Big Hit

Meet Big Hit, a 1946 flipperless electro-mechanical pinball machine from Exhibit Supply Company (trade name ESCO), one of the long-running names of the coin-op industry. Released in February 1946, just before the flipper transformed pinball the following year, Big Hit captures the game as it existed at the close of the flipperless era.

Big Hit's playfield features 13 scoring bumpers and a single kick-out hole. An intriguing aspect of the machine is its coin handling: one to four coins could be inserted to play, and period advertising indicates the game was available in two models, Multiple and Straight, presumably distinguishing multi-coin play from single-coin play. According to Coin Machine Digest in October 1946, the game carried a list price of $334.00.

The backglass art reflects a glamour-and-pageantry theme typical of the era's fondness for pin-up style imagery. Measuring a generous 21 by 21 inches, it is an attention-grabbing centerpiece for the machine. While limited information is available about the machine's designer or other historical details, Big Hit remains an appealing snapshot of pinball on the eve of the flipper age.