Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon, released by Bally in February 1981, is a highly regarded solid-state pinball machine designed by Claude Fernandez with artwork by Kevin O'Connor. It was Bally's first split-level playfield game, and the first game to use the "Squawk & Talk" sound board - making it only the second production Bally game with speech, after 1980's Xenon. A confirmed 10,000 units were produced.

The game packs an impressive array of features: three flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, seven star rollovers, four standup targets, three ramps, two spinning targets, a 4-bank and 3-bank of drop targets, 3-in-line drop targets, a single drop target, and a 2-way kick-out hole, all spread across its split-level playfield. Early games also featured a high-intensity strobe light in the backbox, visible through a clear area in the upper backglass - but customers complained, and the strobe was removed during production, with the window covered over.

The theme draws on Flash Gordon's long history, from the 1930s comic strip through the hit movie serials of 1936-1940. The game's release coincided with the 1980 Flash Gordon movie, and the actors' likenesses are featured on the backglass and playfield. With its pioneering split-level design, speech, and Kevin O'Connor's striking artwork, Flash Gordon remains a beloved machine among enthusiasts of Bally's early-1980s golden era.