An interesting one - Playmatic Big Town

[bossninja17]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Pinball-Machine-1978-Playmatic-Big-Town-Arcade_W0QQitemZ200355968858QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_15?hash=item2ea625775a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1|66%3A2|39%3A1|240%3A1308|301%3A1|293%3A2|294%3A50

Playmatic brand - made in Spain, the type of artwork you either love or hate (I'm in the latter category).
Never played one of these. What about anyone else?

[Extra Ball]

Its special because it hasnt been wrecked, and it actually works.

[pinballist]

I'm in the latter category too, something about those red LED displays and the ordinary beeper sounds they made just never appealed to me.

[Ford Fairlane]

i think its a neat looking machine in pretty good condition 

[The pinballist formally known as Dean Morgan]

Give me $100 and I will take it

[ajlaird]

Heh, I'd be surprised if someone doesn't bid $800 on it.

[Strangeways]

Playmatics were interesting machines. Very colorful - almost cartoonish - They really didn't fit into any era.

Every Playmatic playfield I have ever seen has been pristine. They NEVER have ANY wear. Not sure if it is the process they used during manufacture, or the fact that they were rarely played ?

[Retropin]

Williams licenced to Segasa.
Segasa artwork outlasted Williams and remains pristine for much longer
 Playmatic machines are always in good cosmetic condition.
Zacarria games always have great condition artwork.

I honestly believe that the Europeans had a much better process when it came to the artwork.

I love the artwork on Playmatics - this one though is really 10 - 15 years behind anyone else with its angular artwork or "pointy people" as it is sometimes described.
 I just cannot bear to look at the square bumper caps on Playmatics though... then again, i dont like 70's GTB caps either

[ajlaird]

I read somewhere that the Playmatics have a special plastic coating - here's a reference

[Retropin]

Interesting site..


They are actually LED displays?? LED's had only just come out then, i remember my uncle getting the first LED watch called the "Black Watch" - it  late 70's and was ground breaking stuff.

Many of the European companies used a plastic PF coating, some were in fact a full resin sheet ( hasnt DDstoys got one of these?) with artwork screened on the underside.

We may knock the Playmatic games, but truth be known they were ahead of the USA companies in many ways, the use of LED displays is a prime example, only now that the HV displays are becoming redundant are LED displays being used and yet we think its really clever when someone makes these - LOL!!!! Rewind 30 years!

Im hoping to do a post of one particular European pinball manufacturer soon..... ill explain a lot more then

[wonder]

One of my first purchases was a Big Town, still have it now.

Playmatic did lot better jobs on making their playfields. If only Williams made them to this standard I think there would be a lot more machines around with better playfields in them.
My playfield has got no wear at all and looks near new, just unreliable and someone decide to give it a custom paint job. Most of my troubles come from bad connection in the head box, stupid round holly plugs.

Lives in the back shed,and i think it might be there will for a while.