Flying Carpet

The 1972 Flying Carpet, manufactured by Renato Montanari Giochi (R.M.G.) of Bologna, Italy, is a rare Italian copy of Gottlieb's 1972 'Flying Carpet' and a fantasy/myth-and-legend themed electromechanical machine.

Flying Carpet's gameplay features two flippers, three pop bumpers, and 12 standup targets, with no slingshots - a somewhat sparse layout compared to some contemporaries. Notably, this particular Italian pressing is unusual among RMG's games: it has a replay wheel rather than the more typical Italian add-a-ball setup, and its underlying construction shows conflicting hardware clues about whether it was originally built for 4-digit or 5-digit scoring, and whether it was configured for replay or add-a-ball play via a selectable plug beneath the flippers.

The artwork showcases a fantasy Middle Eastern or North African-inspired scene fitting the flying carpet theme. Little is documented about the specific designer, but the machine's unusual and ambiguous scoring/play configuration makes it a particularly interesting curiosity for collectors and historians studying Italian pinball manufacturing practices of the early 1970s.