Flying Saucers

Flying Saucers, created by designer Steve Kordek and manufactured by Genco Manufacturing Company in October 1950, is an early entry in pinball's long love affair with outer space. With a confirmed production run of 745 units built over roughly six weeks, this single-player electro-mechanical game reflects the flying-saucer craze that gripped popular culture at mid-century.

The machine's most distinctive feature is its advertised "Visible Tilt": a pendulum tilt mechanism inside the backbox that the player can see through a clear area in the backglass, giving constant visual feedback on how close they are to tilting. The tilt penalty is the ball in play, and the tilt resets when a ball passes through any of the three outlanes at the bottom of the playfield. Beyond that, the game offers two flippers, a single pop bumper, and a generous seven kick-out holes that catch and eject the ball for scoring.

The artwork and design of Flying Saucers evoke a sense of science fiction wonder, with space-themed graphics transporting players to an otherworldly realm. As an early example of pinball embracing space fantasy - years before the space race made the theme ubiquitous - Flying Saucers remains an intriguing piece of pinball history for enthusiasts and collectors alike.