Time Line

Time Line, designed by Allen Edwall and manufactured by Gottlieb in December 1980, is a solid-state widebody pinball machine that blends adventure and fantasy themes. It was produced during Gottlieb's era under Columbia Pictures Industries, with artwork by Gerry Simkus.

The machine boasts an extensive array of features: four flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, five standup targets, two 5-bank drop targets, and a 4-bank drop target. A left kickback lane, dual right inlanes, and a right outlane ball-return gate add further complexity, giving the game a good balance of shot-making and strategic play across its wide, 272-pound cabinet.

Time Line's artwork reflects the adventure-fantasy theme of the period. Interestingly, Time Line's backglasses were produced in two variants -- one with the "BONUS" lettering in unlit white and a later run with it in permanently visible red -- reportedly because the original design left no room for a bulb to illuminate the white lettering. With 3,167 confirmed units produced, Time Line represents a solid, if lesser-remembered, chapter in Gottlieb's early-1980s output.