On Beam (Italy)

On Beam, a 1969 Bally electro-mechanical pinball machine, is an add-a-ball game with an outer-space theme, produced in an Italian edition. Its unique design elements, such as four colored "Beams" displayed on the backglass, give it a distinctive look among EM games from this era.

On Beam's gameplay is centered around guiding a space ship onto one of the four Beams, where it can dock with a space station and award points. The playfield features two flippers, four pop bumpers, and four stand-up targets, as well as two outlane gates that divert balls toward the inlane to help prevent draining. A distinctive feature is the Beam-O-Meter on the playfield, which allows players to track their progress without watching the backglass. Extra balls are kicked up into play from a kick-out hole.

The backglass artwork depicts a space station and spaceship traveling along the four Beams, creating a visually engaging, futuristic atmosphere typical of Bally's electro-mechanical machines from this period. This particular Italian example, with its outlane gates and standup targets, is believed to come from a later production run manufactured for the Italian market after new laws restricted free replays - one of only two examples of this configuration known to still exist in Italy.