Classic of the Month - Time Machine

Manufacturer:	Zaccaria
Designer:	Unknown
Genre:	Pinball
Year:	1983

With the advent of Farsight Studio's (generally excellent) Pinball Arcade, it's easy to forget Williams, Gottlieb, Stern and Bally weren't the only pinball manufacturers. Sega, Capcom, Data East and even Atari made pins once upon a time, as did a little known Italian company called Zaccaria. They also a few video games, perhaps most notably Cat & Mouse and Lazarian, but they were much better known for their pins and Time Machine is perhaps their most famous.

The first thing I want to say about Time Machine is that the art work is stunning (like most Zaccaria pins). The back board has a dinosaurs and futuristic city motif, and is made from a painted, vacuum formed sheet of plastic, which gives it a vaguely three-dimensional appearance (a technique that was common to Zaccaria tables). In the centre is a mirrored circular hole, with lights around the edge, the reflections from which make the hole look like it's far deeper than it is in reality.

The clever tricks continue on the playfield, with a circular platform of [jet] bumpers that rises from the centre top. When this area is raised (as at the start of the game), you're in the future and while it's lowered,  you're in the past and can access to the targets at the top. The result is that the game has two sets of scoring modes, the past, which is indicated by the lights going up the stone pillar on the left and the future which is indicated by the lights going up the tower on the right.

The game also features four flippers at the bottom, which gives you a lot of control, but as there is not the usual triangular slingshots just above these flippers, you cannot hop the ball from left to right very easily.

This is a very simply table, both in its layout and its rules. There are no ramps, just the one big orbit at the back and the playfield is sparsely populated. However, this makes it a good training table for new players, as the clear field and the four flippers are good for teaching you to aim, whilst giving you time to think and follow the ball. There are also no out lanes and on your third ball you can earn a bonus 4th ball.

Here's a video of a guy playing a nicely restored Time Machine, which should give you a good idea of how the table worked.

If you want to give Time Machine a go, your best best is to download Zaccaria Pinball Master on the Apple store, which also includes other Zaccaria classics, such as Magic Castle, Farfalla, Spooky and Robot (Zaccaria's answer to Pin*Bot).

MTW