The 100 Yards
About This Machine
The 100 Yards, manufactured by Etablissement Marchant, S.A. (EMA) of France in 1952, is an electro-mechanical pinball machine with a track-and-field sports theme, distinguishing it from many of its contemporaries.
The machine's key features include five balls per play, two flippers, three spring compression bumpers, and nine trap holes, plus a stationary post between the flippers. Players are aligned with one of three 'teams' — 1-2-3, 4-5-6, or 7-8-9 — each tied to a set of trap holes on the playfield. At the start of the game, the machine randomly selects a 'Favorite Team' of either 1-2-3 or 7-8-9 and displays it to the player; landing balls in all three trap holes of that team awards a replay. Scoring the top rollover button adds 4-5-6 as an additional Favorite Team, increasing the player's chances of earning a replay.
The 100 Yards' design and art are reflective of its time period. While little information is available on the machine's designer, its distinctive team-based trap hole mechanic makes it a notable and unusual example of early-1950s French pinball design.
Images (4)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Sports - Track and Field
- Notable Features:
- 5 balls per play. Flippers (2), Spring compression bumpers (3), Trap holes (9), Stationary post between flippers. There are three "Teams', 1-2-3, 4-5-6, and 7-8-9. At start of game, machine selects a "Favorite Team" of either 1-2-3 or 7-8-9 and displays it to the player on the lower apron. A replay is awarded if balls land in all three trap hole numbers of the chosen team. A ball scoring the top rollover button awards to the player an addition Favorite Team of 4-5-6 to allow an increased chance to score a replay using the trap holes.