Supersonic
About This Machine
The Supersonic, manufactured by Zaccaria in 1977, is a fascinating piece of pinball history built around aviation, historical travel, and the golden age of the Concorde. As an electro-mechanical (EM) machine with a travel-themed playfield, it offers a distinctive gaming experience that showcases the artistic and design innovations of its era.
The Supersonic's gameplay is centered around advancing two rows of yellow arrows representing airline flights -- London to New York and Paris to New York -- with each successful advance illuminating new targets or features on the playfield. Advancing the London flight lights the upper-left rollover buttons for 10x their value, while advancing the Paris flight lights the kick-out hole for a Special, which can award a 'Bonus Ball' extra ball once per ball in play. The 'arrow advance' units under the playfield are a clever repurposing of score reel units, an ingenious piece of engineering by Zaccaria.
The Supersonic's design and art, credited to artist Lorenzo Rimondini, feature a striking travel-themed backglass depicting a Concorde airliner and a control tower. The game's electronic sound card and speaker, paired with a mechanical knocker, round out its presentation. With its unique blend of history, gameplay, and design -- plus an optional 'biri-biri' sound effect awarded at high scores -- the Supersonic is a compelling find for collectors of 1970s European EM pinball.
Images (47)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Aircraft - Historical - Travel
- Notable Features:
- Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (2), Slingshots (2), Standup targets (6), Kick-out hole (1). End-of-ball bonus. 3 or 5 ball play. Optional biri-biri sound. Two rows of yellow arrows represent airline flights. Advancing the London flight to New York lights the rollover buttons in upper left lane for 10x their value. Advancing the Paris flight to New York lights the kick-out hole for Special. Getting the Special illuminates the words 'Bonus Ball' on the backglass and awards an extra ball. Maximum one Bonus Ball per ball played, and an unearned lit Special does not carry-over to the next ball. A liberal/conservative operator option allows the arrows to advance two steps per switch hit instead of just one step. The 'arrow advance' units under the playfield are actually the clever repurposing of score reel units, and a numberless score reel is attached to each one. Reportedly, the clicking sound each reel makes is not noticeable during game play. Maximum displayed point score is 9,999,000 points. Replay wheel maximum: 37 Sound: electronic card and speaker with volume pot, knocker.
Credits
- Artist:
- Lorenzo Rimondini
Other Files
- DownloadFlyer - Large Size11 MB