Space Glider

The Space Glider, designed by Steve Kordek and manufactured by Williams in July 1960, holds a notable place in pinball history as the very first game Kordek designed at Williams (his first pinball for the company would be 1961's Bo Bo). This gun game (not a traditional pinball) captures the imagination with its fantastical outer-space theme.

One of the most distinctive features of this machine is its trap hole array, comprising 25 holes that can be accessed from the rear of the cabinet via a mirror in the backbox. Across 15 shots per play, the player attempts to line up the popped-up balls by shooting targets, which kicks out-of-line balls upward to resettle in a different hole, with possibilities for free play awards and extra shots along the way. A release button on the front of the cabinet lets the balls be released all at once. A similar pop-up array mechanism would later appear in Chicago Coin's 1964 'Criss Cross Pop-Up.'

While little else is documented about this specific machine beyond its technical specifications, its status as Steve Kordek's debut design for Williams makes it a genuinely notable piece for collectors and historians tracing the career of one of pinball's most prolific designers.