Firestar

Firestar was manufactured by Playmec of Bologna, Italy, though its exact release year is not firmly established — an "FIRESTAR 77.F" identifier stamped in the backbox insert may point to 1977 as the year of manufacture, though it could also be a Playmec model number. This electro-mechanical (EM) game features a Fantasy theme.

Firestar's playfield includes 2 flippers, 3 pop bumpers, a 5-bank of drop targets, and 2 standup targets, but notably no slingshots. It has a wedge-shaped backbox, and its maximum displayed score is 19,999,000 points. The game's tilt penalty is configurable by the operator, allowing either the ball in play or the entire game to be forfeited on a tilt.

Interestingly, Firestar's backglass artwork closely resembles Gottlieb's 1977 "Solar City," and its playfield layout matches Gottlieb's 1976 "Volley" — suggesting Playmec closely modeled this game on existing Gottlieb designs, a common practice among Italian manufacturers of the era adapting American hardware for their market. At least one known example features digital scoring in the backbox, though it's unclear whether this was a factory feature or an operator modification.