1977 · Atari
Airborne Avenger
Known for Captive ball, Star rollover, Far left kicker lane and 1-2-3-4 number targets. Deep blue outer space with white stars, orange and yellow sunburst rays radiating behind the central head, white cloud bank, red volcanic mountain ridge on a planetoid at right, pink ringed planet at upper right and blue-and-cream ringed planet at lower left.
- Year
- 1977
- Maker
- Atari
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Captive ball
Captive ball
- rollover
Star rollover
- kicker lane
Far left kicker lane
- Target
1-2-3-4 number targets
- Goal
ABC
- Goal
Airborne Avenger letters
On the playfield
Holes 2
- Upper left saucer saucer
- Upper right saucer saucer
Captive ball 1
- Captive ball
Targets 2
- 1-2-3 standup targets
- 1-2-3-4 number targets
Lanes 3
- Star rollover rollover
- Far left kicker lane kicker lane
- Upper right kicker lane
Post or gate 1
- Gate gate
On the backglass
Who and what
- man Colossal head in a silver-white pressure helmet with a huge dark mirrored visor, rimmed in glowing orange, facing right, occupying the upper centre-right
- woman Small figure with long dark hair in a red/orange outfit, standing on the flat top of the delta-wing craft
- man Small bald figure in a pale silver spacesuit, standing beside the dark-haired woman on the delta-wing craft
- man Bald man in a dark blue outfit at centre-left, raising an arm, facing forward
- woman Blonde woman in a pale blue outfit at centre-left, leaning back against the bald man
- other Enormous hand in a red sleeve gripping a rifle that points up and left from the lower left corner
Setting
- Deep blue outer space with white stars
- Orange and yellow sunburst rays radiating behind the central head
- White cloud bank
- Red volcanic mountain ridge on a planetoid at right
- Pink ringed planet at upper right
- Blue-and-cream ringed planet at lower left
Text on it
- AIRBORNE AVENGER
- 1 TO 4 CAN PLAY
- pinside.com
How it plays
-
Goals 2
- ABC
- Airborne Avenger letters
Made by
- Design
- Steve Ritchie
- Art
- George Opperman
- Software
- Eugene Jarvis
Reference
Linked terms
- Star rollover also called B star rollover
- Far left kicker lane also called Left kicker lane
- 1-2-3-4 number targets also called Number targets
- ABC also called Collecting ABC
- Airborne Avenger letters also called Spell Airborne Avenger
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- blue
- red
- yellow
- cream
Fingerprint: Airborne avenger title, huge pale-green plastic trim forming wide V enclosing flippers, blue apron reading 1-4 PLAYERS CAN PLAY, center five-spoke starburst red-yellow-blue rays, cream BONUS discs with red sunburst surrounds and cartoon figures, four cream circular bonus discs paired left-right, helicopter jets helmeted pilot sky art, yellow-bordered drop targets both sides, ATARI fuji emblem.
The most memorable feature is the huge pale-green plastic trim forming a wide sweeping V across the bottom of the playfield, enclosing the two flippers and framing a bright blue apron that reads '1-4 PLAYERS CAN PLAY'. Second, the centre of the playfield is a dramatic five-spoke starburst of red, yellow and blue paint rays fanning out from a small round medallion, like a rising sun behind the targets. Third, four cream circular BONUS discs with red sunburst surrounds and a small cartoon figure at the centre are arranged in pairs left and right of the upper lanes. Fourth, the whole lower apron is one flat expanse of saturated blue with the ATARI fuji emblem printed in white at the right.
Setting
- Bright blue solid apron field at the bottom
- Red and yellow radiating lane paint in the centre
- Painted sky with helicopters and aircraft in the upper playfield
- Pale green plastic trim framing the lower playfield
Symbols
- Atari fuji logo
- Sunburst rising-sun ray motif
- Red arrow lane art
- Round cream bonus discs with red starburst surrounds
- Red circular plunger cap
- Four orange player buttons on the apron
Notable shapes
- Sweeping pale green v-shaped plastic trim across the lower playfield; five-spoke starburst of painted lanes in the centre; arched upper playfield with chrome wire ball guides; two white rubber-tipped flippers with black rubber and a red circular plunger cap between them
Art motifs
- Radiating sunburst rays
- Military aircraft silhouettes
- Yellow-bordered rectangular drop targets
- Cream plastics with printed captions
Themes
- Military aviation
- Helicopters
- Jet aircraft
- Air combat
- Bonus and replay scoring
Title on it
- Airborne avenger
Text on it
- ATARI
- PLAYER
- 1-4 PLAYERS CAN PLAY
- THE ULTIMATE HIGH
- AIRBORNE AVENGER
- INSTRUCTIONS
- 3 Balls per player.
- Hitting targets 1 to 3 opens gate.
- Lighting AIRBORNE AVENGER awards extra ball.
- Hitting targets 1, 2, 3, & 4 has special.
- Special awards 20,000 points.
- Lighting A, B, & C doubles bonus.
- Tilt disqualifies ball in play from further scoring.
- PER PLAYER
- 1 to 4 Can play
- 3 Balls per play.
