1970 · Williams
4 Aces
Known for Center spinning disk, Spade and Club, Heart and Diamond and White back targets. Solid hot pink field, pale blue and white acanthus scrollwork in the corners and faint photographic collage of casino chandeliers behind the figures.
- Year
- 1970
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 2
Known for
- Toy
Center spinning disk
- Target
Spade and Club
- Target
Heart and Diamond
- Target
White back targets
- Target
A-B targets
On the playfield
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Left, brown hair with tall beehive and dark cap, purple scarf over shoulders, green pleated minidress, orange knee-high boots, arm raised, dancing
- woman Centre-right, orange-blonde hair, purple outfit with shorts, tall orange boots, arms outstretched
- woman Far right, brunette with red high bouffant, lime-green sleeveless minidress, purple knee-high boots, one arm flung up
- woman Centre foreground, long dark hair with headband, orange sleeveless top with red-and-black striped miniskirt, yellow boots, holding up a fan of three playing cards
- other Scattered playing cards and a pair of dice lying on the giant card surfaces
Setting
- Solid hot pink field
- Pale blue and white acanthus scrollwork in the corners
- Faint photographic collage of casino chandeliers behind the figures
Text on it
- 4 ACES
- Williams
- 1 ST PLAYER
- 2 ND PLAYER
- 0 2 6 2
- 1 1 0 3
- BALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- 1 2 CAN PLAY
- 00000
Made by
- Design
- Steve Kordek
Reference
Linked terms
- Spade and Club also called Black back targets
- Heart and Diamond also called Red back targets
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- pink
- cream
- yellow
- black
Fingerprint: Hot pink-magenta ground with cream chevrons and two cream ovals reading player one, large orange-glowing circular bumper lens at dead center under chrome starburst, four painted mid-century comic figures strewn across lower chevrons, score value columns down left and right lanes
The field is drenched in a single hot pink/magenta ground colour with cream chevrons, and it is studded with two matching cream ovals reading 'PLAYER ONE' at mid-left and mid-right. A large orange-glowing circular bumper lens sits dead centre under a chrome starburst, with 'ADVANCE VALUE' in a cream oval immediately below it. Four painted women-and-men figures in mid-century comic style are strewn across the lower chevrons, including a woman in a red top lunging left and a black-bobbed woman holding a red prop. An orange title ending 'IN BLUE' sits at upper left beside a row of square targets.
Setting
- Flat hot-pink playfield ground
- Cream and white chevron bands across the lower half
- Row of square target faces across the top
- Green-and-cream diagonal striping on the cabinet sides
Symbols
- Playing-card diamonds
- Swirl emblem
- Starburst
- Number columns 100-900
- Yellow triangular plastics with circular lenses
- Orange-glowing round bumper
Notable shapes
- Large circular glowing orange lens at centre
- Yellow-tinted triangular plastics left and right
- Chrome starburst around the centre lens
- Cream oval 'advance value' plaques
Art motifs
- Chevrons
- Diamond shapes
- Pinball arrows
- Value tables
Themes
- Athletic figures
- Sprinters
- Target game
- Values
Title on it
- Orange lettering ending 'in blue' at upper left
Text on it
- IN BLUE
- PLAYER ONE
- SPECIAL
- ADVANCE VALUE
- TILT
- FLIPPER BUTTON
- INSTRUCTIONS
- 4 ASS
- SCORE
- SHOOT AGAIN
- 900
- 800
- 700
- 600
- 500
- 400
- 300
- 200
- 100
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Red top, blue trousers, dark hair, lunging leftwards with one arm extended across the lower-left chevron |
| Woman | Black top, pale grey trousers, short black bob haircut, holding a small red object, posed mid-stride at lower centre-right |
| Man | Pale blue shirt, dark trousers, crouching/kneeling with an arm reaching up at lower centre |
| Man | Blue clothing, kneeling at lower centre beside the pale-blue-shirted figure |
A full view of a pinball playfield and cabinet photographed under glass, the whole field washed in hot pink and rose with cream, yellow, black and orange detail. At upper left an orange-and-yellow title reads partly '... IN BLUE', sitting above a small backglass-adjacent strip of targets. Two vertical columns of score values (100 through 900) run down the left and right lanes, each flanked by cream ovals reading 'PLAYER ONE' with a swirl emblem. The middle of the upper field is dominated by a big orange-glowing round bumper lens ringed with a chrome starburst, flanked by two white diamond target banks labelled 'SPECIAL'. A cream oval below it reads 'ADVANCE VALUE'. In the lower half, four painted human figures in mid-century comic style are scattered across a white-and-cream chevron: a woman in a red top and blue trousers lunging left with one arm out, a woman in a black top and pale trousers with a black bob haircut holding a red object, a crouching man in a pale blue shirt, and a second figure in blue beside him. Two yellow-tinted triangular plastics with circular lenses sit left and right. Cream instruction cards line the lower edge with 'FLIPPER BUTTON' panels and 'INSTRUCTIONS'. The cabinet below is magenta with green-and-cream diagonal striping.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- magenta
- yellow-green
- black
- white
Fingerprint: "4 ACES" slanted yellow-green title, four giant white aces on stems, dancing women in bright mini-skirts and boots, playing cards and dice, pink field.
