Army & Navy

The Army & Navy pinball machine, produced by Victory Games between 1942 and 1947, is a conversion kit for Exhibit Supply's 1941 game 'Knockout,' first advertised in Billboard in October 1944. As a flipperless, single-player electromechanical machine, it let players enjoy five balls for five cents, an affordable entertainment option during World War II.

The gameplay is characterized by passive bumpers (12) and a single kick-out hole, features that were standard for early EM machines converted from earlier flipperless designs. The conversion kit included a new 14-color backglass, new bumper caps, and new instruction and score cards, reflecting how manufacturers like Victory Games -- which billed itself as "America's Pin Game Conversion Headquarters" -- repurposed existing cabinets for new games with a military and music/singing theme fitting the wartime era.

While not much is known about the specific designer or artist behind the conversion, Army & Navy remains a piece of pinball history that illustrates how conversion kits helped manufacturers keep games fresh and cabinets in service during a period of wartime material shortages.