Sky Gunner

The Sky Gunner, manufactured by Genco Manufacturing Company in June 1953, is an electro-mechanical gun game (not a pinball machine) with an Aircraft/Wartime theme. Distributors began showing the game to operators in early June 1953, and Genco announced it in Cash Box that month as having started production.

What sets Sky Gunner apart is its blend of gameplay options: players could choose 200 shots for 5 cents or 300 shots for 10 cents, with a score of 180 to 250 hits qualifying the player for an additional 300 shots. The gun flashes as firing takes place against a 3-D war scene, and the game uses blacklighting to enhance the effect, immersing players in a wartime aerial-combat setting.

The machine's cabinet was advertised at 34 inches long, 19 inches wide, and 78 inches high. Unlike Genco's subsequent gun game, 1953's Night Fighter, Sky Gunner is a "regular play" game without a Match feature, and it has a shorter backglass and backbox as a result. An apparent reissue of this game is Genco's 1953 'Invader.' No specific information is available about the designer or notable artwork on the machine.