers for his collection - from a single flyer to entire collections. Mike can be reached at mike.minchew@verizon.net