Time Warp (pinball)

Time Warp
ManufacturerWilliams
Release dateSeptember 1979
SystemWilliams System 6
DesignBarry Oursler
ProgrammingPaul Dussault
ArtworkConstantino Michell
SoundPaul Dussault
Production run8,875

Time Warp is a 4-player Solid State Electronic pinball machine from September 1979 produced by Williams.[1][2][3][4][5][6] A total of 8,875 units were produced.[7]

Description

The table features a variety of mythological and historical themes. The inclusion of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man on the backglass may be the only depiction of male nudity from a pinball machine manufacturer.[7] The artwork is by Constantino Michell, whose hidden signature can be found on the back of the glass, behind the glove of the time wizard.[8] An image of the Mona Lisa is shown.[9] The central image appears to be based on an unauthorized likeness of fantasy artist Michael Whelan, possibly taken from a picture in a 1978 art book featuring his photograph.[10][11]

It features electronic sound, with the background sound increasing in pitch and intensity as more points are accumulated, making it seem as though the machine is about to explode if the ball stays in play long enough. The pitch and intensity of sound return to normal at the commencement of a new ball.[12]

Banana Flippers

It is notable for being only one of two pinball machines (Williams' 1978 Disco Fever being the other) to ever use curved "banana flipper bats,[13] which made the ball easier to trap.[14] According to Barry Oursler, the game's designer, the management of Williams chose to incorporate these flippers, rather than himself.[15] The 'Banana' (or curved) Flippers were standard on many but not all Time Warp units. Approximately the last 2000 of Time Warp's production came with normal flipper bats.[16]

Other notable features are the five pop bumpers.

A photo of a Time Warp machine

Marketing

According to TNT Amusements INC, this was the first time Williams Electronics, Inc. used color coordinated advertising.[17]

The machine's marketing slogan was "Where future and past collide, the action is unreal!" ...the profit time bomb.[18]

In pop culture

Time Warp is featured in the Carlo Verdone film Troppo forte.[19] The Time Warp pinball machine is also seen in the 2000 American metafiction horror film Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.[20] Time Warp is also addressed in the comic book "Death Save" by Rune Ryberg.[21]

References

  1. ↑ Eiden, Heribert (1997). Pinball machines. Jürgen Lukas. Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer Pub. Co. p. 155. ISBN 0-7643-0316-3. OCLC 37897076.
  2. ↑ Shalhoub, Michael. (2004). The Pinball compendium : 1970-1981. Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer Pub. p. 153. ISBN 0-7643-2074-2. OCLC 56388177.
  3. ↑ Kurtz, Bill. (1991). Slot machines and coin-op games : a collector's guide to one-armed bandits and amusement machines. Secaucus, N.J.: Chartwell. p. 59. ISBN 1-55521-731-1. OCLC 24993976.
  4. ↑ Pacak, Mike (1997). Mike Pacak's Pinball Flyer Reference Books (three volumes). the pingame journal (1997).
  5. ↑ The complete pinball book : collecting the game and its history (Rev. 3rd ed.). Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer Pub. 2011. p. 297. ISBN 978-0-7643-3785-7. OCLC 682892311.
  6. ↑ Williams Time Warp Manual. Game No. 489 (PDF). Chicago: Williams Electronics. September 1979.
  7. 1 2 "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Williams 'Time Warp'". www.ipdb.org. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  8. ↑ Rossignoli, Marco. (2011). The complete pinball book : collecting the game and its history (Rev. 3rd ed.). Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer Pub. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-7643-3785-7. OCLC 682892311.
  9. ↑ Fanton, Melissa A. (May 2016). Pinups and Pinball: The Sexualized Female Image in Pinball Artwork Artwork (Thesis). Rochester Institute of Technology. p. 57.
  10. ↑ "Pinball Wizard - How Michael Whelan discovered himself in a California arcade". Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Ansible 468, July 2026".
  12. ↑ Rossignoli, Marco. (2011). The complete pinball book : collecting the game and its history (Rev. 3rd ed.). Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer Pub. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-7643-3785-7. OCLC 682892311.
  13. ↑ Rossignali, Marco (2011). The Complete Pinball Book: Collecting the Game & Its History. Schiffer Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 9780764337857.
  14. ↑ Rossignoli, Marco. (2011). The complete pinball book : collecting the game and its history (Rev. 3rd ed.). Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer Pub. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-7643-3785-7. OCLC 682892311.
  15. ↑ Oursler, Barry (May 20, 2007). "Topcast Show 35" (Interview). 6m 58s.
  16. ↑ "Time Warp - PinWiki".
  17. ↑ TNT Amusements, TNT Amusements. "#526 Williams TIME WARP 1979 Pinball Machine with Banana Flippers! TNT Amusements". YouTube.
  18. ↑ "Time Warp Pinball Machine (Williams, 1979) | Pinside Game Archive". pinside.com. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  19. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Verdone (Troppo forte) - Il rapporto col flipper è come n'amplesso. YouTube.
  20. ↑ "Pin sighting screen shots". Pinball in the movies.
  21. ↑ "Death Save by Rune Ryberg".
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