Rocket Ship
About This Machine
The Rocket Ship pinball machine, designed by Wayne Neyens with art by Roy Parker, was manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in April 1958. It has an Outer Space - Fantasy theme, and 2,000 units were produced. Its playfield layout is similar to Gottlieb's 1958 'Contest' and 1959 'Atlas.'
The Rocket Ship's gameplay mechanics include four flippers, two pop bumpers, slingshots, two gobble holes, two rollunders, and a roto-target worth up to one million points. The machine cleverly incorporates visual cues: playfield inserts near the flippers light up for high roto-target values, alerting players who are focused on the flippers when a high-value opportunity comes around.
The backglass carries Gottlieb's famous phrase, 'Amusement Pinballs, as American as Baseball and Hot Dogs!' Interestingly, the backglass and backbox insert were designed with a 'Game Over' light in mind, but no lamp socket or wires were ever installed by the factory for it. The Rocket Ship remains an interesting example of Gottlieb's late-1950s space-age design work.
Images (24)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Outer Space - Fantasy
- Model Number:
- 144
- Notable Features:
- Flippers (4), Pop bumpers (2), Slingshots (2), Gobble holes (2), Rollunders (2), Roto-target (1). This game had playfield inserts near the flippers that lit for high Roto-target values so players who were looking at the flippers would be made aware when those high Roto-target values came around. One of the Roto-targets is worth one million points.
Credits
- Designer:
- Wayne Neyens
- Artist:
- Roy Parker