- One extra ball for 100,000 points
- One extra ball for 150,000 points
- One extra ball for 200,000 points
- PN 122924-05
- PN 122954-10
- BONUS
- SPECIAL WHEN LIT
- LITE A 500 B 500
- LITE 4 X
- SUPER VALUE WHEN LIT
- 10 PTS
- 1000 MATCH WHEN LIT
- SHOOT AGAIN PLAYER PLAYS AGAIN WHEN ALL LETTERS ARE LIT
- SAME PLAYER SHOOTS AGAIN
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | Helicopters and fixed-wing jets painted into the upper playfield art, plus a small helicopter illustration in the apron artwork |
| Man | Small cartoon human figure printed at the centre of each cream bonus starburst disc |
| Other | Side-profile illustration of a man's head wearing a flying helmet and headset at the right side of the upper playfield |
A photographed electro-mechanical pinball playfield seen from above at a slight angle, with darkness around the cabinet. The lower third is a bright blue apron carrying a big white line reading '1-4 PLAYERS CAN PLAY' and the white-and-red ATARI fuji emblem above 'PLAYER'. Two cream-coloured instruction cards sit on the apron: a left card headed 'PER PLAYER' and a right rules card headed 'THE ULTIMATE HIGH AIRBORNE AVENGER'. Above the apron a pale green plastic trim sweeps in a wide V around two white rubber-tipped flippers and a red circular plunger cap. The centre of the playfield is a five-spoke fan of red, yellow and blue painted lanes radiating up from a small round medallion, flanked by cream starburst discs reading BONUS. Rows of yellow-bordered drop targets stand left and right with 'SPECIAL WHEN LIT' and 'LITE A 500 B 500' captions and SUPER VALUE WHEN LIT markings. The upper playfield art shows helicopters, jets and a helmeted pilot in the sky. Dominant colours: bright blue apron, warm red and yellow lane paint, cream and tan plastics, pale green trim.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- blue
- orange
- red
- white
Fingerprint: airborne avenger: AIRBORNE AVENGER banner, colossal helmeted head with mirrored visor and orange rim, delta-wing jets with shield emblems, figures on wing, giant hand with rifle, blue ringed planet, orange explosion, sci-fi sunset rays
The colossal helmeted male head with a mirrored black visor and a glowing orange rim, set against radiating orange and pink sunburst rays. A giant disembodied hand in a red sleeve aiming a rifle straight out of the left side of the artwork. Two tiny figures standing on the flat top of a giant delta-wing jet, dwarfed by the machine. A face-on delta-wing craft with a dark hexagonal canopy containing two red shield shapes. A ringed blue-and-cream planet and an orange blast filled with black silhouetted figures in the lower left.
Setting
- Deep blue outer space with white stars
- Orange and yellow sunburst rays radiating behind the central head
- White cloud bank
- Red volcanic mountain ridge on a planetoid at right
- Pink ringed planet at upper right
- Blue-and-cream ringed planet at lower left
Symbols
- Rifle
- Delta-wing jet aircraft
- Helmet and visor
- Two red shield emblems on the dark canopy
- Ringed planet
- Volcano
- Sunburst rays
- Stars
Lettering
- Large pale-blue sans-serif block capitals on a white banner, with darker blue drop shadow; secondary white capitals stacked in three lines on a blue ground at the right
Themes
- Aviation
- Science fiction
- Space
- Air warfare
- Adventure
Title on it
- Airborne avenger
Text on it
- AIRBORNE AVENGER
- 1 TO 4 CAN PLAY
- pinside.com
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Colossal head in a silver-white pressure helmet with a huge dark mirrored visor, rimmed in glowing orange, facing right, occupying the upper centre-right |
| Woman | Small figure with long dark hair in a red/orange outfit, standing on the flat top of the delta-wing craft |
| Man | Small bald figure in a pale silver spacesuit, standing beside the dark-haired woman on the delta-wing craft |
| Man | Bald man in a dark blue outfit at centre-left, raising an arm, facing forward |
| Woman | Blonde woman in a pale blue outfit at centre-left, leaning back against the bald man |
| Other | Enormous hand in a red sleeve gripping a rifle that points up and left from the lower left corner |
| Other | Several small black silhouetted figures tumbling inside the orange explosion at left |
A painted sci-fi air-war backglass inside a light-blue rounded rectangular border with a red outer edge. The top carries a wide white banner reading AIRBORNE AVENGER in large pale-blue block capitals with a darker blue drop shadow. The centre-right is dominated by a giant male head inside a silver-white pressure helmet, its huge dark visor reflecting white light, the whole head rimmed in glowing orange, backed by radiating orange, yellow and pink sunburst rays. Two small figures stand on the flat top of a huge grey delta-wing craft: a long dark-haired woman in a red outfit and a bald man in a pale spacesuit. Below them a second grey delta-wing craft is seen head-on with a dark hexagonal canopy bearing two red shield emblems. At left a giant hand grips a rifle, with a bald man in blue and a blonde woman in pale blue below, an orange explosion full of dark silhouetted figures, and a blue-and-cream ringed planet at the bottom corner. Right background shows white cloud, a pink ringed planet, stars and a red volcanic mountain ridge. The right flank reads 1 TO 4 CAN PLAY.