The Incredible Hulk

This entry documents a rare experimental variant of Gottlieb's 1979 licensed Marvel machine The Incredible Hulk (Model #433), designed by Ed Krynski with artwork by Gordon Morison. An unknown, small quantity of units were built on the then-new Gottlieb System 80 MPU platform and labeled Model #500; System 80 offered more solenoids, lamps, and switches than the original System 1 platform, and these prototypes added attract-mode lighting, a strobing high-score display, and a third coin slot. Only four examples are reportedly known to survive among collectors, and it is unclear whether these prototype units are included in the standard 6,150-unit production count.

As a four-player solid-state machine, The Incredible Hulk featured two flippers, two pop bumpers, a 7-bank drop target, three standup targets, two ball kickers, and a spinning target -- notably, the game had no slingshots, an unusual omission for the era.

Because the Model #500 boards and cabinets were prototypes, several surviving examples mix original and replacement components, and questions remain about certain backglass variants that may or may not have shipped on production units. This makes the Model #500 Hulk a particularly interesting case study for collectors researching Gottlieb's early System 80 transition.