Bulls-Eye Drop Ball (Upright Model)
About This Machine
Bulls-Eye Drop Ball (Upright Model) is a floor-standing coin-operated console from Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company — notably, it is not a pinball machine, despite some superficially pinball-adjacent scoring elements. Standing 76 inches high, 32 1/2 inches wide, and up to 23 inches deep, it continually feeds balls (likely Catalin) to the top of a scoring area where players use front-panel buttons to tilt three metal bars, dropping the rolling ball onto one of nine rollovers below, grouped into three scoring "Zones."
Each Zone has a center rollover that scores bonus points when its bulls-eye target light is lit; only one target is lit at a time, shifting to another after each score. A "Bulls-Eye 1-2-3" feature on the upper-left backglass awards an extra 8,000 points for lighting three bulls-eyes in sequence. The game ends after a preset number of Zone Shots, operator-adjustable to 3, 12, or 18.
A secondary "Lifesaver" feature lets operators select score thresholds at which a colored marble drops into view in the backglass artwork; the marbles carry no in-game award, but locations could use them to facilitate under-the-counter cash payouts. No specific production date has been confirmed for this upright model, though a related rebound shuffleboard version, Chicago Coin's 1959 'Bulls-Eye Drop Ball (Rebound Model),' was introduced in December 1959.
Images (28)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Beaches - Boating - Sailing - Swimming - Water - Women
- Notable Features:
- Cabinet measures 76 inches high, 32 1/2 inches wide, and maximum 23 inches deep. This is a floor-standing upright console where balls (probably made of Catalin) are continually fed to the top of a scoring area to roll across a ledge of three metal bars aligned to form an inclined path above nine rollovers. Each metal bar is electromechanically controlled by a button on the front of the cabinet, and using these buttons the player can move any bar to drop a rolling ball to the rollovers below it. The rollovers are designated in groups of three, identified as 'Zones', and they award points when scored. Each Zone has a center rollover able to award additional points if scored when the bulls-eye target light above it is lit. Only one bulls-eye target is lit at a time and this light will switch to another target each time any rollover is scored. In the upper left backglass is a Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 feature to award an extra 8,000 points each time three lit bulls-eyes are achieved (This is the "Extra Score Feature" clearly referenced in the schematic identification). Balls that travel the metal ledge to fall into the far left unmarked lane do not count against the player. Each ball scoring a rollover increments the Zone Shot counter on the backglass. When the allowed number of Zone Shots is achieved (operator set at 3, 12, or 18), the game is over. There are seven score threshold jacks identified in the backbox as the "Lifesaver Adjustment" from which the operator can select up to three of them. When the player's score reaches a selected threshold, a marble will drop into view through a small window located inside the lifesaver artwork on the backglass. These marbles come in five colors and are fed by a large dispenser in the backbox. The machine awards the player nothing for earning these marbles, but the location could provide under-the-counter cash payouts. See the Files section in our 'Rebound Model' listing where the manufacturer's Set Up Instructions for that model contains suggestions to operators on how to utilize the "Marble Feature".