U-Boat 65

U-Boat 65 is a rare addition to any serious pinball collection. Produced by Nuova Bell Games of Bologna, Italy, and released in June 1988, this solid-state machine came late in the company's 1985-1988 run of pinball production, giving it a unique place in the history of Italian pinball manufacturing.

The game was designed by Tommy Walker and Paul Daniel, with art by Solfè and Adriano Nardi, sound by Jeff Douglas, and software by Peter Stano. Its playfield packs in two flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, a kicker lane, a vertical up-kicker, and a substantial bank of 14 standup targets. Two standout mechanical features set it apart: a left ramp that raises up, and a bank of five standup targets that lowers into the playfield mid-game.

Themed around underwater warfare, U-Boat 65 offers a distinctive slice of late-1980s pinball design from a manufacturer whose machines remain relatively obscure outside Italy. Further details about its original marketing and reception remain scarce, but its unusual moving playfield mechanisms make it a standout for collectors of unusual Italian machines.