Truck Stop

Truck Stop, released by Midway Manufacturing Company (under the Bally trade name) on November 23, 1988, holds a notable place in pinball history as the first game produced following the merger of Williams and Bally/Midway -- a nod visible on the playfield itself, where a yellow traffic merge sign reads "Williams/Bally Merge." The game runs on a Bally MPU (based on the 6803 processor) but uses Williams' System 11B sound board, and reportedly mixes Bally and Williams flipper mechanisms, a literal snapshot of the two companies coming together.

Developed from the prototype 'Ramp Warrior,' Truck Stop features four flippers, two mushroom bumpers, a 3-in-line drop target bank, an upper set of slingshots, and truck running lights mounted atop the backbox -- but no pop bumpers. Backglass art was done by Pat McMahon, with playfield and plastics art by Greg Freres; the truck driver depicted on the backglass was reportedly modeled on Williams' Sales VP (and later General Manager) Joe Dillon.

One notable quirk: Truck Stop uses 1-inch diameter pinballs instead of the standard 1 1/16 inch, reportedly because of a last-minute dimensional error in the wire ramps that designer Jim Patla solved by switching ball sizes to meet the trade-show deadline. With its American travel and trucking theme, Truck Stop is a distinctive late-1980s title marking a literal transitional moment in pinball manufacturing history, with roughly 1,598 units produced.