Thunderbolt

The Thunderbolt, manufactured by Bally in 1938, is a single-player electromechanical (EM) pinball machine from the company's pre-flipper era — flippers would not appear on pinball machines until 1947, so gameplay here relied on the ball's natural path across scoring elements rather than player-aimed shots.

Bally, founded in 1931, was already an established manufacturer by the time Thunderbolt was released in 1938, having produced numerous EM games over the preceding years. Beyond its manufacturer, model number (282), and 1938 release date, little detailed information about Thunderbolt's specific features, theme, or artwork has been documented.

As with many surviving machines from this early period of pinball, much about Thunderbolt's original design remains uncertain, leaving it as an intriguing but only partially documented piece of Bally's pre-war history.