Flash Gordon

Unlike other Bally electronic pinball games, their documentation for this game shows the model number only as 1215, not 1215-E. First split-level game from this manufacturer. First game to use the "Squawk & Talk" board, and the second production Bally game with speech. (Bally's 1979 'KISS' prototype was the first, but the production game did not contain speech. Bally's 1980 'Xenon' was the first production Bally game with speech.) Per Claude Fernandez and Kevin O'Connor at Chicago Expo 2014, customers complained about the strobe light in the upper backbox so it was removed during production. The small clear window through which the strobe had flashed was covered over. Some games were equipped in the backbox with a "Vocalizer" Module (AS-2518-57) and a "Sounds Plus" Module (AS-2518-56). Reportedly, these were Early Production games and that, during production, these modules were replaced by a single "Squawk & Talk" Module (AS-2518-61). If you have the correct manual for your game, the diagram on page 10 will agree with the module(s) in your backbox. Flash Gordon started as a 1930's comic strip hero and was a very successful Hollywood motion picture serial in 1936, prompting two more serials in 1938 and 1940. A movie in 1980 coincided with the production of this game and the actors' likenesses are featured on the backglass and playfield. An earlier game that has 2-way kick-out holes is Gottlieb's 1950 'Rockettes'.