Eight Ball Champ

Eight Ball Champ is a comparatively scarce solid-state electronic pinball machine from 1985, with a confirmed production run of just 1,500 units by Bally Midway. Designed by George Christian, the designer behind Bally's original 1977 Eight Ball and 1981 Eight Ball Deluxe, it continues the company's successful billiards lineage. Technically it holds a genuine footnote in Bally history: it was apparently Bally's first production game to use the 6803 control board for its entire production run, and it uses the AS-2518-81 "Squawk and Talk" sound board.

The machine offers a solid array of features for up to four players, including three flippers, two pop bumpers, and two slingshots. The game also includes five drop targets, three star rollovers, a kick-out hole, and a spinning target, providing plenty of opportunities for shotmaking and replay value.

With artwork by Tony Ramunni and software by Rehman Merchant, Eight Ball Champ wraps its pool-hall theme in a distinctly 1980s aesthetic. For collectors, its small production run makes it a relatively uncommon find and an interesting bookend to Bally's long-running Eight Ball series.