The most memorable feature is the enormous slanted yellow-green '4 ACES' logo with a hard black-and-white drop shadow, paired with four giant white aces standing on stems beneath it. Second is the group of four dancing women in bright mini-skirt outfits and knee-high boots, scattered with playing cards and dice across a pink field. Third are the two stacked oval reel windows on the left, each topped by a scrolled '1 ST PLAYER' / '2 ND PLAYER' plate framed by cream and black baroque scrolls. Fourth is the printed card-fan strip running along the very top edge showing a run of card faces in sequence.
Setting
- Solid hot pink field
- Pale blue and white acanthus scrollwork in the corners
- Faint photographic collage of casino chandeliers behind the figures
Symbols
- Playing-card suits: spade, club, diamond, heart
- Printed card-fan strip across the top
- Dice
- Triangular reel pointers
- Card-suit-and-flower ornaments in the scrollwork
Lettering
- Large slanted yellow-green sans-serif block capitals with white then black drop shadow for the title; smaller cream serif capitals on the player plates and bottom windows
Themes
- Playing cards
- Aces
- Casino
- Pinball
- Mod fashion
- Dancing women
Title on it
- 4 aces
Text on it
- 4 ACES
- Williams
- 1 ST PLAYER
- 2 ND PLAYER
- 0 2 6 2
- 1 1 0 3
- BALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- 1 2 CAN PLAY
- 00000
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Left, brown hair with tall beehive and dark cap, purple scarf over shoulders, green pleated minidress, orange knee-high boots, arm raised, dancing |
| Woman | Centre-right, orange-blonde hair, purple outfit with shorts, tall orange boots, arms outstretched |
| Woman | Far right, brunette with red high bouffant, lime-green sleeveless minidress, purple knee-high boots, one arm flung up |
| Woman | Centre foreground, long dark hair with headband, orange sleeveless top with red-and-black striped miniskirt, yellow boots, holding up a fan of three playing cards |
| Other | Scattered playing cards and a pair of dice lying on the giant card surfaces |
A wide rectangular backglass in hot magenta-pink with pale blue and white scrollwork filling the corners. Across the top runs a printed strip of thirteen playing-card faces (hearts, then a small '0' and '00000' indicator window, then faces including a court card, jack, queen, king and an ace of diamonds). Below and left of centre is a small white cursive signature-style word. The centre-right is dominated by the huge title '4 ACES' in slanted yellow-green block letters with white and black drop shadow. Under the title, four oversized white cards are fanned upright on stems: ace of spades, ace of clubs, ace of diamonds, ace of hearts. Left of centre are two cream-and-black oval reel windows stacked vertically, each with a scrolled bracket and a black name plate reading '1 ST PLAYER' and '2 ND PLAYER' in yellow, with pale blue triangular pointers below. Four comic-style women in mod dress dance on a field of large white and blue playing cards: one in a purple scarf and green pleated mini-dress with orange boots, one in a purple outfit with tall orange boots, one in a lime-green mini-dress with purple knee boots, and one in an orange sleeveless striped top with a red-and-black striped mini-skirt and yellow boots, holding a fan of cards. Cards and dice scatter around them. Along the bottom are three inset panels: a red 'BALL IN PLAY' window, a green 'GAME OVER' panel, and a green '1 2 CAN PLAY' panel.