Magic

The Magic, manufactured in 1979 by Leisure & Allied Industries (LAI) of Perth, Australia, is the Australian-licensed counterpart to Stern's 1979 game of the same name. Rather than being built from scratch, LAI's version was assembled from knock-down kits shipped from Stern with locally made cabinets — only 264 of these Australian units were produced, compared to 2,202 full games built by Stern itself.

Designed by Mike Kubin with artwork by Bob Timm (who did both the backglass and playfield while working at Ad Posters), Magic's fantasy-themed playfield features two flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, four standup targets, four star rollovers, two spinning targets, a 3-bank drop target, and a kick-out hole. Surviving examples show an interesting quirk: some cabinets are orange while others are a bold red, and the reason for the color difference is unknown.

Because LAI's cabinets and backboxes weren't stamped with a serial number the way Stern's were, identifying a genuine LAI-built Magic requires checking the manufacturer's plate on the back of the cabinet instead. It remains a lesser-known but historically interesting piece of the game's international production story.