For the fourth installment of the Tim Arnold tapes, Tim decided to dedicate a tape to Gottlieb system 1 games.  Released spring, 1998, this tape covers all the system 1 games, which were manufactured from 1977-1980, from the first, Cleopatra, which had started as an EM (electromechanical), all the way up to Asteroid Annie and The Aliens, somewhat of a system 1 oddity because it was made after Gottlieb switched over to system 80, but it uses system 1 parts. 

Tim starts with a chart that shows the history of Gottlieb electromechanical games, going into the beginning of the solid state era vs. when Williams went solid state.  Gottlieb released their first solid state pin in Dec. 1977, Cleopatra.  Pingeek found this tape especially interesting as Gottlieb solid state pins never really caught on in VA and the only one he remembers on location is Sinbad, possibly from an arcade in New York many years ago. 

Tim points out lots of trivia, including when the last electromechanical game was ever made, which would be Gottlieb’s Space Walk in July, 1979.  Tim then points out production numbers in system 80 games and overall production numbers between Bally, Williams, Gottlieb, and Stern.  

Tim begins the tour with the first Gottlieb system 1 game, Cleopatra, including some history behind Rockwell, makers of the electronics on the system 1 boards.   He covers some great playfield restoration tips and some rather interesting modifications, including adding a washer on the sling plastic so the ball doesn’t chip the edge. Other tips include lower ohm coils for certain improvements under the playfield and keeping bright connections to under playfield sockets through soldering and extra wiring and how not to lose that extra metal backdoor key! 

Next, Tim covers the second Gottlieb system 1 game, and of the more popular titles, Sinbad, based loosely on the movie, “Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger.” He shares some interesting trivia about that.  He also mentions how to determine whether you have a sample game or not.  Also covered for this game are tips on how to save those drop targets and other mechanical tips as well. 

The third game covered is Joker Poker.  Tim talks about the backglass art behind this game, done by Gordon Morison.  Next, the rules of Joker Poker are discussed.    The fourth game covered is “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind,” the first Gottlieb solid state pin with roto targets.  Tim discusses some of the mirroring process involved in making a backglass and also why Gottlieb switched at this point to a sound board and no longer used a chime assembly. Other tips include plastic vs. metal spinning targets.  The fifth game covered is a Gottlieb Dragon pinball machine.  Some tech tips at this point include dropping down the voltage in the game’s transformer so the bulbs will have a longer life.  System 1 power supply modification is also covered at this point.  Also covered are the differences between the hard to find electromechanical version and the solid state version.  Don’t miss a special appearance by Bob The Cat!

Disc 2 starts with a look at the sixth Gottlieb System 1 pinball machine, a nicely restored Charlie’s Angels pin. Tim explains the differences between the electromechanical and solid state versions for this and Gottlieb’s next release, Solar Ride, released Feb. 1979, the seventh in the System 1 line.  Next is Count-Down. Tim points out how some operators added the larger flippers on the upper part of the playfield when this game was on location.  He also mentions the last electromechanical game ever built, Space Walk, an electromechanical two player version of Count-Down.  Next is Pinball Pool, loaded with drop targets and a great example of a symmetrical playfield. The next game is Totem, released Sept. 1979, featuring stationary targets behind drop targets, and a vari target in the left lane.  This game also is the first one to feature multi-mode sound.  

Tim then talks about the next Gottlieb System 1 pin, The Incredible Hulk, and how to identify a sample pin and also talks about rom upgrades for this game. Next is Genie, featured a game in a game, which is a mini playfield in the upper left area of the game.  The next game covered is a classic system 1 pin, Buck Rogers, produced in December, 1979, the last game of the 70’s.  Gordon Morison was still the artist behind these games.

Tim discusses how you can select between two different sound effects on this game.  Roller Disco is the next game featured, from February, 1980, with that cool day-glo look.  This game had the lowest production numbers other than Asteroid Annie And The Aliens, as the videogame craze caught on.  Last, is Torch, produced in 1980, featuring on the playfield a mini bingo grid.  The last game featured is Asteroid Annie And The Aliens, produced as a System 1 game, but already after System 80 games were being produced.  This was Gottlieb’s only single player solid state game.

$10, plus $2.00 to cover shipping. $2.50 of the proceeds will be donated to The Pinball Hall of Fame on every sale. 

2 hrs. total running time.

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