De Luxe Crusader

De Luxe Crusader was manufactured by Williams in May 1959. Despite its electro-mechanical construction, it is not a pinball machine -- it is a gun game, Model 222, and the "De Luxe" name signals it as the Replay-play version of the base 'Crusader' game.

Notable features include seven rubber balls, an automatic shut-off timer, and an anti-cheat trigger relay, along with a spelling-out C-R-U-S-A-D-E-R carryover feature on the backglass and additional scoring possibilities available after the final shot. The cabinet was advertised as black with a gold fleck finish, with the gun mounted on a Formica top and set on metal legs.

Curiously, Williams' own advertising was inconsistent about the name -- its Billboard announcement called it "Deluxe Crusader," but nearly every other reference, including Williams' own follow-up ads, used just "Crusader," even while the backglass artwork clearly reads "DE LUXE." Internal Williams documentation lists Model 222 simply as "Crusader," with a later Model 226 as the non-replay "Crusader Reg." Little else is documented about the game's designer, but this naming quirk remains an interesting footnote in Williams' history.