Merlin's Magic
About This Machine
Merlin, a 2009 electro-mechanical pinball machine hand-built by Henk de Jager under the name "One More Time," stands out as an intricate, hand-made design produced as a single confirmed unit. Its wizard/magic theme and inventive mechanical gimmicks have made it notable among enthusiasts of modern EM machines. The game was dedicated to David Gottlieb.
One of its most notable features is "Merlin's Secret," a hole accessed via a player-controlled post: when a ball is captured in the lane at the top of the playfield, the machine goes dark except for the running value lights, and the player must time a press of the left flipper button to drop the post and roll the ball in for the displayed score. The Magic Match feature lets players spell out M-A-G-I-C by collecting 50-point values in Merlin's Secret hole or by shooting the disappearing "Magic Cauldron" hole; completing the word awards an extra ball and a shot at a bonus "Magic Match" collectible worth 500 points.
Merlin's cabinet measures 104 cm long and 47 cm wide, with a 64 cm wide backbox and an overall height of 160 cm, and its maximum displayed score is 19,999 points. As a hand-made, one-unit creation by de Jager, it stands apart from factory-produced machines as a personal tribute to classic EM design and to David Gottlieb.
Images (14)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Wizard/Magic
- Notable Features:
- 1 euro for 1 play. Player-controlled post for a timed entry to "Merlin's Secret" hole with flashing scores. Disappearing hole: hole changes in rollover when "close cauldron" is hit. Player-activated post: Post is normally in "up" position. If ball enters the lane (blocked by post) from top of playfield, machine turns dark, except the running value-lights for "Merlin's Secret" hole and the indicator light: "push left flipper button to release ball". When left flipper button is pushed, post drops down and ball rolls into "Merlin's Secret" hole to score the value indicated by the running lites. So player can make a "timed" entry in "Merlin's Secret" hole for the best score, or to spot a letter from the word M-A-G-I-C. Magic Match feature: Player can spot M-A-G-I-C (in any sequence) by collecting 50 points value of "Merlin's Secret" hole: each 50-points value indicator is linked with one letter of M-A-G-I-C. Letters also can be earned by shooting ball in "Magic Cauldron" (disappearing hole). If M-A-G-I-C is completed, one extra ball is earned plus the green lamp (left of lower pop-bumper) lights for "collecting 500 hole value lites Magic Mat ch". Collecting this 500 value in "Merlin's Secret" hole will reward Magic Mat ch. The green lamp can either remain lit until end of game or carries over to the next game(operator adjustable). When Magic Mat ch is finally collected, the green lamp turns off. The Magic Mat ch is in fact a delayed "special" but this "special" gives player only 0.9 replay profit: in 10% of the games, the match number is already correct, Magic Mat ch or not! Maximum displayed point score is 19,999 points. There is a '10,000' lamp in the backglass directly above the score reels. Replay wheel maximum: 25 Cabinet is 104 cm long, 47 cm wide. Width of backbox is 64 cm. Height of game is 160 cm. Hand-made and hand-painted by Henk de Jager under the name 'One More Time'. Design and art by Henk de Jager.