South Pacific
About This Machine
The South Pacific pinball machine, manufactured by Genco starting in February 1950, is an electro-mechanical (EM) single-player game designed by Harvey Heiss, themed around beaches, girls, and world travel. Its electro-mechanical design was typical for its time, with impulse flippers and ten kick-out holes introducing a distinctive layer of interactivity.
The machine's unique features include ten kick-out holes spanning the playfield from upper left to lower right, numbered 1 through 10, that light up once a ball lands in them. Lighting holes 1-7 awards one replay, with additional replays awarded cumulatively for lighting more of the sequence, up to four extra replays for lighting all ten. This creates an engaging gameplay dynamic, as players must strategically try to light specific holes for rewards.
The South Pacific's theme and artwork are quintessentially mid-century pinball, evoking a carefree, tropical atmosphere with its depiction of beaches, girls, and world places. The machine shares a similar playfield layout with two other 1950 Genco titles, 'Mercury' and 'Rocket,' though with an extra switch between the flippers and no pop bumper. With 2,002 units confirmed produced, it remains a notable piece of Genco's early-1950s catalog.
Images (24)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Beaches - Girls - Water - Women - World Places
- Notable Features:
- Impulse flippers (2), Kick-out holes (10). There are ten kick-out holes spanning the playfield from the upper left to the lower right, numbered 1 through 10. The kick-out alignment allows passing of the ball all the way up the line from 10 to 1, but actual game play gives various results, often dependent on the strength or alignment of the kicking rod. This randomness may have been an expected factor of game design. The plastic ring around each kick-out hole will light up from underneath once a ball lands in the hole, to show which holes have been achieved. Top rollover scores the nearby lit numbered insert. Left side lane scores 1-2-3. Right side lane scores 4-5-6. One replay awarded for lighting holes 1-7, two more for 1-8, three more for 1-9, and four more for 1-10. These awards are cumulative such that if 1-5 and 7-10 are lit, then 6 is achieved, 10 replays are awarded all at once.
Credits
- Designer:
- Harvey Heiss
Documentation
- DownloadSchematic Diagram (continuous, poor copy)4 MB