Stampede

The 1977 Stampede pinball machine, designed by Albin Peters, Jerry Koci, and Wendell McAdams with art by Christian Marche, comes from the Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company, though Stern took over Chicago Coin in December 1976 and continued producing this game under its own name -- flyers for Stampede can be found bearing either company's branding. As an electro-mechanical (EM) game, it reflects the mature EM design conventions of the late 1970s, blending an American West theme with a feature-rich playfield.

What sets the Stampede apart is its use of a captive ball and a spinning target, along with two kick-out holes where the lower hole propels the ball to the upper one, feeding into an end-of-ball bonus. The machine also includes two flippers, two pop bumpers, two slingshots, and five standup targets, giving players ample opportunities to test their skills. A four-player variant of this same game was released as Chicago Coin's Rawhide.

With 1,100 confirmed units produced (a figure that may include games built under the Stern name), the Stampede is a relatively scarce late-era EM machine, of interest to collectors for both its American West theme and its place at the transition between Chicago Coin and Stern ownership.