Defender

Defender, manufactured by Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company in August 1971, is a single-player electro-mechanical pinball machine built around a military combat theme (aircraft, warfare, and WWI imagery).

Gameplay centers on shooting down airplanes with a mock machine gun while pursuing traditional pinball scoring objectives. Blacklighting adds a visual highlight to the game, and operators could set the machine for one play per 25 cents or offer two plays for 25 cents.

Little is documented about Defender's designer, but its bold, blacklit artwork and WWI aircraft-combat theme are typical of Chicago Coin's early-1970s output. It remains a distinctive, lesser-documented example of military-themed electro-mechanical pinball from the period.