KnoKOut

The KnoKOut, manufactured by Bensa s.a.s. of Milan, Italy in 1974, is a rare Italian electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine with a boxing theme - an unusual subject for pinball of any era. Little is documented about its designer or intended market, but its distinctive engineering choices make it a notable curiosity among collectors of European EM machines.

The machine's most unusual design feature is its wide flipper gap, presumably intended to compensate for the game's lack of outlanes, paired with an unusually large up-post positioned between the flippers to help keep the ball in play. Balls are kicked back into play from the outhole rather than simply draining, and the game features two flippers, four pop bumpers, and nine standup targets to keep players engaged. Scoring is tracked on five score reels, one of which serves purely as a dummy zero.

Its boxing theme, a departure from the more common sci-fi, sports, or novelty themes of contemporary EM machines, and its unusual mechanical touches make the KnoKOut a distinctive find for those researching Italy's electro-mechanical pinball manufacturers of the 1970s.