Hi All,
Has anyone seen this listing on US Ebay for a Bank-a-Ball reproduction prototype game by Retro pinball?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/One-Off-Bank-A-Ball-Prototype-Pinball-Machine-In-New-Condition-/170922649171?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cbc8a653
It seems they were thinking of doing a woodrail version of Bank-a-Ball for their next game but decided against it. The text is as follows:
Here is a one off pinball machine that I made as a prototype for our next game at Retro Pinball LLC. After our first game King Of Diamonds it was decided that we would do a vintage Bank A Ball Retro game as the next game since the original pinball was a big hit for Gottlieb in the 60's. We also thought we would do one better and make it look like a woodrail game from the 50's, so it would be easlier to ship anywhere in the world and it would make the game more retro looking.
Beside the different design, we also changed the rules a bit and designed a new hit and spin 4 way target. The idea is that one target would be hit and turn on the bumper to up the value of the bumpers. The second target would turn them off and give you points. The third target when hit will all the targets down would give you the 8 Ball and special. The last target would be the mystery target that would drop a ball target needed to complete the rack. The original had just 1 boring target in the center of the playfield that only gave you a special when all the targets are hit. Sometimes that never happened in game play.
Otherwise the game plays pretty much the same as the original game with some minor changes. The main idea is to score as many balls in the rack in the backglass as possible by hitting targets or roll over targets. The last ball to hit would be the 8 Ball in the center spin target. Hit this and you know have special lit for replay.
The Bank A Ball Cabinet is crammed into a woodrail style cabinet. The pattern is the same as the original and we chromed the metal for a cooler look. The game was all hand wired and all parts were reproduced and the stepper units all rebuilt to new and upgraded. We chose to make a EM version to test the game out and then switch all the mechanics to electronics in the future as in EM form it is easlier to make changes. The game works perfectly and a real kick to play. Everyone loves to play it when they see it. It was a hit at 3 pinballs shows I brought it too. Earlier this year it was decided to not do this game and switch to a baseball game which I am working on now. So I decided to let someone own this rare piece. I will throw in free delivery in the US and warranty it for 90 days and will help with service down the road as it is not a standard Bank A Ball game.
Email for more information and thanks for reading.
I think it's a shame this won't be made, looks pretty cool to me, SV.
